NetGalley Review: Bless This Mouse by Lois Lowry

I received an advanced reader's copy of Bless This Mouse by Lois Lowry back in early January.  I am appalled at how long it has taken me to get to this wonderful book, but shortly after receiving the galley, I had two surgeries.  The galley got pushed aside in all the recovery and follow up.

Summary:  Bless This Mouse tells the story of a group of church mice, led by Mouse Mistress Hildegarde and their efforts to avoid The Big X.  Hildegarde is responsible for keeping all 200 plus mice who live at St. Bartholemew's safe and hidden. Not an easy job when new litters are being born and her nemesis Lucretia is constantly looking for ways to undermine Hildegarde so she can become Mouse Mistress.  To make matters even more challenging, the mice are discovered and must seek refuge outside the church while Father Murphy calls in The Big X to get rid of them. After a few days the mice are able to return to the church, but they are not out of danger yet.  The Blessing of the Animals is any day and you know what that means - Cats! Lots and lots of cats!  Will Hildegarde be able to keep everyone safe?


Lois Lowery is perhaps best known for her serious novels: The Giver and Number the Stars - for which she won Newbery Awards.  However, she makes the transition to animal stories with ease.  This is a delightful story about overcoming dangers and appreciating all animals great and small..  While there is a significant religious connection, it is not overpowering and will not put off those of a more secular nature.  Lowry has created likable characters that will delight readers.  These mice are more like Laura Numeroff's popular school attending picture book mouse than the rodents that generally make humans squeal with disgust.  Hildegarde is a clever and hardworking character and will have readers rooting for her success against the Great X. Illustrator Eric Rohmann's wonderful pencil drawings help make the mice even more charming..

Amazon lists the reading level as 9 - 12, which sounds just right. It was also make a great read aloud for 2nd grade classrooms.


This a must read for fans of Lois Lowry and animals stories in general.

Mrs. Archer's Rating:  5 of 5.

