Rockstar Book Tours presents... LIGHT AND AIR by Mindy Nichols Wendell - REVIEW + GIVEAWAY!

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the LIGHT AND AIR by Mindy Nichols Wendell Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

 

Title: LIGHT AND AIR

Author: Mindy Nichols Wendell

Pub. Date: January 2, 2024

Publisher: Holiday House

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Pages: 218

Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/LIGHT-AND-AIR 

It's 1935, and tuberculosis is ravaging the nation. Everyone is afraid of this deadly respiratory illness. But what happens when you actually have it?

When Halle and her mother both come down with TB, they are shunned—and then they are sent to the J.N. Adam Tuberculosis Hospital: far from home, far from family, far from the world.

Tucked away in the woods of upstate New York, the hospital is a closed and quiet place. But it is not, Halle learns, a prison. Free of her worried and difficult father for the first time in her life, she slowly discovers joy, family, and the healing power of honey on the children's ward, where the girls on the floor become her confidantes and sisters. But when Mama suffers a lung hemorrhage, their entire future—and recovery—is thrown into question....

Light and Air deals tenderly and insightfully with isolation, quarantine, found family, and illness. Set in the fully realized world of a 1930s hospital, it offers a tender glimpse into a historical epidemic that has become more relatable than ever due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As Halle tries to warm her father’s coldness and learns to trust the girls and women of the hospital, and as she and her mother battle a disease that once paralyzed the country, a profound message of strength, hope, and healing emerges.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

 

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Historical Fiction can be for kiddos too!

Case in point? This book because it takes a time from yesteryear, brings it to life, and makes it relateable for readers in the intended audience and beyond. You can't help but fall in love with Halle and her mom, and while once upon a time contracting an epic contagious disease may have seemed like story telling, we've lived through COVID-19 ... we're rather familiar whether we want to be or not. Watching their new reality unfold, seeing them adapt to what they thought was surely a life sentence, but turns into something not quite as dreadful, and knowing that while hope is tenuous, it's still a tangible thing they've not given up on...it made this tale all the more something to get lost in. 

For me, it sang to my love of the genre, but even if you're not a fan of time gone by, there's still plenty character wise and plot wise to keep your imagination ensnared. A great pick for children's fiction readers, and a great way to explore a bit of our shared pasts!

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About Mindy Nichols Wendell:

Mindy Nichols Wendell taught writing and pedagogy at SUNY Fredonia for many years, where she served as the Director of the Composition Program. In 2019, she received the prestigious State University of New York Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. Mindy lives in Western New York with her husband, Steve, a retired teacher. She is located not far from the ruins of the J. N. Adam Tuberculosis Hospital, the inspiration for LIGHT AND AIR.

 

Website | Twitter (X) | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

 

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a finished copy of LIGHT AND AIR, US Only.

Ends January 31st, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

1/15/2024	#BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog	Excerpt/IG Post
1/15/2024	Lady Hawkeye	Excerpt/IG Post
1/16/2024	Kountry Girl Bookaholic	Excerpt/IG Post
1/16/2024	YA Books Central	Excerpt/IG Post
1/17/2024	Two Chicks on Books	Excerpt/IG Post
1/17/2024	Fyrekatz Blog	Review
1/18/2024	A Blue Box Full of Books	IG Review/LFL Drop Pic/TikTok Post
1/18/2024	@anitralovesbooksanddogs	IG Review
1/19/2024	Avainbookland	IG Review
1/19/2024	Kim's Book Reviews and Writing Aha's	Review/IG Post

Week Two:

1/22/2024	@enthuse_reader	IG Review/TikTok Post
1/22/2024	NewBookCatsREADS	Review/IG Post
1/23/2024	100 Pages A Day	Review/IG Post
1/23/2024	Lisa-Queen of Random	Review/IG Post
1/24/2024	Country Mamas With Kids	Review/IG Post
1/24/2024	Confessions of the Perfect Mom	Review/IG Post
1/25/2024	FUONLYKNEW	Excerpt
1/25/2024	two points of interest	Review
1/26/2024	One More Exclamation	Review/IG Post
1/26/2024	Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers	Review/IG Post

Rockstar Book Tours presents... BIZARD THE BEAR WIZARD by Chrissie Krebs - REVIEW + GIVEAWAY!

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the BIZARD THE BEAR WIZARD by Chrissie Krebs Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

 

Title: BIZARD THE BEAR WIZARD

Author: Chrissie Krebs

Pub. Date: June 20, 2023

Publisher: Margaret Ferguson Books/Holiday House

Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook

Pages: 160

Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/BIZARD

An ordinary bear gains extraordinary magical powers in this hilarious early graphic novel reader.

