The Beat on Ruby's Street by Jenna Zark

Genre:  Middle Grade, Historical Fiction
Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Ruby is an eleven-year-old, who has become a "free thinker" like her idol Jack Kerouac. She is on her way to one of his readings when she is arrested and accused of stealing fruit. Her mom is an artist and her father is a musician. They allow her to run the streets and be this free thinker and this is what gets social services to remove her.  Ruby learns that there are  no perfect families. She also learns how important to it is to follow her own heart. She remains true to herself. She handles this situation  the best way she can, by being creative.
The author did a wonderful job of plunking the reader into Greenwich Village in 1958. You feel the "vibes" of that time period throughout the book. It is realistic, historical, and a book both adults and kids will be able to relate to. I am pleased to recommend this book to my students and will definitely watch for more from this author.

Sunny Side Up by Jennifer and Matthew Holm

Genre: Middle Grade, Graphic Novel
Source: I purchased it

For years I refused to read graphic novels.  I'm not sure why. I grew up reading comic books and loved them.  I love picture books.  Maybe it is because the very first graphic novel I read was completely wordless.  I didn't get it, or like it.  I decided right then and there I didn't like graphic novels.   Once again it took a kid to challenge me to step out of my comfort zone. Because of that  student I have a shelf full of graphic novels. It will continue to grow.  That brings me to this book.

I have been a fan of Jennifer Holm's books for quite some time.  When I saw the preview of this book I knew it was one I had to have on my classroom shelves.  I bought it with the intention of reading it immediately. However, I was so sick I was unable to read at all. I took it to school when I returned and before I could open it a student asked how long I was going to hold on to it before I put it on my shelf.  I felt guilty and immediately checked it out to them and then three other students. All of them said I had to read it.  So I took it off my shelves yesterday and read it before I went to bed. It has been one of the best books I've read in a while.  I understand why my students love it.

Most kids, especially today, see family problems either in their own houses or in their friend's houses. They are able to identify with the main character in the story.  Sunny is a ten year old girl, the same age as my students. She adores her older brother. However, her older brother has some problems. To make them worse he keeps putting her in the middle by asking her to lie for him.  These secrets are destroying her and her family.  When she is sent to visit her grandfather in Florida she meets a friend who loves comic books. Between the comic books, her grandfather and her new friend, she finds the strength and courage to begin the healing process.  It is a quick read and such a wonderful book with such a powerful message.

I was able to identify with this character. I have a sister that had an addiction problem. I helped hide it from my mother for so long that it almost destroyed our family.  It is tough to heal from this situation no matter what the age. I have to say that this book made me, an adult look at our situation to see how we could take the healing process to the next step.

Thank you Jennifer and Matt Holm for such a wonderful book.

Perfidy by M.E. May

Genre:  Adult, Mystery

Source:  I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

From the time I first started reading chapter books, the mystery genre became my favorite.  I have to say after all of these years reading mysteries I am still not real good at figuring out the mystery.  When I read the synopsis of this book I knew it was one I wanted to read.  We have a very dysfunctional family. Mandy is the daughter of a police officer. Her mother and father’s marriage began to fall apart when Mandy’s best friend, her brother, also a police officer was killed. Her mother is convinced her son was pushed into this line of work by Mandy’s father.  Now Mandy’s mom has gone missing. The father doesn’t seem worried because she often goes missing for short periods of time.  This time however, they’ve found her car with traces of blood in it.

The author keeps you guessing as to who would have something against the mother.  The story starts off very ominous. The tension is kept going from page one to the last page.  The characters are very well developed. I have to say once again I was unable to figure it all out until the end.  I loved this book and would definitely read more by her. I also loved the setting.  I am very familiar with this area as I'm originally from Indiana. I lived in a small town south of Kokomo.

About the Author:

M. E. May lives in the Far Northwest Suburbs of Chicago with her husband, Paul, and their white Husky, Iris. Born in Indianapolis, she spent most of her years there or in a suburban town near there. Although she has physically moved away, her heart still lives in her hometown. She has a son, daughter, and four wonderful grandsons living in central Indiana.

She attended Indiana University in Kokomo, Indiana, studying Social and Behavioral Sciences. Her interest in the psychology of humans sparked the curiosity to ask why they commit such heinous acts upon one another. Other interests in such areas as criminology and forensics have moved her to put her vast imagination to work writing crime fiction that is as accurate as possible. In doing so, she depicts societal struggles that pit those who understand humanity with those who are lost in a strange and dangerous world of their own making.

