Thanks to Jen and Kellee for hosting this idea on their site. Here is a link to the site...
*Del is a single man who doesn't always make the best choices when it comes to work or woman.
*After a tragedy, Rae Lynn leaves her home in search of a better life and safety from the law.
*Del made one too many bad decisions and must always seek refuge.
*The two of them meet while working on a farm and both lives are changed forever.
What I Thought Of It - Five Observations/Reflections:
*The beginning of Del's story was captivating and riveting.
*The beginning of Rae Lynn's story was also engaging and drew me into the story.
*Then the plot slowed down and I worried I wasn't going to enjoy the rest of the book, but I kept listening.
*I'm glad I did because the story was wonderful and I grew to love the main characters.
*This isn't the typical novel that I read, but I'm glad I listened and found it quite enjoyable.
Who Should Read It:
*I would recommend the book to adult readers who enjoy a strong historical fiction book that is character driven. There isn't always a lot going on within the pages, but the writing is beautiful and the characters are memorable. Happy Reading!
Rating: 4 STARS out of 5 Stars!
*She has also grown to accept her dad's cancer will return every other year. The disease has become another member of their family.
*With his most recent visit to doctors, Cass' dad learns his cancer has returned and the news is worse than in the past years.
*Cass learns she may carry the same gene that her father has carried and dealt with most of his adult life.
*She must make the difficult decision in whether she wants to find out if she carries the gene or not.
What I Thought Of It - Five Observations/Reflections:
*As I mentioned above, once I began the novel, I literally could not stop reading.
*I'm not normally a fan of "verse", but was completely drawn into Cass' world and was captivated by her story.
*There were so many beautiful sentences, sections, and pages within the book. The author certainly has a way putting words together to create beautiful imagery.
*I had never heard of this type of cancer and/or gene, but was fascinated by what I read and learned within the pages of this heartwarming story.
*Cass is an incredible character and one I won't soon forget. So many "feels" while reading.
Who Should Read It:
*This is definitely a novel for everyone. I think it would make for an incredible class read aloud in grades four and/or five. Readers in middle-school would also be the perfect audience. I'm also going to be recommending the novel to my adult reader friends. I know they will find great satisfaction, joy, and emotion. Happy Reading!
Rating: 5 STARS out of 5 Stars!
An Inside Look with Margaret Finnegan
How did you come to know Robyn?
In many ways, I was Robyn. I moved frequently as a child. I was very self-reliant, but I could also have anxiety about making friends. I just never knew people long enough to really get to know or trust them. But that also made it hard to write about Robyn. Because we aren’t the same person. So I needed to find a way to understand Robyn’s issues without confusing them with my own.
What do you think is her most admirable quality?
Once she’s your friend, she is true blue. You can see that in her passionate commitment to her dogs.
Is there anything you wish she would have changed or done differently in her story?
Oh, Patrick! It is always the same with me. I like kids who make bad choices. It’s how they learn! So I wish Robyn had done just about everything differently. Mostly, I wish she could have abandoned her rules earlier and just tried to be herself.
What do you think she can offer to other children that are experiencing similar situations to what she went through?
This book shines a mirror on what it’s like to be a perpetual new kid, but it also shows that just about every kid is going through their own challenges. No matter who reads this book, I hope they can begin to see that to truly connect with others, we have to first see past ourselves.
How did you research Robyn and the circumstances she found herself in?
Well, I have to admit. I can be a bit lazy. I often try to draw from what I already know. As I mentioned, I was a perpetual new kid, like Robyn. Likewise, some years ago I took agility dog training lessons with my dog Scout. I loved it so much, and I knew I would have to get it into a story one day.
Do you and Robyn share any similarities?
Like Robyn, I am very adaptable. I like that about us. Not everyone can adapt easily to change. When you can, life can be a bit easier.
What was the hardest scene to write about Robyn?
It was hard to write about Robyn icing out Nestor, Jonathan, and Alejandra. She just was not being her best self. But perpetual new kids can excel at icing people out. Their experience has taught them to move on from relationships and not look back. To be honest to that experience, I needed to write about it.
Who do you think was her biggest supporter and why?
Despite all the changes she’s had to adapt too, Robyn has had the constant love of her parents—even though her dad lives far away. Of course, she also has the constant, unwavering loyalty of her dogs. She is very lucky in these ways.
Why do you think some young people, like Robyn, are able to problem solve for themselves while depending on their own ideas; while others can’t and rely on adults?
I don’t know about all young people, but I think Robyn can problem solve by herself because she has had to. She has moved a lot. She has traveled across the country by herself in visits to her dad. She struggles with math, but she is an otherwise good student. She is competent at many things, and competency breeds confidence and a faith in one’s own abilities. Where she is less competent—making lasting friends—she is simply less experienced. She has never lived anywhere long enough to make a lasting friend. So, of course, it’s hard!
What do you think Robyn is doing at the present time?
Easy! She is out there doing “Ability” training with her friends and dogs. And she is having a great time.
