Author Visit and Publication

This May I visited a third grade classroom. I talked about the publication process from idea to publication. The kids were very attentive and asked me a lot of great questions about being an author. I enjoyed the visit.

This month, my most recent publication hit the magazine racks. My headband craft is published on page 126 of the June 2011 issue of Crafts n' Things magazine. Check it out!

Among the Impostors

Among the Impostors, by Margaret Peterson Haddix, is a sequel to Among the Hidden. This book picks up right where the first book left off. Luke gets dropped off at a boys' boarding school as Lee Grant. It's a rough start for Luke. He's confused and very scared. None of the boys are nice and the teachers don't seem to care about any of the students.

Luke finds a bit of happiness when he sneaks out of the school and plants a garden. Not long after that, Luke's garden is destroyed. Luke finds out that it was destroyed by accident, but in the process, he meets other shadow children also using fake identities.

Luke adjusts to being at the school and even starts enjoying his classes. But then, one of his good friends turns out to be an impostor, working for the Population Police. Luke's quick thinking saves him and his new friends. The story ends with Luke helping shadow children to adjust to being out of hiding.

I liked this story just as much as the first one. I recommend this book to 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade teachers as a read-aloud. The chapters are very short and exciting. This hooks the students and also allows for nice stopping points.

Among the Hidden

Among the Hidden, by Margaret Peterson Haddix, is the first book in the Shadow Children series. The series is about a time in the future when families are not allowed to have more than two children. The main character, Luke, is the third child in his family. This means that he is hidden from the public and kept secret from the government. He never leaves his family's farm and is careful about being seen outside by anyone. Luke is twelve in the book and has managed to stay hidden all of his life. But he doens't like hiding and wants to live free like his two older brothers. His situations worsens when the government forces his family to sell their back woods. A new neighborhood springs up right behind Luke's house and he can no longer go outside! One day he sees a face in the window of one of the new houses and suspects that the family living there has a hidden child as well. He ventures to the house and discovers a girl named Jen living hidden there. Jen is an activist trying hard to free all of the shadow children. Through a sad turn of events, the Jen is killed by the government, leaving Luke in great danger. In the end, Luke decides to start a new life with a fake I.D. as a different person in order to carry on with Jen's quest to free the shadow children. I loved this book and can't wait to read the second book, Among the Impostors. I recommend this series to third - fifth grade children. They will love it!

When You Reach Me

When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead is a "Wrinkle in Time" type middle grade novel. It's set in New York City in the 1970s. A girl named Miranda finds herself in the middle of a mystery after her friend gets punch, her apartment key gets stolen, and strange notes, written to her, start arriving. The author of the notes knows specific things about Miranda that no stranger should know. Miranda is scared, but she tries to get to the bottom of the mystery on her own.


This book is great! It won the Newberry Award in 2009. I read the first chapter over again after I finished the last chapter because all the answers were planted there for the reader at the very start. I love books like that. A Wrinkle in Time, one of my all-time-favorite books, is cleverly sewn throughout the plot. I loved it.


I recommend this book and A Wrinkle in Time for fourth -sixth grade students.

The Seventeen Second Miracle

The Seventeen Second Miracle, by Jason F. Wright, is about a tragedy that turns into a beautiful lifetime of service to others. The story is told by Cole Conner. He is the son of Rex Conner, who felt responsible for the accidental drowning of his girlfriend's younger sister. Rex's escape window out of the dark year that followed the drowning was to do at least one small act of kindness for someone each day or perform a "seventeen second miracle." The impact on Rex, his girlfriend and future wife, his son, his son's wife, and countless friends and strangers is profound. Rex and his family proved to themselves and those around them that a miracle can be performed in as little time as seventeen seconds.

The book had me crying out of sympathy and sometimes joy. Serving others is a beautiful thing. This book was an inspiration.

This book is categorized as an adult book, but many of the characters are teenagers. I recommend this book to YA readers. Two great and lasting life lessons can be taught through this book, forgiveness and love.

Newest Publication

My next publication will be in Crafts N' Things magazine Pack-O-Fun kid crafts section in June 2011. It's called "Paper Link Headband." And that's what it is, a headband made from paper links. This is my first magazine publication. I'm really excited.

The Wanderer

The Wanderer, by Sharon Creech is a story about a 13-year-old-girl remembering her difficult past as she travels across the Atlantic Ocean on a sailboat with her three uncles and two cousins. The story is told alternately from the point of view of Sophie, the girl, and Cody, her 13-year-old cousin though their journals. They each shed new light on the scenes by giving their version of things. Cody sees that Sophie is remembering her difficult past before Sophie realizes what is happening. The book is written like a puzzle and each of these characters take turns placing a piece until in the end, the reader sees the full picture.

I found the story and it's delivery intriguing. Sharon Creech is a gifted and creative writer. Creech gives a lot of interesting detail about sailing in the story.

I recommend this book for 5th and 6th grade students and any boating enthusiasts, young or old.