Introducing Alexa

Over the next several weeks, I'll be introducing you to several student bloggers from my summer book club. Each blogger will be answering questions from Welcome to My Tweendom.  These students are new to blogging and look forward to sharing their book thoughts with you.  Please help me welcome:


Alexa 


of 


Simon Cowell's Corner




What are your favorite genres to read?
 I read a wide variety of books, but my favorite genres are probably science-fiction and fantasy 


 How do you select the books you want to read? 
 Usually, I see ads for books on the internet or someone recommends them for me. 


 What is your favorite book so far?
 My favorite book is The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan. 


 What is your favorite thing about reading? 
 I love the fact that there are so many creative ideas that people come up with, and really experiencing what it would be like, asking yourself, "What if?" 


 Do you read on an e-reader/phone/computer? 
Yes, I read on my I-pod touch on an amazing app called the Wattpad. ( Free books written by people and sent out, and given feedback.) 


 What kinds of books do you think are most popular with kids your age? Why?
 I believe that books that kids my age really like to read romance novels, (though I really don't enjoy them) All kids, mostly girls, at the pree-teen age like to imagine if they had a boyfriend like the wonderful, non-realistic ones they experience in novels. 


 What book are you waiting to be released? 
I am anxiously awaiting the release of the third book in the trilogy the Iron King, the Iron Prince. I heard it comes out this month, so excited!! 


 What are you currently reading? 
 I am currently reading the new novel Matched, by Allie Condie though I haven't gotten into it yet!

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The Sunday Salon - Reading Plans

I don't know why I post reading plans, they always make me fee boxed in.  But, they also help me to see what's on my plate.  I've been trying to combine reading from the various groups I'm in:

The SJCPL Mock Newbery clubs - one for kids and the one for adults
The DMS Mock Newbery club - for kids at my school - private
The Goodreads Mock Printz online club - for anyone
The Goodreads Mock Newbery online club -for anyone

Here are some I still need to read, in no particular order:

• Blink and Caution
• Amelia Lost
• Bird in a Box
• Paper Covers Rock
• Dead End in Norvelt
• Trouble With May Amelia
• Freedom Stone
• Flint Heart
• Hound Dog True
• Wildwood
• The Mostly True Story of Jack
• Everybody Sees The Ants
• The Scorpio Races
• Jefferson's Sons
• Adventures of Sir Gawain The True
• Bigger Than A Breadbox
• City of Orphans
• Icefall
• Dark of the Moon
• The Summer Before Boys
• Small Persons with Wings
• Dragon Castle
• Flyaway
• The Queen of Water
• Planet Middle School
• Eight Keys
• Ten Rules for Living with My Sister
• The Inquisitor's Apprentice
• Ghetto Cowboy
• Akata Witch
• Liesl & Po
• Desert Angel
• Jane Austen: A Life Revealed
• Imaginary Girls
• Eddie's War
• Bluefish
• The Silver Bowl
• Water Balloon
• Blizzard of Glass
• Charles Dickens and the Street Children of London
• A Month of Sundays
• The Luck of the Buttons
• Heart and Soul
• I Broke My Trunk
• Money We'll Save
• Never Forgotten
• I am J
• Life Exploded
• Berlin Boxing Club

This doesn't include adult books, under the radar books, holiday books, or books I just want to read!  Hopefully, I can still fit them all in! Being a school librarian helps in that I will have two days off for Thanksgiving and two weeks off for Winter Vacation.

What's on your reading list?  Are there any titles I need to add?

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The Great Global Puzzle Challenge with Google Earth- Review

THE GREAT GLOBAL PUZZLE CHALLENGE WITH GOOGLE EARTH-REVIEW BY LUCY

Hi Everyone!

It is very exciting and today I will be reviewing my first book! As you saw the title is THE GREAT GLOBAL PUZZLE CHALLENGE WITH GOOGLE EARTH.  It was an exciting book that was very interactive. At the beginning of the book it was very detailed on how you set up things on Google earth (yes, for someone people it may be a downside if you don't have a computer) At home, we already have Google earth, so with a couple of clicks I was ready to begin my journey. At each destination you had coordinates to type into Google earth. It would then take you to the location to explore. In the picture inside the book you were asked to spot 3 things/items, a flag, a historical and geographical misfit, and pick up a souvenir. I didn't do these things right away. It was something I could skip and it wouldn't ruin up the number points I needed for the "final/secret destination" With each destination it would then tell you to either type in a destination in that city or to scroll along. (For example cruise down a river until you get to the ninth bridge along) It total there were 11 destinations before you had all the numbers for the "final/secret" destination.