In creating the Circle City Mystery Series, she brings to life fictional characters who work diligently to bring justice to victims of crime in the city of Indianapolis. Michele also hopes her readers will witness through her eyes, the wonderful city she calls her hometown. 

Learn more about Michele atwww.memay-mysteries.com.

The Overcome by Gabrielle Grace

Genre: Young Adult, Adult, Christian, Fantasy: 
Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I received a copy to facilitate my  review. The opinions expressed here are my own. This new author has a grasp on what it takes to be a great writer. Her characters are well drawn. Simon the main character is one you cheer on from the beginning. His best friend Derek is one I found myself going back and forth. between loving and hating. In my opinion, anytime a writer can make you love a character that you want to hate for their actions. they are successful.  The action scenes are just that, full of action. The reader goes from one conflict to the next. The tension is kept tight from beginning to end. I had to keep reading once I began it because I needed to know how Simon was going to handle situations. Would he be able to stay strong? Would he be able to keep friendships intact?  What happens when you have to make those tough life decisions?  I have to say I've known the author for several years. I knew this book was within her.  I knew she had talent.  I could never have imagined just how gifted a writer she is until I read this book.

Author Interview and Book Review: Pane and Suffering by Cheryl Hollon

Genre: Adult, Mystery

Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

It is my pleasure to have Cheryl Hollon as my guest today.

Cheryl you started out designing and building flight simulators. How did you make the jump from that, to where you are today?  Please describe your journey to writing.

According to my sister, I’ve always been a storyteller. In 6^th Grade, my English teacher assigned us to write an essay on the back of each week’s punctuation quiz – instead, I wrote a poem. She predicted that I would be a writer. But my driving interests were math and science, so instead I became an engineer and found a rewarding career in military flight simulation. A lot of travel was part of the job and I started writing more poems, a lot of short stories, and then finally I starting tackling mystery novels.

Tell us how you got started working with glass.

My husband George, a retired chemistry engineer, and I have an artistic side and began making handcrafted presents for our children and family years ago. Our interests hopped around from painting, drawing, woodworking, and then George signed up for a stained glass class. It was love at first site for us both. It’s been over twenty years now, and we’re still trying new things. Our latest project was to create an etched crystal book of the cover for Pane and Suffering. We sent it to Kensington for a giveaway promotion that ends just before release day. It was devilish tricky, but we love the result.

According to your bio you have a studio behind your house. Do you sell from your studio or is there a specific shop you sell your work through?

We still supply a few items for sale with our local store, Grand Central Stained Glass, the inspiration for Webb’s Glass Shop. Nowadays, we make gifts and experiment with whatever pleases us. I’m busy creating glass earrings to use as promotional swag at the Bouchercon 2015 Speed Dating for Authors event on October 8^th in Raleigh, NC.

How and when did you decide to make the connection between your glasswork and your writing?

The glasswork and writing came together as an idea for submitting a cozy proposal to my dream literary agency, BookEnds, LLC. Because I strongly believe in ‘write what you know’ using a glass shop was a natural choice for setting. The Webb’s Glass Shop Mystery Series captured my agent and ultimately a three-book deal with Kensington Books.

What made you choose the mystery genre to write in?

I discovered mysteries at about age twelve. I raced through the Nancy Drew stories and then began to devour the British golden age authors starting with Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Nagio Marsh. With well-drawn recurring characters and a cracking plot, I’m still hopelessly hooked on the mystery genre. Right now I’m rereading Cover Her Face by P. D. James.

When and where do you write?

I am an early morning writer. In the dawn hours the words slip into the manuscript with relative ease. Later in the day, I have to hunt them down with pack dogs and stab them to the page. Like Virginia Woolf insisted, I have of room of my own in the form of a small shed in the back yard. Separate from the house with a view of the birdfeeders – it is my perfect writing retreat.

Take us through your writing process? Are you a plotter or pantser?

My writing process is fairly serial in that I write at least an eight-page synopsis, which I send to both my agent and publisher for approval. That usually results in several revisions to the overall plot and red herring subplots. Then I use Excel to create a detailed outline for every chapter. My spreadsheet addresses the timeline, point-of-view character, location of the scene, events to occur, the goal and its opposition, the outcome, and the sensory details such as weather, aromas, texture, taste, etc. After I’m happy with the outline, I start with page one and write at least 1500 words everyday through to those fabulous two words: THE END! At this point, I let it rest for a few weeks to work on other projects and then I make two or three revision passes correcting inconsistencies, checking for the million times I’ve used the word ‘just’ and final research tasks. My critique group then weighs in for continuity issues, plot holes and character missteps. Finally, it goes to my agent and my editor at Kensington.

