This is book one of a middle-grade detective fantasy series. Sanja is awakened by a thunderstorm. Her older brother seems unconcerned. Shortly after the two siblings discover their parents are missing under mysterious circumstances. To make matters worse, Social Services wants to place them in foster care.
These intrepid siblings find a mysterious cube in the attic. They vow to employ their detective skills to solve the mystery and outrun Social Services. Sen and Senja employ magic and wizardly to navigate through time dimensions and mysterious portals encountering many interesting characters along the way. Will they solve the mystery of the cube, find their parents, and stay together?
The plot moves quickly and sustains interest. Lots of fun for readers ages eight through twelve.
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Finding Freckles, Diary of My Best Friend, Horsing Around
Written by Molly Lawson
This middle-grade chapter book is narrated by Emma Williams, an eleven-year-old girl living in a rural South African village. The impetus for the diary is a writing assignment from Emma’s English teacher.
Emma writes honestly and openly. She reveals her hopes, fears, and dreams. Her fervent desire is to own a horse and become an expert jumper. Unfortunately, her single mom cannot afford to buy her a horse. Luckily, Emma’s best friend, Christine, lives on a neighboring farm. Christine is a good rider and that allows Emma to be around horses.
Emma’s story pulls the reader in because she is relatable to her readers. The characters are believable and appealing to a middle-grade audience. Not only do readers learn about horses, but they also pick up knowledge of geography and South African culture. This is book 1 of a series that promises to be the first of an interesting series. Will Emma achieve her dreams?
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Giveaway begins April 20, 2020, at 12:01 A.M. PST and ends May 20, 2020, at 11:59 P.M. PST.
*Date, time, and school for the visit is to be worked out between the winner and author Kat Kronenberg. The school must be within 2 hours driving distance to a major airport. Click here for the giveaway rules.
Publisher’s Synopsis: In the third installment in her Live Big Series, best-selling, award-winning author Kat Kronenberg takes readers back to the wilds of the African savanna where the animals not only still struggle to find food, but now they face life-threatening situations. They must fight to survive and are terrified.
But when our beloved moody Baboon challenges Kudu on what to do, everything begins to change. One by one, Kudu, Giraffe, and Bee are faced with the dilemma of who they want to be. After watching Bee choose to do good, Baboon figures out a new secret: We can light the stars in our hearts, empowering our lives, once we smile big deep within, truly believing in who we are, our ideas, and the importance of caring for others.
The danger continues to mount and Baboon finally gets so scared that he cries out for help. Luckily, some fun animals and Baobab Tree come to the rescue! Will they try the new SHHH secret so their collective ideas not only help all the animals survive but thrive together so that their dreams can come true?
Once again, Kronenberg creates a mythical evolution story of some of nature’s most fascinating characters to teach young readers foundational skills for life in this case, helping them build a loving community that knows the joy of gratitude, giving, and going for the extraordinary. Through playful dialogue and beautiful illustrations, readers learn to take a deep breath when life gets hard, connect their heads to their hearts, and celebrate their best lives as they problem-solve together. As with Dream Big and Love Big, Kronenberg includes hands-on activities at the end of the book and on her website. Her dream is that the whole experience will inspire young readers everywhere to learn to think big together.
Ages 2-8 | Greenleaf Book Group Llc | May 12, 2020 | ISBN-13: 978-1626347106
The Cat Detectives in Russia: The Case of the Missing Faberge Egg
Written and illustrated by R.F. Kristi
My first time reading a book in this series, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Inca is a Siberian Russian Cat who runs a detective agency consisting of fellow felines, dogs and a hamster. They trek the globe to solve mysteries.
This one begins when Inca’s mom goes abroad promoting her cheese business. Inca and her crew travel to her native land, Russia. Laid out in a diary format, the readers travel abroad and learn a bit of history while becoming embroiled in solving the mystery of a valuable Faberge egg stolen from the museum.
The characters are well developed and engaging personifications of the animals. There are a few illustrations to assist younger readers. I would recommend the book as a chapter reader for elementary and middle-grade students. Readers who enjoy detective stories, animal characters, and travel will particularly enjoy the read.
