Agent Spotlight: Joyce Sweeney Interview and Query Critique Giveaway

Today I’m thrilled to have agent Joyce Sweeney here. She is a literary agent at The Seymour Agency.

Hi­ Joyce! Thanks so much for joining us.

About Joyce:

1. Tell us how you became an agent, how long you’ve been one, and what you’ve been doing as an agent.

I’ve been an agent exactly one year. I have been a client of The Seymour Agency for years and I was having lunch with Nicole Resciniti and she offered me the job. It was nothing I had ever even thought about but the minute I did think about it, my heart lit up.

About the Agency:

2. Share a bit about your agency and what it offers to its authors.

    

The Seymour Agency covers a wide range of genres and styles, adult and children’s authors. I think what it offers the most are a group of truly supportive agents. We all help each other and we commit to our authors and their dreams.

What She’s Looking For:

3. What age groups do you represent—picture books, MG, and/or YA? What genres do you represent and what are you looking for in submissions for these genres?

I represent picture books, both fiction and non-fiction, and middle grade fiction. I have a wide range of interests and am always looking for under represented voices. I love STEM, lyrical and outrageously funny picture books. In MG I also gravitate toward humor, but I will look at fantasy, sci-fi and adventure as well.

4.  Is there anything you would be especially excited to seeing in the genres you are interested in?

I would like to see more LGBTQ projects and some great mysteries.

What She Isn’t Looking For:

5. What types of submissions are you not interested in?

Even when I think they are lovely, I tend to not get excited about super quiet books, especially with rural settings, small towns, etc. I’m usually not the right agent for historicals either, but the right one can break that rule.

I don’t rep YA or graphic novels. Or anything adult. And I am not a huge fan of bathroom and poop stories.

Agent Philosophy:

6. What is your philosophy as an agent both in terms of the authors you want to work with and the books you want to represent?

We have joked among me and my clients that I like optimists. I like clients who understand this is a difficult task but who know how to be resilient and hopeful.  I like a lot of communication and collaboration. I am a sucker for a great voice or anything that stirs the emotions.   

Editorial Agent:

7. Are you an editorial agent? If so, what is your process like when you’re working with your authors before submitting to editors?

I am very editorial because I was a developmental editor and writing teacher for 25 years. I am super picky and usually a book has to go several rounds with me before it is ‘ready’ to submit.  This applies to everything, including PB’s. Sometimes it takes a lot of drafts to get those words perfect. 

Query Methods and Submission Guidelines: (Always verify before submitting)

8. How should authors query you and what do you want to see with the query letter?

Our requirements for The Seymour Agency are on the website: a query email, and paste in the entire PB or first five pages of a fiction manuscript. Periodically, like now, I close to submissions so I can work on existing clients intensely. I usually announce on Twitter if I am open or closed. In the query I want to see a great pitch and signs that the author has been working hard on their craft for a while and didn’t just dash off their first idea. 

9.  Do you have any specific dislikes in query letters or the first pages submitted to you?

Sending me things I don’t represent. That just wastes everyone’s time. Hyperbole about the book’s amazing sales potential. Just give me a simple pitch and I can see what will work for me and what won’t. 

Response Time:

10. What’s your response time to queries and requests for more pages of a manuscript?

I respond to queries very fast. Requested manuscripts take longer because I am reading my clients’ work first and then I get to the requested list. But it is always fine for requested authors to check in and certainly to update me if another agent is showing interest.  If a manuscript is urgent, I will take it out of order. 

Self-Published and Small Press Authors:

11.  Are you open to representing authors who have self-published or been published by smaller presses? What advice do you have for them if they want to try to find an agent to represent them?

I do not represent authors who have self-published. I have several clients who have published at small presses. I know that handicaps them in moving up to larger ones, but I take that as a challenge!

12. With all the changes in publishing—self-publishing, hybrid authors, more small publishers—do you see the role of agents changing at all? Why?

I don’t think self-publishing affects us that much. It has its own lane and we have ours.

When I began, I did not sub to the smaller houses, but I have since learned some of them are terrific and many clients are happier in a small home than a larger one.

