Blog Tour - Danny's Doodles by David A. Adler

Most of us, at one time or another, acquire a friend who is different, who is perhaps a little odd. They don't seem to fit in anywhere and they can even be rather embarrassing at times. This splendid title by David A. Adler tells the story of one boy's strange new friend who ends up giving Danny a lot more than he expected.

Danny’s Doodles: The Jellybean Experiment

David A. Adler

Fiction

For ages 7 to 9

Sourcebooks, 2013, 978-1-4022-8721-3

Danny Cohen’s new classmate and friend, Calvin Waffle, is a rather odd boy. Last week he followed Danny everywhere, noting down who Danny spoke to and how long they talked. Calvin has explained that he needs the information he is gathering for an experiment that he is putting together. According to him, statistics are “the backbone of science.” Danny is not convinced, and he is keen to know what the experiment is, but Danny is not telling. Yet.

   On Monday of this week Calvin puts jelly beans in Danny’s pockets and Danny is going to have to put up with being followed around again. Apparently last week was the “control” week  for the experiment, and this week the experiment begins in earnest. Calvin still isn’t willing to explain what he is doing because he does not want to “skew” his results.

   Calvin insists that he keep his distance from Danny, which presents a problem. Calvin’s mother has baked a cake and Calvin is supposed to bring some friends over to eat it. So far Danny is Calvin’s only friend and his odd behavior (shadowing Danny) is making it impossible for Calvin to make more friends.

   Then Danny’s teacher announces that the students are going to do reports in pairs. Danny is paired with Annie, and Calvin is paired with Douglas. Douglas is worried that Calvin won’t do his share of the work and Danny tells him that he is sure Calvin would not do such a thing. In an effort to help Calvin out, Danny suggests that they all go to Calvin’s house on the weekend. The experiment will be over and they can eat all the jellybeans.

   When the four children get together on Sunday at Calvin’s house they finally find out what Calvin’s experiment was all about, and Danny begins to understand that though Calvin Waffle certainly is a “weird” person, he also is a pretty interesting one. He is also a friend, and sometimes you put up with friends even when they are being strange.

   In this wonderful story we see how friendships can grow between rather unlikely people. The author beautifully develops his characters, making them both colorful and credible. The problems children have as they try to ‘fit in’ are explored with both humor and sensitivity.

The Splash into Spring-Fling Blog Book Tour

I have always loved water and spent many summers when I was a child and a teenager at the local pool or at the seaside. Jade Baxter does not like to swim. In fact, she does not like getting wet, and since she is a largish girl, she hates putting on a bathing suit. You can only imagine how she feels when she finds out, by accident, that she is part mermaid and that her legs turn into a tail when she is immersed in water and inhales some. While some people might like being half mermaid, Jade does not. It makes her life very complicated indeed. Imagine what it would be like to go to the pool and sprout a tail when you accidentally breath in some water?

Today I am participating in a blog tour that is featuring the latest book about Jade and her mermaid adventures. The first book, Real Mermaids Don't Wear Toe Rings, is funny and highly entertaining. Jade's story is continued in Real Mermaids Don't hold their Breath, and it too is a great read that combines fantasy with a coming-of-age tale.

The latest book in the series, Real Mermaids Don't Need High Heels, carries on Jade's story. In it she has more problems to solve and she learns a little more about her mermaid heritage.

RealMermaids Don’t Need High Heels

HeleneBoudreau

Fiction

For ages 12 and up

Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, 2013, 978-1-4022-6458-0

Jade is thrilled. She is finally in high school where she will have more freedom and more choices. Jade will have a locker rather than a cubby, and she is hopeful that she will be able to have a normal life again. Many people might find a normal life boring but Jade craves an ordinary and predictable life.

   For the last few months her world has been confusing, sometimes frightening, and full of surprises. She now knows that her mother is a mermaid, and she, Jade, grows a tail when she enters water and if she inhales some. Jade has found out that mers (this is the correct name for mermaids) live in the nearby lake and in the ocean that lies beyond the canal and lock, and that the Mermish Council has strict rules. One of these is that the Council members do not want their own kind to know that mers can transform into a human with legs, and that they can become what the mers called Webbed Ones

   Jade is all ready to enjoy her first day of school when her grandmother arrives bringing Serena with her. The last time Jade saw Serena the girl was a mermaid. Apparently Serena’s father wants his daughter to live her life as a human most of the time. If Gran and her family help Serena life a life on land, Serena’s father will behave himself. If they don’t, he will start vandalizing and stealing boats, and who knows what else he will do. At the best of times he is temperamental.

   So now Jade has to babysit a mer teen who does now know how to speak English, who cannot write, and who cannot bear to wear shoes. The good news is that Serena is a sweet and loveable girl and most people quickly become fond of her. The bad news is that the mer girl is prone to doing things that create problems for Jade.

