Unleashing Readers

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 10/6/14

July 27, 2015October 6, 2014 by Kellee

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA!

It’s Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. It is a great way to recap what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. It’s also a great chance to see what others are reading right now…you just might discover the next “must-read” book!

Jen Vincent, of Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee decided to give It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children’s literature – picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels, anything in the world of kidlit – join us! We love this meme and think you will, too.

We encourage everyone who participates to support the blogging community by visiting at least three of the other book bloggers that link up and leave comments for them.

Congratulations to MARY H. for winning a copy of Rory’s Promise!

Last Week’s Posts

Tuesday: Top Ten Books That Were Hard For Us To Read

Wednesday: Recent Nonfiction (Mostly) Picture Books Part Two: Biographies

**Click on any picture/link to view the post**

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: We had a rough week at the Moye house filled with illnesses (both Trent and I are still sick) and loss (we said good bye to our beautiful cat, Bella, on Friday) AND we also went away for the weekend to Disney so my husband, Jim, could run in the Tower of Terror 10 miler, so Trent’s reading really took a hit. Although we did reread a few favorites including The Going to Bed Book by Boynton, The Pigeon Has Feelings Too by Willems, and I Love You Through and Through by Rossetti-Shustak and we were able to read the super-cute You Are (Not) Small by Anna Kang today, we definitely didn’t hit our #bookaday quota this week. But sometimes life overrides reading…

I actually was able to read three books this week. First, I needed something light, so I read a collection of Big Nate comics called The Crowd Goes Wild!. I really like the Nate stories. I know that Wimpy Kid is the favorite, but Nate is just so much more likable! I then read a phenomenal book by Ann M. Martin, Rain Reign. Once I started reading this one, I couldn’t stop. I fell asleep with it and my glasses on on Saturday night and jumped right back into it on Sunday so I could finish it. I cannot wait to share it with you–I will review it soon. And this week I am so excited to share with you Sam & Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett. You will all want to get this one.

Ricki: This week, I finished Shirley Brice Heath’s Ways with Words. This ethnographic book is a classic study about Heath’s research in two neighboring towns—both mill towns, but one predominantly White and one predominantly Black—next to Appalachia in the Piedmont Carolinas during the Civil Rights Era. She studied the ways the people (and primarily the children) use words and how that might impact the youngsters when they start schooling. I often see this study cited, so I was interested to read Heath’s work directly. Her methodology is admirable, and I think this is a very important study for every teacher to read, primarily elementary school teachers and English/language arts teachers.

Henry and I read some puppet books this week. H.A. Rey’s Curious George Pat-a-Cake is not the most unique book I’ve ever read, but the giant Curious George puppet that peeks through every page made him laugh hysterically all week. We read it about forty times. We also read a Mary had a Little Lamb puppet book, but I can’t remember the title. Neither of these books is one I would recommend to use in the classroom, but they are both great for parents. 🙂

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I started reading The Mutts Diaries by Patrick McDonnell, so I will probably finish that. I have a HUGE pile of picture books from the library for me to read, so I will most likely sit down and read most of them this week because they are due soon. I also have Trevor Pryce’s An Army of Frogs and all of the Walden books to read in preparation for NCTE/ALAN, so I am going to read those soon. With Trent, we are going to continue rereading and working on finding favorites. We’ll see where the week takes us!

Ricki: This week, I think I will read Rosenblatt’s Literature for Exploration. Has anyone read it? I know it is cited everywhere. I am trying to read all of the books that are consistently cited in education. I also want to read Jessie Haas’s Bramble and Maggie series.

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday

Tuesday: Ten Books For Readers Who Like Character Driven Novels

Thursday: Ricki’s Road to a Dissertation

Friday: Author’s Guest Post and Giveaway of Julie Sternberg’s The Top-Secret Diary of Celie Valentine: Friendship Over

So, what are you reading?

Link up below and go check out what everyone else is reading. Please support other bloggers by viewing and commenting on at least 3 other blogs. If you tweet about your Monday post, tag the tweet with #IMWAYR!