Clients:

13. Who are some of the authors you represent? 

Gabriele Davis, Peggy Robbins Janousky, Aixa Perez-Prado, Katie Venit, and Lori Dubbin to name a few.

Interviews and Guest Posts:

14. Please share the links to any interviews and guest posts you think would be helpful to writers interested in querying you.

https://fromthemixedupfiles.com/new-agent-spotlight-joyce-sweeney-of-the-seymour-agency/

Update on 4/25/2025

Interview at Writing and Illustrating Part1, Part 2, Part 3 

Links and Contact Info:

15. Please share how writers should contact you to submit a query and your links on the Web.

My website is joycesweeney.com

Query: joyce@theseymouragency.com  I’m on Facebook, Twitter @JoyceGrackle and Instagram Sweeney1217.

Additional Advice:

16. Is there any other advice you’d like to share with aspiring authors that we haven’t covered?

Keep querying! Because of the sheer numbers of queries, I have to turn down great work every single day. Keep going till you find the agent who can’t resist you.

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Joyce.

Joyce is generously offering a query critique to one lucky winner. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower (via the follower gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment through May 22nd. If your e-mail is not on your Google Profile, you must leave it in the comments to enter the contest. If you do not want to enter the contest, that's okay. Just let me know in the comments.

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry. This is an international giveaway.

Have any experience with this agent? See something that needs updating? Please leave a comment or e-mail me at natalieiaguirre7@gmail.com

Note: These agent profiles and interviews presently focus on agents who accept children's fiction. Please take the time to verify anything you might use here before querying an agent. The information found here is subject to change.

 

Guest Post: Jessica Lawson on the Twists and Turns on the Way to Publication and Tina Dubois Query Critique and How to Save a Queendom Giveaway

Happy Monday Everyone! Today I’m thrilled to have Jessica Lawson here to share about her new MG fantasy How to Save a Queendom. I’ve had her on the blog many times since she was a debut author and have loved watching her continue grow as an author. I’m super excited to read her new book. I want to find out more about the little wizard in Stub’s pocket.

New Literary Agent Database

Before I get to Jessica’s guest post, I want to share about a new agent database created by Humayun Khan, an author who has a YA book being published in 2022. The database is QueryCat and features agents who represent PB through adult fiction. It looks like a good resource that you may want to check out. I've added a link to it on my sidebar.

Interview with Jessica Lawson

How to Save a Queendom Book Summary:

From critically acclaimed author Jessica Lawson comes a whimsical fantasy about an orphaned twelve-year-old girl who is called upon to save her queendom when she finds a tiny wizard in her pocket.

Life’s never been kind to twelve-year-old Stub. Orphaned and left in the care of the cruel Matron Tratte, Stub’s learned that the best way to keep the peace is to do as she’s told. No matter that she’s bullied and that her only friend is her pet chicken, Peck, Stub’s accepted the fact that her life just isn’t made for adventure. Then she finds a tiny wizard in her pocket.

Orlen, the royal wizard to Maradon’s queen, is magically bound to Stub. And it’s up to her to ferry Orlen back to Maradon Cross, the country’s capital, or else the delicate peace of the queendom will crumble under the power of an evil wizard queen. Suddenly Stub’s unexciting life is chock-full of adventure. But how can one orphan girl possibly save the entire queendom?

Now here’s Jessica! 

Twists & Turns on the Way to Publication- A post (and giveaway!) by Jessica Lawson

Let’s talk about dance parties and pizza. Every time I’ve been fortunate enough to sell a book, I’ve celebrated with those two things, rocking out with my daughters and scarfing up slices of cheesy goodness. After all, there’s nothing quite as exciting as getting a phone call or an email letting you know that a publishing dream has come true, and that a book you wrote will be in the world in just a year or two! But what happens after the book deal when your story takes a little (or a lot) longer to make its way into the world?

How to Save a Queendom is the story of a girl named Stub, who’s only friend in the world is a runty chicken. Stories come to writers in so many ways—when I first came up with the idea for this tale, I was browsing through items at a craft festival. I picked up tiny handmade pewter statues of a wizard and a chicken, and instantly knew that they had stories inside them. About a week later, a young girl named Stub leapt into my imagination. She was feeling trapped and needed a way to set herself free—with those elements set firmly in my mind, the adventure began!