Bear was just an average bear, until the day a tornado lodged an out-of-control wizard’s wand in his head. Now he looks a bit like a cross between a bear and a unicorn. He is none too pleased, but it seems he might be stuck with the wand for the foreseeable future.  

Even worse, he now has the ability to grant wishes—something he wants no part of. He’d much rather spend his days dozing away. His friends give him a new name—Bizard the Bear Wizard—and he reluctantly accepts his new magical powers and starts granting wishes to everyone in the forest.

But when the evil wolf and his bad guys threaten them all, Bizard knows it’s time to embrace his magical destiny. Only he and his newly wanded head can save the day now. Along the way, Bizard’s friends, Fox, Owl, and Squirrel, all bring their own brand of kooky support to his antics as he uses . . . and accidently misuses, his powers.

From the talented author-illustrator Chrissie Krebs comes the first of two hilarious younger graphic novels about Bizard and his friends.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

 

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Bizard reminds me of (attitude wise) the BRUCE storybook series... and that's a GOOD thing! Don't get me wrong, he's his own bear, and with new magical powers to boot, but his rather stay at home by himself-ness tells me if he and Bruce were neighbors, they'd happily know they existed in the same area without ever visiting. 😂  Anywho...

Bizard gets a first hand unwanted introduction to the power of magic, the responsibility of wielding that power, and how the be the bigger bear. It's fun and FUNNY with unexpected lessons to be gleaned from the picture filled pages, and a cast of forest friends to adore or abhor (well, the bad guys at least!). It's a great read for graphic novel fans of all ages, and a fun way to get more reluctant readers on board with the power of books!

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About Chrissie Krebs:

Chrissie Krebs has illustrated several picture books, including Pig in a Wig, A Dinosaur Ate Dad's Hair, and There's Something Weird in Santa's Beard. She also illustrated Rodney Loses It by Gerard Bauer, which was named a CBCA Children’s Book of the Year for Early Childhood. She lives in Australia. Visit her at chrissiekrebs.net. 

 

Website | Instagram | Goodreads | BookBub

 

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a finished copy of BIZARD THE BEAR WIZARD, US Only.

Ends June 27th, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

6/12/2023	The Chirpy Bookaholic	Excerpt/IG Post
6/12/2023	A Dream Within A Dream	Excerpt
6/13/2023	Two Chicks on Books	Excerpt/IG Post
6/13/2023	YA Books Central	Excerpt/IG Post
6/14/2023	onemused	IG Post
6/14/2023	The Momma Spot	Review/IG Post
6/15/2023	OneMoreExclamation	Review/IG Post
6/15/2023	@stargirls.magical.tale	IG Review
6/16/2023	@froggyreadteach	IG Review
6/16/2023	Country Mamas With Kids	Review/IG Post

Week Two:

6/19/2023	A Blue Box Full of Books	IG Review/LFL Drop Pic/TikTok Post
6/19/2023	@get.outside.and.read	IG Review
6/20/2023	Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers	Review/IG Post
6/20/2023	FUONLYKNEW	Review
6/21/2023	Two Points of Interest	Review
6/21/2023	@enjoyingbooksagain	IG Review
6/22/2023	Nerdophiles	Review
6/22/2023	Jeff_of_allmedia	IG Review
6/23/2023	@evergirl200	IG Review
6/23/2023	Little Red Reads	Review/IG Post

Rockstar Book Tours presents... GOBLIN MARKET by Diane Zahler - REVIEW + GIVEAWAY!

HI there!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

TODAY, I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the Blog Tour featuring GOBLIN MARKET by Diane Zahler, hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my REVIEW post below and make sure to enter the giveaway before you head off into the great big blogosphere for more bookish adventures!

Title: GOBLIN MARKET

Author: Diane Zahler

Pub. Date: August 16, 2022

Publisher: Holiday House

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Pages: 256

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org

One sister must save the other from a goblin prince in this rich, spooky, and delightfully dark fantasy!

"TERRIFICALLY TIMELESS. . . SPLENDID."—Shelf Awareness

Lizzie and Minka are sisters, but they’re nothing alike: Minka is outgoing and cheerful, while Lizzie is shy and sensitive. Nothing much ever happens in their sleepy village—there are fields to tend, clothes to mend, and weekly trips to the market, predictable as the turning of the seasons. Lizzie likes it that way. It’s safe. It’s comfortable. She hopes nothing will ever change. 

