BOOK REVIEW: MANJHI MOVES A MOUNTAIN by Nancy Churnin

* THE ROCK OF IVANORE on Audible!
*Cover  Reveal: SEER OF THE GUILDE
* $50 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway

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MANJHI MOVES A MOUNTAIN
Nancy Churnin; Illustrated by Danny Popovici
Creston Books
Ages 5 & up
Available September 1, 2017

Dashrath Manjhi used a hammer and chisel, grit, determination, and twenty years to carve a path through the mountain separating his poor village from the nearby village with schools, markets, and a hospital. Manjhi Moves a Mountain shows how everyone can make a difference if their heart is big enough.


MY REVIEW:

I don't review many picture books, so when I do, it's because I really love it. MANJHI MOVES A MOUNTAIN is the true story of Dashrath Manjhi who spent twenty-two years carving a road through the mountain between two villages. Using nothing but a hammer and a chisel, he devoted his life to making medical care, clean water, and schools more accessible to his home village in India.

Manjhi's story is relevant on so many levels. First, the text is accessible and engaging for young readers. Older children can easily read this story on their own. Second, the illustrations are simple yet really lovely, allowing readers a glimpse into a world and culture so different than their own and yet with the human needs and emotions we all share.

Finally, in this time when diversity in children's literature is hot issue, this book perfectly fills that need. Manjhi did not live hundreds of years ago. He died only in 2007, so his story is a contemporary one. I think it is important that our children learn about people TODAY who are doing great things, who are changing the world, who are making a difference.

MANJHI MOVES A MOUNTAIN can be used to motivate children to think of ways they can make a difference in their own families and communities. At first, Manjhi was mocked by his people, but eventually they came to appreciate and revere him. This story can also give children courage to pursue their dreams without fear of what others think of them.

This is a story that can be shared again and again, and promises to prompt many thoughtful and inspiring discussions in homes and classrooms across the nation.

BOOK REVIEW: THE SCARIEST THING IN THE JUNGLE

THE SCARIEST THING IN THE JUNGLE
David Derrick
Immedium
Picture Book

In India the Bengal tiger is the king of the land. But the giant saltwater crocodile is the ruler of the water. What happens when the kids of these fearsome beasts meet?

Let's get ready to rumble!

These animals sing their own version of Anything You Can Scare, I Can Scare Better!

The tiger cub and little croc joust in a witty war of words. In a playful game of one-upmanship, they top each other's boasts of who owns the most frightening canines, claws, and capabilities.

Climbing trees and swimming circles around each other, they are truly well-matched adversaries. But will these terrible tykes discover someone even scarier than them? No elephant is waiting around to find out the answer! Enjoy an eye-opening adventure, illustrated by a veteran DreamWorks Animation artist.

MY REVIEW:

I don't normally review picture books, though I don't know why. I love picture books and still read them daily to my five-year-old son.  David Derrick's book I'm the Scariest Thing in the Jungle is simply adorable. A young tiger and crocodile have the kind of show down two little kids might have on a school playground. The author has perfectly captured those little kid voices, and his artwork is just so cute! I especially like the crocodile's big childlike eyes. The story will entertain kids of all ages and is sure to elicit plenty of giggles.

I give I'm The Scariest Thing in the Jungle...

BOOK REVIEW: WORDS WITH WINGS by Nikki Grimes

Welcome to Marvelous Middle Grade Monday (MMGM), a weekly event hosted by author Shannon Messenger. For a list of other MMGM posts, click HERE.
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WORDS WITH WINGS
Nikki Grimes
WordSong (Boyds Mills Press)
Ages 8 - 12
84 pp.

Gaby daydreams to tune out her parents’ arguments, but when her parents divorce and she begins a new school, daydreaming gets her into trouble. Her mother scolds her for it, her teacher keeps telling her to pay attention, and the other kids tease her...until she finds a friend who also daydreams and her teacher decides to work a daydreaming-writing session into every school day. With a notebook “thick with daydreams,” Gaby grows more confident about herself and her future. This verse novel poignantly celebrates the power of writing and the inspiration a good teacher can deliver.

MY REVIEW: 

This slim little volume packs an emotional punch. Reminiscent of Sharon Creech's Love That Dog (which I loved) Words with Wings explores a child's sense of loss when her parents divorce and she begins attending a new school. Escaping into a world of daydreams, Gaby worries about many things: if she'll ever meet a new best friend, if she'll get in trouble with her teacher, will she see her father again. These little poems are not overly sentimental, yet they reveal a compelling story with which many young readers will relate. And it's a wonderful way to introduce children to contemporary poetry. I admit I got a bit teary-eyed at the end and can recommend this book with confidence.

