 |
| Summer is the perfect time to take a good book outside! |
Mornin, everyone! Pardon my absence, but daily life and some new copy editor jobs have a way of getting in the way of a good blog post! Hope everyone is having a lovely start to the summer season. Here in Michigan, we try to eke out every ounce of summer we can. Our summers are amazingly beautiful here...how can they NOT be with the crystal-blue shorelines of our Great Lakes and the towering pines of our gorgeous forests? Michiganders are proud of our state and its beauty. No other state compares! Both peninsulas are breathtaking, but the Upper Peninsula (simply "the UP" to we Michiganders) is especially lovely in summer.
 |
| Lovely, cold, Lake Superior. The Great Lake Gordon Lightfoot once sang about: Gitche Gumee! |
 |
| If you were a seagull and lived on Lake Superior, you'd chill out on a rock in the sun, too. |
 |
| Me and my floppy hat, lovin' the peace and quiet of the UP. |
 |
| Believe me, I watched and watched...no such luck on our trip. I can dream. |
 |
| A Michigan sunset in the northern Lower Peninsula. Yummy. |
I'm still hoping our family can get "up north" this summer, but if not, I'll have to live through memories of summers past. Nothing beats a time of relaxation in the calm, warm weather and nature of a Michigan summer, but packing along summer reading books for those downtimes or the occasional rainy day is a must.
Which brings me to...summer reading! I know my readers have plenty of summer reading, whether it's mandatory or not! Most Catholic schools have summer reading lists, and I'm pleased to see that my three books are on them across the country. For many, Olivia and Josh and the rest of the gang are becoming their good companions.
For teachers and parents, don't forget that I have free PDF discussion guides I can email you that go along with the books. Feel free to email me at Nancy (at) harveyhousepublishing (dot) com and I'll get those right out to you! Like, immediately, so you can start discussing all of Olivia's adventures with Hayley and her grandma and Chad and all of the shenanigans (Grandma's word, not mine) that they can get into! And of course, Josh and good old Pie, who forge an unlikely friendship as Josh starts 8th grade.
For teachers, principals and librarians who need to know the more technical side of things, on the
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level scale, Olivia and the Little Way scores 4.3; Olivia's Gift scores 4.6; and The Gate scores 6.1. Usually the Olivia books are taught in grade three/four in many Catholic schools, and The Gate in grade six.
It doesn't matter where you go this summer; even if it's your own back yard, you can still enjoy summer reading! Happy reading!
 |
| Petoskey stones are fun to collect. But you have to be near Petoskey to do it. |