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The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires

October 3, 2014 by Kellee

The Most Magnificent Thing
Author: Ashley Spires
Published April 1, 2014 by Kids Can Press

Goodreads Summary: Award-winning author and illustrator Ashley Spires has created a charming picture book about an unnamed girl and her very best friend, who happens to be a dog. The girl has a wonderful idea. “She is going to make the most MAGNIFICENT thing! She knows just how it will look. She knows just how it will work. All she has to do is make it, and she makes things all the time. Easy-peasy!” But making her magnificent thing is anything but easy, and the girl tries and fails, repeatedly. Eventually, the girl gets really, really mad. She is so mad, in fact, that she quits. But after her dog convinces her to take a walk, she comes back to her project with renewed enthusiasm and manages to get it just right. For the early grades’ exploration of character education, this funny book offers a perfect example of the rewards of perseverance and creativity. The girl’s frustration and anger are vividly depicted in the detailed art, and the story offers good options for dealing honestly with these feelings, while at the same time reassuring children that it’s okay to make mistakes. The clever use of verbs in groups of threes is both fun and functional, offering opportunities for wonderful vocabulary enrichment. The girl doesn’t just “make” her magnificent thing — she “tinkers and hammers and measures,” she “smoothes and wrenches and fiddles,” she “twists and tweaks and fastens.” These precise action words are likely to fire up the imaginations of youngsters eager to create their own inventions and is a great tie-in to learning about Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.

My Review: Ashley Spires did an amazing job with this book. Her illustrations seem so simple, but really there is so much detail in each one. Amazing digital art. Also, Girl is a character after my own heart as a mom and a teacher. We need more kids like her. Kids who explore, invent, play outside, imagine, etc. I hope my son is like her.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: The summary says a lot for me. This is a book that promotes innovation, imagination, perseverance, and experimenting. All things that are so important for kids to have and too often they are not nurtured. Innovation: Girl wants to make something new and magnificent. Imagination: Some of the odd items she makes actually do have a purpose, you just have to use your imagination. Perseverance: Girl almost gives up, but begins to realize that what she made may be exactly what she wanted to make in the first place. Experimenting: She tries to make so many different things for a variety of purposes. All of these themes could be discussed while reading the book with kids. The book also has amazing vocabulary, many of which are shared in the summary. A great way to discuss synonyms, descriptive language, and imagery.

Discussion Questions: Why did the girl never give up?; What are some of the words that the author uses to help you “see” and “hear” what the girl is doing?; Which of her inventions was your favorite? And what other ways could you use some of them?; Girl plans out her invention. What steps did she take to plan? What else could she have done?

We Flagged: “This is a regular girl and her best friend in the whole wide world. They do all kinds of things together. They race. They eat. They explore. They relax. She makes things. He unmakes things. One day, the girl has a wonderful idea. She is going to make the most MAGNIFICENT thing!” (p. 6-7)

Book Trailer:

Fun With The Author:

Read This If You Loved: The Invisible Boy by Tracy Ludwig, The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds, Noisy Paint Box by Barb Rosenstock, Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers, Matilda by Roald Dahl, Journey by Aaron Becker

Recommended For:

Signature

**Thank you to Kids Can Press and Netgalley for providing a copy for review**

On the Run: Fugitive Life in an American City by Alice Goffman

July 27, 2015October 2, 2014 by Ricki

On the Run: Fugitive Life in an American City
Author: Alice Goffman
Published: May 1, 2014 by University Of Chicago Press

Summary: Forty years in, the War on Drugs has done almost nothing to prevent drugs from being sold or used, but it has nonetheless created a little-known surveillance state in America’s most disadvantaged neighborhoods. Arrest quotas and high-tech surveillance techniques criminalize entire blocks, and transform the very associations that should stabilize young lives—family, relationships, jobs—into liabilities, as the police use such relationships to track down suspects, demand information, and threaten consequences.

Alice Goffman spent six years living in one such neighborhood in Philadelphia, and her close observations and often harrowing stories reveal the pernicious effects of this pervasive policing. Goffman introduces us to an unforgettable cast of young African American men who are caught up in this web of warrants and surveillance—some of them small-time drug dealers, others just ordinary guys dealing with limited choices. All find the web of presumed criminality, built as it is on the very associations and friendships that make up a life, nearly impossible to escape. We watch as the pleasures of summer-evening stoop-sitting are shattered by the arrival of a carful of cops looking to serve a warrant; we watch—and can’t help but be shocked—as teenagers teach their younger siblings and cousins how to run from the police (and, crucially, to keep away from friends and family so they can stay hidden); and we see, over and over, the relentless toll that the presumption of criminality takes on families—and futures.

While not denying the problems of the drug trade, and the violence that often accompanies it, through her gripping accounts of daily life in the forgotten neighborhoods of America’s cities, Goffman makes it impossible for us to ignore the very real human costs of our failed response—the blighting of entire neighborhoods, and the needless sacrifice of whole generations.

