Wednesday, January 31, 2024
AWARENESS TOUR: Ralphy's Rules for Feelings by Talar and Riley Herculian Coursey, Illustrated by Meri Andreasyan - REVIEW + GIVEAWAY!
Saturday, January 27, 2024
READY-TO-READ with Simon Spotlight and TOW TO GO! by Patricia Lakin, Illustrated by Chiara Galletti - REVIEW!
Today, we're shining a light on a series for the kiddos! The Ready-to-Read series is a great learning tool for kiddos just starting to up their reading game. It focuses on short, fun, interactive stories that aim to teach pronunciation, patterns, and other tools of the "trade" that go into developing a long lasting and meaningful relationship with the written word.
The two titles we're featuring today are written by author Patricia Lakin, and illustrated by Chiara Galletti. The tales within star a life loving, dance happy tOw truck that helps to get his friends out of some sticky situations, while the learning fOcus is on the long "O". SOOOO, if you're ready, let's strike a pOse as we look at...
TOW ON THE GO!: THE SPLISH-SPLASH PUDDLE DANCE
TOW ON THE GO!: THE MAMBO RESCUE
One takes us through the fun of splish-splashing through puddles, until one proves much bigger than it first appeared, and a little wiggle waggle attitude is needed to budge the situation. The second finds our tOwing truck's friends stuck tight in the snOw with nOwhere to gO... until a certain tOw truck with a smile and a bounce in his ride, helps them find their groove in order to mOve.
See what I did there? 😉 The thing is, as fun as it was to write that paragraph and find the long "O" in everyday words, for beginner readers that becomes more than fun, but a lesson learned well that more easily sticks. The clever rhymes take us from beginning to end, while the colorful illustrations capture the eye, and spark the imagination, presenting the perfect bookish package that wee ones will reach for again and again.
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About the author...
Patricia Lakin, a former elementary school teacher and an award-winning author, has written more than fifty published works. Her books, both fiction and nonfiction, span multiple age groups—from toddlers to middle graders. Patricia lives in New York City with her husband, Lee Koenigsberg. They have two grown sons, Aaron and Benjahmin. When not reading, writing, or researching, she can be found traveling with Lee to far-off places in the world.
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Many thanks to author Patricia Lakin for the copies for review, and to Tracey at Media Masters Publicity for the chance to bring these titles to you. (THANKS!) For more information on these titles, the series, the author, illustrator, or publisher, feel free to click through the links provided above. These titles are now available via Simon Spotlight, so be on the lookout for them at your local brick and mortar or favorite online retailer
Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!
Friday, January 26, 2024
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!
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
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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 giveawayTour Schedule:
Week One:
1/15/2024 |
Excerpt/IG Post |
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1/15/2024 |
Excerpt/IG Post |
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1/16/2024 |
Excerpt/IG Post |
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1/16/2024 |
Excerpt/IG Post |
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1/17/2024 |
Excerpt/IG Post |
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1/17/2024 |
Review |
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1/18/2024 |
IG Review/LFL Drop Pic/TikTok Post |
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1/18/2024 |
IG Review |
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1/19/2024 |
IG Review |
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1/19/2024 |
Review/IG Post |
Week Two:
1/22/2024 |
IG Review/TikTok Post |
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1/22/2024 |
Review/IG Post |
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1/23/2024 |
Review/IG Post |
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1/23/2024 |
Review/IG Post |
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1/24/2024 |
Review/IG Post |
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1/24/2024 |
Review/IG Post |
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1/25/2024 |
Excerpt |
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1/25/2024 |
Review |
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1/26/2024 |
Review/IG Post |
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1/26/2024 |
Review/IG Post |
Rockstar Book Tours presents... CITY SPIES: MISSION MANHATTAN by James Ponti - REVIEW + GIVEAWAY!
I
am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the CITY SPIES: MISSION MANHATTAN by James
Ponti Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar
Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to
enter the giveaway!
Author: James Ponti
Pub. Date: February 6, 2024
Publisher: Aladdin
Formats: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook
Pages: 430
Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/CITY-SPIES-MISSION-MANHATTAN
In this fifth installment in the New
York Times bestselling series from Edgar Award winner James Ponti, the
young group of spies take on New York City in another international adventure
perfect for fans of Spy School and Mrs. Smith’s Spy
School for Girls.
The City Spies head to the Big Apple when a credible threat is made to a young
climate activist who is scheduled to speak in front of the upcoming United
Nations General Assembly. With Rio acting as alpha and a new member in their
ranks, the team’s mission to protect a fellow teen takes them on an exciting
adventure in, around, and even under the greatest city in the world as they
follow leads to the outer boroughs, the UN Headquarters, and even the usually
off-limits stacks that extend deep under the main branch of the New York Public
Library.
Grab the rest of the CITY SPIES BOOKS now!
I won't spoil it for you because being there for the twists and turns, following the case one on one, uncovering the bigger bad as well as the potential leaks within, is all a part of the experience. I, for one, loved the touch of familiar with the story coming stateside because it gave it that much more a chance of readers connecting with it, exploring places mentioned, seeing if some of the secrets revealed are true. You gotta love a story that sparks further investigation, am I right?
A great pick for Children's Fiction fans, young and young at heart, and a fab addition to this excellent series!
Book Trailer:
About James:
JAMES
PONTI (he/him/his)
is the New York Times bestselling author of three middle grade book
series: City Spies, about an unlikely squad of five kids from around the
world who form an elite MI6 Spy Team; the Edgar Award–winning Framed! series,
about a pair of tweens who solve mysteries in Washington, DC; and the Dead
City trilogy, about a secret society that polices the undead living beneath
Manhattan. His books have appeared on more than fifteen different state award
lists and he is the founder of a writers group known as the Renegades of Middle
Grade. James is also an Emmy– nominated television writer and producer who has
worked for many networks including Nickelodeon, Disney Channel, PBS, History,
and Spike TV, as well as NBC Sports. He lives with his family in Orlando,
Florida. Find out more at JamesPonti.com.
Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon
Giveaway Details:
1 lucky winner will receive a finished
copy of CITY SPIES: MISSION MANHATTAN, US Only.
Ends February 6th, midnight EST.
Tour Schedule:
Week One:
1/22/2024 |
IG Review/TikTok Post |
|
1/22/2024 |
Excerpt/IG Post |
|
1/23/2024 |
Excerpt/IG Post |
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1/23/2024 |
IG Post |
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1/24/2024 |
Excerpt/IG Post |
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1/24/2024 |
Excerpt |
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1/25/2024 |
Excerpt/IG Post |
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1/25/2024 |
Excerpt/IG Post |
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1/26/2024 |
Review/IG Post |
|
1/26/2024 |
IG Review |
Week Two:
1/29/2024 |
Review |
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1/29/2024 |
IG Review |
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1/30/2024 |
IG Review |
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1/30/2024 |
TikTok Post |
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1/31/2024 |
IG Review/LFL Drop Pic/TikTok
Post |
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1/31/2024 |
Review/IG Post |
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2/1/2024 |
IG Review |
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2/1/2024 |
Review/IG Post |
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2/2/2024 |
IG Review |
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2/2/2024 |
Review |