The middle-grade years stand out as the time when all these things are connected to the biggest emotions, too. You go from elementary school, where family is everything, and you look forward to so much because you're also changing and you feel mature and grown up - and you're not. They also have a 25-year-old daughter who lives in San Diego. "Nostalgia was definitely a part of writing the book, and I wrote it thinking about middle school and how friendships start to change," says Florence, 55, speaking by phone from the home she shares in Mystic with her husband, a rescue dog, a rabbit and two ducks. ![]() The awards are presented annually by the New England Independent Booksellers Association, and winners recieve $250 for literacy donated to the charity of their choice. "Black Brother, Black Brother" by Jewell Parker Rhodes and "Show Me A Sign" by Ann Clare LeZotte. Other nominees are: "From the Desk of Zoe Washington" by Janae Marks "Chirp: by Kate Messner In Florence's fluidly capable words, Keiko, Jenna and Audrey come to life in "Keep It Together, Keiko Carter," published in May by Scholastic Books and nominated last week as a finalist in the Best Middle Grade Novel category of the New England Book Awards. Of course, it's also true Keiko is a fictional character, one developed with aching affection and insight by Mystic author Debbie Michiko Florence, known in children's literature for her popular Jasmine Toguchi chapter books. That includes a first dance, long anticipated crushes/kisses that become reality, and that initial giddy step up the path that means you're not just a kid anymore.įorty years from now, Keiko will probably still feel just as tenderly about all this - although the nostalgia will be faintly daubed with a bittersweet patina suggesting Life isn't always what you planned or hoped for. And why not? With her best friends Audrey and Jenna, Keiko will launch into middle school and that blossoming stretch of life when friendship is forever and anything is possible. Keiko Carter believes this - her seventh-grade year - will be the best ever for anyone at any time. ![]() Mysic author's middle grade novel nominated for New England Book Award
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