Oct 162012
 

Case File 13: Zombie Kid

Publisher: Harper Collins

Publish Date: December 26th, 2012

ISBN13: 9780062133250

Hardcover: 224 pages

Genre: Middle grade fantasy

FTC FYI: Received an ARC copy for an honest review.

Reviewed by Mindy

Partial from the book from Harper Collins Children’s Website:  You hold in your hands a very dangerous record.

I have collected every side of the story and every piece of evidence on case number 13. Now, in this file, you will find all you need to follow the dark adventures of Nick, Carter, and Angelo, three boys who possess an unhealthy obsession with monsters, in a town so grisly, so horrific—

Whoa, whoa, whoa. You’re telling it all wrong, dude. You make it sound like it’s a scary story.

Ahem. Well, Nick, it is a scary story. In this volume alone, there are voodoo queens, graveyards—even the dreaded Zombie King himself.

Yeah, but there’s also the part where Angie gets mashed potatoes all in her face, and the part where I use my cool zombie powers to—

All right, point taken. Now, if you don’t mind . . .

You hold in your hands a very dangerous, very funny record, detailing the hilarious adventures of three boys who have an awesome obsession with monsters. This is the first volume. Read on if you dare. . . .

My Review

This is the story of three friends. Nick, Carter, and Angelo. They are three friends who love Halloween.  They always dress the same and go Trick or Treating together.  After planning the best costume ever, Nick is supposed to go to his great-aunt’s funeral, and miss Halloween.  While he is there, Nick finds out the reason he has never met her, according to his dad, Lenora is a little strange.  Once he gets to the house, Nick understands why. He wanders to the basement where he finds many strange things.  Strangest of them all, is the black cat that keeps appearing and reappearing.

This is what Nick thought of the house when he first arrives.

Nick didn’t know exactly what he’d expected his aunt’s house to look like–maybe a two-story home with bricks and stucco, like where he lived.  But the house they pulled up in front of was nothing like that.  It was really old, and looked like it hadn’t been painted in a hundred years.  And it was big, too.  There were at least twenty windows on the front side alone.  With long strips of yellowing white paint peeling from the walls and faded green shutters, what it looked most like was a haunted house. page 31

I’m assuming from the title that I won’t be giving much away when I say that Nick turns into a zombie.  The funniest part about it is, he enjoys it.  And so does his friends.  Carter and Angelo are the perfect mix of humor and smarts.  Angelo always has his head in a book, trying to read his way out of problem, while Carter wants to eat his way out.

Angelo swallowed.  “If my book is right–and from all of your symptoms, I’m pretty sure it is–the moment you put on that amulet you invoked its ancient curse.”  The house was defintely still.  “You are … a zombie.”

For a second none of the boys said a word.  Then they all shouted the same thing at exactly the same time.

“Awesome!” page 103

5 out of 5 stars.  This is a book full of humor, gross zombie antics, and lots of fun.  This is a perfect book for your middle grade reader, your teen, and you.  Another favorite of mine was the chapter headings, make sure you don’t miss those.

J. Scott Savage, aka Jeff Savage, is also the author of the Farworld series.  I have been waiting for the 3rd book, Airkeep, for a long time.

Preorder Case File 13: Zombie Kid on AMAZON / BARNES AND NOBLE

Oct 162012
 

Not Your Average Fairytale

Author: Chantele Sedgwick

Publisher: Crescent Moon Press

Published: August 1st, 2012

ISBN13: 9781937254667

Genre: YA Fantasy

FTC FYI: Received a free ebook in exchange for an honest review

Reviewed by Mindy

Goodreads Summary: Armed with wings and a blue wand, being a fairy godmother should be easy … unless your name is Ash, and you’re a dude.

Ash Summerland has it all–good looks, popularity, and the best grades at The Academy of Magical Beings. Ready to complete his last assignment in order to graduate, Ash is confident he will get the apprenticeship he wants. When he opens the letter from the Council, he is shocked to discover he has been assigned to apprentice Lady Shenelle, Keeper of Happy Endings. A.K.A. the head fairy godmother. Ash is forced to grant three wishes to a troubled human girl named Kendall, and ultimately give her a “happy ever after”. But Kendall turns out to be more than he bargained for. Still grieving over her father’s death, Kendall doesn’t want anything to do with him. And worst of all, she doesn’t believe in happy endings.

