Coming Soon!: Beulah Land by Nancy Stewart

Seventeen-year-old Vi Sinclair’s roots run deep in the Missouri Ozarks, where, in some areas, it can still be plenty dangerous to be a girl who likes girls. Her greatest wish is to become a veterinarian like her boss, Claire Campbell. Fitting in at school wouldn’t be so bad, either. Only one obstacle stands in the way: She may not live long enough to see her wishes fulfilled.

With help from her only friend, Junior, Vi unravels a mystery that puts her in conflict with a vicious tormentor, a dog fight syndicate, and her own mother. Vi’s experience galvanizes her strength and veracity as she overcomes the paradox of mountain life, in which, even today, customs and mores seem timeless, and where a person can wake up dead simply because of being who she is.

Praise for Beulah Land

Nancy Stewart has produced a tough, courageous novel that belongs on the shelf next to young-adult survival stories like Hatchet and Bridge to Terabithia. Violette’s determination to see justice done drives her to the brink of destruction or danger. However, Stewart keeps her risks and the day-to-day struggle of being queer and out as a young person grounded in reality. Beulah Land is an accurate portrayal of what it’s like to grow up in a place where your very existence is challenged, as well as a reminder that the willingness to push on wins the day, every time.

Beulah Land is a much needed story of queer resistance and courage in the face of bigotry and intolerance.

Reviewed by Claire Foster
Foreword Reviews, November/December 2017

Pre-order the print version from the publisher at https://store.interludepress.com/collections/beulah-land-by-nancy-stewart/products/beulah-land-print-edition

A professor of education specializing in Children’s and Young Adult Literature, Nancy Stewart is also the award-winning author of several bestselling books for young readers. The original manuscript for Beulah Land received the 2015 State of Florida Rising Kite Award from the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. She lives with her husband and an adopted Bichon/Shih Tzu pup, Louie, in Tampa, Florida.

Website:  http://www.nancystewartbooks.com

Blog:       http://www.nancystewartbooks.blogspot.com

Twitter:    https://twitter.com/stewartnancy

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/nancy.rosenthalstewart

Member:   http://www.scbwi.org

Just Breeze by Beverly Stowe McClure

For every tween/teen girl who has felt like nothing good is ever going to happen, here comes Just Breeze, the latest release from Beverly Stowe McClure.

Breeze Brannigan quickly finds that eighth grade is destined to start out like every other school year: she still towers over her classmates, her shoes are big enough to belong to a clown, the reflection off her braces could start a small fire, and her hair is still uncontrollable and very red.

In walks Cam, the new boy in school who is different from all the other boys Breeze knows.  He must be from another planet.  As time moves on, Breeze discovers Cam might be an earthling, but he is definitely hiding something; and when Cam trusts Breeze with his secret, a secret that could put Cam and his mother in danger, Breeze is determined to help Cam keep that secret, no matter what!

As much as I enjoyed McClure’s Rebel in Blue Jeans, Just Breeze is one hundred times better. With this book, McClure’s writing has evolved into something that movies are made of.  The mystery behind Cam’s sudden appearance and how he works his way slowly into Breeze’s life when she expected this year to be just as nondescript as the others, is well done and keeps readers turning the pages.

Breeze could have been you or me (several years ago) or many of the other young girls who struggle to find their place in a family and a peer set where fitting in isn’t easy or siblings seem to be much more talented than you.

But even girls who don’t seem to fit in have friends, and Breeze’s friend Amy is perfect for her. The reader will enjoy their banter and their adventures.  What I thought was a unique twist in Just Breeze is that it isn’t Breeze who has a nemesis, but Amy. Allison is the new girl at school and she does a lot of cruddy stuff to Breeze and Amy, and she seems to like Amy’s boyfriend Tony, which puts the girls immediately at odds with Breeze somewhere in the middle.

McClure starts off with an excellent set of characters, tosses in a superb plot, and comes up with a major winner.  I think this is her first book with 4RV Publishing, and I have to say I am impressed with the quality product they put out.  Attractive font, fabulous cover illustrations from Aidana WillowRaven, and thorough editing.

Not only will Just Breeze make the perfect gift for your tween/teen reader, it will be a book that is read time and again because it is just that good!  I hope to see more collaborations between Beverly Stowe McClure and 4RV Publishing.

Rating:  🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

Publisher: 4RV Publishing LLC

ISBN-10: 0984070826

ISBN-13: 978-0984070824

SRP: $15.99

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