Review: Inspired by a college course in her sophomore year, Alice Goffman seeks an ethnographic experience in inner-city Philadelphia. She gets a part-time job tutoring an African American girl, Aisha, and soon befriends the boys of 6th Street (pseudonym). Mike adopts her as a younger sister, and she comes to live with these boys—studying their every move. This quality piece of ethnographic research is a page turner. While it reads a bit more like a book than a scholarly publication, readers can glean her methodological approach through the footnotes. Goffman’s mission is clear. She wants readers to understand the inequities these African American boys of 6th Street face, and she shows how the criminal justice system (both law enforcement and the justice/prison system) are not working. I was ashamed at the actions of the police, specifically, and think this is very educational to readers of all ages, particularly in the wake of the racially based crimes that we consistently see in the news.

Teacher’s Tools for Navigation: This book is written for adults, but I think it would be very educational for high school students. I would use excerpts of this text to show students the realities of life on 6th Street in Philadelphia. It could be used to better understand crimes in the news, to teach inequity, to examine class issues, to understand the drug trade, and to fight racism. It would be eye-opening for students. While teaching this, I would also consider pairing it with Malcolm Gladwell’s review.

Discussion Questions: What can we do to stop the injustice of the court system? How is it flawed?; What role does race play in this text?; Was Goffman too close to the subjects of her ethnography? Do you think this affected her portrayal of 6th Street? What are the positives and negatives of this approach of qualitative study?

We Flagged: “To be on the run is a strange phrase for legally compromised people, because to be on the run is also to be at a standstill.”

“Thus, the great paradox of a highly punitive approach to crime control is that it winds up criminalizing so much of daily life as to foster widespread illegality as people work to circumvent it. Intensive policing and the crime it intends to control become mutually reinforcing. The extent to which crime elicits harsh policing, or policing itself contributes to a climate of violence and illegality, becomes impossible to sort out.”

Read This If You Loved: Punished: Policing the Lives of Black and Latino Boys by Victor M. Rios; The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander

Recommended For:

Recent Nonfiction (Mostly) Picture Book Reads Part Two: Biographies

October 1, 2014 by Kellee

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday is hosted by Kid Lit Frenzy and was started to help promote the reading of nonfiction texts. Most Wednesdays, we will be participating and will review a nonfiction text (though it may not always be a picture book).
Be sure to visit Kid Lit Frenzy and see what other nonfiction books are shared this week!

Over the last few months, I’ve read some nonfiction (mostly) picture books that I haven’t reviewed, but that I definitely need to share with you all. Last week, I shared informational books I’ve enjoyed. Today, I am happy to share some biographies.

Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau
Author: Jennifer Berne
Illustrator: Eric Puybaret
Published April 23rd, 2008 by Chronicle Books

My Thoughts: Jacques Cousteau may be one of the most brilliant, interesting, overlooked men in history. The more I read about him, the more I realize what amazing things he did that were so innovating. This bio of him was just as good as The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau.

I Remember Beirut
Author: Zeina Abirached
Translator: Edward Gauvin
Published October 1st, 2014 by Graphic Universe

My Thoughts: I knew about the fighting in Beirut, but as it happened when I was very young and is not often discussed, I didn’t know much about it. This graphic novel memoir is an inside look at what it was like to live in Beirut during the fighting. The black and white illustrations are so unique and very much capture the tone of the book.

Mama Miti
Author: Donna Jo Napoli
Illustrator: Kadir Nelson
Published January 5th, 2010 by Simon & Schuster

My Thoughts: Mama Miti is the first of three amazing ladies that I read about that I did not know about before I read these picture books. I think the stand out of this book is the illustrations as Kadir Nelson is brilliant. I also truly enjoyed learning about Wangari Muta Maathai and her impact on not just the women in her community, but the country itself and how woman are looked upon in her country.

Miss Moore Thought Otherwise
Author: Jan Pinborough
Illustrator: Debby Atwell
Published March 5th, 2013 by HMH Books for Young Readers

My Thoughts: Yay for Miss Moore! I loved learning about how children’s libraries started, and Miss Moore’s advocacy for them. She was a strong woman who was before her time, but never let that stop her from pursuing her passion which has led to millions of more intelligent and happy children.

