bookworm

I love to read. 

Both of my parents love to read.

Most of my brothers love to read.

We are a bunch of bookworms.

I become more bookworm-ish when I've started reading a really stellar book; I lose track of time, I care for the characters in the book nearly as much as I care for my real-life friends, I would sometimes rather sit in seclusion to finish whatever book it is that's captured my attention and adoration than to hassle with work and the likes...

That's bookworm-ish, right?

That's not to say that I don't love spending time with real people. I LOVE real people. My people are the best!

But (mostly) that's not what this post is about.

I recently read a book called "Miss Mabel's School For Girl's" by Katie Cross.

Here it is. So far, this copy has been read by me and my folks.

I met Katie...a handful of years ago. At church. Back before she became a Cross. Animated and lively and smart and engaging, Katie was always fun to talk to.

After a couple of years, I moved out of the neighborhood, then Katie got married and left the state, and we lost touch. (I mean, we're Facebook friends, so I kept track of her when she and her husband got a puppy and things like that, but that's hardly the same as chatting face-to-face at church and social events.)

And then she wrote this book. It was published in March of this year; I bought, I read, I loved.

Katie's imagination is incredible. Her characters are strong. The story moves right along without any sort of boring gaps just to fill the pages, which is something I appreciate terribly.

The heroine in "Miss Mabel's" is Bianca, a smart and strong-willed 16 year old who carries a family curse; a curse that was cast years before Bianca was even born, and a curse that will kill her in the very near future if she doesn't play her cards just right. The curse can only be lifted by the one who cast it, and that character is a real piece of work. (Seriously; I called the **antagonist villain a heifer to Katie in an email, and Katie agreed with me. She also said that the villain is a lot of fun to write.)

I know that was a really short and concise summary of the book, but the truth is that Katie tells her story much better than I can possibly recap. The crux is in the details, and the pivotal, mysterious secrecy is woven into every page. 

I love how Katie gives her readers what we need to know—the bare essentials—while withholding the bigger bits of vital information that we don't even realize we're missing until it's right there in front of us.

I could go on. It's crazy to think that "Miss Mabel's School for Girl" is Katie Cross's first novel. She writes like a champ, and I can't wait until the second book is published! (Did I forget to mention? "Miss Mabel's" is the first book in what is known as the Network Series. One down, three to come (maybe more!). Be excited!)

 **Antagonist is not an evil enough word; villain is more suitable...