WHAT'S THE BUZZ?: Not If You Break Up with Me First by G.F. Miller - REVIEW!

Today's WHAT'S THE BUZZ title is a Tween Fiction title coming to you JUNE 4TH via Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing and features a look at fresh young romance as it should be...or is it? Sound like your cup of tea? Well then, ladies and gents, prepare yourself as we dive between the pages of today's book of choice...

Not If You Break Up with Me First

by

G.F. Miller

9781665950015

Aladdin

About the book...

Two friends who have unhappily found themselves accidentally dating try to drive the other one to call things off in this witty and heartfelt middle school romance.

Childhood friends Eve and Andrew are destined to be together—everyone says so, especially their friends and classmates who are all suddenly crush-obsessed. So when Eve and Andrew’s first eighth grade school dance rolls around and Eve, feeling the pressure, awkwardly asks Andrew to go with her, everyone assumes they are Officially Dating and Practically in Love. Overwhelmed, Eve and Andrew just…go with it.

And it’s weird. Neither of them wants this dating thing to mess up their friendship, and they don’t really see each other that way. But they also don’t want to be the one to call things off, the one to make things super awkward. So they both—separately—pledge to be the worst boyfriend or girlfriend ever, leaving it to the other person to break up with them. It would be genius…if the other person weren’t doing the exact same thing.

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Boy meets girl.

Boy is friends with girl.

Boy and girl MUST be dating, madly in love, and eventually one day down the line a ways headed to the chapel where they're gonna get....

WHOA WHOA WHOA WHOA WHOA.

Who is in charge of this story anyway?

The friends surrounding them, or the boy and girl themselves?

Now THAT'S something worth writing about.

This is a story of how the world (in this case, middle school kids, and parents) can take a look at something and call it what they want to see instead of what it might actually be without input from the parties involved, only influence.  Yeah...and the thing is, they are BOTH too kind hearted and taking steps into the unknown to say ANYTHING to ANYONE to put the brakes on this runaway train of gossip, speculation, and assumptions that seem to be molding them into the perfect couple.  COULD they be that?  Sure, if given the chance to figure it out for themselves, but forcing them into a mold that they aren't ready to fit can create all sorts of havoc and the fact that neither wants to hurt the other in this crazy process speaks volumes for the kindness of their hearts.

A great read for the younger end of the Middle Grade readers just finding their footing in the world of romance, and, let's face it, eighth grade as a whole!  It's a new world for certain, but never lose site of who you are, or where you're ready to be.  

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About the author...

Shannon Ly for Shannon Ly Photography

G. F. Miller absolutely insists on a happy ending. Everything else is negotiable. She is living her Happily Ever After with the love of her life, three kids, two puppies, and some chickens. She cries at random times. She makes faces at herself in the mirror. She believes in the Oxford comma. And she’s always here for a dance party.

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Special thanks to Lindsey at Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing for the chance to share this title with you and for the ecopy for review! (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title celebrates its BOOK BIRTHDAY June 4th, 2024, so mark your calendar or pre order your copy today!

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

RELEASE THE FANGIRLS!: Emma G. Loves Boyz by Taro Meyer

Hi there!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

I don't know about you, but we had some killer storms last night in my area, and by last night I mean the wee hours of the morning when no one should be up except by choice. Wind, rain, and I'm pretty sure some hail (which is what woke me up because we have a sunlight in the kitchen...imagine THAT "alarm clock"), came down upon us but in the end the only one worse for wear is my poor little Scout.  He abhors storms of any sort but we gave him his special toy and a good cuddle to help ease his stress.  Now, the pups are all tucked in and I'm...off to work.  Bummer...but someone has to do it.  I couldn't leave you a second day without a post though.  ^-^

Today's spotlight falls on a Tween title that will have you reliving your childhood days of journal writing, phone call making, constant texting, and eagerly falling the every move of your favorite stars (hey, wait a second...do any of us actually grow up because some of that sounds pretty darn familiar still...).  It's the first in a planned series (though how many in total, I can't be quoted on) via Red Sky Presents and...well, let's just let Emma do the talking, shall we?  Grab your cutest outfit, BFFs, and get ready to SCREAM out your joy (or bring earplugs...up to you), because here comes today's rockstar spotlight title...

  

Emma G. Loves Boyz

A True Love Journal, Volume 1

by

Taro Meyer

Red Sky Presents

About the book...

