Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy

How I Heard About It:
*I bought this novel back in August of 2020.  I saw a review and was in the market for a novel published for adults.  When the book arrived, I began reading, but then put it aside as it didn't grab my attention at the time.  I've been reading it on and off since and recently finished.  

What It Is About - FIVE Things You Need to Know:
*The story begins with Franny "working" her way onto a fishing expedition heading toward Antarctica.

*She isn't truthful with the crew of the fishing boat as to why she wants to join them.

*As they make their way south, both the crew and Franny realize they all have their personal reasons for being on that boat.

*During the journey, there are flash backs, to Franny's earlier life with her family, her professor, and deep dark secrets.  

*Franny has portrayed herself as one person, when in reality she is someone completely different.  

What I Thought Of It - Five Observations/Reflections:
*Because it took me so long to read, you can probably gather this wasn't a page-turner for me.

*The writing was beautiful, detailed, and quite descriptive.  

*I enjoyed the startup of the story, but once the flashbacks began, I personally became confused and wasn't quite sure what was going on.

*When the "mystery" was revealed, I was drawn in again, but that didn't last for the rest of the story.  

*The plot was slow and I didn't feel like I ever really got to know the characters.

Who Should Read It:
*I'm in the minority, but this novel wasn't for me.  Based on GoodReads and Amazon, many adult readers loved the novel and gave it four and five stars.  This is definitely a story for adult readers that enjoy a well written, slower paced fiction story.  Happy Reading!  


Rating:  3 STARS out of 5 Stars

An Inside Look #159 (Author INTERVIEW)

An Inside Look with John David Anderson

(Author of One Last Shot)

*Welcome to my favorite feature of my blog.  

*Season #ONE (June of 2016 to March of 2017)

*Season #TWO (Summer of 2017)

*Season #THREE (School Year 2017/2018)

*Season #FOUR (Summer/fall of 2018)

*Season #FIVE (School Year 2018/2019)

*Season #SIX (Summer 2019) 

*Season #SEVEN (Fall 2019) 

*Season #EIGHT (Winter/Spring 2020)

*Season #NINE (Fall 2020)

*I'm excited to be back for season #TEN with brand new interviews/authors.  

*It has been such an honor to connect with authors and "chat" about their novel, characters, and thoughts about the story.

*This is the SECOND interview in which I'm calling Season #TEN.  

*Thank you to John David Anderson for being the One-Hundred Fifty-Ninth author I've had the pleasure of interviewing.  I truly appreciate it.

*Here is my Review of the Novel..

One Last Shot

One Last Shot

by John David Anderson

(May 5, 2020)

How did you come to know Malcolm?

For me, at least, every new novel is a mystery, a chance to meet new characters and figure out what drives them, what makes them shake in their shoes, what they wish for when they blow out their birthday candles. For Malcolm I only knew at the start that he wanted his parents to be happy and that he felt he couldn’t live up to his father’s expectations. Also, he hates baseball. From there I just let him evolve alongside the conflicts of the story, and I was happy to see him grow and change.

What do you think is his most admirable quality?

Malcolm’s most admirable quality is his concern for others, though it doesn’t always come out given the kind of shy, introspective kid he is. Of course this also manifests itself as an overwhelming desire to please, to make others happy, which can—when taken to extremes—be emotionally unhealthy for him. I think that’s something a lot of young readers can relate to.

Is there anything you wish he would have changed or done differently in his story?
I can imagine a hundred ways that Malcolm’s story might have gone—for example, the decision he makes during the tournament at the end of the book could have gone very differently—but that’s not the story I set out to tell or the character arc I chose to paint. I suppose I could say that I wish I’d written it better, but that’s only because I believe no piece of writing is ever perfect, only finished. I could tinker with sentence structures and diction and metaphors for eternity, but then I’d never make a deadline 😊.

What do you think Malcolm can offer to other children that are experiencing similar situations to what he went through?

I hope a lot. Find a good friend to confide in, that helps. Don’t worry if you talk to yourself—it’s normal, we all do it (but if you get in an argument, make sure you win). But I think one of the biggest lessons Malcolm learns is that his parents’ happiness is not all on him. Yes you should be giving and empathetic and kind and he should strive to do his best, but if you spend all of your time trying to make other people happy, you can lose sight of what makes you happy. A lot of Malcolm’s journey is him learning to be comfortable with who he is.