What To Do About Alice?
Author: Barbara Kerley
Illustrator: Edwin Fotheringham
Published March 1st, 2008 by Scholastic Press

My Thoughts: Alice was an original reality star! She was followed all across the world doing things she wasn’t suppose to do, and the public loved her! I did not know about Alice Roosevelt, so it was so much fun to learn about her shenanigans and true independent spirit.

All Recommended For:

Top Ten Tuesday: Books that Were Hard for Us to Read (Due to Their Content)

September 30, 2014 by Ricki

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. The feature was created because The Broke and Bookish are particularly fond of lists (as are we!). Each week a new Top Ten list topic is given and bloggers can participate.

Today’s Topic:

We found these books difficult to read because of their content.

Ricki

1. Endgame by Nancy Garden

endgame

The bullying and brutality by his peers leads a young man to enter his school with a semi-automatic gun. This book was difficult to read because Garden brilliantly crafts the text so the reader feels the boy’s actions might be justified—even though no school shooting is ever justified. The ounce of doubt makes the reader feel like a terrible person for even understanding the boy’s reaction to the bullying.

2. Nothing by Janne Teller

nothing

This is the most depressing book I have ever read. Pierre-Anthon reminds us of how insignificant we are and that nothing really matters. Yet, it is a phenomenal book that I recommend to everyone. It is one of the best books I have ever read.

3. Inexcusable by Chris Lynch

He is a good kid, but he makes a horrible decision that is inexcusable. This book is award-winning, and I think the poor GoodReads ratings reflects just how difficult it is to stomach its contents.

4. The Child Called It by Dave Pelzer

a child called it

Any book about child abuse is very difficult to read, but this one still gives me the shivers. I felt so much anger toward Dave’s mother in this memoir.

5. On the Run by Alice Goffman

on the run

How are we failing as a society? This ethnographic book sheds light on the issues of mass incarceration of African American males and makes readers uncomfortable about their own privilege.

Kellee

I second Ricki on A Child Called “It”. I read the whole series, and Dave Pelzer’s story is devastating.

1. Lessons from a Dead Girl by Jo Knowles

The story of how even though someone is dead they can still haunt you. This book still haunts me.

2. Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick

Leonard is saying good bye to everyone who is important to him because today, his 18th birthday, is going to be the last day of his life.

3. Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines by Nic Sheff & Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey Through His Son’s Addiction by David Sheff

So tough to read about a young boy’s descent into drugs from his and his father’s point of view.

4. Stained by Cheryl Rainfield

Sarah Meadows is kidnapped then repeatedly raped, and abused by her captor. These, obviously, are quite frightening situations to read about. I almost picked Room, but I think Stained was tougher to read because it is from the abused’s point of view.

5. But I Love Him by Amanda Grace

A story of a teenage abusive relationship. This, along with other books about this subject, are so tough to read, but are so important to have available for our teens.

Which books were difficult for you to stomach?

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 9/29/14

July 27, 2015September 29, 2014 by Kellee

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA!

We encourage everyone who participates to support the blogging community by visiting at least three of the other book bloggers that link up and leave comments for them.

Last Week’s Posts

Tuesday: Top Ten Books On My Fall To-Be-Read List

Wednesday: Recent Nonfiction (Mostly) Picture Books Part One: Informational

Friday: Rory’s Promise Blog Tour with Book Trailer and Author Q&A

**Click on any picture/link to view the post**

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: This week wasn’t as successful reading-wise as last week, but I did read a really good book in celebration of Banned Books Week–Cleopatra in Space by Mike Maihack. It is a super fun graphic novel! I cannot wait for more in the series. Love the inclusion of Egyptian history in a sci-fi world.

On the other hand, Trent and I read some board books that are definitely going to be some of our favorites and will be read over and over again including the classics The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown, The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter, Five Little Monkeys by Eileen Christelow, Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton. But my favorite this week was Your Personal Penguin by Sandra Boynton. It is just as good as her others, but what made me love it even more is the song that you can get off of her website. I have been singing it to Trent all week! It is wonderful!

Ricki: This week, I finished listening to Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. This popular adult fiction made me laugh and made me cry. It is a very touching, British story about a young woman in her 20s who becomes caregiver to a paralyzed man in his 30s. At one point, I texted my husband that I would be in the house soon. I couldn’t leave my car because I didn’t want to stop listening.

