Celebrating Happiness Happens Day with... INVISIBLE ISABEL by Sally J. Pla, Illustrated by Tania de Regil - REVIEW!

It's National Happiness Happens Day and we're celebrating it bookish style with a new Children's Fiction title available now from Quill Tree Books. It's a story that explores themes of friendship, growing up, embracing our differences, active listening, family, and, ultimately, HAPPINESS. So, ladies and gents, readers young and young at heart, please join me as we get between the pages of...

Invisible Isabel

by

Sally J. Pla

Illustrated by

Tania de Regil

9780063268852

Quill Tree Books

About the books...

Isabel Beane is a shy girl who lives in a home full of havoc and hubbub and hullabaloo. With five siblings, there is always too much too much-ness.

At school, there’s a new girl who is immediately popular, but she’s also not very nice to one person—Isabel.

Isabel has never felt more invisible. She begins to get bombarded by fears, like being abandoned by her classmates and taking the upcoming Extremely Important standardized test. Her fears feel like worry-moths that flutter in her belly. With every passing day, they seem to get stronger and stronger. How can Invisible Isabel make people listen? 

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Growing up can be hard to do, but it gets THAT much harder when the comfort and support you're used to having just isn't there.  Our gal Isabel isn't having much luck at the moment.  Her house is chaotic, and she's really not a fan.  At school, there's a new girl in town, and for some reason, she's decided she doesn't like Isabel.  On her own, she likes the quiet, but her body and mind won't let her be.  She's become invisible to those around her, but not in the literal sense.  This sort of invisibility can hurt very much because while we don't need to be the center of everything, we all deserve to be seen.  When you take that away, it can make you second guess everything, including what your body is trying to tell you, which leads Isabel down a slippery slope.

I really felt for Isabel.  While I understand the extremes of her condition, we've all experienced some level of her feelings at one point or another in our lives.  It makes us insecure, withdrawn, and simply move to getting through the day instead of actually living it.  It's not enough to just survive.  We want to make connections, but on our terms, and for some, that requires a little extra thought, or the planning of the actual moment to make it more comfortable for BOTH parties.  When the girls left Isabel out, my heart was breaking for her.  When her family life was so overwhelming, I wanted to provide that room of silence for a moment's peace.  When her feelings were being looked over instead of looked at, I was dismayed, and hoping for a happy ending.  Don't worry, one comes, but not without a wake up call to all involved.

All in all, we get to see what it's like being neuro-divergent from the inside out, and how we can help those with this condition by simply giving them the grace they need to be themselves.  It's a great big wonderful world out there, but the differences between everyone are what help make it wonderful.  We need those different colors, those different feelings, those different ways of being in order to make the world go round.  There's no wrong way to be, unless it's you as anything other than yourself.  YOU DO YOU...and allow others that same chance.  You'll be amazed by the ripple effect it can have in the world around you, just like Isabel.

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About the author...
Sally J. Pla is the ALA Schneider Award-winning author of THE FIRE, THE WATER, AND MAUDIE McGINN, as well as the Dolly Gray Award-winning THE SOMEDAY BIRDS and several other popular novels and picture books. Her books have starred reviews and appear on many state awards lists and “best books” roundups. Sally, who is neurodivergent, has appeared on television and radio as an author and autism advocate. She also runs the website resource A Novel Mind (anovelmind.com). Sally believes in kindness, respect, and the beauty of different brains. We are all stars shining with different lights! Visit her at www.sallyjpla.com.



About the illustrator...
Tania de Regil is an author and illustrator from Mexico City. She is the creator of the ALA Notable Children’s Book A New Home as well as Something About Grandma, and she is the illustrator of Welcome to the Big Kids Club, written by Chelsea Clinton. She studied fashion design at Parsons School of Design in New York City and finished her studies in her home country of Mexico. She lives in Mexico City with her filmmaker husband, her son, and her two cats. For more information, visit: taniaderegil.com.

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Special thanks to the dream team at Blue Slip Media for the chance to bring this title to you and to the publisher for the copy for review. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, illustrator, or publisher, feel free to click through the links provided above.

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

Back to School: Picture Book ROUND UP!

It’s back to school time in my neck of the woods, literally started this week, but that seems like the perfect time to me to introduce a few new-to-you titles fit for all ages! Whether you’re looking for a fun reading escape, to learn about the past, or to dust off your detective skills, there’s something on today’s docket to put a spring in your bookish step! Ladies and gents, let’s get this Picture Book party started! 

