Mishi and Mashi go to Germany: Mishi and Mashi Visit Europe Series

Written by Mary George

Illustrated by Lisa Sacchi

This book is part of a European travel series. Mishi and Mashi are two sisters who accompany their parents on travel adventures. The series is intended for elementary school readers.

The author manages to create a pretty comprehensive picture book. Cities visited include Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, and Frankfurt. They visit kid favorites like museums, zoos, castles, and food venues that feature German specialties. Of course, they experience an Octoberfest and Bavarian costumes. Illustrations are pastels done in soft colors.

My first book of the series, but I will definitely come back to read others.

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Today, I have a special treat for my readers, an interview with Carole P. Roman, award winning children’s book author featuring her new release If You Were Me and Lived On…Mars as part of The Children’s Book Review Blog Tour.

1. Why do you choose to write children’s books? I think they chose me. My son’s dared me to write a book. When I couldn’t think of anything but a game I played with my oldest grandson, Captain No Beard was created and the books started taking off. I also wanted to explain about the concept of cultures and customs around the world and so began the If You Were Me series… . It was a natural to start doing the histories. I have a nursery series that I wrote for my grandchildren. Actually, all the books were written for each of my own diverse group. We are big stargazers and this summer spent a lot of time watching Mars make its way across the sky—so I wrote about what it might be like to live there.

2. What do you like best about being a children’s book author? Hearing how much the kids enjoyed the books. Knowing they are reading with their parents, bringing them closer. Hearing that I made something easy for them to understand or how to deal with a problem.

3. What is the most difficult part for you personally in the writing process? Editing. I never see the errors and have had some costly do overs.

4. What is your personal favorite from all the books you have written and why? No favorites! I love them each like they are my babies.

5. You have written books about countries around the world and some of the great past civilization periods. Why did you decide to change course and write about a planet in outer space to which no human has ventured? It seemed sensible. We love learning about space in our household. We have telescopes and we look for meteor showers, comets, and planets. When we travel, we compare the night sky. It’s only a matter of time before one of the young readers in my family makes my book a reality.

6. Will you be writing more books about places that have not yet been explored? Every book for me is exploration. I haven’t been to half the countries I write about and certainly I’ve never time traveled. It’s all about exploration, discovery, and learning to me.

7. What exciting plan for the future are you willing to share with us? I’ve just published a book about Ancient Mali. It was fascinating. The Ancient Mayan Empire is next. Finished Germany and Cuba in the cultural series, and I’d like to do a chapter book. Maybe I’ll explore a desert island…

Thank you so much Carole for stopping by to chat today.

Enter To Win An Autographed Copy Of If You Were Me And Lived On … Mars, By Award-Winning Author Carole P. Roman, And A Stomp Rocket: Ultra LED To Light Up The Night Sky.

One (1) grand prize winner receives:

A copy of If You Were Me and Lived On … Mars, autographed by Carole P. Roman
A Stomp Rocket: Ultra LED set

A bonus autographed picture book selected from one of the 35+ books written by Carole P. Roman

Four (4) winners receive:

A copy of If You Were Me and Lived On … Mars, autographed by Carole P. Roman

A bonus autographed picture book selected from one of the 35+ books written by Carole P. Roman

Age Range: 4-8

Giveaway begins February 7, 2017, at 12:01 A.M. PST and ends March 7, 2017, at 11:59 P.M. PST.
Giveaway open to US and Canadian addresses only.
Prizes and samples provided by Carole P. Roman and The Children’s Book Review.
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Knights of the Square Table: Book 1

Written by Teri Kanefield

Six precocious teenagers from different backgrounds share one thing in common; they are all members of the San Francisco All Star Chess Club. The ninth graders are on the way home from Germany after a sixth place finish in an international competition when their plane goes down due to an avionics failure. They land on a remote island in the North Atlantic in the subarctic. More than sixty passengers face freezing conditions and lack of food supplies to survive. These six teens take charge and prevent disorder, using their multiple talents to create a source of heat, trap food in the ice, and calm the fears of panicked passengers. They even figure out a way to handle Veronica, a kleptomaniac who keeps stealing food from the other passengers. Thanks to their efforts, the survivors are eventually rescued.

But the story does not end there. These six friends gather together to figure out a solution to a nuclear missile crisis. When an Asian dictatorship threatens to fire a nuclear missile, the teens figure out a way to break into that country’s computer system and bribe them into entering peace negotiations to save face. I am sure the world is in for lots more from these indomitable teens in the next two books of the trilogy. This series is targeted for ages nine and older. While the inevitability of the solutions seems too simplistic in some instances, the characters are well-developed, each having strengths and flaws. Middle grade and young adult readers will find much in common with them. Plot is fast paced and I felt compelled to keep reading. Recommended for readers who enjoy adventure stories with clever protagonists and plots containing thought provoking issues.

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Ever the Patriot: Recollections of Vincent J. Riccio World War II Veteran and POW

Edited by Candace Riccio Salem

This book is told in first person based on the experiences of Vincent J. Riccio and edited by his daughter. It begins with the attack on Pearl Harbor and Riccio’s subsequent draft a few months later. Riccio began his service as an aviation mechanic in Mississippi. The first part of the book focuses on his hi jinks and pranks with his buddies as a young soldier. But Riccio wanted to fly; he eventually manages to get training as an aviator. After being sent to Horhem in England, Riccio flew combat missions over Germany. On the Luduigshafen mission, his plane was shot down. Riccio parachuted to safety, but eventually was taken prisoner by the Germans.

