The Path of the Wind by James A. Misko

HI there!

Welcome back to another exciting week, here at Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

Today, we're diving between the pages of a book that just celebrated its birthday last month via Square One Publishers that may slipped your radar.  How so?  Because had it not been for a particular publishing consultant bringing it to my attention, I would have too.  Ready to make its acquaintance?  Here we go!  Today's book of choice is on deck....

The Path of the Wind

by

James A. Misko

9780757004445

Square One Publishers

About the book...

Miles Foster is a newly minted teacher who dreams of getting a teaching job in the highly respected and financially stable Portland, Oregon school system where everything is available, and where he and his wife call home. But the only opening for his talents is in a remote lumber mill town in central Oregon, two hundred miles away.

It is a poor school with forty students, and is controlled by a jealous superintendent and school board who tolerate no thinking outside the box and who conspire to destroy his teaching career.

Miles must find a way to educate students who have been passed along regardless of what they learned, and defeat the damaging control of the school board and superintendent without losing his marriage or his job, or both.

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I can see why on the cover of my ARC the author is toted as "one of America's premier storytellers".  The story wasn't over the top, outstanding, jaw dropping, or otherwise beyond remarkable...but it was MEMORABLE for many other reasons.  

First off, the story...while it may sound like I didn't enjoy the journey, I, in fact, DID.  The way it's told is almost like an oral history being collected.  The facts are there with some flourish but only just.  We don't get into a lot of the nitty gritty details that could have weighed it down from its ultimate point, but that works.  We get to know Miles and Ele quite well, as we do his students, the townspeople, and his fellow educators (though that term is used loosely for a handful of them), and though that kinship isn't so deep that we could write a memoir on any particular person, it is solid enough to dig us into the local community so we feel like one of them.  When they take a hit, so do we.  A loss is mourned, a win is celebrated, a struggle is fought through, and an idea is chased...together...and THAT my friends is certainly one of the signs of a great storyteller. 

Now, as for the story itself, it's not just about Miles and Ele's journey from flirt to marriage to this small town life; it has a bigger picture to paint.  In reality, it's a true celebration of the power of educators...you know, TEACHERS.  Those who take that extra step to not simply impart the knowledge on the syllabus, but to connect with their students, make the experience personal, and indelibly mark them as having been one of their own as they continue their march forward in life.  It is those people, the educators, that we fondly look back on when puzzling out a problem, dredging up a mentally filed fact now remembered, or experience the joy of reading for the umpteenth time.  I have had several in my time, as I'm sure you have in yours, and for their time, assistance, and very presence, I say THANK YOU...and to our fictional yet vivid Mr. Miles, you rock, sir, like the rock star educator you are, don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

In the end, it's a journey from school days to...well, days in school, but on the other side of the desk.  It's filled with all the trials and tribulations educators face day to day that we don't necessarily see as students, but they exist all the same, as well as the harried lives they live beyond the hallowed halls.  It'll give you a new perspective from which to view their sacrifices and renew your respect for the calling they followed...while smiling at the exchanges (most often between Miles and Ele) that make this hidden gem sparkle and shine.

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About the author...

Jim Misko grew up in Ord, Nebraska, moved to Oregon, and then to Alaska in 1974. He has worked as an oil field roughneck, logger, forest service lookout, planer mill hand, truck driver, mink rancher, journalist, school teacher and real estate broker.

His previous novel, As All My Fathers Were, has won the FOUR GOLD's AWARDS from the Benjamin Franklin Awards, Nebraska Book of the Year Award, 2016 Feathered Quill Award, and Pinnacle Book Achievement Award. Jim and his wife Patti live in Alaska in the summer and California in the winter.

SITE  |  TWITTER  |  FACEBOOK

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Special thanks to Carol, Publishing Consultant, and Square One Publishers for the ARC for review.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title, the author, the publicist, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links provided above.  This title just released last month via Square One Publishers, so be on the lookout for it on a bookstore shelf or virtual retailer of your choosing.

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

BLOG TOUR: Bubbles by Malcolm Howard - GUEST POST + REVIEW!

Hi guys and gals!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

Today, we're joining an Authoright Marketing & Publicity BLOG TOUR already in progress starring a rather unique storybook that celebrates imagination, the power of play, and the teachers that help open young minds every day.  It's a curious read but an enjoyable one at that and with the whimsy filled illustrations, you can't go wrong.  Ready to meet your next potential read?  Take a seat at the head of the class as we welcome today's book of choice and blog tour guest...