CONTENT RATING:

Violence - None
Profanity - None
Sexuality - None

BOOK REVIEW: THE OTHER SIDE OF FREE by Krista Russell

 

Welcome to Marvelous Middle Grade Monday (MMGM), a weekly event hosted by author 

Shannon Messenger. For a list of other MMGM posts, click HERE. 

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THE OTHER SIDE OF FREE
Krista Russell
Peachtree Publishers
Ages 8 - 12
256 pp.

It is 1739. Young Jem has been rescued from slavery and finds himself at Fort Mose, a settlement in Florida run by the Spanish. He is in the custody of an ornery and damaged woman named Phaedra, who dictates his every move. When Jem sets out to break free of her will, an adventure begins in which Jem saves a baby owl, a pair of runaway slaves, and, eventually, maybe all the residents of Fort Mose.

While Jem and the other characters are fictitious, the story is based on historical record. Fort Mose was the first legally sanctioned free African settlement in what is now the United States. In 1994 the site was designated a National Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2009, the National Park Service named Fort Mose a precursor site on the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.

MY REVIEW: 

Jem's story details an obscure event in American history, the first free African society on American soil, a generation before the Revolutionary War. This book is a must read. The characters are all so vivid and real. I loved Jem and his efforts to raise a wounded baby owl. And learning about the slave uprising in the North that motivated so many to travel to Fort Mose and toward freedom was simply inspiring.  The Other Side of Free is beautifully written, yet simple enough for readers as young as 8 or 9 to read on their own, and would make the perfect addition to any American History or Black American History curriculum.

CONTENT RATING:

Violence:  Moderate
Profanity:  None
Sexuality:  None

BOOK REVIEW: UP IN THE AIR by Anne Marie Meyers

 

Welcome to Marvelous Middle Grade Monday (MMGM), a weekly event hosted by author 

Shannon Messenger. For a list of other MMGM posts, click HERE.

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UP IN THE AIR

Anne Marie Meyers

Jolly Fish Press 

Ages 8 - 12

244 pp.

Ever since she can remember, ten-year-old Melody has always wanted to fly.? 

And when she leaps off a swing in the park one day and lands in the mystical realm of Chimeroan, her dream finally comes true. She is given a pair of wings. She can fly! Life cannot be any better.? Yet, dreams do come with a price. Even with wings, Melody realizes she cannot outfly the memories of her past. The car accident that has left her father paralyzed, and her unscarred, still plagues her with guilt-she believes that it was entirely her fault.?

In Chimeroan, Melody is forced to come to terms with her part in her father's accident. She must choose between the two things that have become the world to her: keeping her wings or healing her father.

MY REVIEW:

I love the cover of this book, a little girl leaping from a swing, arms outstretched, a smile on her face. I remember doing that as a kid, that brief, exhilerating feeling of freedom and  weightlessness before landing in a crouch on the grass. There was nothing like it. In Up in the Air, Melody craves that feeling--more than that, she wants to fly. And her wish comes true when she's transported to Chimeroan where everyone's wishes come true.

Up in the Air is a wonderful example of magical realism for children. Kids who love mystical creatures, or magic, or even realistic stories with heart will enjoy this story.  Geared, I think, for a slightly younger audience, it would even make a great read-aloud bedtime story, and will inspire children to use their imaginations and dream!

CONTENT RATING:

Violence: Mild

Profanity: None

Sexuality: None

BOOK REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE by Neil Gaiman

THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE
Neil Gaiman
HarperCollins
192 pp.

"Poignant and heartbreaking, eloquent and frightening, impeccably rendered, it's a fable that reminds us how our lives are shaped by childhood experiences, what we gain from them and the price we pay" - Kirkus Reviews

* At the end of the review is a chance to win a signed copy of The Ocean at the End of the Lane. The giveaway ends on August 4th.

I was first introduced to Neil Gaiman's newest tale as a  sample Audible download, which included just the first chapter, I think. I wasn't impressed. Sounded like just another story about a boy observing the world around him. Gaiman's narrative did perfectly capture the naive and introspective voice of a seven-year-old boy, but otherwise I wondered what all the fuss was about. I decided I wouldn't bother with the rest.