My Review

I knew by just reading the first page that I was going to love his book.  I loved Ash and Kendall instantly.  Everything about this book made me smile.  I thought Kendall and Ash worked well together.  I also really enjoyed the twists and turns of the story.  I loved the change in point of views for the telling of the story.  I really liked being in Ash and Kendall’s heads, and seeing things through their eyes.  Especially about each other.  They are both hurting for different reasons, and realize how much they need someone else.  I LOVED the ending.  All the characters are well written and fun.  I adored Kendall’s sister Ellie.  I love it when authors really invest in their secondary characters, Chantele did this very well.

5 out of 5 stars.  This is Chantele’s first book.  It was amazing, and I can’t wait for Book 2.  Find Chantele on her Blog, Facebook, and Twitter.

AMAZON / BARNES AND NOBLE

As part of the Blog Tour for Not Your Average Fairy Tale, Chantele is giving away a Kindle and some ebooks.  Fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Enjoy!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Oct 122012
 

Product Details:

  • Title: Toby Gold and the Secret Fortune
  • Author: Craig R. Everett
  • Hardcover: 256 pages
  • Publisher: Fiscal Press (October 18, 2012)
  • Genre: YA Urban Fantasy
  • ISBN-10: 1936214954
  • ISBN-13: 978-1936214952
  • FTC FYI: I was given a review e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review by: Sheila

 

 

Book Description and Review:  

“Money is the most dangerous magic.”

 

New Fantasy Novel Teaches Kids about Money

It is widely recognized that the lack of basic financial skills among adults and teens is a serious
problem in America and around the world.

A new middle-grade novel by Craig Everett hopes to improve the financial
literacy situation for children ages 9 to 15.

Toby Gold and the Secret Fortune is an urban fantasy, where a secret magical world of money and
intrigue co-exists with the same everyday world we all know.
  Toby grows up in Wallingford, Connecticut,
not knowing about this secret society until one day when he discovers secret
messages encrypted into the stock ticker “crawl” that moves along the bottom of
the screen on the financial news channel.

Toby’s shock only grows worse when he realizes that the secret messages are directed to him!

His unique abilities with math and money have been noticed by the wrong people, and Toby is quickly
sucked into a high-stakes life and death financial conspiracy, that he is only able
to resolve by using his amazing skills with money.

At 260 pages, the book is fast-paced and entertaining.  It
incorporates such financial literacy topics as: saving, banking,
entrepreneurship, time value of money, return on investment, and simple
financial statements.

“My whole purpose in writing this book is to introduce finance principles to people in an
entertaining way using characters with which they can identify,” says author
Craig R. Everett, a finance professor at Pepperdine University in Malibu,
California.
  “Financial literacy is a huge issue now, particularly due to the financial crisis,” Dr. Everett
continues.
  “There is no silver bullet that instantly endows people with financial literacy, so the best approach is to expose kids to these concepts in as many ways and at as many times as
possible…eventually, it will stick.”


This book is a great teaching tool for tweens and teens. What a fantastic way for teens to learn about being responsible with money. There is also an entertaining action story to go along with these thoughtful lessons. You couldn’t ask for a better combination than this!

Toby Gold and the Secret Fortune will be available in bookstores
and online on October 15, 2012 here.

Author Bio for Craig Everett:
Craig R. Everett was born and raised in Maine,
spending his childhood summers digging along the shores of Bar Harbor for
buried pirate treasure.  Fortunately, he
was able to remain blissfully unaware that pirates seldom, if ever, ventured
that far north.  He received his B.A. in
Economics from Tufts University, an MBA from George Mason University, and a
Ph.D. in Finance from Purdue University.
Dr. Everett is currently a finance professor at
Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, where he teaches corporate and
entrepreneurial finance. Dr. Everett also volunteers in public schools teaching
financial literacy principles. 
You can learn more about Craig here:





Blog Tour Schedule for Toby Gold and the Secret Fortune by Craig Everett, 2012

04-Oct-2012  Free Money Finance 

11-Oct-2012 Queen of Random  

12-Oct-2012 Why Not? Because I Said So

12-Oct-2012 LDS Women’s Book Review

13-Oct-2012 A Storybook World

15-Oct-2012 A Thousand Wrongs

16-Oct-2012 Say This Write

16-Oct-2012 Money and Me for Canadians

16-Oct-2012 Word Spelunking

17-Oct-2012 Couponing with Boys

18-Oct-2012 Book Launch of Toby Gold and the Secret Fortune at the Access to Capital Conference at the LA Westin Bonaventure Hotel.

