Five Stars for "Escape Artist!"

Good news! Anna Mei, Escape Artist—the second book in the middle-grade Anna Mei Series—has just received two five-star reviews:

The Midwest Book Review

Everyone has secrets, and sometimes that secret is all of your family. "Anna Mei, Escape Artist" is an entry into Carol A. Grund's series following Anna Mei as she faces life and learns many lessons. Anna has many friends, but Danny has proved peculiar to her, as Anna has never met any of his family. Anna fears that Danny is hiding something from her, but the truth comes and Anna learns much. "Anna Mei" is a fine read for young readers who are trying to branch into standard novels. Highly recommended.

Sarah Reinhard, The Snoring Scholar

  

What a delight to have my old friend Anna Mei back! I enjoyed this book just as much as I enjoyed its predecessor, and I can't wait until my six-year-old, who has just discovered Junie B. Jones, is old enough for Anna Mei. In this, we're faced with more of the difficulties of friendship and discerning how to treat people, especially close friends who are hurting and confusing you. In the face of a big misunderstanding, Anna Mei finds herself battling feelings and learning to grow in interpersonal skills. (Can you tell I'm trying not to spoil it?) Maybe it’s that I’m a girl too, but I found myself, even with an adult perspective and quite a few years on the main character, sucked right into the drama of the book.   

This is a great introduction for intermediate readers and a situation girls in this age will definitely enjoy. The lesson that’s taught doesn’t feel preachy and the way it’s told makes it worth reading. I enjoyed it, and I'll bet your intermediate reader will, too! Highly recommended.

I'm thrilled that both of these reviewers, who also liked Cartoon Girl, found this new story just as compelling. I'd love to hear from other readers, too. Send me an email and let me know what you think!

More good news this month: my short story titled "A Family Recipe" appears in a new anthology for ages 8-12 just published by Pauline Kids. Family Matters:Thirteen Short Stories was edited by Jaymie Wolfe, my editor on Escape Artist. She's done a great job selecting stories that reflect a broad range of families and the issues they deal with. Mine is about a girl named Allison and a unique gift that links several generations in her adoptive family. All the stories include discussion questions, making this a wonderful tool for classroom use. It's available at online bookstores like Amazon as well as at Pauline's site.