Classic MG Realistic Fiction: Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

May's  pick for the Classic Read along with the Midnight Garden was Hatchet by Gary Paulsen  You can follow along or join in the discussion at http://www.themidnightgarden.net 
or #tmgreadalong on Twitter.  

Published: December 31st, 1988 by Puffin Books

 (first published November 1st 1986)  

Genres: MG Realistic Fiction

Pages: 195 pages

Format: Paperback

Source:  Own

Hatchet is a story of one boys survival in the harsh Canadian wilderness.  Not a story about "roughing it in the wild", but a story that feels so real.  These are the kinds of stories that scare me the most, the ones that could happen, that just stick with you.  Thirteen-year-old Brian is left all alone a bush-plane when his pilot has a heart attack and dies.  Desperately trying to find a way to land the plane as safely as possible, Brian ends up stranded in the Canadian wilderness after crash landing. With nothing but the clothing on his back, a hatchet his mom gave him as he was leaving, and his keen resourcefulness, Brian struggles to survive are just beginning.   

Brian is an easy character to relate to. A kid who is at first struggling over finding out a "secret" his mom has been keeping that leads his parents to get divorced. To the moment he loses the pilot of the airplane.  Brian's reactions were very realistically portrayed.  Very chilling, filled with raw emotions.  The feeling of helplessness, not being able to do anything, not being able to move or even react. We all think we know what we would do if placed in a dangerous situation, we hope that we would react.  But, instead your mind just kind of clicks off. The shock of feeling like your seeing something but not believing.  You kind of get frozen, where your just trying to process everything and you come up with all the reasons that what your experiencing can't possibly be happening. In that way, Paulsen really drew me into Brian's story. There was such a roller coaster of emotions Brian was feeling, everything from panic, to screaming, to crying, anger, to acceptance of his situation and beginning to develop a plan.  

Brian was also an inspiring kid who is put through a very, very heartbreaking challenging situation. Things are never easy for Brian, he struggles, begins to make some progress, and then is faced once again with the harshness of nature.  I think one of the underlying themes of the story is to never underestimate the power of nature.  Brian experiences nature in a very raw form.  I was literally scared for him in so many situations (run into a bear, moose, bumps in the night).  Ahhh, on my seat kind of reading. Like I said, be prepared for a roller coaster of emotions.   Brian demonstrates a lot of inner strength and perseverance for a thirteen-year-old.  Even though he has his moments of weakness, who wouldn't?  He is able to move on by drawing his survival skills from books he read, movies and times he spent with his friends. Even drawing inspiration from his teacher's words about "staying positive, staying on top of things, getting motivated."  Although, I don't feel like positive thinking is what gets him through this situation.  Brian is also pretty smart, he does an inventory of everything he has and then remembers that his teacher said "you are your most valuable asset. You are the best thing you have."  I liked how Brian developed a sort of mantra that he keeps repeating to himself, keep it simple, gather wood, chop wood, keep the fire going, hunt for food etc., even after his shelter is destroyed he has it to fall back on to keep him moving forward.  He's very tenacious.  

Brian also learns through trial and error and Paulsen never holds back on detailing any of the gory details when things go bad.  Somehow, Brian develops an inner courage that he never knew he had, even sensing himself maturing and being changed by the experience of surviving in the wilderness. He really transforms from an insecure teenager to an adult.  At one point, Brian notices the differences between the sounds of nature versus those in the city.  The silence, complete silence where there is no traffic or sounds of people.  Yet, when opening up to really listen "... he heard thousands of things.  Hisses and blurks, small sounds, birds singing, hum of insects, splashes from fish jumping." Sounds that Brian would never forget, sounds that meant food, and survival. Sounds that he would always take with him. My only wish for the story was that the ending wouldn't have felt so abrupt, although the afterward did fill in some of the blanks and made for a resolution to the story.  

Overall, I thought Hatchet realistically portrayed the struggles of surviving in the wilderness with nothing but your wit, perseverance and a hatchet.  A wonderful read for those who enjoy a gripping survival story. 

YA Realistic Fiction: Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Hardcover, 303 pages 
Published:  April 7th, 2015 
by Balzer and Bray 
Genres: YA Realistic Fiction 
Source: Public Library


"Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn’t play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing, will be compromised.

