A Very Merry Un-Birthday to... JUST UNDER THE CLOUDS by Melissa Sarno!

Hi there!
Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

Can you believe it's already JUNE?!  I know I can't and yet Mother Nature certainly isn't allowing us to forget because, whew!  That thermostat is definitely staying set to 76 inside, while the outside burns upwards of 90+.  ~wipes sweat...I mean sparkle from brow~  Anywho...enough about my world, let's dive into this one...

Today's blog tour guest comes to us via Random House Children's Books and features a SOON TO BE released work of Middle Grade Fiction (June 5th, 2018,as of this post).  It may look dreamy and curious with it's blue-as-the-sky cover, but the topics it deals with are pretty hard hitting.  So, if you're ready to discover that there truly is no place like home, even if it can't be contained by four walls, join me for today's book of choice...

Just Under the Clouds

by

Melissa Sarno

9781524720087

Knopf Books for Young Readers

About the book...

Can you still have a home if you don’t have a house? In the spirit of The Truth About Jellyfish and Fish in a Tree comes a stunning debut about a family struggling to find something lasting when everything feels so fleeting.

Always think in threes and you’ll never fall, Cora’s father told her when she was a little girl. Two feet, one hand. Two hands, one foot. That was all Cora needed to know to climb the trees of Brooklyn.

But now Cora is a middle schooler, a big sister, and homeless. Her mother is trying to hold the family together after her father’s death, and Cora must look after her sister, Adare, who’s just different, their mother insists. Quick to smile, Adare hates wearing shoes, rarely speaks, and appears untroubled by the question Cora can’t help but ask: How will she find a place to call home? 

After their room at the shelter is ransacked, Cora’s mother looks to an old friend for help, and Cora finally finds what she has been looking for: Ailanthus altissima, the “tree of heaven,” which can grow in even the worst conditions. It sets her on a path to discover a deeper truth about where she really belongs.

Home is where the heart is...

...much more than just a lovely turn of phrase.

In the case of Cora, Adare, and their mother, they've had a bit of trouble this last year managing to keep their feet in the same neighborhood for more than a few weeks at a time.  It's not simply because their mother likes to wander, but more that their whole dynamic was thrown off kilter with the passing of her husband, the girls' father.  It was sudden, it was quick, but those are not the cares of loved ones left behind.  They long for what's missing, the comfort and security they provided, and as they move from place to place seeking somewhere to call their own once again, they discover that while much has been lost, there is still much to be FOUND.

The story itself was heartbreaking, but the characters are what truly make it shine.  Cora took on the weight of the world, a hard task as an adult, much less in the high tops of a little girl, and despite feeling unmoored, was still able to glean the joys from life one lesson at a time.  Adare with her gentle ways and curiosity, may not be able to express everything in a way we are able to understand so easily, but it doesn't make it any less important, or profound when she does.  Their mother was certainly a depiction of a caring parent struggling to find her way when the rug was pulled from under her world, while being reminded of the important things in life she was still responsible for.  Even Willa, with her take charge attitude and sometimes judgy aire, was able to leave her mark on the story as she tried to help the best way she knew how, only to discover things about herself, and areas in which she could grow.

All in all, I've got to say it's a surprising little story with a whole lot of heart.  Even though all the pieces may not be a perfect fit, it reminds us that those differences, those unique angles, are all beautiful contributions to the overall picture.  Home is truly where the heart is, and while it may not define a space, it defines a feeling, an ideal where we feel safe to be ourselves and let our possibilities grow.

About the author...

Melissa Sarno is a freelance writer and editor with an MFA in screenwriting. She writes about middle-grade books for Barnes & Noble’s BNkids blog and edits YA and children’s book reviews for Cleaver magazine. Read more about her at melissasarno.com. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @melissasarno.

Special thanks to Jenna at Random House Children's Books for the ARC for review as well as the chance to bring this tour to you.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title, the author, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links provided above.  This title is set to release June 5th, 2018, so mark your calendar or pre order your copy today!

Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!

Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate

Hi guys!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

Goodbye October (good riddance...more on that later), and HELLO NOVEMBER!  Can't you just feel it?  Autumn is in the air.  The breeze is a little more brisk, the leaves are a lovely shade of Mother Nature's wondrous palette, and the temperatures are...a balmy eighty degrees.  *-*  Yeah, okay, so the weather here has been anything but ideal for the time of year, my own sneaky suspicions are that starting tomorrow when I'm back from my staycation they will be lovely, and the events of the last few days are memorable but not for any grand reasons...that doesn't mean that I can't be grateful that they weren't any worse.  What's that?  You don't know what I'm talking about?  Then you must not be following me on Twitter (it's @GRgenius, in case you were wondering), but I'll forgive the oversight and give you the cliff notes version.

