Monday 25 February 2013

Kidlit blog hop # hmm Post office book review

Hi folks, welcome back to the Kidlit blog hop #10

Well, to explain the title of this post, I have a confession. Sometimes I buy cheap books for Gigi from our local post office. They aren't exactly literary genius and occasionally the stories don't make any sense at all. Now that I am a permanent hostess on the hop, I was joking with Renee our illustrious CEO and Master of all that is blog hop, that if we get desperate to make it to our target 100 links, I may be forced to review a post office book.

Well, far be it for me not to rise to a challenge.

We currently have 89 links so here it is. 

Funnily, this is one of the jems that I have found and Gigi loves this one.

Princess Poppy: Get Well Soon
by Janey Louise Jones



Poppy lives on Honey Pot Hill and is busy practising for her gym class, but she just can't keep her mind on it. You see her Grandpa is very sick in hospital and Poppy is very worried about him. When she visits Grandpa in hospital, Poppy gets even more worried. So instead of practising her gym class like she should be, she goes to visit Grandpa every day. As a result, Poppy comes last in her gym competition, but the great thing is that Grandpa is so cheered up by her visits that the doctors let him come home. Grandpa tells Poppy she may not be a gym princess but she will always be his princessAwwww, isn't that wonderful.

The illustrations are very beautiful and there is even a little tiny get well card in the very front of the book from Poppy that encourages the reader to help our loved ones get better by telling them how much we love them.   

Poppy even has a delightful website, for fun, games, puzzles, activities, downloads and more


 So there you have it folks, my post office book review, ha hoom, well, that wasn't so hard, lol.

So come on folks, add in a link, we can beat 100 surely, there are so many wonderful books in this world, no matter where, ha hoom, they are purchased from.

Happy Hopping folks.


Welcome to the 10th Kid Lit Blog Hop. Wow!! What a fabulous turnout in the last Hop with 110 links! That was a lot of hopping around but I did manage to visit every link, comment on every link, and tweet something from each participating blog or author. I am so excited for all the wonderful books and articles that were linked in the last Hop and I look forward to hopping around through the links this week. A big thank you to everybody who linked into the last Hop and I hope you will join us all again this week. Enjoy the Hop!
Kid Lit Blog Hop
<div align="center"><a href="http://motherdaughterbookreviews.com/category/kid-lit-blog-hops/" title="Kid Lit Blog Hop"><img src="http://motherdaughterbookreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Kid-Lit-Blog-Hop-Button-Sep-2012-e1349976901756.jpg" alt="Kid Lit Blog Hop" style="border:none;" /></a></div>
 

Suggestions For How to Participate:

1. Although not mandatory, we ask that you kindly follow your hostesses and co-hostesses. You can follow us any way you choose (Email, GFC, Twitter, Facebook, G+, Pinterest, etc.), butwe've added our preferences below. If you could just give us a quick "follow" or "like" that would be much appreciated! Make sure to leave us a message if you are following us (i.e., on Twitter or Facebook or on our websites) and will be sure to follow you back. Thanks! :-)
Hostesses:
Our Co-Hostesses for This Week:
2. Link up any Kid Lit related post. This can be a link to a children’s book review, a discussion about children’s literature/literacy, or a post on a recently-read children’s book or one that you love from your childhood.
* Don't link directly to your blog, it must be a specific post*
* For Authors, we prefer you to link to your blog if you have one *
* Make sure you include an image relevant to the POST (e.g., book cover), not your blog button or photo of yourself.*
* Feel free to link more than one post.*
3. Check out some other books. Don't be a stranger, go see what books other families are checking out, and leave them some love in the form of a comment. We are trying to build a community of bloggers, readers, parents, authors, and others who are as passionate about children’s literature as we are so please CONNECT and follow any or all of the blogs that interest you! 4. If you like, grab the button above and put it somewhere on your blog, preferably the post you're linking up. If you'd prefer, you can just add a text link back to this Hop so that others can find it and check out all these great book links! 5. It would really help us get the word out about the Kid Lit Blog Hop if you would be so kind as to tweet, share, and spread the word about the Hop!
Interested in co-hosting the Kid Lit Blog Hop? Please email renee @ motherdaughterbookreviews (dot) com and put Co-Hosting Blog Hop in the subject line.
Happy Hopping!

Wednesday 20 February 2013

Kidlit Blog Hop 10# Review Princelings of the East + Giveaway


Hi folks, welcome back to the Kidlit Blog Hop #10. 