BOOP! 

by 

Bea Birdsong 

Illustrated by 

Linzie Hunter 

Harper Kids 

All eyes on the snoot that needs a BOOP! 

Readers of all ages will enjoy following this tail….as you’re invited to interact and boop the puppy noses that present themselves along the way. I mean, come on!  In real life, you can resist the adorable cuteness that is a puppy just looking for some attention?  So what makes you think you'll be able to avoid it in Picture Book format?  Just try to resist...I bet you can’t! 

Bea Birdsong is the author of I Will Be Fierce!, Sam’s First Word, How to Spot a Best Friend, Boop!, How to Grow a Family Tree (2024), Goat Is the G.O.A.T. (2025), That Is Not a Dog (2026), and other forthcoming books for children. Bea is also a former teacher who believes in the awesome power of books to educate, entertain, and empower. She invites you to connect with her on Twitter and Instagram @beabirdsong and to visit her online at www.beabirdsong.com. 

INSTAGRAM

TWITTER

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Linzie Hunter comes from Scotland but lives in England, which is similar but different. From her London studio, she draws pictures of all sorts of cool stuff including dogs with spectacles, cats with berets and other animals with both these things. You can check out her sketchbooks on instagram at @linziehunter and at www.linziehunter.co.uk

INSTAGRAM

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

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Who Made This Mess? 

by 

Laura Gehl 

Illustrated by 

Aleksandar Stojsic 

Capstone 

A fun animal filled mystery that begs the reader to uncover just who...well, made this mess! Was it fox? Was it Owl? Was it someone completely unexpected that’s hiding in plain sight? Readers of all ages will enjoy following along as the clues help point the way to the “culprit”, but the true takeaway beyond the sleuthing fun, is a clear reminder that assumptions don’t make a truth, and it’s always better to gather the facts before pointing any fingers. 

Laura Gehl is the award-winning author of more than forty popular picture books, board books, and early readers including One Big Pair of Underwear, Except When They Don't, My Pillow Keeps Moving, Apple and Magnolia, and the Baby Scientist series. Laura lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland, with her husband and four children. Visit Laura at lauragehl.com. 

TWITTER

INSTAGRAM

FACEBOOK

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Aleksandar Stojsic graduated from Novi Sad Academy of Arts in 2006. He is a prolific character designer and children's book illustrator who has been producing humorous illustrations for clients for over two decades. He has worked with many leading publishers and animators around the world. 

INSTAGRAM

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Rivka’s Presents 

by 

Laurie Wallmark 

Illustrated by 

Adelina Lirius 

Random House Studio 

This touching tale came into my life well beyond the target audience, but hitting just as hard because my own dad was sick at the time and unable to do the things that he could normally easily do. Anytime a parent figure is taken out of the every day equation, the unknown can take over and turn into fear. Rivka took that apprehension, and the disappointment from not being able to attend formal schooling, and turned it into something productive that allowed her to still fulfill her dreams of learning, while assisting her mother and siblings. It was a touching historically tinged tale that brings the past to life, and reminds us jut how important both family and education truly are. 

Award-winning author Laurie Wallmark writes picture book biographies of women in STEM. Her titles include Code Breaker, Spy Hunter: How Elizebeth Friedman Changed the Course of Two World Wars; Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine, which received four starred reviews and a Cook Prize Honor; Grace Hopper: Queen of Computer Code; Hedy Lamarr's Double Life, a Crystal Kite Winner and Cook Prize Honor recipient; and others. Laurie has an MFA in Writing from VCFA and is a former software engineer and computer science professor. You can find Laurie online at www.lauriewallmark.com. 

TWITTER

FACEBOOK

INSTAGRAM

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Adelina Lirius is an illustrator based in Stockholm, Sweden. She loves painting imaginary scenes, portraying nature, and depicting the different cultures she grew up with. Adelina is the illustrator of a picture book adaptation of The Secret Garden; The Fort by Laura Perdew; and I, Too, Am Mozart by Audrey Ades, which received a starred review from School Library Journal. Visit her on Instagram @adalinaillustration. 

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Copies for review received courtesy of the publishers listed and Blue Slip Media. (THANKS!) For more information on these titles, the authors, the illustrators, or the publishers, feel free to click through the links provided above. These titles are available now, so stop by your local brick and mortar or click on over to your favorite online retailer today. 

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

Walden Pond Press presents... THE IN-BETWEEN by Rebecca K. S. Ansari - REVIEW!