Picture it.  Halloween night 2015.  There I was with a pumpkin pail full of candy bags ready to give out to the little trick or treaters I was anticipating this year when...the water heater decides to crap out on us.  I'm not talking full on gallons of water everywhere.  No.  I mean the kind where it starts running out from the top and if you don't notice it, you WILL have that mini version of Noah's grand adventure.  *sigh*  Point one to be grateful for, noticing it at first spurt.  I quickly called for Mom and Dad, he comes out to investigate while I wait on pins and needles.  Needless to say, Halloween has to be cancelled at my house because I was off to get a new water heater.  Yay.  (< - said with the least amount of enthusiasm possible)  Flash forward 5 hours later and I've acquired the skills to installment a replacement unit, provided there is a "muscle man" available to do the heavy lifting (that sucked was RIDICULOUSLY heavy!).  Muscles are sore today that I didn't even know I had.  Grateful to the 'rents for their assistance, but the holiday was a bust.  Still, point number two to be grateful for, it could have been worse.  Now, let's jump back into the books, shall we?

Today's selection hit store shelves a month or two ago via Feiwel and Friends.  You may have seen it already, picked it up to flip through the pages and what not, or simply recognized the author name and made a mental note to go back one day to investigate further.  Let today be that day.  I had the pleasure of reading an ARC copy of the work back in September (yes, I know...I should have reviewed it then, but hang on a moment...) and though my schedule was busy at the time to add it in, I really wanted to wait for the perfect moment to bring it back to the spotlight.  November being the month for remembering the reasons we are thankful and sharing with others, I thought it more than appropriate.  Ladies and gents, boys and girls, have a tissue at the ready and let your imaginations run wild because this one is going to hit home in some fashion no matter where you're coming from, at now, or heading to.  Today's book of choice is...

Crenshaw

by

Katherine Applegate

9781250043238

Feiwel and Friends

About the book...

Jackson and his family have fallen on hard times. There's no more money for rent. And not much for food, either. His parents, his little sister, and their dog may have to live in their minivan. Again.

Crenshaw is a cat. He's large, he's outspoken, and he's imaginary. He has come back into Jackson's life to help him. But is an imaginary friend enough to save this family from losing everything?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My word, what a story!

I don't know if it's where I am in my own life or simply the magic that is Jackson and Crenshaw but I was in tears...both the happy and sad types. It certainly tackles big issues in a kid friendly manner and the dash of magic is just right to soften the harsh realities.  I admit when I first started the book and Crenshaw makes his unique introduction, I wasn't that crazy about it.  As vivid as my imagination is I never indulged in an imaginary friend in childhood.  Funny considering I am an only child and my mother raised me by herself, leaving much time to oneself.  Add to that the fact that I was rather shy so friends didn't come so easily to me, though I was happy to play or chat with whomever would.  I suppose my love of reading took that niche, that particular role as I would get lost between the pages of something or another both then and to this day.  After all, one is never really alone if you've a great book in hand...anyway, let's get back to the story.

As mentioned, there are some BIG issues tackled here that are both relevant AND scary.  Homelessness.  Hunger.  Instability.  The unknown.  Grant it, we all grapple with the latter, but the former should never be a question in anyone's mind, especially that of a child.  It's hard enough worrying about all of it as an adult when you can do something about it (to a degree), but as a  child, I can only imagine how big the question mark looming over your head must seem.  My heart broke for Jackson and his family, time and again.  When the revelation as to why the wild, crazy, and lovable Crenshaw had returned is revealed, I was definitely reaching for the tissues.  

In conclusion, it's not a happy way to while away an afternoon, nor a light fluffy read to quietly turn the pages through and sigh in delight.  What it is though is pure magic and a moving way to get people thinking about those hard situations and what we can do to change those circumstances.  No one should go hungry, homeless, or helpless.  There should always be a helping hand reaching out in that time of need.  Is that the case today?  No, but that doesn't mean it had to stay that way.  To discover ways you can help the hungry in your community and read about the bookstores that participated in the Crenshaw Food Drive, stop by the official book page for some tips and ideas to help in your neighborhood.  Every act of kindness counts, no matter how big or small.  The difference it makes can be a drop in the ocean to you but the world to the person it helps.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

About the author...

