BELLA SAVES THE BEACH Review and Book Giveaway!

BELLA SAVES THE BEACH is the third book in the Bella and Britt Beach Series by Nancy Stewart. This lovely picture book is aimed at readers ages 6-9.

Though Bella loves the beach, she is concerned with all the trash she finds there. She enlists her younger sisters to help clean up, but they're too little and would rather play in the sand. Next Bella makes posters asking the public to help, but a storm ruins them. Only when Bella, and her best friend Britt, call on their classmates to pick up trash do they see results. 

Illustrator Samantha Bell uses a clever device of writing environmental messages in the sand like, "Trash is terrible," and "Keep our sand clean." 

After the story concludes, Stewart adds lots of interesting facts about pelicans, sea gulls, crabs, sandpipers, and plovers. For instance, did you know that sea turtles sometimes eat plastic bags because they look like jellyfish? Or that a plover, (bird), acts like a crocodile dentist and picks decaying meat from a croc's teeth?  This book would make a nice addition to classrooms studying the environment and how to keep it clean. 

Nancy will  give away a copy of BELLA SAVES THE BEACH to a lucky reader. To enter the drawing, leave a question for Nancy in the comments section.  I'll get us started: Nancy, did you always conceive of Bella and Britt as a series, or did you write the first book and your publisher suggest it?

Getting Students Involved in Authenticating Historical Fiction

The Reading Teacher article, "Getting Students Involved in Authenticating Historical Fiction," details the advantages and potential problems with using historical fiction in the classroom. Historical fiction makes history come alive for students, but sometimes authors make mistakes and can convey inaccurate information. By involving students in checking the author's research, that can alleviate the problem and teach valuable research skills in the process.

If a classroom were using my novel, THE BALLAD OF JESSIE PEARL, one of the first things to authenticate would be whether I did my homework about tuberculosis. An excellent resource to do that is Jim Murphy's, INVINCIBLE MICROBE TUBERCULOSIS AND THE NEVER-ENDING SEARCH FOR A CURE.

The hardest chapter to write in THE BALLAD OF JESSIE PEARL was Chapter 26, "The Model T and Me." Students could visit The Henry Ford Museum website and also watch numerous YouTube videos about how to drive a Model T.

Lots of details in THE BALLAD OF JESSIE PEARL required research. A good source for clothing of the 1920's is EVERYDAY FASHIONS 1909-1920.

The most fun part of my research involved interviewing older family members. It was fascinating to hear firsthand about outhouses, bathing weekly in a tin tub, winding water from the well, and life before electronic gadgets.

THE BALLAD OF JESSIE PEARL could be used during Women's History Month to discuss the role of women in society. Jessie's choices were very limited in 1922. Was she portrayed accurately for the book's setting? I'll let my readers be the judge.

My Pinterest Experiment (Part II)

As part of a recent Highlights Foundation Workshop I attended, Alison Myers offered to do a "social media critique" for each participant. Because I was already blogging, tweeting, and Facebooking, Alison suggested I try Pinterest.

Initially I set up Pinterest boards that focused solely on my book. Most of the material I put on the  boards came from either my website or my blog. Alison writes, "That is a time savvy move." But then she says, "Remember Pinterest is a SOCIAL networking site so you need to reach your tentacles out into other boards that will draw folks to your boards. Meaning you visit similar author's boards and 'repin' their work." Aha! It works much like Twitter and Facebook. I need to make friends.

I was surprised by all of the historical pictures on Pinterest. It's an excellent resource for visual research. Because my book deals with tuberculosis, I typed that word into the search function. Lots and lots of pictures popped up of sanatoriums, advertisements, medicines, x-rays. In the future, I will be adding Pinterest to my research arsenal.

Alison says you can use an aggregator to automatically notify your Twitter and Facebook accounts when you pin something new. I haven't looked into that function yet, but I plan to.