Teaser Tuesday - March 28th/And Book Signing

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

~Grab your current read
~Open to a random page
~Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
~~~BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
~Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! 

Bless This Mouse by Lois Lowry


"No human knew this, of course. But each week Hildegarde led all the church mice in confession."




Last night (March 28th) I had the pleasure of attending a book talk given by Lois Lowry at The Tattered Cover bookstore in Highlands Ranch, CO.  She was promoting Bless This Mouse which is her latest book.  She shared how she came up with the idea for the book. She was in Maine at the farm house she uses for writing, working on a fourth book about some of the characters found in The Giver, when she noticed a little mouse on the floor.  Her dog also noticed the mouse, but the mouse didn't show any fear of Mrs. Lowry or her dog - not even when Mrs. Lowry walked over and scooped up the mouse. She released the mouse outside and went back to the book she was writing.  However, that little mouse kept intruding on her thoughts - so much so that she put aside the book she was working on and started writing Bless This Mouse.


I love Lois Lowry's books. The Giver and Number the Stars are two of my all time favorite books. I'm very pleased to hear there will be another book related to The Giver (possible release date is Spring of 2012).  Mrs. Lowry is also a wonderfully entertaining speaker.  I hope that you will all have a chance to hear her speak.


A few books by Lois Lowry:
The Giver
Gathering Blue
The Messenger
Number the Stars
The Willowbys
The Anastassia Krupnik series
The Gooney Bird Greene series

Saturday Snapshot - March 26th

Saturday Snapshot is a weekly meme hosted by Alyce, from At Home With Books.  All we have to do is post a favorite photo we've snapped, or one captured by family or friends. (No internet poaching.)

I've been working on a series of photos related to the letters of the alphabet. As a librarian who loves books and bears, this is one I'm rather pleased with.

LaRue Across America: Postcards From the Vacation by Mark Teague - Giveaway at Brimful Curiosities.

Check out this wonderful giveaway over at Brimful Curiosities.  The Detective LaRue series is not only on of my favorites, but is also a favorite with students at Chinook.  This new book is a great way to learn about the U.S.

The Trouble With Chickens by Doreen Cronin

I received an Advance Reader's Copy of The Trouble With Chickens by Doreen Cronin through Librarything's Early Review program.  I was not compensated for my review.

Summary:


J.J. Tully is a former search-and rescue dog who is trying to enjoy his retirement after years of performing daring missions saving lives. So he’s not terribly impressed when two chicks named Dirt and Sugar (who look like popcorn on legs) and their chicken mom show up demanding his help to track down their missing siblings. Driven by the promise of a cheeseburger, J.J. begins to track down clues. Is Vince the Funnel hiding something? Are there dark forces at work—or is J.J. not smelling the evidence that’s right in front of him?


I was both excited and wary about reading this book. I love Doreen Cronin's picture books:  Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type and Diary of a Worm are two of my favorites.  Yet, I wasn't sure how her creative picture book style would translate to chapter book format.


She handles the transition beautifully.  This is a book that will have appeal to a number of audiences.  Children will find the story silly (especially if read aloud with great expression) and while some of the humor will slip past the kids, the adults will chuckle at the innuendo - making this a great family read.


At times, while reading this book I was reminded of Hank the Cow Dog by John Erickson, though I must admit I like J. J. far more than I do Hank.


Students getting reading to make the move from reading picture books to chapter books will recognize Cronin's name and will be eager to give this story a try.  While School Library Journal levels this a 2nd Grade - 4th Grade read, I would recommend it as a read alone for 4th grade and up (they are more likely to get more of the humor) and a read aloud for students in 1st Grade and up.


The Trouble With Chickens is a great addition to any school, classroom or home library.


Mrs. Archer's rating:  4.5 of 5!

Book Beginnings on Friday - March 25th

How to participate: Share the first line (or two) of the book you are currently reading on your blog or in the comments. Include the title and the author so we know what you're reading. Then, if you feel so moved, let us know what your first impressions were based on that first line, and let us know if you liked or did not like the sentence. This weekly meme is hosted by  A Few More Pages every Friday.  Check out their blog for a list of other book beginnings.


The Trouble With Chickens A J. J. Tulley Mystery by Doreen Cronin


"It was a hot, sunny day when I met that crazy chicken.  So hot that sometimes I think the whole thing may have been a mirage.  But mirages don't have chicken breath, mister."


What a great beginning. I love Doreen Cronin's picture books. I can't wait to see what she does with this chapter book.

New Paolini Book To Be Released in November

Fans of Eragon by Christopher Paolini will be excited to hear that Random House Children's Books has announced the release date for Inheritance, book four of the popular series.  According to Random House, Inc. the book will be available for purchase on November 8, 2011.

Book Beginnings on Friday - March 18th

How to participate: Share the first line (or two) of the book you are currently reading on your blog or in the comments. Include the title and the author so we know what you're reading. Then, if you feel so moved, let us know what your first impressions were based on that first line, and let us know if you liked or did not like the sentence. This weekly meme is hosted by  A Few More Pages every Friday.  Check out their blog for a list of other book beginnings.

A Tale Dark & Grimm by Adam Gidwitz


"Once upon a time, fairy tales were awesome. I know. I know. I don't blame you. A little while ago, I wouldn't have believed it myself.  Little girls in red caps skipping around the forest? Awesome? I don't think so.


But then I started to read them. The real, Grimm ones.  Very few little girls in red caps in those.  Well there's one. But she gets eaten."


I think this is a great beginning. It makes you want to keep reading!

