Read My Review & *ENTER TO WIN!* Finding Esme by Suzanne Crowley

FINDING ESME

by

SUZANNE CROWLEY

   Genre: Middle Grade (3-7)
Magical Realism / Family & Loss 
Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Date of Publication: August 14, 2018

Number of Pages: 288

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After her grandfather died from a heart attack while driving his tractor on Solace Hill, twelve-year-old Esme's been inextricably drawn to that spot, although her grandmother warns her to stay away. But when she follows her little brother, Bo, and her dog, Old Jack, up the hill while chasing fireflies, she makes an incredible discovery—dinosaur bones peeking out from underneath the abandoned tractor. The bones must be a message from her grandfather, a connection from beyond the grave. But when word gets out that the farm is hiding something valuable, reporters, researchers, and neighbors arrive in droves. Esme struggles to understand who has her best interests at heart, especially as the memory of her grandfather begins to slip away. Full of friendship and adventure, and featuring a palpable Texas setting, Finding Esme is a moving and heartfelt story about family, friendship, and learning to deal with loss.

PRAISE & HONORS FOR FINDING ESME:

“Esme is a brave, appealing heroine with the odds stacked against her… Bad blood and layered family secrets drive this story to its ultimately optimistic and satisfying conclusion.” 
- Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)

“Esme McCauley is a lonely but spirited 12-year-old who feels nothing ever happens to her the way it’s supposed to...A poignant tale for readers who enjoy character-driven realism.” 
- School Library Journal 

“Readers muddling through preteen changes or unstable family lives will identify with Esme’s struggles, but the thrill of discovery will appeal to most.” - Booklist

Texas Library Association 2019 Spirit of Texas (SPOT) reading program selection

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Well, my goodness, y’all! Here I am, again, with a review that’s sure to knock your socks off!

“How do you know it’ll knock my socks off?” you ask, whilst reading the above sentence.

“Because this book knocked my socks all the way into last month, that’s how, you sassy thang!” I reply, as I continue to type this here review.

Oh, this book … y’all … this book took me all the way back to my childhood in a way that only a well written book can. It all started with the delicious (dust) cover of this hardback book. Yes, I’m here to tell y’all that a book can, indeed, be judged by its cover. The intriguingly artistic cover of FINDING ESME by Suzanne Crowley is as sweet and delicious as a sun ripened peach from Esme’s grandmother’s farm.

And guess what? Ms. Crowley sent me an AUTOGRAPHED copy of this book and a bookmark!

YAASSSSS! GAZE UPON THE SPLENDOR! 

*Le Sigh*

Y’all know I shoot straight from the hip when it comes to books and reviews. I don’t know whether or not it’s the fact that I studied English Literature or the fact that I, myself, am an author (of the best sci-fi books in Texas), but I kinda get a little picky with the books I read, yo!

Just ask Kristine.

Oh, yes, you know of whom I speak … the Lone Star Literary Life Book Siren, herself. She knows just how to lure me in with a gorgeous cover and an intriguing blurb. But I digress.

This book is magical realism at its best. I simply lurved it. I lurved it a whole lots!

What I enjoyed most about FINDING ESME by Suzanne Crowley was the constant tension in her prose. Her writing is sprinkled with a … je ne sais quoi … if you know what I mean. The reader is continually aware that something is off, not quite right. Something is coming, and it may or may not be good.

Only time will tell (once the reader finishes the book, of course!)

FINDING ESME by Suzanne Crowley took me all the way back to the magic of childhood summers before cellphones and computers … before technology distracted kids from the wonders of summer nights, chasing fireflies, the true value of friendship and how ones actions towards peers can affect others deeply.

Long gone are the days of dealing with others face-to-face, making amends in person or by slipping secret gifts of apology where the offended party will find them. Most of today’s kids are conditioned to social media and the ease it brings of forgetting the person on the other side of the screen is a living, breathing human with feelings.

I find this enormously saddening.

