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Book Review: Piper Reed, Forever Friend


Piper Reed is ten years old and ready to embark on her sixth family move to a new location.  Piper's dad is in the Navy and when they get orders to move from Pensacola, Florida to Norfolk, Virginia, the whole family has to work together to make a new home in a new place.

Mom and Dad are encouraging, loving, and set a good example of resilience for their kids.  Piper's sisters -- Tori, 13, and Samantha, 6 -- make for great sibling rivalries, lively arguments, and loving banter.  As for Piper, she has developed some pretty savvy coping skills for a young military kid.  I'm impressed with her positive attitude, her spunky nature, and her adventurous spirit. Piper walks the fine line of keeping up with friends she's left behind and making new friends in her new home, and always does it with her own special style.

This book is a fantastic book for kids, especially anyone who has ever been the 'new kid' or had a hard time fitting in.  Subtle hints on how to cope are weaved throughout the book.  From making a list to starting a club to joining in wherever you live, the kids in this book handle it all.

Piper's family also provides loving -- and often humorous -- support as well.  Piper's mom and dad do a great job of establishing and maintaining family traditions to ease the pain of moving to a new place.  The kids are shown working through the trials of finding your place in a new community and depending on each other as well.

Ms. Holt does a fabulous job of balancing the good (Piper finally has her own room!) and the bad (Unfortunately, her best friends won't be at her new school) aspects of moving. It is masterfully written in a way that will surely resonate with military kids, but not put off those who are not familar with the military lifestyle.

I highly recommend this book for young readers.  My own children -- ages 12 and 9 -- enjoyed the stories and could relate to Piper's adventures.  Get the series and follow Piper and her friends through the joys and challenges of navigating life together.

GIVEAWAY!

Great news!  You can get your own Piper Reed book in this giveaway!  You could win one of these three fantastic books:

1 signed hardback copy of PIPER REED, FOREVER FRIEND
1 signed paperback copy of PIPER REED, NAVY BRAT
1 signed paperback copy of PIPER REED, RODEO STAR
To enter, comment on this blog post with the book you'd most like to receive and why.
Additional entries are available when you follow This Fabulous Army Life on Facebook or follow this blog in Blogger (click "Join this site with Google Connect" and/or follow on Networked blogs ... both available on the blog's right-hand column)!
** Be sure to comment on the blog post with each entry (Once when you comment with the book you'd like, a second time when you follow This Fabulous Army Life on Facebook, and a third time when you follow This Fabulous Army Life through Google Connect and/or Networked Blogs ... for a total of FOUR possible entries!).

All entries are due by 12:00 noon (EST) on Friday, August 10.  Winners will be announced on August 10.  Good luck!
Find out more about author Kimberly Willis Holt on her website!

Be sure to "like" Piper Reed on Facebook!

Join the Piper Reed Fan Club for lots of fun reading and activities!

Read my interview with author, Kimberly Willis Holt!
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Comments

  1. Melissa KayeAugust 6, 2012 at 2:05 PM

    Forever Friend would be amazing since I have most of the others in the series. :) I'm a student working on getting my teacher certification.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My Army LifeAugust 28, 2012 at 12:06 PM

      Woo-Hoo! Using random.org, three winners were selected ... congratulations to:

      Melissa Kaye (Forever Friend)
      Rachel Smoka (Rodeo Star)
      Lisa Daniels (Navy Brat)

      THANK YOU for commenting and entering! Please send me an email at myarmylife@hotmail.com with your mailing address and I will contact the great folks at Kimberly Willis Holt with the winners' information!

      =) Traci

      Delete
  2. Rachel SmokaAugust 6, 2012 at 9:28 PM

    I would love a copy of PIPER REED, RODEO STAR as I am collecting all the Piper Reed books! My father was in the military for 40 years and my husband has been deployed twice through the Air Force Reserve. The Piper Reed books are amazing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My Army LifeAugust 28, 2012 at 12:06 PM

      Woo-Hoo! Using random.org, three winners were selected ... congratulations to:

      Melissa Kaye (Forever Friend)
      Rachel Smoka (Rodeo Star)
      Lisa Daniels (Navy Brat)

      THANK YOU for commenting and entering! Please send me an email at myarmylife@hotmail.com with your mailing address and I will contact the great folks at Kimberly Willis Holt with the winners' information!

      =) Traci

      Delete
  3. Trisha GirominiAugust 6, 2012 at 11:58 PM

    I would love to receive Forever Friend. I have many stories of my ancestors in the military, but never truly understood what it's like to be related to someone who gave their life to their country and the consequences on both sides. I believe Piper Reed can help me to deepen my knowledge on the subject and hopefully open my eyes to the sacrifice of the men and women of the military and their families.

    ReplyDelete
  4. KimberlyAugust 7, 2012 at 4:20 PM

    Thanks, for such warm review of my book. And also to those who commented. I appreciate what military families go through for our country.

    Kimberly Willis Holt

    ReplyDelete
  5. JessicaAugust 7, 2012 at 8:34 PM

    I would love the Forever Friend book. Thanks for the giveaway.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ashley N.August 7, 2012 at 10:52 PM

    I just discovered the Piper Reed books, they look great! I think my daughters would enjoy the Forever Friend book. My husband is in the army and thankfully we've made a few forever friends over the years :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. SuzieAugust 8, 2012 at 2:30 PM

    I have never heard of these cute books until now! Thank you for sharing! Forever Friends sounds like a great read for my sweet girl!

    ReplyDelete
  8. UnknownAugust 10, 2012 at 10:56 AM

    We would love any of these books since we have never read any of them and have three army brats of our own! Can't wait to check them out!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My Army LifeAugust 28, 2012 at 12:06 PM

      Woo-Hoo! Using random.org, three winners were selected ... congratulations to:

      Melissa Kaye (Forever Friend)
      Rachel Smoka (Rodeo Star)
      Lisa Daniels (Navy Brat)

      THANK YOU for commenting and entering! Please send me an email at myarmylife@hotmail.com with your mailing address and I will contact the great folks at Kimberly Willis Holt with the winners' information!

      =) Traci

      Delete
  9. My Army LifeAugust 10, 2012 at 12:34 PM

    Woo-Hoo! Using random.org, three winners were selected ... congratulations to:

    Melissa Kaye (Forever Friend)
    Rachel Smoka (Rodeo Star)
    Lisa Daniels (Navy Brat)

    THANK YOU for commenting and entering! Please send me an email at myarmylife@hotmail.com with your mailing address and I will contact the great folks at Kimberly Willis Holt with the winners' information!

    =) Traci

    ReplyDelete
  10. thomasAugust 29, 2012 at 1:38 PM

    looks like a really good read~

    ReplyDelete

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