Hi there!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

Today, I'm thrilled as punch to hep kick off a fabulous book tour for a newly released title (just yesterday!) by author Rebecca K. S. Andari via Walden Pond Press!  It's a work of Middle Grade Fiction that has a healthy serving of mystery, a heaping scoop of reality, and a whole lot of heart!  Seriously guys, I JUST finished reading it and I'm still reeling.  So roll out the red carpet and double check that what you just saw across the street is still what you saw across the street, because here comes today's blog tour guest and book of choice...

The In-Between

by

Rebecca K. S. Ansari

9780062916099

Walden Pond Press

About the book...

A dark, twisty adventure about the forgotten among us and what it means to be seen, from the acclaimed author of The Missing Piece of Charlie O’Reilly.

Cooper is lost. Ever since his father left their family three years ago, he has become distant from his friends, constantly annoyed by his little sister, Jess, and completely fed up with the pale, creepy rich girl who moved in next door and won’t stop staring at him. So when Cooper learns of an unsolved mystery his sister has discovered online, he welcomes the distraction.

It’s the tale of a deadly train crash that occurred a hundred years ago, in which one young boy among the dead was never identified. The only distinguishing mark on him was a strange insignia on his suit coat, a symbol no one had seen before or since. Jess is fascinated by the mystery of the unknown child— because she’s seen the insignia. It’s the symbol of the jacket of the girl next door.

As they uncover more information— and mounting evidence of the girl’s seemingly impossible connection to the tragedy—Cooper and Jess begin to wonder if a similar disaster could be heading to their hometown.

HarperCollins

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First things first, that cool as all get out and yet ultra creepy cover!  Once you get started in the book, you can see where the different elements come from and the significance of each, but before you read...it's another puzzle needing to be solved, and I was only so happy to have the chance to do just that!

Story wise...I was glued to every page!  The mystery of the catastrophes, the appearance of the crest, the fixture of a girl across the way with little to no interaction, the unusual things they seem to be only privy too (well, Jess, Coop, and Gus, that is)…shall I keep going?  Okay, but really....the friendships lost and found, the family connections severed and built, the sense of self and importance rediscovered...there are so many areas of interest to follow, and yet you never lose sight of the main thread.  You feel included in this sibling plus friend trio, and despite their own doubts as to their standing in their own worlds, they are quite clearly an important part of your own once you're between the pages.  

I can't risk saying too much because to ruin the mystery at its heart would break my own...and trust me, mine was already broken as I had tears streaming down my face further along in the book...but suffice it to say, this is one family despite its history that you will want to be a part of.  This is one gathering of friends that you will want to know.  This is one story that will keep you on edge right to the very last page, and you most definitely won't soon forget.  I mean, once someone has impacted your life, how can they ever truly be gone...

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About the author...

PHOTO CREDIT: PIXEL DUST

Rebecca lives in a very loud house in Minneapolis with her husband, four boys, and her seriously massive pets. After twelve years as an ER doctor, she shed her scrubs to write magical and mysterious worlds for middle-grade readers. She is drawn to any story that evokes, "Please, Mom! Just one more chapter!" and she strives to craft the same. Rebecca was the winner of the Minnesota SCBWI Mentorship for 2015. When she isn't writing, you can find her biking, cooking or escaping "up north" with family, friends, and a stack of good books.

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Special thanks to Debbie and the Walden Pond Press team for the ARC for review and the chance to bring this tour to you.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title, the author, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links provided above.  This title is available now, so be on the lookout for it at your favorite online retailer or brick and mortar store!  Don't forget to check out the rest of the tour for more bookish fun!

January 27 Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers @grgenius

January 28 Michele Knott @knott_michele

January 29 Writer's Rumpus @writersrumpus

January 30 Maria's Melange @mariaselke

February 1 StoryMamas @storymamas

                  Charlotte's Library @charlotteslibrary

February 2 A Library Mama @alibrarymama

          Iowa Amber Reads @iowaamberreads

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

 

TCBR AWARENESS TOUR: Here in the Real World by Sara Pennypacker - REVIEW + GIVEAWAY!

HI there!
Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

Today, we're teaming up with The Children's Book Review for a stop along their current tour featuring the latest Children's Fiction release from author Sara Pennypacker.  You may know her work from her prior release, Pax, but if not, you'll want to make your acquaintance post haste.  Ready or not, let's get this BOOK BIRTHDAY celebration started as we welcome out blog tour guest and book of choice...

