Rafflecopter giveaway – Page 5

Animal Fiction, Early Reader, Fiction, Humor, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Spotlight: Put Me In the Story does Pete the Cat! And a giveaway, just for you!

Posted on July 1, 2016June 29, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

I got my first taste of Put Me in the Story with their NatGeo books, which I had personalized for my preschooler, and I’ve been a fan ever since. They’re nicely made, and they’re a keepsake: they’re personalized with your child’s name and picture. The latest series to get a Put Me in the Story? None other than Pete the Cat.

$29.99 hardcover

Pete’s a great character to get personalization treatment, because kids go berserk for this blue cat. He’s cool, laid back, and has legions of fans. Think I’m exaggerating? I’ve been a kids’ librarian at libraries in six states, and it is Beatlemania when it comes to Pete. You have a kid you need a book for? Check out Pete the Cat and His Magic Sunglasses. Plus, I’ve got a giveaway right here, so why not enter and try your luck?

Here’s the scoop:

In Pete the Cat and His Magic Sunglasses, Pete’s having one of those days—the kind where nothing is going his way. But when Grumpy Toad lends Pete a pair of cool, blue, magic sunglasses, that gloomy, dreary day turns itself around!

This personalized book about learning to see the world in a whole new way features your child’s name and photo along with an encouraging dedication message from you. Your child plays a special part in the story—they are the one to let Grumpy Toad borrow the magic sunglasses in the first place!

As Pete the Cat travels through town, he meets friends that could use a little bit of magic. A hungry squirrel, a tipped-over turtle, and a lonely alligator all get a boost of positive vibes from the magic sunglasses. But what happens when those magic sunglasses break?

Teach your child to find the good in every day with the help of this rockin’ story. Any day can go from gloomy to groovy—all it takes is a little magic from within!

Giveaway Info:

Tour-Wide Rafflecopter Giveaway to win a #MagicSunglasses Gift Bag

#Magic Sunglasses Gift Bag Includes:

· Personalized Pete the Cat Rock On Tote Bag

· Personalized copy of Pete the Cat and His Magic Sunglasses

· + 2 personalized books of winner’s choice from Put Me In The Story

Enter via the Rafflecopter by doing any of the following:

· Sharing your Sunglass Selfie! Share a selfie of you and your child wearing sunglasses with the hashtag #MagicSunglasses

· Sharing a Tweet

· Signing up for Put Me In The Story’s newsletter

Make sure to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for your chance! (giveaway ends 7/31/2016 at 11:59pm CST) GOOD LUCK!

Animal Fiction, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Spotlight On: Black Cat White Cat by Claire Garralon – and a giveaway!

Posted on June 5, 2016June 3, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Sourcebooks has been killing it this year! There are so many great books in the Jabberwocky kids’ line, with adorable books like Too Many Moose and I Wanna Be a Great Big Dinosaur. Next up is this too-cute board book for little ones: Black Cat & White Cat.

Black Cat & White Cat, by Claire Garralon
June 7, 2016; Board Book, ISBN 978-1-4926-3781-3

Book information

Title: Black Cat & White Cat

Author: Claire Garralon

Release date: June 7, 2016

Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

About the Book

Black Cat & White Cat is an appealing black-and-white board book about friendship from French author Claire Garralon.

Black Cat and White Cat want to be friends, but in a world of black and white, someone is always hard to see! Can they find a way to play together without someone disappearing? In the face of adversity, friendship prevails, and Black Cat and White Cat set off to find a place where they can play happily together.

The high-contrast words and shapes are perfect for the youngest eyes, and the fun story will keep children engaged.

Find it on Goodreads.

Buy the Book

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1X1CgKM

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1XmqtHR

Books a Million: http://bit.ly/1WyHhuw

!ndigo: http://bit.ly/1WyHw8O

Indiebound: http://bit.ly/1TYG2RV

About the Author

Claire Garralon is a graphic designer and illustrator. She is the author and illustrator of numerous books in France, where she lives.

Don’t miss your chance to win a copy of Black Cat & White Cat! Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway!
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Animal Fiction, Fiction, Middle Grade, Tween Reads

Tristan Hunt and friends return with Stingray City!

Posted on March 4, 2016March 7, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Stingray City, by Ellen Prager (May 2015, Mighty Media Press), $9.95, ISBN: 9781938063701

Recommended for ages 9-12

When we last left Tristan Hunt and his Sea Camp friends, they’d had a rough summer that included being held prisoner by a crazy scientist and being chased by their environment-menacing foe, billionaire JP Rickerton. Camp ended early to get the heat off the kids, but Tristan and his friends aren’t out of action just yet: there’s an emergency by Grand Cayman, where stingrays and other sea life are disappearing. Tristan, Hugh, Ryder, Sam, and Rosina are called in to investigate, but they may end up missing along with the stingrays they’re trying to locate!