Emma G. is CRAZY about Aaron, lead singer of Boyz3000. Of course, she doesn’t actually know him, but so what? Feelings are feelings. That is until Josh appears… and he’s soooooo CUTE. Navigating her two crushes and her middle school life, especially with eight-grade hater Renee around, is a challenge. And oh yeah, she’s got to earn money for an AWESOME trip to the Bahamas to see the band of her dreams. Hello???? How much can one thirteen-year-old take???

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This reads very much like the tween journal that it is written to be.  It has all the fangirling, all the squealing, all the excitement you'd expect when you world revolves around the acts and reactions of your one true favorite band...with the dreamy member you just KNOW you'd connect with in person.  It's definitely true to the characters...and for me, that both worked for and against it. I mean I had my favorite bands when I was little (and now), my favorite authors when I was little (and now), and my favorite "insert whatever your favorite thing is here", but I never really fell onto the whole squealing fan girl wagon...at least on the outside. Inside, I'm pretty sure I was melting with sure joy, but outside, calm and fairly collected.  The joke was always that I was born an adult and just grew taller. I suppose in most respects that could be true but that doesn't mean I didn't find my own enjoyment in the story. 

Emma's relationship with her siblings was endearing, her friendships were real, her determination to get to the Boyz3000 concert very much in line with her personality, and the effort she put forth to get there admirable...especially when the dog walking turned into dog washing. Let's just say that was quite an adventure. *giggle* She hit hard times, roadblock after roadblock, but whenever she was ready to truly throw in the towel, her love of music (and Boyz3000) pulled her through...as well as the helping hands of friends and family.  It's nice to see a story with those aspects represented in a GOOD light, instead of everyone at each other's throat.  

I will admit about halfway through I had almost reached my point of tween language limits (call it the adult in me again) but I'm glad I continued because once I reached the end or shall I say the lack-of-ending-with-a-total-cliffhanger-surprise, I knew I would have to put myself on the list for the second installment. Hey, I've got to know what happens for Emmie, her BFFs (which I applaud the inclusion of a guy in that category!), "the new guy" (just to tease you), and something else bigger than them all that affects her future ... which I can't tell you about so you'll either have to live with the curiosity or satisfy it with a read.

Recommended read for the tween set as well as those masquerading as teens through adults in their daily lives.  ^-^

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About the author...

Taro Meyer is a Grammy, Parents’ Choice and Audie Award winning Audio Producer who has been producing and directing YA audiobooks for over 20 years, including The Princess Diaries Series, the All American Girl Series, The Inheritance Cycle (Eragon, Eldest, Brisngr) and Judy Blume’s The Pain and the Great One, Here’s to You Rachel Robinson and Tiger Eyes among others. She lives in New York City and Malibu California.

Emma G. Loves Boyz is her first novel.

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Special thanks to Brittany at Red Sky Presents for the copy for review.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title, the author, the series, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links provided above.  This title is available now, so be on the lookout for it on a bookstore shelf or virtual retailer of your choosing.

Until next time...happy reading!

BOOK SPOTLIGHT: Turning on a Dime by Maggie Dana

Hi gang!

It's time for another adventure through the pages with yours truly on the site that doesn't know the meaning of "no" when a potential great read is involved....Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

Today, we're spotlighting a NEW RELEASE in the Kid's Fiction, or more specifically Middle Grade (though the appeal is much wider), genre from an author we've met once before....or rather thrice.  That's right!  It's the return of Maggie Dana (Hi Maggie!), an author who definitely has a knack for creating stories that are relateable, characters who are memorable, and works well with animals....specifically horses.  Ringing a memory bell now?  Thought it might.  

Yes, it's the writer behind the Timber Ridge Riders series (of which my reviews of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd installments can be seen right here on the site) and this time, it's not a new addition to TRR but rather a new adventure we're embarking on.  This time around it pairs two horse loving girls through the curtain of time with big dreams and tense situations to overcome if they're both to reach their goals.  Sound good?  Read on my friend, read on....

