Lone Star Book Blog Tour: BLUE SKIES by Anne Bustard ***REVIEW & GIVEAWAY***

BLUE SKIES

by

Anne Bustard

Middle Grade / Historical Fiction
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Date of Publication: March 17, 2020

Number of Pages: 224

***Scroll down for the giveaway!***

Ten-year-old Glory Bea Bennett believes in miracles. After all, her grandmother—the best matchmaker in the whole county—is responsible for thirty-nine of them so far. Now, Glory Bea wants a miracle of her own—her daddy’s return. The war ended three years ago, but Glory Bea’s father never returned from the front in France. She believes Daddy is still out there. When reports that the Texas boxcar from the Merci Train—a train filled with gifts of gratitude from the people of France—will be stopping in Gladiola, Glory Bea just knows Daddy will be its surprise cargo. But miracles, like people, are always changing, until at last they find their way home.

PRAISE FOR BLUE SKIES:

“I loved Blue Skies so much I couldn’t bear for it to end.” --Patricia Reilly Giff, Newbery Honor author of Lily’s Crossing and Pictures of Hollis Woods “A heart-warming (and occasionally heart-wrenching) delight of a book . . .” --Joy Preble, Brazos Bookstore "A tender story of grief and the gentle comfort of loved ones." -- Kirkus Reviews

CLICK TO ORDER ON: ┃  Amazon  ┃  BookPeople  ┃  IndieBound ┃

Blue Skies by Anne Bustard is a coming-of-age story about an 10-year old girl who struggles to cope with the loss of her father who never returned from the war in France over 3-years ago.  Her family tells her he died on Omaha Beach, but Glory Bea refuses to give up hope.  With her loving grandparents and mama by her side, Glory Bea is hoping one day her father will return and make her family complete once again. From trying to become a professional matchmaker to keeping her mama and her daddy's best friend from falling in love, Glory Bea has her work cut out for her.  But, through it all are her good friends Ben and Ruby Jane, who never once let her give up hope or expecting her miracle.

Bustard does a wonderful job bringing Glory Bea's character to life as a young girl from a small Texas town who has to deal with a secret hope that her father may return on a train coming soon to her town.  No one expects this but Glory Bea, but the hope of a little girl expecting to see her daddy on that train is palpable.  Her relationships between her friends Ben and Ruby Jane are heartwarming and accurate for children of their age; including childhood crushes, unrequited love, and the unexpected.

The story is written through the eyes of Glory Bea and you can see the growth of her character throughout the story. Bustard does an excellent job giving us that small-town Texas feel with all the polite manners and courtesies of the time period.  You certainly hope for Glory Bea's and her miracle by the end of the story.  Middle-grade readers dealing with similar emotions or situations will relate to Glory Bea and even her friends Ben and Ruby Jane! 

Blue Skies is a heartwarming story that will keep your rooting for all the characters and their own happy endings!  I couldn't put it down! I had to see what happened in the end!  A great book for your middle-grade child and/or library!  

5 Hearts!

💖💖💖💖💖

Anne Bustard is the former co-owner of Toad Hall Children’s Bookstore in Austin, Texas, and an MFA graduate of the Vermont College of Fine Arts. She is the author of the middle grade novel, Anywhere But Paradise, as well as two picture books, RAD! and Buddy: The Story of Buddy Holly, which was an IRA Children’s Book Award Notable and a Bank Street Book of the Year. Hawaii-born, she divides her time between Texas and Canada.

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GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!

THREE WINNERS

Each receives a signed copy of Blue Skies 

March 17-March 27, 2020

(US ONLY)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

VISIT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:

3/17/20	Notable Quotable	The Clueless Gent
3/17/20	BONUS Post	Hall Ways Blog
3/18/20	Review	Jennifer Silverwood
3/19/20	Playlist	All the Ups and Downs
3/20/20	Author Interview	Chapter Break Book Blog
3/21/20	Review	Story Schmoozing Book Reviews
3/22/20	Guest Post	StoreyBook Reviews
3/23/20	Review	Missus Gonzo
3/24/20	Review	The Page Unbound
3/25/20	Top Ten List	Rebecca R. Cahill, Author
3/26/20	Review	That's What She's Reading

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