The second part of the story focuses on his imprisonment in POW camps and resourcefulness in surviving the Black Hunger March. As the war came closer to its end, Riccio uses his ingenuity to obtain weapons, food and German prisoners. Down to 84 pounds when he was freed from captivity, Riccio warms the reader’s heart when he relates his elation at seeing the Statue of Liberty in New York harbor upon his return to America. I think the gist of the book is best summarized in his own words, “You learn about people, you learn about human nature. You learn what the human body can take. The ones that couldn’t take it, didn’t make it.”

This story contains the gamut of human emotions; Riccio is at once the boy next door and a war hero. He does not judge, but simply tells it like it is. Recommended for teens and adults interested in history and human behavior.

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The Day Before 911

Written by Tucker Elliot

Powerful, poignant and not soon forgotten! Elliot has done a masterful job of relating a true story of his sojourn as a sixth grade teacher in Department of Defense overseas military schools. At the beginning of the story, Elliot has just begun his position as teacher and head coach in a military school near Seoul, Korea. He is full of hope for his students, yet he is also strangely dour. The reader learns that his father fought in Viet Nam and his uncle died there. His teaching job is Elliot’s way of serving the military in his own way. Like every good teacher, Elliot is deeply concerned with his students; the story revolves around two students named Sami and Angel, and the families they share.

Tucker paints a picture of how the world changes as the terrorist attacks unfold, the school security becomes paramount, and the students whose parents serve live in constant terror of deployment and possible death. The author befriends a nine year old girl named Sami, who loves soccer and becomes the team “stud.” He suffers with her every time her father is called away. After Elliot leaves Korea and moves to teach in Germany, he meets Sami’s best friend from the states. Her name is Angel; she seeks the support of her new teacher and brings with her a multitude of new crises as her family becomes embroiled in emotional and physical terror.

The author attempts to exert the full force of his will to sincerely help these two families, but always seems to fall short when he is needed most. Circumstances seem to conspire to prevent him from fulfilling what he believes to be his obligations. This book is a must read for teens and adults who want to experience how the world indeed changed after 911. As one who lived a few miles from the World Trade Center, I can never adequately relay the feelings of helplessness and loss while waiting to hear the news of survivors. I watched the faces of children who waited to hear if their parents made it home from Manhattan that day; and myself grieved with others who lost friends and family. I would recommend this book to all military families, teachers, and parents who are looking for a way to understand in some small part the sacrifices of all those who serve our country and protect our communities.

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A Rainbow of Thanks

Written by Kathleen J. Shields

Kate Silverton is an eleven year old about to celebrate her birthday. Her teacher Mrs. Guffey, who she likes to call Mrs. Tuffey, has given them a weekend homework assignment to write about another culture. After being disappointed by her relative’s birthday gifts, Kate heads out to the backyard with her backpack. Suddenly, it begins to rain and she takes refuge. When the rain stops, Kate is surprised to find a rainbow which she walks through. On the other side, she meets a Navajo boy named Little Elk who is sitting on a rock in Arizona during “the week of silence.” He asks her where she came from explaining that Navajos believe the God travels on a rainbow and that a rainbow is a bridge between the human world and the other side. Rainbows also carry heroes between earth and heaven. Kate is mystified; she informs the boy that she is simply an American from Ohio who walked through a rainbow to the other side. How did she get to Arizona? Realizing that she must walk back through the rainbow to the other side before it disappears, Kate pulls out the walkman  radio from her backpack and gives it as a gift to Little Elk to ease his time of silence.

Things get even stranger when Kate emerges from the rainbow in the jungle listening to the sound of elephants and seeing a little girl named Chicktow who is searching the ground for grubs to eat. Kate is now in Victoria Falls. She presents her new friend with some oatmeal cookies stamped with Kate’s name and address labels. Kate descends with her friend to the bottom of the Falls where they locate the remnants of the rainbow. Chicktow  tells her that the rainbow arch frames the Queen of Heaven. Kate quickly steps into the arch.

Kate is disappointed to find herself in Dublin, Ireland when she emerges. The Flanagan boys greet her. In Ireland the rainbow is considered the hem of God’s garments. They tell her that leprechauns believe there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but all Kate wants is to return to Ohio. She presents them with the old video player she received as a gift before she departs. Kate must still journey to Germany, Russia, Polynesia, Croatia and Scotland before she lands back in the United States. In California, she meets a medicine man of the Mojave who tells her that the rainbow is a charm the Creator uses to stop a rain storm. Finally, she walks through the rainbow one hour later to find herself at home in Ohio.

Wow! What a journey! Kate writes her report immediately before she forgets her adventure. Her mother is puzzled by her strange behavior. Mrs. Guffey gives her an A on her report, but asks why she did not choose one culture. The next week, Kate draws a stunning, accurate portrait so real that her teacher goes to her home for a talk with Mrs. Silverton because she fears that Kate is delusional.

How will Kate prove her story? A mysterious visitor will provide the answer.

This e book is available on Smashwords. A paperback version can now be found on amazon. Recommended for children ages eight and up, but adults will love it as well.

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