Bronte's Book Club, UPDATED

Hello Readers,

Kindle & paperback

I'm happy to announce an updated Bronte's Book Club with a new cover by my son Cody Rutty, an author interview, a brownie recipe, and tips for starting your own book club. The story:

It's a pretty summer day at Gray's Beach when 12-year-old Bronte moves to this small California beach town. Shy and lonely, she tries to form a book club in order to make friends. It has a rocky start with jealously, quarrels, and gossip. But as the girls discuss the historical novel Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell, they see parallels in their lives and that of the main character, Karana, the real-life Chumash Indian who had lived alone on San Nicholas Island during the mid-18oos. As the girls reflect on, and quote from the story, they begin to discover true friendship. And of course, a good dog is involved!

Gray's Beach is also the setting for Cabin Creek Mysteries #10 & #11: The Shadow at Shark Cove and The Legend of the Haunted Lighthouse, when Bronte's cousins Jeff, David and Claire visit for the summer.

When Characters Go Swimming

 The water temperature was 46 degrees when these Seattle swimmers plunged into Elliott Bay last April. Some wore wetsuits, others were bare armed. Yikes, I thought, as I watched from the beach with these two seagulls. 

This reminded me of an editor's comment: "Kristi, I noticed that in all your books a character goes swimming. Even Cleopatra." Well, yes, of course! I'm a swimmer. When writing about Egypt, the Oregon Trail, or a sunny beach in California I get thirsty. Hot. Oh, if only Bronte or the Cabin Creek cousins could jump in and cool off ... hey, wait! They can! My pen soon describes the scene and all is well. I can finish the story. 

The Shadow at Shark Cove

Bronte's Book Club and Cabin Creek Mysteries #10 and #11 are set in Gray's Beach, a small town by the sea on the West Coast. It was fun to add sharks and octopuses, boogie boards and salt water. Diving under waves is a cold thrill but definitely 20 degrees warmer than in Seattle. 

I'm not sure if I'll write about an ice water swim. But you know, on second thought, I've heard that an amazing creature lives deep in Elliott Bay: the Giant Pacific Octopus.  Now that is an interesting story!

New teacher guides

Hello readers, parents, and teachers,
I'm very excited to announce that I'm making study guides for all my books. They're free and fun! I hope they can serve as a good start for branching out into your own discussions and thoughts, so I've included activities, writing and drawing prompts, a recipe, and some secrets about myself :)
Please feel free to download them here: http://kristianagregory.com/
*  Bronte's Book Club
*  Jimmy Spoon and the Pony Express
*  Madame Mustache and the Boys of Bodie
*  Nugget: The Wildest, Most Heartbreakin'est Mining Camp in the West
*  Seeds of Hope: The Gold Rush Diary of Susanna Fairchild, 1849
*  Stalked: Danger and Fury on Ellis Island 1912
*  More to come!

a new reader for "Bronte's Book Club"

Happy 8th Birthday to Audrey! She has three little sisters, a dog, and now her first chapter book: Bronte's Book Club.
She's a second-generation friend because her mom read my stories when she was a girl. Very cool! I hope Audrey enjoys this one, so close to my heart:

When twelve-year old Bronte moves to a small California beach town, she tries to form a book club in order to make friends. It has a rocky start with jealousy, quarrels, and gossip. But as the girls discuss the historical novel Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell, they see parallels in their lives and that of the main character, Karana, the Chumash Indian who had lived alone on San Nicholas Island during the mid-1800s. As they reflect on, and quote from the story they begin to discover true friendship. And of course, a good dog is involved!