New Journals are available from the Margaret J. McMaster Signature Collection.
The Exact Likeness of Living Persons
The Exact Likeness of Living Persons swings from the laughable and ironic, to the deadly serious, much like life itself.
"... well constructed, clever, with very good endings." Whistler Independent Book Awards
“The Exact Likeness of Living Persons by Margaret J. McMaster is a discovery of a treasure hidden within words. A treasure found in small simple experiences which we can all find in our own memories. But make no mistake, the treasure found is priceless and will remain forever valuable in all readers’ hearts. A must have five star book to re-visit often when we need to reconnect with our humanity." Susan Voliante for Reader Views
"Margaret J. McMaster is aware of the darkness that threads through all our lives. There is light, too - and humour - but she refuses to look away from the difficulties, the obstacles, the hard truths. Her poems and prose compel us to focus, to pay attention, to look below the surface of things." Paul Nicholas Mason, author of The Rogue Wave and The Night Drummer
ISBN: 9781777170356
About the Author:
Margaret is a multimedia creator who writes, paints, produces videos for the YouTube Channel: A Sweet Enough Life, and designs journals for Mansbridge Dunn Publishers. This is what she calls retirement after working in education, business, and library services. She lives in Canada with her Miniature Schnauzer, Max (who is constantly vying for attention), and a husband who lovingly takes him for walks. She is a proud member of The Writers' Union of Canada, The Arts Society of Kingsville, and Amherstburg's Gibson Gallery.
Publishing History:
Margaret J. McMaster published her first book of middle-grade fiction, Carried Away on Licorice Days, in 2008. It was nominated for three literary awards: the Canadian Library Association’s Book of the Year for Children Award, the 2010/2011 Hackmatack Children’s Choice Book Award, and the 2011 Rocky Mountain Book Award. In 2009 she started writing the Babysitter Out of Control! series. These amusing, fast-paced adventures include: Babysitter Out of Control!, Looking for Love on Mongo Tongo, The Improbable Party on Purple Plum Lane, What Happened in July, The Sinking of the Wiley Bean, and, The Queen of Second Chances. The Complete Babysitter Out of Control! Series, published in 2015, was long-listed for the 2016 Silver Birch Award, was a Best Books for Kids & Teens selection, and won the GOLD MEDAL in the 2015 Moonbeam Children’s Book Award, Early Reader/1st Chapter Books category. McMaster is a past contributor to the Canadian Children’s Annual and her creative non-fiction piece, After All These Years, was shortlisted for the 2006 CBC Literary Award. So Much Potential, a novel set in the Lake Erie fishing industry, was published in 2013. It was a Best Book for Kids & Teens *Starred* Selection. The first book in her Phoebe Sproule series, 8 Days in DUMBO, was named one of *The Year’s Best* by Resource Links and won an Honourable Mention in the 2019/2020 Reader Views Literary Awards. The sequel, The Haunting of Cedar Hill Plantation, was released in 2020 and won a Bronze Medal in the Reader Views Literary Awards. In 2022 she published a collection of adult short fiction called, The Exact Likeness of Living Persons. It won a Silver Medal in the 2022/2023 Reader Views Literary Awards.
From the Critics:
Read the Review: "A must have five star book to re-visit often when we need to reconnect with our humanity."
Other Books by This Author:
Teen Fiction:
So Much Potential
Juvenile Fiction:
The Haunting of Cedar Hill Plantation
8 Days in DUMBO
Carried Away on Licorice Days
Early Chapter Books:
Babysitter Out of Control!
Looking For Love on Mongo Tongo
The Improbable Party on Purple Plum Lane
What Happened in July
The Sinking of the Wiley Bean
The Queen of Second Chances
The Complete Babysitter Out of Control! Series
The Haunting of Cedar Hill Plantation - A Phoebe Sproule Novel - Book 2
No. of Pages: 223
Available at Amazon.ca & Amazon.com & Barnes & Noble & Walmart
8 Days in DUMBO - A Phoebe Sproule Novel - Book 1
Awarded an Honorable Mention in the 2019/2020 Reader Views Literary Awards.
Library & Bookstore Orders handled by INGRAM
'Phoebe, herself, is a delightful character: smart, funny, clever, forgiving, and just a genuinely good person. Her interactions with the other characters in the novel illustrate a kind and caring nature. She's the kind of character that readers will genuinely root for, despite the fact that most of the major conflicts happen to the characters around her.' Recommended. CM: Canadian Review of Materials, Nov. 22, 2019.
'Margaret McMaster has penned an easy-read, suitable for students in upper elementary and middle school. The author keeps readers engaged in the story, and certainly wanting to solve the mystery, find the missing child, and even learn what secret Serena has. There is lots of adventure and antics happening in 8 Days in DUMBO, portraying the complexity of life found in reality.' Resource Links, Dec. 2019 Issue.
Carried Away on Licorice Days - Nominated for Three Literary Awards
4.25 x 7 x 0.2 in
Binding: Perfect Bound
Owen isn't expecting anything other than a good night's sleep when he's shipped off to his grandmother's farm after his baby sister is born, but he soon discovers that he fits right in with the three-legged dog, the blind goat, and a very angry pony. Then Grandma wins the lottery and everything changes.
From the Critics:
"a thrilling outcome for Owen ... one that debut author McMaster deftly and convincingly orchestrates." Susan Perren, Children's Book Reviewer, The Globe and Mail, November 8th, 2008
www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/childrens-books/article716784/
"This gentle novel brings to mind the works of James Herriot, full of memorable animal characters, cups of steaming hot cocoa, and frosty mornings out in the barn. Highly recommended." CM: Canadian Review of Materials, March 20th, 2009www.umanitoba.ca/cm/vol15/no15/carriedawayonlicoricedays.html
So Much Potential - A *STARRED* Selection in Best Books for Kids & Teens
The Complete Babysitter Out of Control! Series - MOONBEAM AWARDS GOLD MEDAL WINNER
Juvenile Fiction - Early Reader/1st Chapter Books
Long-listed for the 2016 Silver Birch Award.
Selected for the Fall 2015 Edition of Best Books for Kids & Teens.
"The initial concept of an eccentric babysitter who, herself, needs babysitting is a fun one that has served the series well. Recommended." CM: Canadian Review of Materials, March 27th, 2015