Violet Raines Almost Got Struck by Lightning by Danette Haworth is my favorite kind of juvenile fiction — a new novel that has a timeless feel, which allows the youngsters to have fun everyday adventures (the kind of adventures that today’s non Free-Range Kids don’t even dream about having).
Eleven-year-old Violet Raines is a girl whose life as she knows it in small-town Florida is about to change. There’s a new girl in town, Melissa Gold, who just moved from the big city of Detroit. Violet’s best friend Lottie is charmed by her big house and big-city obsessions with make-up and TV stars, and Violet feels left out. What’s more, Melissa thinks that the friendship between Eddie and Violet must mean something romantic, and that complicates things between the two of them.
Violet is the kind of protagonist that kids enjoy following. She’s larger-than-life, unafraid, and quirky (doing things such as slowly tracking dragonflies and collecting big words in her word box). My one complaint is that the dialect (including improper grammar) got a bit tiresome after a while.
However, the timeless feel and accurate look at friendship and growing up makes Violet Raines Almost Got Struck by Lightning a book that Amanda (10) and I both enjoyed.
The author has donated a copy for us to give to one of you as well. If you’d like to win a copy, please leave a comment here (one entry per person, please). This giveaway is for U.S. residents only. We’ll announce the winner in next Wednesday’s giveaway post.
The winner of Pajama School is #14 – Amy @ Hope is in the Word
Feel free to enter our other current giveaways. Subscribe to our feed. Follow us @5M4B on Twitter. (These do not earn you extra entries, but we don’t want you to miss anything!)
Jennifer Donovan loves keeping one toe in childhood by indulging in children’s literature when she can. She blogs at Snapshot.
Would love to win this book.
Happy Summer!
Sounds like a good book
Sounds like a great book!
Would love a chance to read.
Looks great! Thanks for the giveaway!
The summer is so hot and I need a great novel to escape the heat…..have a cool drink and curl up on the couch with.
Another nice book. I would like to read this one. Thanks!
This sounds like so much fun!
My granddaughter would love this book.
I would love to win a copy of the book.
My daughter would like this!
Looks good. Thanks for the giveaway~
I think my kids would like this book.
Thank you for the AWESOME GIVEAWAY.. Please count me in 🙂
my niece would love it
My daughter would enjoy this!
Thank you for the chance to read it!
A great book to read and pass on to my cousins three girls.
I would love this book!
Sounds like a good story! My 11yo DD would love it
SOunds like a lovely novel!
I would love to win it & read it!
Sounds like a good book. Thanks for the chance!
Enter me please! This looks like a cute book.
It sounds like a fun quirky book. Thank you
I have a forever young at heart 13 year old girl I know would like this story.
Even the title of this book sounds creative! Thanks for the wonderful giveaway!
I’m a proud subscriber!
Please enter me into the contest. Thanks!