About the Book
Book: Liberty Lane and the One-Girl Rebelution
Author: Shaylene King
Genre: Middle Grade Fiction
Release date: December 31, 2020
American Idol meets the bible in this modern retelling of the book of Esther creatively re-imagined for a younger generation
Sir Frederick Preparatory School’s Royal Crown competition is only the biggest singing competition on planet earth! So, when Liberty Lane O’Shea, is catapulted into the singing competition to compete for the coveted crown, it’s a dream come true.
Her dreams are dashed when she meets a beastly contestant who plots to vocally “kill off” anyone who might pose a threat to his rise to fame.
To halt the contestant’s vile ruse, Liberty Lane and her cohorts in crime, best friend Calliope and cousin Lincoln scheme to foil his evil ploys.
When Liberty Lane finds herself blackmailed, she is faced with a tough choice. Will she expose this contestant, divulging a secret of her own, and possibly disqualify herself from the competition? Or, will she watch the other contestants “die” an early Royal Crown competition death, putting the crown surely within her grasp?
Click here to get your copy!
My Thoughts
Liberty Lane and the One-Girl Rebelution should be a good read for middle grade readers and older. The story line is a good one, based on the story of Esther from the Bible.
Building around a singing competition provides a setting that will be familiar for most readers. There are lots of fun characters in the story, each adding their own unique flair. Some of the details appear a little unrealistic, for example, the way it seems junior high/senior high students are just kind of running free with little adult supervision; and there are some points in the story that seem a little disjointed. But I think the intended reading audience will move beyond those elements and enjoy keeping up with Liberty/Libby and her friends (and enemies).
The author draws from the story of Esther in several ways, some subtle and some not so much, without using a "preachy" tone. In the closing pages of the book she gives more detail and encourages readers to dig even deeper by going straight to the Bible.
Thanks to Celebrate Lit for providing a copy of the book. I am happy to share my own thoughts in this review.
About the Author
She is the founder of The Mean Girl Extinction Project a 501(c)3 on-profit created to address the rise in relational aggression among girls. She teaches girls how to not only survive girl world but to make a difference and thrive in girl world. She leads assemblies, workshops and speaks at girls events, camps, clubs and retreats.
Shaylene also teaches and trains the nation’s leading student-led bully prevention program called Safe School Ambassadors. Equipping students with the tools they need to develop self-confidence and practice and promote positive communication with their peers.
Shaylene lives with her husband in Middle Tennessee, sailing the unchartered waters of empty nesting. She enjoys any time she gets to spend with her two grown children who are off exploring the world and living the life God created them for.
More from Shaylene
Liberty Lane and the One-Girl Rebelution was birthed from my love of fairy tales and reading Bible stories to my kids. I have likely read every modern retelling version of classic fairy tales like Cinderella and Snow White and the Seven Dwarves! One night, while reading a Bible story to my kids at bedtime, I noticed it read a lot like a fairy tale, only it was true. What fun it would be to write a modern retelling of my favorite Bible stories! And, rest is history… or at least a re-telling of history!
This book was a labor of love. It was fun to creatively reimagine what an Esther story might look like today. More important, though, I wanted to create a strong, confident young girl, one who was perfectly imperfect, able to think for herself and stand for what she believed in, even when it was hard—a one-girl “rebel”ution. My hope is that girls might connect with Liberty Lane and feel they too can be comfortable in their own skin and stand by their convictions. When they make a mistake, they can right their wrong, hold their head high, and press on. Speaking the truth is never easy to do, but I want them to know, it will always be the right thing to do.
Blog Stops
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Shaylene is giving away the grand prize a $50 Amazon gift card, a signed hard back copy of the book, book bag and 2 BookStubs (Free ebook download) … One BookStub for the winner and one for a friend!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click here to enter.
Thanks for sharing this one! I think my daughter would love this!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your honest review of my book! 😊 You made my day! 💕
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome! I hope your story finds its way into the hands and hearts of lots of young readers!
DeleteMe too :)
DeleteThis sounds like a great book for my nieces! Thanks for your thoughts.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a fun book.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the contest.