Tinsey Clover by Chelsea Walker Flagg

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Forbidden things and coming of age

TINSEY CLOVER is the story of a spunky little elfin girl in the Icelandic Bungaborg Forest. She feels frustrated because her village isn’t allowed to leave or interact with anyone else in the forest. Certain there’s more positivity out there than she’s been taught to believe, Tinsey sneaks out of her village and finds herself on quite the journey. Using her great math skills, some quirky magic, and help from some unlikely new friends, Tinsey learns that sometimes things aren’t quite what they seem.

While it’s an intentionally light-hearted story suited for a younger Middle Grade audience, there are some seriously deep topics tackled throughout the tale.

For starters, Tinsey’s an eleven-year-old girl who feels an injustice in the way things are handled in her village. She challenges her elders, her brother, and even her parents to try to change her little world. And when those elves in authority don’t pay attention to her, do you think she just sits back and accepts that? No! She challenges that even further. It’s a huge part of her growth arc. Her coming of age. It’s also the start of her dabbling in forbidden things.

She’s not supposed to leave her village, yet she sneaks out anyway in search of something different. Something more. But, also something forbidden.

It doesn’t matter if we’re eleven year old kids, or full grown adults; we all face similar stories to this. Maybe not as literal or as dramatic, but every single day, we wake up and make the decision to accept things for what they are, or to challenge them. Of course, the easy choice is usually to accept them, but are we being true to ourselves when we don’t dabble in those forbidden things that call out to us?

This is one of the messages I hope TINSEY CLOVER plants upon its young audience. It’s okay to challenge things. In fact, we need to challenge things in order to grow. And, you’re not too little. You may feel that way, but look at Tinsey. She’s an elf the size of a chipmunk, but she made a huge difference. You can make a huge impact.

Tinsey Clover is smart. She’s brave. Also, she can’t carry a tune to save her life. Oh yeah, plus she's an elf the size of a chipmunk. When her bizarre magical power grows in and makes her feel like a total outsider in her own village, Tinsey sneaks into the forbidden forest on a journey to find someone more like her. From trolls to dragons, what she discovers along the way challenges everything, and everyone, she thought she knew.

A coming of age story for early middle grade fans of Sarah Mlynowski, Kate DiCamillo, and Chris Colfer.

Read an Excerpt

This is my gift? I’m so confused. And tired. Did I seriously just gain the ability to snap my fingers and summon cleaning tools into existence? What a crock. I mean, shouldn’t I at least be allowed the gift to not sound like a really upset seal whenever I sing a note? I can’t imagine anyone in the history of ever actually getting excited about my new, strange magic. I scan the circle and notice every single eye staring at me in utter awe. I take that back. Ninety-nine-point-nine percent of the trealfurs in this circle look in complete astonishment over this. Want to guess who makes up the point-oh-one percent of trealfurs who isn’t getting a kick out of this whole situation? That’s right: Me.

So, why am I the one who gained this bizarre power? I glance around the circle again. Everyone’s looking back at me like I just turned into a two-headed walrus or something. Two minutes ago, people were shooting daggers out of their eyes at me like I was the scum of the earth, and now, here they all are, acting like I'm the most amazing creature to ever walk the face of the planet.

“Do it again,” one of the trealfurs urges in a loud whisper.

A few others nod their heads in enthusiastic agreement. It’s clear they all want to see what other sparkly new cleaners I can make appear out of nowhere. I really don’t want to test it out anymore, but a tiny voice inside my head wonders if maybe, just maybe, this “gift” is actually a fluke. I mean, I did hit my head pretty hard when I rolled off that fox. What if that knocked things loose a little bit? I cross one set of fingers behind my back and hope that’ll work to help my wish come true, then close one eye before snapping my other set of fingers again. Please just be a big mistake, I think. Unfortunately, it’s not. Another broom appears in a cloud of sparkles just like the last one, and falls to the ground with a clatter.

A round of applause ripples through the council circle. I bury my head in my hands.

How unlucky can one girl get?

About the Author:

Chelsea was born and raised in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado, where she spent countless hours writing stories. Mostly about cats.

In 2015, she published her first book: a quirky memoir for adults called I'd Rather Wear Pajamas that talks all about the journey through her young adult life that led to her becoming an author. It was an Amazon #1 best seller for five straight days and continues to elicit full belly laughs from its readers.

After the birth of her children, Chelsea shifted her writing to the kidlit world. She’s thrilled to share her newest baby: Tinsey Clover.

Chelsea lives in Boulder with her husband and three practically perfect daughters. Unfortunately, she doesn’t own any cats.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

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Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/099672849X/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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