Recently I participated in a promo with 14 other Middle Grade Authors. We gathered all our first few chapters into an e-book sampler and you had to find the secret phrase to enter to win a Kindle Fire or a copy of each of our books. It was such a fun experience with a great side benefit. I got to connect with 14 other Indie Middle Grade Authors, all with a unique book that they wanted to showcase.

So, today I want to share with you a review of one of those books. 


Description:
The Princelings of the East is the first of a trilogy telling of the adventures of Fred and George.
When the King's Birthday feast is ruined by an unnatural power drain, our Princeling heroes leave their scientific experiments to set out in search of answers. They encounter the enigmatic businessman Hugo, the impressive Prince of Buckmore, the wise Lady Nimrod, the irrepressible barkeep Victor, but find themselves threatened by those with vested interests. The scene shifts from a rural, feudal setting to the towers and heights of the curious Isle of Hattan, but where, or when, are they? Time is of the essence in solving this puzzle, and our heroes must keep their wits sharp and their heads clear if they are to survive.


We follow Fred and George, Fred who is the thinker or Philosopher and George who is the Engineer, but the totally unique and endearing thing about these two totally lovable characters is that they are in fact Guinea Pigs. But not just your average guinea pigs that eat lettuce and live in a cage, they are Princelings and they live in a castle, contribute to its fine tuning and banter with the humans. 
Fred and George remind me of an English cartoon that is currently showing on Australian television called Country Mouse and City Mouse, which I recently realised is a retelling of Aesops Fable. 
The two mice are intelligent adventurers who travel around, but they have different likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses which help them along in their adventures. 
Similarly, Fred and George are brothers with very different talents and interests but they work together on their adventures, that's until they get separated and have to work apart to solve the mystery of the Energy Drain.

I enjoyed this book very much and I was intrigued the whole way, itching to find out the answer to mysterious energy drain. I won't spoil it but there may be some wibbly wobbly timey wimey shenanigans ( sorry that is a Dr Who quote which I realise if you aren't a super nerd like me, Yes I own a Tardis, you won't have a clue what  I am talking about lol.) I loved the reference to Wozna Cola which sounded an awful lot like a certain dark coloured liquid that has taken the world by storm for about 4 decades

This was a clean read, with no violence at all which I think is such a credit to the author as I feel quite passionate about this very topic when considering if a book is for a Middle Grade audience. I would recommend this to 10+ plus due to the intricacy of the plot and there is quite a cast of characters to follow. I  also feel that this story would be more appealing to boys than girls.
I like the cover, but I do wish that it had pictures of Fred and George as I think that would totally appeal to kids to help them visualise these completely adorable guinea pigs.


The Princelings of the East is the first in the series and I am looking forward to reading Fred and George's further adventures.


http://amzn.com/B00ADJS63G
But wait there's more, hop on over to Amazon today to grab your copy of the Traveler in Black and White as it goes Free today on Amazon 20 February. http://amzn.com/B00ADJS63G

Ms Pett has also kindly donated  two epub copies of The Princelings Of The East via Smashwords. Enter Raffle copter below and Happy Hopping folks.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Welcome to the 10th Kid Lit Blog Hop. Wow!! What a fabulous turnout in the last Hop with 110 links! That was a lot of hopping around but I did manage to visit every link, comment on every link, and tweet something from each participating blog or author. I am so excited for all the wonderful books and articles that were linked in the last Hop and I look forward to hopping around through the links this week. A big thank you to everybody who linked into the last Hop and I hope you will join us all again this week. Enjoy the Hop!
Kid Lit Blog Hop
<div align="center"><a href="http://motherdaughterbookreviews.com/category/kid-lit-blog-hops/" title="Kid Lit Blog Hop"><img src="http://motherdaughterbookreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Kid-Lit-Blog-Hop-Button-Sep-2012-e1349976901756.jpg" alt="Kid Lit Blog Hop" style="border:none;" /></a></div>
 

Suggestions For How to Participate:

1. Although not mandatory, we ask that you kindly follow your hostesses and co-hostesses. You can follow us any way you choose (Email, GFC, Twitter, Facebook, G+, Pinterest, etc.), butwe've added our preferences below. If you could just give us a quick "follow" or "like" that would be much appreciated! Make sure to leave us a message if you are following us (i.e., on Twitter or Facebook or on our websites) and will be sure to follow you back. Thanks! :-)
Hostesses:
Our Co-Hostesses for This Week:

