12 days until summer!
Chad Morris is the author of The Inventor’s Secret and The Avatar Battle, the first two books in the Cragbridge Hall series. More are on the way! He would love to be able to control animal avatars, see history in 3D, and show everyone how he imagines stories. Since the inventions that would make that possible currently only exist in his imagination, he settles for reading, writing, playing basketball (though he’s getting older and slower all the time), rappelling down an occasional slot canyon, dating his wife, and hanging out with his five awesome kids.
Chad speaks Portuguese, can play the Phineas and Ferb theme song on the guitar, and does decent impressions of a velociraptor and Voldemort—but not at the same time. He isn’t very good at fixing his car, shopping for anything, cooking, or growing hair.
Visit Chad: WEBSITE | BLOG | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | GOOGLE+
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LDSWBR: What book or movie reminds you of summer?
CHAD: The Sandlot! I had my fair share of adventures around the neighborhood with a crazy gang of kids. Though none of us every jumped into the deep end of a pool when we couldn’t swim just so a beautiful lifeguard would give us mouth to mouth. Squints, you’re a brave, crazy genius.
LDSWBR: Do you hike during the summer? If so, where is your favorite place to hike?
CHAD: I love to hike, though I don’t get out as much as I should. I have a few canyons pretty close to my house (Adam’s Canyon, Baer Canyon), but I love Angel’s landing, the Narrows, and a few other spots down in Southern Utah!
LDSWBR: What is the best book you’ve read so far this year?
CHAD: I liked Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson and Coraline by Neil Gaiman. I’m still looking forward to Five Kingdoms by Brandon Mull, Blackout by Rob Wells, and Almost Super by Marion Jensen, but I haven’t dived in yet. I’ve been swamped touring and trying to finish up Cragbridge Hall 3.
LDSWBR: Thank you, Chad!
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DESERET BOOK | SEAGULL BOOK | BARNES & NOBLE | AMAZON | GOODREADS
The adventure continues when Abby and Derick begin second semester at Cragbridge Hall, the most prestigious secondary school in the world. But when Grandpa Cragbridge admits them to the Council of Keys–a secret group of people who have keys to travel back in time–strange things begin to happen. One by one, members are found unconscious and unable to wake, their keys stolen. Now Abby and Derick must scramble to figure out who is behind the attacks before they become the next victims, which would give their enemy the power to change the past forever. A page-turning, time-travel adventure that teaches powerful lessons about choice and consequence, believing you can do hard things, and valuing history.
Is/was gathering at the local swimming pool part of your summer tradition?
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NO PURCHASE NECESSARY; entrants must be 18 years or older; open to residents of continental US only; giveaway begins June 5, 2014 and all entries must be received by 12:00 Midnight June 30, 2014 Mountain Time; to enter, complete the required entry on each post and any additional entries of your choice if listed; LDS Women’s Book Review reserves the right to determine what is considered a thoughtful comment as per each post’s required entry; giveaway prizes include a $50 Amazon gift card and a variety of book prizes donated by featured authors; the number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning; LDS Women’s Book Review is not liable for technical problems which may affect entry into the giveaway; winner identity will be verified by email address; winner will be selected July 3, 2014 by use of a sequence generator on random.org; winner will have until July 10, 2014 to claim their prize; if any prize winner forfeits or does not claim prize, prize will be re-awarded to next winner in sequence; all prizes will be awarded; limit of two prizes per entrant; this contest/giveaway is not associated with Facebook, Twitter or any other entity unless otherwise specified; by entering the giveaway you give LDS Women’s Book Review the right to publicize your name on the LDS Women’s Book Review blog; winner agrees to release LDS Women’s Book Review from any liability as a result of winning; email comments and questions to LDS Women’s Book Review – ldswbr (at) gmail (dot) com; giveaway subject to Utah regulations; VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
**Book Prizes (as of 6/9/14 – more to be added to this list!)**
- Unraveled by Julie Daines (signed paperback)
- Any book by A.L. Sowards (choice of paperback or Kindle version)
- An autographed copy of any one Sarah M. Eden book of the winner’s choice
- Chances Are by Traci Hunter Abramson (signed/personalized paperback)
- Choice of The Inventor’s Secret (hardback or paperback) or The Avatar Battle (hardback or audio CD) by Chad Morris (signed copy)
17 Responses to “The Avatar Battle by Chad Morris – Countdown to Summer 2014”
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I lived outside of town, so I would occasionally go to the swimming pool, but not very often. I can’t say that we really go now either, not really in the habit I guess!
I have never been a pool person, but I do have memories of taking swim lessons during the summer at our local pool. I think I spent more time playing in sprinklers and irrigation water with my friends then actual pool. We never needed a grown up to drive us when we made our water fun at home or in our neighborhood.
My family went to lakes more often than pools.
I never lived very close to a swimming pool, so usually the only swimming I did as a kid was the lessons my mom drove us to. And I just finished The Avatar Battle and loved it! (My daughter is excited to read it next.)
Yes, when I was young, we hung out at the pool all the time. Now, I take my kids a few times a week and I love talking to all the other moms and meeting new people!
Hey! Growing hair is a hard talent! Either you are born with it or you ain’t. :)
YES!!! I always loved heading to the pool and hanging out with my friends. Good times!
Even as a kid, I never liked swimming that much. Turns out that’s a good thing. Now, my going swimming would involve some very serious aesthetic objections, and I just can’t do that to other people.
Unfortunately no. But I do love taking my nieces and nephews to the pool during the summer an hope it will be something they look back in and associate with a great summer.
Swimming is, but not the local swimming pool. Maybe next summer after we move to a smaller town and not this big city.
Yes! My parents joined the local country club just for pool privileges. I don’t think they ever used the golf course. We spent most of our summer hanging out at the pool. Great memories. Well, except for the huge wind storm that blew a bunch of scorpions into the pool. *shudders*
Absolutely! We only went every few weeks. Maybe that’s why it was a treat.
We went swimming at a local pool a lot as children, then as a teenager my friends and I would go to the beach usually at least once a week.
Growing up in Hawaii, the pool was definitely a huge part of my summer – probably because my mom enrolled my brothers and I in free swimming lessons each summer.
Definitely! We had a hot springs pool and we knew the owners so we had a lifetime membership!
Getting friends together to go to the beach was our summer tradition. If you have not read these books yet, you NEED to! They are very good. I am now hooked as are several of my 6th grade students.
I never really lived close to a pool. Instead though, near the end of sumer, my Academic Decathlon team would have a pool day where we would all bring snacks and go swimming. It was a great way to get the school year under way and get us all motivated to work towards a great year.