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Albert Camus

Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.

Thursday, February 28, 2019

into the forbidden forest - Clover by Chelsea Flagg

"While this novel is a breeze to read, it’s also clearly thoughtfully constructed as the author has threaded surprising reveals throughout the plot to keep readers consistently engaged. Flagg writes in a fun, easy to read style and this story would be particularly well-suited for reading aloud to young readers. Such readers are sure to enjoy the many enchantingly cute creatures featured in Tinsey Clover." Sophie, Goodreads

Description:

Tinsey Clover is smart. She’s brave. Also, she can’t carry a tune to save her life. Oh yeah, plus she's an elf the size of a chipmunk. When her bizarre magical power grows in and makes her feel like a total outsider in her own village, Tinsey sneaks into the forbidden forest on a journey to find someone more like her. From trolls to dragons, what she discovers along the way challenges everything, and everyone, she thought she knew. 

A coming of age story for early middle grade fans of Sarah Mlynowski, Kate DiCamillo, and Chris Colfer.

GUEST POST
Forbidden things and coming of age 

TINSEY CLOVER is the story of a spunky little elfin girl in the Icelandic Bungaborg Forest. She feels frustrated because her village isn’t allowed to leave or interact with anyone else in the forest. Certain there’s more positivity out there than she’s been taught to believe, Tinsey sneaks out of her village and finds herself on quite the journey. Using her great math skills, some quirky magic, and help from some unlikely new friends, Tinsey learns that sometimes things aren’t quite what they seem. 

While it’s an intentionally light-hearted story suited for a younger Middle Grade audience, there are some seriously deep topics tackled throughout the tale. 

For starters, Tinsey’s an eleven-year-old girl who feels an injustice in the way things are handled in her village. She challenges her elders, her brother, and even her parents to try to change her little world. And when those elves in authority don’t pay attention to her, do you think she just sits back and accepts that? No! She challenges that even further. It’s a huge part of her growth arc. Her coming of age. It’s also the start of her dabbling in forbidden things. 

She’s not supposed to leave her village, yet she sneaks out anyway in search of something different. Something more. But, also something forbidden. 

It doesn’t matter if we’re eleven year old kids, or full grown adults; we all face similar stories to this. Maybe not as literal or as dramatic, but every single day, we wake up and make the decision to accept things for what they are, or to challenge them. Of course, the easy choice is usually to accept them, but are we being true to ourselves when we don’t dabble in those forbidden things that call out to us? 

This is one of the messages I hope TINSEY CLOVER plants upon its young audience. It’s okay to challenge things. In fact, we need to challenge things in order to grow. And, you’re not too little. You may feel that way, but look at Tinsey. She’s an elf the size of a chipmunk, but she made a huge difference. You can make a huge impact. 

About the author:
Chelsea was born and raised in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado, where she spent countless hours writing stories. Mostly about cats.

In 2015, she published her first book: a quirky memoir for adults called I'd Rather Wear Pajamas that talks all about the journey through her young adult life that led to her becoming an author. It was an Amazon #1 best seller for five straight days and continues to elicit full belly laughs from its readers. 

After the birth of her children, Chelsea shifted her writing to the kidlit world. She’s thrilled to share her newest baby: Tinsey Clover. 

Chelsea lives in Boulder with her husband and three practically perfect daughters. Unfortunately, she doesn’t own any cats.


Author's Giveaway
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11 comments:

Stephanie LaPlante said...

Sounds like a great book.

Nancy P said...

Like the fun cover.

Dale Wilken said...

Sounds really great.

Victoria Alexander said...

Sounds like a good book!

wendy Hutton said...

thanks the book sounds great

Goddess Fish Promotions said...

Thank you for hosting!

Chelsea said...

Thanks so much for hosting me today!
Chelsea (author)

Debbie P said...

This sounds like a perfect book to read with my niece. Awesome cover!

Dan Denman said...

I like the colorful book cover. This sounds like a fun fantasy adventure.

Debra Branigan said...

I like the colorful cover and the story sounds enjoyable. Congratulations on the book.

Bridgett Wilbur said...

Great cover.