Speaking of sadness. Without giving away any spoilers (‘cause y’all keep asking, and y’all know I ain’t gonna!), this book strikes a tender nerve in anyone who’s lived through those angsty pre-teen years. Not only that, but this book deals with actual real world issues such as: depression, absentee parenting (both in person and flat out abandonment), grandparents who must step back into parenting shoes, deep loss, the value of true friends, and knowing when to tune in to one’s intuition.

Oh, this book has it all! Magic. Ghosts. Mystery. Witching Sticks. Pie Made of Sun Ripened Peaches, a faithful ole horned toad (who may or may not really be a ghost), and, of course, a faithful ole dog. It’s a story as sweet as Bee’s honey. As bewitching as a witching stick. As mysterious as a ghost who leads the way to long-buried bones.

But I’ve gone too far here! Y’all’ve almost tricked me into spoilers, y’all sassy thangs!

Look …

Crowley’s writing is honey sweet … her writing voice as mesmerizing as a misty spirit in the night calling to the reader from betwixt the covers of FINDING ESME. I simply could not rest until I finished the book!

And that’s why I grant

FINDING ESME

By Suzanne Crowley

5 Peachy Sweet Magical Brooms!

Suzanne Crowley is the author of two acclaimed novels for young readers, The Very Ordered Existence of Merilee Marvelous and The Stolen One. The author, who is also a miniaturist and dollhouse collector whose work has graced the covers of magazines worldwide, was born in a small town in Texas and lives in Southlake, Texas. When not hugging her dog or imbibing in chocolate, she can often be found taking a nap.

Website ⬥ Facebook ⬥ Twitter ⬥ BookBub

Goodreads ⬥ Instagram

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TWO READERS EACH WIN A SIGNED COPY OF FINDING ESME, TWO CANDLES, BOOKMARKS, FUN FACT CARDS, AND A PEN! February 11-21, 2020

(U.S. Only)

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Read My Review & ENTER TO WIN "The Day the Angels Fell" by Shawn Smucker

THE DAY THE ANGELS FELL

by

SHAWN SMUCKER

  Genre: Psychological Fiction / Christian Publisher: Revell

Date of Publication: September 5, 2017

Number of Pages: 320

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Shawn Smucker will capture readers’ imaginations with this masterfully written debut novel that combines elements of mystery and magical realism.

It was the summer of storms, strays, and strangers. The summer that lightning struck the big oak tree in the front yard. The summer his mother died in a tragic accident.

Twelve-year-old Samuel Chambers would do anything to turn back time. Prompted by three strange carnival fortune-tellers and the surfacing of his mysterious and reclusive neighbor, Samuel begins his search for the Tree of Life—the only thing that could possibly bring his mother back. His quest to defeat death entangles him and his best friend, Abra, in an ancient conflict and forces Samuel to grapple with an unwelcome question: could it be possible that death is a gift?

Haunting and hypnotic, The Day the Angels Fell is a story that explores the difficult questions of life in a voice that is fresh, friendly, and unafraid. With this powerful novel, Shawn Smucker has carved out a spot for himself in the tradition of authors Madeleine L’Engle and Lois Lowry.

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Praise for The Day the Angels Fell:

“Neil Gaiman meets Madeleine L’Engle. I read it in two days!”

—Anne Bogel, Modern Mrs. Darcy

“Shawn Smucker enchants with a deftly woven tale of mystery and magic that will leave you not only spellbound but wanting more.”

—Billy Coffey, author of There Will Be Stars

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I have been convinced, for some years now, that cats tread the line between two worlds: the one we see, and the one we cannot … that a strange cat is a harbinger. Even as I step out onto my porch every morning to feed the two wildling cats that arrived out of nowhere last summer, that refuse to allow me to pet their tuxedo-patterned fur, I step carefully, gingerly, unless I slip over some unseen line between my safe bubble and into an invisible, dangerous terrain.

It seems as though my suspicions are not unfounded.

