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.

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🦃🦃🦃 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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~ MMGM ENCORE POST FOR VETERANS DAY 2019 ~

~ MARVELOUS MIDDLE-GRADE

MONDAY BIOGRAPHY FEATURE ~

--  'THE POPPY LADY:  MOINA BELLE MICHAEL

AND HER TRIBUTE TO VETERANS'  --

AUTHOR BARBARA ELIZABETH WALSH

PAINTINGS BY LAYNE JOHNSON

LEARN MORE ON GOODREADS

ABOUT THE BOOK {from Goodreads}:

Moina Belle Michael, a schoolteacher from Georgia, successfully established the Flanders Field Memorial Poppy as a universal symbol of tribute and support for veterans and their families during World War I and II. Known as the Poppy Lady, Michael dedicated her life to servicemen and women, buying and placing fresh flowers in rooms where they would gather before heading overseas.
Author Barbara Elizabeth Walsh and artist Layne Johnson worked with experts and primary documents, as well as Moina's great-nieces to better understand Moina's determination to honor the war veterans.
A portion of the book’s proceeds will support the National Military Family Association’s Operation Purple®, which benefits children of the U.S. military.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR {from Goodreads}:
Barbara Elizabeth Walsh has fond memories of poppies and parades honoring her father and other veterans. During World War II her father knew Moina Michael, the Poppy Lady. A former elementary-school teacher, Barbara has written articles for Highlights for Children and Cricket. The Poppy Lady is her first children's book. She and her husband live in Mantoloking, New Jersey, and Key Largo, Florida. For more information, visit barbaraelizabethwalsh.com.

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR {from the publisher's website}:
Layne Johnson has illustrated more than twenty books for children, including the Western Heritage Award--winning Off Like the Wind!: The First Ride of the Pony Express by Michael P. Spradlin. Mr. Johnson speaks frequently in schools and libraries. He lives in Houston, Texas, with his wife.

MY THOUGHTS:
In honor of Veterans Day, 2019, I am sharing a post from November, 2018, in an effort to honor veterans, their families, and current members of the military along with first responders.

On a personal level, I like to pay tribute to the veterans in my family on Veterans Day each year: My grandfather who served in the US Army during World War I and his three sons, my uncles, who served in the US Army and US Marine Corps during World War II. Two of my uncles saw overseas combat, and one was wounded three times in the South Pacific and was honored with the Purple Heart and many other awards.

Here is the encore post featuring a very popular picture book biography about an amazing woman, Moina Belle Michael. A friendly reminder, don't miss the link at the end of the post for an opportunity to read the moving and poignant 'In Flanders Field' poem mentioned in the following post:

With the centennial of the World War I armistice approaching on November 11th, 2018, I decided I wanted to feature books about 'The Great War' or World War II each Monday of this month for my Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts.

A couple of months ago I began searching the local library's online catalog for appropriate titles, and I was thrilled to find this gem in the collection!

Moina Belle Michael was raised in the small community of Good Hope, Georgia, after the Civil War. Families had lost everything in 'The Surrender' and could not afford to hire a teacher for the local children. Moina's mother was determined to help her daughter become educated so Moina could teach her younger siblings and the neighbor's children.

After three years of boarding school fifteen-year old Moina cleaned out an abandoned slaves' cabin on the plantation and opened a school for her siblings and a few local children.

In the summer of 1914, Miss Michael had been traveling in Europe when World War I broke out. When the Germans sank an American ship in March, 1917, she prayed the United States would not enter the war.

At this time, she was a teacher and dorm mother at the University of Georgia's Normal School. She dreaded the U.S. Congress's vote on whether the nation would enter the war. When it was announced that the United States was joining in the war in Europe, Moina vowed to do whatever she could to help the soldiers. She wanted them to be remembered for their service and sacrifice.

She knitted sock and rolled bandages with other local women. She delivered treats to the nearby military camp and invited soldiers to share a meal at her home.

In the autumn of 1918, she completed the training presented by the YMCA and held at Columbia University in New York City so she could become a canteen worker. She applied to go overseas but was denied due to the fact that she was too old. {She was forty-nine years old at the time.}

She wanted to help out somehow. She reflected upon what she could do to help the war effort. She decided it would be worthwhile to help the soldiers before they left for their assignments overseas, so she opened a reading/meeting room in the basement of a hall on Columbia's campus.

Men and women in the military along with university secretaries visited the room each day to read, sing, and visit with others. Miss Michael used her own meager salary to buy flowers to brighten up the dreary basement. She felt called to do more to ease the stress of these soldiers who were serving or had served their country in war.

By chance, Moina read a poem in a magazine written by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae who was a Canadian physician. The poem, 'In Flanders Fields', was a tribute to the soldiers who perished on the battlefields of Flanders. In the poem, the battlefield was covered with white crosses and bright red poppies.

Then and there Moina Belle Michael vowed to buy red poppies to give out to others and to always wear a red poppy herself in honor of the poppies of Flanders Fields.

She went out shopping in New York City to purchase red poppies. She found one large and twenty-four small silk poppies in a single department store. She pinned one poppy to her collar and hurried back to the basement room. She placed the large poppy in a vase and handed out the twenty-three smaller ones to the men and women leaving for France.

It is striking that two days after she purchased the twenty-five poppies, World War I ended. She was not ready to rest. She saw how difficult it was for the returning troops to find jobs and get the medical care they needed.

She decided to help out by trying to get various organizations to honor and support the veterans by adopting the Flanders Fields Memorial Poppy. People around the world began to donate money to the funds to help veterans, war widows, and orphans.

Many unemployed and disabled veterans made and distributed poppies. Moina was named the 'Poppy Lady'.

Moina Belle Michael died at the age of seventy-four and was honored with a military funeral in her honor in Athens, Georgia.

The 'Author's Note' tells the touching story of how her own father had met Miss Michael when he was a soldier in World War II. The soldier, Pat, told his author daughter about how nice Miss Michael was. This prompted Barbara Elizabeth Walsh to research and write this compelling biography.

The 'Legacy' section tells how the Flanders Poppy is still recognized as a symbol of remembrance. These poppies are still distributed by several veterans groups in America.

A 'Selected Biography' is included.

The original paintings by artist Layne Johnson are beautiful and contribute greatly to this amazing woman's biography.

If you would like to read the touching poem which began this red poppy tradition, you will find the text of 'In Flanders Fields' and a brief biography of the poet who wrote it at the following link:
'In Flanders Fields' Poem

This biography is highly recommended to parents/grandparents, librarians, teachers, and fans of American history/World War I history/military history/twentieth century history. It is inspiring and engaging and will show a true-life example of a woman who dedicated her life to serving others.

I borrowed this book from 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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