Under the Bottle Bridge~ Release Day, Reviews, & Events

Today is release day for Under the Bottle Bridge! Leave a comment on this post to enter to win a hardcover~ I'll pick a winner on Saturday, September 16.

If you read Under the Bottle Bridge, you'll meet:
Minna Treat, Crash Hardly, a mysterious newcomer, mischievous twins named after tea, an uncle with 82 parenting books (and counting), and an Irish Wolfhound named Beast.

You'll encounter:
Bottle messages, historic disasters, lots of sneaking around, and a stinky incident involving pumpkin-flavored pickles & pickled pumpkin slices.

And you just might:
Want to take up woodcraft/glassblowing/candlemaking, buy tick spray, get the urge to go foraging for wild edibles, think twice next time geese honk overhead, and wonder where your personal bridge is taking you in life.

Here are a few review excerpts:

"Beautifully written, with vivid characters, this exploration of family and friendship shines from the first page...Give to fans of Holly Goldberg Sloan's Counting By 7s." -School Library Journal

Minna's coming-of-age story is as solid and well-crafted as the furniture made by her uncle, and the bottle mystery is engrossing...truly poignant. Hand this to fans of Turnage's Three Times Lucky." -Bulletin for the Center of Children's Books

"Lawson creates an engaging cast of characters." -Kirkus Reviews

Here's where I'll be online and in-person in the coming weeks. I'd love to see you in the comments of a post or in-person!

ONLINE
Wednesday, September 6: I'll be at one of my favorite blogs, Literary Rambles. I'm giving away a hardcover and my AMAZING agent Tina Wexler is offering a free query critique!

Thursday, September 7: I'll be at Tara Dairman's blog with a recipe for hearth milk and a hardcover giveaway.

IN-PERSON EVENTS

Books of Wonder – New York, NY 
Sunday, September 17, 4 pm
Middle-grade panel and launch party! (with Tara Dairman, Tracey Baptiste, & Alison Cherry)

One More Page Books – Arlington, VA 
Saturday, September 23, 3pm
Kidlit panel! (with Tracey Baptiste, Caroline Carlson, & Tara Dairman, moderated by Madelyn Rosenberg)

Here are some links, for anyone looking to get a copy:

IndieBound (find your nearest independent bookstore)
Barnes & Noble
Amazon

Under the Bottle Bridge is also available as an audiobook, via Dreamscape.

PUBLISHER SUMMARY
In the tradition of Rooftoppers and Three Times Lucky, critically acclaimed author Jessica Lawson returns with her fourth whimsical, lyrical, and heartfelt middle grade novel about a girl who’s desperately trying to keep her life together, when everything seems to be falling apart.

In the weeks leading up to Gilbreth, New York’s annual AutumnFest, twelve-year-old woodcraft legacy Minna Treat is struggling with looming deadlines, an uncle trying to hide Very Bad News, and a secret personal quest. When she discovers mysterious bottle messages under one of the village’s 300-year-old bridges, she can’t help but wonder who’s leaving them, what they mean, and, most importantly…could the messages be for her?

Along with best friend Crash and a mystery-loving newcomer full of suspicious theories, Minna is determined to discover whether the bottles are miraculously leading her toward long-lost answers she’s been looking for, or drawing her into a disaster of historic proportions.