I stroke the lush cover of “The Day the Angels Fell,” and my hand instinctively pauses over the silhouette of the mysterious cat perched in the palm of the Lightning Tree imprinted on the dust cover. A shiver runs down my spine as the looming darkness beyond the tree limbs seeps through my fingertips. If I strain my ears hard enough, I can hear the distant pitter patter sound of fat, summer raindrops falling against the bark of the tree that holds the cat beneath my hand, on the cover of Shawn Smucker’s marvelous book.

A sip of hot tea chases away the chill that has inched its way up my arm and has wound around my heart, where an old scar marks the loss of a dearest loved one- my father. The loss, so long ago, had vanquished a part of me, leaving me longing for the return of the Tree of Life just like Smucker’s main character, Sam.  

But wasn’t this book supposed to be fiction? A fairytale? After having read each and every lavish sentence in this book, I’m convinced, without a shadow of a doubt, that Smucker is telling a true story concealed within a fable.

This story begins in the present, with Sam as an old man. This story begins with a weight of mystery that pulls the reader down into the depths of a story as deep as eternity itself and as wide as the space between the stars. There is darkness here, so tread softly. But there is light in the bonds of family, there is strength in friendship, so carry your sword bravely. For there is a battle to be waged, and only the bonds of friendship, the ties of love, and the faith that all will turn out as planned, will see you through.

Just remember to listen to that small voice within. It will help you discern the difference between an angel of light and of darkness. This is important, so do not take it lightly!

Though the tale begins in Sam’s present, the reader is soon pulled into the distant past … into Sam’s childhood … to when his mother dies in a very mysterious incident involving lightning and a strange cat. I quickly pull my hand away from the cover of the book, for it happened right there where the cat is perched in the Lightning Tree.

As I type this, the temptation of spilling all the glorious details of this story tears at my fingers, willing them to reveal all the secrets that lay hidden in this book that reminds me so much of C.S. Lewis’ “The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe.” Oh, how I wish to reveal who the real hero of this story is and how happy I was, as I turned the very last page of the book, to discover that “The Day the Angels Fell” is not the end of Sam’s story. For there is a sequel coming in 2018, and I have already added it to my mental “TBR” bookshelf.

I invite you to join me in diving into Smucker’s book, for you will discover that as soon as you turn back the front cover, the carefully-spun tale (it is a true story, I assure you!) will pull you under the dark surface and into an ancient tale of good versus evil. But I will leave it up to you to decide whether or not death is a gift.

“The Day the Angels Fell” is the best book I’ve read in a very long time. Smucker casts out his line, reels you in, then casts the line out again until you are hooked. Within these covers reside ancient monsters, battling angels, and a tale as old as time. “The Day the Angels Fell” is spun with a yarn as ancient as the universe, its tapestry strewn with twinkling stars and striped with the darkness that lies between the galaxies.

The wildling cats are tapping against the window on my front porch, calling for me to deliver their breakfast kibble with their mysterious short mews. My dog barks at the front door, her hackles raised, and she stands between me and the front door as if protecting me from some unseen force that threatens to catch me away on a wild adventure.

So I leave you with this last sentiment before poking my head out the door, looking both ways, and making sure there is no Amarok awaiting to devour me-

Don’t let another day pass before reading this book!

I hereby grant “The Day the Angels Fell” 5 Mysterious Foreboding Brooms!

Don't forget to scroll down for a chance to win a copy of

"The Day the Angels Fell" by Shawn Smucker!

Shawn Smucker lives with his wife and six children in the city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The Day the Angels Fell is his first novel. 

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GRAND PRIZE: Copy of The Day the Angels Fell + Ancient Tree Journal + $25 Barnes & Noble Gift Card 2nd PRIZE: Copy of the book + leather bracelet charms 3rd PRIZE: Copy of the book + $10 Starbucks Gift cCard

September 17-26, 2017

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9/17	Character Interview	The Page Unbound
9/18	Review	Books and Broomsticks
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9/22	Excerpt 2	Texan Girl Reads
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