   Watching over Serena seems like a huge issue until Jade goes to Bridget’s Diner with her friend Cori and their boyfriends Trey and Luke. There she finds out they have a much bigger problem to worry about. The Mermish Council members, especially the leader, are facing a possible revolution. The mers are getting sick and tired of the Council’s often cruel actions. To put a stop to a potential uprising, the Council is imprisoning troublesome mers in the lake, and they are going to enforce Tidal Law. At the next full moon, just nine days away, they are going summon all the mers, including the Webbed Ones, to the mer village in the ocean. Since Jade was born a human and only recently acquired the ability to transform, she will not feel the pull of Tide Law, but her mother, boyfriend, Serena, Bridget, and the school swimming coach who were mers from birth will all be unable to avoid the summons. Jade cannot believe that once again she has to deal with a problem involving mermaids.

   In this third Real Mermaids title the author takes poor confused Jade on another adventure and this time Jade has to use her head and her heart to save the ones she loves. New information about the characters is revealed as the story unfolds, and readers will be delighted with the thoroughly satisfying ending.

Blog Book Tour - The Warrior Sheep Down Under

Every so often I find that I need to read a book that is funny, wonderfully ridiculous, and highly improbable. A few years ago, the first Warrior Sheep title came out and I soon found out that it was all these things, and more. Today I have a review of the third book in this series to share with you. If you need a laugh, a grand adventure, amusing characters, and a happy ending, then this is the book for you.

The warrior sheep Down Under

Christine and Christopher Russell

Fiction

For ages 9 to 11

Sourcebooks, 2012, 978-1-4022-6780-2

The five rare breed sheep, the Warrior Sheep, have had some pretty extraordinary adventures in the not too distant past, defeating villains who are a threat to sheepdom. At the moment, the five sheep are having a very peaceful time. Their owner, Ida White, has gone to Australia to visit her brother, and she has taken Todd, her grandson, with her. Since the sheep cannot go all the way to Australia, they are staying with Rose, Ida’s sister. Rose lives in Murkton-on-Sea, and the sheep are quite content, except for the sound. They keep hearing the sound of someone calling for help, someone who is in despair. It is very unsettling.

   Wills, the Balwen Welsh lamb, tries to convince himself that the sound is caused by the wind blowing in the rigging of the boats and yachts in the harbor, but then Sal, the Southdown ewe, starts to recite a section from the Songs of the Fleece. The “prophetic verses” tell of a Tuftella, a “sheeply maiden” who was kidnapped and taken “Down Under” where she was imprisoned in a tower. Sal is convinced that the sound they are hearing is Tuftella begging them to save her from her captors.

   Though they really have no idea how they are supposed to rescue Tuftella, the five sheep leave their pasture, and stow away on a yacht that is going Down Under. They convince themselves that the person who owns the yacht, Alice Barton, is their “fairy godtingy” and that she will help them succeed in their quest. In actual fact, Alice is a very unpleasant person indeed, one who is quite willing to throw the sheep overboard when she finds out that they are on her yacht. Thankfully, her crew members are more compassionate, and the sheep make it all the way to New Zealand in one piece.

   One would think that traveling so far hidden in the hold of a yacht would be more than enough of an adventure for five sheep, but this is just the beginning. Little do they know, but bungee jumping, white water rafting, crocodile wrangling and many other adventures lie in their future.

   In this third Warrior Sheep title, authors Christine and Christopher Russell take readers on yet another extraordinary adventure, and the five rare breed sheep prove once again that they are brave, resourceful, and incredibly lucky. Readers will find it hard not to laugh at the situations that the sheep encounter, and will appreciate the strange ways that the sheep interpret the words of their Songs of Fleece to fit what is happening to them.

You can find out more about the Warrior Sheep Books on this website: http://www.warriorsheep.com

Blog Book Tour - The Cheshire Cheese Cat - With a book giveaway

All the reviewers and bloggers I know do what they do because they love the written word, and I am proud to say that I am an inveterate book collector and an unapologetic lover of words. For this reason, I was delighted to participate in the Peachtree Publishers Cheshire Cheese Cat blog book tour. The book in question is about a cat to be sure, but it is also about a literate mouse and an author who is suffering from writer's block. Here is my review of the book.

The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale

Carmen Agra Deedy and Randall Wright

Illustrated by Barry Moser

Fiction

For ages 9 to 12

Peachtree Publishers, 2011, 978-1-56145-595-9

   Skilley is an alley cat who lives in London and who has a secret that he has never shared with anyone. He knows that his reputation will be in tatters if any of the other alley cats find out what his secret is.

   Tired of life on the streets, Skilley decides to try his luck at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, an inn where the best cheese in London is sold. Not surprisingly, the inn has a dire mouse problem, and Skilley is sure that the innkeeper will be glad to have a good mouser on the premises.

   Sure enough, the innkeeper is delighted to have Skilley living at the inn, and the barmaid is even happier because she has a mortal fear of mice. What neither of these people know is that Skilley has no interest in catching and eating the mice, the reason being that he does not like to eat mice! Instead, Skilley likes to eat cheese.

   Soon after arriving at the inn, Skilley makes friends with a very well educated mouse called Pip. The cat and the mouse put on a performance for the humans at the inn to give them the impression that Skilley is doing a great job catching mice. In return for his protection, the mice give Skilley some of the delectable Cheshire cheese that is sold at the inn. There is one person who visits the inn, Mr. Charles Dickens, who begins to realize that all is not what it seems, but he is having trouble with his new book so he does not bother investigating.

   Skilley’s arrangement with the inn mice goes very well until the barmaid brings another cat to live at the inn to help with the mouse problem. Pinch is an evil tomcat who loves to dine on mice, and he is determined to eat every mouse in the inn. Skilley is justifiably frightened of Pinch, and he has no idea how he is going to protect the mice and his reputation at the same time.

   In this clever novel, the authors tell the story of a relationship between a mouse and a cat, and at the same time they also tell the story of a writer who has writer’s block, and a raven who needs to go home.

   It is fascinating to see how Skilley comes to terms with his own identity, and how he struggles to do the right thing for himself and for those who depend on him. Readers will be delighted to see how, in the end, the mouse, the cat, and their allies triumph in more ways than one.

I was curious to find out more about Pip and why he loves words so much, so I wrote him a letter. Being such   courteous mouse, he wrote back to me. Here is his letter:

Dear Marya:
Why do I love words, you ask? What is inconceivable to this mouse is that one could do verbal battle in this world (as is often necessary if one is to right a wrong, woo a heart, or win back one’s cheese) without the armamentarium that is a good vocabulary!
What? In plain English, you say?
Mmmm.
Very well, then.
Have you ever had a great thought? No. A truly great thought. A thought that was bigger than yourself and clear as glass in your mind’s eye, but slippery to describe? And did you, hearty soul that you are, nonetheless try to explain this notion of yours to someone, only to find yourself stumbling about for the right words…only to find your listener looking at you as though you were speaking monkey gibberish?
Maddening, isn’t it?
Well, dear friends, that is why words are so important.  
With my best wishes,
Pip


Well, there you have it. The words of an exceptionally intelligent mouse. If you want to find out more about Pip, his world, and the book, take a look at the Cheshire Cheese Cat website


Please visit the other stops on this wonderful book tour. They are:


10/3 A word's worth
10/3 From the mixed up files of Jennifer Bertman
10/4 There's a book
10/5 Booktalking
10/5 Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers
10/6 Not just for kids
10/7 Peachtree Publishers

Last, but by no means least, I have GIVEAWAY!! If you would like to be entered to receive a copy of this delightful book, please email me, telling me why you love words.

Unusual Heroes Blog Book Tour - Sally's Bones

Today is the second day that I am participating in the Unusual Heroes blog book tour. Today I am going to tell you about another new book that Sourcebooks is promoting. Just like The Warrior Sheep go West, this book has a hero who is rather usual. Actually, he is VERY unusual.

Sally’s Bones

MacKenzie Cadenhead

Illustrated by T.S. Spookytooth

Fiction

For ages 9 to 11

Sourcebooks, 2011, 978-1-4022-5943-2

   After her mother dies, Sally Simplesmith’s life takes a very decided downward turn. Her father is withdrawn, and she is terribly lonely and quite angry as well. How could her mother leave Sally here all alone?

   When her old toddlerhood friend, Viola Vanderperfect, comes back to live in Merryland, Sally dares to hope that she will at last have a real friend, someone she can talk to about her problems. Sally soon finds out that Viola is a truly horrible stuck up little snob. Instead of refriending Sally, Viola does her best to make Sally’s life as miserable as possible.

   When her mother lay dying, Sally made a deal with her. Sally would “live every stupid day to the fullest,” and in turn Sally’s mother (dead or alive) would give Sally “whatever I want to make things right.” Sally has done her best keep her promise and it has all been a miserable failure. Now she feels her mother owes her since Sally has kept her side of the deal. Desperately unhappy, Sally goes to her mother’s grave in the cemetery and she tells her mother to “Give. Me. Death.”

   What Sally’s mother gives her is a dead dog. Literally. She gives her a little dog who is all bone and very little skin. At first, Sally is appalled, but she soon discovers that the little dog, even though it has no eyes, no flesh, and no fur, is an uncommonly clever and loving little thing. Soon the dog, Bones, is her best friend and steadfast companion.

   At last life is starting to look up for Sally, but, of course it does not stay that way for long. Something or someone is out to ruin what little happiness Sally has.

   In this decidedly odd and charmingly quirky book, readers will find out that love really can overcome death. In certain situations. It is hard not to feel pity for Sally, who so desperately wants a friend, and who finds one who is so unusual that he gets into trouble almost immediately.