How did you research Malcolm and the circumstances he found himself in?

I was born. I played Little League baseball (poorly). I listened to my parents argue every night. I struggled to make friends. I lived inside my own head. I drank slushies. I yearned to find something I was good at and I did my best to avoid conflict. That’s basically it. I think all of my novels have an autobiographical edge, but this one especially.

 

Most of the outside research I did was actually on miniature golf, its history and its current appeal. Also proprietary eponyms. I studied those a lot.

Do you and Malcolm share any similarities?

See #5 above. We definitely share a lot of the same DNA, even down to some of the voices we hear in our heads. One place we differ is that by the end of the book, Malcolm learns not to be so hard on himself. I’m 45 and still working on that.

What was the hardest scene to write about him?

The conversational scenes between him and his parents were tough—especially the heart-to-heart he has with his mother near the end where he learns one of the reasons why his parents sometimes fight about him. Some things are just so difficult to talk about—it takes guts just to open the door—and I often worry that the words I’m choosing as a writer don’t do justice to the emotions that I can feel my characters going through.

 

That said, all writing is hard. Fun. But hard.

Who do you think was his biggest supporter and why?

I think all three adults in Malcolm’s life evolve in that role (some with more difficulty than others). Obviously Frank comes to be the kind of cheerleader for Malcolm that his father always struggled to be, but even his motives are questionable at the start. If I had to pick any character who believes in Malcolm from the moment she meets him, I’d choose Lex. Sometimes it takes someone your age to know exactly what you’re going through. Waka waka, man.

Why do you think young people, like Malcolm, are sometimes afraid to be their true selves and not share with their parents what they truly want out of their life?

At what point in your life do your parents stop dictating the direction it will take? At what point do you truly find the agency to be your own person, develop your own credo, and make your own choices? That’s incredibly hard to do at age 12 or 13. It’s hard for some people to do at age 30 or 40. Add to this the added pressure of not wanting to disappoint said parents (tick them off, sure, but disappoint them, that’s the worst), and the fact that most people of any age struggle to know what they truly want out of life--not to mention whatever the thing you want always seems to be changing, and it makes sense that this would be something that would cause anxiety. However parents can do a great deal to create a safe and supportive environment for kids to express their hopes, dreams, and insecurities by being encouraging mentors and guides.

What do you think Malcolm is doing as the present time?

I think he would still be playing miniature golf, for starters. It’s nice when you find something that energizes you, that you want to invest yourself in and get better at, and I’m happy that he found his. But right at this very moment I’m guessing Malcolm and Lex are probably playing Pacman, eating Little Debbie Snack Cakes, and discussing why Frisbees are called Frisbees and not flying discs. 

*Here are links to the One Hundred Fifty-Eight interviews...

SEASON #ONE (2016-2017)

Interview #1 with Elly Swartz (Author of Finding Perfect)

Interview #2 with Jeff Zentner (Author of The Serpent King)

Interview #3 with Nora Raleigh Baskin (Author of Nine, Ten, A September 11 Story)

Interview #4 with Cammie McGovern (Author of Just My Luck)

Interview #5 with Kate Messner (Author of The Seventh Wish)

Interview #6 with Paul Griffin (Author of When Friendship Followed Me Home)

Interview #7 with K.A. Holt (Author of House Arrest)

Interview #8 with Abby Cooper (Author of Sticks and Stones)

Interview #9 with Melanie Conklin (Author of Counting Thyme)

Interview #10 with Claire Legrand (Author of Some Kind of Happiness)

Interview #11 with Lynn Plourde (Author of Maxi's Secrets)

Interview #12 with Shaun David Hutchinson (Author of The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley)

Interview #13 with Gae Polisner (Author of The Memory of Things)

Interview #14 with Mike Grosso (Author of I Am Drums)

Interview #15 (Towers Fallings by  Jewell Parker Rhodes)

Interview #16 (My Seventh Grade Life in Tights by Brooks Benjamin)

Interview #17 with Donna Gephart (Author of Lily and Dunkin) 

Interview #18 with Ally Condie (Author of Summerlost)

