WE HAVE A WRITER IN OUR MIDST

The Sternberg of the Dwinell-Sternberg Political Report is about to be a published author. While Libby was supposed to be burning the midnight oil writing snippets of great mirth and cleverness for our readers’ enjoyment, she was instead writing a book for young girls. 

The book, Sadie’s Secrets, is targeting girls aged nine to thirteen. Bancroft Press, the publisher, is a small press located in Libby’s native Baltimore where the book is set. The release date will be the beginning of April. It is the first in a mystery series featuring the protagonist, Bianca Balducci. When the book is released, people can purchase it on-line via the Dwinell Political Report’s web site to amazon.com and earn us a quarter in the process

So far, the book has received four great reviews - from Kirkus, BookList (the American Library Association), and Harriet's Book Reviews. Ms. Sternberg herself says, "I'm very excited and happy. The publisher is also trying to sell dramatic rights to Hollywood - and has had some interest from a few production companies - but that's always a long shot." We are very excited and happy to have known someone rich and famous! Congratulations. 

For more detailed reviews and "pre-publication blurbs." Read on...

"...an extra entertainment for mystery fans, one for those who want a puzzle without a ghost or a murder..." (Kirkus) 

"Sternberg's first novel is an entertaining teen mystery-romance…Nancy Drew fans and other young mystery aficionados will be pleased" (BookList)

"...an engaging young teen mystery that's fun to read" (Harriet's Book Reviews). 

"While the past of any new student who arrives at your school may be a mystery, Bianca Balducci is convinced that the new girl, Sadie Sinclair, has more than her share of secrets. Each chapter takes the reader along as Bianca, in a series of spunky, crack-the-whip-like adventures, discovers who Sadie really is and why she is lying about her identity. In one of the chapters, Bianca gets locked in the school's office while trying to sneak a look at Sadie's records. What reader hasn't dreamed of knowing the secrets of the school's files? In this case, the files do reveal a clue to Sadie's identity. You may want to get locked-in somewhere yourself to read Uncovering Sadie's Secrets because you won't want to stop reading once you start. What would you have done if you had been in Bianca's shoes? Would there have been a kinder, more honest way for Bianca to uncover Sadie's secrets?" -- JANICE MOORE, LIBRARIAN, ROLAND PARK COUNTRY SCHOOL (BALTIMORE, MD)

"I read the book in one day - it was that good. I like Bianca, her family, her friends, her concerns, her intelligence. Moreover, the intriguing plot involved me in the story. And Bianca's learning process in this plot of thought was plausible and, I believe, something that would give a young reader something to reflect upon." --CAROL NEVIN ABROMAITIS, PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH, LOYOLA COLLEGE IN MARYLAND

"When my (much older) brother dragged me from his bedroom one recent night, and told me I had to go back to mine, I picked up and started reading Sadie's Secrets. At first, I couldn't get to sleep. Then I didn't want to. The next day, I took Sadie with me to camp, and kept it with me wherever I went, whatever I did - nobody, in fact, could have pulled it away from me. Reading as much and as fast as I could, I finished it the same day. Sadie is quite the page-turner. My favorite series had been The Boxcar Children, which is about much different subjects and is much shorter (by about 60 pages) than Sadie. When it gets published in 2003, I'm going to be recommending Sadie to all my friends right up to the 9th grade. Then, I'm going to hope I get a chance - before it's published - to read the sequel. There's no other way to put it: I love the Bianca Balducci series. And at last I've read a book that my older sister (13) and I completely agree on." -- LISA TAYLOR, 11 ½, PIKESVILLE, MD 

"Bianca Balducci is a sophomore at St. John's Parochial School in Baltimore. Her best friends Kerri and Nicole know that Bianca has a crush on junior Doug Patterson. So her pals arrange for the three coeds to meet Doug and his friend at the mall. Also there is weirdo Sadie Sinclair. The discussion-between-giggles focuses on Bianca's older sister Connie, a private investigator. Sadie shows interest for the first time and asks what Connie could do for someone being framed for murder. Bianca gives Sadie her sibling's business card.

"Bianca sneakily checks her sister's voice mail and learns that Sadie, using the alias Bobbie McCormick, called Connie. As the mystery of Sadie grows, Bianca deals with two stalkers, including a woman claiming motherhood. The soph gets deeper into the mess even as her social life seems ready to take off with Doug - that is, once she uncovers Sadie's secrets.

"An engaging young teen mystery that's fun to read, as the lead protagonist hooks the audience with her combination of sweet innocence and crafty guile. Uncovering Sadie's Secrets entertains readers because the mystery is fun, but the cast seems so real. Libby Sternberg's Balducci tale would make a fine present for especially the female Potter crowd and us geriatrics who grew up with the hardy Nancy Drew novels." --Harriet's Book Reviews 

The Dwinell Political Report is published weekly by JDLS Publishing, LLC.
Portions of the Dwinell Political Report may be reprinted with attribution.

Contact the Editor with news & comments at: Dwinell@adelphia.net or 802.728.4793

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