Bubbles

by

Malcolm Howard

Illustrated by

Stephen Harrison

9781911525134

Clink Street Publishing

About the book...

Angelique has long thin legs, long thin arms and a turned-up nose on which sits an enormous pair of spectacles. Her spectacles are so big that they look like magnifying glasses and make her eyes look very large. She normally wears black shoes, a blue dress and a red scarf, and she had just been awarded all her Certificates and Diplomas to become a teacher. But she needs a job. Returning to her home village at the foothills of the French Alps, Angelique finds her childhood school has closed! All she needs is determination, enthusiasm and ten pupils to re-open the school and realise her dreams. But Angelique soon realises that her daily adventures have only just begun.

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Here we have a storybook that combines playful and colorful imagery with a lengthier tale than one might expect for the intended audience.  Though that may concern some choosing to read this story at bedtime, it's actually a pretty big PLUS!  Though it is wonderful to read all at once, it is broken into smaller pieces beautifully, so that it can be taken in smaller bites for younger readers.  The fact that you can match up your reading night to the day/chapter of the book is simply the cherry on the sundae!  Now, let's get between the pages...

We all have teachers we'll never forget.  They are the ones that molded and shaped our young minds, helped us see something about ourselves or the world that we never considered, and otherwise left an impression most favorable.  Angelique is certainly one of those people, despite her being a fictitious creation.  She's not afraid to get her hands dirty, encourages interaction in both the classroom and at play, and never lets a student fall through the cracks...whether human or otherwise.  ^-^  Yes, my friends, her imagination runs as wild as her hair, but that willingness to try something new, to let the students help guide their classroom learning as well as their creative endeavors is part of her charm...the fact that she has bubble potions to aid her in her quest is simply an accessory.  She provides the real magic, along with her students, and it is that connection forged that makes this story THAT much better...along with those wonderful illustrations!

Now, as this is a blog tour, I had the option of getting something a little extra for you guys and my pick was a GUEST POST from the author himself!  Topic suggested and accepted...a glimpse into their own school days so we can perhaps see where their inspiration for the book and love of learning came from.  So, ladies and gents, children and magical creatures of all ages, allow me to introduce, author Malcolm Howard....

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School Days with Author Malcolm Howard

Aged nine, I was packed off to boarding school. It was 1953 post-war Britain. My Dad was in the Army and it was not unusual to go to a boarding preparatory school.  Happily my elder brother was already there.

It was like something out of Harry Potter. Dressed in new uniform and cap I was taken to Victoria Station to join the school train to Westgate–on-Sea in Kent, complete with tuck box and trunk.

Today the journey would take about two hours by car, but then it took all day, and seemed to be a world away. So far away that parents would visit once a term and we would write weekly letters in the meantime.

The week before departure, I was riding down a hill standing on the back axle of a friend’s tricycle. “brakes don’t work” he said. I jumped off and incurred a broken front tooth and a bleeding face. Undaunted I arrived at school with scabs and stitches.

I enjoyed the boarding experience. They were years of innocence. I remember the Headmaster interrupting a Latin lesson to say that a storm had washed driftwood onto the beach. The lesson was suspended.

We took trolleys to the beach and loaded up old railway sleepers and wheeled them back to school. At the weekend we cut them up into logs, using a long two-handled saw operated by a boy on each end, for burning on the schoolroom fire.

My brother moved on to Pangbourne Nautical College because my Father thought he needed discipline! I was more of a daydreamer and moved on to Bradfield College in Berkshire.

I wasn’t a scholar. I drifted through and had a knack of just achieving the necessary pass mark to progress. I can’t say that I recall a favourite teacher. My Housemaster taught Geography which I managed to fail, but he still made me head of house.

I had just started my final year when my Father asked if I would like to sit the exam for Officer training at Sandhurst. True to form I passed by just three marks. I left the school at Christmas. I think my parents were finding it difficult to pay the fees.

I finished my education at the Royal Military Academy – where I got paid!



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About the author...

Now retired Malcolm Howard lives in Walton-On-Thames Surrey. Malcolm has enjoyed a varied career from being a part of the Queens Surrey Regiment, to moving to the French Alps where he set up a Ski High School, now part of the British Ski Academy, before returning to Surrey to work for the probation service. In his spare time he continues to lend a hand at the local Council as well as visit the mountains in France where his son still lives.