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This is a short, cute picture book written from the point of view of a toddler. Preschoolers and toddlers are constantly trying to demonstrate they can do things independently. In this tale, Mike sets out to prove he can do everything adults can do. While the pictures and story clearly demonstrate that is not the case, Mike gives his readers inspiration and confidence.
Recommended as a bedtime story or read-aloud book to encourage self-esteem for two to five-year-olds.
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Children’s book week is coming up the first week of May. This year I will be marketing online as schools are closed and the largest children’s book festival in my state has been canceled. No personal appearances in schools or book signings for the foreseeable future. In the meantime, here are a few ways authors can use their free time to help fellow authors.
I found this article on Book Marketing Buzz and would like to share it because its message is a positive one. There will be light at the end of the tunnel for all of us.
Many libraries, schools, and bookstores are closed. Amazon is behind in deliveries. Speaking appearances and book signings have been canceled. So how are books being sold in this environment?
Here are the answers each correct in some fashion:·
Social media is helping to sell more books·
Traditional and digital media is covering books·
Authors are doing webinars and online courses to sell books·
New online retailers are sprouting up·
Not everything is closed everywhere – it just sounds like that·
E-books are skyrocketing·
Audiobook downloads are surging
There is reason to hope. Everyone is cooped up and is open to reading books. Many run to the safe confines of books, whether to escape reality or to use this time to learn what they had been meaning to finally get to. So many books do well in this environment, including:
Children’s Books – kids need to learn and be entertained without school·
Thrillers – always a good time for them·
History – let’s learn from past disasters, depression, and pandemics – or read about better days of the past·
Entertainment – love a good distraction·
Personal Finance – time to balance a budget and grow your assets·
Investing – gotta make back the money lost on Wall Street·
Survivalist Techniques – we are all preppers now·
Politics – the 2020 election is coming·
Humor – we need a laugh·
Sports – we can read about the past until the future games begin·
Health – this is our number one focus – how to stay healthy in mind and body·
Religion – we need some spiritual nourishment, especially when the churches and temples are closed·
Self-Help/Motivation – we all need uplifting stories now·
Cooking – if you can’t hit a restaurant or even afford takeout, learn how to cook
Travel — if you can go somewhere physically, time to go with your mind — and plan a future trip
Plus, let’s look forward, whether it is weeks, a month or a few months – stores will reopen, delivery times will improve, and the financial devastation will slow down and start to return to better times. But for the moment, as the world is upside down and filled with pain, fear, and uncertainty – and financial insecurity fills millions of homes and thousands of others confront death and severe illness – the book world is combusting. Indie stores have laid-off workers and shuttered operations.
Some publishers are looking at bankruptcy or a merger. Book releases scheduled for April or May are getting pushed back. Even the nation’s leading book trade show, Book Expo America, had to reschedule its date but right now its home, the Javits Center in NYC, is being used as a makeshift hospital to battle a plague. It is ugly out there. Still, the belief is it is temporary and we just need to weather the storm for the moment.
A decade ago the industry was hit by many challenges – the Great Recession, the ebook revolution, Amazon taking over the industry as Borders drop dead, technology allowing for the majority of published books to be self-published, and the Internet providing free competition for content providers.
But the American book industry rose from the dead and all of that transition and uncertainty. It is going through another tough time now, as many Americans are. Every day that passes means we get a day closer to recovery. The pandemic seems like it is a book that has no end, but the truth is, we know how it ends. And we know that the book world will get a new beginning and rise up. I can’t wait for the sequel!
So, I want to end this post with a positive message for my author friends. In the meantime, stay strong, stay safe, stay calm and REMAIN PRODUCTIVE!
A little bear is selfish and does not like to share. One day he comes across his friends on the swings. He reflects on how he has treated each of them recently and figures out they will now not want to share with him. The bear decides to build his own swing. He gathers material and makes a large swing. Bear did not plan well. One of the ropes breaks. Can you guess what might happen? Will Bear realize why it is important to share and be kind to your friends?
This is a rather short book. The illustrations are appropriate for toddlers and preschoolers. I was puzzled about the fact the Bear was not given a name to help personalize the character. Recommended especially for children ages three to six.
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May 17, 2020
bamauthor
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