2. Link up any Kid Lit related post. This can be a link to a children’s book review, a discussion about children’s literature/literacy, or a post on a recently-read children’s book or one that you love from your childhood.
* Don't link directly to your blog, it must be a specific post*
* For Authors, we prefer you to link to your blog if you have one *
* Make sure you include an image relevant to the POST (e.g., book cover), not your blog button or photo of yourself.*
* Feel free to link more than one post.*
3. Check out some other books. Don't be a stranger, go see what books other families are checking out, and leave them some love in the form of a comment. We are trying to build a community of bloggers, readers, parents, authors, and others who are as passionate about children’s literature as we are so please CONNECT and follow any or all of the blogs that interest you! 4. If you like, grab the button above and put it somewhere on your blog, preferably the post you're linking up. If you'd prefer, you can just add a text link back to this Hop so that others can find it and check out all these great book links! 5. It would really help us get the word out about the Kid Lit Blog Hop if you would be so kind as to tweet, share, and spread the word about the Hop!
Interested in co-hosting the Kid Lit Blog Hop? Please email renee @ motherdaughterbookreviews (dot) com and put Co-Hosting Blog Hop in the subject line.
Happy Hopping!

Thursday 14 February 2013

International Book Giving Day + Book Giveaway


Welcome back folks.

It's International Book Giving Day 14 Feb 2013, and I seem to have missed adding my links into the project so, I thought I would still give them a shout out and do a little International Book Giving of my own  instead.

Hop on over to the website

 

Ideas for Celebrating

Three simple ways you can celebrate International Book Giving Day: 

1. Give a book to a Friend or Relative. 


Is there a child in your life who would enjoy receiving a book on February 14th? In lieu of or in addition to a card or box of chocolates, choose a good book from a bookstore or public library. Do not underestimate the value of a library book lovingly selected for a child. 


2. Donate a book. 


Wrap up a box of children's books that your kids have outgrown and get them in the hands of children who could really use book or two. Donate your books to your local second hand store, library, children's hospital, food shelf or shelter. Alternatively, donate your books to an organization working internationally to get books in the hands of kids.


3. Leave a Book in a Waiting Room or Lobby.

Choose a waiting room where kids are stuck waiting and there are few to know good books available. Purchase a good book, and deposit your book covertly or overtly in your waiting room of choice. The goal here is to spread the love of reading to kids, so choose a fun book, nothing controversial.


It is a great feeling giving away books. Recently I sent a wad of books over to Michelle Darmanin. A great lady with a passion to get books into the hands of underprivileged kids in Fiji. But as you know, shipping is expensive so the next task is to help her find the funds to ship the books. Hop on over to see how you can help.

http://gogetfunding.com/project/please-help-us-ship-books-to-15-fiji-schools-in-march






And finally because you have taken the time to read all this way, I am giving away 5 kindle edition ebooks on my Middle Grade Science Fiction for today 14 Feb. 


Book Description:

Caramel Cinnamon thought the worst day of her life was the day her grandparents, the King and Queen of the Elves of Cardamom went missing. She was wrong! The day she spills sticky toffee syrup onto her father's computer, that's when her worst nightmare begins. She finds herself marooned on a forbidden planet, sent there by an evil clone with a very sticky secret. Caramel is desperate to escape. If she doesn't she will lose her dreams of returning to Cardamom to become a healer like her Mum. Luckily, she has a secret of her own and the lives of her family and friends depend on it! Suitable for ages 9-12


 Now it's my first time using a rafflecopter so we will see how this experiment goes. So if you love Middle Grade books you might enjoy this one but beware, it may cause a cupcake craving.
Best wishes, Julie Anne Grasso

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Saturday 9 February 2013

Headache a delicious adventure







Kid Lit Blog Hop 
Welcome back to the Kidlit blog hop #9



I saw Renee's twitter post, and I decided to rise to the challenge. We can get 100 links, I know we can. 100 people passionate about Children's literature, no trouble.
So today I am going to post about a fabulous book that I have just reviewed.





Headache the Hair-Raising Sequel to Bellyache is a wonderful tale of facing your fears and working together. In this second installment we watch Peter and Lina develop courage to defeat the evil Goaltan drawing on the knowledge and lessons they have learned on their trip to Maple town, along with Nana's memories of her visit to Honeyville. I absolutely love the imagery in this book. I wish I could visit the toy shop, to play around in edible foam, ride one floor up on a pogo stick and sit at a glow-in-the-dark drink bar, to sample a sarparilla drilla, served so cold that it comes with a drill. The Candonite children were adorable and one would have to have great self control not to be tempted to eat one of them. I loved the ending and Papa's new sweet shop is so delightful I wish I could visit it in a certain famous theme park in the future.
A delightfully innocent read that will have you cheering the characters on and wishing you could sample some of the delights along the way. 

