TUESDAY TEASER, hosted by The Purple Booker asks participants to copy a couple of lines from a current read at random, give the title and author, and post it on their blog (or in the Reply area below if you do not have a blog.) I am always interested in what you are reading, and I often add to my TBR list to be looked into.

Here is my TT for Tuesday, December 17,2019. It is from Jo Knowles’ Where the Heart Is:

“Ivy peeks her head through my bedroom door. ‘Did .  you hear that?’ she asks.

‘The sound, not the words,’ I say.

‘They’re fighting about money again.’

‘What else is new?’ I asked .

‘I hate it,’she says.

‘They’re just stressed–don’t worry. They still love each other.’

‘They sure don’t s sound like it,’ she says. They sound like they hate each other.’”

This conversation could take place in the bedroom of any pair of sisters in the USA, unfortunately enough. How kids cope with quarreling, financially-stressed-out parents is only one of the issues this Cybils book contender presents. So far, ALL of the books I have read which target students in grades 5-8 have dealt with relevant issues of kids today. All of these books have been recommended by school librarians, who wish to recognize good writing and helpful advice on the part of the authors competing. I have felt so honored to be a first level reader and help pick the five to seven finalists for the Cybils awards.