A Surprise in the Mail
06 Feb 2012 4 Comments
in Book Reviews Tags: " New York in 1916, "Rocks in my Pocket, Hopscotch for Girls Magazine
A few months ago, I received a nice little check in the mail from Hopscotch for Girls concerning the reprint of my story, “Rocks in my Pocket,” which was in the April 2009 issue of the magazine.
I was happy about that and wrote to ask what issue it was being reprinted in. This is the reply I got:
Dear Barbara,
Your story was used in a reading assessment test. Your name was listed as the author and Hopscotch as the publication it appeared in. We are not allowed to see the test copy. I’m sorry this was not notated on your check. Congratulations on having your story chosen.
Sincerely,
editor
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The story is about my mother-in-law, Sophie Bockman, when she was a teen-ager. Her first job was that of a pianist in a movie house in New York City about 1915—during the days of silent pictures.
Most recent issue of GAK
05 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment
in Book Reviews, Guardian Angel Kids Tags: Donna McDine, Guardian Angel Kids Ezine, math concepts
Children’s Ezine Guardian Angel Kids: Math Concepts – February 2012 Issue
This announcement comes from Donna McDine, Editor of Guardian Angel Kids ezine:
Teaching math concepts beyond traditional number problems opens up creative opportunities for both teachers and students. Different strategies include the use of poetry, stories, engaging articles, and activities that get the body and mind working in unison.
Come explore the world of “Math Concepts” in the Guardian Angel Kids February 2012 issue and learn how to tell time, add, subtract, and divide, rap to numbers through poetry, learn the history of pennies, how powerful zero truly is, and hands on math activities. Make it a family learning experience and fun will surely be had by one and all.
Letter from the EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Donna M. McDine
Featured BookS:
Learn to Count 1-10 flip book by Eugene Ruble
Sparkie: A Star Afraid of the Dark book trailer by Susann Batson
Children’S poetry, SHORT STORIES, and articleS:
“Can You Tell Time?” quiz by Marion Tickner – explores the different timepieces before the technology explosion.
“How Many Are Half?” poetry by Donna J. Shepherd – Grandma’s delicious chocolate chip cookie treat and how the cookies are shared.
“Numbers Rap,” poetry by Bill Kirk – the wonder of numbers all around us.
“Cookies with Sprinkles,” by Shari L. Klase and illustrated by Julie Hammond – a whimsical adventure to Grandma’s house.
“The Value of Pennies,” by Gina Napoli – discover the history and significance of pennies.
“The All Powerful Nothing,” by Mary Reina – learn about the power of zero and how it turns nothing into something.
“Hands on Math Activities for Home or School,” by Kathy Stemke – get moving and grooving with enjoyable Math activities.
“Hopscotch Math,” by Karen Robuck – teach and reinforce basic Math skills with the fun of hopscotch.
Visit Guardian Angel Kid today and www.guardian-angel-kids.com and enjoy a child safe and ad free Ezine.
We also invite you to stay connected with Guardian Angel Kids through our Facebook Fan Page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Guardian-Angel-Kids-Ezine/163785080346247.
Please feel free to drop Editor-in-Chief, Donna McDine an email at submissions@guardian-angel-kids.com and let them know what you think of Guardian Angel Kids and what you’d like to see in the future. They aim to please.
The Guardian Angel Kids Ezine staff and contributors look forward to your visit. Thank you for your time and interest.
Discussing Marva Dasef’s Witches of Galdorheim series
18 Jan 2012 10 Comments
in Book Reviews, MuseItUp Publishing Tags: Marva Dasef, Midnight Oil, MuseItUp Publishing
It’s my pleasure to welcome Marva Dasef back to tell us more about her intriguing series about the Witches of Galdorheim. I enjoyed the first book, Bad Spelling. You can see my review of it on Amazon. Now Marva will tell us about two more books in the series. Hey, Marva, love your hat.
MIDNIGHT OIL – Book 2 of the Witches of Galdorheim
Shipwrecked on a legendary island, how can a witch rescue her boyfriend if she can’t even phone home?
