Ghosts of Manitowish Waters - G.M. Moore

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

From Goodreads:
Fifteen-year-old Tess O'Brien finds her life inexplicably intertwined with the rebellious teen Cain Mathews and the conflicted Wesley Thayer as they search the vast Wisconsin woodlands for a mystical albino deer herd.

An ominous curse, a mysterious fog and villainous poachers plague their journeys as the three struggle to come to terms with their lives, their parents and the wilderness they love.

"Ghosts of Manitowish Waters "is a coming of age story about finding your own path and following it. It's a lesson in knowing when to obey your parents and when to have the courage to defy them.

My Thoughts:
So suspensful. I read it in one sitting. What happens when you have an over protective parent? You rebel. I understood Tess's father being overprotective. I became that overprotective parent after my son was run over while playing in our front yard. If it had not been for my marriage to a wonderful man who was patient with me while teaching me it  was okay to give my son and daughter some freedom, I would have remained that overprotective parent.

For Tess, her rebellion causes her to meet Cain and start a quest with him. The quest will put them in danger from poachers. They are trying to protect the white deer. There is a large herd of these albino deer in Wisconsin and the author did a great job of making this plight known through this story.  Sometimes it is necessary to do what you know is right. That is a lesson taught in this book. This is a wonderful, mysterious read. 

Popular Purple Pencil Sharpener

I received this product in exchange for my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

To say that I love these pencil sharpeners is an understatement. I have shown them to just about everyone I know. When parents came to our "Back to School" night, the kids took their parents to my pencil sharpener to show them how it worked. Then I watched parents pull out something to write with and write down the website. Our night custodian comes in each night and sharpens the pencils he finds in the hallways. He loves my pencil sharpener. The best salesman in our school is one of our parent liaisons.  He came to my room and saw the kids lined up at my desk. He asked about it and I showed him.

Mr. Belvin is trying out my brand new purple pencil sharpener while one of my students uses my ever popular pink pencil sharpener. Students line up with multiple pencils so they don't have to use the sharpeners in the other classrooms.

Mr. Belvin and my student compare
the sharpness of their pencil leads. The number one comment about their lead is that the end is not so pointed that they snap the minute you begin to write. The sharpness seems to last longer than most sharpened pencils.









Mr. Belvin was so impressed with the purple pencil sharpener I thought I'd lost it. He snatched it up and left my room yelling he'd bring it back. He took it around to different rooms to demonstrate it to the teachers. He tried to see the principal and was unable. I however, did see her after an afternoon meeting. I demonstrated it for her and she asked for the information because she would like to buy them for the teachers at our school.

 Several of the parents have told me they are ordering one for their child for Christmas. I can think of nothing better for a Christmas gift. I love the way they are heavy duty and durable. I like that if the sharpener ever gets dull I can replace it for just a few dollars. I especially like the fact that I can change it my self.  I rewarded Mr. Belvin for his great job of promoting this sharpener by purchasing one for him and his children. I will continue to promote this sharpener. I do not get paid for this. I don't need to. You may think that is crazy, but I believe in this product that much. I would recommend everyone get this sharpener. It comes in many colors. However, This new purple one is something to be very passionate about.

Return to Christmas by Kathi Macias

Genre: Adult, Christian, Realistic Fiction

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

War does terrible things to people. Some of it the average person can’t see. Those who deal with PTSD just want to find some semblance of normal. When Chet returns  from his second tour in Afghanastan he finds life very difficult. His wife Jeneen does her best to be supportive. Then there is Kevin, their three year old son. The author wasn’t content to have just this one piece of tension running throughout the story. She added several others to the mix. At  daycare  owner and her husband are the parents of a young boy who has an attachment disorder. Chet’s problems are compounded by the fact he has decided he wants nothing to do with God. Somewhere along the way he has put God out of his life. This makes things a lot more difficult not only for him, but also for his family who hold on tight to God. You really must read this book to see how all of these things, and these people work together to realize that the only way to get through these trials is to pull closer to God. I love Kathi’s work because  the story  could have been taken from anyone’s neighborhood. I felt sorry for Jeneen. She worked and tried so hard to hold everything together while her husband was in denial about his PTSD.  It made me wonder how many families go through this.  Maybe it will be what is needed to help one family going through this same situation.