   Readers who like tales that are strange, a little dark, but that have a happy ending will truly enjoy this title.

 Being a big dog fan, I decides to write to the Merryland Dog Pound to see if they have any dogs like Bones available for adoption. This is the letter that I got in response:

Dear Ms. Marya Jansen-Gruber,

Thank you for your interest in adopting a dog from the Merryland Dog Pound. We regret to inform you that, despite news reports to the contrary, we do not have any lovably lively but lifeless canines currently available. While the rumor is true – there is a living, breathing skeleton dog that goes by the name of Bones gallivanting all over town – he belongs to a girl named Sally Simplesmith and, as far as we know, he’s one of a kind. (And thank goodness for that! One petrified pooch is plenty.)

Might we interest you in a cocksure cocker or dashing dachshund? Perhaps a prancing poodle puppy? Or is a marvelous mutt more your style? No? Well, if you’ve got your heart set on a canine cadaver, I’ll tell you what I know. (Though if you ask me it’s your funeral.) As a breed I must warn you that the dearly departed doggie has a history of alleged criminal behavior. Though my colleague the Dog Catcher hasn’t been able to make anything stick, he assures me it won’t be long before he sends that spirited skeleton to Sing Sing! Still, there are some who consider the bloodless hound adventurous and clever, loyal and kind – like Sally. She never even had a friend before Bones showed up and now they’re practically Merryland royalty!

So, if it’s a life of dog treats and danger you want, go ahead; keep looking for a skeleton dog all your own. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Sincerely,

Ida Tolljyah

Adoption Coordinator, Merryland Dog Pound

I guess I need to hang out in the local cemetery and maybe I will find the dog I am looking for there.

Unusual Heroes Blog Book Tour - The Warrior Sheep go west

Today I am participating in the Unusual Heroes blog book tour. The tour (set up by the publisher Sourcebooks) is promoting two new books, and in both of them the heroes of the stories are...well...rather unusual. Today I have a review of The Warrior Sheep go West. The review is followed by a letter from one of the main characters. Her name is Jaycey, and she is a sheep.


 The Warrior Sheep go West

Christine and Christopher Russell

Fiction

For ages 9 to 11

Sourcebooks, 2011, 978-1-4022-5925-8

   It has been raining for several days, and Ida White’s five rare breed sheep are taking shelter in the barn with the chickens and Ida’s laptop. Ida likes to provide her chickens with music, and while the sheep are listening to a download on the laptop a pop-up appears on the screen showing a big red tongue. A voice says, “you Rams and Ewes and Lambs. This message is for you. We’re gonna slaughter you. We’re on our way. Red Tongue! Remember the name!”

   Sal remembers that the Songs of the Fleece, the sheep verses that had been handed down from ewe to lamb for centuries, refers to this threat. It is up to her and her friends to stop the dreaded Red Tongue from killing helpless sheep and they must go west to a place where “the sun scorches and the hottest winds blow.” Since there are no hot winds in Wales, the sheep are going to have to go much further west, to America.

   What the sheep don’t know is that Holly, a crackpot American scientist’s wife, has decided that the five sheep, who are famous, are perfect specimens to be used in her husband’s big project. Being a very rich person, Holly quickly arranges to have the sheep flown to America, along with Ida White and her grandson Tod.    

   Before they quite have the time to think things through, Ida and Todd are on American soil and their sheep are destined to be used for nefarious purposes by Holly’s mad spouse. Holly knows the sheep are smart, but she does not know that these five animals have an uncanny ability for getting in, and then out, of unfortunate situations. Holly may have plans for the sheep, but they are bent on stopping Red Tongue before it is too late, and nothing is going to stop them.

   Readers who enjoyed the first Warrior Sheep title are sure to enjoy this new adventure. Once again the sheep set out to save sheepkind at great risk to their wooly selves. Chases across a desert, a mad scientist, a Wild West ghost town, and five loveable main characters makes this a winning title for young readers.

A letter from Jaycey, a sheep who has a keen fashion sense.

Dear Marya,

Ohmygrass….Did I actually say that? I’m a sheep. Well, actually I’m a Jacob sheep and as everyone knows, Jacobs are the prettiest sheep in the Universe. I have the cutest little horns and a super soft black and white fleece. Sal, the ewe I share a field with, says I shouldn’t be so vain. Not after the trouble I got us into in Las Vegas! And I suppose she’s right. I very nearly got chopped up by a crazy stage magician. Really! It was sooo scary! Ohmygrass…I’ve gone all wobbly on my dainty hooves just thinking about it. If it hadn’t been for my friends Wills and Sal and Links and Oxo I wouldn’t be here now enjoying a rainy day in England. Actually, I’m not totally enjoying it because the rain makes my fleece frizzy.

   Wills and Sal and Links and Oxo are Rare Breed sheep like myself – though obviously not so pretty. TBH Sal’s got a rather fat bottom and Oxo eats all the time and Links, who fancies himself as a rap musician, can hardly see through his curly fleece and Wills is a really skinny lamb. But you know all that.

   What you probably don’t know is why we went to America in the first place. Well, it was because Sal told us about Red Tongue, an evil monster who wanted to kill all the sheep in the world. Starting in the West! That’s where you live, I guess, but you don’t have to worry. We tracked him down and finally got rid of him. He was baaarking mad and got the end he deserved. Huh! He learned not to mess with us Rare Breed sheep!

Ohmygrass...Ida, the farmer who owns us has just tipped a great heap of cauliflowers into our field. I’d better go and snaffle one before Oxo eats the lot!

It’s been sooooo nice talking to you.

Love and kisses from Jaycey


Join me on September 5th for another Unusual Heroes Blog Tour Post, which will be about a book called Sally's Bones. To say that this book is unusual is an understatement.

Scribbling Women Blog Tour

Today I have a special treat for you. I am participating in a blog book tour for Scribbling Women, a book by Marthe Jocelyn. The book is perfect for Women's History Month, and I highly recommend it. Here is my review.

Scribbling Women: True Tales from Astonishing Lives

Marthe Jocelyn

Nonfiction

For ages 12 and up

Tundra Books, 2011, 978-0887769528

   For hundreds of years, women have used the written word to connect with friends and family members, to capture their thoughts, to share their lives with others, and to share ideas that they cared about. Often many of these “scribblings” disappeared, and we have no idea what the women said. However, sometimes their words were preserved on purpose or by accident, and we can now read these women’s writings many years after they died.

   For this book, Marthe Jocelyn has written about eleven women from around the world who wrote letters, journals, or books that we are still able to read today. She begins by looking at the life and writings of Sei Shonagon, a lady-in-waiting who served in the imperial court of Japan in the tenth century. Sei wrote what is called The Pillow Book, which is a kind of journal filled with a collection of lists, gossip, poetry, observations, complaints, and descriptions. Her writings capture her keen intelligence and her often caustic wit. Thanks to Sei we have a better understanding what it was like to live in the imperial court of Japan so long ago.

   Similarly, the letters that Margaret Catchpole wrote show us what life in the penal colony in Sydney, Australia, was like in the early 1800’s. Margaret stole a horse, and for this crime, she was transported to Australia where she spent the rest of her life. Though she was not educated, she wrote letters to a friend back in England, describing her new life and the trials that she had to bear. Margaret’s personality comes through in her letters, and one can almost hear her voice as one reads the phonetically spelled words she wrote.

   Isabella Beeton’s famous Book of Household Management had a profound effect on the lives of women living in Britain in the 19^th century. Her comprehensive book contains 2,751 entries, which includes recipes, household tips, information about food, household management advice and much more. Isabella’s goal was to create a work that women would be able be able to use so that their homes were efficiently run, economical, and homey. She changed the way cook books were written, and helped countless women tolearn the complicated business of running a household.

   Readers who are interested in the stories of women from history will be fascinated by this book, as will readers who like to read about writers and the impact their writings have. Marthe Jocelyn tells the stories of women who scribbled in books and on pieces of paper long ago, and also not so long ago. Some of the women were famous like Isabella Beeton, Nellie Bly and Mary Kingsley, while others lived quiet more domestic lives. She shows us that these “scribblings” are truly precious, and that we have much to learn from them.

   Packed with interesting details about the times that the eleven women lived in, and with numerous quotes from their writings throughout, this is a book that will inspire both young and adult readers.

Here are some of the books that were written by the women mentioned in Scribbling Women. I thought some of you might be interested in taking a trip into the past by reading a few of these titles.

Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management by Isabella Beeton

The Pillow Book by Sei Shonagen

The young Visiters or Mr. Salteena's Plan by Daisy Ashford

Around the world in 72 Days by Nellie Bly

Last Night I dreamed of peace: The Diary of Dang Thuy Tram

Travels in West Africa by Mary Kingley

Caprice: A Stockman's Daughter by Doris Pilkington Garimara

Incidents in the life of a slave girl by Harriet Jacobs


Please visit the other stops of the blog tour. You will find a list of the stops on the Tundra Scribbling Women Blog Tour page.

Blog Book Tour - Modern Fairies, Dwarves, Goblins, and Other Nasties.

If you are interested in fairies, elves, goblins, and other magical creatures, I strongly suggest that you get yourself a copy of Modern Fairies, Dwarves, Goblins, and Other Nasties: A Practical Guide by Miss Edythe McFate. Yes I know that you have read a veritable library of books about fairies and their relatives, but I assure you that this book is a must for anyone who feels the need to know all there is to know about magical beings. In fact this a book we should all read so that we better understand the creatures we share our planet with. 

The author of this exceptional book has very kindly written to us to tell us how and why she wrote her book. Here is her letter.

Allow me to introduce myself.  My name is Miss Edythe McFate, and once you’ve read my practical guide to modern fairies, you will never see the world around you in the same way again.

