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Flotsam
Amy was cursed. There was no doubt about it. It happened the day her mother left her in an old Lost and Found box when she was only three. That day, she believed, was the day that she had been cursed with the uncanny ability to locate lost items, people and things, but never to be able to find things she had lost herself. Tossed around from home to home, because no one wants her around, Amy is placed under the care of an old German man named, Mr. Heckler. There Amy finds, a lost baby deer, a home, and a chance of a new life. Given a list of lost items to locate, Amy sets out to prove her abilities, only to find herself a pawn of power, in a very dangerous game of seek and find, where desperate individuals will stop at nothing until she has found every secret, and dug up every treasure the town has. FLOTSAM, is an adventure story that tells of forgiveness, and hope, of shipwrecked lives, and of those amazing coastguards of life who take the time to find us when we are lost.
260 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 3, 2010
15 people are currently reading
150 people want to read
About the author
Stephanie Skeem
3 books23 followers"Every person passing through this life will unknowingly leave something and take something away. Most of this “something” cannot be seen or heard or numbered or scientifically detected or counted. It’s what we leave in the minds of other people and what they leave in ours. Memory. The census doesn’t count it. Nothing counts without it."
— Robert Fulghum
"We have come from God, and inevitably the myths woven by us, though they contain error, will also reflect a splintered fragment of the true light, the eternal truth that is with God. Indeed only by myth-making, only by becoming 'sub-creator' and inventing stories, can Man aspire to the state of perfection that he knew before the Fall. Our myths may be misguided, but they steer however shakily towards the true harbour, while materialistic 'progress' leads only to a yawning abyss and the Iron Crown of the power of evil."
— J.R.R. Tolkien
Here's my boring Biography for those of you who prefer third person introductions. As for myself, I prefer a first person intro when I'm meeting someone new. So below the boring bio is the first person super awesome intro.
*Smiles sheepishly*
Stephanie Skeem, the seventh child of nine children, was born on the sixth day of June on the sixth month, in the tiny town of Snowhere, sandwiched right in the middle of Somewhere and Nowhere, with Nothing Much in between. She lives on a not so ordinary farm, with a barn (that isn't red) With goats that can fly over fences, an orphaned horse that thinks it's a unicorn, and chickens that actually have invisible teeth. For fun, she sings to old people, does amazing hula hoop tricks, paints beautiful pictures, milks goats, has mud fights, rescues the poor and afflicted, and scuba dives through water that is amazingly populated with leaches, alligators and hippos, all while sitting at her writing desk.
______________________________________
And so..."Ahem, here's the non-boring intro for those of you who are interested."
This is my own personal canvas to express myself, so says goodreads. Well, I guess I shall start by swiping my paintbrush across this canvas by saying I'm a author, just like a hundred other authors on here. What makes me different from the masses of authors all trying to get people to read their books, you ask? Let's see...well I can hula hoop about 30 to 40 lbs of hula hoops at one time. *yeah, impressive, I know.* Next, I'll have to learn to do a handstand while hooping, and reading a book.
I've rescued baby goats from freezing temperatures and brought them back to life. My favorite sounds are the hum of crickets on a summer night, people laughing, rain, water over rocks, doves calling, lid on a sprite bottle opening, fish splashing, thunder.
I love playing Frisbee, a good laugh, smashing evil moths that invade my work space at night, righting the injustices of the world, finding new ways to make ordinary things not so ordinary. I love thunderstorms, you know, the kind when the power goes out and you have to go get the candles. I love cuddling on the couch with a good book, and a fuzzy blanket, feeling warm, and safe, ready to embark on a new adventure without having to even move.
*Shrugs* The simple joys. Who doesn't love em?
Also, if I was a shameless author, I would tell you how great my young adult book Flotsam is. But I wont. I'll just let you go take a peek at it and decide if you like it yourself.
*Cheers*
Here's the link:
http://www.amazon.com/Flotsam-1-Steph...
— Robert Fulghum
"We have come from God, and inevitably the myths woven by us, though they contain error, will also reflect a splintered fragment of the true light, the eternal truth that is with God. Indeed only by myth-making, only by becoming 'sub-creator' and inventing stories, can Man aspire to the state of perfection that he knew before the Fall. Our myths may be misguided, but they steer however shakily towards the true harbour, while materialistic 'progress' leads only to a yawning abyss and the Iron Crown of the power of evil."