18-Oct-2012 The Book Bug

18-Oct-2012  I Am a Reader not a Writer

19-Oct-2012 Of Writerly Things

19-Oct-2012  Troop Petrie

22-Oct-2012 Renae’s Writespot

22-Oct-2012  The Write Path

23-Oct-2012  Monique’s Musings

23-Oct-2012  My Mommy’s World

24-Oct-2012  The Things I Love

24-Oct-2012  Adventures of the Mommy Homemaker

25-Oct-2012  Live to Read

26-Oct-2012 Ordinary Happily Ever After

29-Oct-2012  Fire and Ice

01-Nov-2012  Jeffrey Olsen

01-Nov-2012  Bookworm Lisa

05-Nov-2012 Debbie’s Inkspectations

07-Nov-2012  With a Side of Thriftiness

10-Nov-2012 A Storybook World

 

12-Nov-2012 Christy Dorrity’s Dearest Dreams

15-Nov-2012  The Non-Reluctant Reader

19-Nov-2012  Taffy’s Writings 

Nov 2012- http://www.queenoftheclan.com/

Oct 102012
 

Product Details:

  • Title: Evertaster
  • Author: Adam Sidwell
  • Paperback: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Future House Publishing (June 7, 2012)
  • Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy
  • ISBN-10: 0615654495
  • ISBN-13: 978-0615654492
  • FTC FYI: We received review e-copies in exchange for an honest review.




 

 

 

 

“Wonderfully talented writing; funny.”

–Orson Scott Card, NYT Bestselling author of Ender’s Game



“Sidwell is a talented comedian, and that is certainly reflected in his writing. The characters are quirky and likable.” —Deseret News

Book Description:

When eleven-year-old Guster Johnsonville rejects his mother’s casserole for the umpteenth
time, she takes him into the city of New Orleans to find him something
to eat. There, in a dark, abandoned corner of the city they meet a dying
pastry maker. In his last breath he entrusts them with a secret: an
ancient recipe that makes the most delicious taste the world will ever
know — a taste that will change the fate of humanity forever.

Forced to flee by a cult of murderous chefs, the Johnsonvilles embark on a
perilous journey to ancient ruins, faraway jungles and forgotten caves.
Along the way they discover the truth: Guster is an Evertaster — a kid
so picky that nothing but the legendary taste itself will save him from
starvation. With the sinister chefs hot on Guster’s heels and the chefs’
reign of terror spreading, Guster and his family must find the
legendary taste before it’s too late.

www.Evertaster.com 

Sheila’s Review:

Evertaster is a great middle grade book! It is written perfectly for this age group. My ten year old son is reading it now and is loving it. He keeps LOL at certain parts. He also keeps making comments about how he knows how Guster feels about his Mother’s cooking. Huh? I don’t think my cooking is that bad and I know that my son is not an Evertaster. Then, he grins at me.

Guster is an 11 year old boy, who is at first glance a picky eater, but turns out to be more than that. He is special, in that he is an Evertaster and has perfect “taste”. Guster doesn’t enjoy anything he Mom makes because he can taste the dirt things were grown in, for example. One night in search of something for him to eat before he starves, they stumble upon an old baker.The baker tells them of the Gastronomy of Peace, an ancient and secret
recipe that could change the world and before he can tell them the whole
story they’re attacked by mysterious chefs in red. These chefs are members of a secret society called the Cult of Gastronimati. From here on out, Guster and his family go on an adventure, in search of the secret ingredients to make the Gastronomy of Peace. This adventure is one that would make Indiana Jones envious. As they travel around the world, young readers will be entertained as they travel along with Guster to far-off places like Africa, Egypt and Norway. Your taste buds will also be taken on a ride, as scrumptious foods are described so well, that you can almost taste them as you read.

For all of you parents that are looking for a new and fun, family read- aloud that all ages will enjoy, Evertaster is here! I give it 4  1/2 stars!

 

Mindy’s Review:

I thought this book was adorable. The story is so fun and very well written. My favorite thing about Evertaster was Guster and his mom’s relationship. At times I thought Guster was a bit of a stinker :), I know who is he and what he needs, but he was still breaking his mother’s heart. Luckily the ending makes up for everything. I loved all that Mom did for him. Unknowingly starting their adventure in the French Quarter, getting the egg beater, toxic gravy, flying on air planes to exotic locations, all to find items that will help Guster in his quest. Zeke was a perfect smart-alec older brother, and Mariah was a doll. All the characters are fun and important to this fast-paced story. Especially Felicity.

