A unique blend of genres melded into a young adult adventure series. This is the second book of the series, and while not necessary to read in sequence, readers will better understand the complexity of the main characters if read in sequence.
Anna and her best friend, Emily, are opposites. Anna embodies the traditional values of a woman living in 1890 Seattle, while Emily fights for the rights of an untraditional woman who struggles to fit into nineteenth-century society. Anna has her sights on climbing to the top of Mt. Rainier. Lots of details about the history of the period and the beautiful natural setting of the Pacific Northwest. As one reads about nineteenth-century expectations of women and Anna’s struggles, one is reminded of the struggles women have faced and overcome. Readers can expect elements of outdoor adventure, friendship, and romance weaved into the stories of these two women.
A quick and interesting read for young adults and adult women.
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Publisher’s Synopsis: Author J.T. Michaels brings a fantasy tale of an ancient war, a modern-day murder mystery, mystical creatures, and memorable characters in his masterfully written young adult novel, Jimmy Chartron and the Lost Keystone.
The Great War ended a century ago. Peace reigns across the eight countries. Epic tales of heroic men and women of those times are recounted in song and story. Yet, history seems to have forgotten a young battlefield healer, Tessa Marlise…
Sixteen-year-old Jimmy Chartron has just enrolled at the Navale Academy of Eagleon, his mind set on becoming an electrician. A chance magical encounter binds him to the trapped soul of Tessa Marlise. As Jimmy struggles to deal with this shocking development, murder and mystery unravel in the academy. Caught in the middle of everything, Jimmy realizes that a larger evil is afoot and that only two things can stop it: himself and the ghost in his head…
Author J.T. Michaels has always loved storytelling, no matter the medium. Being immersed in a different world, whether it’s through books or video games, has also been an obsession for him. Years after writing for his school magazine, he discovered he wanted to create his own worlds for readers, and his journey to fantasy writing began with Jimmy Chartron and the Lost Keystone, the first volume in his epic fantasy series.
J.T. gets inspiration for his books from everything around him, incorporating his friends as character ideas to make his stories as relatable and realistic as possible. He hopes his young readers come away from his stories having escaped from the real world for a bit and with a spark of magic that lasts long after the book is closed.
When he isn’t writing enchanting fantasy novels for teens, J.T. enjoys running and spending time outside in the sunshine and hunkering down in a bookstore or library on rainy days. He lives in British Columbia, Canada, where he likes to indulge in a great cup of coffee. Jimmy Chartron and the Lost Keystone is his debut novel, the first in a planned fantasy trilogy.
This young adult novel combines the most popular genres for this age group of readers. Fantasy, ghosts, a murder, coming-of-age struggles, and strong characters all rolled into a fast-moving adventure written with humor and great dialogue. The setting consists of a peaceful world left behind after a devastating war that wiped out civilization a century ago. Myths and stories tell the tales of former heroes. A battlefield healer named Tessie attaches her lost soul to Jimmy, the protagonist, who has just enrolled in school to become an electrician.
Jimmy struggles to deal with this dilemma but soon finds himself embroiled in a murder mystery at the school. Readers become immersed in his struggles, the murder mystery, and the lives of other colorful characters at the school. Michaels artfully reveals the successes and failures of the characters through skilled dialogue and humor.
This young adult novel is the first in a series and has much to offer to its targeted audience of readers thirteen and older but has widespread appeal for adults.
GIVEAWAY
Enter for a chance to win a Jimmy Chartron and the Lost Keystone prize pack!
One (1) grand prize winner receives:
The Comfy Couch Reader Prize Pack
– Two Alice in Wonderland throw covers
– A side lamp with a unique horse stencil design
-A signed copy of Jimmy Chartron and the Lost Keystone
One (1) grand prize winner receives:
The Books and Beverage Lover Prize Pack
– A Jimmy Chartron mug
-A Magic Mug with 3 Reveal Characters
-A signed copy of Jimmy Chartron and the Lost Keystone
Three (3) winners receive:
A signed paperback copy of Jimmy Chartron and the Lost Keystone
Another fun book in the Sophie Washington middle-grade chapter book series.