— J.R.R. Tolkien
Here's my boring Biography for those of you who prefer third person introductions. As for myself, I prefer a first person intro when I'm meeting someone new. So below the boring bio is the first person super awesome intro.
*Smiles sheepishly*
Stephanie Skeem, the seventh child of nine children, was born on the sixth day of June on the sixth month, in the tiny town of Snowhere, sandwiched right in the middle of Somewhere and Nowhere, with Nothing Much in between. She lives on a not so ordinary farm, with a barn (that isn't red) With goats that can fly over fences, an orphaned horse that thinks it's a unicorn, and chickens that actually have invisible teeth. For fun, she sings to old people, does amazing hula hoop tricks, paints beautiful pictures, milks goats, has mud fights, rescues the poor and afflicted, and scuba dives through water that is amazingly populated with leaches, alligators and hippos, all while sitting at her writing desk.
______________________________________
And so..."Ahem, here's the non-boring intro for those of you who are interested."
This is my own personal canvas to express myself, so says goodreads. Well, I guess I shall start by swiping my paintbrush across this canvas by saying I'm a author, just like a hundred other authors on here. What makes me different from the masses of authors all trying to get people to read their books, you ask? Let's see...well I can hula hoop about 30 to 40 lbs of hula hoops at one time. *yeah, impressive, I know.* Next, I'll have to learn to do a handstand while hooping, and reading a book.
I've rescued baby goats from freezing temperatures and brought them back to life. My favorite sounds are the hum of crickets on a summer night, people laughing, rain, water over rocks, doves calling, lid on a sprite bottle opening, fish splashing, thunder.
I love playing Frisbee, a good laugh, smashing evil moths that invade my work space at night, righting the injustices of the world, finding new ways to make ordinary things not so ordinary. I love thunderstorms, you know, the kind when the power goes out and you have to go get the candles. I love cuddling on the couch with a good book, and a fuzzy blanket, feeling warm, and safe, ready to embark on a new adventure without having to even move.
*Shrugs* The simple joys. Who doesn't love em?
Also, if I was a shameless author, I would tell you how great my young adult book Flotsam is. But I wont. I'll just let you go take a peek at it and decide if you like it yourself.
*Cheers*
Here's the link:
http://www.amazon.com/Flotsam-1-Steph...
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
November 9, 2010
I'm the author. So honestly...what else could I say, except that this book is a awesome, and you would love it. However, the subjective, critical side of me says, "Well, come on, Steph, you're reviewing your own book on goodreads. That's rather lame---to say the least.
Then the the author in me says, "Dude, shut up critic. It's lame not to try and share your work. Go ahead, Steph, give the best plug about your book you possibly can, do the best, be positive, proactive, because your book is awesome because you took the time to write it."
So, the conclusion, in the words the reading rainbow guy, "Don't take my word for it." Go check it out. :)
Back cover blurb of Flotsam, for those interested.
Amy was cursed. There was no doubt about it. It happened the day her mother left her in an old Lost and Found box when she was only three. That day, she believed, was the day that she had been cursed with the uncanny ability to locate lost items, people and things, but never to be able to find things she had lost herself. Tossed around from home to home, because no one wants her around, Amy is placed under the care of an old German man named, Mr. Heckler. There Amy finds, a lost baby deer, a home, and a chance of a new life. Given a list of lost items to locate, Amy sets out to prove her abilities, only to find herself a pawn of power, in a very dangerous game of seek and find, where desperate individuals will stop at nothing until she has found every secret, and dug up every treasure the town has. FLOTSAM, is an adventure story that tells of forgiveness, and hope, of shipwrecked lives, and of those amazing coastguards of life who take the time to find us when we are lost.
Then the the author in me says, "Dude, shut up critic. It's lame not to try and share your work. Go ahead, Steph, give the best plug about your book you possibly can, do the best, be positive, proactive, because your book is awesome because you took the time to write it."
So, the conclusion, in the words the reading rainbow guy, "Don't take my word for it." Go check it out. :)
Back cover blurb of Flotsam, for those interested.