Interview #19 with Phil Bildner (Author of Rip and Red Series)

Interview #20 with Barbara O'Connor (Author of Wish)

Interview #21 with Monika Schroder (Author of Be Light Like a Bird)

Interview #22 with Jeff Zentner (Author of The Goodbye Days)

SEASON #TWO (Summer 2017)

Interview #23 with Elena K. Arnold (Author of A Boy Named Bat)

Interview #24 with Dusti Bowling (Author of The Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus)

Interview #25 with Melissa Savage (Author of Lemons)

Interview #26 with Elaine Vickers (Author of Paper Chains)

Interview #27 with Kate Messner (Author of The Exact Location of Home)

Interview #28 with Paul Griffin (Author of Saving Marty)

Interview #29 with Elly Swartz (Author of Smart Cookie)

Interview #30 with Ellie Terry (Author of Forget Me Not)

Interview #31 with Katherine Paterson (Author of wishtree)

Interview #32 with Jordan Sonnenblick (Author of The Secret Sheriff of Sixth Grade)

Interview #33 with Alan Gratz (Author Refugee)

SEASON #THREE (2017/2018)

Interview #34 with Corey Ann Haydu (Author of The Someday Suitcase)

Interview #35 with Amy Sarig King (Author of Me and Marvin Gardens)

Interview #36 with Jared Reck (Author of The Short History of the Girl Next Door)

Interview #37 with Shelley Johannes (Author of Beatrice Zinker, Upside Down Thinker)

Interview#38 with Terri Libenson (Author of Invisible Emmie)

Interview#39 with Tony Abbott (Author of The Summer of Owen Todd)

Interview #40 with Rob Buyea (Author of The Perfect Score)

Interview #41 with Alan Gratz (Author of Ban This Book)

Interview #42 with Sally J Pla (Author of Stanley Will Probably Be Fine)

Interview #43 with Jake Burt (Author of Greetings from Witness Protection)

Interview #44 with John David Anderson (Author of Granted)

Interview #45 with Jarrett Lerner (Author of Enginerds)

Interview #46 with Leslie Connor (Author of The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle)

Interview #47 with Cordelia Jensen and Laurie Morrison (Every Shining Thing)

Interview #48 with Jacqueline Resnick (Author of Raffie on the Run)

Interview #49 with Sarah Weeks (Author of Soof) 

Interview #50 with Dan Gemeinhart (Author of The Good Dog)

Interview #51 with Gae Polisner (Author of In Sight of Stars)

SEASON #FOUR (Summer 2018)

Interview #52 with Tony Abbott (Author of Denis Ever After)

Interview #53 with Preston Norton (Author of Neanderthal Opens the Door to the Universe)

Interview #54 with Jonathan Auxier (Author of Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster)

Interview #55 with Sharon Creech (Author of Saving Winslow)

Interview #56 with Stacy McAnulty (Author of The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl)

Interview #57 with Kelly Yang (Author of Front Desk)

Interview #58 with Jennifer A. Nielsen (Author of Resistance)

Interview 59 with Christina Collins (Author of After Zero)

Interview #60 with Eric Walters (Author of Elephant Secrets)

Interview #61 with Phil Bildner (Author of The Rip and Red Series)

Interview #62 with Erin Soderberg (Author of Milla in Charge)

Interview #63 with Laura Shovan (Author of Take Down)

Interview #64 with Donna Gephart (Author of In Your Shoes)

Interview #65 with Alan Gratz (Author of Grenade)

Interview #66 with Barbara O'Connor (Author of Wonderland)

Interview #67 with Lindsey Stoddard (Author of Just Like Jackie)

Interview #68 with Katherine Marsh (Author of Nowhere Boy)

Interview #69 with Dusti Bowling (Author of 24 Hours in Nowhere)

Interview #70 with Christina Uss (Author of The Adventures of a Girl Called Bicycle)

Interview #71 with Adam P. Schmitt (Author of Speechless)

SEASON #FIVE (2018/2019)

Interview #72 with Dan Gemeinhart (Author of The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise)

Interview #73 with Abby Cooper (Author of Sticks and Stones)

Interview #74 with Abby Cooper (Author of Bubbles)

Interview #75 with Abby Cooper (Author of Friend or Fiction)