My favorite destination was Tokyo. It had a neat challenge on where you had to pass green roofed buildings to reach a pagoda. If you messed up you were back at square one. And sadly I messed up. I took a turn somewhere, when I shouldn't have. Out of everything there was one thing that I didn't like, and it would be the final destination. I thought it was going to be some exotic place, but it wasn't. I guess I thought that it was leading me up for some neat destination. I found this book very educational, as I learned new things about each city by doing fun events. I would highly recommend this book especially to kids as it is a fun way to learn!

I would like to thank Blueslip Media for the book! It was very generous!

~Loving to Read One Step at a Time

Lucy

2nd Book and Videos!!

I've finally reached my second book: Drums Girls and Dangerous Pies I am currrently on page 64. To keep the mood of reading I found a couple of videos! Take a look!

Keep READING!!

~Loving to Read One Step at a Time

Lucy

24 Hour Read-a-thon: Another Update!

Hey all, Aneeqah here! I'm sorry I haven't been able to update, I just got home from my relative's house! Luckily, I had some good time to read there. Here are my updated stats:

Right now, I am currently reading All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin.

Number of Pages Read Since Last Update: 196

Number of Books Read Since Last Update: 1

Number of Minutes Read Since Last Update: 120 Minutes

Total Number of Pages Read: 555

Total Number of Books Read: 1

Total Number of Minutes: 330 Minutes

I'm starting to get sleepy... so wish me luck!

Wrap!

Its a wrap for me folks! More to come later in the week of reviews! (I hope)

~Loving to Read One Step at a Time

Lucy

Mid Event Survey

1. What are you reading right now? Drums Girls and Dangerous Pies

2. How many books have you read so far? 1

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon? Sadly NONE

4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day? Off Reading Yes!

5. Have you had many interruptions? Too Many

How did you deal with those? Sadly nothing!

6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far? How tiring it is!

7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? ..... No?

8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year? Read more!

9. Are you getting tired yet? Too much! And my favorite football team just lost.. Waste of my time.

10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered? Nope

~Loving to Read One Step at a Time

Lucy

October ReadAThon - Update #3 - The Apothecary

Shop Indie BookstoresThe Apothecary by Maile Meloy. GP Putnam and Sons. 16.99. 9780399256271.

With a mix of realistic fiction and fantasy, known as magical realism, we are drawn into Janie Scott's memories as she looks back almost 60 years ago when, at the age of 14, she had the best year of her life.  She lived in London with her parents but that wasn't the great part as it was 1952 and London still hadn't put itself back together after World War II.  The great part was meeting Benjamin and his father, the apothecary.  Benjamin and Janie were caught up in the apothecary's plan to save humanity by isolating, and hopefully reversing, the atomic bomb.

I was sucked into the story from the "note to the reader" all the way to the end.  Even though the story was told from Janie's memories, it felt more immediate.  Though, I admit, it was little jarring to go from being 7 on one page to 14 on the other.  Other than that, I found The Apothecary fascinating. I will need to go back and read it again to see if stands up to Newbery scrutiny, but even if it doesn't, I can't wait to see what the students think of this one!

Update:

Title of book(s) read since last update:

The Apothecary by Maile Meloy

Number of books read since you started:

2
Pages read since last update:
353p.

Running total of pages read since you started:

715p. plus 30 min audio

Amount of time spent reading since last update:

3h 50 min
Running total of time spent reading since you started:
8 hours



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Book 1: Completed!

Book 1 Completed!

I had already started this book, but was dying for finish it, so I did.

Its an amazing story from growing up in "the ghetto" to NFL football.

Michael Oher grew up with a mother doing drugs. His siblings and himself, never knew where they were going to sleep, and if there mother would even show up at their house that night. One day he met the Touhy family, who legally adopted him around the age of 18. Its an amazing, powerful story, that I would highly recommend.

On page 236 Michael pledges is support to be the best role model that he can be through appearances and speeches.

He also asks that children reading this book will pledge to value their life enough to commit to making it no matter what; and that every adult will pledge to find a way to give back.

Michael- you HAVE my pledge to help out! Do you all pledge?

I would like to finish this post with some quotes from the book:

"All out shooting matches were pretty rare, but I do clearly remember one time watching a baby get sot in the midst of an argument" (6).