What is something most people would be surprised to learn about you?

I was an official Boy Scout Leader on the local council training staff for teaching Scoutmaster Orientation courses.

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You can read more about Savannah in Pane and Suffering, the first book in the NEW “Webb’s Glass Shop” mystery series, published by Kensington Books.

About Pane and Suffering:

To solve her father's murder and save the family-owned glass shop, Savannah Webb must shatter a killer's carefully constructed façade. . .

After Savannah's father dies unexpectedly of a heart attack, she drops everything to return home to St. Petersburg, Florida, to settle his affairs--including the fate of the beloved, family-owned glass shop. Savannah intends to hand over ownership to her father's trusted assistant and fellow glass expert, Hugh Trevor, but soon discovers the master craftsman also dead of an apparent heart attack.

As if the coincidence of the two deaths wasn't suspicious enough, Savannah discovers a note her father left for her in his shop, warning her that she is in danger. With the local police unconvinced, it's up to Savannah to piece together the encoded clues left behind by her father. And when her father's apprentice is accused of the murders, Savannah is more desperate than ever to crack the case before the killer seizes a window of opportunity to cut her out of the picture. . .

My Thoughts

Like the author, I grew up reading mysteries. It has always been my favorite genre. When I was first approached about reading and reviewing this book I was surprise to learn I had so much in common with the author My husband has done some stained glass work  and he turns pens. We've both be involved in some of the same things. Then we learned she lives just north of us and her story takes place in St. Petersburg, FL, less than an hour north of us.  I loved the way she gives so much information about working with glass. Books like this often lead people to learn more about things like working with glass.  My favorite thing about the book is that Savannah must try to unravel the clues left by her father.  She has created characters that you come to care about including Suzy, the service dog.  It is brought to a satisfying conclusion and gets you ready for the sequel "Shards of Murder" which will be out sometime next year.  I have to say that I really enjoyed this and will recommend it to all those who love mysteries. This is an author you want to keep your eye on.

############

Meet the author:

Cheryl Hollon writes full time after she left an engineering career designing and building military flight simulators in amazing countries such as England, Wales, Australia, Singapore, Taiwan and India. Fulfilling the dream of a lifetime, she combines her love of writing with a passion for creating glass art. In the small glass studio behind the house, Cheryl and her husband George design, create, and produce fused glass, stained glass and painted glass artworks.

You can visit Cheryl and her books at

http://www.cherylhollon.com

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cheryl-Hollon-Writer/357992230995844

http://www.twitter.com/cherylhollon

A Bevy of Children's Books

Granny of the Pacifiers by Anat Umansky
Genre: Children's Picture Books
Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I have reviewed many of this author's books and love them. The idea behind and within this book is great. I do feel the story could have been a little more developed. I will recommend it because as I said the idea within for getting your child to give up their pacifier is a great one.

Mommy What Do I Feel by Sagit Cohen
Genre: Children's Picture Books
Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

This is just one book in a series about the senses. The author has done a great job of teaching about the sense of touch. The book is word friendly in that it is an easy independent read or can be understood by the youngest child being read to. I definitely recommend this book.

How You Were Made by Sagit Cohen
Genre: Children's Picture Books
Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
This is a great story to tell your young children when they ask where they came from. It doesn't answer the physical question, but it does let them know that a lot of thoughts, love and planning went into making them. I really enjoyed this book.

Can't Catch Calico by Elliott Carlson
Genre: Children's Picture Books
Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

The storyline is good. My problem with this book is
that since it is for children, most of them won't understand the dialect. It would have been better to throw just a couple of those types of words in and used standard language for the rest. For this reason I didn't rate it as highly as I usually do. It was a good book, I just don't think a lot of kids will understand the language used.

The Boy Who Stopped Time by Michael A. Massa
Genre: children's Picture Books
Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review, The opinions expressed here are my own.

One of the hardest things for kids to understand is the concept of time. A young boy in a village keeps hearing phrases about time: "running out of time", "living on borrowed time". He believes if he can stop the hands of the church clock that everyone will have all the time they need. Read this wonderful book where this author addresses this issue and see what lesson young Anthony learns.


Oliver and Jumpy Stories 22-24 by Werner Stejskal

Genre: Children's Picture Books
Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
Story 22 finds Oliver and his friends on a train ride adventure. They are taken through many fantastic lands and find themselves on a rollercoaster.
Story 23 finds Oliver with a case of the hiccups. The only way he can get rid of them is to climb a mountain where a special bird lives. Their babies are born with hiccups and the nectar from a special flower. Follow Oliver on this adventure.
Story 24 Oliver is spending time with Joey while his mom goes shopping. After eating breakfast they go out on a boat to go fishing. Follow them on this fishing adventure.