4 out of 5 stars. Lots of humor and plenty of heart. Perfect book for a middle grade reader, and an adult who wants a smile. Many twists and turns with a pinch of adventure. Can’t wait for Book 2.

 

Here are some pictures of when Adam and Jarom came to the elementary school where Sheila works.

 Sheila with Jarom and Adam Sidwell.

 Jarom tells the kids about story structure during the assembly at Eastlake Elementary.

 Sheila at the assembly, helping out, with an Evertaster experiment.

 

 

 Chocolate cake with mustard and salt doesn’t taste very good!

 

 Adam and Jarom signing copies of Evertaster for the students.

 

 “The Gorilla” surprising Sheila’s son!

 

 Adam and Jarom signing more books after the assembly. We loved having them there! They have a lot of new fans!!

 

Here is a picture of Shanda and Mindy when they were able to podcast with them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“One of the most original, well-crafted and imaginative MG stories I’ve come across in a long time.” – WordSpelunking Book Review

About the Author: 
In between books, Adam
Glendon Sidwell uses the power of computers to
make monsters, robots and zombies come
to life for blockbuster movies such as Pirates of the
Caribbean, King Kong, Transformers and
Tron. After spending countless hours in front of a
keyboard meticulously adjusting
tentacles, calibrating hydraulics, and brushing monkey fur, he is
delighted at the prospect of modifying
his creations with the flick of a few deftly placed
adjectives. He’s been eating food since
age 7, so feels very qualified to write this book. He once
showed a famous movie star where the
bathroom was. Adam currently lives in Los Angeles,
where he can’t wait to fall into the
sea.

You can purchase Evertaster HERE

 

You can learn more about Adam and his writing adventures here:

FB https://www.facebook.com/Evertaster

Twitter https://twitter.com/@Evertaster

Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5828904.Adam_Glendon_Sidwell

Pinterest http://pinterest.com/evertaster/

 Blog Tour Schedule for Evertaster by Adam Glendon Sidwell, 2012

Oct 10-http://whynotbecauseisaidso.blogspot.com/

Oct 10- http://www.ldswomensbookreview.com/wordpress/

Oct 15- http://www.dorinewhite.blogspot.com/

Oct 16- http://fireandicephoto.blogspot.com/

Oct 17- http://www.christydorrity.com/

Oct 18- http://readerbenji.blogspot.com/ interview

Oct 19- www.ordinaryhappilyeverafter.com

Oct 22- http://wordspelunking.blogspot.com/

Oct 23- http://themomnerd.blogspot.com/ 

Oct 24- http://livetoread-krystal.blogspot.com/

Oct 25- http://miriambarton.tumblr.com/

Oct 26- http://couponingwithboys.com/ 

Oct 27-  http://astorybookworld.blogspot.com/

Oct 29- http://ldswritermom.blogspot.com/

Oct 30- http://moniquebucheger.blogspot.com/

Nov 5- http://www.sugarbeecrafts.com/

Nov 12- http://lisaisabookworm.blogspot.com/

Nov 15- http://mymommysworld.com


 

 

Oct 092012
 

Insight

Author: Jolene Perry

Publisher: Next Door Publishing

Published: September 3, 2012

ISBN13:  9781479253074

eBook

FTC FYI: Received a free copy in change for an honest review

Reviewed by Mindy

Goodreads Summary:  Micah hates her ability to “see” things when she touches people. She’s terrified of relationships, holds on to guilt over the death of her classmate, Lacey, and has no idea what to do with a vision from Landon, a boy from her school. She feels him falling for her, but Micah doesn’t do friends, much less relationships.

Enter a spooky history project about a tragedy from three hundred years ago, and voodoo dolls that Micah somehow feels has to do with her gift. Suddenly she’s sure the shadows in the woods are following her every move—without Landon’s relaxed attitude about what’s happening in her life, Micah would be sure she’s going crazy.

With no ideas on timing or specifics, the visions of both herself and the people she cares about are turning dark—and it appears the shadows around her house do move on their own. But as Micah and Landon try to prevent Micah’s visions of the future, the shadows close in, and they’re now afraid they’ve become the cause…

Micah’s story is the first of three girls, with unique talents, who are part of a 300 year old tragedy that follows them in the shadows.

