Maria's Mélange

I'm so excited to join the blog tour for John David Anderson's latest middle grade novel! Be sure to check out the giveaway toward the bottom of the post. Enter your information before May 21st to win a copy (sent from the publisher).  ONE   LAST   SHOT   by John David Anderson, published by Walden Pond Press, an Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN: 978-0062643926 About the book: (summary from publisher) The beloved author of Ms. Bixby’s Last Day and Posted returns with a humorous, heartwarming story of family, friendship, and miniature golf. For as long as he can remember, Malcolm has never felt like he was good enough. Not for his parents, who have always seemed at odds with each other, with Malcolm caught in between. And especially not for his dad, whose competitive drive and love for sports Malcolm has never shared. That is, until Malcolm discovers miniature golf, the one sport he actually enjoys. Maybe it’s the way in which every hole is...

Welcome back to my blog - I'm so excited to tell you about Christopher Healy's latest release! Remember this classic 80s commercial? If you aren't quite as old as me - take a quick peek. I'll wait... Instead of "you got chocolate in my peanut butter".... I like to think of Healy's latest series as "You got humor in my historical fiction! You got historical fiction in my humor!"  Let me tell you- it's a delicious combination.  Don't get me wrong - I do love regular historical fiction. I've read stories from so many time periods. Take me back to the middle ages to travel with a troubadour. Let me feel the fear of the Triangle Shirtwaist fire. Bring me the thrill of the early space program or the agony of watching the Berlin Wall go up. I'll read it all. But one thing that hasn't been a common factor of any of that powerful historical fiction is humor. Healy has proven himself a master of the crack-me-up. His...

I was so excited to be able to ask Lily Williams some questions for this blog post. It was even better because I was able to set aside some time to have my fifth grade students at ACE Academy (in Austin, TX) create the questions. We read Lily's first two books - If Polar Bears Disappeared and If Sharks Disappeared . Then we looked at some of the information on her author site to give us better ideas for questions. My students were fascinated. A few made the connection to some of the current activities going on around the world to call attention to climate change, and we had a good discussion about that. I highly recommend all three of these picture book titles. The information is shared in a way that captivates kids and gets them excited about learning. The illustrations are amazing! Here are the questions my students created, along with Lily's answers... Do you use reference photos for illustrating? A. I always do for my If Animals Disappeared series. Even though ...

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...