With some messy dynamics emerging in his once tight-knit group of friends, and his email correspondence with Blue growing more flirtatious every day, Simon’s junior year has suddenly gotten all kinds of complicated. Now, change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he’s pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he’s never met." (Summary from Goodreads). 


There were a couple of reasons that I really wanted to read this book.  First, this quote that I saw over at themidnightgarden.net "You've Got Mail starring gay teenage boys with good grammar." I loved, loved that movie.  Plus when The Midnight Garden starts gushing about a book, I usually take note and add it to the TBR list.  Then I request my library purchase it.  Where YA is concerned, they are my go to gals.  Yep, it's how I found A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab and  why I purchased Uprooted by Naomi Novik to read over the summer.  There also was just something about that description that I found so appealing. Once a long, long time ago (probably in my teens), I thought I wanted to work in clinical psychology.  I've always been fascinated by how our brains work, neurology and such.  It led me to speech pathology later on.  But,  I again I was intrigued by the premise of a contemporary romance between two sixteen year-old boys via email.  One of the things I've also been trying to do over the past year is to broaden my selection of books, delve into new to me subjects, diverse books, read across the spectrum of genre's (YA, MG, Adult) and Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda sounded to cute to pass up.  

First off, I really loved the characters.  Simon is so adorably cute and flirtatiously awkward in a lovable way.  He's navigating his way through having feelings for the boy that he only knows as Blue that he has been communicating anonymously with via email. Simon is vulnerable and funny and seems to realistically portray the emotions of coming out to his friends and family.  I'm so happy Simon had supportive parents and friends who were behind him 100%.  There are those moments of bullying/blackmailing, but even these are dealt with pretty quickly by the school/teachers.  Ah, if only things went like this in schools. Then there is Blue, who is allusive, never revealing enough about himself in his emails, and whose identity we are left with trying to figure out until the very end (For once, I figured this out, but it wasn't until pretty late in the book).  I also really loved the humor of Simon, through his emails and with his friends and family.  It was a really tight network of friends, almost to perfect in someways, but balanced off with some very realistic fights and squabbles too.    Aside from the characters, there are the settings, like school, Waffle House, hanging with your friends in the basement, going to a club.  Simon getting drunk for the first time and the consequences of his actions.  You just get rooted in this Harry Potter loving, Oreo eating kids life.   There is also all those emotions of does he like me or does he not?  With some romantic moments toward the very end, that are well just adorably romantic and cute and an ending that is pretty satisfying.  Overall a wonderful book that is both a lighthearted coming out, and uplifting coming of age story.  

MG Fantasy: Dr. Critchlore's School for Minions by Sheila Grau

Paperback ARC, 273 pages 

Published:  March 17th, 2015 

by Amulet Books

Genres: MG Fantasy

Source:  Publisher at as a part of March MG Madness

 hosted by http://www.wordspelunking.blogspot.com

"Welcome to Dr. Critchlore’s School for Minions, the premier trainer of minions for Evil Overlords everywhere. No student is prouder to be at Dr. Critchlore’s than Runt Higgins, a twelve-year-old werewolf. (At least he thinks he’s twelve. He was abandoned at the school as a baby, so he can’t say for sure.) Runt loves everything about Dr. Critchlore’s. He loves his classes—like History of Henchmen and Introduction to Explosives. He loves his friends—like Darthin the gargoyle and Syke the tree nymph. And he loves his foster family, who took him in when his wolf pack couldn’t.

But not everyone loves Dr. Critchlore’s as much as Runt. After a series of disasters, each worse than the next, it’s clear that someone is trying to shut the school down. It’s up to Runt, who knows the place better than anybody, to figure out who’s behind the attacks . . . and to save his home, and Dr. Critchlore himself, from total destruction." (Summary from Goodreads)

 I have to admit I was really drawn in by the illustrations on the cover by Joe Sutphin.  This also seemed like a book that my kiddo would really enjoy.  The story starts out rocky for Runt as he is entering his third year at the School for Minions,  and is desperately trying to become a Junior Henchman Trainee.  Nothing seems to be going right, he doesn't get placed in the right dorm, he has some tough competition to get into the training program, Dr. Critchlore is behaving oddly and someone has been sabotaging the school.  If things keep going this way, there won't be any school to attend.   So far so good, pretty original plot idea, some mystery, action, funny situations.  There is a diverse group of characters, explosions, dungeons, laboratories, trips to the cemetery and some nice twists.  Instant kid appeal, plus the illustrations throughout are quite engaging.  Not being the target demographic, the pace was a little slow for me.  I knew it was going to take sometime to introduce the world and characters, but there were quite a few times when it was day to day happenings at school.  However, this is one of those books that kids will just eat up.  They will want to unravel the mystery of who is behind the sabotaging of the school and the pranks provide for some great entertainment.  Mine just loved it and we will be keeping an eye out for any sequels.   