Kat discovers that an evil forest spirit has kidnapped her brand-new boyfriend. She sets out with her brother, Rune, from her Arctic island home on a mission to rescue the boy. Things go wrong from the start. Kat is thrown overboard during a violent storm, while her brother and his girlfriend are captured by a mutant island tribe. The mutants hold the girlfriend hostage, demanding that the teens recover the only thing that can make the mutants human again–the magical Midnight Oil.
Mustering every bit of her Wiccan magic, Kat rises to the challenge. She invokes her magical skills, learns to fly an ultralight, meets a legendary sea serpent, rescues her boyfriend, and helps a friendly air spirit win the battle against her spiteful sibling. On top of it all, she’s able to recover the Midnight Oil and help the hapless mutants in the nick of time.
Leave a comment, with your contact information, on this post for a chance to win a free ebook.
You will recognize the familiar style of Kaytalin Platt’s cover illustration as being similar to that of Bad Spelling.
Links:
by Marva Dasef http://marvadasef.com/
MuseItUp Buy Page: http://tinyurl.com/6wswbsf
MuseItUp Author Page: http://tinyurl.com/MIU-MarvaDasef
Blog: http://mgddasef.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/MarvaDasef
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/?tab=wX#107073845875601488093/posts
Twitter Handle: @Gurina
Book Trailers: http://www.youtube.com/user/MarvaDasef/videos
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Amazon Buy Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006UTL54A
Direct Link to the Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdfNTVeMS1s
Also, the book trailer will be featured at http://yougottareadvideos.blogspot.com/ on January 20th. Voting is between the 21st and 26th.
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Marva Natters On
First off, thanks for having me on your blog today, Barbara. Just like the good old days of last September when we participated in that crazy MG/YA Blogathon. Well, this is a bit quieter since I’m just running around from blog to blog telling people about my new book release, Midnight Oil.
You asked me about traveling to the places where my books are set. I’m afraid that I haven’t yet gone to the Arctic, Norway, Finland, or Siberia, but that’s certainly on my bucket list. I’m particularly interested in Norway because my grandmother was born in Trondheim and came to the US when she was sixteen years old. What an adventure for a young girl to have!
Mostly, though, I rely on the internet and atlases to give me an idea of what an area is like. It certainly has piqued my interest in travel. I wish I could visit the magical part of the real world. Being mundane, however, I don’t think I’ll make it to Atlantis or the Hall of the Mountain King (the troll kingdom). It’s fun for me as a writer to mesh the real world with the magical world of the imagination.
I’ve always been a huge fantasy and science fiction reader. I like my fantasy with tongue-in-cheek humor. The great epic fantasies don’t appeal to me. In know, I’m a heretic since I didn’t like the Lord of the Rings as a book, however, I loved the movies. I can’t even remember all the old time authors I read growing up. What I do know is that if it doesn’t have more than a little comedy, my attention wanders. I’ll thoroughly enjoy a children’s’ book like the “How to Train Your Dragon” series, but can’t get into Twilight or the Hunger Games. I guess I’m more kid than adult in my reading tastes. I do read more MG/YA fantasy since it’s my primary writing genre.
You asked what my favorite is. I’ll go with Fall. Indian summers are the best. Frost on the grass in the morning, and the sun beating down on you in the afternoon. Well, that’s the Pacific Northwest version. Your own geographical region may vary.
I would like to say a word or two about series. My advice to writers is to make each book stand on its own legs. I hate being left in the middle of a story with the expectation I’ll be dying to read the next book. I want the question in my mind, “What happens next?” But I hate being forced to read to find out. Write a complete story for each book in a series. Leave the cliffhangers for the ends of chapters.
Which leads me to mention the other two books in the Witches of Galdorheim series. I think you can read Midnight Oil and be fully satisfied getting a complete adventure, BUT, if you find the book interesting, you can find Bad Spelling (already available) and Scotch Broom (coming next spring).