Turning on a Dime

by

Maggie Dana

Two girls from two different centuries and the horse that brings them together.
Teenage equestrian Samantha DeVries wants to be the first African American to ride in the Olympics. Her father, a successful trainer, pushes Sam to excel, while Sam’s academic mother tries to instill a sense of heritage in her headstrong daughter who’d rather be riding horses than studying history. But Sam’s beliefs and her carefully constructed world shatter like a jelly jar when she travels through a time portal and lands in the canopy bed of an 1860s Southern belle.
Even more surprised by Sam’s unexpected arrival is Caroline Chandler. She’s a tomboy who wears breeches beneath her crinoline and rides horses bareback, much to the dismay of her critical mother.
But neither girl has time to fret over petticoats and prejudice. The Civil War is raging, and soldiers from both sides are stealing horses. At risk is Pandora, Caroline’s beloved mare. Without her, Sam’s future Olympic horse, Nugget, won’t exist in the present.
Neither will Sam if the slave catchers grab her.

Amazon US   |  Amazon UK   |  iTunes    |  Kobo  |  B&N

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Not usually one for historically tinged novels?

Me neither...BUT...if my past experience with her work is any indication, it's got BIG potential.  As I said, this is an author who knows how to create a story easily accessable to readers of the targeted set as well as those beyond in years.  Whether equestrian expert or just horsing around (get it?  HORSE-ing around?  ^_^), you'll be welcomed into the fold with open arms and the additional danger aspect in this tale sounds like it adds that little bit of grit readers in the tween set are looking for without crossing that line into questionable territory.  Though not reviewing this title currently (due to previous obligations, but don't worry....it's coming!), I can honesty say I can't wait to learn more about Samantha and Caroline as they face uncertain times but also learn about themselves.  Sounds like my kind of read....how about you?

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About the author....

MAGGIE DANA’s first riding lesson, at the age of five, was less than wonderful. In fact, she hated it so much, she didn’t try again for another three years. But all it took was the right instructor and the right horse and she was hooked for life.  Her new riding stable was slap bang in the middle of Pinewood Studios, home of England’s movie industry. So while learning to groom horses, clean tack, and muck stalls, Maggie also got to see the stars in action. Some even spoke to her.

Born and raised near London, Maggie now makes her home on the Connecticut shoreline where she divides her time between hanging out with the family's horses and writing her next book in the Timber Ridge Riders series.

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Special thanks to author Maggie Dana for the head's up on this upcoming release.  (THANKS!)  Fore more information on this title as well as her other amazing works, be sure to check out her official site, or connect with her on Twitter.  This title is available now in print and ebook formats via Amazon,

Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and iTunes.  

Until next time...happy reading!

BLOG TOUR: Tami Lewis Brown & The Name Game, Guest Post + Giveaway!

Hi there readers!

Welcome back to another exciting day here at Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

Today we have a special guest on the site courtesy of the great folks at Blue Slip Media (THANKS!) and featuring a newly released children's title that's quirky enough to capture your attention, yet touching enough to make its way into your heart.  The book of which I speak is called The Map of Me and stars two characters with a glorious friendship, and one just so happens to have a rather interesting name.  Curious?  Thought you might be.  ^_^  Without further adieu, please join me in welcoming author Tami Lewis Brown!

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Peep, Margie, and The Name Game

by Tami Lewis Brown, author of The Map of Me

I admit I’m a bit of a name nut. I picked names for both of my children years before they were born and one of my favorite parts of adopting a new cat or dog is what often turns out to be weeks of protracted name picking. So no wonder I’m a novelist.  I get to make up as many characters as I want and name them all. And there’s more.  Every book has a title, and what is a title but a name printed in bold words right across the cover.

So it came as a bit of a shock to me that I “didn’t have a choice” when I named the two main characters in THE MAP OF ME Peep and Margie.

Okay. Technically I did name them. It’s not as if I ran a contest where the prize was “your name in my next book” and I didn’t stick a random pin onto a list of baby names. One morning I woke up thinking “Peep and Margie never set out to be criminals.” Huh? I never known anyone named Peep or Margie and to tell the truth I’ve pretty much avoided child criminals, too.

The names Peep (who’s named Peep, anyway, for goodness sakes?) and Margie were the first things I knew about this book—long before there was a Momma with a chicken fascination or a super-selling Daddy or even a single map. So who were these “unintentional” criminals? I had to know and at least at first all I had to hold on to was their names. I had to find out.

Once I realized Peep and Margie were pint-sized car thieves I knew they would be going on a road trip. A journey. And the most famous literary journey of all time is The Odyssey. Odysseus conquered everything from one-eyed giants to singing sirens to rescue Helen . . . and I never doubted that Peep and Margie were searching for their own Helen, in this case their mother Helen Tempest.