Thanks to Aeicha at http://www.wordspelunking.blogspot.com/ and the publisher for Dr. Critchlore's School for Minions (given away as a part of March Middle Grade Madness.)  

MG Fantasy/Fairytale Retelling: Flunked by Jen Calonita

Hardcover, 256 pages

Published:  May 3rd, 2015 
by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Genres: MG Fantasy, Fairytale Retelling 
Source:  Publisher via Goodreads First reads 

Twelve-year-old Gillian Cobbler is a pretty good thief who only steals from the Royals, they're the ones least likely to miss it.  Gilly has only the best of intentions, taking what she can and exchanging it for food or presents for her brothers and sisters. Gilly's father is the shoemaker of Enchantasia who invented the glass slipper.  Unfortunately, since Ella's fairy godmother took over making all glass slippers, the family business has suffered and that is when she began stealing.  So, when Gilly gets caught stealing for the third time, she is taken away to Fairy Tale Reform School.  A school who's mission is to "turn wicked delinquents and former villains into future heroes."    Interestingly enough the school is run by reformed villains  themselves like Flora (Cinderella's evil stepmother), Xavier Wolfington (Red Riding Hood's wolf), Madame Cleo (Ariel's Sea Witch) and Professor Harlow (Snow White's evil queen.).  But things at Fairy Tale Reform School are not all that they seem, and questions begin to arise as to whether the school is really able to reform its villain's.   

"There was an old woman who lived in a shoe.

She had so many children, she didn't know what to do.

She gave them some broth without any bread;

And whipped them all soundly and put them to bed." (by Mother Goose)

    I couldn't help thinking of the nursery rhyme when I picked up Flunked.  All those people living in one shoe, what are they to do?  I can't say I've read many stories written about the shoemakers daughter either.  When I think of fairy tales, characters like Snow White, Rapunzel and Cinderella come  to mind, so it is refreshing to have Ginny as our story teller.  We see how she's come to believe that thieving is the answer to what her family needs and why she feels that life just isn't fair.  But, what she ultimately learns is the bigger message of the story.  "How you handle yourself in such situations and what you learn from them that will define you." I really enjoyed how strong and confident Gilly was.  She truly had the best of intentions for her family and used the extra money she got from selling the things she stole to buy food for her siblings.   Flunked is the first book in this new series and includes lots of fairytale characters, ogres, goblins, mermaids, fairies, gnomes even Pegasi.  There are some fun twists and turns as Gilly is trying to find out who she can trust at school.  Overall, I thought this was a very good introduction to the world of Enchantasia with plenty of mystery, action and nice character growth.  My one small quibble was keeping the evil stepmother and evil queen straight whenever their names (Flora and Professor Harlow) were not used, but my kiddo didn't even notice this.  A nice addition to the various fairytale retellings that have been releasing lately, I look forward to getting to know the other students at the Fairy Tale Reform School better in the next book of the series..  

In exchange for an honest review, an ARC was received from the publisher for free via Goodreads First reads. 

Top Ten Foreign Language Edition Covers for Book I Loved to Read

Top Ten Tuesday is a Meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

This week's topic was a Freebie so,  I decided to highlight Ten Foreign Covers from books I Loved to Read in no particular order

1.  Italian edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

2-4.  German Editions for A Snicker of Magic,  Books of Elsewhere: The Shadows, and The Screaming Staircase: Lockwood and Company

5. From Thailand The  Ever Afters: Of Giants and Ice

6-9. United Kingdom Editions

10.  Swedish Edition of The Lightning Thief

Any favorites? Feel free to share your top ten Tuesday link.  

