Happy MMGM! Spotlight on The Year of Billy Miller

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I honestly wasn’t sure how much I’d like this book when I first started it.  Part of that was because I grabbed it on a whim and didn’t read the back cover blurb carefully enough, so when it mentioned Billy standing at the giant’s feet…I thought there’d be giants.  And that sounded cool. Note: there

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The Holy Bagumba-ness of Flora and Ulysses

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I think it should be obvious by now that I love books.  If it isn’t, you might want to open the little door at the back of your brain, reach in until your fingers find the gear marked ‘observation’ and give it a little nudge to the right.  You may also want to flick your

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Marvelous Middlegrade Monday, er, Tuesday: May B

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Have you ever read a book in verse?  I hadn’t, and wasn’t sure what to expect.  Truth…I wasn’t sure I’d like it.  Poetry has always seemed to me something best suited for shorter forms, though I love Dr. Seuss of course and that’s a bit longer.  If you’re like me and wondering if it can

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Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: Letters From Rapunzel

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My latest middle grade project, Pandora’s Popcorn Potion, is a kind of fractured fairy tale, so I picked this up after I finished the first draft to see what my comps are doing.  I thought it would be light and sassy–which it was–but had no idea it would also bring tears to my eyes!  After finishing it, I

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Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: Howl’s Moving Castle (Picture Book) by Hayao Miyazaki

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In order to properly spotlight this book I must first trust you all with a small confession.  A confession which I find is just a little hard to put to keyboard now that I come to it…so no laughing, alright? The thing is, when I heard that Mr. Miyazaki was retiring, I was horrified.  [that’s

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