Eclair Goes To Stella’s by Michelle Weidenbenner

NEW RELEASE…CHILDREN’S BOOK BY MICHELLE WEIDENBENNER

Hi, I’m Éclair and I’m seven. My sister Meggie is two. When mom got sick we had to go live with Stella, my dad’s mom, the one with maroon colored hair. I begged Dad not to make us stay with her because she beat her horse and was going to eat her rooster, but he didn’t believe me. Even after I pretended I was going to barf, he left us with Stella.

So there we were, Meggie and me, on a strange pink farm with a skinny horse, a mean rooster, and Stinky Stella who had a living room filled with dead deer heads.

What would she do to us?

Would we end up on her wall too?

Book Reading Age
First – Third grade GIRLS. 5 – 9 year olds

My Thoughts:

This book is delightful! My 7 year old daughter and I read it together and we both loved it. Eclair (Emily Clair) is your typical 7 year old girl. She has her life that she is accustomed to with her mom, dad, sister and best friend. She doesn’t like change but that is what she gets! When her mom gets sick and has to go to a hospital far away and her dad has to travel to seek employment, Eclair and her sister go to live with her grandmother. A purplish redhead who doesn’t want to be called grandma.

Eclair sees her horse that is covered in sores and looks like it has been starved nearly to death. She hears Stella, her grandmother, threaten to chop its head off and eat it and she sees all these deer heads hanging in the living room. She automatically assumes that Stella is evil and that she kills and eats her animals. She doesn’t want to stay. She tries to hide in her dads car before he can leave.

But she does stay. And she learns that things aren’t always how they initially appear. Farms aren’t necessarily “stinky”. Quirky grandparents aren’t necessarily mean. And change isn’t always bad.

I think that Michelle Weidenbenner did an excellent job with this story. It can be read fairly quickly and it isn’t your typical childrens novel and that is great! The storyline is different than what we usually find in the kids section. It invokes a wide array of emotions and shows us that while some change is bad, like Eclair and Meggie’s mom getting sick, some change can also be good. Eclair and Meggie meet a grandmother they didn’t really know, experience life on a farm and make new “friends”. Eclair also learns to look out for her little sister.

If you’re looking for a book to read with your child, check out Eclair Goes to Stella’s by Michelle Weidenbenner. It’s a great story and we can’t wait to read more!

Our Daughters Thoughts:

“I loved it mama!” I thought some of the parts were really sad. When Eclair’s mama has to go away because she is sick. And when Eclair sees the horse that has all those sores. And when her dad leaves to go find work. There are some sad parts, and some scary parts like when Stella says she’s going to kill the rooster and eat it, but if you keep reading the book, it is really good. I like how they describe Eclair and Stella and Meggie. I like how the horse goes to Eclair and she names it and I like how the story ends. Did her mom get better? We don’t know yet but I like how Eclair starts to see Stella as her grandma.

There you have it. Reviewed by a 7 year old!

Buy the Book from…

Amazon.co.uk     Amazon.com     Barnes and Noble

“Do you want to name her?” Stella said.
I squeezed my eyes to think again. “Star. She looks like a movie star.”
“I love it.” Stella reached up to give me a high-five. “Star, it is.”

About the Author

Michelle grew up in the suburbs of Detroit with five brothers.  She enjoys writing her novels and encouraging writers and readers alike. She is living her dream writing stories of real people searching for their dreams and confronting their fears, showing the passion of the characters’ plights, often giving her the ability to show the reader the ‘other’ side of the story. When she is not writing she enjoys life on the tennis court and is known as “Queen of the Rim Shots.”

Her debut novel, CACHE a PREDATOR, a geocaching mystery. was launched in July, 2013 and has been an Amazon best-seller in the crime/thriller category.  Her other works include: Willow, Scattered Links, Kelly’s Story, Eclair Series, and The Vision in a Kiss.  She has won contests in both The Writer’s Journal and The Writer’s Digest. Love is Just a Word (Scattered Links) was a bronze medalist is the 2010 Frasier Contest, a 2011 semi-finalist in the ACFW Genesis Contest, and won the Aspiring Writer’s Contest withe THE READING ROOM, 2013.

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I received this book to review through Beck Valley Books Book Tours, all the opinions above are 100% my own.

NOW FOR THE AUTHOR’S GIVEAWAY

5 Lucky Winners !! 1st Prize – $25 Amazon.com or Paypal Cash (WW) plus Sterling Silver & Brass Horse Charm Necklace and Signed Eclair Book 4 more winners will each receive a Signed Eclair Book (Amazon GC/Paypal Cash open Worldwide – Necklace/Signed books open to US/CA/UK)
Ending on Thursday 25th September at 11.59pm EST

Horse Charm Necklace from Chapman Jewelers, Warsaw, Indiana Sterling Silver and Brass Brown Satin Cord – Extends 16″ – 18″ (not red cord as shown in image)

Enter Below and Good Luck !!

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