"Take a look at yourself. You are a unique person created for a specific purpose. Your gifts matter. Your story matters. Your dreams matter. You matter. " (235).

~Loving to Read One Step at a Time

Lucy

October Readathon - Update #2 - The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman

The Fingertips of Duncan DorfmanThe Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman by Meg Wolitzer. Dutton. 16.99. 9780525423041

Duncan Dorfman just discovered the coolest thing about himself.  But he promised his mom he wouldn't tell anyone. But, circumstances have forced his hand. His fingertips, I mean. Of his left hand, precisely.  You see, Duncan can read with his fingers.  I mean, really, even with his eyes closed.  And it could be his way out of obscurity.  So he agrees to cheat at the annual Youth Scrabble Tournament in Yakamee, Florida. 

And that is just the beginning of Duncan's slippery slope down into the bowels of evil. Or at least into more and more lies.

Meg Wolitzer's writing is solid and keeps you reading about Duncan and the other scrabble geeks in the book.Wolitzer wends a LOT of Scrabble rules into the story but using all caps gives you a chance to skip it if necessary.  Some of the information is fascinating and I found myself wanting to start a Scrabble club at school.  But, in the end, the story proves to be predictable and almost everything wraps up neat and sweet.  The only loose end is why Duncan has this talent or where he got it from. Maybe there are plans for a second book.

While I enjoyed The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman, I didn't find it nearly as compelling as The Cardturner by Louis Sachar.  The Cardturner is about another unlikely subject, bridge, but Sachar's writing elevates the story and makes you care about the characters while Wolitzer's are bare and unknown.

Update:

Title of book(s) read since last update:

The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman by Meg Wolitzer

Number of books read since you started:

1
Pages read since last update:
158 plus 30 min of audio

Running total of pages read since you started:

362p plus 30 min audio

Amount of time spent reading since last update:

2hr 10m
Running total of time spent reading since you started:
 4hr 10 min

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Have I started?

I know, I have been totally not around, and yes I haven't been reading. But good news! I'm starting as soon as I finish writing this! I am GOING to finish I Beat the Odds: From Homelessness, to the Blind Side, and Beyond By Michael Oher, with Don Yaeger

Ready set Read! Whoo!!

~Loving to Read One Step at a Time

Lucy

October Readathon Update #1 - Fingertips

Woo-ha! My first update.  Reading, relaxing, cheering, and running errands.  Soon to be cleaning! Yeah for the weekend!


 Currently Reading:The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman

The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman

Number of Pages Read Since Last Update: 203

Number of Books Read Since Last Update: NONE

Number of Minutes Read Since Last Update:2 hours

Total Number of Pages Read: 203

Total Number of Books Read: None

Total Number of Minutes: 2hrs. 30 minutes

24 Hour Read-a-thon: Update!

Hello again everyone, it's me Aneeqah! It's already Hour 4 of the Read-a-thon, with Hour 5 quickly approaching! I've been having a great time, non-stop reading, but it's about time for me to actually get up and start my day! Here are my stats so far:

Currently Reading: Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick

Number of Pages Read Since Last Update: 359

Number of Books Read Since Last Update: Partial one, I'm almost done!

Number of Minutes Read Since Last Update: 3 1/2 Hours, which would be... 210 minutes!

Total Number of Pages Read: 359

Total Number of Books Read: None

Total Number of Minutes: 210 Minutes

KRW Lucy's ReadAThon Kickoff... Sortoff!

HI!

For most of you, you have no idea what yesterday entitled! The blog thing blew my mind off my head and Mrs. B and I must have sent a hundred texts! It was CRAZY!

So today... (drum roll please) Is the 24 hour ReadAThon. Yes its 9:04 am and I haven't picked up a book (but its right beside me) I thought I needed to do this post! I plan on starting soon, however we are going out! Grrr! I promise I will find time, and will TRY to do reviews! (Not promising)

So here's a little questionnaire about me:

1)Where are you reading from today? Cold, Indiana

2)Three random facts about me… Basketball Player, Golf Player, Wasn't born in USA (can you guess where?)

3)How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours? 4 or 5

4)Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)? Nope!

5)If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time? First time!!

Wish me Luck!

