BOOK BIRTHDAY WEEK Kid Lit Celebration!

What can I say?

I read A LOT.

I review A LOT.

I...sometimes run out of time (or mental energy!) to post everything in one day, but who doesn't want to extend the celebration? Am I right? 😉  Hence today's BOOK BIRTHDAY WEEK celebration post! We're doing it up KID LIT style with not one, but TWO titles that hit bookstore and virtual shelves this week, and I'm here to give you a bit of inside scoop!  In no particular order because they are equally amazing their own rights, make room on your TBR for today's featured titles...

Quest Kids and the Prophecy of Doug

Quest Kids, Book 2

by

Mark Lieknes

9781454946281

Union Square Kids

The Quest Kids are BACK and better than ever...or at least they will be once they get a grip on everything that's going down, especially this creepy, larger than life baby that is really giving them all pause when it comes to a fight!  But I digress...

When we last left this motley crew, they were still riding the high of finishing their first quest, but well on their way to starting their next.  You see, Ned's parents are MISSING, and while that's doom and gloomy enough, there's more spreading throughout the land, and someone needs to put a stop to it...or several someone's.  When you find out the who, what, why, and eventually where, you'll be perplexed, slightly confused, and maybe a little in awe as to the point of it all (especially surfing 🏄‍♂️ a wave of fire 🔥... sounds more like a human barbecue moment to me!), yet you still be in for a reading adventure filled with... well adventure, but also heart, friendship, revelations, and new mysteries to keep this quest group going for ages!

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White House Clubhouse

by

Sean O'Brien

9781324052920

Norton Young Readers

Like mysteries?

What about secret passages?

How about time honored traditions dating oh-so-far back in a place known for adults setting the rules, but this time, they have everything to do with the kiddos rules?

Thought that might grab your attention. 😉 

The young ladies in this book,  Marissa and Clara, aren't bad kids, they're just not completely in love with their new lifestyle. I mean, taking a full entourage just to go to and from school? Climbing a tree with not a concerned parent looking on, but a security detail? See what I mean? So yeah, the life and times of the children in that great big house colored white, aren't exactly what you might imagine at times, but it doesn't mean it CAN'T be... 😏 

All it takes is one secret panel opening, a slide down into a mysterious oval-shaped darkness, and signing your name on a parchment that's seen better days (or better yet, centuries!) to take things from ho-hum to what in the year 1905?! Explorations commence, a secret group that's not a secret amongst themselves is revealed, as is the task they need to complete in order to get back home! Trust me though, it's gonna take some intuition, investigation, and a lot of teamwork to get the job done... once they figure out WHAT exactly it is... but the rewards are more than just, as is the potential homecoming. 

A great ride through history from a viewpoint that oftentimes gets overlooked with a message of never giving up the good fight!

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Special thanks to both publicists and the publishers listed above for the copies for review.  (THANKS!)  For more information on these titles, series, authors, or publishers, feel free to click through the links provided above.  These titles both celebrated their book birthdays this week, so SPREAD THE LOVE and snag your copy today!

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

REVIEW starring... Quest Kids and the Dragon Pants of Gold by Mark Leiknes

Ever dream of heading off in your own direction?  Letting yourself follow the path of life where it may lead?  Taking the day by the reigns and showing it who's boss?  Yeah...me neither (JK!), but Ned, our intrepid adventure guide writer, and quest leader certainly has, but, as he's about to discover, not every adventure turns out the way you might expect.  Ladies and gents, knights (pre-toasted) and questers, gather round, as we discover the first book in a new Middle Grade series you won't want to miss... 

Quest Kids and the Dragon Pants of Gold

by

Mark Leiknes

9781454946250

Union Square Kids

About the book...

Comics artist Mark Leiknes delivers a laugh-out-loud story set in a fantastic world of dragons, rock creatures, and golden loungewear.

The Quest Kids are ready for their first real quest. This time, they won’t oversleep, they won’t be put off by a little rain, and they won’t accidentally burn down the village that hired them. All they have to do is find the Golden-Fleeced Rage Beast, shave it, and make a really nice golden tracksuit to appease a furious dragon. Simple, right?

Meet the Quest Kids crew: Gil, a wizard (well, wizard in training . . . the beard isn’t his); Terra, a 700-year-old elf kid; Boulder, a rock troll who is more of a cook than a fighter; Ash, a flatulent pig-dog-maybe-lizard hybrid; and, Ned, the intrepid and overly optimistic leader with his own personal quest to find his missing parents. With humor, magic, mystery, and at least one acid swamp filled with skeletal alligators, Quest Kids and the Dragon Pants of Gold is a richly illustrated saga of fantasy friendship for readers from all kingdoms!

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Once upon a time, there was a motley crew of wannabe adventurers. Drawn together by their unknown similarities in history and desires, on the surface, they couldn't be any more different. The boy who would be a farmer, if he wasn't so bad at it, who's parents are either missing or abandoned him. The boy wearing the fake beard in homage to his missing master to whom he was a wizard in training who doesn't quite have a handle on his magic. The one who's MMOR (that's Mostly Made Of Rock...in case you weren't in the know), yet feels so much that he was cast aside from his kind. The girl, well female elf technically, who is much older than she looks, but no wiser for her experiences, carrying her own weight of the world on her shoulders. The pig...dog...thing (their words, not mine) that has issues eating, explosive expulsions out of both ends (if you catch my meaning), but is oddly cute, very loyal, and (as we soon discover) chock full of surprises. Separate, they are an interesting menagerie, but together they are a force to be...well, watched out for, sometimes listened to, and generally approached with caution if you're offering a quest. Yes, my friends, they are something...to remember...as is this story!

Did I mention there's a town at stake? Did I tell you about the dragon wearing gold sweatpants, how that came to be, and why he's now seeking a matching track jacket? Did you catch the hidden truths all the members of this troop was hiding, or the cat-baiting that Ned our fearless leader keeps doing in order to gain favor? (That's not as weird as it sounds...the group really likes cats, so their buy in is almost guaranteed if they are involved!) Did you discover how Terra REALLY lost her eye? Or how about how Gil and Ned knew each other BEFORE their questing days? What about their past adventures, plans for the future, or their journaling and drawing capabilities? Or what about the MAD danger involved in facing down the "golden-fleeced rage beast" with an unexpected mashup and a sudden twist at the end? Yeah...like I said, a story to remember for all the action, adventure, and varied cast of characters, but also the messages of the power of friendship, giving others a chance, and allowing people to see your true self. We all make mistakes, tell half-truths from time to time, and generally make a mess of life, but if we learn and grow from them, then there is always a new day to try, try again.

A great pick for Middle Grade fans this season, or any season for that matter, and a fun start to what looks like a promising series!

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About the author...

Actual author photo from his site...

Mark Leiknes lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, with his wife and three kids. He produced a nationally syndicated comic strip (Cow & Boy) for eight years and now he writes and illustrates books for kids. Mark studied graphic design in college and honed his comedic chops studying improv and sketch comedy at the acclaimed Groundlings School. Visit him online at markleiknes.com

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Special thanks to Jenny at Union Square & Co for the chance to bring this title to you as well as the copy 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 is available now, so click on over to your favorite online retailer or visit your local brick and mortar store today to snag your copy to join the adventure!

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