My Review

Micah’s ability to see things has made it so she doesn’t like to be around people.  She doesn’t like accidently bumping into people at the risk of finding out things about them she didn’t want to know.  When Micah arrives at her new school, she tries to purposely be late to class to avoid seeing.  The only person she doesn’t mind touching is her mom, but now that they have moved, there is a new face besides hers that she sees through her mother.  Micah feels alone and has felt that way since she was five.  They only person she can’t see images from is her father.  When she goes to visit him, we find out why.

There are so many exciting and cool things that happen in this book, I can’t give any more details.   As with all of Jolene’s book, the characters are well written and the plot is page turning.  There is a cool legend mentioned with voodoo and shadows.

I really enjoyed this book.  I thought that Micah’s insights were very cool, and they always kept me guessing.  I loved how they were glimpses of what could happen.  Or are they?

4 out of 5 stars.

Content

There is some language, and teenage drinking. Some sexual references. Although the main characters do not have sex, it is talked about.

Jolene is the author of many awesome books.  Read more about her on her WebsiteBlog, Facebook, and Twitter.

Giveaway and Good News!

I am excited to announce that Insight is on sale at Amazon for $.99! AND, I am giving an eBook copy of Insight to a lucky winner.  Fill out the Rafflecopter form below to enter. Contest ends October 16th.a Rafflecopter giveaway

Oct 082012
 

Erasing Time

Author: C.J. Hill

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Published Date: August 2012

Hardcover; 368 pages

Genre: YA Science Fiction/Dystopian

ISBN# 978-0062123923

Reviewed by: Shanda

FTC FYI: received an uncorrected paperback ARC in exchange for an honest review

*** See giveaway details below! ***

Summary

When twins Sheridan and Taylor wake up 400 years in the future, they find a changed world: domed cities, no animals, and a language that’s so different, it barely sounds like English. And the worst news: They can’t go back home.

The twenty-fifth-century government transported the girls to their city hoping to find a famous scientist to help perfect a devastating new weapon. The same government has implanted tracking devices in the citizens, limiting and examining everything they do. Taylor and Sheridan have to find a way out of the city before the government discovers their secrets. To complicate matters, the moblike Dakine has interest in getting hold of them too. The only way for the girls to elude their pursuers is to put their trust in Echo, a guy with secrets of his own. The trio must put their faith in the unknown to make a harrowing escape into the wilds beyond the city.

Full of adrenaline-injected chases and heartbreaking confessions, Erasing Time explores the strength of the bonds between twins, the risks and rewards of trust, and the hard road to finding the courage to fight for what you believe in.

First Line

It was as good a day as any to plan treason.

Review

I’ve always had a thing for time-travel stories. Maybe it’s the science geek in me. I know there are laws of physics that have to be dealt with and that it’s generally accepted as a bad idea all around, but I love the idea of time-travel anyway.

Erasing Time is set in the year 2447, far enough in the future that the English language is almost unrecognizable to people from the “twenties,” and the country has fractured into self-regulating domed cities who war with each other from time to time.

The technology in Traventon interested me. For instance, the government tracks its citizens with crystals implanted in their wrists. When someone sits down at a table to eat, their health statistics are displayed on a monitor. Most people proudly wear badges that display their “rank” in the city, based on wealth, position, health, and family relations as well as ratings from friends.

Yet, with all of this technology, including the Time Strainer that pulled twins Sheridan and Taylor into the 25th century, language is still a barrier. Echo and his father, Jeth, are historians who understand and speak the 21st century version of English and serve as translators for the government and the twins.

Soon, Sheridan and Taylor discover that they can speak openly about escape in front of Echo and Jeth without them understanding by using idioms. For example, they can “chew the fat” about how hard it would be to “flew the coop,” etc. I found this particularly entertaining and it made me realize just how much we use idioms in every day speech.

There were other contrasting aspects that I found interesting. For example, appearances seem to be everything (numerous hair colors and styles, make up in varying degrees of intensity and design) and yet their laser guns are simple black boxes. They despise the flesh-eaters that hunted animals into extinction yet there are all types of meat substitutes on the menus attempting to recreate the flesh-eating experience.

I think a book club could have a lot of fun discussing all of these little idiosyncrasies of this new “modern” society, not to mention the “Dakine” and “Doctor Worshippers.” It’s these “Doctor Worshippers” that make me want to keep reading the series. I’m very curious to know more about them.

While I did figure out a few things ahead of time it didn’t affect my enjoyment of the book. I found Erasing Time to be a quick read, one that kept me turning pages and left me looking forward to more.

You could win a copy of Erasing Time! Must be 18 years of age. US residents only. See details on the Rafflecopter entry form below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway