SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT--BLACK FRIDAY BOOK SALE

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📚📚📚 A SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT 📚📚📚

I AM PARTICIPATING IN A 'BLACK FRIDAY' E-BOOK SALE WITH OTHER CLEAN INDIE AUTHORS BEGINNING THIS FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 29TH, AT MIDNIGHT PST, AND RUNNING THROUGH TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3RD AT MIDNIGHT PST. ALL BOOKS LISTED WILL BE PRICED AT 99¢!

THE SALE INCLUDES MULTIPLE GENRES, MULTIPLE AGE GROUPS, AND MULTIPLE AUTHORS.

GREAT SAVINGS ON SOME GREAT BOOKS! 

 

 **** MY MIDDLE-GRADE HISTORICAL ADVENTURE, 'RES-Q TYLER STOP', IS PART OF THE SALE AS ARE MY TWO CHRISTIAN ROMANCES FOR ADULTS--'ROBIN'S REWARD' AND 'HANDMADE HEARTS'.

TO BUY MY BOOKS AT THE PRICE OF 99¢ DURING THE SALE PERIOD, CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW EACH OF MY BOOK COVERS TO GO TO THE KINDLE STORE ON AMAZON.COM. THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN AND SUPPORT OF MY BOOKS!  😊 

RES-Q TYLER STOP--A MIDDLE-GRADE HISTORICAL ADVENTURE NOVEL

ROBIN'S REWARD--A CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN ROMANCE NOVEL

HANDMADE HEARTS--A HISTORICAL CHRISTIAN ROMANCE SHORT STORY

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE OTHER BOOKS ON SALE AND THE AUTHORS WHO ARE PARTICIPATING IN THE SALE  BY CLICKING ON THIS LINK:
   BLACK FRIDAY CLEAN INDIE AUTHOR BOOK SALE 

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~ MMGM THANKSGIVING FAMILY READ ALOUD ~

~ MARVELOUS MIDDLE-GRADE

MONDAY THANKSGIVING

HOLIDAY FAMILY READ ALOUD ~

--  CRANBERRY THANKSGIVING  --

AUTHOR WENDE DEVLIN

ILLUSTRATOR HARRY DEVLIN

LEARN MORE ON GOODREADS 

ABOUT THE BOOK {from Goodreads}:

Today was Thanksgiving, Grandmother's favorite day of the year. The cooking was done and her famous cranberry bread was cooling on the wooden board. Every year Grandmother invited a guest for dinner and allowed Maggie to do the same. "Ask someone poor or lonely," she always said.

She wasn't happy upon learning that Maggie had invited the unsavory Mr. Whiskers to dinner. Would her secret cranberry bread recipe be safe with him in the house?

After a long absence this delightful 1971 classic is back and so is the secret recipe for Grandmother's Famous Cranberry Bread!

ABOUT THE AUTHORS {from the publisher's website}:

Wende and Harry Devlin

 

Wende and Harry Devlin graduated from Syracuse University with degrees in fine arts and both evolved into accomplished painters.

They later moved to New Jersey, where they became lifelong residents, to raise their family.

The Devlins first collaborated in the 1950s on a syndicated comic strip, Raggmopp, based on the antics of their seven children. 

After this, for more than thirty years from 1963 to 1995, Harry and Wende delighted young children with their Cranberry and Old Witch series. Some of these stories contained more than just happy endings, featuring recipes pleasing to children and adults alike. In fact, many people remember Old Black Witch as the “Blueberry Pancake Witch,” and this beloved series went on to sell over a million and a half books. 

Wende’s words, brought to life by Harry’s vivid illustrations, will continue to enthrall future generations as an unforgettable legacy in children’s literature.

Each of their books comes with a recipe on the back cover, take a look on Pinterest for all of them:  Recipes from the Devlins.

Our favorite recipe is the Cranberry Upside Down Cake. The Blueberry Pancakes and Cranberry Bread are soooo good too!

Don’t forget to check out all the cool facts at Wende and Harry’s

Website:  http://harryandwendedevlin.com/

 

ILLUSTRATION COURTESY OF THE PUBLISHER

MY THOUGHTS:

Cranberry Thanksgiving was one of my favorite read alouds when I taught primary grades. Kindergartners, first graders, and second graders all loved it. And they didn't just love hearing it read aloud at Thanksgiving time. They wanted to hear it well after we returned from our Thanksgiving break from school. 

I recently saw a reading level of 3.7 listed for this book, but I didn't work with students who read this book independently. It was a storytime favorite, and I think I know why . . . 

Harry and Wende Devlin were the parents of seven children. Like Beverly Cleary, it has been reported that the Devlins included the antics of their own offspring in their books. As I mentioned in my post about Author Beverly Cleary in 2018-- https://authorjunemccraryjacobs.blogspot.com/2018/08/mmgm-retro-fiction-beverly-cleary.html
-- the Devlins understood children and what made them laugh, cry, become angry, and a host of other insights to be gained by working with, living with, and/or loving children.

If you have a chance this Thanksgiving season, find a copy of this holiday classic and share it with your family, friends, or neighbors no matter their age. Read it aloud to a group and experience the magic that only a well-written, beautifully-illustrated classic children's book can inspire.

🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂

🦃🦃🦃 Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! 🦃🦃🦃

🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂

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Find the links to read more great Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts from middle-grade authors and bloggers at Greg Pattridge's 'Always in the Middle' Blog.

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📚📚📚 A SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT 📚📚📚

I AM PARTICIPATING IN A 'BLACK FRIDAY' E-BOOK SALE WITH OTHER CLEAN INDIE AUTHORS BEGINNING THIS FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 29TH, AT MIDNIGHT PST, AND RUNNING THROUGH TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3RD AT MIDNIGHT PST. ALL BOOKS LISTED WILL BE PRICED AT 99¢!
THE SALE INCLUDES MULTIPLE GENRES, MULTIPLE AGE GROUPS, AND MULTIPLE AUTHORS.
GREAT SAVINGS ON SOME GREAT BOOKS! 
 **** MY MIDDLE-GRADE HISTORICAL ADVENTURE, 'RES-Q TYLER STOP', IS PART OF THE SALE AS ARE MY TWO CHRISTIAN ROMANCES FOR ADULTS--'ROBIN'S REWARD' AND 'HANDMADE HEARTS'. LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SALE BY CLICKING ON THIS LINK:
   BLACK FRIDAY CLEAN INDIE AUTHOR BOOK SALE

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~ MMGM THE HERO NEXT DOOR STORY COLLECTION ~

~ MARVELOUS MIDDLE-GRADE

MONDAY DIVERSE AUTHOR 

STORY COLLECTION FEATURE ~

--  'THE HERO NEXT DOOR'  --

EDITOR--OLUGBEMISOLA RHUDAY-PERKOVICH

LEARN MORE ON GOODREADS

From We Need Diverse Books, the organization behind 'Flying Lessons & Other Stories', comes another middle-grade short story collection--this one focused on exploring acts of bravery--featuring some of the best own-voices children's authors, including R. J. Palacio (Wonder), Rita Williams-Garcia (One Crazy Summer), Linda Sue Park (A Long Walk to Water), and many more.

Not all heroes wear capes. Some heroes teach martial arts. Others talk to ghosts. A few are inventors or soccer players. They're also sisters, neighbors, and friends. Because heroes come in many shapes and sizes. But they all have one thing in common: they make the world a better place.

Published in partnership with We Need Diverse Books, this vibrant anthology features thirteen acclaimed authors whose powerful and diverse voices show how small acts of kindness can save the day. So pay attention, because a hero could be right beside you. Or maybe the hero is you.

AUTHORS INCLUDE: William Alexander, Joseph Bruchac, Lamar Giles, Mike Jung, Hena Khan, Juana Medina, Ellen Oh, R. J. Palacio, Linda Sue Park and Anna Dobbin, Cynthia Leitich Smith, Ronald L. Smith, Rita Williams-Garcia, and short-story contest winner Suma Subramaniam

"As with the two previous anthologies from We Need Diverse Books, this collection admirably succeeds in making available to all readers a wider and more representative range of American voices and protagonists." -The Washington Post

MY THOUGHTS:

I would like to highlight three of my favorite selections from this short story collection.

--  Home, written by Hena Khan:

This is a touching story written from the point of view of a twelve-year-old girl, Aleena, who lives in Virginia with her parents and teen brother, Bilal.

The family arranges to adopt a three-year-old boy, Hakeem, from an orphaniage in Morocco. Hakeem speaks no English, and Aleena's family speaks no Arabic. The process of adopting this child has taken over a year. The entire family is anticipating the arrival of Hakeem in their home with great joy and excitement.

As you can imagine, there are many adjustments to be made for Hakeem and the entire family along with some rough patches along the way. The powerful ending of the story brought tears to my eyes. This story is filled with realistic emotions and life lessons. Highly-recommended!

--  A Girl's Best Friend, written by Cynthia Leitich-Smith:

I featured one of this author's (who is herself a citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation) story collections for Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday earlier in 2019. Here's the link if you wish to read it: 

Indian Shoes Story Collection Post

A Girl's Best Friend focuses on the relationship between a twelve-year-old girl, Sophie, and her neighbor and landlord, Miz Wilson. Sophie has had to explain several times to Mis Wilson that she is a Muscogee-Osage girl and a Muscogee (Creek) Nation citizen leading Sophie to feel that the landlord is nosy about the Bigheart family.

Even though there is tension and some emotional trauma in the story, the fact that Sophie and her mother volunteer at a local animal shelter will delight young readers as much as it did me!

Through some significant misunderstandings, Sophie and Miz Wilson work together to break down some walls, leaving the reader inspired about how communication and trust can improve relationships. Highly-recommended!

--  Reina Madrid, written by R.J. Palacio:

This well-written and poignant story will stay with me for a very long time . . . 

Maria Eugenia Madrid, called 'Reina' by her parents, lives in Queens in the 1970s. Reina's father passed away recently, and she and her mother are adjusting to a new apartment and a new job for Mrs. Madrid.

The author enriches the story with her detailed description of the neighborhood dynamics at the time and place of the story's setting. Life was definitely different back then, and I enjoyed reading about a time period with which I was personally familiar.

Reina, who is now a ten-year-old, becomes best friends with a girl from another building in the complex, Franny, who is one year older than Reina. The girls spend a lot of time together, but Franny never invites Reina over to her apartment. The reasons for this are revealed late in the story. Reina's mother takes Franny on all sorts of outings with she and Reina.

The final section of this story is meaningful on many levels. Suffice it to say that Reina learns many life lessons at a young age. Highly-recommended!

I borrowed this book from the children's collection at the local public library.

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Find the links to read more great Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts from middle-grade authors and bloggers at Greg Pattridge's 'Always in the Middle' Blog.

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~ NEW RELEASE 'THANKSGIVING DECOR & GIFTS PATTERN BOOK' ~

~ NEW RELEASE ~

--  'THANKSGIVING DECOR & GIFTS:

3 SEWING PATTERNS &

BONUS CRAFT PROJECT'  -- 

 
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~ MY NEWEST KINDLE RELEASE ~

 

ABOUT THE BOOK:  Join me to stitch up some festive Thanksgiving and harvest home decor and gifts.

To make these patterns user-friendly for seamstresses around the world, all of the patterns include the measurements in Imperial and Metric. Tips on how to work with felt and how to make yo-yos {Suffolk puffs} are provided along with detailed cutting and sewing instructions.
 
DETAILS ABOUT THE PROJECTS:
 
Project One is a country-style turkey napkin ring hand-stitched out of a fabric yo-yo, lace, glass beads, and a button.

Project Two is a colorful hand-stitched felt acorn napkin ring embellished with glass beads and embroidery. 

Project Three is a set of fabric jar aprons made using an autumnal print fabric, grosgrain ribbon, and vintage buttons. Decorate the jar lids with some fabric, ribbon, a yo-yo, and a button. Then fill the jars with homemade treats, mixed nuts, applesauce, or biscuit mix and give to a special someone in your life.

*Bonus Project: This book includes a free bonus craft project! The beaded lace covered glass jar will be an elegant addition to your own table or the table of your favorite hostess, friend, relative, or neighbor. Use lace, glass beads, metal leaf charms, and a cut glass covered jar to assemble this quick project. Later on fill it with candies or nuts, and give it someone special.

*****My much-appreciated and devoted blog readers are the first people to see a photo of the bonus craft project!*****

ABOUT THE DESIGNER/AUTHOR:  Over one hundred of June McCrary Jacobs's original sewing, quilting, and stitchery designs have been published in books, magazines, and on sewing industry blogs in the United States and the United Kingdom in the past decade-plus. This is June's third pattern book available in the Kindle Store.