My manuscript was sold on proposal in February of 2017. At that point, I was lucky enough to have had a middle grade book coming out every year since 2014. Suffice to say, I was a bit spoiled by previous experiences and expectations, and thought that maybe the book would be published in 2018.  

Selling on proposal can be a tricky business. QUEENDOM was not my first time with that experience, but this story was different for me. While I had plot points nailed down and knew the direction I wanted for my protagonist, my execution of a first full draft didn’t turn out to be as clear and focused as I intended. It was my first story in the fantasy genre, and there were SO many paths I could have traveled in order to reach the end of Stub’s journey. The result? A longer amount of time needed to finish a complete manuscript, and LOTS of revisions.

Writing Stub’s story was a journey in itself. Characters were both removed and created. Beasts were taken out of the manuscript or reworked. While fulfilling her quest, Stub constantly reminded me that life is full of ups and downs, ins and outs, monotonous routines and magnificent surprises. And, of course, hope.

My editor was extremely supportive as we worked through the direction of the book, but inevitably, the publication date was pushed back. It was a little disheartening, especially when having conversations with friends and family (THEM: “When’s your book coming out?” ME: “Um, I don’t know.”), but I was determined to work toward a manuscript that my editor and I could both be proud of. There were phone calls and email exchanges and long documents written by me about world-building, plot, and strategy. I rewrote the manuscript to change it from 3^rd person to 1^st person. The publication date was pushed back again.

And then, in early 2020, right around the time when my daughters’ schools closed down because of the pandemic, I got a phone call from my literary agent. My editor had changed jobs and was now with another publishing company. This happens a lot in publishing—it can be a marvelously flexible world, where people are encouraged to grow and pursue new opportunities while retaining relationships within the industry. I completely understood why the scheduled release of the book was delayed again. And I also understood how hard it must have been for a new editor to be assigned to an unfamiliar author and manuscript.

My new editor jumped into the manuscript with enthusiasm, and we revised some more. And now, four years from the time the book sold, How to Save a Queendom is in the world!

Here’s the thing: I wouldn’t trade the long-haul nature of this book for anything. The writing lessons I learned during the process were invaluable, and I’m so grateful for them, and for everyone who supported me along the way. Publishing can be unpredictable, and our writing journeys can sometimes be more challenging than expected. But in the end, it’s always worth it!

Now, back to dance parties and pizza. I’m a big believer in celebrating every milestone of a book’s journey, whether it’s writing that first paragraph, typing THE END on a first draft, or having a post published on one of your very favorite blogs (I’m looking at you, Literary Rambles!). So on that note, I’m off to have a cheesy slice and dance with my daughters again. Thank you to Natalie for hosting this post, and to all of you readers and writers out there. As Stub often says to her chicken friend Peck, I’m here. You’re here. We’re here together.

Thanks for sharing your enlightening story with us, Jessica! You can find Jessica at:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JS_Lawson

Website: http://jessicalawsonbooks.com/

To Buy HOW TO SAVE A QUEENDOM: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/How-to-Save-a-Queendom/Jessica-Lawson/9781534414341

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday is hosted by Greg Pattridge. You can find the participating blogs on his blog.

Giveaway Details

Jessica has generously offered a hardback of How to Save a Queendom and her agent Tina Dubois has offered a query critique for a giveaway. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower of my blog (via the follower gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment by May 22nd.  If you do not want to be included in the critique giveaway, please let me know in the comments. If your e-mail is not on your Google Profile, you must leave it in the comments to enter the contest. Please be sure I have your email address.

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog and/or follow me on Twitter, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry for each. You must be 13 years old or older to enter. The giveaway is U.S. for the book giveaway and international for the query critique.