This third installment is the most fun Tristan Hunt adventure yet. Ms. Prager has hit her stride with this third book; her writing flows smoothly and she’s as comfortable with these characters as they are with one another. There’s more joking around now; more confidence; the kids are a little more inventive with their strategies and bolder when it comes to taking initiative. Tristan isn’t quite as focused on his on-land clumsiness as he’s been in the past, and, being teenagers now, they’re also starting to notice one another.

The Jamaican-accents are back, too! This time, instead of sharks, we’ve got stingrays calling the kids “bobo” and “mon”, adding some more humor to the storyline. There are some tense moments and some straight-up James Bond-type stunts happening here, courtesy of a billionaire inventor introduced here. (The books take place around Grand Cayman, there are going to be millionaires, folks.)

Readers are going to get some harsh truths in this book: not everyone appreciates life. But that’s why Tristan and his friends work so hard to keep the waters safe. You’re going to read about some pretty terrible conditions that people inflict on sea life and people who try to stop them, but it’s nothing that a kid can’t handle, and hopefully, he or she will come away with a greater respect for our world and the creatures we share that world with.

Lots of great conservation and environmental messages here, some new questions introduced (I still have questions from the last book!), and overall, a big, fun read. A plus to your middle grade realistic fantasy (I know that’s not a genre, but it should be) collection.

Do you want your own Tristan Hunt starter set? Enter a Rafflecopter giveaway for the chance to win books 1 and 2 (The Shark Whisperer and Shark Rider)!
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Fiction, Intermediate, Middle School, Realistic Fiction, Tween Reads

Spotlight On: Dream On, Amber by Emma Shevah

Posted on October 12, 2015September 14, 2015 by Rosemary Kiladitis

I reviewed Dream On, Amber by Emma Shevah a couple of weeks ago and really enjoyed it. Now, enjoy a publisher spotlight on the book, including an excerpt and a Rafflecopter giveaway where you have a chance to get your own copy of Dream On, Amber!

Dream On, Amber
By Emma Shevah
October 6, 2015
Hardcover ISBN 9781492622505

Book Info:
Title: Dream On, Amber
Author: Emma Shevah
Release Date: October 6, 2015
Publishers: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Praise for Dream On, Amber:
“By turns playful and poignant, in both style and substance, this coming-of-age novel will hook readers from the first page to the last.”—School Library Journal, STARRED review
“Amber’s effervescent and opinionated narration captivates from the start, making it easy to root for her as she strives to conquer the “beast” of her worries and thrive at home and at school.”—Publishers Weekly, STARRED review
“Shevah tenderly captures the void of growing up without a father yet manages to create a feisty, funny heroine… A gutsy girl in a laugh-out-loud book that navigates tough issues with finesse.” –Kirkus, STARRED review
“[This] novel is a charmer…While its humor and illustrations lend it Wimpy Kid appeal, its emotional depth makes it stand out from the pack. Molto bene!”- Booklist, STARRED review

Summary:
My name is Ambra Alessandra Leola Kimiko Miyamoto. But call me Amber. I have no idea why my parents gave me all those hideous names but they must have wanted to ruin my life, and you know what? They did an amazing job.
As a half-Japanese, half-Italian girl with a ridiculous name, Amber’s not feeling molto bene (very good) about making friends at her new school.

But the hardest thing about being Amber is that a part of her is missing. Her dad. He left when she was little and he isn’t coming back. Not for her first day of middle school and not for her little sister’s birthday. So Amber will have to dream up a way for the Miyamoto sisters to make it on their own.

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25965546-dream-on-amber?ac=1
Buy Links:
Amazon- http://ow.ly/RX7L9
Barnes&Noble- http://ow.ly/RX7VK
Books A Million- http://ow.ly/RX9Ra
iBooks- http://ow.ly/S3wH6
!ndigo- http://ow.ly/S3wQz
Indiebound- http://ow.ly/S3wYp

About the Author:
Emma Shevah is half-Irish and half-Thai, born and raised in London. She has lived in Australia, Japan, India (her first child was born in the Himalayas), and Jerusalem before moving back to the UK. Emma has busked as a fire-juggler, been a restaurant manager, a copy writer, an English teacher, and is now a blogger and author.

Social Networking Links:
Website: http://emmashevah.com/
Twitter: @emmashevah

Excerpt from Dream On, Amber:
Bella came in wearing her matching pink nightdress, pink dressing gown, and pink slippers with Hello Kitty all over them. I just don’t get why people like Hello Kitty. I know it’s Japanese and supposed to be kawaii (cute) and everything, so maybe I should like it, but it’s just a picture of a cartoon cat’s head. I mean, seriously, what’s the big deal?
Bella’s hands were behind her back like she was hiding something. She looked much happier than she did when we got home from the party. She moved her arms to the front and handed me a sealed envelope.

“What’s this?” I asked, putting my sharpener down.

“Can you mail it for me tomorrow?”

I looked at the front of the envelope. There was nothing written on it.

“But it’s blank, Bella.”

“Yuuup.”

“Who’s it for?”

“None of your beeswax, Mrs. Nosy Pants.”

