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Margaret’s Year In Books

Margaret’s 2025 Year in Books

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Wanda

3,016 books | 114 friends

Simon & Schuster Canada

1,668 books | 3,840 friends

Penguin Random House Canada

579 books | 4,884 friends

Candlewick Press

4,897 books | 3,335 friends

Bloomsbury Publishing

689 books | 986 friends

St. Martin's Press

1,978 books | 3,178 friends

Tamye

3,314 books | 262 friends

Kate

1,052 books | 42 friends

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Margaret J. McMaster

Goodreads Author

Born

in Canada

Website

http://www.margaretjmcmaster.com

Genre

Children's, Young Adult, Fiction

Member Since

February 2011

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/margaretjmcmaster

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About the Author:
Margaret is a multimedia creator who writes novels, paints, produces vlogs for A Sweet Enough Life, and adorns journals with her beautiful artwork. This is what she calls retirement after working in education, business, and library services. She resides in a Southwestern Ontario town on the shores of Lake Erie.

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 2009 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 About the Author:
Margaret is a multimedia creator who writes novels, paints, produces vlogs for A Sweet Enough Life, and adorns journals with her beautiful artwork. This is what she calls retirement after working in education, business, and library services. She resides in a Southwestern Ontario town on the shores of Lake Erie.

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 2009 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 (selected for Best Books for Kids & Teens - Spring 2013), 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, selected for Best Books for Kids & Teens - Fall 2015, and the Gold Medal Winner 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 *Starred* Selection in Best Books for Kids & Teens - Spring 2014. 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 Honorable 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. Her first book of adult short fiction, The Exact Likeness of Living Persons, won a Silver Medal in the 2022/2023 Reader Views Literary Awards. ...more

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What’s the best thing about being a writer?

Margaret J. McMaster It's in line with the best thing about being a new parent: the awe that comes when looking at the finished product. You ask yourself: how did all the …moreIt's in line with the best thing about being a new parent: the awe that comes when looking at the finished product. You ask yourself: how did all the elements come together to form this little thing that oozes its own sweet personality? The difference is that the author experiences every step of the creative process. And this is truly, inexplicably, magnificent. (less)

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What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

Margaret J. McMaster Be a good editor. Let your manuscript marinate in a drawer for a few weeks then take another look, pencil in hand. So much will jump out at you. Why d…moreBe a good editor. Let your manuscript marinate in a drawer for a few weeks then take another look, pencil in hand. So much will jump out at you. Why did I use that adverb when what I needed to do was strengthen the verb? Things like that. Every edit, and there will be many, should have a different purpose. Yes, there will be spelling and grammar mistakes to clean up but editing is much more than that. My first edit is a broad look at continuity and pacing. Is the story moving along where it should and slowing down where it should? Is there enough suspense to carry it along? Structure, structure, structure. It is so important. When I read another author's book, that's what I'm looking at. How was the book arranged to tell the story? What voice did the author use? Above all else, you want your story to be compelling, because if it's not, the best sentences in the world won't matter. One of the edits should focus entirely on spotting inconsistencies. I once finished a scene that relied on the characters all wearing coats, forgetting that I'd set it during the summer! Ouch! So, I had to make it rain, and those coats became raincoats! Ah, the all-powerful writer! Don't be afraid to use your power to move scenes around to heighten the drama. Mix it up. Make the reader work for it. If it's all: this happened, and then this happened, and then this happened ... well you're snoozing, aren't you? So is your reader. Let your characters do the heavy lifting. Their dialogue is much more important than a description of the setting or what they're wearing at the time. As soon as the words come out of your character's mouth the reader will visualize an individual in line with their own experience. To get better at writing dialogue, write a screenplay, just as a self-improvement exercise. And take your earbuds out when you're on the subway or in a restaurant. Yes, eavesdrop. You're a writer. It's your job to know how people talk. Lastly - and I could go on forever here - live your life. Take a notebook with you wherever you go. Ideas don't spring out of the computer screen. Get up and get out! Pretty soon a theme will come to mind. Write it down. Now, be prepared for the characters to show up. As soon as you can hear them talking to each other, get on that computer! And just when they're all feeling comfortable and safe, throw in a mind-blowing situation that has to be dealt with if disaster is going to be averted. Watch how the characters react. Are you writing it down? Good. That book is going to be finished in no time!(less)

