Book Review: Beneath the Slashings

Beneath the Slashings captivated my attention from beginning to end! It is Michelle Isenhoff’s third book in the Divided Decade Trilogy, but each book stands alone.  Not only is Isenhoff an expert storyteller, but she also teaches the reader a thing or two about history and — get this — she does it painlessly.

History was not my favorite subject in grade school, but I never read a book like this one back then.  Beneath the Slashings brings history to life!  The characters are convincing in their dialogue and have true-to-life problems and issues.  It is easy to picture the lumberjacks as they squabble or tease each other.   Also, Grace Nickerson is a compelling main character because she is easily relatable and filled with an appealing  sense of wonder.

It takes place in Michigan during post Civil War times, when soldiers are returning home.  It is an era of reconstruction, but 12- year old Grace Nickerson wants no part of it.  She wants to stay on the family farm and resume normalcy, thank you very much.  She lost so much already and craves the stability she’d get from the farm she’d known her whole life.  Her father, however, returns from the war with the firm decision to take her, and her twin brother Sam, far away to a lumber camp.  This dampens their relationship and sets off the journey from her familiar home in Saginaw County to the unknown forest in Manistee.

When Grace arrives at the Bear Creek Lumber Camp, she is fearful as she meets colorful characters with strange names like Fiddlesticks and Ivan.  Despite her anger at her father for taking her there in the first place, she starts to adjust to the completely different lifestyle.  However, she discovers that mayhem and even attempted murder are afoot.  Grace is determined to find out who is behind the wrongdoings, but she must first overcome her fears.

Readers can’t help but learn about history as they read this entertaining book.  Isenhoff is a children’s novelist who writes with students in mind.  Further, she provides teachers with a Classroom Resources Series to help them get “maximum mileage” of her books.

My favorite thing about the book is that the characters’ voices resonated with me for days after I finished reading it!  It was as if they were real people that I visited….back in time!

Rating for Beneath the Slashings, by Michelle Isenhoff:

Maggie’s View ~ Two Thumbs Up MUST READ!

For more information, go to:

Website; Blog; Facebook; Twitter; Goodreads; Book Trailers

To purchase, go to:  Kindle; Nook; Paperback; Smashwords

“I write for kids.  In my books, you can expect adventure and substance, but I’ll always respect the innocence of our children.” Children’s Novelist, Michelle Isenhoff

 

 

 

Other books by Michelle Isenhoff:

 

Travel Tip – staying connected for cheap

My adventures in Japan included walking about town in Asakusa where locals ride bikes everywhere.

Vending machines were abundant.

You could even buy BEER from vending machines. Hmmm…

Needless to say, I saw a lot of different customs.  To combat the culture shock, I was happy to stay in touch with family and friends back home.

I played Draw Something … on the bullet train en route to Hiroshima, Japan.

I introduced my host Japanese family in Toyota City, Japan…to my family back home in Michigan.  They even got a tour of my home (thanks to my daughter) and watched a YouTube video of my son’s garage band gig. How cool is that?

I kept up my blog posts, including pictures, during early jet lagged mornings and airport layovers…in Japan and later Seattle, Washington.  Writing as I went helped keep things fresh.

I exchanged texts with my teenagers in the U.S…while I was in Tokyo, Toyota City, Hiroshima and Kyoto.  I loved seeing what they were up to and they knew they could text me any time.

 

Kyoto – Days 9 to End

Prior to leaving Hiroshima, we toured the Calbee (snacks) plant. What’s unique about these snacks is that many of them have shrimp!  Also, at this particular plant, none of them are fried.  I loved the snap peas snack the best.  I hope their snacks will one day be in America soon.

Like at most places we visited, we wore slippers (gray ones).  Then, when you go to the bathroom, you switch into bathroom slippers (pink ones).  I also switched to bathroom slippers at my host family’s home.

After the tour, we headed off to the train station.  Isn’t this little guy cute? In Japanese you say “kawii” –rhymes with Hawaii. The children learn to take train very young.

Their public telephone doesn’t look like ours, but what’s similar is that people only use it for emergencies since

 

Tokyo – Days 3 and 4

The jet lag is getting slightly better and it’s been unexpectedly cooler in the mornings. Also, it’s been sunny in the afternoons — during this “rainy season”.  I lucked out!

My breakfasts consist of fish, like salmon, veggies, white rice, fruit and LOTS of coffee.  (The coffee is really to help the jet lag).  Of course, I’ve been eating from the hotel’s amazing buffet, so this is not necessarily what everyone eats.

Counter-clockwise: fried vegetables in the small bowl on the left, sweet potato, salmon, fermented beans, white rice, bread with chocolate filling,and  seaweed.  I LOVE the fried vegetables but the fermented beans are gooey and needs lots of soy sauce.

Day 3:

I went to an elementary school to both observe and teach classes. This is the main purpose of my visit.  When we first arrived, I was struck by the combination of urban and nature areas.  The school is across from a train station and large senior citizen apartments while it is also surrounded by beautiful old  trees, fields and gardens.

 

Domo Arigato – 6 days to go!

