ages 8 to 13 Archives - fundinmentalfundinmental

MY REVIEW

The Secret Winners Club by Donna Gilanti is written for those between the ages of eight and thirteen, but I think people of all ages can relate to the message: Embrace your own unique self because you’re special just the way you are.

Each chapter begins with an illustration that spotlights a character’s point of view. I love when an author adds that something extra to the story.

Thirteen year old Sunny Whitlock is the main character. She has alopecia, an auto immune disease that caused her to lose her hair. I love the way she deals with it, by making her own headscarves. She doesn’t hide with bland colors, but bursts with colorful designs. She also has joined the junk bot club competition. Her father owns the scrapyard in town, so she has access to a lot of the parts, but her father also donates parts to the club. She gets picked on because of his work. It’s still the usual that we all struggle with, the haves and the have nots and those that are considered different, ouside the norm.

Sunny’s best friends are also auto immune deficient and together they form The Secret Winners Club. The goal is to step outside of their comfort zone, support each other and to win…at any cost. Do you see where this is going? What will be the cost of putting winning ahead of all else? This is one of those things…it’s a great idea, but they are doing it for the wrong reasons. As they begin to succeed, they learn the cost of their decisions.

The Secret Winners Club is a coming of age story that shares thoughts, feelings, and actions we can all learn from. I loved how the characters developed, learning life lessons as they strive to achieve the goals they set for themselves.

Tbank you Donna Galanti for the opportunity to read The Secret Winners Club.

ABOUT THE SECRET WINNERS CLUB

1^st Rule of The Secret Winners Club:
Do whatever it takes.

Thirteen-year-old Sunny Whitlock has alopecia; an autoimmune condition that’s made her lose her hair—and she’s desperate to be seen as more than just the bald kid. But how? By setting an epic goal: win her school’s junkbot club competition. And if she’s #1, then other kids will have to see beyond her disease … and she’ll finally fit in.

Sunny’s immune-deficient best friends are also tired of looking different and achieving second place in their school competitions. With a bold plan, Sunny bands with them to create The Secret Winners Club, a club devised to win—at any cost—and push them outside their comfort zones.

They promise to trust no one else. It’s all classified! And in total secrecy they aim to help one another become #1 before this middle school year is over. But as they start to succeed, they quickly discover that crossing the line and hurting others can make them even more visible and even more an outsider.

Bookshop / Amazon / B & N / Books A Million / Apple

ABOUT DONNA GALANTI

Donna Galanti is the author of the middle-grade ooks Unicorn Island series, Joshua and the
Lightning Road series, and Loon Cove Summer. She’s lived in fun locations including England, her family-owned campground in New Hampshire, and in Hawaii as a U.S. Navy photographer. Donna is an avid outdoor adventurer and nature lover. She volunteers for the Old-Growth Forest Network and the National Audubon Society. For details on her books, events, and school programs, visit donnagalanti.com.

GIVEAWAY

Donna Galanti is offering a paperback (US ONLY) or ebook (International) of her book, Loon Cove Summer. Entry is easy peasy.

Enter a comment that answers the question, do you go on summer vacations?

Giveaway ends 3.10.26

MY DONNA GALANTI REVIEWS

A Human Element
A Hidden Element
Joshua and the Lightning Road
Joshua and the Arrow Realm
Unicorn Island
Unicorn Island (Secret Beneath The Sand)
Unicorn Island (Beyond The Portal)
Loon Cove Summer

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Book Series Details:

Book Series Title: PUPS & PURRS SERIES by Sunny Weber
Category: Middle-Grade Fiction (Ages 8-12)
Genre: animals/pets
Publisher: Pups & Purrs Press
Release date: Oct 6, 2017, Aug 8, 2019, August 23, 2019,
Content Rating: G

Book Series Description:

Mission: Humane education through storytelling.

Each book in the Pups & Purrs series features Classic Coming of Age stories with multi-layered themes and messages for a wide variety of readers.

Ages 7-10 will enjoy the surface of the stories; ages 10-13 will begin to see the messages; ages 13 and up will begin to identify with the deeper themes.

Each book reflects issues children experience and the animal characters give voice to emotions that children often cannot.

The main goals of the series are:
To Help children who have difficulty verbalizing their life stresses but who can identify with animals. The animal characters experience the same issues: e.g.: social isolation; personal identity conflicts; bullying; rejection; lack of power; decision-making; growing up challenges.
To Provide humane education for children: teaching what animals need; to develop empathy; seeking to see the world through animal eyes; assisting in the early development of altruism.
A major goal is to turn potential animal abusers around–avoiding the inevitable escalation to violence against people. Children begin abusing animals when they are abused, or see abuse modeled in the adults around them. The P&P series seeks to give children more constructive options through humane awareness of animals as sentient beings.
To Teach through storytelling and entertainment: by encouraging reading by featuring colorful characters and engrossing stories.
To Develop early problem-solving abilities/analytical thinking: the animal characters show how to set goals and develop step-by-step accomplishments to attain those goals. They face the consequences of their decisions and grow in personal responsibility.
To Promote the humane treatment of all creatures and the environment by furnishing tools for parents, teachers, counselors, and humane educators at home, school, in therapeutic settings, and at animal rescue environments.

Buy the Series:
Amazon.com

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