Upcoming Interviews and Giveaways

Wednesday, May 12th I have an agent spotlight interview with Joyce Sweeney and a query critique giveaway

Sunday, May 16th I’m participating in the Moms Rock Giveaway Hop

Monday, May 17th I have an interview with debut author Payal Doshi and a giveaway of her MG fantasy set in India Rea and the Blood of the Nectar

Wednesday, May 18th I have an agent spotlight interview with Michelle Hauck and a query critique giveaway

Monday, May 26th I have a guest post with agent Maura Kye-Casella and debut author Sam Subity with a query critique giveaway by Maura and a giveaway of The Last Shadow Warrior, a MG fantasy by Sam

Hope to see you on Wednesday!

 

Debut Author Interview: Daniel Aleman and Indivisible and Peter Knapp Query Critique Giveaway and IWSG Post

Happy Wednesday Everyone! Today I’m excited to have debut author Daniel Aleman here to share about his YA contemporary Indivisible. I’m super excited to read it because it deals with immigration, deportation, and how a teen Mexican-American boy must deal with it. Being part of a Mexican-American family, it’s great to finally have this book and others that feature Hispanic characters and issues to read.

Here’s a blurb from Goodreads:

A timely, moving debut novel about a teen's efforts to keep his family together as his parents face deportation.

Mateo Garcia and his younger sister, Sophie, have been taught to fear one word for as long as they can remember: deportation. Over the past few years, however, the fear that their undocumented immigrant parents could be sent back to Mexico has started to fade. Ma and Pa have been in the United States for so long, they have American-born children, and they're hard workers and good neighbors. When Mateo returns from school one day to find that his parents have been taken by ICE, he realizes that his family's worst nightmare has become a reality. With his parents' fate and his own future hanging in the balance, Mateo must figure out who he is and what he is capable of, even as he's forced to question what it means to be an American.

Daniel Aleman's Indivisible is a remarkable story -- both powerful in its explorations of immigration in America and deeply intimate in its portrait of a teen boy driven by his fierce, protective love for his parents and his sister. 

Before I get to my interview with Jennifer, I have my IWSG post.

Posting: The first Wednesday is officially Insecure Writer's Support Group Day.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

The awesome co-hosts for the March 3rd posting of the IWSG are  Erika Beebe, Pat Garcia, Tonja Drecker, Sadira Stone, and Cathrina Constantine!

Optional Question: Has any of your readers ever responded to your writing in a way that you didn’t expect? If so, did it surprise you?

My only readers are my critique partners and a few people who are reading chapters as I write them. Yes, my critique partners always make comments and suggestions for questions that I need to answer that I didn’t expect. I find that my writing gets stronger and my plot deeper when I listen to them. It’s been a great learning experience for me.

What about you? Are you surprised by your readers’ responses to your writing?

Interview With Daniel Aleman

Hi Daniel! Thanks so much for joining us!

1. Tell us about yourself and how you became a writer.

Thank you so much for having me! I have always loved telling stories. From a very young age, I would make drawings on a piece of paper and then tell my mom the story behind them. I moved on to writing short stories at age seven or eight, and full-length novels by the time I was a teenager. For a very long time, this was something I did out of pure passion. When I’m writing, I always feel like I’m home, so at first did it only for myself. Several years ago, I started pursuing traditional publishing, and so I started querying literary agents. After many rejections and several shelved manuscripts, Indivisible was the book that helped me connect with my agent!

It has been a long and difficult process, but I have learned many lessons along the way. One of the most important ones is to always persevere. No matter how many rejections you receive, as long as you keep writing and keep improving your craft, you will get to where you want to be!

2. That’s great that you’ve been writing since you were a kid. Where did you get the idea for Indivisible?

At the start of the last presidential term, I started to feel a strong urge to write a story about family separation. This was a time when we were hearing a lot about immigration, and the vast majority of the rhetoric was extremely hateful. I wanted to break through this conversation with a story that felt human, emotional, and sincere, and that spoke about immigration from a compassionate lens. I feel as though a lot of the time, we are used to hearing about these topics from purely legal or political standpoints, and so I wanted to write a book that challenged misconceptions and which served as a reminder that immigration is, first and foremost, a human issue.

3. You grew up in Mexico City and have lived in different cities in North America. How much did you draw on your own experiences or those of people you knew in writing your story?

