Virginia Crow's Blog: Crowvus Book Blog, page 34

Book Review: The Stranger of Wigglesworth - Colby Hess

Blurb:

The arrival of a mysterious stranger in the happy village of Giggleswick causes a schism that disrupts their innocent, carefree existence. A brave, clever, freethinking boy then sets off on a quest to reveal the stranger’s deception and rescue his fellow villagers.

Review:

This is the story of how a stranger appears and starts telling happy, content people that they'll be more happy and content if they live their lives his way. When they refuse, things start going wrong in their joyful little village of Giggleswick. But all is not as it seems... there is a darker force at work!

I thoroughly enjoyed it. To me, it had elements of The Pied Piper of Hamelin by Robert Browning, both in content and style. The story is written in a kind of gentle poetry which is more about rhythm than rhyme and that makes it a wonderful thing to read aloud.
The Stranger of Wigglesworth is a picture book for older children. It states clearly on the cover that it is for Ages 6-11, and it's important to keep this in mind when reading it. There are a lot of words in here which littler children wouldn't understand, and some parts of the story are very dark. The only slight issue I had with it was that, on one single occasion, the illustrations got so dark that I struggled to see what was happening, but that didn't spoil the overall reading experience for me.

This is a book to be read aloud where possible - and definitely one to be shared!

Day Six: St Nick's!

Picture One:Yes, Decorating Day is not until Saturday,but a few decorations which we inherited with the house are already sneaking up!
Picture Two:The calendars are getting close to their ends now.How strange to think that, when they went up, we didn't even know Stempster existed!
Picture Three:Nothing says Christmas is on the horizon more than an abundance of parcels...
Picture Four:...unless it's the crib!
Picture Five:The Vienna snow globe.A staple of Advent
Picture Six:Pup-in-blanket.He's so cute I could eat him up!

Day Five: Magic and Mysteries

Picture One:Winter has arrived on the edge of the Flow Country
Picture Two:The house is beginning to take shape.But, with Christmas on the horizon, how long can this desk stay clear?
Picture Three:Do you know this gentleman?He was waiting in the garage and we are quite taken by his smile.
Picture Four:This was also found in the garage.Could this be the family of the gentleman in the last picture?
Picture Five:It was a stunning sunset today...At about three o'clock!

Day Four: The Fourth

Picture One:No, it's not an aubergine emoji... New growth spotted on the trees in the Halloween Garden.
Picture Two:A camping-style lunch in Wick, since almost all of the chairsand all the tables are now at Stempster!
Picture Three:Orlando says it's tiring getting ready for Christmas.
Picture Four:The smiley face of wind turbine debris!Judith has something planned for this, we don't know what yet! And there's a Clemency and an Orlando in there too!

Day Three: The Third

 

Picture One:Today was mainly getting curtains up for winter.
Picture Two:It seems a long time ago now, but it was a lovely sunrise.
Picture Three:
We watched the Star Trek "Let It Snow". Now it really is Christmas! 

Day Two: The Second

 

Picture One:Tomorrow's new release!The shortlisted and winning stories from our fifth Christmas Ghost Story Competition.
Picture Two:The Christmas Tree is up and decorated in Clemency's classroom!

#HistFicThursdays - History Writers' Day - The Legacy Lives On

Last weekend, historical writers around the globe came together for an online book fair. I've been a part of other virtual book fairs since Covid arrived on the scene, but this was the first genre-specific one I've done.

#HistoryWritersDay was the brainchild of Simon (@Books2Cover). Despite its hashtag, the event was actually two days and, over those two days, I fell even deeper in love with the fantastic world of historical fiction and non-fiction writers. Writers and publishers were offering discounts, signed copies and giveaways, welcoming and including stalwarts as well as newbies to the many realms of history.

As well as fabulous new friends, the weekend also provided a few sales along the way - most people buying The Year We Lived which continues to be a mystery as well as an adventure for readers! And I'm looking forward to hearing the feedback and reviews from these sales, and making connections there too.

The benefit of being a part of the Historical Fiction community of writers is just phenomenal. There is genuine support available as well as just enough niches to make every book beautifully individual. 

