Posts by Beth
LOVE LIKE SKY by Leslie C. Youngblood (MG)
This is another book that I’m just setting down long enough to post about it, then going right back to reading. It is moving and real. I was immediately drawn to G-baby (Georgie), the main character, who is trying so hard to get used to being part of a “blended-up” family. She’s torn between a…
Read MoreJulie Hedlund’s 12 Days of Christmas for Writers 2018 Edition!
Woohooooooo! Julie Hedlund has just announced the 2018 edition of her fabulous 12 Days of Christmas for Writers. If you read my post on Monday, you’ll know I’ve been pacing around with my fingers crossed, eagerly awaiting this announcement. To find out more and to sign up, go to this link: 12 Days of Christmas…
Read MoreThe Importance of Taking Stock and Setting Goals in a Writer’s Life
In this brief time before the end of the current year and the beginning of the New Year, I like to pause and look back over what I have achieved – and what I haven’t achieved – and what I want to do in the coming year. I do this in a variety of ways.…
Read MoreMERCI SUAREZ CHANGES GEARS by Meg Medina (MG)
Just a few pages in, I can already tell this book is going to be excellent. Author’s website Publishers Weekly review Horn Book Review
Read MoreBeth’s Faves — Top Middle Grade and YA Books I’ve Read This Year
As promised last week, my fave Middle Grade and Young Adult reads of the past year. (There won’t be as many MG and YA as there were picture books.) As I said last week, please note that not all these books were published this year. I chose from what appealed to me, as well as…
Read MoreBeth’s Faves — Top Picture Books I’ve Read This Year
At the beginning of 2018, I had the intention of reading one picture book every morning throughout the year. I did well for the first half of the year, then not so well the second half – but I’ve still read a LOT more picture books than I would have otherwise, and many of them…
Read MoreHEARTS UNBROKEN by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Title: Hearts Unbroken Author: Cynthia Leitich Smith Publisher: Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2018 Genre: YA Fiction, #ownvoices Audience Age: 14 to 18 years Themes/Topics: Friendship, romance, Native American history and issues, racism Synopsis: Lou (short for Louise), is a high school junior in current-day Kansas. By the time the book ends, she is a senior.…
Read MoreThe Value of Courses, Challenges, and Community for Writers
Most of us cannot get where we want to be on our own. We need to learn from others, to be challenged by others, and to be supported and encouraged by others. The same is true for writing. At first, I was too nervous to share my writing (except my hymn texts) with anyone but…
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