Review: The Best Friend Battle by Lindsay Eyre

Sylvie has been away at a family vacation for the past few weeks.  When she returns, she finds her best friend Miranda has been hanging out with new guy Georgie and Josh. Sylvie suspects Miranda and Georgie are becoming to close of friends.  Miranda is even cheering Georgie on at the baseball game and going to his house without her for a welcome to the neighborhood party.  Sylvie and Georgie just can't seem to get along,  he's been calling her "Scruggs" and teasing her about pitching.  And what is it with trying to steal Miranda away by buying a cooler present than hers?  Sylvie just can't let that happen.  She is determined to figure out what he is buying Miranda and get her something even better.  She'll prove to Miranda that they are still BFF's.  Or will things go horribly wrong?

The Best Friend Battle is a cute story about what happens when one friend finds out that the other might like someone new better.  Just the sort of thing that might happen in this age range. Sylvie just goes a little to far in my opinion (stealing Georgie's ferret by mistake), to prove her friendship to Miranda.  I think it is realistically portrayed, I just don't usually like the idea of children sneaking around at night, even if they have the best of intentions in setting things right.  I really liked Miranda, she was upbeat and was trying to bring her two friends together.  I enjoyed the culturally diversity of the characters, as well as the inclusion of both boys and girls. I love a story that shows both boys and girls can be friends too.  There was plenty of humor (Sylvie's five year old twin brothers were adorable), wonderful black and white illustrations and it was a pretty quick read.   This would make for an enjoyable read aloud for seven to ten year old's.

Cover Reveal for J.Scott Savage's Mysteries of Cove: Fires of Invention

Today I'm very excited to be featuring a cover reveal and inspiration for author J. Scott Savage's newest series,  Mysteries of Cove: Fires of Invention.  

           Author Bio

J. Scott Savage is the author of the Farworld middle grade fantasy series and the Case File 13 middle grade monster series. He has been writing and publishing books for over ten years. He has visited over 400 elementary schools, dozens of writers conferences, and taught many writing classes. He has four children and lives with his wife Jennifer and their Border Collie, Pepper, in a windy valley of the Rocky Mountains.

Like many of my books, the inspiration for my new series Fires of Invention came from the collision of two ideas. The first time the story occurred to me was while I was watching the musical Wicked with my wife. The moment I walked into the theater and saw the huge mechanical dragon above the stage, I thought, Wow! I have to write a story about that! A few weeks later, I was talking with my nephew, who is probably the most creative kid I know, but whose inventiveness often gets him into trouble, and I thought, What if a kid who had the talents of my nephew lived in a world where creativity was against the law? What if the kids were building . . . a steam-powered dragon? Bam! I had my story.

Powered by great feedback from my agent, Michael Bourret, my good friend and author James Dashner, my publisher, Chris Schoebinger, and the song “Warriors” by Imagine Dragons, I wrote the entire first draft of the first volume in the series, Mysteries of Cove in four weeks. This book is unlike anything I have ever written. There are elements of City of Ember, Dragon Riders, and Hugo in it all mashed up together in a world I fell in love with from the moment I started writing.

I think what’s most exciting to me about this book is that it’s about giving yourself the freedom to imagine. To take chances. Too often we limit ourselves by only trying things we’re confident we can succeed at when what we need to do is give ourselves permission to fail. Often it is when we attempt things with no idea of how we can possibly pull them off that we achieve our greatest successes.

About Fires of Invention

Trenton Colman is a creative thirteen-year-old boy with a knack for all things mechanical. But his talents are viewed with suspicion in Cove, a steam-powered city built inside a mountain. In Cove, creativity is a crime and "invention" is a curse word. Kallista Babbage is a repair technician and daughter of the notorious Leo Babbage, whose father died in an explosion-an event the leaders of Cove point to as an example of the danger of creativity.

Working together, Trenton and Kallista learn that Leo Babbage was developing a secret project before he perished. Following clues he left behind, they begin to assemble a strange machine that is unlike anything they've ever seen before. They soon discover that what they are building may threaten every truth their city is founded on-and quite possibly their very lives.

 

 Social Links

Facebook *  Twitter * Instagram* Website

What do you think of the cover?  Steampunk and dragons! Pretty awesome right?  Mysteries of the Cove will be published September 29th 2015.

