Canadian author – By Word of Beth

FIERCE: WOMEN WHO SHAPED CANADA by Lisa Dalrymple — MG

I’ve just started reading this, and had to come to my blog to urge you to find it and read it too. From the blurb on the back cover, “Meet 10 remarkable women you’ve probably never heard of. They battled bears and cougars, traversed mountains and extreme terrain, endured hardship during wartime and challenged ideas of what was appropriate for women in their time.” From the acknowledgements, I can tell that Lisa researched this book thoroughly and vigorously. From what I’ve read thus far, I can also tell that she knows how to take rigorous research and make the person come to life on the page. But don’t take my word for it! Check out this post on 49th Shelf, and Lisa’s website. Best of all, if you are in or near Fergus or Toronto, Ontario on March 2, you can attend one of her book launch events! (Details at the link to her website.)

Finding Grace, by Becky Citra — Middle Grade Book Recommendation

15 Comments / Read-Through Fridays / By Beth

Title: Finding Grace (A Gutsy Girl Book) Author: Becky Citra Publisher: Toronto: Second Story Press, 2014. Genre: Middle Grade Fiction, set in 1954 Audience Age: 8-12 Themes/Topics: Friendship, secrets, families Opening Sentences: Dear Grace, I have been accused of a crime! Someone stole Nancy Collier’s brand-new glow-in-the-dark yo-yo today. Miss Noonan did a desk check. I wasn’t worried (why would I be?), but guess where the yo-yo turned up? … Mom didn’t get out of bed all day. She pretended she did, but I can tell. Synopsis: This is the sort of book you daren’t say too much about, because spoilers would definitely… spoil things. But – once in a while, there’s a book that must be read cover to cover with as few interruptions as possible. This is that sort of book. One of the best things about devouring a book is that, unlike food, the book is still there to devour all over again. As soon as Hope learned how to write letters, she started writing to her imaginary friend, Grace. Her only friend, Grace. Hope doesn’t have the knack of making friends. She and her mother move a lot, when they can no longer afford the place they’re living in, so Hope changes schools a lot, too. That doesn’t help. Hope’s mom hasn’t been to work for quite a while. She’s too depressed to get out of bed, most mornings. When Mom finally goes back to work, her job has been given to someone else. They move in with Granny, the last possible place for them. Then Granny dies. Shortly after that shock, Hope discovers a secret, a secret that turns her world – and her ideas about Grace – upside down. I can’t say anything more without saying too much. All I will say is get to a bookstore or a library, and get this book! The author is Canadian, and has written nineteen books for children. Her website, BeckyCitra.com, says that one of her kids’ book series is Jeremy and the Enchanted Theatre, a time travel series. Guess what I’ll be looking for next? Availability: On bookstore shelves, such as The Red Balloon Bookshop in St. Paul, MN, now. Shop independents! (Come back to my blog on September 26th for a post about The Red Balloon.)

Life on the Refrigerator Door by Alice Kuipers (YA)

2 Comments / Read-Through Fridays / By Beth

Have you ever left a note for a family member on the refrigerator door? Most of us have. It’s a central location, and most people go to the fridge on a regular basis. You can pretty much count on them seeing the note. Have you ever thought of writing a book consisting solely of fridge door notes? I thought not. It’s almost impossible to imagine. Almost impossible. Alice Kuipers has done it to great effect in the YA book I want to share with you today.