I’m thrilled to announce Stranger in the Mushroom has earned the prestigious Gold Mom’s Choice Award®. Having been rigorously evaluated by a panel of MCA evaluators, Stranger in the Mushroom Patch is deemed to be among the best as among the best in family-friendly media, products, and services.
The Mom’s Choice Awards® (MCA) evaluates products and services created for children, families, and educators. The program is globally recognized for establishing the benchmark of excellence in family-friendly media, products, and services. The organization is based in the United States and has reviewed thousands of items from more than 55 countries. The world, parents, educators, retailers, and members of the media look for the MCA mother-and-child Honoring Excellence seal of approval when selecting quality products and services for children and families. This is the second Gold Mom’s Choice Awards® awarded to The Mischief Series.
Excerpt: Stranger in the Mushroom Patch Chapter 5 Oh No!
Chatter filled the hallway as the fairlings waited eagerly outside the carved wooden door to enter the great hall for morning announcements. Madame Louise stood in front of the massive doors instructing the talkative fairies to form a single line. Madame Charlotte hovered up and down the line, nudging those that stepped out of formation, so the line was perfectly straight and not crooked. Boris was grinning and staring upward at the ceiling. Madame Charlotte thought Jack must be hiding in the rafters; she was right.
“Jack, down, now!”
Before Madame Charlotte could scold him, the doors to the hall opened, and all the fairlings filed inside and took their seats. Mademoiselle Francesca, Monsieur Pierre, two senior elders, and two chief master engineers were seated on stage. Once the fairlings sat down, a senior elder, Monsieur Monroe, stood in front of the podium. He had long white hair, pale skin, and was quite tall for a fairy. His dark robe sparkled, and though he didn’t know it, he lit up with such a glow it looked as if he’d been doused in fairy dust from head to toe two times over. Despite the early hour, his glowing robes were a sure sign that he’d already been busy all morning working on tasks and deeds for the day. Fairy dust clinging to the multiple layers he wore were a giveaway how long his list must be, and it was clear he had yet to stand in front of the dust blower to remove the excess dust.
Lilly hoped she’d be half as productive as the elders someday; they were always so helpful and busy. The amount of dust assigned to the elders was constant confirmation of the number of tasks they’d complete daily. Lilly and Boris knew all about the quantity of dust the elders were assigned from their time spent in the fairy dust factory. The manufacturing and production of fairy dust, an extensive process, were valuable experiences that neither Lilly nor Boris would ever forget!
“You may be seated,” the elder instructed.
As soon as the shuffling of feet, wings, gowns, tunics, and robes had stopped, silence filled the hall, and the elder officially greeted them.
“Good morning. It’s that time of year when our i
t’s that time of year when our master engineers conduct their annual inspections of the mushrooms in preparation for the rainy season. Pre-treatment of the ’shrooms will follow, and any infected ’shrooms found during the inspection will be destroyed. Please, stay out of their way.” Turning toward the Chief Master Engineer, he asked, “Is there anything you’d like to add?” – Excerpt: Stranger in the Mushroom Patch
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Text Copyright © 2022 by Amanda M. Thrasher
All rights reserved. Published 2022 by Progressive Rising Phoenix Press, LLC