 

Blog Tour: The Stars of Summer by Tara Dairman Interview and Review

Blog tour button: Kristin Rae:

 http://www.kristinrae.com/p/blog-page_28.html

Today I’m very excited to be participating in Tara Dairman's blog tour stop with an interview and review of The Stars of Summer. I adored All Four Stars, so was very excited to be able to participate in the tour for its sequel.  

The Stars of Summer is the second book in Tara Dairman's lovely series about a girl who is a "secret agent critic" writing reviews for the Dining section of the New York Standard.   Gladys is celebrating her twelfth birthday with her friends. While waiting for their tapas, they're talking about plans for the summer. While most of her friends will be away or at camp,  Gladys is looking forward to getting into the kitchen to try out some new recipes. That is until Charissa surprises her with a free registration at Camp Bentley for the summer.    At first this seems like the worst thing that could possibly happen, but summer camp might  just make the perfect cover for Gladys to continue writing her reviews.   Yet, camp life keeps Gladys busier then she expected.  What with swim lessons, her new responsibilities as counselor in training and assisting in the kitchen.   Plus,  there is this "celebrity" camper who keeps getting in her way.  When Gladys receives her next review assignment, to find the best hot dog in New York City, how will she ever find the time to sneak away and explore hot dog stands?  And once she finds out   a former rival might be the one who sent her on this wild goose chase in the first place, will she still want to embark on her quest to find the "Top Dog" of New York City?

Hardcover, 366 pages

Published:  May 5th, 2015 
by Putnam  Juvenile
Genres: MG Realistic Fiction, 
Cooking & Food, Humorous Stories
In exchange for an honest review, 

an ARC was received from the publisher for free. 

What is it about writing for a middle grade audience that you enjoy the most?

I love that middle-grade readers are starting to figure out how the grown-up world works, and are thinking about their place in it in the future.  I find that MG readers are full of curiosity and have lots of big ideas of their own, so to write for such a thoughtful and engaged audience is a real privilege.

Were there any particular MG books that have inspired you? Or a favorite book that your reading now?

When I was growing up, Roald Dahl’s books were my favorites—I loved the way they made me laugh, and the way they showed intrepid kids often one-upping bumbling adults to save the day. Then, when I was in my 20s and the Harry Potter series hit it big, I fell in love with kids’ books all over again and decided that I wanted to give writing one a shot.

These days, I appreciate a book that keeps me turning the pages but that also makes me think long after I’ve put it down. Authors who can write concisely but evoke complex ideas and emotions are the ones I really admire. Some of my favorite recent examples are Nikki Loftin’s WISH GIRL and NIGHTINGALE’S NEST, Jennifer Holm’s THE FOURTEENTH GOLDFISH, and Louis Sachar’s HOLES. Speedy, unputdownable reads that also dig deep. J

Were there any differences in your writing process when writing the sequel to All Four Stars?  

There were HUGE differences! ALL FOUR STARS took me more than five years to write, working on it here and there squeezed in among a million other obligations. In contrast, THE STARS OF SUMMER only took a few months, helped along by a tight deadline, much more writing time, and the fact that I already knew most of the main characters pretty well by the time I dove in. Plot comes pretty easily to me, and characters are more of a struggle, so having characters already developed made writing the second book in the series (and now, the third) much easier than the first time around.

What was your favorite part of writing The Stars of Summer?  Do you have a favorite scene or line from your novel?

Oh, there are so many scenes I love in this book! The very first scene, where Gladys finds herself on the brink of having her identity as a restaurant critic exposed during her birthday outing, was so much fun to write. I also love pretty much every scene with Gladys and Hamilton—but if I had to choose a favorite, I’d pick the one where they’re sharing a sandwich at the South African restaurant.

I loved reading about all the variations of hot dogs that you include in your story, what kind of research did you do to prepare?

For the foodie element of THE STARS OF SUMMER, I drew inspiration from hot dogs I’d discovered during my travels—mostly during the two-year, 74-country backpacking honeymoon I took from 2009-2011. Hot dogs are popular the world over, and I’ve been a big hot dog fan since I was a kid, so I was really surprised and pleased to stumble upon different versions in countries as far apart as Chile, Thailand, Iceland, and South Africa. When it came time to send Gladys on her quest for New York’s best hot dog, I knew I could just refer back to my own memories—jogged, perhaps, by some of the food entries my husband and I wrote on our travel blog (www.andyandtara.com)–to find great hot dog varieties for my young critic to try.