Oliver and Jumpy Stories  25-27 by Werner Stejskal
Genre: Children's Picture Books
Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
Story 25 finds Oliver with his owl friend Ollie. Ollie Owl was the wisest creature in the forest. He would sit on Oliver's porch and creatures from the forest would come to him for advice. When Oliver's ring goes missing Ollie tells him how to figure out where his ring is.
Story 26 Oliver receives a note his sister has had kittens. She would like him to visit. This means he and his friends will need to travel across a desert. Read to find out what happens to them on their trip.
Story 27 Oliver visits a local castle just to explore it. On this trip he meets a lonely ghost who lives in the castle. He plays cards with him and several others who live there. He agrees to return if they agree to help him with Trick-or-Treat. Is this a good idea?  Read to find out.

Sweet as Fruit - Shir Guez

Children's  Book
Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
When it comes to authors who write about nutrition, Shir Guez is my favorite. This is not your common picture book. This is a book for parents to read to their older children or for them to read on their own. I loved this book because it teaches about different fruits and their importace to our bodies. One of the reasons I love her books is I always learn something new. This book was no different. She spoke about the Lychee fruit.  I actually found some in an Amish market a couple of months back and loved them. Since I have put more fruit in my daily diet it is great to know how these fruits help my body.  An excellent book I will recommend to all of my friends.

The One Who Sees Me by Kandi J. Wyatt

Genre: Young Adult, Adult, Historical Fiction

Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review.

Kandi Wyatt has taken historical fiction and elevated it to a higher level. Her world building pulls you in and puts you right in the middle of the adventure.  This is why I love her books.  I immediately recogized the story line in her newest book.  It is the story of Hagar and her son Ishmael.  However, she has taken the information from the Bible and told Hagars story from her perspective. She also removed it from the Biblical time period and set it in medieval times. For me this works so well. We find Faru (Hagar) traded from her mistress to a young Lord. When his wife is finally returned to him, they keep her.  Things go along well for years with Faru attending to Lady Cwen's needs. She even finds herself falling in love with a young man named Cailean. But all of this is to change because The Existing One has told him he will have a son.

I will say nothing further because to do so will spoil such a wonderful story. However, if you are familiar with the story you know what will happen. The story is full of hope, love, betrayal and the hardship of living the life of a servant in medieval times. It is also full of hope and trust in "The Existing One".  As a Christian it is a reminder to all who follow him that we must always place our trust in God and understand that even through hardships he knows what is best for us.  I will definitely recommend this book to others and because it is such a clean read and one that will appeal to teens and adult, will proudly put a copy on my shelves at school.  I can't wait to see what this author comes up with next.

Guest Post by Brent Ayscough Author of "The Visitor"

In a former life, I was an attorney that handled many types of cases, some of which might seem as fighting impossible odds.  Those odds were often fighting a well-funded establishment. 

To begin with, for this fictional story, I asked myself, what is a seemingly impossible task that I might be able to accomplish?

The idea came to me to put the Dalai Lama back into his Tibet, overcoming the might of the Communist Chinese Government, and which task the civilized nations of the world have not been able to do. 

I came up with a solution.   Implementing it required intensive research in so many areas that it took several years to put together.   The story leaves out no relevant details.  

Tibet has only two races, the native Tibetan and now the Han Chinese moved there by the Communist Chinese Government to dilute the Tibetan population.   

My method is to create a race-specific Ebola that will only attack the Han Chinese race that occupy Tibet.

To do this, I found experts that assisted in putting together a workable method of how to do it.  The place to make it, the medical equipment, medical procedures, lab animals, needed samples, expendable test subjects and from where and how to get them, and the characters that could do it,  are all explained.  It is like a “how to do it” primer.

I also found a place where it could be done as it is dangerous.  The place exits in Kazakhstan.

Funding cannot come from a country, as that would be war.  So, I came up with a method of funding as well as the motivation.

Although having nothing to do with the Ebola, I added an alien anthropologist that comes to Earth incognito to observe and evaluate us as a species as to whether we should be allowed to come into space or be eradicated as a threat.  How she gets around is hopefully entertaining.  She intended to land her gliding shuttle in the middle of the US, in Kansas, as she learned English for the mission, but due to a military test over White Sands, New Mexico, she is detected and moves her shuttle over to Europe where she lands in rural Poland.  Homeland security tracked her and chases her as a threat, although unaware she is alien. 