This is, ultimately, a work of fiction, but there is a lot of myself and my family in this book. Mateo, the main character, is very similar to me, so many of his feelings, dreams, hopes, and struggles are a reflection of my own. I found that, the more pieces of my real life I inserted into the story, the more realistic the character felt, and this led to a cathartic journey of self-exploration through this book. There is something so unique about examining your own identity through a fictional character, and this experience taught me a lot about myself and the way I interact with the world around me.

4. That’s great that you could draw on your own experiences and learned a lot about yourself in the process. Your story sounds like a real page turner. What were some of the ways you kept the tension up so that readers want to turn the page?

I like to focus on my stories on a scene-by-scene basis. The golden rule I follow is that each and every single scene must be doing one of two things: Advancing the plot or revealing character. But, ideally, each scene should achieve both! This really helps keep readers engaged, as it makes the story feel as though it is always progressing.

5. Those are great rules to follow. What was your plotting process like? What did you learn from it and has the process changed at all for your current manuscript?

My plotting process is always quite intricate. I like coming up with pretty detailed outlines, and I love having a full image of the whole story from start to finish before I start writing. I learned an infinite amount of things from the process of writing and editing this book, particularly since this was my first time working with professional editors. I used to find big revisions a bit daunting, but this process has taught me that anything is possible—rewriting full character arcs, cutting entire plotlines, rewriting huge chunks of the book. I was reminded that I do have the power to create the story that exists in my mind, exactly as I envisioned it. It only takes hard work!

With my current manuscript, I’ve been trying to keep all these lessons in mind. Mostly, I’ve been trying to remind myself that first drafts are never perfect, and that it’s okay to just get the story down on the page and then go back to it later to revise.

6. I wish I could create detailed outlines like you. Share a bit about your main character, Mateo. Tell us three things that you really like about him.

Mateo is a Mexican-American teenager living in New York City. He is a Broadway enthusiast, and his biggest dream is to become an actor one day, but his life and his hopes for the future are interrupted when his parents are taken away by immigration authorities. My favorite things about him are his strength, his fierce devotion to his friends and family, and the way in which he is always able to persevere even when things feel hopeless.

7. Your agent is Peter Knapp. How did he become your agent and what was your road to publication like?

I connected with Peter in October of 2018 through #DVpit. We did a relatively fast round of revisions together, and then we went out on submission. One thing I have learned is that it is crucial to have an agent by your side who is truly your advocate. Peter has stuck by me through all the ups and downs of publishing, and I couldn’t be more grateful to be working with someone as talented and knowledgeable as him.

My journey to publication has had many ups and downs, but ultimately, I feel extremely grateful for all the lessons learned along the way, and I feel very lucky to have collaborated with extremely talented editors on this story.

8. What is your favorite social media platform? Why?

I love Twitter because of the big writing community that exists on there. I love using this platform as a way to hear about new books coming out and receive other fun updates from authors. Instagram is my favorite platform to stay in touch with friends and family, and I have also found that there is a big book community on there, so it has allowed me to strike a nice balance between those two worlds.

9. Your book was named one of the five YA books to watch for in 2021 by Forbes magazine and one of Buzzfeed’s most anticipated YA books. How are you capitalizing this and marketing your book?

What’s exciting about these features is that they were completely unexpected. I didn’t know they were coming until they had been published! I am super grateful for all the love Indivisible has received, and ultimately, my hope is that this will help get the book into the hands of readers who need it. The greatest advantage of having publications like Buzzfeed and Forbes talk about the book is that these features have allowed me to connect with more people, and that is one of my favorite things to do. The best part of this journey by far has been forming connections with readers, librarians, booksellers, book bloggers, and fellow authors who all share my same passion for books. I feel so grateful!

10. That’s great that you are making connections. What are you working on now?

I am currently working on my second young adult novel, which is coming in 2022 from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers! It is both similar and different from my debut. It is, once again, a story about immigration, family, friendship, and going after your dreams, but it deals with these themes from an entirely new angle. I can’t wait to be able to share more!

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Daniel. You can find Daniel on Twitter (@Dan_Aleman), Instagram (@danaleman), or you can visit him at danielaleman.com.