The Witches of Galdorheim 1 – Bad Spelling
A klutzy witch, a shaman’s curse, a quest to save her family. Can Kat find her magic in time?
If you’re a witch living on a remote arctic island, and the entire island runs on magic, lacking magical skills is not just an inconvenience, it can be a matter of life and death–or, at least, a darn good reason to run away from home.
Katrina’s spells don’t just fizzle; they backfire with spectacular results, oftentimes involving green goo. A failure as a witch, Kat decides to run away and find her dead father’s non-magical family. But before she can, she stumbles onto why her magic is out of whack: a curse from a Siberian shaman.
The young witch, accompanied by her half-vampire brother, must travel to the Hall of the Mountain King and the farthest reaches of Siberia to regain her magic, dodging attacks by the shaman along the way.
The Witches of Galdorheim 3 – Scotch Broom
A magical trip to Stonehenge lands a witch in the Otherworld where an ancient goddess is up to no good.
Kat expects to have a great time on her graduation trip to Stonehenge. However, from the moment she leaves the witches’ arctic island, Galdorheim, she gets in nothing but trouble. Her younger half-brother tries to horn in on her trip, she gets lost in the magical Otherworld realm, is led astray by a supposed friend, then she has to confront a Scottish goddess who’s fallen on hard times.
While dodging the goddess’s minions and trying to find her way out of the Otherworld, Kat soon learns she shouldn’t underestimate the old has-been for one second; the crone still has a few tricks that can drain a witch’s magic in a flash. To make matters worse, Kat’s brother secretly followed her into the Otherworld. Now he’s in danger, too. Kat has to go one on one with the goddess to save herself and her brother.
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I’ll be looking forward to the Stonehenge episode. I was just there a year and a half ago with my grandson and his cousin and this will bring back good memories.
Thanks, Marva, for sharing the info about your books with me and my readers (who will not forget to leave their contact information for the drawing for a free book).
Guardian Angel Kids Magazine, January 2012 Issue
04 Jan 2012 9 Comments
in Guardian Angel Kids Tags: Donna McDine, Editor in Chief, Guardian Angel Kids Ezine
The January issue of Guardian Angel Kids Magazine is now on line for you to share with the youngsters in your life. The theme for this month is “Siblings.”
Letter from the Editor-in-Chief:
Dear Readers of Guardian Angel Kids Ezine:
Welcome to the January 2012 issue of Guardian Angel Kids Ezine (GAK).
The beginning of a new year usually brings a time of reflection on the year gone by and hopes of the new year filled with health, happiness, and success. As I get older, I conduct a mental housecleaning of simplifying my life and taking a concerted effort to enjoy the moment of the current day, instead of worrying about the “what if’s”, because often times the “what’s if’s” don’t even come into play. It takes time to break the “what if” habit, try it today and focus in on your tasks of the day instead of obsessing about tomorrow. I know for myself I find myself not as drained if I focus on the here and now, instead of what I think the coming days, weeks, and months should be.
Our January 2012 theme for the month is all about siblings. Come along and reminisce about your childhood through the delightful poetry and stories in this month’s issue and don’t forget to share your memories with your children.
Wishing you all the best in 2012 and beyond.
Best wishes,
Donna McDine
Editor-in-Chief
CONTACT: Donna McDine, Editor-in-Chief, Guardian Angel Kids Ezine
Email: submissions@guardian-angel-kids.com
Website: http://guardian-angel-kids.com
FEATURED BOOKS:
My Sister is My Best Friend a TRILINGUAL Flip Book by Nicole Weaver, illustrated by Clara Batton Smith
My Brother the Frog by Kevin McNamee, illustrated by Alexander Morris
CHILDREN’S POETRY, SHORT STORIES, AND ARTICLES:
“My Little Brother” by Katie (age 10) – the antics of a little brother and big sister’s frustration.
“Hailey’s Homework,” by Juliana Jones and illustrated by Jack Foster – Young Hailey is too little for homework and makes up her own assignment with unhappy results.
“Monsters and Brothers,” by Judy L. Forney and illustrated by Samantha Bell – The roller coaster ride of brothers and how they tease one another.