Interview #76 with Padma Venkatraman (Author of The Bridge Home)

Interview #77 with Anne Ursu (Author of The Lost Girl)

Interview #78 with Corey Ann Haydu (Author of Eventown)

Interview #79 with Jeff Zentner (Author of Rayne & Delilah's Midnite Matinee)

Interview #80 with Allison Varnes (Author of The Property of the Rebel Librarian)

Interview #81 with Tony Abbott (Author of The Great Jeff)

Interview #82 with Susan Ross (Author of Searching for Lottie)

Interview #83 with Gillian McDunn (Author of Caterpillar Summer)

Interview #84 with Rebecca Ansari (Author of The Missing Piece of Charlie O'Reilly)

Interview #85 with Ali Standish (Author of August Isle)

Interview #86 with Shaun David Hutchinson (Author of The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried)

Interview #87 with Greg Howard (Author of The Whispers)

Interview #88 with Lynda Mullaly Hunt (Author of Shouting at the Rain)

Interview #89 with Lynda Mullaly Hunt (Author of One for the Murphys)

Interview #90 with Laurie Morrison (Author of Up for Air)

Interview #91 with Jody J. Little (Author of Mostly the Honest Truth)

SEASON #SIX (Summer 2019)

Interview #92 with John David Anderson (Author of Finding Orion)

Interview #93 with Lisa Thompson (Author of The Light Jar)

Interview #94 with Keith Calabrese (Author of A Drop of Hope)

Interview #95 with Alicia D. Williams (Author of Genesis Begins Again)

Interview #96 with Kim Ventrella (Author of Bone Hollow)

Interview #97 with Natalie Lloyd (Author of Over the Moon)

Interview #98 with Cynthia Lord (Author of Because of the Rabbit)

Interview #99 with Tina Athaide (Author of Orange for the Sunsets)

Interview #100 with Elly Swartz (Author of Give and Take)

Interview #101 with Amy Rebecca Tan (Author of A Kind of Paradise)

Interview #102 with Varsha Bajaj (Author of Count Me In)

Interview #103 with Laura Resau (Author of Tree of Dreams)

SEASON #SEVEN (Fall 2019)

Interview #104 with Laurel Snyder (Author of My Jasper June)

Interview #105 with Lisa Bunker (Author of Zenobia July)

Interview #106 with Jasmine Warga (Author of Other Words for Home)

Interview #107 with Barbara Dee (Author of Maybe He Just Likes You)

Interview #108 with Graham Salisbury (Author of Banjo)

Interview #109 with Donna Gephart (Author of The Paris Project)

Interview #110 with Jake Burt (Author of The Tornado)

Interview #111 with Jess Redman (Author of The Miraculous)

Interview #112 with Karen Strong (Author of Just South of Home)

Interview #113 with Nicole Melleby (Author of Hurricane Season)

Interview #114 with J.J. and Chris Grabenstein (Authors of Shine)

Interview #115 with Susan Vaught (Author of Me and Sam-Sam Handle the Apocalyse)

Interview #116 with Chris Baron (Author of All of Me)

Interview #117 with Meredith Russo (Author of Birthday)

Interview #118 with Abdi Nazemian (Author of Like a Love Story)

Interview #119 with Sarah Baughman (Author of The Light in the Lake)

Interview #120 with Stacy McAnulty (Author of The Words Ends in April)

SEASON #EIGHT (Winter/Spring 2020)

Interview #121 with Melissa Savage (Author of Nessie Quest)

Interview #122 with Tamara Bundy (Author of Pixie Pushes On)

Interview #123 with Lindsay Lackey (Author of All the Impossible Things)

Interview #124 with Tae Keller (Author of When You Trap a Tiger)

Interview #125 with Jamie Sumner (Author of Roll With It)

Interview #126 with Hena Khan (Author of More to the Story)

Interview #127 with Phil Bildner (Author of A High-Five for Glenn Burke)

Interview #128 with Leslie Connor (Author of A Home for Goddesses and Dogs)

Interview#129 with Gillian McDunn (Author of Queen Bee and Me)

Interview #130 with Jody J. Little (Author of Worse Than Weird)

Interview #131 with Jenn Bishop (Author of Things You Can't Say)