In Poland, she meets an international arms merchant, a Baron, who becomes her host and guide while on Earth.  He is undertaking the task of creating the race-specific Ebola.  How he is hired, the funding, and his contacts make up the story.  There is also romance between the two as the alien is human like.

The reader might find him or herself looking at humans from an unbiased point of view as does the alien as to whether or not we should be contacted and invited to enjoy the wonders of the universe, or, should we be eradicated as a warring threat of a species that has no business in space.

In writing, I think research is half the fun.  Do you enjoy the research you’ve done for your writing?

Brent Ayscough or Ace, as he is known to friends, retired from the practice of law and lives in a house overlooking the sea in Southern California. He has always loved machines, from airplanes to motorcycles, structural design, and other interests. He has enjoyed the acquaintance of diverse and interesting people, and is widely traveled. Bits and pieces of characters he has known, places he has been, seasoned with the spice of his imagination, help him create unusual stories and characters. Extensive collaboration with experts and sources, hopefully, make his stories credible and interesting.

The Visitor by Brent Ayscough ISBN-13: 9781626942356, Black Opal Books , Trade paper/ebook February 2015  $12.99

http://www.amazon.com/Visitor-Brent-Ayscough-ebook/dp/B00T6S7VEU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1442167201&sr=8-1&keywords=the+visitor+ayscough

The King of Average by Gary Schwartz

From Goodreads:

James isn’t the world’s greatest kid, but he’s not the worst, either: he’s average! When he decides to become the most average kid who ever lived, James is transported to another world where he meets Mayor Culpa, a well-dressed talking Scapegoat who recruits him to become the new King of Average.

He’s joined on his quest by a professional Optimist and his grouchy companion, an equally professional Pessimist. Together, they set out on a journey of self-discovery that leads them all the way from the Sea of Doubt to Mount Impossible, the highest peak in the Unattainable Mountains. When James stumbles into a Shangri-la called Epiphany, he uncovers the secret of who he really is.

Follow James on his hilarious, adventure-packed journey to find self-worth in this heartfelt middle grade novel The King of Average by debut author Gary Schwartz.

My Thoughts: 

From the moment I began reading this book I had several thoughts go through my head. The first was how

sorry I felt for James.  As a teacher I've actually heard parents tell their kids they hated them and wished they'd never been born. I've heard them blame the father's. This book immediately resonated with me as I am sure it will with so many of my students. The author has commented that his ideas came from several places, especially his favorite book, "The Phantom Tollbooth".  I can see how the worlds resemble each other.  I loved this world. It is a world I was very familiar with.  My students have a difficult time believing there was a time I didn't believe in myself. I considered myself no one special. I would try on occasion to better myself, only to have someone say something that made me feel like I was only average. James is whisked away to the land of Average where he is to be tested to see if he is to be their next king.  I thought it funny that he wanted to excel at being average because he thought that was the best he could hope for. His journey to find out what happened to the last king will change his life in ways he never saw coming.  I think this should be required reading in every class, in every school.  There are so many people out there like James who need the message in this book.  The funny thing is, at age 57, there were lessons I could still learn. Learning to step above seeing yourself as just average or not worth anything for some of us in some situations is an on-going process.  I will definitely recommend this book to my fellow teachers and readers, and parents.

A Curious Beginning – Deanna Raybourn

Genre: Adult, Mystery, Romance

Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review

Let me start off by saying that I am picky about literature set in the Victorian period. Often it comes across as very stuffy. This is not the case with this book. Veronica Speedwell is the main character. After the death of her “aunt”,  her life is suddenly turned upside down. She is almost abducted. Baron Maximilian von Stauffenbach convinces her that she is in danger. He also tells her he knows who her mother was and promises to tell her all. He places her with a friend named Stoker. Unfortunately before he has the chance to give her any information he is murdered. Veronica and Stoker flee in an effort to find the truth. They are to stay ahead of those trying to find them by joining a traveling circus, friends of Stoker’s.

Veronica and Stoker have a very strange relationship. They seem to take pleasure in making digs at each other. Veronica is definitely able to stand up for herself. She is very confident. This isn’t something you often see in females in the Victorian era. I loved her sarcasm. I loved how flustered Stoker would get because Veronica was not like other women of the time period. She would actually speak her mind and expect Stoker to accept it. This is the beginning of a romance. I liked the fact the author deviated from the normal Victorian romance. There are secrets from Stoker’s past that aren’t resolved in this book. This leaves the reader anxiously waiting for the next book in this series.  This is a great start to this series.