~Loving to Read One Step at a Time

Lucy

24 Hour Read-a-thon: Kick off Post!

Hello everybody, this is Aneeqah here! It's 5 minutes before the start of the Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-thon, and I'm getting excited! Right now, I'm sitting comfortable on my bed, wearing a cozy sweater, with a book on my nightstand waiting to be read. I doubt anyone else in the house is up right now, since it is 6:55 in the morning on a Saturday, so I'm trying my best to be quiet! Anyways, my first book of the day should be...

Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick!

Here's what my post updates should look like: [I'm stealing this from you, Ms. B!]

Number of Pages Read since last update:

Number of Books read since last update:

Number of Minutes Read since last update:

Total Number of Pages Read:

Total Number of Books Read:

Total Number of Minutes Read:

Ok, here's a little quetionare I'm supposed to fill out, to let the cheerleaders know I'm reading right now =):

1)Where are you reading from today? Texas, United States
2)Three random facts about me… I recently moved, I love grapes, and my favorite color combo is lime green, light blue, and chocolate brown!
3)How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours? 7, I think
4)Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)? I'm hoping for 6 hours, because I'm going over to a relative's house today, and I'll be doing alot of other stuff as well.
5)If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time? Well, this is my first time! =)

It's time to start! Wish me luck, guys!

2011 October ReadAThon- Are you doing it?

Hi Everyone Lucy here!

Very exciting! This is my first actual blog post! Yes, okay I have to agree there has been many hardships to get me here. First off we had to set me up with the whole blogging account. Yes I am a computer whiz (thank school and homework for that one) but I have NEVER worked a blog in my life. Man, this is hard. Okay so getting back to my wonderful story, I have been messing around on this blog for 30 minutes talking to fellow blogger Aneeqah. No, she might not be the best technician but its the best one I can find at 8:30 on a Friday night. So as you all (or you should all know) tomorrow is the 24 hour ReadAThon. Obviously I am not reading 24 hours. Not with the amount of sleep I have gotten in the past 3 weeks! So here's the scoop: Thankfully my favorite college football team has a night game, so you would think that would give me the entire day to read! WRONG! I have a trip planned with my mom for the morning, and then playing golf with my dad and brother!!! Whoops! But I have books to read, and my plan is to read them. (Because I have been dying to read them forever!)

1. Finish I Beat the Odds: From Homelessness, to the Blind Side, and Beyond By Michael Oher, with Don Yaeger

2. Drums, Girls and Dangerours Pies By Jordan Sonnenblick

3. The Grand Plan to Fix Everything byUma Krishnaswami

4-? What ever I can find.. Maybe the next book in the Mother Daughter Book Club Series.

Hope to hear about all of you reading!

~Loving to Read One Step at a Time

Lucy

24 Hour Read-a-thon: My List of Books!

Hello everybody! This is Aneeqah here! This year, I'm participating in the Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-thon, for the first time ever! I won't be able to read much, since I'm going over to my relative's house. My goal is to read 6 hours, and 2-3 books. Here's what my stack looks like:

• Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick- This one will defiantly be my first book I read, I've been anxious to get to it!
• All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin- I met this author at the ATBF, and I recently finished her other book, so I want to try a new book from her!
• Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Leviathan- My friends have recommended this one to me, I've been meaning to get to it for a while!
• The Absolute Value of Mike by Katherine Erskine- I read another book by this author, [which almost made me cry!] so I also wanted to try this one.
• Cloaked by Alex Flinn- Like the others, I read another book by the author previously, and this one's been on my TBR for a really long time!
• Evernight by Claudia Gray-I've heard some really good things about this series, so I wanted to try it out. It sounds like a few really good books I've read previously, so I'm hoping it'll be as good as the others!
• Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia- I've also heard really good things about this book, and it sounds interesting.

That's my list! Like I said before, I'll be at my relative's house, but I'll be sure to bring a book along there, just in case I have time to read there! My start time for the read-a-thon is 7 AM, so I'll probably just get up the same time I do for school [so much for sleeping in]. I'll be posting here bright and early tomorrow morning!

October ReadAThon - Making Plans

 It's that time of year agaatin: Dewey's 24 Hour ReadAThon.  It happens twice a year, April and October, though I haven't been able to pin down if it's the same weekend each time or not.  Would be great for my ADHD brain in terms of planning. Anywho...