Interview #132 with Kaela Noel (Author of Coo)

Interview #133 with Rebecca Stead (Author of The List of Things That Will Not Change)

Interview #134 with Gae Polisner (Author of Jack Kerouac is Dead to Me)

Interview #135 with Emily Blejwas (Author of Like Nothing Amazing Ever Happened)

Interview #136 with Joy McCullough (Author of A Field Guide to Getting Lost)

Interview #137 with Kim Baker (Author of the Water Bears)

Interview #138 with Erin Entrada Kelly (Author of We Dream of Space)

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 #142 with Gae Polisner and Nora Raleigh Baskin (Authors of Seven Clues to Home)

SEASON #NINE (Fall 2020)

Interview #143 with Jacqueline Woodson (Author of Before the Ever After)

Interview #144 with Sharon Creech (Author of One Time)

Interview #145 with Barbara Dee (Author of My Life in the Fish Tank)

Interview #146 with Kim Ventrella (Author of The Secret Life of Sam)

Interview #147 with Ellen Hopkins (Author of Closer to NoWhere)

Interview #148 with Alyssa Hollingsworth (Author of The Invisible Boy) 

Interview #149 with Rob Harrell (Author of WINK)

Interview #150 with Shelley Pearsall (Author of Things Seen From Above)

Interview #151 with Anna Staniszewski (Author of The Wonder of Wildflowers)

Interview #152 with Lorelei Savaryn (Author of The Circus of Stolen Dreams)

Interview #153 with Linda Sue Park (Author of Prairie Lotus)

Interview #154 with Lauren Wolk (Author of Echo Mountain) 

Interview #155 with Mae Respicio (Author of Any Day with You)

Interview #156 with Audrey Vernick (Author of After the Worst Thing Happens)

Interview #157 with Ernesto Cisneros (Author of Efren Divided)

SEASON #TEN (Winter 2021)

Interview #158 with Rebecca Ansari (Author of The In-Between)

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (1/18/21)

             

Thanks to Jen and Kellee for hosting this idea on their site.  Here is a link to the site...

                

 http://www.teachmentortexts.com/

Books I Will (continue to) Read this Week...

Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart

*My Novel Published for Adults (Audio)

*I'm not getting very far as I'm teaching from home, but will soon be back to teaching at school.  Then I'll get back to listening.  

Books I Read this Past Week...

Bea is for Blended by Lindsey Stoddard

*Middle-Grade Novel (5 Stars out of 5 Stars)

Star Fish by Lisa Fipps

*Middle-Grade Novel (5 Stars out of 5 Stars)

Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy

*Novel Published for Adults (3 Stars out of 5 Stars)

Bea is for Blended by Lindsey Stoddard

How I Heard About It:
*I've been a fan of Lindsey Stoddard's since her novel Just Like Jackie.  I was excited to hear she had a new middle-grade novel coming out in May of 2021.  I was even more excited when #bookexpedition was able to get a physical ARC of the book.  The novel recently arrived and I spent a couple of days enjoying the story of Bea and her family.  


What It Is About - FIVE Things You Need to Know:
*Bea has loved her life with her mom and her soccer.

*All that changes when her mom marries a man with three sons.

*One of the sons is in Bea's class and also plays soccer.

*When a new school year starts, a new girl moves in across the street from Bea, and the girls want a soccer team of their own, life gets very interesting for Bea and her new family.

*A story of family, friendship, and standing up for what is right and deserved.  

What I Thought Of It - Five Observations/Reflections:
*I loved the story of Bea, her family, and the kids at school.  

*This middle-grade story has it all:  strong characters, strong plot, and strong desire to turn the page.

*The life-lesson of children standing up for what they believe in is at the center point of the story.

*I so enjoyed the journey Bea and her new brothers took and the changes that occurred from the start to the end of the story. 

*Lindsey sure knows how to capture the heart of a middle-grade reader, and those adult readers looking for the best stories to share with young readers.  

Who Should Read It:
*I would love to see Lindsey's new novel in all classroom libraries from grade three all the up to grade six.  Middle-school readers would also be a target audience for the book.  I can't wait to add another Lindsey Stoddard novel to my classroom.  Happy Reading!  


Rating:  5 STARS out of 5 Stars