The Widowhood │Sometimes You Get Things Back

One of the things I had to give up when my husband died was the publishing contract that I had on my middle grade/high school fantasy novel that I had worked so hard on and was so excited to see coming to print. It was a gutting decision, but one that I ha to make because I knew that with three kids on my own there was no way that I was going to be able to fulfill the terms of my contract. I balled my eyes out when I wrote the email that would begin the process of letting it too be a dream I had to let go of.

Sometimes though, after the tragedy and the chaos, the universe and a lot of hard work brings things back to you. This fall will bring back my dream of seeing The Sekrit Keepers of Slay Valley come to life on paper. I am so excited to share my first novel in about 10 years and hope that this signals a chapter in my life where my writing and art are again at the forefront of it.

Dr. Katherine Kuzma-Beck HartLeave a comment

Book Review │Peter Green and the Unliving Academy by Angelina Allsop

“Fourteen-year-old Peter Green woke up knowing only three things: the proper way to put on a tie, that lemon custard was disgusting, and that he was dead.”

Peter has died and he has no memory of it or his life before his untimely death. He has found himself with a ticket to a special school of dead orphans just like himself: Mrs. Battisworth’s Academy and Haven for Unliving Boys and Girls. There he finds many kids just like him– dead and forgetful of their life before. Now, as supernatural beings, all of the children are figuring our what their powers are as is Peter, but Peter can not seem to shake the feeling of having forgotten something extremely important. Is is someone that he loved? Is it someone who was important to him in life? Or, is it something more sinister…like someone that he has forgotten is in serious danger?

The students at Mrs. Battiworth’s won’t be allowed to have their memories back until the graduate, however. Peter’s adventure unfolds with magical creatures, teachers who are snakes and enchanted objects like the chalk…that BITES!Together with his unique group of friends, Pete is off for an adventure through his life in purgatory or is it his death? Either way, this novel is full of magic and adventure.

Even though Pete is 14 years old at his death, the character reads as several years younger than that. The novel does not explore big coming-of-age things or even romance that older middle and younger high schoolers tend to gravitate towards, but rather, it focuses on the friendships and the experiences that Pete and his friends undertake in the afterlife. Peter Green and the Unliving Academy is best suited for early middle school to upper elementary, in this teacher’s opinion.

Be prepared for a large cast of characters and a lot of action throughout the novel. Even the slow parts weren’t all that slow and this made for a nice Friday night read.

Book Information

Peter Green and the Unliving Academy by Angelina Allsop was released on November 18, 2018 by TCK Publishing with ISBN 1631610643. This review corresponds to a paper galley that was supplied by the publisher in exchange for this review.

Dr. Katherine Kuzma-Beck HartLeave a comment