“Keys to Help Your Child Score Well on Standardized Tests,” by Nicole Weaver – Tips to help you prepare your child for standardized tests beyond the studying.
FEATURED DRAWING, GAMES & ACTIVITIES:
Draw and paint your brothers and sisters with Painting Board
Featured Games from Guardian Angel Publishing Books
Visit Guardian Angel Kid today and www.guardian-angel-kids.com and enjoy a child-safe and ad-free Ezine.
We also invite you to stay connected with Guardian Angel Kids through our Facebook Fan Pagehttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Guardian-Angel-Kids-Ezine/163785080346247.
Please feel free to drop Editor-in-Chief, Donna McDine an email at submissions@guardian-angel-kids.com and let them know what you think of Guardian Angel Kids and what you’d like to see in the future. They aim to please.
The Guardian Angel Kids Ezine staff and contributors look forward to your visit. Thank you for your time and interest.
Review of Joanne Lamond’s novel, Daughter of the Sun: The Herbolaria’s Story
15 Dec 2011 4 Comments
in Book Reviews Tags: Daughter of the Sun: The Herbolaria's Story, Joanne Lamond
Warm up your Kindles, Everybody, ’cause you’re going to want to read this book.
I’m happy to present Joanne Lamond’s review of her book, Daughter of the Sun: The Herbolaria’s Story.
Joanne is an friend of mine from the time when the Gainesville SCBWI critique group was first formed in 2002. We were sorry when she moved away because she showed excellent insight into the stories that were read for critiquing.
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Barbara, my first adult novel is now available from Amazon and Barnes & Noble as an e-book. Daughter of the Sun: The Herbolaria’s Story is a fast-paced, carefully researched historical account of life in Spanish la Florida in the late 17th Century. Set in the Timucuan province of Potano, near modern-day Gainesville, Florida, the story centers around a young native healer, Esperanza. Love for her people and her heritage forces her to choose a course that puts her in conflict with Spanish authority and the Church. Her trek across northern Florida to save her friends from English invaders and pirates ultimately saves her people, who are on the verge of extinction.
As a native Floridian I have always been intrigued by the history of this Spanish colonial period. Living near Gainesville and my alma mater, the University of Florida, rekindled this interest and I started writing a children’s novel. But the more I researched and wrote, the more my characters begged to be adults fighting for their survival. The ending came to me quickly. In reading William Bartram’s account of his journeys through the south, I came upon a description of a beautiful race of women living in a swampy area of northern Florida and southern Georgia. Their men were fierce warriors. The women prayed with rosaries and spoke a strange language. He dubbed them Daughters of the Sun. So, though Esperanza’s story begins in the beautiful, rolling hills of Potano, it ends in the Okefenokee Swamp.
I hope your readers enjoy my book.
Thank you again for including an announcement on your blog.
Joanne Lamond
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I would like to add that Joanne did a wonderful job of incorporating native American words and folk tales into her book. Her characters are alive with purpose and emotions and her word pictures show old Florida in its wild simplicity. The conflicts are life and death struggles.
Spirit Stealer by Sue Perkins
11 Dec 2011 3 Comments
in Book Reviews, MuseItUp Publishing Tags: MuseItUp Publishing, Spirit Stealer, Sue Perkins
Finished reading Spirit Stealer by Sue Perkins. Middle Grade mystery from MuseItYoung Publishing. Sort ‘o scary.
I interviewed Sue during our September Blog Tour of MuseItYoung Publishing’s Middle Grade and Young Adult Authors. I read Spirit Stealer on Kindle and I really enjoyed it.
You can find my interview with this New Zealand author on this blog on September 8.
With both boy and girl protagonists, this book is appealing to readers of both sexes. Since all of us here are readers, we love libraries, don’t we? Libraries are safe places, right. Well, don’t bet on it. Could characters actually come out of the books? The setting of this book in a library makes it doubly intriguing.