Then I heard Neil Gaiman was coming to Glendale to speak. Tickets were about $50 a piece, but included a signed copy of The Ocean at the End of the Lane. I did love Gaiman's Coraline and The Graveyard book, so I spent the money and went. Beside the fact that the Alex Theater where Gaiman spoke was sweltering, the experience was beyond memorable. Gaiman is a very unassuming, humble man with a gentle, British accent that could lull you sleep not from boredom, but from the sheer melody of it. When he read aloud from his book, I recognized his voice at once. He had been the reader on the audible sample. He read the very same chapter and a little more, and suddenly what seemed so blase before now felt simply magical.

I started reading it while sitting in the theater, and let me tell you, there is nothing blase or expected about The Ocean at the End of the Lane at all. The story begins with a young boy discovering the body of a dead man in his father's car. He is befriended by the Hemstock family, including Old Mrs. Hemstock, Ginnie Hemstock, and Ginnie's daughter, eleven-year-old Lettie. The boy accompanies Lettie on a strange encounter with an ancient, other worldly creature that finds its way inside of him.  And the story only gets more bizarre from there.

Yes, the story is bizarre, unpredictable, frightening, touching and miraculous all at once. It's the sort of story only Neil Gaiman can tell, and The Ocean at the End of the Lane is destined to claim its place among all the other Gaiman classics.

CONTENT RATING:

Profanity:  None
Violence:  Mild
Sexuality: Moderate (mentions a naked woman, and a child witnessing a sexual encounter between two adults, though from the child's naive point of view)

GIVEAWAY TIME

I am giving away (1) copy of 

The Ocean at the End of the Lane 

signed by the author. 

To enter, just fill out the rafflecopter form below. 

This giveaway ends on August 4th. 

U.S. only please.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

2012 CHILDREN'S LIT COUNCIL of SO CAL AWARDS

What you need to know:

* For authors, illustrators, poets or contributors of excellence in the of Children's Literature who reside in Southern California (San Luis Obispo and South)

* Children's or Young Adult books must be released in 2011 (self-published books are not eligible)

* To be considered, you must fill out and submit registration form HERE

* You may visit the Children's Literature Council website HERE.

* For more information, contact Alyson Beecher, committee chair:  beecher.alyson@ gmail.com

WHEN DO YOU HAVE TIME TO WRITE?

The question I probably hear most often as a writer is "When do you have time to write?" This question is usually prompted by the fact that I am a very busy mom of five kids. Up until a few years ago, I would stay up late after my kids went to bed and write. Before that, when they were all very small, I'd get up in the middle of the night, work a few hours, and go back to bed. Lately, however, I've discovered that I can no longer get up at night, nor stay up late. By the time the last child finally crawls into bed, I am too exhausted to do much of anything. Is that's normal for a 40+ mommy. At least I hope so.

I have tried getting up earlier than my kids, another technique that used to be easy for me. Not anymore. That snooze button is just way to convenient.

So, when do I have time to write? I don't.

Fortunately, during all those years when I actually had spare time and energy, I managed to crank out nine complete manuscripts. During the past year, I've spent what time I do have revising and editing those manuscripts. I just finished the final revision for my novel coming out next spring with Tanglewood Press. Now I'm revising another book, which I intend to start submitting to publishers by summer's end.

While the work of revising a manuscript is indeed work, it does not require the same level of focus as the initial writing process. Writing a first draft, for me, requires large blocks of time every day, absolute silence, no disruptions of any kind, and intense mental exertion. Right now in my life, I just don't have any of that.

But I can revise a page or two while sitting in my car waiting to pick my kids up from school, watching, my son's swim lessons, or watching a little TV with my husband at night. I carry my manuscript and a pen everywhere I go: to the dentist office, to church activities, to the park. I make all my notes on paper, then spend a little time here and there making those corrections on the computer.

I am hoping that down the road a little, maybe when my youngest is old enough to go to pre-school, I'll have time to write again. Until then, between revisions and my kids, I've plenty to keep me busy.

WHY KIDS NEED TO WRITE WELL

Teaching Kids To Write Well: 6 Secrets Every Grown-Up Should Know
FREE Download - Click here

I am amazed at how technology comes so easily to my children. It's as if they were born with something extra in their brains that all previous generations, including mine, do not have. This new brain addition includes texting capabilities, internet navigation systems, and general electronic gadgetry comprehension. This reality has become more evident in light of the following facts:

Fact: I have to ask my ten-year-old son to help me turn on my TV...every single time. (When did watching TV get so complicated?)

Fact: When I want to listen to music, I have to ask my to my teenager to download music from itunes onto a CD.

Fact: My eight-year-old has to constantly remind me how to take pictures with my cell phone...even though she's shown me a dozen times. I just can't remember!