Amy was cursed. There was no doubt about it. It happened the day her mother left her in an old Lost and Found box when she was only three. That day, she believed, was the day that she had been cursed with the uncanny ability to locate lost items, people and things, but never to be able to find things she had lost herself. Tossed around from home to home, because no one wants her around, Amy is placed under the care of an old German man named, Mr. Heckler. There Amy finds, a lost baby deer, a home, and a chance of a new life. Given a list of lost items to locate, Amy sets out to prove her abilities, only to find herself a pawn of power, in a very dangerous game of seek and find, where desperate individuals will stop at nothing until she has found every secret, and dug up every treasure the town has. FLOTSAM, is an adventure story that tells of forgiveness, and hope, of shipwrecked lives, and of those amazing coastguards of life who take the time to find us when we are lost.
July 13, 2016
This was a cute story that I enjoyed reading. It had some great lessons that made me think about how the main character, a foster child whom no one seems to want to keep, would feel. This book was similar to other books about foster kids, but it was geared towards younger kids - 9 or so. The ending asked a lot of the reader, but for a children's book, it was fine. I especially liked how Skeem included a pet for the main character. Granted, the pet was a deer, but it acted just like a devoted dog. Kids love pets, so a younger reader would probably feel a greater connection to the main character. All in all - great story, geared towards younger kids, and a great message.
March 14, 2020
This is a great young adult book because of the message it sends. The editor of this book should be ashamed. There are so many grammar, spelling and punctuation errors throughout its pages. I mentioned the errors to the students I was reading this with, and some found errors I missed. Aside from that, the story was going great until the end. There were WAY TOO MANY close connections that happened as the story came to a close. My 6th grade readers still enjoyed the book. :-)
June 18, 2019
Entertaining
I enjoyed this book very much. I especially enjoyed how the main character learned that family is not always blood.
I enjoyed this book very much. I especially enjoyed how the main character learned that family is not always blood.
November 9, 2010
I'm the author. So honestly...what else could I say, except that this book is a awesome, and you would love it. However, the subjective, critical side of me says, "Well, come on, Steph, you're reviewing your own book on goodreads. That's rather lame---to say the least.
Then the the author in me says, "Dude, shut up critic. It's lame not to try and share your work. Go ahead, Steph, give the best plug about your book you possibly can. Do your best, expect the best, be positive, and proactive, because your book is awesome."
So in the words of the Reading Rainbow guy, "Don't take my word for it." Go check it out. :)
Back cover blurb of Flotsam, for those interested.
Amy was cursed. There was no doubt about it. It happened the day her mother left her in an old Lost and Found box when she was only three. That day, she believed, was the day that she had been cursed with the uncanny ability to locate lost items, people and things, but never to be able to find things she had lost herself. Tossed around from home to home, because no one wants her around, Amy is placed under the care of an old German man named, Mr. Heckler. There Amy finds, a lost baby deer, a home, and a chance of a new life. Given a list of lost items to locate, Amy sets out to prove her abilities, only to find herself a pawn of power, in a very dangerous game of seek and find, where desperate individuals will stop at nothing until she has found every secret, and dug up every treasure the town has. FLOTSAM, is an adventure story that tells of forgiveness, and hope, of shipwrecked lives, and of those amazing coastguards of life who take the time to find us when we are lost.
Then the the author in me says, "Dude, shut up critic. It's lame not to try and share your work. Go ahead, Steph, give the best plug about your book you possibly can. Do your best, expect the best, be positive, and proactive, because your book is awesome."
So in the words of the Reading Rainbow guy, "Don't take my word for it." Go check it out. :)
Back cover blurb of Flotsam, for those interested.
Amy was cursed. There was no doubt about it. It happened the day her mother left her in an old Lost and Found box when she was only three. That day, she believed, was the day that she had been cursed with the uncanny ability to locate lost items, people and things, but never to be able to find things she had lost herself. Tossed around from home to home, because no one wants her around, Amy is placed under the care of an old German man named, Mr. Heckler. There Amy finds, a lost baby deer, a home, and a chance of a new life. Given a list of lost items to locate, Amy sets out to prove her abilities, only to find herself a pawn of power, in a very dangerous game of seek and find, where desperate individuals will stop at nothing until she has found every secret, and dug up every treasure the town has. FLOTSAM, is an adventure story that tells of forgiveness, and hope, of shipwrecked lives, and of those amazing coastguards of life who take the time to find us when we are lost.
