A Mother’s Celebration of the Incredible Talent and Life of Her Son What Goes Into Making a Musical Genius? Mayme Wilkins Holt opens up her heart to share the incredible story of her son, musician and singer Ben Holt. Holt recounts the joys and challenges of being a single mother and raising a gifted child. Filled with photos from Ben’s life, this book is not only a biography of a talented musician who was taken too soon, but is also a musical journey. Holt shows us how her son first developed a passion for music, but also struggled, at first, with the rigors of having to count the beat of each note. Though he played several instruments, Ben’s voice was his greatest musical gift. Ben would graduate from Juilliard and go on to have a successful career as a vocal and performing artist, being featured in several great classical music and operatic performances, including Metropolitan Opera Company. At the tragically young age of 26, Ben was diagnosed with cancer. After treatment, the disease went into remission. But, Ben knew he was on borrowed time. During the next eight years of his life, Ben accomplished more, loved more, and lived more than most people fit into lives that stretch long into retirement. One of the most remarkable parts of Ben’s story is that it didn’t end with his untimely death at age 34. Instead, Ben’s legacy continues through the people he touched, in his brief life, who have helped to use his work and his story to bless many, more lives. Join a mother as she takes you on an incredible journey of love, talent, and tragedy. Once you start reading Ben’s story, you won’t be able to stop turning the page.

From the author of Rhyme Schemer, House Arrest, and Knockout! The Kids Under the Stairs: BenBee and the Teacher Griefer is a funny, clever novel-in-verse series about Ben Bellows—who failed the Language Arts section of the Florida State test—and three classmates who get stuck in a summer school class. But these kids aren't dumb—they're divergent thinkers, as Ms. J tells them: they simply approach things in a different way than traditional school demands. • Each chapter is told through the perspective of one of the four students, who each write in a different style (art, verse, stream of consciousness). • Celebrates different types of intelligence • A heartwarming, laugh-out-loud novel-in-verse Soon, the kids win over Ms. J with their passion for Sandbox, a Minecraft-type game. The kids make a deal with Ms. J: every minute they spend reading aloud equals one minute they get to play Sandbox in class. But when the administration finds about this unorthodox method of teaching, Ben B. and his buds have to band together to save their teacher's job—and their own academic future. The first in a series of complementary storylines, this is an honest, heartfelt book about friendship, videogames, and learning to love yourself. • Features a distinct and engaging cast of characters • Encourages even the most reluctant reader to embrace their own "divergent" self • Perfect for parents of kids age 10 and up who love Minecraft, educators and librarians, middle grade readers, new readers of poetry, and fans of videogames • You'll love this book if you love books like Ghost by Jason Reynolds, Patina by Jason Reynolds, and Short by Holly Goldberg Sloan.

Contains articles on the White Mountains and a map.