2011 Colorado Children's Book Awards Announced

Today in the mail, I received the press release announcing the winners of the 2011 Colorado Children's Book Awards. 

The Picture Book Winner is:

You can read my review here.

The runner up picture books is Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

You can see my review here. (When the Chinook Tigers voted for the Colorado Children's Book Award they chose this book as the picture book winner.)

The 2011 Junior (chapter) Book Winner is The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan. (Chinook Tigers chose this book as the Junior Book Winner.)

The nominees for 2012 are:

Junior Books
Big Nate Strikes Again by Lincoln Pierce
ClockWork Three by Matthew Kirby
Dork Diaries: Tales From a Not So Fabulous Life by Rachel Renee Russeel
Finally by Wendy Mass
Framed by Gordon Korman
Guinea Dog by Patrick Jennings
I Survived the Shark Attacks of 1916 by Lauren Tarshis
NERDS: National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society by Michael Buckley
Savvy by Ingrid Law
The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger

Picture Books
Art & Max by David Wiesner
Children Make Terrible Pets by Peter Brown
The Cow Loves Cookies by Karma Wilson
City Dog, Country Dog by Mo Willems
Hot Rod Hamster by Cynthia Lord
How Full Is Your Bucket? For Kids by Tom Rath and Mary Reckmeyer
Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein
Listen to the Wind: The Story of Dr. Greg and Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and Susan roth
Rhyming Dust Bunnies by Jan Thomas
Shark vs Train by Chris Barton  


This is an award voted on by students, only – similar to the Colorado Blue Spruce Award, but it’s geared toward elementary students. Students also nominate the books for each year's list. The criteria for a school participating in the vote is that the entire school must have a minimum of three of the books nominated.  The vote takes place in March.

WWW Wednesdays - March 16th

Hosted by Should Be Reading

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?
 

What are you currently reading? I'm still reading Artemis Fowl The Atlantis Complex by Eoin Colfer.  It's a good book, there have just been so many things cutting into my reading time in the last several days.

What did you just finish reading? I just finished Stink and the Ultimate Thumb Wrestling Smackdown by Megan McDonald.

 I also recently finished Madeline at the White House by John Bemelmans Marciano

And I just this morning on the way to work finished listening to Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane by Suzanne Collins. (The last CD was very scratched so I'm going to have to find a print copy to see if I missed anything important.)

What do you think you'll read next? I hope to read A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz. But sometimes the books shuffle themselves around and I end up reading something else.  Check back and see.

What about you?

Stink and the Ultimate Thumb Wrestling Smackdown by Megan McDonald

Stink and the Ultimate Thumb Wrestling Smackdown by Megan McDonald

SUMMARY:  Stink needs a sport, fast! Can his alter-ego, Shark Hammersmash, wrestle a win at thumb wars? Or will a perfect karate kick lead him to victory?

Stink Moody, family brain, brings home a report card that isn’t perfect? Yikes! Time for him to get into fighting shape and beat back that U for Unsatisfactory in gym! A scan of the sports channel leads to a knock-out find: world-class thumb wrestling, with tricky moves like Snake in the Grass and Santa’s Little Helper (no equipment needed, save for a tiny terrifying mask to sit on your thumb). But when Mom and Dad are not wowed, Stink gets another idea: he’ll kick and punch his way to a yellow belt with the help of a Dragon Master, a seeing-eye Moose, and a mind as still as a pond. Can you say Crouching Tiger, Hidden Thumb? Hee-ya! Ha! Ha! Ha! 

Stink is dismayed when he gets an UNSATISFACTORY in Gym.  So begins a humorous adventure to find a sport at which he can excel. He really wants to be a championship thumb wrestler, but finds it more difficult than he imagined. Soon Stink discovers karate and not only punches and kicks his way to his first belt, but finds that karate can help him with his thumb wrestling as well.

Fans of Stink and his sister Judy Moody will enjoy this latest addition to his adventures. This is also a great read aloud and wonderful way to hook some reluctant readers.

Recommended for Second Grade and up.

Mrs. Archer's Rating: 5 of 5!

Max's Words by Kate Banks

Summary:  Max's brothers have grand collections that everyone makes a big fuss over. Benjamin collects stamps and Karl collects coins, and neither one will share with their little brother. So Max decides to start a collection of his own. He's going to collect words. He starts with small words that he cuts out of newspapers and magazines, but soon his collection has spilled out into the hall. All the while, his brothers are watching. Benjamin brags that he has one thousand stamps. Karl is just a few coins short of five hundred. But a thousand stamps is really just a bunch of stamps, and a lot of coins is only a heap of money. A pile of words, however, can make a story.

Bright, bold pictures incorporating clever wordplay accompany this highly original tale about a younger brother's ingenuity. 

This book would work very well as a read aloud and to use in connection with a vocabulary lesson or writing sentences. (It would work well with a lesson on sharing, too.) 

Students will enjoy hearing the story read aloud and may even be inspired to create their own word collections. Kulikov's excellent illustrations are designed around the stories that Max creates with his word collection. This will allow young readers to find clues to help them with the harder words.

In addition to showing how to create sentences using a variety of words, the story also illustrates the value of working together. In the beginning Max's brothers refuse to share their collections with him, but once they see how cool his word collection is that want words, too.  Max agrees to share, if they share.

This is a good edition to any elementary classroom or school library.

Recommended for Pre-school to 3rd Grade

Mrs. Archer's Rating: 5 of 5! 

Teaser Tuesdays - March 15th

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

~Grab your current read
~Open to a random page
~Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
~~~BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
~Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! 

