Books with author Mary Atkinson

Holly’s stuck at the lake in Maine for summer vacation. Usually, she loves the lake. But not this year. This year, Mom and Dad aren’t staying. She’s sure not going to have any fun. Her older brother Nick won’t play with her, and Gram never lets her do anything. One night, when Holly’s feeling lost and alone, she hears the ancient and mysterious call of a barred owl. She’s certain he’s calling just to her and that she must find him!

Ten-year-old Tillie practices skating whenever she can—even in the old Franklin Piano Factory where she lives with her guardian, Uncle Fred. She has to be in the skateathon with her friends. Surely Mama wouldn’t miss it! But skating in the city is tough, three-way friendships are tricky, and the stupid rules in Mama’s rehab program could mess up all her plans."A warm and lively narrative…an outstanding tale!" —Kirkus starred review

Ten-year-old Mario must flee El Salvador during the Salvadoran Civil War in the 1980s with Mamá and little brother Nico after his journalist father is killed. As Mario struggles to adapt to his new life in the United States, he must also come to terms with the decisions his father made that have left him fatherless and illegal in a new country. Kirkus Review: “War has come to the streets of San Salvador, El Salvador’s capital city, but Mario and his little brother, Nico, just want to act like normal kids.When a soldier in the street takes their soccer ball and slices it open with a knife, Mario is confused: “Why do they have to bother us like that?” he asks his father, a writer, later that day. “We’re only kids. We have nothing to do with the war. Why does there even have to be a war?” When soldiers burst in and arrest Mario’s dad in the middle of the night, the boys and their mother are forced to flee the country... As the family attempts to build a new life for themselves in Texas, Mario is haunted by what has happened, filled with a mix of anger and fear. His father left him a notebook with a letter, offering his advice on how to move forward. Mario isn’t interested in writing, but he does have a passion for drawing. Atkinson writes in a smooth, conversational prose that perfectly enlivens Mario’s first-person narration, capturing both his anxieties and excitements. With its quick pace, the novella makes for a compelling read. Along the way, the author successfully tracks the complex evolution of Mario’s inner landscape, including his attempts to deal with the trauma of his father’s loss, his responsibility toward his mother and brother, and his instincts as both a witness and a budding artist: as Mario’s new American identity shapes itself, he uses pictures to try to tell his own story. A well-crafted, emotionally resonant tale for younger readers"

Kirkus Starred ReviewTen-year-old Tillie Watkins worries about her absent mother, short stature, and peculiar home with her eccentric uncle in a piano factory-turned-artists' colony ("ten artists plus one kid"). Her insecurities over being different are magnified when her best friend, Shanelle, deserts her for Glory Peterson, a cool new girl in school. If Tillie can only prove herself in an upcoming roller skating skate-a-thon, maybe Mama will come back and everything else will fall into place. (Tillie's "guilty wish" is "that I could have a regular car and a regular house with a mom and a dad and a dog sleeping on the porch.") Author and poet Atkinson gives the book's setting and characters notable authenticity. Readers gradually understand that Tillie's mother has been in and out of treatment due to substance abuse and largely absent from her daughter's life. Yet Tillie hangs on to an idealized portrait of Mama, imagining loving conversations with her and wanting to make her proud so that she will come back to stay. Tillie's realization that others-including a brilliant little second-grader whom she tutors and even Glory-may live with difficult challenges, too, emerges gradually and without preachiness. Tillie's pride in her odd home and the people in it also develops slowly and effectively. When her affectionate and protective Uncle Fred helps her understand that she has nothing to do with Mama's unreliability, it is a moving moment of truth. Atkinson's message of reassurance and confidence-building-children aren't responsible for their parents' flaws; they are worthy of being loved for who they are-is an organic part of a warm and lively narrative told through a young girl's thoughts, actions, and growing comprehension of her world and those around her.An outstanding tale that approaches issues of self-doubt, rejection, and acceptance with sensitivity, warmth, and an engagingly realistic voice.

Ten-year-old Mario must flee El Salvador during the Salvadoran Civil War with Mamá and little brother Nico after his journalist father is killed. As Mario struggles to adapt to his new life in the United State, he must also come to terms with the decisions his father made that left him fatherless and illegal in a new country. "A compelling, well-crafted, emotionally resonant tale." Kirkus Reviews

WINNER of the Living Now Bronze Medal for "Books for a Better Tomorrow" - WINNER of the Nautilus Awards Silver Medal for "Books That Are Changing the World" - LETTERS TO SURVIVORS has been chosen by counseling programs and women's centers across America as their first-recommended book for survivors of rape and sexual abuse. What if you really aren't alone? What if you knew there is hope that things can get better? What if you could connect with other amazing women who have been through it too, and could share their hopes, advice, wit, and wisdom with you? LETTERS TO SURVIVORS offers you that. Women from around the world, from teen to adult, have gathered to give you their personal message of hope after rape. That makes LETTERS TO SURVIVORS one of the most uplifting, life-changing books you may ever read. Every letter is presented as a work of full-color art, alongside the printed text of each letter for ease of reading. Each woman's letter addresses a different aspect of recovery from rape, such as recovering trust, coping with depression and suicidal thoughts, self-injury, spirituality/God, how to find support, how to recognize toxic so-called "helpers," how to work effectively with your therapist, how to handle discouragement, and how to find hope again. Nothing in the book is "triggering"--there is no harsh language or dark imagery. "Letters To Survivors" can be read by a person at any stage of healing, and there is no other book like it.