Maria's Mélange

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for My Jasper June , by Laurel Snyder. I was so excited to be asked to join this tour, as I read my advance copy of the book this past June. I was in the middle of my own life changes (a huge move across the country), and the beauty of the writing and the friendship within were just what I needed along the way. Be sure to read all the way to the bottom and enter for a chance to win a copy of this book - which will be sent to the winner by the publisher.  My Thoughts: When your life has changed drastically, as Leah's life has when we first meet her, you can feel like you've been left behind by everyone to whom you had been deeply connected. Leah is clearly walking around in a daze. In her numbness, she's narrating her life inside her head, instead of really feeling anything. Snyder does a wonderful job of showing that to us, and I immediately felt the ache of her loss of normalcy. Leah glides through neighborhood and friendship tra...

I read this fun adventure while on the plane heading toward my OWN adventure. You see, I'm a lifelong Pennsylvania gal who is moving to Austin, TX this summer. I'm sure I'll need to hit up my new local library to learn more about my new home, and I also had some questions for the author. Read his fun responses below! Who longs for all the knowledge of the universe at their fingertips? Who KNOWS they would make an excellent Librarian, even if they need to start as "Fourth Assistant Apprentice"? Who loves maps and penguins and tardigrades and ... well, you get the idea. Is that you? Is that a child you adore or a student in your classroom? If so, then The Library of Ever  by Zeno Alexander is the perfect book for you! AUTHOR Q & A 1) Do you have a special library memory? I'll share some of mine below, but I'd love to hear about yours! I have many, as I was fortunate to live near a wonderful library when I was a young child. One of ...

As always, I was thrilled to receive an advance copy of John David Anderson's latest book. I've enjoyed everything he's written - and I've participated in blog tours to celebrate almost all of them! Take a look at the synopsis of the book, then check out my thoughts about this latest release. FINDING ORION by John David Anderson Publishing on May 7, 2019 by Walden Pond Press, an Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers ISBN: 978-0-06-26489-6 (Overview from publisher) Sometimes you need to lose something in order to find yourself. Beloved author John David Anderson returns with a heartwarming, heartbreaking and unforgettable story of the true power and limits of family. Ron Kwirk comes from a rather odd family. His mother named him and his sisters after her favorite constellations, and his father makes funky-flavored jelly beans for a living. One sister acts as if she’s always onstage, and the other is a walking dictionary. But no one in the family is more...

Welcome to the latest stop on the blog tour for  The Missing Piece of Charlie O'Reilly! ABOUT THE BOOK (from publisher) Charlie O’Reilly is an only child. Which is why it makes everyone uncomfortable when he talks about his brother. Liam. His eight-year-old kid brother, who, up until a year ago, slept in the bunk above Charlie, took pride in being as annoying as possible, and was the only person who could make Charlie laugh until it hurt. Then came the morning when the bunk, and Liam, disappeared forever. No one even remembers him—not Charlie’s mother, who has been lost in her own troubles; and not Charlie’s father, who is gone frequently on business trips. The only person who believes Charlie is his best friend, Ana—even if she has no memory of Liam, she is as determined as Charlie is to figure out what happened to him. The search seems hopeless—until Charlie receives a mysterious note, written in Liam’s handwriting. The note leads Charlie and Ana to make some profo...

As I was beginning to mentally process what I wanted to share about this amazing book, there was a flurry of social media activity about it. Anne Ursu posted a lovely photo of a stack of author copies of Lost Girl and received a response of “Excellent. But how do we keep boys reading?”. That response was from a man - but I have seen similar thoughts expressed by women. This exchange prompted a storm of responses, and I think it is important to remember one vital thing… BOYS CAN AND SHOULD READ BOOKS THAT CENTER GIRLS. Oh, I’m sorry --- was I shouting? Yes…. yes…. I was shouting. Will boys read books about girls? Yes… yes they will. As long as WE don’t make it an issue. How do we book talk a book? Do we say “This is a book girls will like?” If so… we need to knock that crap off. So - how could you book talk Lost Girl in a way that will interest your readers? “The Lost Girl is about a set identical twins. Twins who support each other. Twins who are identical only i...

I'm so excited to share a Q&A with Christopher Healy! I loved this book so much that I just got three copies so I can use it with a small group. I plan to pull in nonfiction about women in science as we read the story. You can see some of my suggestions, along with a description of the book, at my previous post .... Questions and Answers.... 1) Which inventors or ground-breaking scientists inspired you the most? Was there any fun information you learned while researching for your book that you'd like to share with my blog readers? Honestly, I find the women in the book most inspirational. Take Margaret Knight, for instance. She had over 80 US patents. The woman must have been inventing nonstop! And all different kinds of creations too—from lid-removing pliers to combustion engines. All of which is even more impressive when you consider all the obstacles that were facing her as a woman in the 1880s. She almost didn’t get credit for her most famous invention—the fl...

A PERILOUS JOURNEY OF DANGER & MAYHEM BOOK 1: ‘A DASTARDLY PLOT’ By Christopher Healy Publication Date September 25 2018 ISBN: 978-06-234197 It is 1883—the Age of Invention! A time when great men like Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Nicola Tesla, and George Eastman work to turn the country into a mechanical-electrical-industrial marvel: a land of limitless opportunity. And it all happens at the world famous Inventors Guild headquarters in New York City—a place where a great idea, a lot of hard work, and a little bit of luck can find you rubbing elbows with these gods of industry who will usher humanity into the bright promise of the future. Unless, of course, you’re a woman. Molly Pepper, daughter of brilliant but unknown inventor Cassandra Pepper, lives with her mother in New York. By day, they make ends meet running a small pickle shop; but by night, they toil and dream of Cassandra shattering the glass ceiling of the Inventors Guild and taking her place among...