“Um…okay. So you…you want me to put it in the mailbox?”

“Yes, Amber. Duuuh. That’s what mailing means.”

“But how is the mailman going to know who to give it to if it has no name on it?”

“Oh,” she said, frowning.

She lay down on her belly on the floor and with her red crayon from the dollar store (well, she wasn’t borrowing any of mine), she wrote on the front of the envelope: “TO MY DAD.”

I looked at her.

“Bella—”

“Shush,” she said. “Just mail it for me.”

“But there’s no address on it—”

“The mailman will know where he lives. He knows where everyone lives.”

“He won’t know where Dad lives. Nobody knows where Dad lives. Not even Mum.”

“Didn’t I say ‘shush’? I’m sure I said ‘shush.’ Just mail it for me. Pleeease, Amber.”

I sighed. What was I supposed to tell her? She was too little. She didn’t get it. So I took it and put it on my desk, just to make her happy.

I know I shouldn’t have done it and it’s probably against the law and everything but when she went out of my room, I opened it.

It said:

Dier Dad,
My nam is Bella and Im your dorta. My bithday party is on Sunday 16 Speptmbr and I rely want you too come. And I neid you to play with me in the park and posh me on the swing. Please come home
love, Bella
P.S. Please buy me a perpel Swatch wach and Sparkle Girl Julerry Makar for my bithday.

I didn’t know what to do. Obviously, I wasn’t going to mail it without an address on it. So instead, I put it in my secret place. If you pull the bottom drawer of my dresser all the way out, there’s a space under it on the floor where I put my most sacred things. I had a coin that I found in Hyde Park that I’m sure is Roman or Viking and one day I’m going to sell it and get mega rich. I had a few other cool things in there too. Some of them are embarrassing, like key-rings I made out of lanyard strings when I was, like, seven and valentine cards my mum sent me. Stuff you can’t exactly throw out but really don’t want anyone to see. The letter wasn’t one of my sacred things but where else was I going to put it?
I also had a picture of my dad holding me when I was a baby that I sneaked out of Nonna’s album. Obviously, we have a whole bunch of photos of him in that album, but I wanted one for myself. One of him with me. Just to prove to myself that he did actually exist and hold me once, and he even looked proud. I don’t look at that photo much because it makes me angry. I know it doesn’t make sense to keep it, but there you go. Not everything makes sense. If it did, he would never have left in the first place.

There was another knock on my door, so I quickly closed the drawer.

“Hang on… Okay, you can come in now.”

Bella stuck her head in.

“When do you think he’ll get it?” she asked.

“Well, they have to find him first. It’s not easy, you know. It takes teams of detectives months to find missing people.”

She walked in to my room and said, “Oh,” and did that thing where she points her toes inward and puts one foot over the other, like her toes are hugging.

“Do you think he’ll get it before my birthday?”

“I don’t know, Bella. I don’t think so. But if by some weird miracle he did get it before then, I’m sure he’d come to your party.”

Bella unhugged her toes and put her hands on her hips. “Amber?”

“Mmm?”

“How do you know I want Dad to come to my party?”

Oops.

“Well, it’s kind of obvious, Bella. You did ask if he’d get it before your birthday.”

“Oh,” she said, frowning. “Hmm. Well, okay.” And she skipped back to her room.

The letter wasn’t my biggest problem at that point. I was so worried about starting my new school in the morning that I couldn’t get to sleep for ages. When you can’t sleep, your mind starts going a bit doolally. Well, mine does anyway. I start thinking all kinds of crazy things. And eventually the problem with Bella and her letter worked its way into my churning brain.

It was kind of mean and everything but there were times I really wished Bella wasn’t my sister. But knowing there was a huge hole where our dad was supposed to be wasn’t much fun either. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that maybe, just maybe, I could do something about it. I could save Bella from years of torture with one quick solution.

It seemed straightforward enough.

I decided to pretend to be my dad and write back to her, you know, to make her feel better.

And that was it.

Paff!

The most ingenious idea I’ve ever had lit up my mind like a firework.

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Realistic Fiction, Teen, Young Adult/New Adult

Spotlight On: The Upstate Boys

Posted on October 2, 2015September 27, 2015 by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Upstate Boys
by Ofer Aronskind

Release Date: 8/31/15

Summary from Goodreads:
John Shepherd (Shep) is a kid of the streets. An orphan bounced around from one foster family to another until he winds up in a juvenile detention center in upstate New Y ork. While incarcerated, Shep and his fellow inmates are subjected to regular beatings and forced hard labor
by the corrupt warden who runs the facility, along with his squadron of armed guards. But Shep is no ordinary minor and has no intention of spending the rest of his youth behind bars. Shep and a handful of other inmates hatch a bold plan, culminating in a spectacular turn of events and changing the lives of the young prisoners and their captors forever.

The Upstate Boys is a tale of adventure, redemption and the unbreakable will of the human spirit. A must read for young and old alike, for anyone who ever dreamed of freedom, especially for those who made it happen.

