My husband’s grandmother beloved cats, notably the sort that slunk as much as the bowl outdoors her kitchen door, the place she scraped her dinner scraps. She lived in the identical home in a quiet Maine city for seven many years, feeding the neighborhood felines till properly previous the age of 100, when she died peacefully at house.
So, when award-winning Portland writer Gail Donovan mailed me a evaluation copy of her just-released, middle-grade novel, “Sparrow Being Sparrow,” I used to be delighted by the antics of Sparrow Robinson, a high-spirited fourth grader who units out to search out houses for her aged neighbor’s seven cats when she is now not capable of look after them.
“Sparrow Being Sparrow” E book Birthday Get together When: 2-3 p.m. Saturday, July 29
The place: Portland Public Library, 5 Monument Sq., Portland
After shifting to the fictional city of Eastbrook, Sparrow and her household hire half a duplex from Mrs. LaRose, their French-speaking neighbor who lives subsequent door along with her furry mates. Sparrow loves cats and desires one in all her personal. So, when a fall sends Mrs. LaRose to the hospital, Sparrow cares for the cats — telling her new faculty mates that the cats belong to her!
“What are their names?” asks a classmate, Paloma.
“Mrs. Moon, Midnight, Tux, Pierre, Paulette, Marmalade, and Kitty Grey,” Sparrow says, reflecting to herself, “That was sort of like the reality … as a result of these had been their actual names.”
When Sparrow’s mates uncover that she is “a terrific huge liar,” Sparrow should make amends, whereas making an attempt to not get carried away by her overly keen instincts. Alongside the way in which, Sparrow learns what it means to be a great buddy and neighbor.
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As somebody who was gifted in storytelling, I might simply relate to Sparrow’s predicament. To impress my mates, I typically fabricated tales in elementary faculty, together with one which landed me within the principal’s workplace. Whereas my mother drove me to my classmate’s home to apologize, Sparrow’s dad and mom assist her work out her errors on her personal. Getting concerned within the native church additionally helps Sparrow join along with her neighborhood and discover a house for Mrs. Moon, her favourite cat.
A Junior Library Guild choice and the recipient of a starred evaluation from Publishers Weekly, “Sparrow Being Sparrow” is certain to please readers of all ages with its allure, heat and humor. Amazon additionally featured the e-book as a “Greatest E book of July for ages 6-8,” though the e-book will simply curiosity older readers as properly.
In celebration of the e-book’s launch, Donovan is scheduled to learn from her e-book from 2-3 p.m. this Saturday, July 29, on the Portland Public Library’s downtown location at 5 Monument Sq. in Portland. Becoming a member of her shall be Brunswick youngsters’s writer Charlotte Agell, together with a number of adoptable kittens from Midcoast Humane. Copies of “Sparrow Being Sparrow” will even be accessible to buy. This free occasion is a part of the library’s 2023 Summer time Studying Program.
In honor of animals and books and storytellers in every single place, I extremely suggest this e-book. And what may very well be extra pleasing than bringing house a furry feline to cuddle when you learn it?
Meadow Rue Merrill is the writer of the award-winning memoir “Redeeming Ruth” and of the Lantern Hill Farm image e-book collection, celebrating the vacations with actions that construct youngsters’s religion. She writes and reads in just a little home within the huge woods of Midcoast Maine. A evaluation copy of this e-book was supplied without spending a dime by the writer. Get in contact at meadowrue.com.
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