Virtual Book Tour + #Giveaway: Sophie Washington: The Snitch by Tonya Duncan Ellis @TonyaDEllis @GoddessFish

Sophie Washington: The Snitch

by Tonya Duncan Ellis

GENRE: Children's (Middle Grade)

BLURB:

There’s nothing worse than being a tattletale…

That’s what 10-year-old Sophie Washington thinks until she runs into Lanie Mitchell, a new girl at school. Lanie pushes Sophie and her friends around at their lockers, and even takes their lunch money. If they tell, they are scared the other kids in their class will call them snitches, and won’t be their friends. And when you’re in the fifth grade, nothing seems worse than that.

Excitement at home keeps Sophie’s mind off the trouble with Lanie. She takes a fishing trip to the Gulf of Mexico with her parents and little brother, Cole, and discovers a mysterious creature in the attic above her room. For a while, Sophie is able to keep her parents from knowing what is going on at school. But Lanie’s bullying goes too far, and a classmate gets seriously hurt. Sophie needs to make a decision. Should she stand up to the bully, or become a snitch?

Excerpt:

“Nice glasses,” smiles Mariama, one of my other good friends in our class. Mariama’s family moved to our neighborhood from Nigeria last year. Some people make fun of her because she dresses different sometimes and talks with an African accent, but she’s really nice.

“Thanks, this is my first time wearing them,” I say. “I was a little nervous this morning.”

“Well, you shouldn’t be because they look really good,” she assures me. A few of our other classmates come through the hall, and no one seems to pay too much attention to me wearing glasses. Seems like it’s not a big deal after all.

“Hey Soph,” calls Chloe, rushing over to join us at the lockers, “those are some cute specs. I may get some with red frames to match my uniform logo.”

“You’re supposed to wear glasses to see, Chloe,” Mariama and I laugh.

“Well, they can be used for fashion, too,” she informs us.

We compare notes on last night’s science homework and grumble about the many review packets Mr. Simpson assigns.

“He must really want us to become astronauts,” Chloe complains.

“Yeah, it took me over an hour to get mine done,” I say.

Suddenly, I hear Mariama whistle under her breath.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

I see Lanie moving in our direction.

You mean she bothers Mariama, too? I think to myself. 

“Hey, Miss Tarzan,” Lanie says, turning toward our friend. “I see you’re wearing that necklace from Africa that you promised me,” she says, pointing at the string of colorful wooden beads my friend is wearing.

Mariama, who is at least a foot shorter than Lanie and probably 15 pounds lighter, starts to shake.

“My mother gave me this necklace,” she says, “and it was a gift from her mother to her.”

“Well, it’s going to be my gift now,” Lanie snarls, reaching out to grab it.

“Why don’t you give it a rest?” says Chloe, moving to block her.

“And who’s going to make me?” Lanie smirks.

I feel my face getting hot under my new glasses. I am so tired of Lanie bothering everybody and spoiling all our fun. If I wasn’t so scared of people calling me a snitch, I would march right down to the principal’s office and tell on this bully.

“Leave her alone, Lanie,” I say through gritted teeth.

“And who’s going to stop me?” she asks.

“Me.”

Lanie laughs and shoves me against the locker.

“You couldn’t stop a flea.”

“Come on, Sophie, let’s just go,” Chloe urges.

But I’ve had enough.

I shove the bully back.

“I said, leave her alone.”

Lanie looks surprised for a second.

“Fine, if she won’t give me her necklace, then I’ll take yours.”

She yanks my precious silver friendship chain from my neck and knocks me to the floor so quickly that my new glasses fall off.

“Sophie!” Chloe and Mariama rush over to help me as the bully hurries off down the hall.

“I hate her!” I reach on the floor for my new glasses and see that the glass is cracked in one of the lenses.

“Oh no!”

What am I going to do now?

Guest Post:

Is there an author past or present that may have inspired you to write? If yes, please tell us who this author is and how they may have inspired you.

In college I was part of a student group that was lucky enough to pick up the late author Maya Angelou from the airport when she came to do a talk at our school. I was so excited! Maya said the first thing she noticed when she saw me were big eyes and a book. I was holding a copy of her novel I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings. On the ride to campus Maya told us that it took her six months to a year to complete a manuscript. That encounter made writing an actual novel, something that had previously seemed pie in the sky, become a goal that, one day, I might achieve.

In addition to the meeting with Maya, I’ve been inspired by all the books I’ve loved and even those I’ve hated. After I finished reading the Harry Potter series I remember being awed by the magical world created by J.K. Rowling, thinking she was an absolute genius, and wishing I could dream up something like that. And I recall being moved to tears by beautiful lyrics crafted by poet Langston Hughes. My favorite children’s authors include Judy Blume, Beverly Cleary, Mildred D. Taylor, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Christopher Paul Curtis, and E.B. White. Reading books I didn’t like encouraged me to write things in a different way that I might enjoy. I guess for a writer, reading any book, whether you like it or not, is in itself is an inspiration to reach the highest heights you can in your craft.   

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Tonya Ellis remembers hiding in the restroom from a few bullies during her elementary school days. She encourages kids to speak out if they are being mistreated. She knew she wanted to become a writer after an article she wrote was published in her hometown newspaper. Since then, Tonya has worked as a journalist, written for newspapers and magazines and won awards for her books. When she’s not busy writing, she enjoys reading, biking with her husband and two sons and daughter, and travelling to interesting places. SOPHIE WASHINGTON: The Snitch is the second book in a series about Sophie and her friends.

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Buy Link:

Amazon

Giveaway:

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