I recently had a letter from the Looking Glass Children’s Book Review, asking me what on earth compelled me to write such a book.

Well, frankly – it was necessary.  There is simply nothing else out there like it.  And modern children need it.  Not just to learn how to glimpse the fairy realm that surrounds everywhere and every day -– but also to learn how to protect themselves against these creatures, who run the gamut from charming-and-sweet to charming-and-nasty.

All fairy breeds have magical powers that can be used to do something nice for you -- or ruin your life forever.  Some fairies are shape-shifters or curse-wielders; others are hypnotists and kidnappers.  Sometimes you can outsmart them, but nine times out of ten, they’ll get the better of you.

Today’s children were pretty defenseless until I decided to create this guidebook, in which they could find heaps of practical advice on how to tell a good fairy from a bad one, how to spot a ‘fairy ring,’ and so on.  In its pages, readers can learn the difference between dwarves and trolls (one species is far deadlier than the other), and how to defend themselves against fairies who would do them harm. 

I’ve also included eight cautionary stories about children your age who’ve had some astonishing encounters with fairies.  Each of these tales deals with a different type of fairy, and I’m warning you: some of the stories aren’t pretty.  In fact, several are quite terrifying.  But every single one of these stories is true, so I’d advise all of my readers to pay close attention, in case they find themselves in similar situations. 

Forewarned is forearmed, I always say.

The bottom line: no one knows more about the wayward natures, properties, and habits of fairies than me, and I’ve chosen to share this information with the world.

Read this book all at once or a few chapters and entries at a time; carry it with you to reference it on the run. 

By the book’s end, you too will be an expert on the modern fairy world.

-          Miss Edythe McFate

December 2010

Here is a trailer of the book:



Please visit the other stops on this blog tour.

Monday, December 13^th – Random Acts of Reading

http://randomactsofreading.wordpress.com/

Tuesday, December 14^th – Library Lounge Lizard

http://www.libraryloungelizard.com/

Wednesday, December 15^th – Through the Looking Glass Book Review Blog

http://lookingglassreview.blogspot.com/

Thursday, December 16^th – Book Divas

http://bookdivas.com/

Friday, December 17^th – The Children’s Book Review

http://www.thechildrensbookreview.com/

Saturday, December 18^th – The Book Faerie

http://bkfaerie.blogspot.com/

Sunday, December 19^th – The Reading Zone

http://thereadingzone.wordpress.com/

Monday, December 20^th – SUVUDU

http://suvudu.com/  

Blog Book Tour - Grey Griffins: The Clockwork Chronicles - The Brimstone Key

Today Through the Looking Glass is participating in a Blog Book Tour about a new title in the Grey Grey Griffins series. Here is a description of the book:

A brand new adventure starring The Grey Griffins!
Max---the leader
Natalia---the brains
Ernie---the changeling
Harley---the muscle

A year ago, the Grey Griffins were just regular kids from Avalon, Minnesota. That was before they learned about the existence of evil fairies, werewolves, and other things that go bump in the night. Now they are monster-hunters, celebrated heroes, and allies to the legendary Templar knights---but even heroes have to go to school.

When the Griffins enroll at Iron Bridge Academy, a school to train young recruits in the fight against the forces of evil, they find themselves at the center of a whole new adventure. The Clockwork King, a Templar foe from days past, has returned to finish the plan he set in motion decades ago. A plot to steal the souls of changelings---humans infused with fairy blood and supernatural abilities---in order to power his army of clockwork war machines.

In The Brimstone Key, authors Derek Benz and J.S. Lewis deftly blend the mystical wonder of steampunk with magic and adventure to create an action-packed thrill ride.

About the Authors

Derek Benz and J.S. Lewis have been best friends since diapers. They grew up sharing birthday parties, Saturday morning cartoons, comic books and baseball cards, and spent much of their childhood exploring the sprawling woodlands behind Derek's family farm, which they secretly suspected was enchanted. They are the authors of three previous books featuring The Grey Griffins: The Revenge of the Shadow King, The Rise of the Black Wolf and The Fall of the Templar. 

Derek Benz currently lives with his wife and son in New Jersey.

J.S. Lewis lives with his wife and daughters in Arizona.

This is what J.S. Lewis had to say about the book and his collaboration with his friend Derek Benz:

How did you and Derek start working together?

I’ve known Derek for most of my life. In fact, he was at my sixth birthday party where he gave me my very first Star Wars action figure (Obiwan Kenobi). And I still have it! Growing up we always talked about creating our own worlds. We thought that would involve comic books, but somewhere along the way we became avid Tolkien fans and we shifted our storytelling from panels to prose. We got serious about it in our late twenties, and the rest is history.

How you manage the logistics of working together.