I plan on reading 4 books this weekend starting at 8 AM.  I have quite a few books on my Mock Newbery list and I want to knock some of them off! I'll be choosing from:



The Fingertips of Duncan Dorffman by Meg Wolizter
Amelia Lost by Candace Fleming
Missing on Superstition Mountain by Elise Broach
Bird in a Box by Andrea Davis Pinkney
Freedom Stone by Daniel Kluger
The Trouble with May Amelia by Jennifer L. Holm
City of Orphans by Avi

Some of the books are library books and I might dive into those first.  There's a good mix of genre's though no graphic novels, so don't be surprised if one shows up this weekend.




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A Dog's Way Home by Bobbie Pyron - Guest Post

 

 A Dog's Way Home by Bobbie Pyron

This is one of those tales where even though you think you know the end, the story is compelling enough to keep you moving quickly through the book. You must know what happened.  Pyron doesn't spare us one bit as we follow Tam through the wilderness, hunting and barely surviving. She portrays Tam's thoughts with realism and compassion.  I had to know what inspired her to write this story.  Take a few minutes to read:

Four-Footed Muses

Ted

One of the questions I invariably get asked when I visit schools to talk about my latest book, A Dog’s Way Home, is what inspired me to write the book.  Unlike the answer to the inspiration for my first book, The Ring, this answer is easy: the two great passions in my life—dogs and books.

Several summers ago, I’d finished writing The Ring. I’d tucked it away in a drawer to “marinate” for a month or so before I started revising it. I was up in the mountains hiking with my two dogs, Teddy and Boo.  Teddy is a Shetland Sheepdog like Tam in A Dog’s Way Home. Boo is a coyote mix of some sort-perhaps mixed with Border Collie and Australian Shepherd. Teddy, like any good Sheltie, trotted along beside me, never straying far from my side. Quite honestly, Teddy would be happiest if he were surgically implanted in my side. Boo, on the other hand, was off hunting. She always knows where I am even if I can’t see her. From time to time Teddy briefly joined Boo in a chase of some sort, but he always came racing back to my side, licking my fingertips in apology.  Watching the two of them interact so differently with me and the wilderness, I asked myself that most important questions all writes ask: “What if?”  What if Teddy and I were somehow separated and he had to survive in the wilderness all on his own? Could he? And what about Boo? I was pretty sure with her excellent hunting skills she could survive in the wilderness on her own, but what would she feel emotionally? I was pretty darned sure she’d be lonely for me and Teddy. As we sat beside a fast-flowing stream and ate our lunch, I heard a young girl’s voice telling me about losing her beloved Sheltie in a car accident and how no one believed he would come back to her, but she believed. 

Thus, Abby’s voice was born.

I’m also a passionate reader and have been ever since I can remember. I can no more imagine my life without books than I can imagine my life without dogs. When I was a kid, I read every great dog adventure book out there: The Incredible Journey, Irish Red, Lad, and of course my all-time favorite, Lassie Come-Home. When I first started writing A Dog’s Way Home, I knew I wanted to pay homage to those classic dog books.  I read and re-read them as I worked on my own book, using them as my role models for how to best portray the deep emotions of a dog without having the dog actually speak.  I am always so honored (and humbled) now when reviewers and fans of my book compare it to those great classics.

I like to tell people, A Dog’s Way Home is my personal love letter to the two life-sustaining passions in my life: dogs and books.  

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The Sunday Salon: Introducing Anusha and Isabella

Over the next several weeks, I'll be introducing you to several student bloggers from my summer book club. Each blogger will be answering questions from Welcome to My Tweendom.  These students are new to blogging and look forward to sharing their book thoughts with you.  Please help me welcome:

Anusha and Isabella of

Bellanush, we think...

What are your favorite genres to read? 
I like fantasy, realistic fiction, and anything that has action.
Fantasy

How do you select the books you want to read?  
I read the inside cover of a book, and if it intrigues me, I read it.Sometimes the name, sometimes the cover. Then if it interests me I read the description of the book.

What is your favorite book so far?  

I have alot! Basically, anything by Rick Riordan, Maximum Ride Series, City of Bones Series by Cassandra Clare,  and the Lorien Legacies by Pittacus Lore. I've got lots of others!!!!!
I don't have a favorite book so far. I like a lot of books and I really can't pick just one book to be my favorite. Always seems to change too!

What is your favorite thing about reading?  
It's just cool. :)
I like being able to go to a different place that may not exist, or being halfway around the world. It's fun being able to be someone else and to live their life even if its only for the expanse of the book.

Do you read on an e-reader/phone/computer?
Nope, not at all!
I read on my Nook and my moms Kindle sometimes and I read on the computer a lot. Mostly Japanese comics though.