As a teacher, Alison says she uses Pinterest for "inspirational ideas and visual content" to share with her students. She recommends that I focus my Pinterest strategy on becoming a resource for teachers. Alison writes, "Imagine that you are a teacher getting ready to teach a unit on the spread of tuberculosis in the 1920's. You visit Pinterest and find a board with photos and facts. The board is found on Shannon Hitchcock's page, which also happens to have a book...that you can purchase...and an author who will give a Skype visit about her research! Now that is something to sink your teeth into." Indeed it is. I have my work cut out for me.

You can visit my Pinterest boards here:

If you have experience using Pinterest, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment and let's discuss.

My Pinterest Experiment

Last week I attended Peter Jacobi's, "Life in the Spotlight," workshop through the Highlights Foundation.

Alison Myers spoke with us about using social media. She advises using Twitter and Pinterest to connect with teachers and librarians.

I have been blogging, using Facebook, and Twitter for a while now, but Pinterest is new to me. Yesterday, I set up a couple of Pinterest boards for my book, The Ballad of Jessie Pearl.

You can view my boards here:

While I had fun making the boards, I'm still unsure how teachers and librarians will find them or exactly how to connect with these educators using Pinterest. I'm hoping by blogging and tweeting about my dilemma some knowledgeable writers will enlighten me.

Do you use Pinterest for networking with teachers and librarians? If so, how does it work for you?

School Library Journal Reviews THE BALLAD OF JESSIE PEARL!

Recent Reviews

With the poetry of plain speaking, Shannon Hitchcock recreates the daily drama of a vanished world.
—RICHARD PECK

This fast-paced historical novel is filled with enough factual detail, recognizable emotions, and personal drama to keep readers turning pages, eager to learn the final verse in the ballad of Jessie’s life. An author’s note about the story’s origins in actual events could inspire students to seek out family stories of their own.
—SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

Told in a believable first person, present-tense voice that emphasizes the immediacy of Jessie’s problems and her sometimes-raw emotions, Hitchcock’s debut also neatly captures a full flavor of the setting [a North Carolina tobacco farm] and period [1920s]. The aspects of many characters are also effectively revealed, mostly through authentic-sounding dialogue. ...A satisfying tale for readers who don’t require a fully happy ending.—KIRKUS REVIEWS

Hitchcock’s debut novel introduces 14-year-old Jessie Pearl, who endures more than her fair share of hardships, beginning with the death of her mother. Opening in 1922, the story follows the daily activities on the family’s North Carolina tobacco farm. ...Hitchcock’s story is gently and lovingly written, with elements drawn from her own family history. Its detailed honesty about the particular struggles of the period, especially for strong women (Maude, a no-nonsense midwife, is particularly memorable), is significant.—PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

This is a beautifully written book based on the author's family history and gives teen readers an interesting glimpse at a time in our history when medical interventions were not as sophisticated as they are now and the impact of these limitations on families.
—CHILDREN'S LITERATURE


Hitchcock’s seemingly gentle tale ultimately reveals a powerful tension between Jessie’s love for her baby nephew and her deceased sister, and that of the equally strong pull for independence. .... First love, the risk and thrill of the unknown, a beautiful family that shores her up when she feels weak—all these forces tumble about in a believable manner as Jessie figures out her future one day at a time. You can almost hear the gentle fiddle tune playing in the background as she does so.
—BOOKLIST


Rooted in Hitchcock's own family history, the story of Jessie Pearl has a sincere tone to it that many readers will appreciate. Jessie's character is particularly believable, and readers will be able to relate to her difficult choices. ....
[T]his could be a good choice for a classroom novel study.
—VOICE OF YOUTH ADVOCATES


In time for Women’s History Month, this book offers a realistic and heart-wrenching story of the choices, or lack of choices, women of earlier eras faced. Throughout the book readers will be eagerly awaiting the choice that Jessie makes to determine her future.
—READING TODAY ONLINE

The Launch Party for The Ballad of Jessie Pearl!

My friend, Regine Gordon, hosted a reading and book signing in my honor yesterday. We were thrilled to welcome writers from all over the Tampa Bay Region. This picture is from the event. 

Twenty-five percent of the night's proceeds will be donated to Metropolitan Ministries. 

Fan Mail!

My scanner doesn't do it justice, but this is a card from Nate, a fourth grader who just read 

The Ballad of Jessie Pearl!