What are you working on now?

I am hard at work on the third book in the ALL FOUR STARS series! Gladys will facing a whole slew of new dilemmas—foodie and personal—as she starts middle school. This book doesn’t have a title yet, but it’ll be out in the summer of 2016.

Thank you Tara for answering all my questions!!

   

Book covers: Kelly Murphy

After finishing All Four Stars (Link to  my review) ,  I was really excited to read the book that follows the infamous " creme brulee incident?"   Dairman, you are a foodie after my own heart.  You took  "salty meat on white bread"  gave it your creative flair and end up taking me on a world wide tour of hotdog's.  Yep, hotdogs.   I adored The Stars of Summer,  Dairman's books are such fun to read filled to the brim with lovely descriptions of food, friendships, and Gladys herself is such a wonderful character.  She's creative, a risk taker and I adore her passion for food.  I love her creativity when it comes to cooking and the way that she introduces such a wide variety of foods and flavors just makes you want to do some exploration of your own.   "While, at first bite, the potatoes may seem too crispy to some diners, once they're dunked in fusion's homemade garlic aioli, the texture hits just the right note." She'll inspire the perusing of cooking magazines and online recipe searches for the foods described in The Stars of Summer, with names like The Icelandic pylsur, The Sonoran, The Thai dog it's easy to see why.   I know I would love to try and make a Sonoran.  Or at least visit this restaurant, El Guero Canelo and sample one.

The Stars of Summer is also about change and growing up.  Some of the characters that we know and love are still present helping Gladys with her quest, just in new and unique ways.  There is also the addition of new boy, Hamilton, who provides for some interesting complications.  What with him being infuriating, slightly pushy and really liking to talk about himself.  Still, somehow he is endearing and an asset to Gladys.  Even Charissa's character expands as she and Gladys share time together at Camp Bentley.  They become closer friends and Gladys begins to feel that she can trust her more.   My favorite change is within Gladys parents and their overall relationship.  Gladys helps them to finally learn to enjoy good food, and the ways that Gladys is able to rub off on them and they in turn inspire her are heart warming.  Yeah to no more microwave dinners!   One of my favorite lines is when Gladys is trying to pass her swim test... 

 "Gladys's arms and legs, feeling simultaneously heavy and weak, beat against it, like the whisks of an electric mixer stuck in too goopy batter. But then her mother's words came to her:"Swim like your limbs are knives, cutting through butter." 

I don't know about you, but I sure can picture that goopy sticky batter.  I also loved that Gladys began to have fun and forgot about chronicling every food in her notebook for her assignment, illustrating how important it is to savor the moments too.  But Gladys is still Gladys, trying to find ways to complete her assignment, while keeping her identity secret from the restaurants she critics. Overall, I love the characters, plot and the believable way that Gladys completes her quest.  Dairman's books are perfect for that budding foodie and parents who want to share a passion for food.   Best of all, Gladys' adventures aren't ending as Putnam signed on for a third installment and I for one can't wait to see what foodie adventure is in store for her next.  

 

THE STARS OF SUMMER blog tour schedule:

4/27   

Bookish Illuminations

4/28 

Word Spelunking

4/29: 

A Baked Creation

4/30

 For the Love of Words

5/1 

Fic Talk

5/4

 The Reading Date

5/5

 LAUNCH DAY!

5/6

 Daily Dahlia

5/7

 For What it’s Worth

5/8

  Pop Goes the Reader

5/11

 Kitchen Frolic

5/12

 Log Cabin Library

5/13

 Project Mayhem 

About the Author:

Tara’s author photo: Tiffany Crowder

 @ Crowded Studios: http://www.crowdedstudiosphoto.com/

Tara Dairman is the author of ALL FOUR STARS, which was named an Amazon Best Book of the Month and a Mighty Girl Top Book of 2014 for Teens and Tweens. She is also a playwright and recovering world traveler. She grew up in New York and received a B.A. in Creative Writing from Dartmouth College. After surviving the world's longest honeymoon (two years, seventy-four countries!), she now lives in Colorado with her husband and their trusty waffle iron.

Keep up with all of Tara's latest news on her:

 Website,      Twitter,      GoodReads,     Facebook   and Instagram

Links to purchase Tara's books:

 Indiebound  Powells  Amazon