by Sandra Murphy

This week we have a special treat–a review of the latest Nurse Frosty book by our own Lee Juslin, Nurse Frosty at the Blunderbuss Inn. This is a fun children’s book with a mystery twist that can be fun for all ages–especially if you are a dog lover! We also have an interview with Lee & you can enter to win a copy of the book-details at the end of this post.

Nurse Frosty at the Blunderbuss Inn by Lee Juslin

Rodney Rabbitski has another hare-brained idea to take the residents of the Four Paws Retirement Home on a field trip. They’ll travel to the historic Blunderbuss Inn and stay for a weekend of old time activities. The staff dresses in time period costumes and everyone is excited to go—except Nurse Frosty who can think of a lot of things that could go wrong. Still, she can’t bear to disappoint them, so off they’re off.

At the Inn, everyone is delighted with the accommodations. Rodney seems to have a little crush on Miss Sarah, the Innkeeper. A few of the residents decide to explore the gardens, while Mrs. Fold’ear wants to see what’s at the top of the grand staircase.

A bit later, Nurse Frosty is shocked to find Mrs. Fold’ear at the bottom of the steps—and the secret she whispers is even more shocking!

While Mrs. Fold’ear is in the hospital, recovering from her fall, Rodney and Nurse Frosty are on the case. Was it an accident or was she pushed? Rodney proves to be very brave and the Nurse comes through again.

This is a book that adults won’t tire of reading. Kids will love to hear it again and again. The illustrations are, as always, colorful, imaginative and detailed so you always find something new to see. This is a thin book, jammed with the characters readers have loved since book one. It will make a great gift for any dog lover, young or old, on your holiday list.

Other fiction by Lee:
Book One—Nurse Frosty and the Four Paws Retirement Home
Book Two—Nurse Frosty Saves the Day
Book Three—Nurse Frosty and the Wond’ear’ful Adventure
Book Four—Nurse Frosty and the Big Bingo Balooza

Non-Fiction by Lee:
Frosty’s Story—Tails of a Therapy Dog

Purchase the new book using this Amazon link & you help support KRL:

Interview with Lee Juslin Author of the Nurse Frosty books

Sandra: How did the idea come about for the first book?

Lee: Nurse Frosty and I had gone to a new nursing home/assisted living facility and were very impressed with how beautiful it was and how well run. When we complimented the director, she said, “People always say the same thing when they take a tour—and then they say, but I could never bring the children here.”

Nurse Frosty and I were appalled. People who need some assistance with daily living or more skilled care already give up so much—their homes, many of their belongings, privacy and their memories—and are placed into a strange situation where they often don’t know anyone or the routine. To also give up visits with their grandchildren would be cruel!

Lee & Frosty

Nurse Frosty and I talked about it on the way home and she said to me, “Mom, you have to do something!” so we came up with the idea of a book, where of course, she would be the star.

In the first book, Miz Bullsy, moves into the Four Paws Retirement Home and isn’t at all happy about it. She wants to stay in her room and be left alone. The other residents have been through the same experience and know how to make her feel welcome.

It’s our goal to introduce the nursing home as a stage of life, where Grandma is still a person who needs a little help, visits and attention. Older adults shouldn’t be discounted and locked away from their families. To illustrate our point, at the end of the book, Miz Bullsy is surprised by a Welcome Home party thrown by the other residents at Nurse Frosty’s instigation, of course.

Sandra: What started you into therapy work?

Lee: My friend’s dog, Izzie, was a therapy dog and always had such great tales to tell about the visits. I thought Frosty and I would like to do that too so we joined Love on a Leash and got certified, insured and then met with local facilities. Probably Miss Elizabeth was one of our favorite visits—she loved Frosty and we got invited to all her birthday parties. Her family liked knowing we stopped by to see her too.

Illustration from Nurse Frosty books done by Karen B Donnelly

Sandra: Are all the facilities so nice?

Lee: Now there’s so much more regulation that facilities are much nicer. They recognize the benefit of the dogs coming to visit or having a resident cat. When I was a child, my mother’s aunt had to go into a home. It was a matter of choosing the best of the lot and that wasn’t saying much.

Sandra: What does Nurse Frosty want her readers to know?

Lee: Nursing home and assisted living facilities are places where people go to live when they need a little extra help. They are not scary places and Grandma and Grandpa are still the same people who want to hear about your day. They’re just living in a different place with lots of other people.

To enter to win a copy of Nurse Frosty at the Blunderbuss Inn, simply email KRL at life@kingsriverlife[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, with the subject line “Frosty”, or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen December 8, 2012. U.S. residents only.

Sandra Murphy lives in the shadow of the arch, in the land of blues, booze and shoes—St Louis, Missouri. While writing magazine articles to support her mystery book habit, she secretly polishes two mystery books of her own, hoping, someday, they will see the light of Barnes and Noble. You can also find several of Sandra’s short stories on UnTreed Reads including her new one Bananas Foster.