Thank you all for your excellent comments. It’s so great to know that people want to read fun books about history. We have a winner!

Congratulations Morning Rose, comment #1! Please email your address!

****DARLA — FIFTH-GRADE GUEST BLOGGER****

I was thrilled to have the opportunity to review this book, and even more excited that Darla was so engrossed in this story of a twelve-year-old’s heroic actions during the American Revolution. I’m a history nut, so it’s especially satisfying for me to witness my kids show glimmers of interest in history. I thought it was only fitting that she write the review, especially because of our travel to Boston last summer, so what follows is her reaction. Please find giveaway instructions at the end of her review.

The book Spitfire, by Kate Messner was great. It feels as if you were pulled into the past, watching Abigail’s amazing adventure, posing as a boy named Adam. You wonder if there will be any more battles aboard, wondering if they are going to be attacked by pirates or the British, or which ship she will board next.

It feels as if you were actually on the ship being Abigail or Pascal by the ways Kate Messner used the words, telling exactly what was happening, like looking through their eyes, and using their hands. It was amazing some of the things they did back then, like surgery was cutting of their arm and dipping it in hot tar to stop the blood. Abigail and Pascal usually make the choices you would make, so it’s like a second life as Abigail or Pascal, trying to keep secrets, is helpful, and make a living at the same time.

It feels as if it actually happened, not ending as “They grew up, got married, and lived happily ever after.” It has the kind of twist that you love, that is so “wow” that you never know what is going to happen next, always wondering, always wanting to pick the book back up again and just skip homework for a night. The chapters switched from Abigail to Pascal every other one, so it can be confusing at time, but that just makes it more interesting.

I highly suggest this book to people who like reading nonfiction, or who like unusual twists and saying “oh my gosh” often in a book. I would rate this book 4 ½ stars. It is very good and I definitely recommend it.

To be considered for the contest, please leave a comment describing what interests you about the book. You may also like to learn more about the author — Kate Messner — she has a new book due for release in September. You can participate even if you don’t have a blog. Just make sure you leave a working email when you leave your comment. I’ll choose the winner at random after 5 p.m. CST on Friday, June 13. US addresses only. Thanks for stopping by!

Please visit our other current book giveaway here.

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This seven-part series will cover the 2 ½-year time span between the day I set out to become an author and the day I became one.

Becoming an Author – Part Five
Winter-Spring 2007

After working out some contractual issues and signing the contract, I met my editor via email. During the next year I would find Susan to be one of the most affirming people I’ve ever met. While coaching me through the writing process, she helped me to discover what I wanted to say, in a way that made me want to give her my very best work.

During our family’s two-week winter vacation in Florida, we homeschooled in the morning, and in the afternoons I read research articles on the beach. By the time we returned to Wisconsin, I had taken nearly 200 pages of typewritten notes. Then the real work started.

My first deadline was the end of February, and my goal was to submit the introduction and first chapter. This meant I needed to do a tremendous amount of research and interviewing, while finding my voice as an author. Oh, and I needed to make sure my kids learned fractions, long division, science, literature, and a thorough overview of ancient civilizations.

My kids knew the book was important to me, and they took it in stride, like everything else we’ve thrown at them. We schooled in the morning, and I interviewed and wrote in the afternoon. They were very patient during those long months at the keyboard. I also got help from family and friends. I would dive into the manuscript for a non-stop two-day session, while the kids visited Grandma.

The people I interviewed were truly inspiring. It was such a gift to have the opportunity to talk in depth with people that impact so many young lives. These people are passionate about what they do, and confident that their efforts make a difference. Just listening to them gave me hope for the world, and made me recognize my own sphere of influence. The fact I have the opportunity to share their gifts with others — that’s a bonus.

Although the early spring months got pretty long, I met all my deadlines and submitted a completed first draft on May 1, more than a year after initially suggesting the project. My house was a disaster and my extended family members forgot what I looked like, but we’d made it through.

Becoming an Author series:
Part One — Winter 2006
Part Two — Spring 2006
Part Three — Summer 2006
Part Four — Fall 2006
Part Five — Winter-Spring 2007
Part Six — July 2007-February 2008
Part Seven — Spring 2008
Photos of Search Institute Press

My book, Empowering Youth: How to Encourage Young Leaders to Do Great Things, is now available from Search Institute Press.

Last month I wrote about Darla’s interview with the editor of one of our regional newspapers. The paper was published a couple weeks ago, and we were thrilled to see a full-page color article devoted entirely to one little social entrepreneur and her neighborhood book project. I think it’s commendable in this day and age that a news organization would choose to feature with such prominence good news about youth. There is so much out there, if only we’re primed to see it.

The school year is coming to a close, but Darla plans to start up her weekly gatherings again in the fall, so she’ll be preparing next year’s activities this summer. She’s very appreciative to those of you who have used her Amazon search box for your online shopping. You’ve kept her stocked with craft supplies and participant incentives all year long!

We have more related exciting news to share, but have to wait until next month – stay tuned!

BookWorm Wednesday Series:

A Teacher in the Making
A BookWorm Wednesday Halloween
BookWorm Wednesday Potion Recipe
Buy with Amazon and Donate to BookWorm Wednesday
BookWorm Wednesday Gets Some Press
BookWorm Wednesday Featured
My Daughter Won the Kohl’s Scholarship

Do you have a story about kids that make you proud, or adults who are passing the torch? Please let me know and I’ll spread the word on Pass the Torch Tuesday.Former PTT posts.

Have a great weekend!!

This seven-part series will cover the 2 ½-year time span between the day I set out to become an author and the day I became one.

Becoming an Author – Part Four
Fall 2006

Our family experienced some turmoil as we prepared for school to begin again in the fall of 2006. My husband had accepted a new school principal position. We’d been open-enrolled to a neighboring school district and we’d be switching to our local district, since he would no longer bring the children with him to work each morning.

Any kind of change for kids can be difficult and ours had experienced their share of “shifting” in their young lives, but this was the first time we’d ever switched schools.

The result was that we gave up on the new school after six weeks, and embarked on a year-long homeschool experiment which I chronicled here on Pass the Torch. Thrust unprepared into a totally new and life-changing situation, I did virtually nothing related to my writing career, while I found my way as a homeschooling parent. I had just begun writing a monthly Positively Speaking column at 5 Minutes for Mom, however, and I continued writing there.

Then in December, while I attended a conference to exhibit for my company, I checked my email from the business center of the hotel. And the director of publishing had sent me an email.

“We’d like to offer you a contract.”

Becoming an Author series:
Part One — Winter 2006
Part Two — Spring 2006
Part Three — Summer 2006
Part Four — Fall 2006
Part Five — Winter-Spring 2007
Part Six — July 2007-February 2008
Part Seven — Spring 2008
Photos of Search Institute Press

My book, Empowering Youth: How to Encourage Young Leaders to Do Great Things, is now available from Search Institute Press.