Add to Goodreads

Buy Links:

Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Book Depository

About the Author
Ofer Aronskind was born in Tel Aviv, Israel and came to the United States at the age of six. He grew up in Little Neck, Queens, on the outskirts of New York City. He attended SUNY Albany, then took a year off after college where he spent the year in Los Angeles writing screenplays. The following year, he came back to NY to attend St. John’s University School of Law and graduated in 1989. He went to work at the law firm of Weil, Gotshal & Manges as a real estate attorney and worked there until 1997. He now lives in Short Hills, New Jersey with his three sons and is a real estate investor.

Ofer, a father of 3 boys, has had a lifelong passion for reading and writing. He began writing his first book, Summer Sleep Away, the summer he sent his own sons off to camp for their first time. Ofer spent endless nights sitting at the edge of their beds, telling his children stories from his own years in camp. As the boys embarked on their journey, they encouraged Ofer to turn his stories into a book… so became Mattie Kleinfeld and the beginning of Ofer’s prolific career.

New Jersey resident Ofer Aronskind remembers what it was like to be 12 years old: the challenges of middle school, making new friends, attending summer camp for the first time, having your first crush. By drawing on events from his life, as well as those of his three teenage
sons, he has been able to vividly recreate some of life’s most memorable experiences in his young-adult novels.

To find more about Ofer and his books for young adults, please visit www.oferaronskind.com.

Quotes from The Upstate Boys

“We were gettin out or we were gonna die tryin.”

“We dug and clawed for the freedom that awaited us on the other side of that barbed wire fence.”

“Shep was running for his life, for the life of every one of those boys.”

“There was no turning back now…nowhere to go but forward.”

“They were the poor, the orphaned, the dispossessed. They were the boys that had been sent

upstate and came back as heroes.”

Author’s Writing Inspiration

My inspiration for The Upstate Boys came when I read an article in the New York Times about the Arthur G. Dozier school for boys. The stories of the abuse, neglect and murder struck a chord and I wanted to change the story.

Author Links:
Website: http://oferaronskind.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/736391.Ofer_Aronskind

Twitter: @oferaronskind

Make sure to enter this Rafflecopter giveaway for a chance to win your own copy of The Upstate Boys!
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Book Tour Organized by:
YA Bound Book Tours

Fiction, Fiction, Intermediate, Middle Grade, Middle School, Realistic Fiction, Tween Reads

Spotlight Tour: Cupcake Club – SWEET VICTORY!

Posted on October 1, 2015September 17, 2015 by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Cupcake Club books are hugely popular at my library. They’re a fun middle grade series of books that are positive for kids, because one of the authors happens to be 9 years old. Check ’em out!

Sweet Victory (The Cupcake Club), by New York Times Bestselling Author Sheryl Berk and Carrie Berk

October 6, 2015; TP ISBN 9781492620822

Book Info:

Title: Sweet Victory (The Cupcake Club)

Authors: Sheryl Berk and Carrie Berk

Volume Number: 8

Release Date; October 6, 2015

Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Praise for the Cupcake Club Series

“9-year-old author has recipe for success.” – The Washington Post, KidsPost

“Kids and cupcakes are the perfect recipe!”—Sophie and Katerine, stars of TLC’s DC Cupcakes

“Sheryl Berk and her nine-year-old daughter, Carrie, have cooked up a delightful new series sure to be a treat.” –New York Family

Summary:

The eighth book in a delicious series by New York Times bestselling author Sheryl Berk and her cupcake-obsessed daughter, Carrie.

MVP Sadie knows what it takes to win- both on the court and in the kitchen.

But when Coach Walsh gets sick and has to temporarily leave school, Sadie’s suddenly at a loss. What will she do without Coach’s spot-on advice and uplifting encouragement? Luckily, Sadie’s got Peace, Love, and Cupcakes on her side. Her friends know what the power of friendship-and cupcakes- might be just what Sadie needs! Together, they rally to whip up the largest batch of sweet treats they’ve ever made, all to help support Coach Walsh. When the going gets tough, a little PLC goes a long way. But this record-breaking order might just be too much for the club…

Can the girls put it all together in time to score a win for Sadie- and Coach Walsh

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26167052-sweet-victory?from_search=true&search_version=service

Buy Links:

Amazon- http://ow.ly/SimdJ

Barnes&Noble- http://ow.ly/Simpk

BooksAMillion- http://ow.ly/SimzW

!ndigo- http://ow.ly/SimPn

Indiebound- http://ow.ly/Sin0b

About the Authors:

Sheryl Berk, New York Times bestselling coauthor of Soul Surfer, and her daughter Carrie, a cupcake connoisseur who has reviewed confection from around the world in her Carrie’s Cupcake Critiques newsletter, have cooked up a delightful series sure to be a treat.

Excerpt from Sweet Victory (The Cupcake Club)

For a few minutes, the room was silent as the girls thought hard.

“Feet!” Lexi suddenly tossed out. “Or maybe socks? Isn’t that what you wear to jump on a trampoline?”