But one day, Minka meets a boy. 
A boy who gives her a plum to eat. 

He is charming. He is handsome. He tells her that she’s special. He tells her no one understands her like he does—not her parents, not her friends, not even Lizzie. He tells her she should come away with him, into the darkness, into the forest. . . .

Minka has been bewitched and ensnared by a zdusze—a goblin. His plum was poison, his words are poison, and strange things begin to happen. Trees bleed, winds howl, a terrible sickness descends on Minka, and deep in the woods, in a place beyond sunshine, beyond reality, a wedding table has been laid. . . .

To save her sister, Lizzie will have to find courage she never knew she had—courage to confront the impossible—and enter into a world of dreams, danger, and death.

Rich world-building inspired by both Polish folklore and the poetry of Christina Rossetti combines with a tender sister story in this thrilling novel from Diane Zahler.

"Lush. . . Dreamy. . . Breath-quickening."—The Horn Book
"Resonates with emotion."—BCCB
"Believably wrought."—Publishers Weekly
"Will entice readers looking for some chills."—Kirkus Reviews

 

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From cover to cover, this one will have you hooked!

Once upon a time, there were two sisters.  As close as close can be, they shared everything with one another, until the day came that their most hidden heart's desires may not have truly been shared.  That one little spark, that one little wedge was enough for evil to take root, driving the sisters away from one another.  The one, teetered on the doorstep of death's door...the other, would find her footing, find her voice, find her inner well of strength to fight for the sister she loves at all costs.  Question is though...will the cost be too high?

I loved the spooky, slightly scary atmosphere of this story.  It's perfect for the upcoming reading season, but also a folktale-esque break from fairytale retellings.  Don't get me wrong, I love those as well, but tales passed down through the generations meant to teach lessons and instill a little fear in the heart's of its listeners hold a special kind of magic all their own...but not like the fruit magic in this story!  The message of alone we are but one, but we're always better together was touching, as was the lengths theses sisters were willing to go to save each other, when push came to shove.  Minka may have been blinded by her dreams being handed to her on a platter, but Lizzie was never going to leave her to the wolves...nor was Jakob, for that matter.

All in all, it's a story with vital lessons for all ages that echoes throughout the generations.  If something seems too good to be true, it probably is!  Never trust a cute boy with a line and out of season fruit!  Always share your hopes and dreams because they are worthy of recognition and you never know just who is going to be the one to help you get there!  I also liked, what I perceived as, the nod to autism or those on the spectrum.  It was hard to see Lizzie fight through those uncomfortable situations, but she illustrated well just how far she could go, when the price was too high to sit on the sidelines.  I could keep going, but I want you to discover the rest of the magic, both dark and light, on your own.  Quick word of advice though?  Read it with the lights on...

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About Diane Zahler:

Diane grew up reading children's books and never wanted to do anything but write them. Now she’s the author of six middle-grade fantasy novels and a historical novel, DAUGHTER OF THE WHITE ROSE. She lives in the country with her husband and slightly neurotic dog in what is aptly nicknamed the Bug House. Visit her website at www.dianezahler.com.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

 

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Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a finished copy of GOBLIN MARKET, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Special thanks to the Rockstar Book Tours team for the chance to bring this tour to you and to the publisher for the ARC for review. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, the publisher, this tour, or those on the horizon, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title is available now, wherever books are sold. Catch the rest of the tour for more bookish fun!

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

8/8/2022	Ya Books Central	Excerpt
8/8/2022	GryffindorBookishNerd	IG Review
8/9/2022	hauntedbybooks	Review/IG Post
8/9/2022	Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers	Review/IG Post
8/10/2022	Lifestyle of Me	Review
8/10/2022	@allyluvsbooksalatte	IG Post
8/11/2022	BookHounds YA	Excerpt/IG Post
8/11/2022	Kait Plus Books	Excerpt/IG Post
8/12/2022	Lisa-Queen of Random	Excerpt/IG Post
8/12/2022	onemused	IG Post

Week Two:

8/15/2022	Nerdophiles	Review
8/15/2022	Two Points of Interest	Review
8/16/2022	Beers Books Boos	Review/IG Post
8/16/2022	Celia's Reads	Review/IG Post
8/17/2022	Littlefreelibrarygrahamnc	IG Review
8/17/2022	The Momma Spot	Review/IG Post
8/18/2022	A Backwards Story	Review/IG Post
8/18/2022	@jypsylynn	IG Review
8/19/2022	@amysbooknook8	IG Review
8/19/2022	Eli to the nth	Review/IG Post

Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!