We usually have a few brain storming sessions where we throw all of our ideas on a white board or Post-It notes. Once we’re happy with the general direction, we create a loose outline. Then we’ll divide the book into sections and start writing. Once we’re done, we’ll trade manuscripts and give it a solid edit. Then it’s time to switch back for one more editorial pass before we cut and paste the sections into a single document. After that, we’ll work with our editors to ensure we have not only created the best story possible, but that the book has a cohesive voice.

What inspired you and Derek to write this series.

Growing up in rural America has its advantages. Derek lived out in the country on a hobby farm, and his house was surrounded by had a few hundred acres of forest that provided amazing adventures. We took those experiences and combined them with our favorite mythological tales to come up with the Grey Griffins series. It’s fantasy firmly rooted in the true stories of our childhood.

What, if any, research did you two have to do to write these books.

Derek was a history major, and as a part of his coursework, he studied medieval warfare. Me? All I have is a broadcast journalism degree. Derek brought a great knowledge of the Templar, which we used as catalysts to root our stories firmly in actual history. From there, we were both fairly versed in mythology, fairytales and monster lore. We mixed in a healthy does of our own experiences growing up and in the end we created a kind of story stew with distinct flavors that seem to work well together.

What kinds of events do you like attending when you are promoting your books.

The best part about writing middle grade books is traveling to schools and speaking to kids from coast to coast. Instead of giving a 45 minute commercial about our books, I tend to focus on the stories behind the stories that make it into our books. When kids see that the experiences they’re going through today can actually make compelling stories, suddenly everything clicks. Writing no longer becomes a chore and they start spitting out some fantastic manuscripts.

What kinds of books you like to read

We’re both avid fans of anything by J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. I loved Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld, The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart, Half Moon Investigations by Eoin Colfer, and just about anything about World War II. 

You can find out more about this thrilling book on the Grey Griffins website. 

Blog Book Tour - Thumb Love by Elise Primavera - Includes A BOOK GIVEAWAY!

When I was a little girl, I was a complete thumb addict. I sucked by thumb wherever I went. It made me feel safe to suck my thumb, and gave me comfort. Giving it up was very very hard. For this reason I was happy to join a blog book tour about Elise Primavera's new book, Thumb Love. This is what Elise Primavera has to say about this title:

      When I first came to my editor with the idea for THUMB LOVE she told me the story of how she made a device out of Play-Doh (the dreaded thumb guard) to put on her sister’s thumb to get her to quit.

     It got me to thinking that this business of quitting the thumb is something that everyone has either gone through or helped someone through. It’s a universal theme! It also got me to thinking about bad habits in general. I started wondering if I had replaced one bad habit as a kid only to pick up another as an adult. Is sucking you thumb at five or six any different from my little problem of eating an entire bag of Kettle Corn in one sitting? To this day I can’t bring a bag (chips), a box (cookies) or a carton (ice cream) into my house without eating the contents within 24 hours.

      If it’s that’s hard for me as an adult to lay off the Chex Mix it’s got to be murder for a five year old to quit their thumb. So I got the idea of my little girl character, Lulu, to come up with a twelve-step program to kick the habit. Being a former thumb sucker myself I had a lot of memories to draw from. I remember declaring that I had stopped only to hide behind the sofa a few hours later to be with my thumb. I remember being so glad that my cousin Judy still sucked her thumb—and then going over to her house for a sleepover and the horror of hearing her say, “Are you still doing that? I stopped doing that ages ago!”

     I’ve written many picture books over the years. Some are difficult to write and have to be put away and then looked at a few years later. THUMB LOVE was not one of those. It was tremendous fun to write and came straight from my own thumb loving younger self.

     As I write there’s not a chip or M&M anywhere in my house right now—you could say I’ve gone cold turkey. But I’m starting to feel anxious and, and, don’t tell anyone—but I might have to go back to loving my thumb.

Here is my review of this sweet picture book:

Thumb Love

Elise Primavera

Picture Book

Ages 5 to 7

Random House, 2010, 978-0-375-84481-2

   Lulu is a little girl who has a close relationship with her thumb. Yes, I did say her thumb. You see, Lulu loves to suck her thumb. It is there for her wherever she is, and it is available whatever she is doing (if she does not need both hands that is.) Lulu even sucks her thumb at her birthday party, which is when her grandmother asks her a dreadful question: “Don’t you think you’re too old for that thumb?”

    It is around this time that the snickering begins. Other kids start to laugh at Lulu because she is still sucking her thumb. Even Lulu’s cousin Lili, who has always sucked her thumb, laughs at Lulu. Apparently, Lili stopped sucking her thumb “ages ago.” Will Lulu ever be able to end her relationship with her thumb?

   In this amusing picture book, Elise Primavera follows one little girl’s struggles as she comes to terms with the fact that she cannot suck her thumb for the rest of her life. In addition to Lulu’s story, there is also a section of the book that is all about Lulu’s difficult twelve-step journey to quit her thumb addiction. Lulu offers readers tips, tricks, and encouragement to other thumb suckers, and she reminds them “If you fail…try again!”

