On October 14, 2011, I held a book launch for my new novel for 9-13 year olds, Count Me In, as part of the 10th annual Whistler Readers and Writers Festival. It was held at the Whistler Public Library.
The book features Tabitha, who hikes to Lake Lovely Water with her cousins, Ashley and Cedar. Tabitha is less than thrilled about hiking, and even less excited about spending time with her cousins who seem to be set on making her life miserable.
We had a great turn out, with 40 people attending, ranging from small kids to adults. As I was part way through my introduction of the book, a seven-year-old boy called out, “Just start reading!” So I did. When I stopped and asked if there were any questions, he called out again, “Yeah, when are you going to read some more?”
Once I satisfied his need to hear the story, we had a lively conversation about the book and writing for children, followed by refreshments and book signing. Dan Ellis, owner of our amazing local bookstore, Armchair Books, attended and sold books. Thanks to him and the gang at Orca for helping to make the event a success!
Learn more about Count Me In on the Orca Book Publishers website.
It may be the middle of summer, but the first rounds of Fall reviews are starting to arrive. Watch for these great reads coming September 2011 from Orca!
Count Me In, by Sara Leach
“When 12-year-old Tabitha is forced by her parents to go backpacking with her two cousins and recently widowed Aunt Tess, she ends up with more of an adventure than any of them planned.
Both of Tabitha’s somewhat older cousins, Cedar and Ashley, are confident, experienced hikers, but nothing can fully prepare them for the series of misadventures that occurs after they climb to a mountaintop hut in British Columbia. Rain falls relentlessly. The dog, Max, wanders off when Tabitha is walking him. Ashley, even after she’s badly injured in a careless fall, uses every opportunity to express her hatred-never fully explained-for Tabitha, including deceitfully blaming her for the accident. After their attempt to hike out is thwarted by a flooded river, they begin to have problems with a very persistent bear, leading to many more issues. As the problems mount, Tabitha bravely responds, believably moving from her earlier self-pity to more appropriate responses, even coming to recognize that what she’s learning may help her with bullying problems she’s been having at school. The setting is well realized, and the authentic action sustains interest. If some of the dynamics between the characters are insufficiently developed, and a somewhat improbable conclusion seems forced, the suspense helps mitigate the issues.
A taut adventure tale that features plenty of action and some troubled relationships.” —Kirkus Reviews
“A lonely, shy boy with an unusual talent breaks out of his shell with the unwanted help of an aggressive girl manager.
Calvin lives with his ailing grandmother over their dry-cleaning shop, relying on his love of yo-yos to relieve stress. He decides he might be able to make some money as a street performer with his yo-yo tricks, but he can’t avoid the highly unwanted attention of Rozelle, who demands to become his manager and grabs half his earnings. Worse, Rozelle markets him as a prophet, who can make accurate predictions during his performances. Her shenanigans net him local television attention, but the now overconfident Calvin begins to believe his own publicity and predicts that he can beat a world-champion yo-yo master. Meanwhile, his grandmother fails further and sells her business to a man Calvin doesn’t trust. As the deadline looms for finding a new apartment, Calvin relies on his yo-yo, teaching himself dazzling new tricks. Krossing paints vivid and believable portraits of her main characters and keeps the action flowing, especially in her descriptions of Calvin’s performances. She manages to convey the intricacies of the tricks and Calvin’s joy in mastering them while moving the narrative briskly along.
It all adds up to a captivating and believable portrait of a young boy coming of age.” —Kirkus Reviews
We had a great turn out, with 40 people attending, ranging from small kids to adults. As I was part way through my introduction of the book, a seven-year-old boy called out, “Just start reading!” So I did. When I stopped and asked if there were any questions, he called out again, “Yeah, when are you going to read some more?”