Artemis Fowl: The Atlantis Complex by Eoin Colfer

pg 262

"Artemis knew that the situation merited at least a hug, and some day in the future, after years of meditation, he might feel comfortable spontaneously hugging people, but at the moment it was all he could do to lay a hand on Juliet's shoulder and another on Butler's forearm.

I'm so sorry, my friends, to have lied to you."

The Defense of Thaddeus A. Ledbetter by John Gosselink

Summary:  Thaddeus A. Ledbetter is a middle-schooler who has been unjustly imprisoned. Well, not exactly imprisoned, but relegated to the outcast society of in-school suspension. To extract himself from this shameful sentence, detail-oriented Thaddeus has amassed a case file of notes, letters, emails, annotated drawings, journal entries, and other exhibits in his defense. This ingeniously constructed paperback "defense brief" draws you in and then nearly drowns you in giggles.


As a parent and an educator, I found Thaddeus infuriating! But I know my students will find him to be hilariously outrageous.  Once I stopped reading this book with an adult's perspective and started just reading it for the wonderful entertainment it provides, I found myself really enjoying it.  


Gosselink has created a character that only a mother (or perhaps a tolerant and patient teacher) could love.  To put it simply, Thaddeus is so full of himself, so convinced that he knows all and can do all and everyone should bow to his superior intellect. (I did find myself wondering if Thaddeus ever gets out of in-school-suspension would he grow up to be another Sheldon from TV's Big Bang Theory.)  Thaddeus is a good kid with a good heart - he just doesn't see the flaws in all of his schemes.  And when they fail, it couldn't have possibly been because they were flawed - the failure is always due to someone or something else - at least it's that way in Thaddeus' mind.


This is a laugh out loud read, perfect for 5th graders and above who enjoy Diary of a Wimpy Kid and want to move on to something just as humorous, but perhaps a little more advanced.


Recommended for Grades 5 - 8th.


Mrs. Archer's rating: 4 of 5.

Book Fair

The materials for the Book Fair arrived on Friday. There are a great selection of books for readers of all ages.  Older readers will be happy to see Big Nate, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and The 39 Clues.

There are several choices for Star Wars and Fancy Nancy Fans.  Like cookbooks? We have those too.

We even have copies of the books nominated for the 2011 Colorado Children's Book Award.



Can't find something you are looking for - no problem.  You can order online as well.  Click here if you would like to order online. Books will be shipped to Chinook and I will make sure they get your student.

Book Beginnings on Friday - March 11th

How to participate: Share the first line (or two) of the book you are currently reading on your blog or in the comments. Include the title and the author so we know what you're reading. Then, if you feel so moved, let us know what your first impressions were based on that first line, and let us know if you liked or did not like the sentence. This weekly meme is hosted by  A Few More Pages every Friday.  Check out their blog for a list of other book beginnings.