BOOK GIVEAWAY! If you would like a copy of this book please drop me a line. The publisher is giving me three copies to giveaway.

Please visit the other sites on this Blog Book Tour:

October 11^th – Booking Mama                             http://bookingmama.blogspot.com/

October 12^th – Through the Looking Glass            http://lookingglassreview.blogspot.com/

October 13^th – Random Acts of Reading               http://randomactsofreading.wordpress.com/

October 14^th – Two Writing Teachers                    http://twowritingteachers.wordpress.com

October 15^th – Where the Best Books Are            http://wherethebestbooksare.blogspot.com

October 16^th – The Book Faerie                           http://www.bkfaerie.blogspot.com

October 17^th – Picture Book Review                     http://picturebookreview.com/

October 18^th – Mundie Moms                              http://mundiekids.blogspot.com/

A blog book tour event with Art Slade, the author of The Hunchback Assignments Series with a Giveaway!

Not long ago I heard about a young adult series called the Hunchback Assignments. There are now two books in the series: The Hunchback Assignments and The Dark Deeps: The Hunchback Assignments 2. The stories are set in a steam punk world, and the star of the series is Mondo, a hunchback  who "is gentle, intelligent, trained for battle, yet a bookworm; ugly and beautiful, tough and idealistic." Curious to find out what steampunk is, I asked author Art Slade for a definition. This is what he had say:

Behold! I am about to do the impossible! I will define steampunk (as far as literature is concerned, that is). It will not be the Oxfordian definition. Nor will it be the Urban Dictionary definition. My definition is this: steampunk is science fiction that is inspired by the Victorian age. Oh, wait, does that cover it? Hmmm. Maybe I should add something about clockwork and steam. Okay, here it is: steampunk literature is steamy science fiction that is inspired by the Victorian age and often contains clockwork and cockneyisms. Ah, that still doesn’t cover it. Zounds and snap to! It may be beyond definition.

Here in no particular order are my favorite Victorian-era novels that influenced steampunk:

1)   20,0000 Leagues Under The Sea by Jules Verne The book that is the touchstone of steampunk (with a nod to the Disney Movie’s design of the Nautilus)

2)   Oliver Twist: The Attack of the Clockwork Demons by Charles Dickens. Did I mention that this list includes books I wish had been written? Why didn’t Dickens do just one steampunk book? It could have gone like this: Oliver tentatively approached the Clockwork Magistrate and asked, “More, Please.”

3)   The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson This novel is the one I blame for 1/3rd of all the mad doctors in steampunk. 

4)   The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells I blame this novel for another 1/3rd of the mad doctors in steampunk. The general rule in steampunk is: “Don’t drink that potion!”

5)   Sherlock Holmes: The Mechanical Hounds of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle Really, Sherlock should have been investigating steampunk crimes. And if Watson had mechanical wings Sherlock would never have fallen from Reichenbach Falls.

6)   Frankenstein by Mary Shelley The blame for the final 1/3rd of the mad “steampunk” doctors is directly laid at Mary Shelley’s dainty feet. Yet another mad doctor who somehow animates the dead.

7)   Dracula by Bram Stoker Though more supernatural than scientific, the mood of this novel has influenced our modern-day moody steampunk novels.

8)   Pride and Prejudice and Razor Billed Peacocks by Jane Austen. If this was the title, boys would finally read these books.

9)   Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne Good ol’ JV needs his due as the grandfather of Steampunk. Could add Journey to the Center of the Earth and From the Earth to the Moon too.

10)  Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Forget the talking animals. Actually forget Alice, too. It’s really Jabberwocky that is the first steam powered monster: “And, as in uffish thought he stood,/The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,/Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,/And burbled as it came!” Burbling? Flame? Whiffling? That’s so steampunk!


The Hunchback Assignments  is definitely a series that will suit young adults. Another series that would suit this age range are the Cecilia and Kate series. Younger readers in the 9 to 12 age range might like to have their own literary steampunk experience. The Larklight Trilogy by Philip Reeve is a delightful series that I found quite enthralling, and highly amusing as well. Also, here is a Barnes and Nobles list of steampunk titles. 


The publisher has very kindly given us several copies of the two books in this series to GIVE AWAY! Please send me an email if you would like a set of the books.


Please visit the other stops on this blog book tour. 

Friday, September 17 - ArtSlade.com http://arthurslade.livejournal.com/

Saturday September 18 - Cynsations http://cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com/

Sunday, September 19 - Free the Princess http://freetheprincess.blogspot.com/

Monday, September 20 – Steamed! http://www.ageofsteam.wordpress.com

Tuesday, September 21^st - Steampunk Tribune http://www.steampunktribune.com/

Wednesday, September 22 - Suvudu http://suvudu.com/

Thursday, September 23 - Steampunk Scholar http://steampunkscholar.blogspot.com/