Young Adult Fiction |
Written by the teacher; edited by her students, Abby, is the Hallmark greeting card of young adult fiction.
Have you ever been the “new kid?” Five times in seven years? Relating to her diary as her only friend, Abigail Van Buren Masterson finally gets the opportunity to be part of a stable life, complete with grandparents and a neighborhood who knows her. Even if this unexpected gift includes being the target of the school bully, Head Cheerleader Sheila, and surrounded by community members with unpronounceable surnames, Abigail can finally experience a “normal” life. Or at least as normal as life gets when adjusting to her mother’s diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. As a veteran eighth grade language arts teacher and book junky, as well as a newly diagnosed MS patient, the creation of Abby served not only a writing dream-come-true but allowed a teachable moment with the inclusion of my students as editors and advisors in the process. I believe that junior high school is the most pivotal period in our lives; that decades or centuries do not change the largess of adolescent drama. All children long for innocence, even while fighting to be recognized as adults. A 2012 Reader’s Favorite Finalist and 2013 Reader’s Favorite Honor book in YA fiction, Abby is a coming of age tale that touches on the insecurities of adolescence and the emergence of adulthood. Accolades
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Sitting in a move theater with her dad, Meri checks her phone for a good time to go to the ladies’ room. She leaves during a battle scene and meets her soon-to-be new best friend, Fiona, in the restroom. To their mutual horror, a bomb goes off in the theater. Meri awakes in the hospital to find out her world is changed forever.
Coping with PTSD is real to veterans and to those of all ages who experience shocking horror and loss. Meri sees the changes to her family and her life and with the help of an unlikely friend, her faith, and her family, is able to move forward to a new future. Accolades
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Whisked away from life in the city after he and his best friend are arrested for breaking and entering, high school senior Ted Williams plans to lay low until he can graduate and return to his chosen profession. City life is much more exciting than the small-town Ellison, West Virginia. At least he thought so until he met Grace, Nicco, and Pastor Larry. He finds out he might be related to a major league baseball Hall of Famer with his same name and, to his amazement, there is also a ghost haunting his attic bedroom.
Accolades
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© Lisa A. McCombs - 2023
All rights reserved by the author. |