Giveaway Details

Daniel has generously offered a hardback of Indivisible and his agent Peter Knapp has offered a query critique for a giveaway. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower of my blog (via the follower gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment by May 22nd.  If you do not want to be included in the critique giveaway, please let me know in the comments. If your e-mail is not on your Google Profile, you must leave it in the comments to enter the contest. Please be sure I have your email address.

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog and/or follow me on Twitter, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry for each. You must be 13 years old or older to enter. The giveaway is U.S. and Canada for the book giveaway and international for the query critique.

Upcoming Interviews and Giveaways

Monday, May 10th I have a guest post by author Jessica Lawson with a giveaway of her MG fantasy How to Save a Queendom and a query critique by her agent Tina Dubois

Wednesday, May 12th I have an agent spotlight interview with Joyce Sweeney and a query critique giveaway

Sunday, May 16th I’m participating in the Moms Rock Giveaway Hop

Monday, May 17th I have an interview with debut author Payal Doshi and a giveaway of her MG fantasy set in India Rea and the Blood of the Nectar

Wednesday, May 18th I have an agent spotlight interview with Michelle Hauck and a query critique giveaway

Monday, May 26th I have a guest post with agent Maura Kye-Casella and debut author Sam Subity with a query critique giveaway by Maura and a giveaway of The Last Shadow Warrior, a MG fantasy by Sam

Hope to see you tomorrow!

 

Life’s a Beach Giveaway Hop

 

Happy Tuesday Everyone! Today I'm thrilled to be participating in the Life’s a Beach Giveaway Hop hosted by The Mommy Island and The Kids Did It. I hope everyone is doing well and is looking forward to a good summer. Just enjoying the joy of seeing my daughter and her boyfriend and my mom again inside is great for me. I’m taking everything else really slow even though I am fully vaccinated.

I’ve got a lot of exciting newly releases MG and YA book choices this month to help you get through this month.

FYI I am starting to participate in two book giveaway blog hops every month so that I can feature more books that you'll hopefully want to read. You can find my next giveaway in the Upcoming Interviews and Giveaways at the end of this post. 

 

Here are the newly released MG and YA books I'm offering in this giveaway hop. You can also choose another book in the series by these authors. You can find descriptions of these books on Goodreads. Here are your choices:

If you haven't found a book you want, you can win a $10 Amazon Gift Card.

Giveaway Details 

One lucky entrant selected by the entry form will receive a book of their choice listed above or a $10 Amazon Gift Card. Open to entrants internationally as long as Book Depository ships to you for free, 13 years and older. Open for entry from 5/04 – 5/18/2021 at 11:59 pm EST. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. The selected winner will have 48 hours to respond to the notification email to claim this prize or a new winner will be selected.

Please note that you must be a blog follower and leave a blog comment to enter the contest. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Upcoming Interviews and Giveaways

Tomorrow, Wednesday, May 5th I have an interview with debut author Daniel Aleman and a giveaway of his YA contemporary about immigration Indivisible and a query critique by his agent Peter Knapp and my IWSG post

Monday, May 10th I have a guest post by author Jessica Lawson with a giveaway of her MG fantasy How to Save a Queendom and a query critique by her agent Tina Dubois

Wednesday, May 12th I have an agent spotlight interview with Joyce Sweeney and a query critique giveaway

Sunday, May 16th I’m participating in the Moms Rock Giveaway Hop

Monday, May 17th I have an interview with debut author Payal Doshi and a giveaway of her MG fantasy set in India Rea and the Blood of the Nectar

Wednesday, May 18th I have an agent spotlight interview with Michelle Hauck and a query critique giveaway

Monday, May 26th I have a guest post with agent Maura Kye-Casella and debut author Sam Subity with a query critique giveaway by Maura and a giveaway of The Last Shadow Warrior, a MG fantasy by Sam

Hope to see you tomorrow!

And here are all the other blogs participating in this blog hop:

 

Book Giveaway: Rescue by Jennifer Nielsen

Happy Monday Everyone! Today I’m thrilled to share Jennifer Neilsen’s new MG historical Rescue, which is set in WWII, with you. I’ve been dying to share it with you since I read an ARC of it last November. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Here’s a blurb from Goodreads:

From New York Times bestselling author Jennifer A. Nielsen comes a thrilling World War II story of espionage and intrigue, as one girl races to save her father and aid the French resistance.