Interview #139 with Jess Redman (Author of Quintessence)
Interview #140 with Melanie Conklin (Author of Every Missing Piece)
Interview #141 with Lindsey Stoddard (Author of Brave Like That)
Interview #158 with Rebecca Ansari (Author of The In-Between)
Interview #159 with John David Anderson (Author of One Last Shot)
Interview #160 with Tracy Holczer (Author of Brave in the Woods)
Interview #161 with James Bird (Author of The Brave)
Interview #162 with Marcella Pixley (Author of Trowbridge Road)
Interview #163 with Barbara O'Connor (Author of Halfway to Harmony)
Interview #164 with Alan Gratz (Author of Ground Zero)
Interview #165 with Lisa Fipps (Author of Starfish)
Interview #166 with Ann Braden (Author of Flight of the Puffin)
Interview #167 with Kimberly Willis Holt (Author of The Ambassador of NoWhere Texas)
Interview #168 with Elana K. Arnold (Author of The House That Wasn't There)
Interview #169 with Erin Soderberg (Author of The Great Peach Experiment)
Interview #170 with Donna Gephart (Author of Abby, Tried, and True)
Interview #171 with M. Evan Wolkenstein (Author of Turtle Boy)
Interview #172 with Lindsey Stoddard (Author of Bea is for Blended)
Interview #173 with Jess Redman (Author of The Adventure is Now)
Interview #174 with David Levithan (Author of The Mysterious Disappearance of Aiden)
Interview #175 with Chris Grabenstein (Author of The Smartest Kid in the Universe)
Interview #176 with Ali Standish (Author of The Mending Summer)
Interview #177 with Holly Goldberg Sloan (Author of The Elephant in the Room)
Interview #178 with Jeff Zentner (Author of In the Wild Light)
SEASON #ELEVEN (Fall/Winter 2021)
Interview #179 with Katherine Applegate (Author of Willow)
Interview #180 with Padma Venkatraman (Author of Born Behind Bars)
Interview #181 with R.J. Palacio (Author of Pony)
Interview #182 with Kyle Lukoff (Author of Too Bright to See)
Interview #183 with Barbara Dee (Author of Violets are Blue)
Interview #184 with Anne Ursu (Author of The Troubled Girls of Dragonmir Academy)
Interview #185 with Margaret Finnegan (Author of We Could Be Heroes)
Interview #186 with Jasmine Warga (Author of Shape of Thunder)
Interview #187 with Joseph Bruchac (Author of Rez Dogs)
Interview #188 with Kathryn Erskine (Author of Lily's Promise)
Interview #189 with Elly Swartz (Author of Dear Student)
Interview #190 with Heather Clark (Author of Lemon Drop Falls)
Interview #191 with Veera Hiranandani (Author of How to Find What You're Not Looking For)
Interview #192 with Elizabeth Eulberg (Author of The Best Worst Summer)
Interview #193 with Cathy Carr (Author of 365 Days to Alaska)
Interview #194 with Carol Cujec and Peyton Goddard (Authors of REAL)
Interview #195 with Gillian McDunn (Author of These Lucky Stars)
Interview #196 with Alyssa Colman (Author of The Gilded Girl)
Interview #197 with E.L. Chen (Author of The Comeback)
Interview #198 with J.M.M. Nuanez (Author of Birdie and Me)
SEASON #TWELVE (Winter/Spring 2022)
Interview #199 with Jamie Sumner (Author of One Kid's Trash)
Interview #200 with Chad Lucas (Author of Thanks a Lot, Universe)
Interview #201 with Jenn Bishop (Author of Where We Used to Roam)
Interview #202 with Rebecca Caprara (Author of Worst-Case Collin)
Interview #203 with Leslie Connor (Author of Anybody Here Seen Frenchie?)
Interview #204 with Caroline Gertler (Author of Many Points of Me)
Interview #205 with Margaret Finnegan (Author of Susie B. Won't Back Down)
Interview #206 with Shawn Peters (Author of The Unforgettable Logan Foster)
Interview #207 with Aisha Saeed (Author of Omar Rising)
Interview #208 with Adrianna Cuevas (Author of Cuba in my Pocket)
Interview #209 with Jennifer Swender (Author of Stuck)
Interview #210 with Brenda Woods (Author of When Winter Robeson Came)
Interview #211 with Danya Lorentz (Author of the Book Of a Feather)
Interview #212 with Saadia Faruqi (Author of Yusuf Azeem is Not a Hero)
Interview #213 with Ellen Hopkins (Author of What About Will)
SEASON #THIRTEEN (Summer 2022)
Interview #214 with Nora Raleigh Baskin and Gae Polisner (Authors of What About the Octopus)
Interview #215 with Lauren Wolk (Author of My Own Lightning)
Interview #216 with Rebekah Lowell (Author of the Road to After)
Interview #217 with Gillian McDunn (Author of Honestly Elliott)
Interview #218 with Dan Gemeinhart (Author of The Midnight Children)
Interview #219 with Melanie Conklin (Author of A Perfect Mistake)
Interview #220 with Kyle Lukoff (Author of Different Kinds of Fruit)
Interview #221 with Tracy Edward Wymer (Author of The Great and Mighty Benjamin Teller)
Interview #222 with Louise Hawes (Author of Big Rig)
Interview #223 with Paul Acampora (Author of In Honor of Broken Things)
Interview #224 with Shannon Doleski (Author of Gabe in the After)
Interview #225 with Jennifer Ziegler (Author of Worser)
Interview #226 with Natalie Lloyd (Author of Hummingbird)
SEASON #FOURTEEN (Fall 2022)
Interview #227 with Celia C. Perez (Author of Tumble
Interview #228 with Greg Howard (Author of The Visitors)
Interview #229 with Rob Buyea (Author of The Daredevils)
Interview #230 with Sashi Kaufman (Author of Sardines)
Interview #231 with Lindsey Stoddard (Author of The Real Deal)
