I just returned from a beautiful quick trip to Duluth, MN, one of my favorite cities. It doesn’t make its way into the City Atlas, but I feel quite away gazing out at that moody inland sea, Lake Superior.
Here’s to lots of dreaming and hopefully at least a bit of traveling for our City Atlas and Activity Fun Pack winner — Brandy! Please e-mail me at jillswanson61@gmail.com with your mailing address and I’ll get those off to you.
For my third giveaway — and there’s at least one more so please keep coming back so I can have the joy of sharing all these books! — I have a copy of the newly-named, National Book Award winner in Young People’s Literature, Raymie Nightingale.
This book comes courtesy of the wonderful folks at Candlewick Press who consistently publish such extraordinary titles for us. I think I was supposed to give this away for summer reading — oops — but Raymie is the perfect snuggle-up-in-the-chill-of-fall read, so I think we’re still good.
Honestly, Raymie is an unusually powerful book. I’m going to refer you to my original review to learn about it more in-depth. This is a novel that settled deep in my bones and keeps stirring in my mind in the months since I read it. Kate DiCamillo’s exploration of her own griefs and losses stemming from an absent father, and her work of alchemy — of spinning that straw into gold — pouring herself into these unforgettable characters, shining light on the miraculous healing potential in friendships and in ordinary people’s heroism in their care for one another — that’s what’s embedded in this story.
orange marmalade 
I started middle school as a 10-year-old and made a new best friend that year, Suzannah. 30 years later, we are both turning 40 this year… She lost her mother to breast cancer when we were still in middle school, and she has battled breast cancer herself. Suzannah is a dear friend still and a HUGE book lover. She teaches 4th and 5th graders in a small town and inspires them to become avid readers like herself. I am thankful for her friendship for 3 decades now!!! Thanks for the giveaways!
Beautiful. That sounds like an amazing friendship.
My best friend when I was 10 was Gail H. Every day after school we walked home together and stopped at a little candy shop on the way. Our favorite treats included orange sherbet, pistachio nuts, rice crackers, preserved fruits and lollipops. All the candies were displayed in clear glass jars — so colorful and the stuff of dreams. 🙂
Thanks for the Raymie Nightingale giveaway. Kate’s one of my favorite authors and I’ve heard amazing things about this book.
Lovely! What a vivid image!
Sounds like a great book. I didn’t meet my bff until I was 12 but she has been a friend for life. Just ask our husbands, who get a little sick of hearing about our great friendship!
I love hearing about l-o-n-g friendships!
Easy – Merilea! I bought and read Raymie when you first reviewed it… Such an enjoyable book!
I’m glad you liked it!
My best friends at the time were Amy and Rachel…and I also met Katie that year and she is still one of my closest friends!
Long-haul friends are the best!
Social media gets a thumbs up from me because it allowed me to find and reconnect with a friend that I had lost. Since I was the older by 8 months, a fact that she reminds me of regularly😉, our friendship began at HER birth. After her husband died from a heart attack at a very young age, life took us in different directions. I made a few attempts to find her to no avail. Recently I did find her through social media, and it was as if no time had passed. There is no friend quite as special as one you have grown up with. New friends become part of your heart, but those relationships are built on the foundations of love be and trust you develop from your early years.
Oh my goodness, I’m happy for both of you! I agree — those lifelong friends are quite significant.
When I was 8 or 9 I wrote into a magazine to be matched with a pen pal. She became my closest friend during those awkward pre-teen years. We provided a space for each other to voice our own thoughts and offer our understanding. I’m not sure what I would have done without her. We still keep in touch and still talk about someday meeting each other.
What an amazing story to be a part of, Rose! Hoping you two meet up!
My best friend when I was 10 was Nanci. I was a lonely child, because there were many years between my 3 sisters, one brother and me. Twenty-one actually between me and the twins who come right before me in the family! My siblings were more like second parents to me,so Nanci became like a sister to me. Actually, her whole family were and are still like family to me, and even though she lives in Delaware and I’m in New York, we are still close.
What a sweet provision. I love that you have remained close.
My best friend when I was 10 was Caroline. Around that age we were doing a lot of sticker trading. I think my oldest and I would both enjoy learning about Raymie!
I love that we can still access what was important at age 10. I agree — you would both enjoy meeting Raymie!