What kinds of books do you think are most popular with kids your age?  Why?  
Alot of action/fantasy books, because people have short attention spans [like me!]  and need to be intrigued. 

I think action for guys because its almost always about fighting,blood and death. I think girls also like action but do enjoy a good romance book because everyone loves when the gorgeous guy comes and helps the girl and how they will always be together. But I think most girls like when it doesn't end well and they have to work it out.

What book are you waiting to be released?
Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan, the rest of the Lorien Legacies series, the rest of the Red Pyramid series, Spellbound by Rachel Hawkins, Hallowed by Cynthia Hand, City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare, and Nevermore by James Patterson.
I'm waiting for a lot of books to be released but I will only name a few: Crossed, Son of Neptune, Goddess Interrupted, Allegiance, Hallowed, Catching Jordan, and Darker Still.

What are you currently reading?  

The Maximum Ride Series!!!!! 

I am currently reading The Power of Six and Divergent.

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National Book Awards 2011 - Young People's Fiction

 This year there are SIX finalist in the Young People's Literature Division of the National Book Awards:

Chime by Franny Billingsley - which we read and discussed in the Goodreads Mock Printz Group.

Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai - we read and are discussing in our SJCPL Mock Newbery book club tomorrow and I mentioned it.

Shine by Lauren Myracle - which we read and discussed in the Goodreads Mock Printz Group and I mentioned it.

 Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt - one of my top choices in the SJCPL Mock Newbery book club.

Flesh and Blood So Cheap by Albert Marrin - Johnathan Hunt mentions this on the Heavy Medal: Mock Newbery blog as a Newbery contender but I haven't read it yet.

My Name is Not Easy by Debby Dahl Edwardson - this one comes to me out of left field! Last year Dark Water by Laura McNeal took me by surprise and I ended up reading it for Nerds Heart YA and LOVED it.  Will have to pick this one up soon too!

The winners will be announced Wednesday, November 16, 2011 so that gives us one month to get our read on!

Which ones do you still need to read?

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The Sunday Salon - With a Name Like Love by Tess Hilmo Guest Post

With a Name Like Love by Tess Hilmo

With a Name Like Love  tells the story of  Ollie  Love as she and her family stop in the little town of Binder. The Loves family will stay in Binder for a few days while her father spreads the word.  Her family has gone from town to town, never staying past 3 days, for longer than Ollie cares to remember.  But right now, in Binder, Ollie is ready to settle down.


When Ollie tells her dad that the family needs to stay in Binder, even past their 3 days, to help Jimmy Koppel, he agrees. But neither Jimmy, nor the town of Binder, want help from the Loves.  

Hilmo's story has received 2 starred reviews so far:

 Read on to uncover the

The Story Behind the Story

Growing up, I’d often hear stories of my mother’s family. They were Quakers from North Carolina and kept fairly detailed records that had been passed down for generations. One member of this line, my Great Uncle Will, broke away from his Quaker roots and decided to become an itinerant preacher. He married a woman named Bertha and took to the road. They had a total of seven children as they went from town to town, state to state. He never affiliated himself with one religious sect over another, preferring instead to do good works and share a general message of kindness.

 Great Uncle Will, the itinerant preacher with his sister (my grandmother) Gertie.

 While the father in With a Name Like Love, Reverend Everlasting Love, was not directly based on my Great Uncle Will, the concept of his lifestyle was. Bertha Dixon kept journals that she eventually printed into a book. I was able to read about the ways of a travelling preacher—about how they raised their children and about the people they met as they moved around the country.

I recall a specific moment when I first began writing this novel. I asked myself, “Who will this preacher-man be?” I considered writing him as a bit of a louse or perhaps a philanderer to add an element of conflict to the novel. The moment that question entered my mind, this thought came so clearly:

That is not who I am.

Jenni Howell Photography

At that point, I knew I had to write Reverend Love as most itinerant preachers really were—hardworking, kind and devoted to their families.  

No matter how ordinary your appearance or how meager your circumstances, you can be an influence for good.  Both my Great Uncle Will and his literary companion, Reverend Everlasting Love, exemplify this truth.

With A Name Like Love Book Trailer
Tess Hilmo arranged this beautiful song to give us a glimpse into Binder, The Loves and Jimmy Koppel. 

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

Tess Hilmo blog
With a Name Like Love facebook
Tess Hilmo site - with a DOWNLOADABLE teacher's guide!


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