It’s over 6,000 miles from here to Tokyo!  As I finish getting ready for my AMAZING trip, I can’t help but think about all the Japanese families who make the 6,000 + mile trip to America AND put their kids in our schools.  Think about it.  You travel that many miles and (jet-lagged) are expected to acclimate to American culture and schools — not to

 

Shih Tzu Antics

Guess who’s turning NINE?  Our littlest family member, Max!  His spunky yet calm personality keeps us smiling every day and I can’t imagine life without this little piece of heaven.

Max was the calmest of his brothers and sisters.  While they were running amok chewing ears and tails, he

 

18 Days to Japan

Friendship (Yuujou)

My motto for trying new food for my upcoming trip to Japan is: try ANYTHING once and THEN ask what I ate! This motto served me well at my recent ETJ orientation dinner.  I ate steak, tuna, salmon, shrimp, eel, octopus, jellyfish, seaweed, liver (from some type of bottom feeder fish) and other delicacies at the fabulous Cherry Blossom of Novi Japanese Restaurant.

And, oh boy, I tried almost everything!!  (The octopus was a bit chewy, by the way.)  There was soooo much food!  I’m glad I’ll be walking a lot (and sweating from the humidity) because otherwise, I would gain weight! I learned that the Japanese use soy sauce the same way Americans use ketchup.  Also, it’s much easier to eat

 

Soccer Tips for Newbies

A funny thing happened one morning when I casually asked a friend how she got into such amazing shape.  She opened my eyes to a whole new world of …women’s SOCCER!  Wait. What? At that point, my daughter had played on a few teams and I’d gone to all her games and practices (most were cold and dreary), but grown-ups play too? It was music to a young mom’s ears, who craved – yes CRAVED – to get into shape.  Only thing was…I’d NEVER played before.  Not in college.  Not in high school.  Heck, not even in middle school.  In fact, I

 

Waste it or master it

It makes the difference between being fit or not.  Can be wasted or used efficiently. Make or break… a relationship.  We have no control over it, yet can choose how to use it.  Wisely.  Or not.  We have too little or too much, yet it never changes.

What is it?

The answer is a simple four letter word: time.

As a young stay-at-home mom, I used to put off doing the laundry.  We must have had a ton of clothes because we never seemed to run out of clean clothes.  (Truth be told, occasionally I did have to buy extra underwear.)  Our days were filled with fun outings, learning and loving opportunities.  I loved spending time with my children and justified the growing pile of dirty clothes.  I glanced at the eyesore and imagined spending hours of drudgery, wasting time away from my priority: my children. Clothes could wait. It wasn’t too bad, anyway. Or so I thought.

 

R.I.P. Caylee

Today’s “not guilty” verdict in the Casey Anthony murder trial brought tears to the masses, but not tears of relief. There were tears of anger. Tears of sadness. Tears of resentment. Tears of disgust. This storm of emotion by the public was broadcasted on every news channel since the verdict was reported.

Why so much emotional response to this particular acquittal? Many believe two-year old Caylee died at the hand of her own mother. And she just got away with it.

O.J. Simpson verdict all over again.

People diligently watched the trial unfold on T.V. and knew the “not guilty” verdict was always a possibility, but did anyone really think she’d be found “not guilty”?

This case resonates with all of us because Caylee was an innocent child who was obviously murdered and the elaborate cover-up by her mother suggests she’s guilty.

Mothers all know the awful feeling when your heart STOPS for that second when you think you lost your little one in the store. What’s the first thing mothers do in that case? Mothers panic, yell the child’s name and get help, all while searching frantically for that little precious one.

Who did that for Caylee?

I don’t propose to know the truth of what really happened, but at the very least, isn’t it a crime of neglect to pretend your child is NOT missing? She didn’t report Caylee missing for at least THIRTY days!

I really don’t buy the story about Caylee’s “accidental drowning” in the pool, but if it really was true and Casey didn’t do anything about it – again, isn’t there a crime here? That’s negligence in the worst way!

As the prosecutors stated, when a child is drowning (100% of the time) someone calls for help. They call 911. They try to save her little life. To give her a chance.

Did Caylee get that chance to live?

I highly commend the prosecutors. Many will criticize them and second-guess them, but they probably didn’t have all the evidence they needed to convince the jury. They used the evidence they had to work with, but I’m sure they wish they could’ve had forensic teams from C.S.I. shows to completely prove her guilt. Alas, C.S.I. shows are fictitious and I’m guessing the technology they use doesn’t exist. Yet.

Watch out Casey. One day, your lies will catch up to you and so will technology. (Yes, I know about the double-jeopardy rule, but I’m guessing she’ll be found guilty of something else). Even if you get away with it here on earth, God will be your Judge and He knows what really happened.

It’s sickening to think that Casey is free. Free to re-invent herself. Perhaps publish a book. I truly hope that doesn’t happen. No self-respecting publisher should agree to that and no one should buy even one book. I know I never will and I promise to boycott the store that tries to sell that book.

 

I pray for the true victim here: Caylee. May you rest in peace, little angel. I know God is holding you in His heavenly arms and He will always love you.