“Flies,” Sadie added. “They’re always in the air. And little boys love bugs, right?”

“Falling,” Jenna grumped. “As in splat on your face or butt. Which is what I would do on a trampoline.”

“Um, I’m not seeing any of those things on a cupcake,” Kylie tried her hardest to envision their suggestions, but all she could see was Jenna flopping on a trampoline face-first. As cupcake club president, Kylie had the power to veto an idea-and smelly feet and flies didn’t sound particularly appetizing.

“What about balloons-balloons go up, up, and away if you accidentally let them go,” Delaney suggested. “And they’re pretty and colorful-and every birthday party has them.”

“That’s just it,” Sadie jumped in. “Cupcakes with balloons on them are so ordinary. We’re PLC. We can do better than that.”

Lexi took out her sketchbook. Designing cupcake decorations was her job. “Sadie’s right. What if we did something like this…” She drew a cupcake with blue piping around the edges and a black fondant top to represent the trampoline. In the middle of the cupcake was a small figure of a boy bending his knees with his arms in the air. “Ooh, that is amazing,” Kylie said, watching as Lexi used her colored pencils to bring the cupcake to life on the page. “We could use fondant to mold the little jumping guys.”

“And no boring vanilla or chocolate flavors either,” Jenna insisted. As the official taste tester, it was her job to make each cupcake delectable. “I’m thinking chocolate-chocolate chip cake filled with marshmallow and churro cupcakes with a hint of cinnamon to give the vanilla a kick.”

“Nice.” Sadie high-fived her. “Do you suppose we’ll get to try out those trampolines when we make the delivery?”

“Tu major que yo- better you than me!” Jenna said. “I get motion sickness if my little brothers bounce on the couch.”

“Then I’d say we have a plan,” Kylie said, taking notes in her binder. “Let’s get jumpin’ on those cupcake recipes.”

Also by Sheryl and Carrie Berk:

Fashion Academy

July 7, 2015; TP ISBN97814926016233

Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Summary:

Fashion-forward MacKenzie “Mickey” Williams is thrilled to be accepted to FAB Middle School (Fashion Academy of Brooklyn), a school that serves as a training ground for the fashion designers of tomorrow. (Their motto: “We are SEW FAB”). But when her daring fashion looks get laughed at by some of the FAB A-listers, Mickey wonders whether standing out is such a great idea. So when friendly classmate JC comes up with a plan to help Mickey fit in, she decides to take the ultimate fashion risk-ditch her personal style for good.

One mega makeover later, pink-haired Mickey Williams mysteriously disappears, and the trendy, blond “Kenzie Williams” shows up on the FAB scene, blending with the other students in a way Mickey never could. But when Mickey starts to lose herself “Kenzie,” she’s not sure that fitting in is worth cutting herself down to size…

Goodreads Link:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21996360-the-fashion-academy

Buy Link:

Amazon- http://ow.ly/SiqKI

Barnes&Noble- http://ow.ly/Sir33

BooksAMillion- http://ow.ly/Sire4

!ndigo- http://ow.ly/SirnF

IndieBound- http://ow.ly/SiryQ

Runway Ready (Fashion Academy)

January 5, 2016; TP 9781492604365

Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Summary:

Project Runway meets Fame in a trendy new series from the authors of The Cupcake Club!

1. Balloons

2. Spaghetti

3. Rainbows

If you were to ask Mickey Williams, these would not be her top points of inspiration for designing a party dress. But in fashion, the client is always right…and Mickey’s client happens to be fashion legend Victoria Vanderweil’s five-year-old granddaughter. Even though it’s the toughest assignment Mickey’s gotten during her time at the Fashion Academy of Brooklyn, she can’t pass up the opportunity to impress a top designer like Victoria.

But when Cordy turns out to be a tiny terror with non-stop demands, the assignment goes from hard to impossible. Not only that, but Victoria wants Mickey to babysit Cordy during NYC Fashion Week! Can Mickey pull off her project and pass, or will it fall apart at the seams?

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26457233-runway-ready

Pre-Order Links:

Amazon- http://ow.ly/SiwCt

Barnes&Noble- http://ow.ly/SiwwT

BooksAMillion- http://ow.ly/Siwmi

!ndigo- http://ow.ly/Siwas

IndieBound- http://ow.ly/Siw3E

Excerpt from Fashion Academy Sheryl Berk & Carrie Berk:

After spending the weekend with her aunt, Mickey concluded that Olive wasn’t that bad—at least not as bad as her mom made her out to be. She was just a bit uptight. It was hard for Mickey to understand how she and her mom could be sisters, much less fraternal twins. They had the same curly strawberry blond hair, though her mom highlighted hers and wore it long and loose and Olive pinned hers back in a tight bun. She recognized her aunt’s eyes as well—they were emerald green, just like her mom’s. Too bad she hid them behind thick tortoise shell glasses. Then there was her style: Olive looked like she had stepped out of a time warp. She wore a ruffled pink blouse, long pearls, and an A-line brown skirt. Maybe she was going for a retro 50s vibe? It was the opposite of her mom’s ripped jeans and vintage rock tee shirts. Maybe there had been some mistake and they were switched at birth? Maybe her Granny Gertrude got confused and accidentally picked up the wrong baby in the park one day?