Katherine Applegate is the author of the bestselling Animorphs series and the novels Home of the Brave and The One and Only Ivan, winner of the 2013 Newbery Medal. She lives with her husband, author Michael Grant, and their two children in Northern California.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Special thanks to the amazing team at MacMillan Children's Publishing Group for the ARC for review.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title, the author, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links provided above.  This title is IN STORES NOW via Feiwel and Friends, an imprint of MacMillan, so be on the lookout for it on a bookstore shelf or virtual retailer of your choosing.

Until next time...happy reading!

Heavy Hitter in Disguise: Tent City Princess by Lynn Anns

Hello there!

Welcome back to the site that aims to bring you whatever is tantalizing her reading palette at the moment…Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

Today’s featured title is short, not-that-sweet, somewhat heavy hitting and MEMORABLE.  It takes an issue from the here and now that you may or may not be aware of and forces it into the limelight…with grace.  Part of the tact I’m certain is from the author’s own writing abilities but the other…from the first hand viewpoints she gathered from those that have actually been or even currently are where she is about to take us.  Ladies and gentlemen, may I present today’s unassuming star and book of choice…

Tent City Princess

By

Lynn Anns

9781939403056

Lucky Marble Books

About the book….

Some things you keep secret from everyone...
Having to move into a tent after the bank repossesses your family house is definitely one of them. Unfortunately, fifteen-year-old Kennedy is now faced with a choice. The City Council might tear down the tent city where she lives. Stepping forward to save her home could cost Kennedy her friends, her boyfriend Rico, and the Battelle Young Leaders program internship that she worked all year to attain.
Should she stand up for what is right...even if it means standing alone?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This one really hits close to home.

The economy has been on a downward swing for a while, despite what you may have heard on any given nationwide news station.  Thanks to hard times and overspending in order to simply make ends meet, many families live paycheck to paycheck.  It wouldn’t take much to bring the “American dream” crashing down around us all.  Hence the situation here.

Kennedy is your normal average girl; she has hopes, dreams, and aspirations.  If we were neighbors in life, I’d certainly call her friend.  Her brother has more of the same goals, though right now getting into mischief is his “thing”…I’d blame the age.  Her mother and father are hard working folks, striving to provide the best life has to offer to their offspring both materially and emotionally.  Life wasn’t perfect, but it was good, sound, complete for the moment.  The problem is…the moment passed.  That window of golden opportunity was taken but slipped out of reach with a single shift of fate.  Through no fault of his own, the father loses his job and in turn begins a slow spiral into depression.  Now I know it’s hard, but can you really blame him?  Ah, I hear a resounding no, but consider other sides…

I myself had a hard time separating my feelings on it because as I said, it hit really close to home.  To some degree in my mind it’s a pick-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps sorta situation and take anything you can get until you can get back on your feet.  Would they have still lost everything?  More than likely.  Would they’ve at least been able to keep a solid roof over their heads…while there’s no way to really say, I’d like to think so.  This is one of those reads that will raise all sorts of feelings, questions, and most importantly….awareness.  What I appreciated about the read is the openness and tact with which her plight as well as that of her family and neighbors was presented.  Kennedy could have merely blended into the background, bided her time and stayed anonymous as she was planning to, but once persuaded by the actions of others, once discovering the power of her own voice, there was no going back.  For better or worse, the outcome at the very least proved that one among many is still one to be counted.

Recommended read for teen readers and beyond.  It’s a story for the here, the now, and one that will hopefully inspire at least some of those in points of higher influence to take some action to change the fates of those that did not choose this lot in life.  On that note, I hope it inspires YOU as well to give a helping hand to those in need in your own community…oh and just because they’re not standing on a corner with a sign, or frequenting the homeless shelter, DOESN’T mean they are doing fine.  Use your eyes.  Use your heart.  Give when and where you can.  No matter how much or how little, if it’s of your time or of your wallet, it all matters; it all makes a difference.

Review copy received courtesy of author Lynn Anns.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title as well as her other works, be sure to seek her out online.  This title is available now via Lucky Marble Books, an imprint of PageSpring Publishing.  Final note, readers....the author also informed me that..." The royalties from this book have been (and are being) donated to support this cause - the biggest chunk going to buying juice boxes, diaper cream, diaper wipes and even a holiday meal (Easter dinner) for homeless women and their children through a program called Amethyst here in Columbus Ohio."  So if you needed any additional reasons to check this one out, there you go.

Until next time…happy reading!