In this one, sixth-grader, Sophie Washington, decides to sign up for her school’s Lemonade Day Challenge Event. Ten teams will compete.
Readers cannot help laughing and empathizing with Sophie. She manages to get in trouble for messing up her mother’s files, failing to supervise her younger brother, and getting mixed up with the family dog, Bertram, and his mischief.
Sophie learns about scheduling, organizing a team, coping with supplies, and facing unforeseen delays. She manages to solve problems with her spirit of determination and perseverance. Readers learn lessons about teamwork, respect, and working with family members.
Readers might be inspired to become young entrepreneurs and learn a few life lessons along the way. Highly recommended for eight to twelve-years olds and adults who love to reminisce about their tween years.
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Publisher’s Synopsis: A Star of David necklace or a rosary?
In 1939 Poland, a young girl is asked to give up one of these and accept the other without understanding why. However, what she must part with happens to be her most prized possession—a precious gift given to her by her father before he died.
The child’s mother then teaches the girl a “game” to prepare her for what is to come. As the Nazis invade the country, the mother is forced to make a heartbreaking sacrifice.
This beautifully illustrated picture book is loosely based on a true story. Although told through the eyes of a young girl, the book is written for readers of all ages. It also contains two study guides. One is for children, parents, and teachers. The other is for adults who may gather in places of worship, book clubs, and small groups. Discussion topics include themes of compassion, empathy, and diversity.
Pat Black-Gould, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist and an author. Her short stories have appeared in several literary journals and anthologies.
Many years ago, Pat heard a powerful story that haunted her until she committed it to paper. The Crystal Beads was first published in Jewish Fiction. net in 2020. The short story then won first-place honors in two writing competitions conducted by the National League of American Pen Women, Washington, D.C.
The first was an award by the Pen Women Florida State Association. She then received the Flannery O’Connor Short Story Award as part of the National Biennial Letters in Competition. Pat felt it important to bring the story to a younger audience. At that point, she rewrote it as a children’s book. She hopes that The Crystal Beads, Lalka’s Journey, will do justice to the story she once heard and carry its message to younger generations.
Pat’s writing explores topics such as compassion, tolerance, and diversity. She continues to examine these themes in her upcoming novel, Limbo of the Moon, written with her co-writer, Steve Hardiman.
The story opens in 1939 Poland. A little girl named Lalka treasures the Star of David necklace that her father gave her shortly before he died. Suddenly, Lalka’s mother asks her to remove it and instead gifts her a set of crystal beads called a rosary. They will be playing a game. Lalka must learn all about its secrets.
Shortly after, Lalka’s mother enrolls her in a convent school where she will live and go to Catholic school. She is confused and upset but follows the instructions her mother had given her. When two men come to interrogate her, Lalka faces a difficult decision.
Gould writes about the holocaust story in a way with which elementary and middle-school readers understand. Readers empathize and absorb its impact through Lalka’s experiences. The book is sensitive and well-written. Royz illustrates it with compassion and tenderness.
The discussion guides for both children and adults are carefully crafted. They provide the tools to assure a fruitful learning environment. Gould also explains how children may become involved as active participants in the Children’s Holocaust Project.
I highly recommend the book to parents and teachers of children ages five through twelve.
GIVEAWAY
Enter for a chance to win a copy of The Crystal Beads, Lalka’s Journey!
Four (4) winners receive:
A signed copy of The Crystal Beads, Lalka’s Journey.
Written by Karl Beckstrand and Veara Southworth Fife
Illustrated by Sean Sullivan
This book is book one of a series for children about young immigrants.
Agnes was born in Scotland and lived there with her siblings. After her father’s disappearance at sea, her mother turns to the Mormon faith. When Agnes turned nine in 1856, her mother had saved enough money to sail to America and become a part of the Latter-Day Saints community in Utah.
Their journey contained numerous perils. After sailing to New York, they took a train to Iowa. There the hardships began. The family must walk pulling a cart with their possessions. Their food supplies became depleted, and the weather turned frigid. Agnes and her family faced frostbite and near annihilation.
