The Friday 56 - Week 212

Welcome to Week 212!

Rules:
*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
*Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grab you.
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post to the Linky at Freda's Voice. Add the post url, not your blog url. It's that simple.



It finally arrived! The book that fans have been clamoring for over the last several decades: the release of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Pioneer Girl manuscript, the basis for her famous Little House books.

This annotated autobiography is edited by Pamela Smith Hill, author of Laura Ingalls Wilder: A Writer's Life. Since page 56 was just a map, this excerpt is from page 156.

14. Ma was afraid. In By the Shores of Silver Lake, Wilder used Ma's fear to reinforce the unspoken conflict between her parents and their views of the American West: "[Ma] did not say anything because nothing she could say would make any difference. Bu Laura knew Ma had never wanted to leave Plum Creek and did not like to be here now" (p.66).

PBS KIDS Announces Annual Writing Contest!

The PBS KIDS Writers Contest is designed to promote the advancement of children’s literacy skills through hands-on, active learning. The contest is open to children in grades K-3 and encourages creative thinking and storytelling, while building literacy skills through the creation and illustration of original stories.

To enter, kids can submit stories to their local stations, and local winners will then be entered into the national contest. National winners will be announced during the summer of 2015, and the winning stories will be featured on pbskids.org/writerscontest.

This year, the judges include acclaimed writers, producers and children’s media creators, including Marc Brown, author and illustrator of the ARTHUR book series, and the Kratt Brothers, Martin and Chris, from the PBS KIDS show WILD KRATTS. The national winners will receive prize packages including ARTHUR books and a personal technology device courtesy of PBS.

To enter the contest and for more information on entry rules and contest resources, visit pbskids.org/writerscontest or your local PBS station website.

As a Busy Mom Thinks

Today is the release of a new regular column at The Busy Mom's Daily. This idea has been in the back of my mind for quite a while. When it began percolating, I envisioned it as a way to share opinions about a variety of things; a springboard for discussions with other busy moms. Let’s face it, not only do we busy moms work hard, we have opinions about a variety of topics. We should be able to share and discuss them whenever we want.

The title of this new column, “As a Busy Mom Thinks,” has its origins with Laura Ingalls Wilder. Before becoming a world famous children’s author, Wilder wrote a regular column for the Missouri Ruralist entitled, “As a Farm Woman Thinks.” She discussed home, family, and world events. I envision “As a Busy Mom Thinks” to be similar.

If you are interested in writing a guest post for “As a Busy Mom Thinks,” please email me at ccmal@charter.net.

I’m going to kick off this column with a bit of a rant. Why not start with a bang, right?

Why is it that working moms are expected to juggle family life and career, but working dads aren’t always expected to help out around the house?

When we first moved in here, both of us worked outside the home. Once I left the corporate world to become a stay-at-home mom, I felt part of my contribution was to take care of the house and run errands. For some reason, however, the expectation is that despite me working 40 hours a week now, I should still be the one to do all the laundry, cook, keep the house clean, and run errands. Do I look like Wonder Woman?

So, I must ask, is it the same way at your house or do I simply need to put my foot down?

Hope you enjoy this new column. I look forward to our discussions.

Wordless Wednesday

Kindle Freebie: Hazardous Duty by Christy Barritt

Buying a gun to kill your wife: $3,000
Hiring Trauma Care to clean afterward: $1,500
Having that same cleaner uncover evidence that frames you: Priceless

On her way to completing a degree in forensic science, Gabby St. Claire drops out of school and starts her own crime scene cleaning business. “Yeah, that’s me,” she says, “a crime scene cleaner. People waiting in line behind me who strike up conversations always regret it.”

When a routine cleaning job uncovers a murder weapon the police overlooked, she realizes that the wrong person is in jail. But the owner of the weapon is a powerful foe . . . and willing to do anything to keep Gabby quiet.

With the help of her new neighbor, Riley Thomas, a man whose life and faith fascinate her, Gabby plays the detective to make sure the right person is put behind bars. Can Riley help her before another murder occurs?

“Christy Barritt’s novel, Hazardous Duty, is a delightful read from beginning to end. The story’s fresh, engaging heroine with an unusual occupation hooked me, and I couldn’t put it down. I highly recommend Hazardous Duty.”

—Colleen Coble, Author of Fire Dancer, book one of the Smoke Jumpers Series

File Size: 1540 KB
Print Length: 241 pages
Publisher: River Heights; 2nd edition (January 5, 2014)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B007NJCDKQ

Purchase here!


Other Books in the Squeaky Clean Series:
#2 Suspicious Minds
#2.5 It Came Upon a Midnight Crime (a novella)
#3 Organized Grime
#4 Dirty Deeds
#5 The Scum of All Fears
#6 To Love, Honor, and Perish
#7 Mucky Streak
#8 Foul Play

Win a Copy of Pioneer Girl by Bich Minh Nguyen at The Book Connection

Just when you think every book has been written that has a Laura Ingalls Wilder connection, you come across something so unique and fascinating that it begs your attention. Pioneer Girl tells the story of Lee Lein, who finds herself jobless after obtaining her PhD in American literature. She heads home to a Chicago suburb to work in her mother and grandfather's cafe. The tense relationship with her mother only worsens, and then her brother disappears without a trace, leaving behind a gold brooch from her mother's past in Vietnam that was left behind by an American reporter who visited her grandfather's original cafe in 1965. Based upon a passage from the Little House books, Lee is convinced the reporter was Rose Wilder Lane, the daughter of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Does this pin connect her family to one of America's famous pioneering legacies? 

There is so much to this novel, I simply can't state it here and keep the post at a reasonable length. You can read my full review here.

Enter for your chance to win a FREE paperback copy of Pioneer Girl here!

Kindle Freebie: Priceless Proverbs by Kristi Porter

Priceless Proverbs Book 2 continues where book one left off - with over one hundred additional kid quotes and illustrations. It is the result of hundreds of interviews with young children ages three to twelve, who were presented with the first half of a famous saying or proverb and then asked to finish it themselves.

It began as part of a larger class project by teacher Kristi Porter and the children of Happi Kamper Child Care, located in North Muskegon, Michigan. Each child was to create an individual gift book for his or her parents, and Priceless Proverbs was simply to be one chapter in each child’s book.

Now, the individual answers of the Happi Kamper Kids, as well as those of the children at Community United Methodist Preschool, and Power Play Childcare in N. Muskegon have been combined. Their diverse, candid, and uncensored answers may surprise you, or even make you laugh out loud, as you get a quick glimpse into the amazing and intricate minds of some of the most delightful and fascinating children around. Enjoy!

File Size: 3901 KB
Print Length: 109 pages
Publisher: Happi Kamper Press (November 1, 2014)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0692304185
ISBN-13: 978-0692304181
ASIN: B00O18L5GA

Purchase here!