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Margaret J. McMaster’s books

Average rating: 4.07 · 117 ratings · 66 reviews · 12 distinct works

	So Much Potential 3.82 avg rating — 22 ratings — published 2013 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Complete Babysitter Out of Control! Series by Margaret J. McMaster (Goodreads Author), Manuel N. Cadag (Illustrator) 4.44 avg rating — 16 ratings — published 2015 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Haunting of Cedar Hill Plantation (A Phoebe Sproule Novel Book 2) 4.09 avg rating — 11 ratings — published 2020 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Improbable Party on Purple Plum Lane really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 11 ratings — published 2011	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	8 Days in DUMBO (A Phoebe Sproule Novel Book 1) 4.20 avg rating — 10 ratings — published 2019 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Carried Away on Licorice Days 4.10 avg rating — 10 ratings — published 2008 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	What Happened in July really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 9 ratings — published 2012 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Exact Likeness of Living Persons 3.89 avg rating — 9 ratings — published 2022 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Babysitter Out of Control! really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 7 ratings — published 2007 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Looking for Love on Mongo Tongo 4.20 avg rating — 5 ratings — published 2010 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Margaret J. McMaster's Blog

JOURNAL - Kitty Love

240 pages of lightly-lined cream pages for your thoughts, inspiration, and sketches Read more of this blog post »

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Margaret’s Recent Updates

Margaret J. McMaster wrote a new blog post JOURNAL - Kitty Love 240 pages of lightly-lined cream pages for your thoughts, inspiration, and sketches
Jan 23, 2026 04:03PM · like
Margaret McMaster rated a book it was amazing The Daddius Project: Master the biggest project of your life... Dadhood by Dr Scott Vatcher	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Not only a masterplan towards successful Dadhood, The Daddius Project offers a support-driven pathway to better relationships, mental and physical health, and overall happiness. I definitely recommend it.
May 20, 2025 05:33AM · like · see review
Margaret McMaster recommended Forn Ljós: Incongruous to Mariner Books Forn Ljós: Incongruous by Wynter Tickle (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 02, 2024 11:44AM · like
Margaret McMaster finished reading Forn Ljós: Incongruous by Wynter Tickle (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 02, 2024 11:42AM · like
Margaret McMaster has read Forn Ljós: Incongruous by Wynter Tickle (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 02, 2024 11:42AM · like
Margaret McMaster rated a book it was amazing Forn Ljós: Incongruous by Wynter Tickle (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
A debut novel that hits all the right marks. Immensely enjoyable. Wynter Tickle is an exciting new voice on the fantasy fiction scene.
Sep 01, 2024 07:08PM · like · see review
Margaret McMaster has read Forn Ljós: Incongruous by Wynter Tickle (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 28, 2024 01:18AM · like
Margaret McMaster rated a book it was amazing Where To from Here: A Path to Canadian Prosperity by Bill Morneau	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Bill Morneau's narration in the audiobook format was so compelling that I followed it up with a reading of the hardcover so that I could better unpack the wealth of information and insight that he presents. Ideas, concepts, observations, history. The ...more
Jun 28, 2024 04:33AM · like · see review
Margaret McMaster rated a book it was amazing Pierre Poilievre: A Political Life by Andrew Lawton	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I must say, whether you are for PP or against him, this book is essential reading. And it is very well, and I would say, impartially written. PP's family, his Alberta upbringing, early political influences, and ambitious progress through the Reform, ...more
May 28, 2024 09:09AM · 5 likes · like · see review
Margaret McMaster rated a book it was amazing Closer Together: Knowing Ourselves, Loving Each Other by Sophie Grégoire Trudeau (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Great work, Sophie!
May 28, 2024 08:57AM · like · see review

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