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Lenore Skomal wants you to eat her books. She wants you to chew them in your teeth, savor them on your tongue, breathe them in, and feel her words in your skin. Her passionate desire is to touch your heart, inspire you, and luxuriate in the world of the written word. She finds ecstasy in constructing a perfect sentence and responds willingly to the nagging ache in her heart to create an authentic experience for the reader. She is an award-winning author with the single goal of resonating with others. Winner of multiple awards for blogging, literature, biography and humor, her catalogue spans many genres. With 30 years of writing experience, over 17 books published, a daily blog and weekly column, the consistent themes in her work are the big issues of the human experience and adding depth and voice to the intricacies involved in living a multi-dimensional existence. She has won many Society of Professional Journalist awards, the Whidbey Island Writer's Conference honorable mention for best fiction, Writer's Digest 73rd Annual Fiction Contest, New York Public Library's Best Books for Teens 2003, and most recently, the 2012 Next Generation Indie Book Award for humor for “Burnt Toast.,” her first anthology of her award winning humor columns. From journalism, to literary fiction, to humor and biography, her writing is consistent, if not in genre, then in message. Check out her website at www.lenoreskomal.net.
Reviewed by Anne Boling for Readers' Favorite
The setting for this tale is 1954. Eleven year old Patsy was exploring the area around her new home in Sand Flat, Nebraska, when she met Hap. Hap was a little taller than she was and about the same age. He told her he had “real Indian blood running through these veins . . .” She had her gun with her and allowed Hap to shoot with it; she was an excellent shot but Hap wasn’t very good. Hap lived with his father, a man that made good money but spent most of it on beer. At his father’s insistence Hap looked for a job. Hap carefully hid the money in a hollowed out book under his bed. A thief stole every penny; the thief was his father. When he was drunk he was mean. Patsy and Hap quickly made friends and played cowboys and Indians. Soon Beah and Raz joined them and the four became great friends. The girls saw the bruises on Hap and Patsy realized his father beat him. On the night of a sleep over everything changes.
WOW! "Third Willow" by Lenore Skomal is a coming of age book for young adults. The author has provided discussion questions at the end of the story. The plot is simple and straightforward. Each of the children carried their own burden. While the plot focuses on Hap and Patsy, Beah and Raz lend much to the plot. The story is told from the point of view of the children allowing the reader to witness the emotions at work. Hap’s story has a bittersweet ending. I will not share it with you; read the book. As an adult I was reminded of the differences between the social mores of the 50s compared to today’s society. I highly recommend this book for middle school and older. This is one you won’t want to miss.
