Mockingbird in Mark Twain’s Hat + Giveaway

Mockingbird in Mark Twain’s Hat by Kaia Alexander Publisher: Waterside Press, Oct, 2020 Category: Children’s illustrated chapter book Tour dates: May 27-June 30, 2021 ISBN: 978-1949001914 Available in Print and ebook, 138 pages

Description Mockingbird in Mark Twain’s Hat

Mockingbird in Mark Twain’s Hat, is an adventure story full of animals that talk. Wynne is a precocious mockingbird born in the rural south in the late 1800s. His whole family are singers, but at four days old, he wants to be a novelist just like his hero, Mark Twain. When crows attack his nest, he’s swept away on an epic adventure along the Mississippi River. 

Wynne learns to read and write, makes new friends in surprising places, and is mentored by Mark Twain himself. Full of delightful quotes from Mark Twain, this novel for children ages 8-12 shines with important lessons of character, perseverance, love, and the importance of friendship. 

My Review

I feel like if you are a true reader, you have to be a fan of Mark Twain. I know I am. Therefore, when I got the chance to read this book I jumped at the opportunity. After reading this book, I can tell you that is is a recommended five star read from me. In fact, I knew it just from the first several chapters I read and it was confirmed by the end of the story. 

Wynne is the main character in this story. He is the perfect character. So likable and engaging. Although, there are many other intriguing characters that Wynne encounters all the way in his grand adventure. This includes his idol in the flesh, Mark Twain! 

I had such a fun time reading this book. That is when you know a book is really great is when you use the word "fun" to describe it. Readers of all ages will enjoy this book. 

Praise Mockingbird in Mark Twain’s Hat 

 “We LOVE this book! As we finish each chapter, we can’t wait to find out what happens next! I am ordering another few copies as gifts for my daughter’s friends.”- Yaron, Amazon 

 “With ‘The Mockingbird in Mark Twain's Hat’, Kaia Alexander is at the top of her formidable writing talents. She has mastered historical fiction, screenwriting and with this, a timeless children's story. This is a delightful adventure featuring unforgettable animal characters that will become embedded in the heart of every reader. 

Whether you read this to a little one or gift it to a child to read, this is an ideal book that entertains and enthralls with every page while evoking a period and piece of literary history. I believe that Mark Twain himself would approve! Kaia not only brings her beloved animals to life, but she evokes the universal yearning to uniquely express oneself, like the protagonist of the story, Wynne.

 Above and beyond a simple children's story, Kaia weaves in thematic layers that remind me of myth and legend. I guarantee that the characters and story will stick with you forever and inspire children to be themselves, challenge themselves, and learn to write! They may even become interested in Mr. Twain himself, just like Wynne. Or maybe, the kinds of songs that Wynne learns to sing, and that they can learn to sing their own.”-Stuart Volkow, Amazon 

 “Like all Kaia Alexander's books, it's a page turner and you can't put it down! A delightful adventure with twists and surprises. Love the characters and the illustrations. This is a great gift book for children as well as adults and sure to become a classic!  ”- S. Peck, Amazon About Kaia Alexander

Kaia Alexander is an award-winning novelist, filmmaker, and writing coach, as well as founder of the Entertainment Business League, who can be found surfing her native California coastline. Website: https://kaiaalexander.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThisisKaia 

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Mockingbird in Mark Twain’s Hat

Excerpt #1

(Goes with Chapter 1 illustration by Elaina Scott)

Kaia Alexander

CH. 1

Wynne

  Somewhere Along the Mississippi River, 1898...

  I examined my left wing closely, plucked out one of my straightest quills, smoothed the bark flat before me and wrote: 

  Wensdy. 

  I stepped back and admired my word with satisfaction. My penmanship was scarcely more than scrawl, but practice would remedy that. Besides, at only four days old, I dared not let my peck exceed my beak.

  My dream was still a secret then, a lofty aspiration tethered to my heart by a photograph of a famous writer by the name of Mark Twain.

Now, I admit I hadn’t heard of Mark Twain the day before yesterday, but then a blustery wind intervened. One playful gust ripped several pages of a newspaper from the popcorn vendor’s hands at the Willem County Fair and scattered them, until one torn scrap fluttered down and snagged in the twigs of our nest. 

  Mark Twain smiled at me from the dusty page. The only words that remained intact from the article were, “Famed Southern novelist and humorist, Mark Twain, delivered a memorable speech--” That smile was an invitation with my name on it. I just felt it in my wingtips.

I kept the photograph hidden beneath my pocket of the nest so I could pull it out when my family was asleep. In it Mark Twain leaned against a screen door in a wrinkled seersucker suit, smiling mischievously, his face half covered by an impressive grey mustache so furry I thought it was a squirrel’s tail draped across his upper lip. His hat was bent against the sun.

  “Whatcha doin’ Wynne?” asked Sissy, peering over my shoulder.

  “Nothin’.” I turned my back. “Go away.”

  “If it’s nothin’ then it ain’t nothin’ to be secretive about.” She tried to see around me but I lifted my wing as a shield.

  She tickled my feet and grabbed the photograph.

  I snatched it back and tucked it under my wing. “None of your business.”

  “What’s none of her business?” asked my younger brother Possum. He jumped over me and poked his beak in my acorn of blackberry ink, turning his head into a dripping sundae.

  I clutched my ink before he could spill any more of it. Sissy took that moment to snatch the slippery bark I was using as parchment and unroll it. 

“If you must know, I’m writing a book.” 

  My siblings fell on their backs and laughed, kicking their twiggy legs up in the air, holding their bellies still full of breakfast.

  “You hear that, Possum? Wynne says he’s writin’ a book! You hear that, Earle? A book!”

  I felt my cheeks flush, and I turned my back.

  My elder brother, Earle, poked his beak in my ear. “Baby brother, you ain’t even learned to fly. What makes you think you can write a book?”

  I peered out over the edge of our nest high in the crepe myrtle tree, pink boa blossoms all around me bobbing in the breeze. “Haven’t. I haven’t learned to fly, Earle, to be grammatically correct.” 

Earle rolled his black eyes. 

This merely spurred me on. “I’m going to be a writer just like Mark Twain,” I insisted. “It’s my destiny.”

  “Destiny?” My elder sister rolled on her back, giggling with vigor. “Look who thinks he’s so smart using grown-up words.”

“What’s a destiny, Wynne?” whispered Possum.

I put my wing around him. “Destiny means there’s something you are meant to do, Possum, and you feel it way down in your bones. When you do it, it makes you happier than anything in the world, and most importantly, it makes the world more wonderful.”

“Happier than crickets for supper?”

“Even happier than that.”

“Wynne, you’re a mockingbird. We only got one destiny, if you wanna call it that, and that’s to learn the songs of our woods and sing ‘em.” Earle lowered his voice, “Don’t insult Papa and the family.”

  “But Earle,” I said. “I can’t help it if I want to write a book. We don’t get to pick our destiny. It picks us.”

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