The plot involves two different boys and their encounters with the spirit stealer who lives in the library. The first boy is a street urchin who needs a warm, dry place to sleep. And the other boy is the son of a librarian. It’s interesting to see how the girl character spans the stories of both boys. You’ll want to read the book to see if the stories merge and to find out if the evil green phantom is ever vanquished.
Disclaimer: I purchased my copy of this book and was not paid for reviewing it.
Visit Donna McDine’s Blog
06 Dec 2011 3 Comments
in Book Reviews, Interviews Tags: D. Robert Pease, Donna McDine, Noah Zark: Mammoth Trouble
Hi Friends,
I’m passing along some information I got from Donna McDine. She has written an interesting interview with author,
D. Robert Pease, who wrote a middle grade time travel/futuristic novel, Noah Zark: Mammoth Trouble. If you go to Donna’s blog, read the interview, and comment on it, she will enter you in a drawing for a $50.00 Amazon gift card. Your comment will also help her; she needs lots of comments.
http://donna-mcdine.blogspot.com/2011/12/author-interview-with-d-robert-pease.html.
Dr. Ronald Dearinger, Doctor of Business Administration
17 Nov 2011 7 Comments
in Family Tags: Dr. Ronald Dearinger, University of Phoenix
On Wednesday, I flew with my daughter, Jenny, and her husband, Ron, to Phoenix, Arizona, where Ron was to be awarded his Doctorate of Business Administration. We picked up the rental car at Avis and drove to the Sheraton Hotel. What a fabulous penthouse suite! We knew it would be a great place for the celebration party; it was very roomy and had a large patio as well. They took me to Mike and Alva’s (Ron’s sister and her husband), where I was to stay.
On Thursday, the five of us drove to Sedona and had lunch. The scenery through that countryside is awesome. We saw some beautiful geologic formations. Sedona, which had expanded since Jenny and Ron were last there five years ago, is built on a southwestern adobe style architectural plan, and it’s very artsy. The statue of the dancing couple, dressed in 19th century costume, life-size bronze and rotating on a wagon wheel, is on the sidewalk outside the restaurant. For dinner that night we ate sandwiches at home.
Friday was Veterans Day, and it fell on 11-11-11. Alva wanted to stay home and make Friendship Bread. So Jenny and I went to Tempe. She knew of a street at the Arizona State campus that has lots of restaurants. We chose the Irish pub; we ate shepherd’s pie and bread pudding with Irish whiskey. Then we drove a long way back to the center of Phoenix to the Phoenix Art Museum. We were fortunate enough to be there for a Veteran’s Day Celebration that took place in a small auditorium. First there was a Flag Ceremony, the Honor Guard being veterans. Several veterans in the audience were introduced. There was one man who had been in WW II, a few from Korea and Vietnam, and several from Afghanistan. A docent, who has been with the museum for about 30 years, gave an inspiring presentation of art using slides projected onto a large screen. Her focus was on the Hudson River School, showing the natural treasures of America. Afterward, we joined everyone on the courtyard lawn for refreshments. I met the World War II Veteran. Later in the day, Jenny and I helped Alva arrange the food platters for the next day. Then we went to the hotel to decorate. Jenny, Alva, and I (well, not me, so much) strung crepe paper streamers across the drapery of the windows and arranged the table decorations. Ron and Mike blew up balloons and attached bunches of them to the crepe paper streamers.
Saturday was Ron’s big day. He and Jenny went early to the University of Phoenix’s stadium, which is four times larger than the University of Florida’s O’Connell Center. Alva, Mike, and I joined Jenny in the seats. She chose to be on the front row, and we had a good view of Ron when he came in. The procession was led by a group of bag-pipers and drummers. Jessie, Mike and Alva’s daughter, and her daughter, Kayla, also came to see Ron graduate. The graduates and the speakers were shown on two large video screens. Ron was interviewed, along with lots of others, and Jenny got to see that, but we didn’t arrive until later. But we got to see him file in with the other Doctoral Candidates wearing his impressive robe and red hat. The video gave a really up-close view of each graduate and displayed the name. Our guy: Dr. Ronald Dearinger.