The story is biographical and written by a descendant. Sean Sullivan does a marvelous job with emotive illustrations. I like the interactive aspect of the book allowing readers to revisit the story by answering questions and voicing their opinions. This series is sure to inspire readers in elementary and middle school.
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Publisher: The Smart Aleck Press | ISBN-13: 9798985701302
Publisher’s Synopsis: Moving from Los Angeles to tiny Crabtree, Michigan, is the last thing thirteen-year-old Kat Dylan wants to do. Crabtree’s seen better days and isn’t what you call welcoming. Worse, the move means living with her gruff Grandpa Nick, the town’s police chief, and having to look after her little brother, Alec.
And that’s before Kat and Alec find themselves in the middle of a bank holdup by the Monster Gang—four robbers in monster masks. Before the heist is over, the kids lose their cash and Alec comes within a hair of losing his life. When it is all over, Grandpa Nick goes to jail, accused of being one of the robbers himself.
Suddenly, this boring little town isn’t so boring anymore. Kat’s determined to find out who the men are behind the masks, and she’s going to need help. But exposing the robbers could have big consequences. The deeper Kat goes, the more she learns life is about making choices, including some that are a matter of life and death.
Chris Wieland is an award-winning writer and filmmaker. He is also the father of two fierce children, including a tough, smart tween who helped him find the voice of his protagonist, Kat Dylan. He lives in Southern California with his family.
Thirteen-year-old Kat and her ten-year-old brother, Alec have much to worry about. Their parents are divorced. Mom has been deployed to Afghanistan and they are moving from their father’s apartment in Los Angeles to a rural town in Michigan to live with their grandfather for nine months. They are distraught.
Kat is a wonderful character. She is bright, stubborn, determined and so relatable to the middle-grade audience. The book is full of coming-of-age issues, sibling rivalry, difficult family relationships, adjusting to a new school with new friends, and the problems of moving to a completely different neighborhood. To add to the appeal, their father and grandfather are both lawmen. Kat and her brother have inherited their penchant for solving mysteries.
Not long after the move, the siblings learn of the Monster Gang and become embroiled with the crimes plaguing their new home. That sets the stage for a fast-moving detective mystery that Kat and Alec decide to solve.
I love the humor, appealing characters, and plot of this novel. The middle-grade readers will not want to put it down.
GIVEAWAY
Enter for a chance to win a signed copy of The Crabtree Monsters and a $50 Barnes & Noble gift card!
One (1) grand prize winner receives:
A signed copy of The Crabtree Monsters and a $50 Barnes & Noble gift card.
In the Kingdom of the Thirteen, youth are required to enter their names in a lottery system to choose a future ruler. Gordon does not give a thought about being chosen. When his name is drawn, he has no idea of how to deal with his fate.
This middle-grade series features the conflict between good and evil, family intrigue, peer struggles, fantasy, and a few elements of steampunk.
Will Gordon survive the turmoil and what will be the fate of his kingdom? Read Book One in the series to begin the journey.
Do you ever wonder what heights you could rise to in your personal and professional life if you put all of your thinking into focus? So much of our brain capacity is unused and lying dormant. In a world that centers on acting on impulse and making snap decisions, what we need to do is put on the brakes. Even more important, how can we teach our children to make their own decisions, form their own opinions, and learn to become the independent thinkers that leaders and inventors must develop? What if you knew the secret of thinking so that your life would improve tenfold and help you achieve all the goals you have in life? Then you could pass these skills on to your children and grandchildren.
Critical thinking is developed over time and is like learning any sport or art. You can’t just get up one morning and say, “I think I’ll become a critical thinker today.” No one can simply will it into happening. For many, it takes years to develop a critical thinking knack. In some older citizens, we call it, “wisdom.”
The only paths through which a person can develop insightful thinking are by knowing and accepting the truth that there are flaws in your thinking. You must also constantly practice becoming a thinker who can effectively solve problems through logical thinking rather than emotions.