Olive was also a neat freak who insisted that everything be “spic and span” and in its place.

“Mackenzie, clean up after yourself!” she scolded when Mickey left her sketchbook and colored pencils on the kitchen table. No one called her Mackenzie; her mom only used it when she was mad at her. It was a name she barely recognized or answered to. But as many times as she corrected Aunt Olive, she insisted on calling her by her “proper name.”

“Mom calls me ‘Mickey’ and I call her Jordana sometimes,” she tried to explain.

“I don’t care what you call your mom or she calls you. And you call me Aunt Olive out of respect,” she warned her.

Mickey wrinkled her nose. “Really? Mom says she called you Olliegator when you were little. I think that’s cute.”

Olive pursed her lips. “I’m an adult,” she replied sternly. Aunt Olive was an executive assistant at a big law firm, and she took everything very seriously. “Your mother needs to grow up.”

But that was exactly what Mickey loved about her mom—how she was such a free spirit and never cared what anyone thought or said about her. Mickey tried her hardest to be that way, but sometimes it was hard.

For the first day of FAB, she set her alarm for 6 o’clock so she would have time to style her outfit properly. She was proud of how it had all come together. She’d taken a beaten-up denim jacket from a thrift shop and dyed it black before adding crocheted doilies for trim at the collars and cuffs. It said exactly what she wanted it to say about her: “I’m edgy but feminine.” And wasn’t that what fashion was all about? Not just a trend or a style, but a reflection of who you are and how you’re feeling? That was what Mickey loved about designing the most, and what she had written on her FAB application:

“I love how you can speak volumes with a single stitch. Fashion should be fearless! I want to be a designer who always colors outside the lines and thinks outside of the box…”

She was pretty sure Aunt Olive didn’t see it that way. Her idea of taking a fashion risk was wearing a skirt that was hemmed above the knee.

“Does it really go together?” she asked, noticing how Mickey had paired her jacket with a white tank top and bike shorts, both of which were splatter-painted with green and yellow drips.

“It isn’t supposed to go,” Mickey told her. “It’s supposed look creative, which is what FAB is all about. Pushing the envelope!”

She added a pair of green cat’s eye sunglasses.

“Well, it’s colorful,” her aunt sighed. “I’ll give you that. And so is your hair. Good heavens!”

Mickey had created green stripes in her long, wavy blond hair with hair chalk.

“Now for the finishing touch!” she said. “No outfit is complete without accessories!” She slipped her feet into a pair of black high top sneakers, tied the yellow laces, and grabbed her bag.

“What is that?” her aunt asked, scratching her head. She squinted to make out the words on Mickey’s tote.

“It used to say ‘Louis Vuitton’—it’s a bag you keep a really fancy expensive bag in. Which if you ask me, is pretty silly,” Mickey explained.

Olive seemed puzzled. “You mean a dust bag? You made that out of a dust bag?”

Mickey spun the tote around. “Two of them, actually!” The other side read, “PRADA.”

“What? How? Why?” Olive asked.

“Well, it’s perfectly good flannel,” Mickey replied. “And don’t you think it’s kinda funny? A statement about recycling? I used two leather belts for the straps and jazzed it up with some studding at the seams. It cost me about $4 total at the flea market!”

She threw the bag over her shoulder and glanced at the clock. It was 8, and the school bus would be along shortly to pick her up on the corner.

“Your breakfast is ready,” Olive said, handing her a glass of green sludge. This was worse then yesterday’s quinoa and fruit concoction! She missed her mom’s breakfasts of left over Chinese Take Out omelets or cold pizza. But Aunt Olive insisted she start the first day of school with “something healthy and nutritious.”

“Do you have any chocolate milk?” she asked, getting up to check the fridge for something edible.

“This is better for you. It’s fresh kale, celery, cucumber, ginger and a touch of agave. It’s delicious.” She took a big sip of her own glass and licked her lips.

Mickey wrinkled her nose. It didn’t look or smell delicious. “I think I’ll grab something in the cafeteria,” she said, pushing the glass away. “I’m too nervous to eat.”

It wasn’t entirely a lie. She was pretty terrified for her first day at FAB. Just then, Mickey’s phone rang.

“All ready to conquer the world?” her mom asked.

“I think so, Jordana,” she replied.

“Ah, I see. We’re trying to sound very mature this morning. Send me a picture of the first day outfit and call me tonight. I want to hear all the deets.”

Mickey smiled. Her mom was trying to sound cool. “I will. Love you.”

As the bus pulled up to the corner of Columbus Avenue, Mickey took a deep breath. This wasn’t just the first day of FAB. It was the first day of the rest of her life. The first day of everything.