LINK TO FIND THIS BOOK ON AMAZON


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~ MMGM UNITED TASTES OF AMERICA ~

~ MARVELOUS MIDDLE-GRADE

MONDAY S.T.E.A.M. FEATURE ~

--  'UNITED TASTES OF AMERICA:

AN ATLAS OF FOOD FACTS & RECIPES

FROM EVERY STATE!'  --

AUTHOR GABRIELLE LANGHOLTZ

DRAWINGS BY JENNY BOWERS

PHOTOS BY DL ACKEN

 LEARN MORE ON GOODREADS

ABOUT THE BOOK {from Goodreads}:

Cook around the country with this geographical collection of authentic recipes from each of the USA's 50 states, plus three territories, and the nation's capital.

Following the success of America: The Cookbook, author (and mother) Gabrielle Langholtz has curated 54 child-friendly recipes – one for each state, plus Washington D.C. and three U.S. territories (Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands). From Pennsylvania Dutch pretzels to Louisiana gumbo, Oklahoma fry bread to Virginia peanut soup, each recipe is made simple by a step-by-step format and a full-color photograph of the finished dish. A full-spread introduction to each state/territory features background about its culinary culture, brought to life with illustrated food facts and maps. Informative and delicious for kids and their families! Ages 7-10

MY THOUGHTS:
I had a blast reading through this oversized book! It is like an 'I Spy' of food, traditions/customs, geographic trivia, and recipes. As you may have guessed from the cover, the drawings are colorful and detailed.

Following her informative and inviting introduction, the Author launches into educating readers about everything to do with working in the kitchen beginning with front matter sections entitled, 'Cooking Tips', 'Nine Terms to Know', 'Cooking How-To's', 'Kitchen Tools' {includes outline drawings of each tool and a glossary-style description of each tool}, and a colorful map of the United States of America.

Once you turn the page to get into the 'meat' {please pardon the pun 🤭} of the text, the real fun begins!

Each state and territory is featured with a narrative about its food, history, cultural history, and community activities. For instance, Alabama is first and the author includes facts about the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. She shares that during the voting rights marches of 1965, local cooks hosted social activists such as Martin Luther King, Jr., by serving local favorites such as 'biscuits, fried chicken, turnip greens, and black-eyed peas.' (page 16)

The facing page of each section shows a color map of the state with the capital marked and labeled along with several drawings of popular foods/dishes representative of the state. On the next page is a user-friendly recipe for a dish from the state. Finally, a full-sized color photo of the prepared dish is shown.

I learned so much from this book! Here are some of my favorite facts:

• Connecticut: 'The first American cookbook was published in Hartford in 1796.' Until this time, Americans used British cookbooks. Amelia Simmons's cookbook was entitled, 'American Cookery'. (page 41)   

• Idaho:  This name comes from the Shoshone word meaning, "gem of the mountains". Idaho is known as the Gem State. (page 64)

• Arizona:  There are beans which need very little water, 'Tepary Beans', that have been grown in the Arizona desert by Native People for thousands of years. (page 25). I researched this bean further and found that it has a nutty, sweet taste rather than tasting like a bean. It is a native to the Southwestern United States and Mexico.

• Georgia:  Did you know that Tupelo honey is named for the honey made by bees who visit the flowering Tupelo trees in April and May each year? One of my favorite Van Morrison songs is 'Tupelo Honey', but who knew there was an actual  Tupelo tree from which Tupelo honey is made? (page 53)

• Alaska:  Nagoonberries. Apparently they taste like a cross between strawberries and raspberries. Another fact that I somehow missed in my quest to taste every variety of my favorite fruit in existence. These berries are known as the 'jewel of Alaskan berries'. (page 21)

The back matter includes an Index, Recipe Notes, Measurement Notes, and Note on Safety.

I could go on and on about this book's entertainment and educational value, but I think you get the picture.

Highly-recommended for classrooms, libraries, and families who like to cook and learn together.

I borrowed this book from the 'new' book non-fiction shelf in the children's section of the local public library.

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Learn about more great middle-grade reads by visiting Greg Pattridge's 'Always in the Middle' blog to find the links to other blog posts celebrating Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday!

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