 Artemis Fowl: The Atlantis Complex by Eoin Colfer


Vatnajokull, Iceland
Vatnajokull is the biggest glacier in Europe, with an area of more than five thousand stark blue-white miles. It is for the most part, uninhabited and desolate and, for scientific reasons, the perfect place for Artemis Fowl to demonstrate to the Fairy People how exactly he planned to save the world.


I think this is a great beginning - a good way to grab a new reader's attention. This is book six in the series.  Colfer does include a prologue to give a little background to someone who has not read any of the previous books. However, having read all the previous books, I recommend you start with book one.


The Chinook Trail library has copies of this series in the collection. If you are looking for a good read for Spring Break, you might want to check out this series.

World Read Aloud Day

March 9th was World Read Aloud Day.  To celebrate in the library we read Tikki Tikki Tembo as retold by Arlene Mosel.

This is a humorous explanation of how Chinese children came to have such short names.  This is a great read aloud. Children love the tongue twisting nature of Tikki Tikki Tembo's full name: Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo.

The inside of the dust jackets says the story is a Chinese Folktale retold by Arlene Mosel.  However that seems to be some disagreement as to whether or not this a true Chinese folktale.  My research was not conclusive, but MacMillan Authors states that Ms. Mosel heard this story often as a child.  True Chinese folktale or not, it is a story that children enjoy hearing read aloud.


We also read The Empty Pot by Demi

The Empty Pot is about a boy who loves flowers and an emperor who is looking for a child to succeed him.  It is a great story about truth and honesty.  The emperor gives all the children a seed and tells them the one who has done the best in a year's time will be heir to his throne.

Ping loves flowers and has always been able to grow beautiful ones, but is unable to make the seed grow.  After a year has passed all the other children have beautiful flowers, but Ping's pot is still empty. Even though he is ashamed that he couldn't grow a flower for the emperor Ping returns to palace with his empty pot. The emperor is very pleased with Ping.  He had boiled the seeds he gave the children. The seeds would not grow.  Ping was the only one who was honest and didn't switch his seed.

The illustrations in this book are beautiful and the story provides a simple illustration of the rewards of honesty.  Another great read aloud.

WWW Wednesdays - March 9th

Hosted by Should Be Reading

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?
 

What are you currently reading? I just started Artemis Fowl: The Atlantis Complex by Eoin Colfer.

What did you just finish reading? I just finished The Spider's Gift: A Ukranian Christmas Story retold by Eric Kimmel.  I'll be adding this one to my list of books to use for the holidays.

 
What do you think you'll read next? I hope to read A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz. But sometimes the books shuffle themselves around and I end up reading something else.  Check back and see.

 
What about you?