Here’s your chance to win a complete Cupcake Club Collection: Books 1-8! Check out this Rafflecopter giveaway!

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Early Reader, Fiction, Preschool Reads

Spotlight Tour: Max the Brave by Ed Vere

Posted on September 1, 2015August 24, 2015 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Max is a fearless kitten. Max is a brave kitten. Max is a kitten who chases mice. There’s only one problem—Max doesn’t know what a mouse looks like! With a little bit of bad advice, Max finds himself facing a much bigger challenge. Maybe Max doesn’t have to be Max the Brave all the time…

Join this adventurous black cat as he very politely asks a variety of animals for help in finding a mouse. Young readers will delight in Max’s mistakes, while adults will love the subtle, tongue-in-cheek humor of this new children’s classic.

Ed Vere is an author, artist and illustrator with a long track record of success in the picture book category. Max the Brave was named one of The Sunday Times’s 100 Modern Children’s Classics. His book Bedtime for Monsters was shortlisted for the 2011 Roald Dahl Funny Prize and Mr Big was chosen by Booktrust as the official Booktime book for 2009 (and was distributed to 750,000 British schoolchildren, making it the largest single print run of a picture book). Vere was the World Book Day illustrator for 2009.

Enter this Rafflecopter giveaway to win a copy of your own! (Contest runs Sept. 1-Oct. 31.)
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Social Media:
Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuNbrpUVunE
Website: http://books.sourcebooks.com/maxthebrave/
Activity Kit: http://sourcebooksftp.com/Email/MaxTheBrave/MaxTheBrave-ActivityKit.pdf
Educator guide: http://sourcebooksftp.com/Email/MaxTheBrave/MaxTheBrave-EduGuide.pdf
Twitter: @ed_vere, @jabberwockykids

Teen, Tween Reads

Sourcebooks Fire Spotlight on Allan Stratton’s The Dogs!

Posted on September 1, 2015August 6, 2015 by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Dogs
By Allan Stratton
September 1, 2015; ISBN 9781492609384
Book Info:
Title: The Dogs
Author: Allan Stratton
Release Date: September 1, 2015
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Praise for The Dogs:

“Stratton masterfully constructs a creepy gothic setting…A monstrous, stalking father, unhinging nightmares, a ghostly boy, wild dogs, and a moldy basement add creepy deliciousness to a murder mystery and tale of a boy who, in trying to solve a mystery, may just discover what a loving family might be. An engrossing blend of murder mystery and family story.” –Kirkus STARRED Review
“There’s fear aplenty in Allan Stratton’s The Dogs and a tantalizingly uncertain element of the supernatural… refreshingly like an old-fashioned mystery, but the passion and terror underlying (our hero’s) own family give it emotional complexity and suspense.” – Toronto Star

“A real page-turner… [The Dogs] stayed with me for days, author Allan Stratton having created an unsettled aura the likes of which Alfred Hitchcock and Stephen King routinely built into their work, too… Stratton’s depiction of setting and characters is masterful, and his ability to create tension and keep readers on edge is equally strong.” – Montreal Gazette

“A chilling tale of a mother and son on the run, from the author of the award-winning Chanda’s Secrets…Written in accessible prose, The Dogs manages to thrill while exploring the mindset of the victim in ways that are both insightful and affecting, artfully portraying permanent state of dread and a creeping self-doubt. This is an accomplished, gripping and thoughtful story, whose dramatic ending delivers on every level.” –The Guardian

“Brilliant, page-turning, and eerie. Had me guessing to the very end.” –Joseph Delaney, author of The Last Apprentice series.

“An Agatha Christie mystery novel on cocaine” –SLJ Teen Newsletter

Summary:
Constantly on the run from a dangerous father, Cameron’s used to pushing away the trauma of his past. But when his mother moves them to an old farmhouse in the middle of nowhere, he discovers that there are some things you can’t escape.

His new schoolmates taunt him about the bloodthirsty dogs that supposedly haunt the farm, and Cameron soon stumbles upon a child’s drawings in the cellar that depict a violent history. The line between reality and nightmare begins to blur as the house’s horrifying secrets mix with fragments of Cameron’s own memories—some best left forgotten.

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25496559-the-dogs

Buy Links:
Amazon- http://ow.ly/Psemx
Barnes&Noble- http://ow.ly/PseQv
Books A Million- http://ow.ly/Psf07
iBooks- http://ow.ly/Psn2L
!ndigo- http://ow.ly/Psn9l
Indiebound- http://ow.ly/PsnfJ

About the Author:
Allan Stratton is an internationally published playwright and author. His awards include a Michael L. Printz Honor Award, multiple ALA picks and the Independent Publisher Book Award. Check out his website at http://www.allanstratton.com/.

Excerpt from The Dogs:
I go up to my bedroom. It’s at the top of the living-¬room stairs, next to a small bathroom and near the big room over the kitchen. That’s the room Mom thought I’d pick, and I would have, except for the trapdoor in the ceiling. It’s sealed up with nails and paint. When I saw it, I asked Mom what she thought was up there.

