I'm so excited to announce the release of the 8th book in the Too-Clever series, Kacie’ Chicken & Dumplings. Early reviews have been awesome - I'm told they love the chapter book format and readers love how the character grew and developed from when she was first introduced. Here's a bit about the book:
Back Blurb:
Ten, almost eleven, year old Kacie went on a no dinner strike when her parents refused to prepare her favorite meal, Chicken and Dumplings. She had tried tears, tantrums, being a goody two-shoes, but nothing worked. So now, she has resorted to this hunger strike.
After two days on the strike, she
would have given up already had it not been for the time she spends on the
telephone with her best friend, Holly. Holly gave her encouragement which kept
her going. She didn’t know what she would have done without Holly. She shared
everything with her. They were inseparable, that is until a new boy, Paul,
moved into the neighborhood and began attending their school. Now Holly had no
time for her, she was more interested in talking with Paul. Unfortunately, Paul
was interested in talking with Kacie, what a dilemma. All Kacie wanted was to
have chicken and dumplings for dinner and have her best friend back. Why do
things have to be so difficult?
In this eighth installment in the
Too-Clever series, young readers will once again relate to Kacie’s growing
pains as she copes with everything, from learning to make do, to almost losing
her best friend to secret crushes.
Read a Five Star Review:
Too Clever VIII: Kacie's Chicken and Dumplings is a contemporary fiction novella for preteens and children, grades 4-6, written and designed by Dr. Julia E. Antoine. Kacie had been promised chicken and dumplings on the night before her birthday, and she had been looking forward to that treat all day. She was what her parents called a picky eater, but it wasn't her fault that she didn't like the same things that her parents and older sister, Sandra, liked. When she got to the dinner table and found fish stew with root vegetables waiting for her, she had had enough. It was time for a food strike. She still had a bit of breakfast in the morning and as little as she could of the awful school lunch, but no dinner. After a few days, she was starting to feel weak and tired all the time, but still no chicken and dumplings. Her mom and big sister were not terribly sympathetic, but her dad was concerned enough to get her something she had wanted for an awfully long time -- a puppy. She was thrilled with little Callie and promised to take care of her properly, train her, and take her on walks, but she still wasn't ready to give up on the hunger strike until her dad told her that her mom was thinking about taking her to the doctor.Dr. Julia E. Antoine's contemporary fiction novella for children and preteens, Too Clever VIII: Kacie's Chicken and Dumplings, captures the sometimes chaotic and confusing world preteens find themselves in. Kacie can't wait until she's 13, her big sister's age, and the first of the teen years. Things seem so much simpler for Sandra who has taken it upon herself to be Kacie's minder, tormentor, and arch-enemy. Worse yet, Sandra seems so poised and perfect, and it’s all so effortless. Kacie's world quickly changes when she gets Callie, who's her dream come true, but also a challenging new responsibility. Also, her best friend, Holly, seems more interested in the new kid, Paul, who seems to be smarter than Kacie -- something else she's not at all comfortable with. Kacie's Chicken and Dumplings is an entertaining and well-written story that kept my attention and interest throughout the tale. Antoine's illustrations are polished and professional and work so well to bring this story to life. The vocabulary used is age-appropriate with a few challenging words thrown in from time to time, and the story touches on a few important preteen issues, such as sibling relationships, first crushes, friendship, and academic competition. Too Clever VIII: Kacie's Chicken and Dumplings is highly recommended.
You can pick up a copy at:
Too-Clever.com, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and ENVISION School Publishing.