Six hundred and fifty-seven days ago, Meg Kenyon's father left their home in France to fight for the Allies in World War II, and that was the last time Meg saw him. Recently, she heard he was being held prisoner by the Nazis, a terrible sentence from which Meg fears he'll never return. All she has left of him are the codes he placed in a jar for her to decipher, an affectionate game the two of them shared. But the codes are running low, and soon there'll be nothing left of Papa for Meg to hold on to at all.

Suddenly, an impossible chance to save her father falls into Meg's lap. After following a trail of blood in the snow, Meggie finds an injured British spy hiding in her grandmother's barn. Captain Stewart tells her that a family of German refugees must be guided across Nazi-occupied France to neutral Spain, whereupon one of them has promised to free Meg's father. Captain Stewart was meant to take that family on their journey, but too injured to complete the task himself, he offers it to Meg, along with a final code from Papa to help complete the mission -- perhaps the most important, and most difficult, riddle she's received yet.

As the Nazis flood Meg's village in fierce pursuit, she accepts the duty and begins the trek across France. Leading strangers through treacherous territory, Meg faces danger and uncertainty at every turn, all the while struggling to crack her father's code. The message, as she unravels it, reveals secrets costly enough to risk the mission and even her own life. Can Meg solve the puzzle, rescue the family, and save her father?

As many of you know, Jennifer Nielsen is one of my favorite authors. This is an incredibly suspenseful story that I could not put down. It was so interesting to read about Meg, who was involved in the French Resistance. Her story was riveting, and she faced such danger on her mission. It really gave me a sense of the sacrifices and fear that people went through in their lives when living in France when it was occupied, and they were resisting the Nazis.

Here’s a few things about Rescue that I really loved:

1. Meg is such a great character. She’s so brave and smart when going on her mission to save her father. I don’t know if I could have been so strong when going through some of her experiences where she was in real danger of getting caught.
2. I really enjoyed watching her relationship develop with Jakob, a boy who was a part of the family she was taking to safety.
3. I loved watching Meg with the help of Jakob try to break her father’s code, which she needs to know if her mission will be successful.
4. There was a twist I didn’t see coming!
5. There’s a cool section on breaking codes for kids to try on their own at the end of the book. Jennifer always blows me away with how much she knows.

5. This is a great story that I recommend to any kids and adults who like historical fiction.

Giveaway Details

I’m offering a hardback or ebook of Rescue for a giveaway. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower of my blog (via the follower gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment by May 8th. If your e-mail is not on your Google Profile, you must leave it in the comments to enter the contest. Please be sure I have your email address.

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog and/or follow me on Twitter, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry for each. You must be 13 years old or older to enter. This giveaway is U.S. for a hardback and international for an ebook from Amazon.

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday is hosted by Greg Pattridge. You can find the participating blogs on his blog.

Upcoming Interviews and Giveaways

Tuesday, May 4th I’m participating in the Life’s a Beach Giveaway Hop

Wednesday, May 5th I have an interview with debut author Daniel Aleman and a giveaway of his YA contemporary about immigration Indivisible and a query critique by his agent Peter Knapp and my IWSG post

Monday, May 10th I have a guest post by author Jessica Lawson with a giveaway of her MG fantasy How to Save a Queendom and a query critique by her agent Tina Dubois

Wednesday, May 12th I have an agent spotlight interview with Joyce Sweeney and a query critique giveaway

Sunday, May 16th I’m participating in the Moms Rock Giveaway Hop

Monday, May 17th I have an interview with debut author Payal Doshi and a giveaway of her MG fantasy set in India Rea and the Blood of the Nectar

Wednesday, May 18th I have an agent spotlight interview with Michelle Hauck and a query critique giveaway

Monday, May 26th I have a guest post with agent Maura Kye-Casella and debut author Sam Subity with a query critique giveaway by Maura and a giveaway of The Last Shadow Warrior, a MG fantasy by Sam

Hope to see you on Tuesday!