May 30, 2013
I'll start with the negative first; to begin, there were a couple spelling and grammar mistakes. Geocache was spelled geocash, there were a few commas missing, nothing too bad, but annoying nonetheless. That wasn't what threw me off, though. The characters were unrealistic, to the point where I couldn't identify with any of them. There was a lack of emotion. Also, I don't care if the gang identifies with Robin Hood, no self respecting one would dress like him and use arrows instead of guns. It doesn't work. The last thing that had me annoyed was the fact that everyone conveniently lives in the same town as Amy. The ending is too perfect.
The one thing I liked about this book was Nate. He was absolutely darling! I wish the other characters were easy to love like he was.
All in all, though this book has promise, I feel it missed the mark. It needs some editing in some parts. After that, I feel that it could be an awesome story.
The one thing I liked about this book was Nate. He was absolutely darling! I wish the other characters were easy to love like he was.
All in all, though this book has promise, I feel it missed the mark. It needs some editing in some parts. After that, I feel that it could be an awesome story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 22, 2013
I enjoyed the overall story, but I didn't particularly enjoy many of the minor details. The characters were unrealistic and, for the most part, annoying. Stereotypical bullies, grouchy teachers, and the goofy recluse that didn't really have any personalities at all. I have to agree with other reviewers in regards to the grammatical/spelling errors being a distraction.
On the positive, it's an easy read with a positive message that I think younger teens would probably enjoy. You get your lost main character who helps others find their missing things and with the help of a strange man, her only friend, and a fawn, she is finally able to find herself.
On the positive, it's an easy read with a positive message that I think younger teens would probably enjoy. You get your lost main character who helps others find their missing things and with the help of a strange man, her only friend, and a fawn, she is finally able to find herself.
April 28, 2013
The idea was interesting - the execution was terrible. I couldn't get over the punctation & grammar errors. The accent & thoughts/speech of some of the characters were way over the top, which made the whole thing totally unbelievable. I usually like the light & fluffy stuff because it's easy to get sucked in to the story. This was too much work - I found myself constantly checking how close I was to the end just to see if I could make it there... glad to finally have finished it so I can move on.
October 7, 2013
This is a good book for younger readers (if many of the grammatical and punctuation errors were cleared up.)
My one criticism is that the author reallllllyyyyy had to stretch to get the title to connect to the book. Yes, I know the fawn was named "Flotsam," but the rest of the "flotsam" discussion seemed forced (especially since the word "flotsam" doesn't have the negative connotations Mr. Heckler implied it had.)
My one criticism is that the author reallllllyyyyy had to stretch to get the title to connect to the book. Yes, I know the fawn was named "Flotsam," but the rest of the "flotsam" discussion seemed forced (especially since the word "flotsam" doesn't have the negative connotations Mr. Heckler implied it had.)
February 13, 2014
This is great on so many levels. First is the problems that a great many of our foster children face in trying to adjust to a new home and school. The young heroine does a lot of growing up and the supporting characters will either make you cheer them on or wish they had grown up themselves. I did appreciate the part of the story that brought WW II and the German POW camps. Also, who can't appreciate the rescue of a young fawn??
January 27, 2013
I really liked this book. It was entertaining and had good meaning. This book also shows the importance of family/friends. It also alows us to see that talents are used to help others and by so doing god things will auotmatically come your way. (Law of the harvest)
June 14, 2015
I enjoyed the idea of this book, but there were way too many editing errors to be able to pass it on to my daughter. She reads to educate herself, and this book just has too many issues. It's a great first draft.
June 21, 2012
Lemony Snickett meets the Boxcar Children in this interesting and spunky tale about a girl who can find anything for anyone, except a family for herself. Good for ages 8 and up!
July 1, 2012
A clean childrens book. It has great morals. A nice short story for everyone.
October 2, 2012
i thought this book was really really good! i have read it like 4 times already.
October 14, 2012
Nice short story with happy ending.
May 27, 2013
an orphan finds love and acceptance
April 20, 2016
Darling kids book!
This is fun story and I really enjoyed it. It would be perfect to read with a child. It kept me engaged as well!
This is fun story and I really enjoyed it. It would be perfect to read with a child. It kept me engaged as well!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews