Happy Monday! I’m writing this Saturday afternoon as most of us wait for Winter Storm Fern to show herself in all her wintry finery. I worked a bit in my Garden of Weedin’ today and the pines in my woods were waving back and forth like parade goers trying to get the attention of a celebrity–Fern is no celebrity here. In the Carolinas we’re expecting icy rain collecting on trees and electrical wires. A beautiful crystal wonderland when the sun glistens, but dangerous under its weight. My family and friends in Ohio are expecting a winter wonderland of snow.  Whatever Fern left you as a parting gift, I hope you are warm, cozy, and safe.

Reading is always a perfect way to spend time when we’re hunkered down, even if it has to be by flashlight, lantern, cellphone, or candlelight. So, here’s this month’s Book Review Monday! with Half-Truths by Carol Baldwin

Carol is one of those acquaintances I’ve known so long I can’t remember in which writing group we met. I’m so happy her YA historical fiction, Half-Truths, is now out in the wild, and it’s receiving well-deserved accolades. Even though I’m not her intended audience, which is middle grade–ages 8 – 12, I thoroughly enjoyed the novel.

Anna Katherine Dinsmore–Katie or Kate to most everyone but her society conscious grandmother–is 15 years-old in 1950 rural Tabor City, NC. She has bigger dreams than staying on the tobacco farm where she lives and helps her family harvest. She wants to be a journalist. She’s decided her key to achieving that dream is living with her paternal grandparents in Charlotte and eventually attending Queens College. She hopes her rich grandparents will pay for it. She moves to the big city her last year of junior high …  along with her goat Josie and dog Baccy.

In the 1950s, having hired Black help was the norm and one of Grandmother Dinsmore’s maids is Lillian, a girl Kate’s age. Lillian also has big dreams. She wants to be a scientist.  

Kate and Lillie form a bond despite the social and racial lines that aren’t supposed to be crossed. Lillian challenges Kate, opening her eyes to her own racism and prejudices.

Kate is naturally curious, a good trait for a journalist, and one afternoon finds a chest in her grandparents’ attic. The contents reveal half-truths and secrets the family has kept tucked away for decades. Now that Kate has uncovered them what should she do with them? What would a real journalist do if she found an important story right in her own backyard? But Kate must weigh the costs to her and Lillian’s families if those secrets are finally revealed.

Half-Truths is a coming-of-age story as Kate navigates the transition from country girl to society debutante, during a time in history when our country is also going through a transition and the KKK is a constant presence and threat. Both situations force Kate to consider her choices and the risks involved.  Her friendship with Lillian is strained and tested when it’s put up against Kate’s new society friendships. 

Baldwin does a superb job of keeping the tension of the story heightened. I kept waiting to read what Kate decides about the family secrets … waiting to see if Grandmother appears as Kate has the secret items out examining them … waiting to find out how all the threads come together.                                                                                                                                                                        Carol also doesn’t shy away from describing what the racial tension was really like in the 1950s, nothing graphic, but through real situations her intended audience of 8-12-year-olds will feel what Lillian’s family felt. Carol’s storytelling has earned Half-Truths the 2025 winner of Hindi’s Library’s YA Best Book, and NC AAUW’s 2025 Young People’s Literary and Historical Award.

Half-Truths is a worthy read no matter your age and would make a great gift for young girls ages 8-12.

Half-Truths is available at Barnes and Noble and on Amazon and my favorite, Bookshop

Oh! The dishes in the photo? They’re a key to the story.

It’s called Blue Willow China and there’s a story about the pattern–of star-crossed lovers, an angry father, and spies. To be true Blue Willow, it must have a ship, a pagoda, an island, the fence, the bridge, two doves, the stream, and the willow tree … all elements in the story.

It’s now late Sunday afternoon as I tweak this post and Fern didn’t show out quite as fiercely as we expected, at least not in our neighborhood. A dusting of what looks like snow, but falls through the trees and air sounding like tinkling glass. The roads are icy but not the trees and wires. Still a couple days to simply hang out in the house and read, write, and color. I hope Fern’s visit in your neighborhood was less intrusive than expected, but if that’s not the case, I hope life gets back to normal soon. Stay warm and safe this week as freezing temps continue. I’ll be back at my window on Monday and I hope you will be too. Have a good week!