Here in the Real World

by

 Sara Pennypacker

9780062698957

Balzer + Bray

About the book...

From the author of the highly acclaimed, New York Times bestselling novel Pax comes a gorgeous and moving middle grade novel that is an ode to introverts, dreamers, and misfits everywhere.

Ware can’t wait to spend summer “off in his own world”—dreaming of knights in the Middle Ages and generally being left alone. But then his parents sign him up for dreaded Rec camp, where he must endure Meaningful Social Interaction and whatever activities so-called “normal” kids do.

On his first day Ware meets Jolene, a tough, secretive girl planting a garden in the rubble of an abandoned church next to the camp. Soon he starts skipping Rec, creating a castle-like space of his own in the church lot.

Jolene scoffs, calling him a dreamer—he doesn’t live in the “real world” like she does. As different as Ware and Jolene are, though, they have one thing in common: for them, the lot is a refuge.

But when their sanctuary is threatened, Ware looks to the knights’ Code of Chivalry: Thou shalt do battle against unfairness wherever faced with it. Thou shalt be always the champion of the Right and Good—and vows to save the lot.

But what does a hero look like in real life? And what can two misfit kids do?

AMAZON

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This is a story for all those who have ever felt left of center.  This is a tale for all those that followed the beat of their own drummer, often times to the dismay of friends/family, and with mixed results.  This is a fictional rendering of many people's lives told with care, compassion, truth...that results in just the right amount of magic for readers of all ages.

Ware is not an outgoing soul...at least not in the way the world tends to think of them anyway.  He finds the beauty in things from his own unique perspective.  He loves the Code of Chivalry that knights of old used to guide their lives and can't wait to be able to uphold those same standards in today's world.  He loves to sit by himself and just...be...and it's something that not everyone understands.  It's hard when the parents you look to for guidance, comfort, and love...simply don't understand you.  It's hard when you constantly feel that you have to put on a show in order to be accepted...in your own family.  It's hard living up to the standards of others when, in truth, there's nothing wrong with your way of being...but rather the limited lenses of those viewing you.  

I felt SO MUCH for Ware, even when I myself was just learning to love him, and when Uncle Cy arrived, it was like a light bulb just ignited, shining as bright as the sun.  With everything going on in his and his family's lives, it was easy for him to get lost along the way...but thanks to a certain precocious and determined young lay, he won't be able to lose his way.  True, he won't know exactly where to start, but once he gets on the right path, there'll be no stopping.  Same goes for Jolene, actually.  She's a complex little lady who only shows as much as she's willing and has big dreams for her own predicament.  Their unexpected friendship, their unanticipated project will bring more than a focus on something other than their family problems, but a chance to see themselves as something more than they ever thought they could be; people (albeit children) that can affect change in not only themselves, but the world around them.

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About the author...

Sara Pennypacker is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Pax; the award-winning Clementine books and its spinoff series, Waylon!; and the acclaimed novel Summer of the Gypsy Moths. She divides her time between Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and Florida. You can visit her online at www.sarapennypacker.com...or catch up with her on Twitter!

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Enter for a chance to win a Sara Pennypacker book prize pack!

Five (5) winners receive:

A hardcover copy of Here in the Real World

A paperback copy of Pax

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE RAFFLECOPTER FORM!

Giveaway begins January 21, 2019, at 12:01 A.M. PST and ends February 21, 2019, at 11:59 P.M. PST.  Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia, who are eighteen years of age or older in their state or territory of residence at the time of entry. Void where prohibited by law.  HarperCollins is responsible for prize fulfillment.

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Special thanks to Bianca at The Children's Book Review for the chance to bring this tour to you and to HarperCollins Children's Books for the copy 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, so see thee out a copy at your favorite online retailer so it can cast a spell on you!

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

Hallo-READS Round-up with Disney Hyperion, HarperCollins, and Simon Pulse!

HI there!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

~~ HAPPY HALLOWEEN ~~

Here's hoping your day is filled with delightful scares, horribly memorable decorations, and truly gruesome costumes to write home about.  Perhaps your plans for the evening include throwing a party, attending one, or (like me) merely giving out treats in your neck of the woods...but whatever your poison, there's bound to be some down time when you need SOMETHING to do, ANYTHING to take your mind off things, or are practically BEGGING to be entertained.  Never fear, the Insatiable Reader is HERE and I've got a few last minute solutions that'll fit the bill rather nicely.