Becoming a critical thinker can help you develop strategies where you overcome the obstacles that life presents. Here are some obstacles you may want to obliterate from your life – and that’s possible with critical thinking:
• Analyze the influences in your life. Learn to make your own decisions rather than falling under those influences.
• Get your ego under control. Your ego may be keeping you back from advancing at work and from developing better relationships. Critical thinking can help you think without the influence of an inflated ego.
• Solve problems. Being too scattered to solve problems and “thinking” with emotions usually doesn’t solve anything. Using critical thinking can help you get in touch with your emotions and solve problems through logical thinking.
• Stop wasting time. You may be wasting entire days of productivity by going in many directions at once. We pride ourselves on multi-tasking, but in doing more, are we accomplishing less? We may not actually be enjoying anything we do to waste time because we know we’re going to be behind on our work or frustrated about wasting the day. Critical thinking can teach you how to evaluate your time and spend it wisely.
We all have a great capacity to think critically and to improve our lives immensely, but most of the time, it’s dormant. That’s because it’s undeveloped. We can make it better with practice, just as we would when learning a musical instrument or sport.
Non-critical thinking is a habit that we’re not even mindful of most of the time. We sit, staring at a mindless program on television, playing mindless video games, or engaging in gossip or other pursuits that don’t require critical thinking. Deep down in our hearts, we know that we are spinning our wheels.
If you want to develop the traits of a critical thinker, know that you must study and research – then, put what you’ve learned into practice on a daily basis. It’s worth the effort. Your life and that of those you care about will be happier for it.
Remember, “If you don’t know your history, you don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Publisher’s Synopsis: Elijah is in Cleveland visiting his grandparents when he finds out that his favorite music band will be performing at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The tickets are free, but there is a catch: You have to do a scavenger hunt to find band members at various landmarks throughout Cleveland. With the help of his grandparents, will Elijah be able to secure tickets to see his favorite band perform? Pick up a copy of Elijah Goes to Cleveland to find out.
Mark Darden is an author, sports travel blogger, and Chief Content Creator for Buckeye Muscle Media, LLC. Since 2017, Mark has documented his sports travel adventures on his blog, buckeyemuscle.com. Originally from Cleveland, Mark’s first book is IT’S GAME TIME FOLKS!: Quest for 30, a travelogue of his journey visiting all 30 MLB ballparks during the 2017 season. He is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA).
Elijah is so excited to be visiting his grandparents in Cleveland, Ohio. After he arrives, he views a commercial for a concert at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Elijah notes his favorite band will be performing and there is a contest to win free tickets. He immediately asks his grandparents to help.
They will have to scour the city because to win the prize the contestant must follow the clues to a scavenger hunt. During their mission, the family visits the town square, a museum, the zoo, a theater, a park, and the Hall of Fame. Will Elijah win the prize? What does he learn about Cleveland?
I enjoyed the beautiful multicultural illustrations, the map, and the warm family relationships portrayed in the story. Recommended for young children as a picture book, a travel guide for Cleveland, and a beginning reader.
GIVEAWAY
Enter for a chance to win one of ten autographed copies of Elijah Goes to Cleveland—5 books will have a gift card to one of the following places: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland Museum of Art, West Side Market, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, Karamu House!
Five (5) winners receive:
A signed copy of Elijah Goes to Cleveland
A gift card to one of the following places: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland Museum of Art, West Side Market, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, or Karamu House!
The author has written a short story based on the characters of his science fiction and fantasy Nsibidi scripts series.
The book series features friends Sasha and Sunny who live in Nigeria. They have special powers that allow them to see lots more than the average person. In this short story, the two friends land at O’Hare Airport in Chicago. They go on a short jaunt to visit the highlights of Chicago. Readers are treated to a tour of familiar sights seen through their unfamiliar eyes.
The book can be enjoyed by those who have not read books in the series but will probably whet their appetite to learn more about life in Nigeria and the mysterious powers they possess.
The series is recommended for ages twelve and older but this book is appropriate for younger children as well.
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August 14, 2022
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