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Just Claire by Jean Ann Williams -- Book Tour Review + Giveaway

5/28/2016

Genre: Fiction, Historical, Children's
Publisher: Clean Reads
Publication date: January 6, 2016
Number of pages: 208

ClaireLee’s life changes when she must take charge of her siblings after her mother becomes depressed from a difficult childbirth. Frightened by the way Mama sleeps too much and her crying spells during waking hours, ClaireLee just knows she’ll catch her illness like a cold or flu that hangs on through winter. ClaireLee finds comfort in the lies she tells herself and others in order to hide the truth about her erratic mother. Deciding she needs to re-invent herself, she sets out to impress a group of popular girls.
With her deception, ClaireLee weaves her way into the Lavender Girls Club, the most sophisticated girls in school. Though, her best friend Belinda will not be caught with the likes of such shallow puddles, ClaireLee ignores Belinda’s warnings the Lavenders cannot be

trusted. ClaireLee drifts further from honesty, her friend, and a broken mother’s love, until one very public night at the yearly school awards ceremony. The spotlight is on her, and she finds her courage and faces the truth and then ClaireLee saves her mother’s life.

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Author Jean Ann Williams, the eldest in a large family, enjoys digging into her fascinating childhood to create stories for children. Having written over one hundred articles for children and adults, this is her first book. Jean Ann and her husband live on one acre where they raise a garden, goats, and chickens. Her favorite hobbies are hiking through the woods and practicing archery with her bow.

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Link to the interview HERE.

A wool pea jacket cut between ClaireLee and a boy in the
line. Nervous, she counted from the bottom eight black buttons all
the way to the collar. The girl wearing the coat was head and
shoulders taller than her. Peacoat crinkled her nose, while
ClaireLee squinted at the raised scar running from eye to chin.
Cocking her one good brow, Peacoat sized up—or more like
sized down—ClaireLee. Her voice boomed in the outside hallway.
“Ya must be in fourth grade, so you take the right side in my
classroom.”
She pointed to herself. “I’m in sixth, so I’m on the left.”
Rolling her eyes, ClaireLee disliked it when someone
believed they knew all about her. Fourth grade, my eye. Besides, she
had things to think on. Why hadn’t Mama and Daddy come home?
She had watched for their station wagon on the short walk to
school. Then, there was Lolly, and ClaireLee clutched the handle of
her lunch box. Lolly will eat with me at lunch.
Peacoat’s rude mouth interrupted ClaireLee’s mute
conversation. “Hey, I’m talking to ya, squirt.”
Without blinking a lash, ClaireLee glared at her.
Her mouth open, Peacoat placed her hands on her hips.
“Why ya gawkin’ at me?”
“What does gawkin’ mean?”
“You’re as tough as a banty rooster, ain’t ya?” Peacoat burst
out laughing.

Jean Ann Williams’s Just Claire is a beautiful story of a young girl that must deal with some tough life challenges and help take care of her family. After having a baby, ClaireLee’s mother becomes depressed. ClaireLee must decide how to deal with her family situation, as well as deal with making new friends at a new school. This novel is a tender and heart rendering story that young readers that also have family struggles or friend struggles can relate to.

Genre: fiction, historical, children’s
Publisher: Clean Reads
Publication date: January 6, 2016
Number of pages: 208
Category: Middle School +
Content Rating: PG
Book Rating: 5 stars