Planning ahead, Simon has already announced the 2022 event on 26th-27th November 2022. It's already on my computer calendar. Hopefully, after reading this, it should be on yours too!

Just one more thing! As part of the event, I ran a giveaway for any of my historical fiction books. I'm thrilled to announce the winner was Annie Whitehead! Congratulations, Annie, and I hope you enjoy your book!

Day One: The First

The first Christmas card arrived today! It's a lovely one!

Book Review: "What It Means to Be Me" - Danielle Dawn Falk

Excerpt:

I play outside and breathe sweet air.

There are flowers and animals around me everywhere.

Just like the wiggly worm, the curious cat, and the giant trees,

My life has a special purpose; I am on a unique journey.

This is what it means to be me.

Review:

"What It Means to Be Me" is a book with a great message - helping children to make sense of what makes them special and unique, but also what they have in common with others. 

As a teacher, it made me think of the requirement in the Curriculum for Excellence for pupils to: "I recognise that we have similarities and differences but are all unique." This book totally has that outcome covered! 

The book starts with a very lengthy opening, which I did feel may have been more audience-appropriate if it had been split over a few pages. The rest of the book carries on at a really good pace, mixing short snippets of advice and guidance with dazzling and/or dreamy illustrations. The book is written in a gentle rhyme, but there are just one or two of the words which may be too tricky for younger children. 

All in all, a very sweet picture book with a really good message for children.

Meet the Author:

Danielle Dawn Falk

Danielle Dawn Falk has a lifelong passion for writing. Growing up, she often struggled with feelings of being unaccepted, as well as not fitting in with her peers. When she became a mother, some of her goals were to help her son and daughter realize how unique and special they are, while at the same time, teaching them to show acceptance and compassion toward everyone else. She hopes that through her writing, she will inspire her children, as well as many others, to do just that. Danielle lives with her family on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada.

WEBSITE - https://danielledawnfalk.com/

FACEBOOK - https://www.facebook.com/Danielle-Fal...

INSTAGRAM - https://www.instagram.com/daniellefal...

Where to buy the book:

Amazon (.com)

Amazon (.ca)

Amazon Kindle

Giveaway!

Danielle Dawn Falk will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Enter here!

#HistFicThursdays - Finding the cracks and filling them in

 Did you ever play that game where you have to avoid the cracks on the pavement? The original version of it seems to be:

Tread on a crack, break your back

although we used the slightly milder version of:

Step on a crack, marry a rat

With hindsight, its more a cautionary piece of advice than a game, but it certainly was a fun game to play as a child, trying to gauge how many times to put your feet down on each flagstone. But the warning remains in place. Don't fall into or over the cracks...

...unless you're a historical fiction writer!

At the moment, I'm writing a book for Sapere Books' Writing Competition. I have to admit, I originally recoiled from the idea of writing to someone else's brief, but I am putting together a submission for Brief 5 as a way of encouraging my sister to put in her entry for Brief 4! And I'm thoroughly enjoying the challenge. [It remains to be seen as to whether or not we submit our entries but, either way, I intend to take my characters on their complete journey!]

One of the things I'm enjoying so much is the mystery surrounding the underhand events in Renaissance Italy. Here, there are so many cracks to delve into. These are gems to historical fiction writers. One of the skills in creating stories set in the past is not to change the past but to add to it. We fill in the cracks with adventures of those who you can never be entirely sure did not exist.

Research is crucial - of course - but you don't have to rub your readers' noses in how much you've done. One of my favourite reviews of The Year We Lived mentioned the importance and imparting of research like this:

Not being an expert in 11th Century Saxon or Norman culture, I can't tell you if the historical research is accurate, but it felt right. You get to recognise a well-researched and written setting, don't you? The Year We Lived feels right. It doesn't throw facts at you, letting you instead discover them in the conversations, character's actions, and events of the story.

The old "show don't tell" comes into play here and, I have to mention here, how significant editing is! But that's a blog post for another Thursday. For now, go back to a favourite event in history and find the cracks which are around the edge. Fill them in with your own take on the event, change nothing, but add in the mortar.