Great Middle Grade Novel

Of course, on St. Patricks Day I am profiling a book that takes place at Christmas!  How is that for timing.  Well at least the cover is green so no need to pinch me.

I love it when I come across a can't put down read that isn't as well known.   It is the reason I do this blog and always puts a spring in my step.   There, I have justified my existence for the day ... guess I can't ask for much more than that, except maybe a pony.

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Title:       Nickel Bay Nick

Author:   Dean Pitchford

Target:    Grade 4-8

Series:     No

What this book is about: 
Sam is having a crappy Christmas - there I said it.  His father’s bakery is loosing money, his mom just remarried and didn’t tell him and the infamous “Nickel Bay Nick” who mysteriously leaves $100 bills around town has disappeared and left the whole town in a funk.  To top it off,  Sam's many “antics” have left him hanging with a less than stellar crowd of kids, the police are keeping a careful eye on him and his relationship with his father is tenuous and strained at best.  Sounds like a good story so far, doesn’t it? 

Just hang on!  When he crosses paths with an old widower, he has the chance to do some good for the town.  But will it be enough to help him turn his own life around?

Why I love this book:  
I held on to this book for quite a few weeks and it just never made it into my must read pile.  My picky reader son was looking for something to read and I shoved it in his hands and told me to tell me if it was worth my while.  Well, after several hours I had seen hide nor hair of him and it turned out he hadn't left his room, he couldn’t put the book down.  He read it straight through and proclaimed it a 10 out of 10! 

I started it the next morning and low and behold I didn’t put it down and finished it the same day.    It is really good!  Sam must perform a series of tasks for our old widower, and many of them are quite suspenseful and must be done in secret.  The reader is hanging on with Sam, hoping for his success and cringing every time he runs into an obstacle.  The family struggles in Sam’s life made the suspenseful parts feel real which probably added to their authenticity and our vested interest in seeing Sam succeed.

Who this book is for:  
Kids who like realistic fiction and action books will enjoy this one.  

Final thoughts: 
Everyone needs a little goodwill.

To purchase this book:
Click on the following link to connect to Amazon: Nickel Bay Nick  A portion of each purchase goes to support this blog at no cost to you.