SMACK DAB NEWS

We're devoting the first post of each month to exciting news and announcements...

Holly Schindler's debut MG, THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY, releases Febrauray 6!

Early response:

"...a heartwarming and uplifting story...[that] shines...with vibrant themes of community, self-empowerment and artistic vision delivered with a satisfying verve." – Kirkus Reviews

"Axioms like 'One man's trash is another man's treasure' and 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder' come gracefully to life in Schindler's tale about the value of hard work and the power of community…Auggie's enthusiasm and unbridled creativity are infectious, and likeminded readers will envy her creative partnership with [her grandfather] Gus." – Publishers Weekly

"Folk art is an extension, and in many ways a celebration, of the ordinary; and appreciation of folk art is a form of recognition that the ordinary is also the universal...THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY is a piece of folk art disguised as a middle-grade novel, and it takes a very clever author to pull off that trick." –Susan at TheArtofNotGettingPublished

"Auggie's voice is as original as the sculptures she and Gus create, shining and radiating with love for the people and things in her world. Fresh prose sparkles and lights up each page. This book makes me want to stand up for injustice, embrace creativity and make something new from something old. This book should be on every middle-grade child's reading list."–Darlene Beck-Jacobson, Smack Dab blogger

Purchase THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY

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Gone Fishing: A Novel In Verse, by Tamera Will Wissinger, illustrated by Matthew Cordell (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers) is an ALSC 2014 NotableChildren's Book for Middle Readers. Here is their description: "Laugh-out-loud verse and humorous line drawings capture an older brother’s frustration and a little sister’s exuberance when they spend the day fishing with dad."