Henry and I received some great, new picture books from one of our best friends. We started reading them this week, but some are holiday-themed, so we hold off on sharing them until we get closer to the holidays! We enjoyed I Know a Bear by Mariana Ruiz Johnson and discussed its beautiful message. I taught (10-month-old) Henry all about implicit themes as his father chuckled in the next room.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I started The Secret Diary of Celie Valentine: Friendship Over by Julie Sternberg, and I will definitely finish it this week in preparation for our blog tour stop on October 10th. I also cannot wait to read Mac Barnett’s newest Sam & Dave Dig A Hole which I recently got. And if I have time, I have 4 baseball biographies by Matt Tavares I cannot wait to read (and I have the honor of writing a teaching guide for them).

Trent and I are going to do some rereads of favorites this week because it has been a ton of fun reading 210 books in 219 days of his life, but I feel like we need to revisit some of the ones I really love.

Ricki: As much as I love reading the same five board books over and over again with Henry because they are staples in my living room and his nursery, I will be branching out and exploring the new picture books we received this week. I also received two great ARCs from Penguin Random House this week, so I will be sharing and reviewing both of those soon.

If you are a middle or high school English language arts teacher, I would greatly appreciate your help distributing the message below for my dissertation study! Thank you!!!

We are seeking middle/high school English teachers for a brief research survey. For more information, click: https://uconn.co1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_7U0gerNF8XslNpH. We would greatly appreciate it if you shared this post with other teachers!

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday

Tuesday: Top Ten Books That Were Hard For Us To Read

Wednesday: Recent Nonfiction (Mostly) Picture Books Part Two: Biographies

So, what are you reading?

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Blog Tour, Review, Giveaway, and Author Interview!: Rory’s Promise by Michaela MacColl and Rosemary Nichols

June 13, 2015September 26, 2014 by Kellee

Rory’s Promise
Authors: Michaela MacColl and Rosemary Nichols
Published: September 1st, 2014 by Calkin Creek Books

Goodreads Summary: Twelve-year-old orphan Rory Fitzpatrick lives with her younger sister Violet at New York City’s Foundling Hospital in the early 1900s. But when Rory discovers that Violet will be sent to the Arizona Territory to be adopted, her world is shattered. Although too old to be adopted herself, Rory–brave and smart–is determined to stay with her sister, even if it means hiding out on a train traveling west. When Rory and Violet arrive in Arizona, everything that could go wrong does go wrong. Will Rory give up? This uplifting novel about the power of faith and the true meaning of family launches the Hidden Histories series, spotlighting little-known tales from America’s past, and the children behind those stories. Includes authors’ note and further resources.

Kellee’s Review: I love historical fiction because it introduces me to history in a way that will suck me into it and help me retain the information. Many historical fiction books also choose lesser known aspects of history to share. Rory’s Promise does all of the above. When I was done with the book, I immediately went and book talked it to my reading class though I found myself talking to them even more in depth about the history it shares (which then make them want to read the book even more). Rory’s Promise touches on orphans, mining, race relations, religion, kidnapping, building of the west, and The Foundling Hospital of NYC and does so in such a fascinating yet educational way. I learned so much from the book, and I immediately went and did more nonfiction reading when finished. AND it was a book I couldn’t put down!

Ricki’s Review: Like Kellee, learning about a lesser known subject in history was incredibly intriguing. This book reminded me of many of the historical fiction titles I read as a young girl—which were foundational for my growth as a reader. Beyond the fascinating subject matter, this text shows the powerful bond sisters share. Rory is utterly devoted to her sister, and will stop at nothing to protect her. When I read this book, I couldn’t help but think of the connection I have with my own sister, and I was compelled to call her and tell her how much I care for her. I imagine that this text will strengthen sibling bonds, and the love and loyalty these two sisters share is a great model for readers.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: Rory’s Promise could definitely be used for cross-curricular reading to help address content being taught in American History. It would be so interesting to research the different historical elements touched on in the book and connect it to Rory’s story.

Discussion Questions: Would you have done what Rory did? Why or why not?; Do you think the Foundling should have gotten the orphans back?; Would you have made the same choice Rory did at the end of the book?; Do you think Sister Anna was looking out for Rory or do you disagree with her decision to separate the sisters?

Book Trailer:

Authors’ Bios: Michaela MacColl attended Vassar College and Yale University earning degrees in multi-disciplinary history. Unfortunately, it took her 20 years before she realized she was learning how to write historical fiction. Her favorite stories are the ones she finds about the childhood experiences of famous people. She has written about a teenaged Queen Victoria (Prisoners in the Palace, Chronicle 2010) and Beryl Markham’s childhood (Promise the Night, Chronicle 2011). She is writing a literary mystery series for teens featuring so far a young Emily Dickinson in Nobody’s Secret (2013) and the Bronte sisters in Always Emily (2014). She has recently begun a new series with Boyd’s Mill/Highlights called Hidden Histories about odd events in America’s past. The first entry in the series is Rory’s Promise and will be published in September 2014. She frequently visits high schools and has taught at the Graduate Institute in Bethel, CT. She lives in Westport CT with her husband, two teenaged daughters and three extremely large cats.