You can find this delicious tale over on Amazon, so head on over and grab a copy or visit Crystal Marcos on Goodreads






But wait there's more. I have had the pleasure of becoming friends with this dynamic author and she has been a great support on my Indie publishing journey.

She has even spotlighted my book on her website for February.


Head on over and to enter to rafflecopter to win 1 or 4 copies of my book
There, I have done my bit for the blog, hop, but I see there is still 4 links till we reach 100 so, I might just have to link in an old post. Come on hoppers, we can do it.

Catch you in the blogosphere

Julie Anne Grasso




Thursday 7 February 2013

Love MG Actually + Kindle Fire Giveaway 7-14 Feb

HI THERE FOLKS IF YOU LOVE MIDDLE GRADE BOOKS THEN YOU ARE IN FOR A REAL TREAT





Download this e-book, find the secret phrase, and enter it into the contest link embedded in the e-book to be entered into the draw to win a Kindle Fire, a $10 Amazon Gift Card or a great middle grade e-book from one of 14 fantastic authors!

Treat yourself and your kids with a special gift this Valentine's Day! This is a sample of 14 exciting middle grade stories that you will love and with the chance to win an e-reader.

Competition opens 7 February 2013 and the winner will be announced on 14 February 2013. This e-book will be available to download for free for 5 days from the 7-11th of February and at 99c for the remaining days of the promotion. The winners will be drawn on 14 February 2013 and announced shortly thereafter.

Whether you like fantasy, adventure, mystery or humor, "Love Middle Grade Actually" gives you a taste of it all!

Here are the links: Ebook: 


Blog Entry:
 http://lovemgactually.blogspot.com.au/ 

TO GAIN MORE ENTRIES, BE SURE TO HOP ON OVER TO FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER, LIKE ME ON FACEBOOK OR TWEET ABOUT THE GIVEAWAY.
  AND DON'T FORGET TO ADD THE BOOKS ON GOODREADS THAT INTEREST YOU.

And here is my book cover, just incase you missed it the first time. 
Good luck everyone.


  

Wednesday 6 February 2013

KIDLIT BLOG HOP #9 INDESTRUCTIBLES

Welcome back to the Kidlit Blog hop #9
Kid Lit Blog Hop
Once again the aim is to join in, check out the other linky's, read some great book reviews, find out about some awesome giveaway's and generally connect with people who are passionate about children's literature. So head on over to http://motherdaughterbookreviews.com/kid-lit-blog-hop-9/

 
My little Gigi is only 19 months old so our current book favourites revolve around which ever one she finds in her little library. 

I was out with my friend and her little girl the other day and we always have books on hand to keep the girls happy. I had a chuckle when my friend pulled out her little girls' most recent favourite as it looked a bit tattered. LOL, However, on closer inspection it was actually INDESTRUCTIBLE. So presenting the most indestructible book's you will ever find.

About the Authors:
Indestructibles™ was founded by a mother of triplets who quickly found that paper books, even "board books" are too easily turned to mush and can even be a choking hazard. Wishing to provide her children with a book that they could "read" as much as they wanted, she enlisted the help of Kaaren, who developed three working prototypes--three beautiful child-size picture books that were instant and enduring hits.

Kaaren Pixton is a fine artist and children's educator who has been making art with children for thirty years. The idea of printing books on rip proof, waterproof, paperlike material was developed by Kaaren and her daughter-in-law, Amy Pixton. Originally from Ireland, Kaaren lives in Portland, Oregon, and is the proud grandmother of eight. Amy lives in Kansas City, Kansas, with her husband and their three children.

About the books:
Indestructibles are the books built for the way babies read. They are 100 percent baby-proof, chew-proof, rip-proof, and drool-proof. Printed on a unique nontoxic, paperlike material that holds up to anything babies can throw at it—gumming, spilling, dragging across the floor— Indestructibles are the little books that could. They’re indestructible. And if they get dirty, just throw them in the washing machine or dishwasher.

And Look at all these titles, available on Amazon, including quite a few nursery rhymes or you can check out their website http://www.indestructiblesinc.com/about.html

 Catch you in the blogosphere

Julie Anne Grasso