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For all ages...

Art of Coloring:

Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas

9781484789742

Disney Hyperion

A title that easily straddles the current holiday and the next (if you skip turkey day, that is) without even breaking a sweat...or a leg...this crafty coloring book may be aimed at adult level talents, but with the familiar images of Jack, Sally, and his pals, it easily invites the whole family to put their own personal artistic stamp on things.  

Think the trio of trouble should exchange colors?  

Go for it!  

Prefer orange, yellow, and green cats as opposed to black?

Be my guest!  

Between the full page images of your favorite characters to the mind-boggling patterns, there's a little something for everyone to enjoy, to indulge, and otherwise get their Halloween creative juices flowing!  So go ahead, pull up a chair, grab your favorite coloring medium (I used colored pencils, markers, and glitter pens!), and satisfy your inner artist this season!

For the Middle Grade set....

Monsters Unleashed

Monsters Unleashed, Book 1

by

John Kloepfer

Illustrated by

Mark Oliver

9780062290304

HarperCollins

Picture it...

...Middle School art class and you're stuck with all the people you never really want to see face to face because, well...let's face it, they're bullies.  You've got the hotshot jock, the runaway at the mouth princess, the evil nerd genius (not official, but might be soon)...and then there's you, or in this case, Freddie and Manny.  One of you is an artistically inclined "giant", while the other is a tad lacking in the height department, less than super genius in the smarts department, but an all around good friend.  Yep...they balance each other out, and that balance is gonna serve them well when all MONSTER breaks loose.  Oh, right...we skipped that part, did we?  You see, Manny and Freddie were planning on making a monster MOVIE and were REALLY excited about utilizing the teacher's 3D printer to make Freddie's illustrations COME TO LIFE.  Thing is they didn't actually expect it to breath life into them, and yet...it did.  Yep...and that's only the beginning because once MONSTERS are UNLEASHED there's no telling what they'll do next.  

I loved the quick nature of the story and how it took you on a fantastical type adventure with bigger meaning undertones.  I mean, the monsters were Freddie's way of dealing with the bullying tactics of the aforementioned trio of non-friends...non-violent (at least in reality) and a way to build on his artistic abilities...but when push comes to shove, he's forced to deal with their version of "evil" head on...as are the bullies themselves.  It sounds awful but it was great to see them get a taste of their own medicine...I mean, what better way to out a bully than to make them face themselves at gargantuan levels?  Am I right?  

A great read for Middle Grade Fiction fans and beyond filled with adventure, danger, monsters (both cute and decidedly not), and a dose of reality you weren't expecting.  Though excited about the sequel (coming April 2018), I might have to read it with only one eye open as it's gonna have a serious pest problem....

For the Young Adult set....

Trapped

Fear Street, Book 51

by

R.L. Stine

9780671015008

Simon Pulse

...and you thought your high school was scary...

This story brings to mind The Breakfast Club with a twist...YOU actually risk BECOMING the breakfast.  There are the obligatory HS stereotypes, the new principal cracking down on shenanigans, the Saturday in-school detention with the threat of more to come is EVERYONE doesn't behave.  HahahahahahahahahahahaHA!  Like THAT could ever happen with this bunch.  *smirk*  Needless to say, one thing leads to another and another and another and...then suddenly, there's no more leading as they are trapped (eureka, the title!) where they shouldn't be, in a place that's been long forgotten, with something that SHOULD NOT EXIST.  That last thing?  Yeah, it's out for blood too...and it's none too picky about who it comes from.

In typical R.L. Stine fashion, the book goes from zero to sixty in a heartbeat, good thing too considering the length of the story, and nothing is held back.  NO, really...nothing, as in when rats get in our leading lady's hair, you hear all the squeaky details, or when the mysterious red cloud decides to wring the life from one of our happy bunch, you hear all the bone crunching moments until none are left.  Did I mention this was my pick for the Young Adult set and beyond?  Yeah, definitely...and yet I enjoyed it, which was surprising to me because my previous exploration into his work yielded different results.  Did the author's game change over the years?  Who's to say...this title is back from 1997...but I CAN say that you won't forget this short and non-sweet tale ANYTIME soon.

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Special thanks to the folks at Disney Hyperion and HarperCollins for the copies of the first two titles for review.  The third came from the used bookstore at my local library, so my thanks to whomever donated it.  (THANKS!)  For more information on the titles featured above or the publishers, feel free to click through the links provided.

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