Rosemary Nichols has loved history all her life, especially the history of ordinary people. She has two history degrees from the University of Washington and a law degree from the University of Chicago. This is her first book for children. She lives in upstate New York. rosemarygailnichols.com.

Author Q&A: We are very lucky to have been able to ask Michaela MacColl some questions about Rory’s Promise. We were super excited as we were so intrigued by the story and history.

Unleashing Readers: How did you first come across all the different histories you touched on in Rory’s Promise?

Michaela MacColl: My writing partner is one of those folks who reads all the scholarly topic non-fiction. You know when a smart professor spends years finding out about something and then writes a compelling book (with a zillion footnotes!). In this case, Rosemary suggested we take a look at “The Great Arizona Orphan Abduction” by Linda Gordon. Gordon wrote her book to talk about class and race in turn of the 19^th c. America – using the orphan abduction as her example. So we considered her philosophical views – but what was incredibly useful for us was her detailed well-researched timeline of events.

UR: Rory is not based on a real person, so who/what inspired you when creating her?

MM: We needed a heroine kids could identify with. The target age was middle grade but most of the Foundling kids were under the age of 5. Not to say anything negative about 5 year olds – but how interesting can they be? So we thought about a girl who might have a strong interest in one of the kids. Aha, a sibling! But then she needed a plausible reason to still be at the orphanage. The answer to that was the basis of Rory’s character. She’s devoted to her sister and will do literally anything to stay close to her. This means making herself indispensable around the Foundling Hospital. She thinks she’s fooling the nuns – but they see right through her and love her for it.

The other half of Rory came from the history of the orphaned kids who were left behind in Clifton AZ. No one know what happened to them all, but there was a rumor that a Mexican family returned to town years later, with a red-haired daughter. There was also a discrepancy on the lists of children. One girl named Violet appears on the initial lists but not the later ones. Who was she? That’s where we started.

UR: Can you tell us about your writing process? How is it different when writing with two writers vs. by yourself.

MM: Rosemary is a whiz with American history. She’s read so widely that she was our fact checker and generally kept my imagination in realistic/historical check. She wrote a lot of the setting and descriptions. I have more experience writing for kids – so I did most of the plot and dialogue. But we both worked on the revisions.

UR: What was your favorite interesting piece of information you found when researching for Rory’s Promise?

MM: Oddly, it wasn’t the abduction in Arizona. I found myself fascinated by the very clever sisters at the Foundling Hospital. With few resources they built an organization that helped thousands of women and babies – not to mention creating what we know as the foster care system in America.

UR: Rory’s Promise is the first book in the Hidden Histories series. Can you tell us what is coming next?

MM: I can! We’re finishing it right now. Tentatively titled Freedom’s Price, it’s about Dred Scott’s daughter in 1849 St. Louis Mo. There’s slavecatchers, cholera and fire. I think it will really appeal to middle grade readers!

Thank you so much Michaela! Cannot wait for the next book in the series!

Read This If You Loved: Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis, American Girls series, Dear America series, Orphan Train series by Joan Lowery Nixon, Nonfiction books about orphan trains or building of the West

Recommended For:

Make sure to stop by the other stops on the blog tour to learn more about Rory’s Promise:

Friday, 9/19 Kirby Larson blog (GUEST BLOG POST/GIVEAWAY)
www.kirbylarson.com

Mon 9/22 Middle Grade Mafioso (BOOK REVIEW/GIVEAWAY)
www.middlegrademafioso.blogspot.com/

Tue 9/23 Mother/Daughter Book Club (BOOK REVIEW/GIVEAWAY) |
www.motherdaughterbookclub.com

Wed 9/24 Middle Grade Minded (GUEST BLOG POST/GIVEAWAY)
www.middlegrademinded.blogspot.com

Thu 9/25 KidLit Frenzy (BOOK REVIEW/GIVEAWAY)
www.kidlitfrenzy.com

GIVEAWAY

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**Thank you to Kerry at Boyds Mills Press and Highlights for Children for providing copies for review**