After the ceremony, we went to the Sheraton Hotel for the party. Jenny displayed Ron’s Disertation and his Diploma (which had been sent to him in August). A large chocolate, chocolate, chocolate cake served as a tempting centerpiece. In addition to the seven of us, there were other guests. Ron’s nephew, Willie, and his girlfriend, came from about 30 miles away. And Ron was especially pleased that the wife of the principal of his high school, Alice (88 years young), and her two daughters, Bev and Jean, came. Jean and Alva were good friends during their high school days, and they still get together from time to time. There was lots of reminiscing going on. Jenny showed the rotating 150 pictures of Ron and his friends and family on her lap top computer and she also took lots of pictures of everybody. I enjoyed talking to Alice. Jenny told her that I am a writer and she told us that her cousin is Dav Pilkey who wrote the Captain Underpants books. I said I would have to tell my grandsons about that. Jessie’s daughter, Kayla, is an adorable 4-year old. Jenny gave her a toy and I gave her a book; she was very interested in her gifts and enjoyed playing with them. I sat with her and we lifted the flaps on the book, and I was surprised that she knew so many words; she’s very smart and was well-behaved throughout the long day. We also played toss-the-balloons, the way I had played with my grandsons years ago. Ron was looking forward to a good prime rib, so we all joined up again at a nice restaurant. I enjoyed getting better acquainted with Bev. She had been a neo-natal Nurse Practitioner, but is now retired to ranch work. It was altogether a very satisfying day. We are all so proud of the hard work that Ron put in to achieve his Doctorate.
Jenny will be putting pictures of the event on Facebook.
Then after we came back home, the following Sunday, Jenny threw another party for Ron at the clubhouse at Uptown Village. This was a great opportunity for Ron’s local family, friends, and colleagues to express their pride and congratulations.
Jenny had a special surprise for Ron. She used copies of his Dissertation to make pinwheels which she stuck into pencils and displayed in terra cotta pots. These were the centerpieces for the scattered tables. I helped her make the pinwheels. It was my suggestion to use gold doilies under the pots. She also used pages from the Dissertation–copies, that is–to create a banner that read CONGRATULATIONS. She displayed the Diploma and Dissertation–which has a humongous title–at the front of the room, along with Ron’s doctoral gown, hood, and red hat. The room looked very festive with the decorations and food.
When Ron came in, he said something like, Should we follow the old tradition and burn the Dissertation. I said we did something better than that. He like the things Jenny had done with the pages.
She also put the automatic picture album on a table and it ran all day. This time there were pictures of the graduation in Phoenix.
It was fun to stretch the celebrations out for a couple of weeks.
Monday Metaphors: Puns Take off
24 Oct 2011 24 Comments
in Monday Metaphors Tags: Carolyn Howard-Johnson, V. S. Grenier
Puns and take offs crack me up. They’re everywhere. It seems that we’re hardwired to make the associations of pictures or words or sounds or whatever that lead right into the take off. Comics who do the funny papers are especially adept at puns and take offs, and they do it in the most succinct manner and often simply visually. This is why my newspaper is all cut up.
Here are some of my favorites:
Hi and Lois. Cell phone rings. Boy one: Another message from Maggie? Second boy: She sends them all day; she’s my “tweet-heart.”
Mother Goose and Grim. Two vampires sitting in a bar. One says: I’ll meet you tonight at high moon.
Pickles. Kid: Where are you going, Grampa? Grampa: I’m going on a jabberwalky. Kid: what’s a jabberwalky? Last frame: Grampa has to listen to Gramma jabbering endlessly.
Frank and Ernest. Frank and Ernest are snorkeling and come upon a sign: “Welcome to Atlan tis” Lying on the ocean floor is a letter “N”. Frank says, “Look, Ernie! It’s the lost consonant of Atlantis!”
Message on t-shirt: Dijon Vu; the same mustard as before
Another t-shirt: Relish Today. Ketchup Tomorrow.
Cosmetics commercial: “See spots run.”
