The Water Princess by Susan Verde; illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds. G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 2016. 42 pages; $17.99 (hardcover); reading level: ages 4-8. Gie Gie, a princess in her parents’ eyes, surveys her kingdom: the African sky, the wild dogs, the tall grass, and the dusty earth. Not part of her kingdom is water,… [Read More]
The Two Tims by David Elliott Reviewed by Connie Nordhielm Wooldridge
January 18, 2017 By
The Two Tims by David Elliott; illustrated by Gabriel Alborozo. Candlewick, 2016. 32 pages; $15.99 (hardcover); reading level: 4-8. Tim and Tim (one with blond hair, one with brown) are best friends. Until Tom comes along. Blond Tim plays knights with Tom while brown-haired Tim sulks. Brown-haired Tim crazy-dances with Tom while blond Tim sulks…. [Read More]
The Turner House by Angela Flournoy Reviewed by Connie Nordhielm Woodridge
November 8, 2016 By
The Turner House by Angela Flournoy. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015. 340 pages; $14.95 (paperback); reading level: adult. Two narratives from two time periods unfold concurrently in this impressive first novel: The first is the story of Francis and Viola Turner, who marry in 1944 and migrate north to Detroit; the second story reaches forward to… [Read More]
Work in Progress #28: A Reconstruction of My Emily Post Biography
November 2, 2016 By
After my agent read my latest draft of Emily we had a long phone conversation. I still had more work to do. I needed to begin in medias res (in the middle of things), I needed to get to the significant part of Emily’s life more quickly, and I needed to shorten even more. What… [Read More]
The Wright Brothers by David McCullough Reviewed by Connie Nordhielm Wooldridge
October 11, 2016 By
The Wright Brothers by David McCullough; Simon & Schuster, 2015. 320 pages; $30.00 (hardcover); reading level: adult. This is McCullough’s tenth work of nonfiction and he has acquired a well-deserved reputation for turning impeccably researched facts into enjoyable narratives. This latest book is not a birth-to-death biography of the Wright brothers (it ends in 1910,… [Read More]
Duck, Duck, Porcupine! by Salina Yoon Reviewed by Connie Nordhielm Wooldridge
September 15, 2016 By
Duck, Duck, Porcupine! by Salina Yoon; illustrated by the author; Bloomsbury, 2016. 64 pages; $9.99 (hardcover); reading level: Grades K-2. The characters in this collection of three (very!) short stories for beginning readers are Big Duck, the self-appointed boss; Porcupine, the passive worrier; and Little Duck, who says not a word but who knows, in… [Read More]
Fairy Tales for Mr. Barker by Jessica Ahlberg Reviewed by Connie Nordhielm Wooldridge
September 7, 2016 By
Fairy Tales for Mr. Barker by Jessica Ahlberg; illustrated by the author. Candlewick Press, 2016. 28 pages; $15.99 (hardcover); reading level: ages 2-5. When Lucy’s dog, Mr. Barker, loses interest in the story she’s reading to him he leaps out of her bedroom window through a cut-out in the page. Lucy follows him through successive… [Read More]
Connie’s Advice On How to Find a Literary Agent
August 30, 2016 By
It’s a question I’m asked repeatedly and one I’ve had a hard time answering: How do I find a reputable agent? I found my agent by first getting six books published and then approaching a top notch agency with my latest manuscript and my publishing history. But I got my first contract in the early… [Read More]
Tiger and Badger by Emily Jenkins Reviewed by Connie Nordhielm Wooldridge
August 16, 2016 By
Tiger and Badger by Emily Jenkins; illustrated by Marie-Louise Gay; Candlewick Press, 2016. 32 pages; $15.99 (hardcover); reading level: ages 3-6. Using soft watercolors and acrylics, Gay has created an outdoor world with everything a child could dream of: phantasmagoric flowers, striped and polka-dotted birds, a stack of empty boxes, chairs out on the grass… [Read More]
Jane Friedman’s Blog is An Outstanding Resource for Writers
August 10, 2016 By
Jane Friedman (former publisher of Writer’s Digest) caught my eye with this quote from her online bio: “I have a special interest in how the digital age is affecting and transforming writing careers, publishing, and storytelling.” I had heard glowing things about her before attending the July 2016 Midwest Writer’s Workshop at Ball State University… [Read More]