I won a copy of Clyde McCulley’s middle grade novel, Panther Creek Mountain, as part of a book giveaway hosted by the author. I like stories about country kids making their own fun and being independent while making good decisions, even if they do inadvertently run into trouble.
Reminiscing about childhood
This novel reminds me of my childhood. While I grew up in the suburbs and liked watching TV and playing video games as much as the next 90’s kid, when I went out to play, I played hard, coming in dirty, always looking for a way to make money, and venturing out further and further from my home the older I got. Reading books about kids having real adventures always inspired me to make my own.
You don’t have to inhabit an unconventional lifestyle in order to have a good story to tell. Sometimes you just need to go out with your friends and siblings and see what you can come up with in your own surroundings. My neighborhood was idea for adventures. Walk two blocks one way, and you had a row of small businesses to explore. Walk two blocks in the other direction, and you had the woods, the creek, and the train tracks to explore. There was also the library, the playground, and the elementary school to meet at and find something to do. As a result, I wrote my own book about these childhood adventures, The Castle Park Kids.
Supporting other writers
Reading McCulley’s book brought back these memories and reaffirmed that childhood in any era or culture is an adventure. I also think it’s important to support other writers. We can like and retweet all day, but in the end, we really just want people to take the time to read our work. I encourage all of you middle grade authors to do the same. Even if you don’t buy the books, enter their giveaways, read the books, write a review, and support your fellow authors.
You can read my full review of Panther Creek Mountain at HubPages here.
Buy it!
Buy a copy of Panther Creek Mountain here, and help support local bookstores! This is an affiliate link, and I will earn a commission on any sales.
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