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Special thanks to Rachel at Authoright Marketing and Publicity for the copy for review as well as the chance to participate in this promotion, and to the author for taking the time to share a bit about their past with all of us.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title, the author, this tour, or those on the horizon, feel free to click through the links provided above.  This title is available now, so click on over to your favorite online retailer to snag a copy for your bookshelf today!

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

BLOG TOUR: Ms. Bixby's Last Day by John David Anderson

Hi there!

Welcome back to the Friday edition of Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

Today, I'm honored to be a part of a very special blog tour from Walden Pond Press starring a recent release in the Children's Fiction arena.  It'll inspire, motivate, teach, and by book's end, move you to tears...and that's only HALF the story.  Ready or not fair readers, please join me in welcoming today's blog tour guest and book of choice...

Ms. Bixby's Last Day

by

John David Anderson

9780062338174

Walden Pond Press

About the book...

Everyone knows there are different kinds of teachers. The good ones. The not-so-good ones. The boring ones, the mean ones, the ones who try too hard. The ones you’ll never remember, and the ones you want to forget. But Ms. Bixby is none of these. She’s the sort of teacher who makes you feel like the indignity of school is worthwhile. Who makes the idea of growing up less terrifying. Who you never want to disappoint. What Ms. Bixby is, is one of a kind.

Topher, Brand, and Steve know this better than anyone. And so when Ms. Bixby unexpectedly announces that she is very sick and won’t be able to finish the school year, they come up with a plan. Through the three very different stories they tell, we begin to understand just what Ms. Bixby means to Topher, Brand, and Steve—and what they are willing to go to such great lengths to tell her.

John David Anderson, the acclaimed author of Sidekicked, returns with a story of three kids, a very special teacher, and one day that none of them will ever forget.

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About the author...

John David Anderson is the author of many books for young readers, including Sidekicked and The Dungeoneers. A dedicated root beer connoisseur and chocolate fiend, he lives with his wife, two kids, and perpetually whiny cat in Indianapolis, Indiana.

SITE  |  TWITTER  |  FACEBOOK

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This is a book that celebrates educators and their students to the second power.  While the title can be taken many ways, the actual meaning within the story is more powerful than you can at first imagine.  

You go in thinking, okay, a teacher is saying goodbye to her students, no big deal, right?  WRONG!  It's not just the start of summer.  It's not simply the "bird class" you're trying to get through to get a better GPA.  It's your FAVORITE teacher, the one that made you realize you DO have something special to offer even if it seemed like a crazy out there idea, and she's facing something that no one should have to go through...the big "C".  Though this news comes as a shock to both the students and readers, the way in which Ms. Bixby handles it deserves a gold star.  She doesn't want to worry her students, but she also doesn't keep them in the dark.  When the timing is right, she shares her news, as well as her unexpected early start to summer vacation, and allows plans for a "au revoir" party to commence.  The problem is cancer doesn't work on your schedule.  It takes no prisoners and changes everything you once thought secure.  Their party plans were tabled...unless three resourceful students, three boys that were paying attention in class even when it seemed they may not have been, get creative to the upteenth power. The results of their initial brainstorm lead to a VERY adventure filled day of firsts, but the final act before the curtain drops is what it all boiled down to and trust me...you'll be moved to tears.

The story is told through the eyes of the three lads, Topher, Steve, and Brand, who each call Ms. Bixby their own in some special way.  For Steve, it was in elevating an Honorable Mention to noteworthy status (not that is wasn't, but having him realize it was something else entirely)...and the E.T. moment between them with the "Be. Good." was the cement in my affection for her.  For Topher, it was the realization that perhaps his dreams aren't so far fetched and the sharing of a certain red folder that no one would have known existed.  For Brand, it wasn't so much the teaching in the classroom, but the open heart.  His life had several obstacles the others didn't and her ability to share a bit of her strength with him did more than any straight A report card could.  Ms. Bixby was inspiring in all the right ways, yet human.  I concede to the boys description of her as "one of the Good Ones"...and hopefully everyone has had someone like that in their lives at some point or another.  Speaking of which...

Outside of the reviews, this tour has an extra special element to it that makes it THAT much more personal.  We were invited to share a memory of that one special educator that touched our own lives in some way that we'll never forget.  I admit, when I started thinking about it, I had SEVERAL come to mind and in relation to the story shared here, there were a few connections I could draw to my own history.

