QB1 by Mike Lupica

Celebrating 4 years of blogging – from the early archives. QB1 by Mike Lupica. While we’re just getting into summer, and kids have already forgotten about school, we parents have not forgotten about their summer reading lists! Here’s a great middle school read that your kids will love, especially football fans!

Book Club Mom

QB1
by
Mike Lupica

Rating:

Are you a football fan? Do you play football? Do you have sons or grandsons who play football? Or maybe you just happen to like football stories like Friday Night Lights, or stories about siblings and families. If any of this is true, then QB1 hits the mark.

Mike Lupica knows how to tell a nice story and QB1 is a feel-good read that is geared towards the middle school or early high school reader. Two Texas quarterback brothers, four years apart and sons to a famous quarterback whose NFL career was cut short, Wyatt and Jake Cullen have different challenges. Wyatt is a freshman quarterback for the Texas Longhorns and is living his father’s dream. Younger brother Jake has lived in Wyatt’s shadow for as long as he can remember. The story begins when Jake enters ninth grade as the third-string quarterback, for…

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Who’s That Indie Author? Sue Coletta

Author name:  Sue Coletta

Genre:  Psychological Thriller/Mystery

Books:  Cleaved, Marred, Wings of Mayhem

          

Bio:  Member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers, Sue Coletta is a multi-published author in numerous anthologies and her forensics articles have appeared in InSinC Quarterly. In addition to her popular crime resource blog, Sue co-hosts the Blog Talk Radio show “Partners in Crime.” She’s also the communications manager for the Serial Killer Project and Forensic Science and founder of #ACrimeChat on Twitter.

Favorite thing about being a writer:  Witnessing readers’ reactions to my stories

Biggest challenge as an indie author:  Marketing

Favorite books:  My all-time favorite book is Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris. Other favorites include Pressure Points and Bait and Switch by Larry Brooks.

Contact Information:
Website: suecoletta.com
Goodreads Author Sue Coletta
Amazon Author Sue Coletta
Facebook:  @SueColetta1
Twitter: @SueColetta1
YouTube:  Crime Writer Sue Coletta

Awards/special recognition:  Best Author in Crime, Mystery, Heist

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Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

Celebrating 4 years of blogging – from the early archives, a review of Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline. Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres. It’s a great way to learn and enjoy a story! What is your favorite genre?

Book Club Mom

Orphan Train
by
Christina Baker Kline

Rating:

I liked this book that parallels the story of a young girl sent west on an orphan train from New York City in 1929 and a present-day Native American teenage girl who has struggled in the modern foster care system. I think Kline does an excellent job showing us how Niamh Power and these destitute orphaned children, both numb and frightened, must have felt as they traveled and met up with their matches, which were often far from perfect. Molly Ayer’s present-day story of a rebellious, Goth girl whose father has died and whose mother is addicted to drugs is somehow less powerful, but provides a necessary structure to the story. Molly meets ninety-one year-old Niamh, now named Vivian, when she is assigned to a community service punishment for stealing a book. The two form a friendship as Molly helps Vivian sort through…

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What’s That Book? Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements

Title:  Things Not Seen

Author:  Andrew Clements

Genre: Young Adult/Science Fiction

Rating:  ****

What’s it about?  Fifteen-year-old Bobby Phillips wakes up one morning to discover that he is invisible.

Bobby is thrust into independence when his parents are hurt in a car accident and he must stay alone while they recover. Keeping his condition secret, he travels through the city of Chicago unnoticed and, along the way, forms an unlikely friendship with a girl he meets in the University library. He and his family learn a great deal about themselves and their relationships as they try to understand and reverse what has happened to make Bobby invisible.

How did you hear about it?  I saw it on one of my children’s summer reading lists.

Closing comments:  I enjoyed reading this coming-of-age story.  It has a science-fiction spin that makes it modern and, surprisingly realistic.

Contributor:  Ginette

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Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson

Celebrating 4 years of blogging. From the early archives, here’s a quick review of Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson, a recommended summer read for rising 9th graders. Anderson is a well-known children’s and young adult author and has written many notable books, including Speak, a New York Times Bestseller and Fever 1797, a historical novel about the outbreak of yellow fever in Philadelphia.

Book Club Mom

Twisted
by
Laurie Halse Anderson

Rating:

This book is a little bit like a modern Catcher in the Rye and I liked it for that reason. Twisted was on our school district’s summer reading list for rising ninth graders a couple years ago. There is some mature language and content, but I think it is realistic. I think kids want to read something contemporary that has an edge to it and Anderson understands how to incorporate this element into quality writing.

In Twisted, Tyler returns to his senior year of high school, after being punished during the summer for vandalizing the school. He struggles with a poor self-image and how others, most importantly his father, perceive him. Tyler navigates through adolescence and important relationships and, like many coming-of-age stories, learns the true meaning of family and friendship.

Final scenes with his family are raw and emotional and show Anderson…

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Who’s That Indie Author? Deanna Altomara

Author name:  Deanna Altomara

Genre:  Middle Grade Fantasy/Science Fiction

Books: Ageless, Pi

     

Bio:  Fascinated by reading and writing from a young age, Deanna Altomara has dreamed of publishing her own novel since the fourth grade. She is the published author of two middle-grade fantasy novels, Ageless and Pi. While she is working on a sequel to Pi, she takes frequent breaks to try new foods, go hiking, and embroider.

Favorite thing about being a writer:  I love being able to create worlds and journey through them. I long to live all the lives I never got the chance to, and writing allows me to do that.

Biggest challenge as an indie author:  The most difficult thing about self-publishing is self-promotion. Besides being slightly awkward, it’s very time-consuming. It’s very hard to balance a steady stream of advertising and outreach with work and daily life.

Favorite books:  I honestly have to pick Harry Potter! Those books filled my life with new color and potential, and that’s something I want to replicate in my own work. I also love the Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus books, as well as a few classics like Gone With the Wind and Dracula.

Contact Information:
Twitter: @DeannaAltomara
Instagram @deannaaltomara
Facebook: Deanna Altomara @authordeannaaltomara
Goodreads Author Deanna Altomara
Website: deannaaltomara.biz.ly

Awards/special recognition:  Future Problem Solving International, Best On-site Writer Award;

Future Problem Solving International, 2nd Place Scenario; Ayn Rand Anthem Essay Finalist; Outdoor Writers of America, 2nd Place Poem

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Are you an indie author?  Do you want to build your indie author network? Get your name out on Who’s That Indie Author!

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Book Club Mom – Books Read in 2017

Image: Pixabay

 

Talking about books is just as fun as reading them. Choosing the next one is lots of fun too. And lists are a great way to get things started. Today I’m between books, but I’m looking forward to picking something new soon! I’ve added a page to show my running list of books read in 2017. Check it out up top or click on the link below.

Book Club Mom – Books of 2017

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