“An attic.”

“Yeah, but what’s in it?” I pictured a dried-up body, half eaten by mice. I mean, who seals up an empty attic? Anyway, that’s why I didn’t choose the big room. If I don’t see the hatch, it’s easier not to think about what’s on the other side.

The bedroom I picked came with an oak desk, a wooden chair, a night table with a lamp, and a metal-frame bed. The mattress is new, unlike the wallpaper, which is stained and peeling along the seams near the window. Under the peels are layers of older wallpaper, one with little orange canaries on it.

The window over my desk is the one good thing about my room. Looking out, I can see the barn with the fields all around and the woods in the distance. At night, the stars and the glow of the porch-¬lamp light up bits of the barn and the first row of cornstalks.

I start to do my homework. Pretty soon, though, I’m looking out the window, watching the stars come out and trying to forget my life. I wonder who all are staring up at the moon right now. Are they wondering the same thing?

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch something moving by the barn. When I look, it disappears. Wait. There it is again at the cornfield. Some movement, some thing.

I count to twenty. Nothing. I relax. Then—¬did that stalk move? I turn off my light so whatever’s out there can’t see in.

It’s probably just a breeze.

Or Mr. Sinclair. Or Cody and his gang.

Don’t be nuts. If it’s anything, it’s an animal. A coyote or a dog.

The dogs. I close my curtains. If I don’t look out, whatever’s there will go away. But I can’t not look. I sneak a peek. Nothing. Wait. By the barn. Is that a boy?

I blink. The boy is gone.

My eyes scan the barn. There’s a missing board up in the loft area. The more I stare, the more I think I see the boy staring back at me from the shadows behind the hole. He’s maybe ten, very pale, and he’s wearing one of those old Davy Crockett hats with the raccoon tail hanging from the back. Are those freckles on his cheeks?

Don’t be crazy. The barn’s too far away to see stuff like that.

The face disappears. I stare till I see double. The face swims back into view.

This is too weird. I close my eyes and try to clear my head by thinking about the bus and the Cheerios between Benjie’s teeth. When I open my eyes, everything’s normal. There’s no face.

Nothing. Just the night.

And that’s how it stays.

I close my curtains, get ready for bed, and crawl under the covers. I hate the way I scare myself. It’s always the same and it’s always stupid. And the scared-¬er I get, the more I talk to myself, which is even stupider.

Besides, even if there was a boy in the barn, what’s scary about that? Maybe he just likes exploring places like I do. Still, it’s weird he’s on our property, especially so late. I wonder where he lives.

Who says he lives anywhere? Who says he’s real? What parents let a kid that young wander around at night?

Mom knocks on my door. “Cameron?”

“Yeah?”

“May I come in?”

“Sure.”

I know she wants to give me a good-night hug, but I told her to stop it when I was twelve, so she just stands in the doorway. “I know you didn’t mean anything. You’ve had a hard day. I’m sorry I overreacted.”

I hate it when she’s all understanding. It makes me feel like an even bigger jerk. “That’s okay. Mom, I really am sorry.”

“I know.” She pauses. “’Night, then. I love you.”

I want to say the l-word back, but I feel dumb, so I just say, “You too.”

Mom closes the door. I go to turn off my lamp and get flashes of Mr. Sinclair and the dogs and the kid I maybe saw in the barn. What’s out there in the dark, circling the house when we’re asleep? What could be out there?

I leave the light on.

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Teen

Blog Tour: Ken Baker’s Finding Forever

Posted on August 17, 2015August 17, 2015 by Rosemary Kiladitis

EXCLUSIVE GIVEAWAY!

ATTENTION LOVERS OF THRILLERS/DETECTIVES/HOLLYWOOD STORIES! E! News correspondent Ken Baker is running a preorder campaign with amazing prizes! His new YA series starts with Finding Forever: A Deadline Diaries Exclusive, about a teen celebrity blogger who investigates the dark side of Hollywood. The sweepstakes runs from August 10th until 11:59pm (PST) on August 23rd. Every few days, Ken will choose a winner. He’ll choose the “Grand Prize” Kindle Fire winner on August 24th.

Entrants can win:

• 1 autographed copy of Finding Forever
• A set of autographed copies of all of Ken’s YA books: Fangirl, How I Got Skinny, Famous, and Fell Madly in Love, and Finding Forever
• Ask Ken Anything: Two fans will win exclusive Skype, FaceTime, or VidChat sessions with Ken
• Grand Prize: 1 Kindle Fire HD

Here’s how to preorder:

You will have to enter the Rafflecopter below AND email proof of your final order to Ken at deadlinediariesbooks@gmail.com. You can forward an email, take a screenshot of the order page, or attach a picture or pdf of the order. You can order from anywhere—online or at any local bookstore. Ken will choose the winners from Rafflecopter and check to make sure he has proof of their orders.

Enter here: a Rafflecopter giveaway OR http://www.runningpress.com/deadlinediaries/contestsandbookextras