But who was Margie? Even more puzzling who (or what) was Peep? The Odyssey gave me that answer, too. Penelope is Odysseus’ long suffering, steadfast wife. Peep, the brilliant little sister, the girl who can do no wrong, must be nicknamed after Penelope.

And once I knew that I could write my favorite passage in the whole book, the paragraph where Margie presents her own wacky explanation of Peep’s name—

Momma claimed she called her baby Peep because she looked like Little Bo Peep from our Mother Goose book—golden curls, rosebud lips. Daddy said she never made a peep when they brought her home from the hospital. But now she wouldn’t hush.  I knew the truth. With that yellow blond outside, Peep was a candy chick in an Easter basket. Fake sugar sweet, with an alien brain whipped out of weird chemicals and marshmallow cream unknown to the natural world. Peep made me sick to my stomach.

I may never understand exactly where her name came from but looking at Peep through Margie’s eyes made the character and the name my own. Sometimes the best names are a group effort.

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Author Bio

TAMI LEWIS BROWN holds an MFA in Writing for Children from Vermont College. She has been a lawyer, and more recently, writer-in-residence and librarian at The Sheridan School in Washington, D.C.

Elinor Smith’s story, which later became Soar, Elinor!, inspired Tami to become a pilot and a lawyer. “Everyone in my family flew. Each time someone told me “it’s a man’s world” I thought of Elinor’s unquenchable drive to be herself and live her dreams. Where others built barriers, Elinor saw nothing but wide open horizons.”

As part of her research to write Soar, Elinor!, Tami and her ten-year-old son flew loops and spins in an antique Waco ZPF-7, similar to the plane Elinor flew.

Tami Lewis Brown grew up in Kentucky and attended Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. Now she lives in one of the oldest houses in Washington, D.C.

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So, what's in a name?
Apparantly...A LOT more than we might think when it comes to the land of fiction.  Isn't it amazing how some things come about?  I mean take this story for instance....she just woke up with that one thought and BOOM, a novel was born.  A fantastic share if I do say so myself and seriously, don't you just LOVE Margie's explanation of Peep's name origin?  Oh, and that picture of the Peep cake, priceless!  My thanks to Ms. Brown for providing us with such wonderful food for thought and putting a smile on my face (hopefully yours as well).  Now, on to our second dose of fun for this particular post....

Thanks to the folks at Blue Slip Media, we have TWO copies of this new book up for grabs!  Here's a little more about Margie and Peep's story....

From the author's site...

The note Momma on the fridge says, “I HAVE TO GO.”

But go where?

Twelve-year-old Margie is convinced she knows the answer. Momma hasn’t run away—she’s run to the Rooster Romp at the International Poultry Hall of Fame, in search of a deluxe limited edition Henny Penny Coin Canister to add to her precious flock of chicken memorabilia. And it’s up to Margie to bring her home, Henny Penny coin canister and all. So she commandeers her Daddy’s Faithful Ford, kidnaps her nine-year-old sister, Peep, and takes to the open road.

On a long, rainy night, as she winds through the back roads of Kentucky with smarty-pants Peep criticizing her every move, Margie also travels along the highways and byways of her heart, mapping a course to Momma—and herself.

 

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Sounds like an adventure in the making in more ways than one!
This book hit bookstores everywhere August 30th, 2011 from Farrar, Straus & Giroux...but now's your chance to win a copy all your own.  Just fill out the form below and POOF...your entry is on its way to potential fame and glory.

One entry per person.  U.S. and Canada addresses only.
Entries accepted Wednesday, September 14th, 2011 through midnight Friday, September 23rd, 2011 CST.





Be sure to check out the rest of the tour as it makes its way through the blogosphere.  Today, Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers....tomorrow, There's a Book!

Special thanks to Danielle at There's a Book for the connection to this tour and to Barbara at Blue Slip Media for making it happen.  My thanks once again to author Tami Lewis Brown for the fascinating post and congratulations on the latest release (The Map of Me)!  (THANKS ladies!)  For more information on any of these fabulous bookish people, feel free to check them out online, through Twitter, or even Facebook by clicking on the various links throughout the post.

Thanks for stopping by today and good luck to all that enter.
Until next time...happy reading!