Can you hear Meow? A takeoff on the commercial: Can you hear me now?
Gator Raid = a picture on the wall of a restaurant in Gainesville, FL, of the Gator football team whomping another team.
For swine flu you need oinkment. For bird flu you need tweetment.
Jessica, my granddaughter, and I were talking about the magazine Scientific American. I asked her if she knew anything about “quarks.” She said, “It’s a quarky world we live in.” August 18, 2011
Book titles are good sources for puns
Lucienne Diver’s book is titled Fangtastic
Peter E. Abresch’s book is titled The Faltese Malcom
Graeme Smith’s book is titled Comedy of Terrors
Bennett W. Goodspeed wrote: The Tao Jones Averages: a Guide to Whole-Brained Investing
In The Weaver by Kia Strand (Ch. 11) Abigail Wordsmith says, “Good morning eager weavers.”
James Joyce’s biographer says of Ulysses: Much of the wordplay in the book stems from the use of multilingual puns. . .
I haven’t read this book by John Pollack, but I hope to some day: The Pun Also Rises: How the Humble Pun Revolutionized Language, Changed History, and Made Wordplay More Than Some Antics.
This last is an exchange between two writers whom I admire:
July 8, 2011
Carolyn Howard-Johnson responded to a post on Virginia Grenier’s blog, The Writing Mama http://thewritingmama.blogspot.com/2011/07/wacky-poetry.html
(the blog was about fractured fairy tales):
Virginia, I think a little wackiness helps with writers stress (it’s a little like writers’ block!). I always end my Sharing with Writers newsletter with a pun. They fit because puns are considered one of the highest forms of language and my readers are all authors–that is they–by definition–have to work with language.
Best, Carolyn
I agree with Carolyn that puns are an elevated form of language. My own story, “Gum-Fight at the Circle K Quick Stop,” is a take-off on the famous gun fight at the OK Corral.
Review: The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg
20 Oct 2011 2 Comments
in Book Reviews Tags: Rodman Philbrick, The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg
THE MOSTLY TRUE ADVENTURES OF HOMER P. FIGG, by RODMAN PHILBRICK
What’s a twelve-year-old boy to do if his brother is illegally sold into the Union Army and he’s left to rot in his uncle’s barn and get less to eat than the hogs on this Maine farm?
Why, set out after him and prove to the authorities that his brother’s only 17 years old. And that’s what Homer P. Figg does. He begins by taking the old horse that he and his brother had inherited from their parents. Soon that horse is stolen from him by a couple of rascals who stink worse than any pigs Homer has ever known.
The stinkers force him to lie to the kindly Quaker man who helps run-away slaves get to the Canada border. But together, Homer and the kindly Quaker foil the stinkers’ plot and Homer sets out with a naïve budding preacher with money to retrieve Harold, Homer’s brother.
Then the naïve preacher is fooled into giving the money to a con man and his sister, who send Homer down the river in a pig crate (with the pigs).
Without any money, Homer is taken in by another con artist, a “Professor” who sells “elixir,” i.e., strong spirits at his travelling medicine show. Homer is billed as the “pig boy,” half boy and half pig—and it’s pretty convincing because of his smell and the pig tale that’s sticking out of the back of his trousers. Then the “Professor” is apprehended as a Confederate spy.
How Homer escapes from the authorities by getting away in an Army surveillance balloon is one of the most exciting of his adventures.
By chance, Homer lands near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, the day before the battle in which his brother faces enemy fire. But it’s Homer’s accidental wounding of Harold that takes Harold out of the battle. Of course, it’s Homer who picks up the Union Flag and soldiers on!
The young readers will see the Civil War from aloft as they sail along with Homer in the hot-air balloon. Though they cannot escape the cries of the wounded, they will laugh at Homer’s “mostly true” tall tales and cheer his determination.
I listened to this story on audio tapes from my public library. The book was published by Random House, Inc. in 2009, and the suggested audience age is 8 and up. As an adult, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
There's nothing wrong with me a little ice cream won't fix. 
