Tina L. Peterson has been fighting gravity her whole life. She was never any good at making balls go where she wanted them to on the playground, and she skinned her knees a lot. Her favorite classes were English and Science, but she couldn’t stand Gym. She also knows what it’s like to be stared at for something embarrassing that you can’t control, as she had to wear a helmet at school for the first few weeks of first grade. It’s a long story involving a fast sled and a tree.

Originally from Boulder, Colorado, Tina lives in Texas with her husband. Her favorite children’s authors are Roald Dahl, E.B. White, Judy Blume, and L.M. Montgomery.

She has a Ph.D. in mass media and communication from Temple University, and she is on the board of directors of the National Association for Media Literacy Education.

In this debut novel, author Tina L. Peterson brings to life a charming character the reader will want to root for, in his unforgettable adventure taking on a major force of the universe. An awkward, klutzy third-grader discovers an old abandoned caboose and inside it, an antidote to gravity – the force of nature that’s always making him trip and fall.

Oscar has an issue with a law of nature he’s learning about in science class. Because he’s a klutz, the force of gravity must be his nemesis. It pulls him down, trips his feet, and generally humiliates him. It also seems to be on the side of a 6^th grade bully who makes his life difficult. But he can’t do anything about it…or can he? One day after school, Oscar happens upon a spooky old train car in a ravine. Inside it, he makes a discovery that could change his life. Or at least it might help him climb the rope in gym class.

Accompanied by his best friend Asha, Oscar learns a lot about the force of gravity: what it does, what happens when it goes away, and how it can be useful (for keeping spiders where they should be!).

In this page-turner sure to appeal to reluctant readers, Oscar faces the consequences of his actions, struggles with the complications of what’s right and wrong, and ultimately defends himself against the bully. Along the way, he gets to explore an old caboose, float upside-down, ride a ceiling fan, and hang out in the coolest tree-house a kid could want. Congratulations, Tina!

Writing and Listening — an Interview with Brooke Randel

2 weeks ago

As a young girl Brooke Randel knew little about the Holocaust—just that it was a catastrophe in which millions were murdered, and that her grandma Golda Indig barely escaped that fate. But her Bubbie never spoke about what happened, and the two spent most of their time together making pleasant memories: baking crescent roll cookies, playing gin rummy, and watching Baywatch. Until an unexpected phone call when Golda said, out of the blue: “You should write about my life. What happened in the war.” What results is a fascinating memoir—about one woman’s harrowing survival, and another’s struggle to excavate theRead more…