Food Fight: Linda Davis in Discussion with Alice Moody

Indie bookstore The Book Stall is excited to host an in-store discussion on Tuesday, July 11 at 6:30 pm featuring Linda Davis, the author of the new middle-grade novel, Food Fight. Shannon Schuren, author of Where Echoes Lie, says, “A must-read for anyone who has ever fought their own battles with both fitting in and being themselves.” Book group leader, writing instructor, and influencer Alice Moody will be the conversation partner! This event is free with registration, to register, please visit our website.

More About the Book: Ben Snyder is ready for middle school. But his super picky eating, which has never been a big deal before, is about to take him down. Suddenly everybody’s on his case about what he’s eating and what he’s not–his old friends, his new friends, his weird lab partner, the girl he’s crushing on, and a bully–and Ben finds himself in social free fall, sliding toward the bottom of the middle school food chain. Even worse, there’s an upcoming three-day class trip to a colonial campsite. Knowing he can’t handle the gag-worthy menu, Ben prepares for the outing like it’s a survival mission and he sets out with three tactical goals: impress the girl, outsmart the bully, and avoid every single meal. But when epic hunger threatens to push him over the edge, Ben must decide how far he will go to fit in and if he has the courage to stand out.

Kimberly Behre Kenna, author of Artemis Sparke and the Sound Seekers Brigade, says, “Linda Davis has a knack for zingy dialogue and depicting multi-faceted sixth-grade characters, but the story behind her book Food Fight goes much deeper. Protagonist Ben suffers from ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder). Typical middle school fare like pizza and ice cream literally makes him sick, and he uses humor to divert attention away from himself and his eating habits. But keeping his secret strains friendships with his classmates and worse, a hopeful first crush goes haywire. Davis’s pacing moves right along and yet never diminishes Ben’s emotional journey to self-acceptance, striking a pitch-perfect balance for middle-grade readers.”

More About the Author: As a social worker, Linda B. Davis is passionate about the need for accurate and accessible mental health information in children’s books. She is a member of SCBWI and active in the Chicago writing community. Linda enjoys traveling with her family, gardening, buying more books than she can possibly read, and maintaining her Little Free Library. Food Fight is her first novel.

Conversation Partner Alice Moody is a seasoned book group facilitator, writing coach, and workshop leader whose stints in publishing and secondary education laid the foundation for her true passion: inspiring aspiring writers and avid readers. Her belief in the transformative power of story serves as the underlying principle guiding her book discussions and workshops. A lover of the beauty and power of words, Alice thrives on a good dose of excellent novels, strong morning coffee, lively conversation, and — most of all — her two beautiful children.