What does this have to do with writing? Everything! Book writing and publishing has entered a new era. Sales of e-books are gaining ground and even surpassing traditional forms of print. Today's kids are tomorrow's readers, and it is a sure bet that this generation (and probably the next) will be downloading reading material far more often than walking into stores to buy a book off the shelf.

This brings me to two very important points.

First, authors and publishers need to do everything we can to keep up with advancing technology. Kids may be doing the reading, but is our generation who is doing the writing. To remain viable in tomorrow's market, we need to be able to connect with young readers electronically.

Second, today's young readers are tomorrow's authors and publishers. While kids are reading more than ever before, effective writing skills are in danger of extinction. The abundance of technology and the ease with which we now communicate via texting, instant messaging, and email - as well as the trend of using icons rather than words - has led to a "dumbing down" of the written language.

On one hand, authors write to their audience. But as kids' written communication skills diminish, should authors follow that trend? Or should we, instead, bolster kids' skills and spend more time building a strong foundation of language? And if so, whose responsibility is it to do this? Parents? Teachers? Authors? Software and technology developers?

As adults, we must ask these questions: What kind of books will be written a generation from now? And who will write them? In essence, it is vital that today's kids learn not only to read, but also to write - and to write well. So, while we adults may turn to our kids for help in understanding the world of technology, we must also give them the tools necessary to keep the written expression of language alive.

Teaching Kids To Write Well: 6 Secrets Every Grown-Up Should Know
FREE Download - Click here

JAY ASHER ANNOUNCES NEW BOOK

I am so excited! Jay Asher just announced the upcoming release of his new book The Future of Us, co-authored with award-winning author Carolyn Mackler.

If you didn't read Jay's first book 13 Reasons Why, then you should - right now - run to your nearest bookstore or log in to Amazon and buy a copy today - read it - you won't regret it. It was one of my top favorite reads in 2010. (I just found out it's coming out in paperback next month!)

In honor of Jay's announcement, I am giving away a copy of 13 Reasons Why to one of you lucky bloggies, and a copy of one of Carolyn Mackler's books (I'm not sure which one yet) to a second reader.

Here's the lowdown. We need more followers! So this giveaway will end when A Thousand Wrongs hits '50' followers. That's where you come in.

To win a book you must...

1) Be or become a follower of this blog
2) Post a link to this contest on your own blog, Facebook, or Twitter
3) Comment on this post AND include
-- a link to your post that includes a link to my post. :)
-- the first name and last initial of the person who "referred" you to my blog
4) If you don't have a blog, facebook or twitter, then you can email the link to your friends and email it to me, too!

One winner will be selected at random. The other will be the person who referred the most new followers to my blog. That way everyone has a chance to win!

Contests! Contests! Contests!

In my ongoing quest for writing contests that are both reputable and affordable, I am thrilled to have unearthed one for novels. While contests for short stories and poetry abound, contests for novels are few and far between.

2011 Strongest Start Novel Competition is hosted by Create Space, the self-publishing arm of Amazon.com and The Next Big Writer. The grand prize winner wins $300 and a self-publishing package from Create Space.

While I do not necessarily advocate self-publishing for fiction writers, I do see this contest as an opportunity to receive professional feedback on the opening chapters of our books and a shot at winning one of the runner-up $150 prizes. Winning a contest like this is a terrific feather in the cap when searching for an agent or publisher.

So here is the low-down:

1) There is no entry fee, BUT...
2) You must be register with The Next Big Writer website to enter AND there is a membership fee involved (which is comparable to most novel contest entry fees)
3) Submit the first 3 chapters via email at the The Next Big Writer website

Another CONTEST to consider ends TODAY (April 26th!). The Write Path blog is offering an autographed copy of Holly Black's new novel The Red Glove.

The rules are as follows:

1. You must be a follower of the The Write Path blog. (If you're not, sign up!)
2. You must post the contest on the Internet ie... your own blog, facebook page or twitter, etc.
3. Leave a comment in The Write Path's comment section stating 1. Where you posted the info and 2. Answer the question: If you had the ability to curse someone, what would you do?(keep it pg-13 please)
4. All entries are due in by 9 am PCT on Tuesday, April 26th. I'll then pick the best, most creative curse, (in my opinion) and announce the winner.

Even if you miss entering this contest, Dorine (the blog's host) holds similar contests from time to time, so it's worth following.

In the meantime, keep an eye out for my next blog which will highlight a terrific new children's picture book Why Do I Have To Make My Bed? by Wade Bradford.