There was Mr. Boss (MY sixth grade) who had a true passion for teaching and it was on display in every subject he covered.  I must also note that he was easily led OFF topic and loved regaling us with stories either from his own life or history, so I was totally reminded of him while reading.  Then there were my seventh grade Language Arts teachers, most notably Mr. Ahearant and Ms. Daffin.  Let me tell you, their styles were totally different, and I may have got along more famously with one (though others didn't) than the other (which pretty much NO ONE did...sorry, ), but their tough love, formidable instruction, and desire to see us succeed were  woven into every assignment, each pop quiz, and all the "read-your-work-in-front-of-the-class-despite-the-fact-you-are-painfully-shy" moments you can muster.  Ultimately, these two shapers of young minds are what infused in me a love of the English language, proper grammar (though social media allows us to create our own), an eye for typos (and my cringe reaction when finding them in HUGELY publicized pics and posts), and an extra oompf in my bookish nature.  One I will say that really stuck with me though, as much  if not more so than the ones I'm mentioned thus far, would have to be my eighth grade teacher who never could quite remember that my LAST name was my last name, not my first (*smirk*), Sister Laurenta.

That's right.  I went to a Catholic school and we had a few nuns in residence.  Two were teachers, and one was the school principal.  Though all of them poured their hearts into guiding our young minds, I have to say Sister Laurenta left the biggest impression.  In the classroom, she was a formidable educator, always making sure that we captured what she was trying to convey, but she did so in such a fun and interactive way, there was rarely a question as to the class picking up on it so long as they were paying attention...I know I sure was.  We did science experiments testing chemical reactions and creating food as a result such as caramel and ricotta cheese (which I actually ended up exploding my beaker all over the desks...*ahem*).  We dissected preserved cow hearts, and held fish eyes in our hands to examine the texture.  If ever there was a way to work a field trip or party into our studies, she was there with bells on...first on the sign up sheet, and last to suggest the fun was done.

My Father, the Hero

When studying colonial times, she insisted we take a trip to an authentic village over state lines.  During the holidays, a potluck wasn't simply enough...she baked cookies at the convent and invited the girls over to help her, and of course insisted a selection of movies be shown during the feast.  I still laugh when I think of her watching MY FATHER, THE HERO and laughing out loud at the "I'm dying now!" exclamation from the father to his daughter when she's telling him the latest in a string of lies she fed to her boyfriend...*chuckle*.  The thing is, she wasn't always conventional, but even when she was, she was remarkable.  You could always tell that she enjoyed her life work (not just her calling from higher up, but TEACHING) with her very soul and THAT in turn inspired me to do the best I could in every thing I tried.  Win or lose, it's the TRY that mattered, not the outcome.  The fact that I could say I did my best was worth more than a thousand first place ribbons.

In closing, I would like to say THANK YOU to all the educators that have touched my life along the way as well as extend it one step further to those in the role of teacher today. Your efforts don't go unnoticed and their effects will be felt long after the final school bell rings.  I highly recommend this read to the target age group but perhaps even more so to the adult readers reading this right now.  I'm telling you, it'll really touch your heart, through and through.

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Literally click the pic to be whisked away to the excerpt...

Special thanks to Debbie at Walden Pond Press for the chance to participate in this AMAZING tour as well as the copy 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 Walden Pond Press, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, so be on the lookout for it on a bookstore shelf or virtual retailer of your choosing.


BE SURE TO CATCH ALL THE STOPS ON THE TOUR FOR OTHER POINTS OF VIEW AND AMAZING SHARES!

MS BIXBYS LAST DAY  BLOG TOUR
6/2/2016	Nerdy Book Club	6/21/2016	Maria's Melange
6/3/2016	Next Best Book		Novel Novice
6/6/2016	Walden Media Tumblr		All the Wonders
6/7/2016	Teach Mentor Texts	6/22/2016	Lit Coach Lou
6/8/2016	This Kid Reviews Books		Novel Novice
6/9/2016	Read, Write, Reflect	6/23/2016	Novel Novice
6/10/2016	Flashlight Reader	6/24/2016	Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers
6/13/2016	Julie Falatko		Novel Novice
6/14/2016	A Foodie Bibliophile in Wanderlust	6/27/2016	Librarian's Quest
6/15/2016	About to Mock	6/28/2016	Educate.Empower.Inspire...Teach
6/16/2016	Kid Lit Frenzy	6/29/2016	Bluestocking Thinking
6/16/2016	The Hiding Spot	6/30/2016	Mindjacked
6/17/2016	Unleashing Readers	7/1/2016	All the Wonders
6/20/2016	Ms. Yingling Reads
	Novel Novice

Until next time...happy reading!