Teaser Tuesday - March 8th

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

~Grab your current read
~Open to a random page
~Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
~~~BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
~Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! 

Artemis Fowl: The Atlantis Complex by Eoin Colfer


page 176:


"It's about time you got here," he said to Butler from the side of his mouth. "These guys are quite angry that I flipped their gyro."

Ben and Me: An Astonishing Life of Benjamin Franklin by His Good Mouse Amos - discovered, edited & illustrated by Robert Lawson

Ben and Me is a fictionalized biography of Benjamin Franklin told by Amos, the mouse who lives in Ben's fur cap.  According to Amos, all of Ben's accomplishment's are directly due to Amos.

Amos is the oldest of 26 church mice (their names run from Amos to Zenas.) To ease the burden on his family, Amos strikes out on his own and ends up living in Benjamin Franklin's fur cap. He quickly determines that the famous Dr. Franklin is in great need of his advice and assistance.  After helping Franklin to invent the Franklin Stove, Amos and Ben work out an agreement whereby in exchange for cheese and bread for his family, Amos will stay with Ben and give him the benefit of his wisdom.

This is a quick, delightful tongue in cheek introduction to one of America's founding fathers.  It would be a great read aloud in conjunction with any unit on Ben Franklin.

Recommended for ages 9 - 12.

Mrs. Archer's Rating:  5 of 5

Crunch by Leslie Connor

Amazon Product Description

"Dewey Marriss is stuck in the middle of a crunch.
He never guessed that the gas pumps would run dry the same week he promised to manage the family's bicycle-repair business. Suddenly everyone needs a bike. And nobody wants to wait. 

Meanwhile, the crunch has stranded Dewey's parents far up north with an empty fuel tank and no way home. It's up to Dewey and his older sister, Lil, to look after their younger siblings and run the bike shop all on their own.
Each day Dewey and his siblings feel their parents' absence more and more. The Marriss Bike Barn is busier than ever. And just when he is starting to feel crunched himself, Dewey discovers that bike parts are missing from the shop. He's sure he knows who's responsible—or does he? Will exposing the thief only make more trouble for Dewey and his siblings? "

I truly enjoyed this book. Connor has created a very love-able character in Dewey.  Dewey's not perfect but he's hard working and learns from his mistakes.   The characters in Crunch are quirky and humorous providing for a fun read about a serious situation.  I doubt that people in real life would adapt to gas pumps running dry as well as the characters in this book. However, one can hope.

I have to admit that I did find Dewey's older sister Lil, to be rather bossy and somewhat annoying. Poor Dewey was doing all the work, while she spent her days working on her art (not that art isn't serious). While Dewey did make mistakes and perhaps got in over his head, he did remarkably well for a 14 year old child.  Meanwhile, Lil was content to let Dewey shoulder all the work. If  if she was going to act in the place of their parents,  she could have done so with a little more consistency and not just when it suited her.

All in all I found this to be a feel good read that dealt with a serious situation in a humorous way.  It was a quick read and I didn't want to stop once I started.

Recommended for 5th Grade and up.

Mrs. Archer's rating: 4 1/2 of 5.

Horton Hears A Who

This week in celebration of Dr. Seuss' birthday I'm reading one of my favorite Dr. Seuss books to the classes.

Horton Hears a Who is a wonderful book to help kids understand that size doesn't matter. After all, a person is a person - no matter how small.

Amazon and Goodreads Descriptions:
Surely among the most lovable of all Dr. Seuss creations, Horton the Elephant represents kindness, trustworthiness, and perseverance--all wrapped up, thank goodness, in a comical and even absurd package. Horton hears a cry for help from a speck of dust, and spends much of the book trying to protect the infinitesimal creatures who live on it from the derision and trickery of other animals, who think their elephant friend has gone quite nutty. But worse is in store: an eagle carries away the clover in which Horton has placed the life-bearing speck, and "let that small clover drop somewhere inside / of a great patch of clovers a hundred miles wide!" Horton wins in the end, after persuading the "Who's" to make as much noise as possible and prove their existence. This classic is not only fun, but a great way to introduce thoughtful children to essentially philosophical questions. How, after all, are we so sure there aren't invisible civilizations floating by on every mote? (Ages 4 to 8) --Richard Farr


Recommended for all ages (Reading Level: 3.3)


Mrs. Archer's Rating: 5 of 5! 

Read Across America Day

READ ACROSS AMERICA

"You're never too old, too wacky, too wild, to pick up a book and read to a child."  - from Seussville.com Today is Dr. Seuss' birthday and the annual Read Across America day. Grab your favorite Dr. Seuss book and gather a group of young people and enjoy a good read. Some of my favorite Seuss books are: Horton Hears A Who Horton Hatches the Egg Green Eggs and Ham There's a Wocket in my Pocket Daisy Head Maisy For more information on Dr. Seuss check out this site.

Teaser Tuesdays - March 1st

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

~Grab your current read
~Open to a random page
~Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
~~~BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
~Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! 


The Defense of Thaddeus A. Ledbetter by John Gosselink


"Not only that, but I wanted to remind you what a valuable asset I am to this school and this community. In fact, it's really the school that's being punished by not having me around."