Mailbox Monday: Romance and Fantasy

A new romance novel and a children's fantasy novel are among my new reads this week.

Combining a captivating romance with a cast of all too human characters, “It Ends with Us” will be published August 2, 2016. It is an unforgettable tale of love that comes at the ultimate price. (publisher)

When the Sea Turned to Silver is a children's fantasy written and illustrated by Newbery Honor author Grace Lin. It will be published October 16, 2016. A breathtaking, full-color illustrated fantasy inspired by Chinese folklore, a companion to the Newbery Honor winner Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (publisher)

What is new in your mailbox this week?
Visit Mailbox Monday to see what new books other bloggers have received the past week. 

Book Review: DONKEY'S KITE by Liana-Melissa Allen

First Chapter, First Paragraph is hosted weekly by Bibliophile by the Sea. Share the first paragraph of your current read

A Donkey's Kite: Horse Valley Adventure #2 by  Liana-Melissa Allen
Published January 9, 2015; CreateSpace
Genre: picture book for first-second grade children

My comments: NIcely illustrated by the author, A Donkey's Kite shows the value of helping others and pooling effort and talent to produce a good outcome. When Donkey cannot get his homemade kite off the ground, along comes a large white goose named Gusty. Gusty uses its skills to help Donkey and show his friends, the horses, how to work together.

A story with lessons to teach. a colorful picture book for children and adults who can read it to younger children.

 Visit the Tour Schedule for Donkey's Kite, for more reviews and for giveaways.

The author's first book in the series has other lessons to teach: : 

A tale (based on the “Three Little Pigs”) about three little horse brothers who suddenly lose their house that is destroyed by a fire.

First paragraph: Once upon a time, there were three little horses names Lax, Max, and Jack, that lived in the magical land of Horse Valley. They lived in a house near the big dark woods. The woods were avoided by everyone, because it was the home of a big bully donkey who bullied you until you were as scared as a chicken. 

Author's Bio:

Liana-Melissa Allen has written, illustrated and published six books. The lovable cartoon characters, Max, Lax, Jack and Donkey makes them a favorite of first and second grade students. She is now working on her third book of "A Horse Valley Adventure".

Liana-Melissa is also a dedicated classical/jazz pianist. Frequently, Liana will improvise a theme for one of the stories she is writing. Capturing this improvised music ultimately resulted in theme music for "A Horse Valley Adventure". The "Horse Valley" theme will be used for a short animated video featuring her Horse Valley characters.

Please visit her website at www.lmabooks.com  and visit her on Facebook too.
Thanks to iRead Book Tours and the author for a review copy of the book. 

Book Tour: The Monster That Ate My Socks by A.J. Cosmo

The Monster That Ate My Socks by A.J. Cosmo, Thought Bubble Publishing, third edition.

Young kids with big imaginations will love this story of the socks eating monster who gobbled those missing socks. And the solution to having the sock monsters not starve while leaving the socks alone? Brilliant.

Kids will love this book and the entire monster series.

Book Synopsis:

A young boy, who is about to be grounded for going through so many socks, discovers that a monster has been eating them.

Max is a young boy who is constantly getting in trouble for his socks disappearing. He doesn’t know where they go, but he does know that if he doesn’t do something quickly his mom will ground him for summer. Max soon discovers that a little green monster is sneaking into his room at night and eating his sweaty socks. His mother, of course, doesn't believe him, so Max calls on his best friend to come for a sleepover to catch the monster.

They devise a trap and capture the monster only to learn that the creature can speak. It hasn’t meant to cause any harm, it's just trying to feed its family. The monster shows them his home and his three little children and begs the boys not to turn them over to the adults. Adults, he says, want to destroy monsters.

The boys are left in a pickle. Allow the monsters to be and get grounded, or turn the monsters in knowing what will happen to them? Neither idea seems good, so they come up with a new plan!

Author's Bio:

A.J. Cosmo's stories are crafted to help parents teach their children simple everyday lessons in an easy to understand manner. By artfully marrying beautiful illustrations and language, children are challenged to explore his magical worlds. Written for the transitional reader, A.J.'s stories allow your child to develop and master a new level of reading.

Connect with A.J.:  Website  ~  Facebook  ~  Twitter

Visit the iRead Book Tour schedule with reviews and giveaways:

Feb 9 -  One Frugal Girl - review / giveaway
Feb 9 -  Rockin' Book Reviews - review / author interview / giveaway
Feb 10 - Library of Clean Reads - review / giveaway
Feb 10 - Bookroom Reviews - review / author interview / giveaway
Feb 10 - Hello, my name is Alice - review / author interview
Feb 11 - Book Dilettante - review 
Feb 11 - Back Porchervations - review
Feb 12 - Nighttime Reading Center - review / author interview / giveaway
Feb 12 - Book Loving Hippo - review / guest post / giveaway
Feb 13 - Working Mommy Journal - review / giveaway
Feb 16 - Life as Leels - review / author interview / giveaway
Feb 16 - Genuine Jenn - review / giveaway
Feb 17 - Reading Authors - review / giveaway
Feb 17 - Bound 4 Escape - review
Feb 18 - Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks - review
Feb 18 - Deal Sharing Aunt - review
Feb 19 - Walking with Nora - review / giveaway
Feb 19 - Girl With Camera - review / giveaway
Feb 20 - View From the Birdhouse - review / giveaway
Feb 20 - Being Tilly's Mummy - review / giveaway
Feb 23 - Just One More Chapter - review
Feb 23 - Kincavel Korner - review
Feb 24 - Pinky's Favorite Reads - book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Feb 25 - fuonlyknew - review / giveaway
Feb 26 - Did YOU Hear About the Morgans? - review 
Feb 27 - DeDa Studios - review / author interview / giveaway
March 2 - Christy's Cozy Corners - review / giveaway
March 3 - Life with Katie - review / giveaway
March 4 - 3 Partners in Shopping - review / giveaway
March 6 - I'd Rather Be At the Beach - review / giveaway

Thanks to iRead Book Tours and the author for a review copy of this book.

Book Review: Whiny Whiny Rhino by McBoop

Whiny Whiny Rhino

Title: Whiny Whiny Rhino by McBoop
Published July 2014; Blue Blanket Publishing
Genre: children's literature
Rating: 4/5

My comments: A great picture story book for little scaredy cats who whine about lots of things and are afraid to try new friends or new things to do. Excellent illustrations, full of color, that any child would enjoy looking at.

Book Theme:

"We all get apprehensive when encountering new experiences and this often leads us to avoid ever trying anything new. Just having a little courage to try new things can often lead to a much more exciting and enriching life."

Author's Bio:

McBoop is the creative team of Carmin Iadonisi & Amanda Iadonisi-Word, a father-daughter duo that co-wrote and illustrated Whiny Whiny Rhino. They live in New England where they enjoy making art, reading comics, playing board games, eating fancy chocolate and whining about the weather.

Connect with them at Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

Thanks to iRead Book Tours for a review copy of this book.

Tour Schedule for Whiny Whiny Rhino

Sept 22 - Cherry Blossoms - review

Sept 22 - The Cheshire Cat's Looking Glass - review

Sept 23 - Rockin' Book Reviews - review

Sept 23 - One Frugal Girl - review

Sept 24 - Christy's Cozy Corners - review / giveaway

Sept 24 - Crossroad Reviews - review

Sept 25 - Bless Their Hearts Mom - review

Sept 25 - Savings in Seconds - review / giveaway

Sept 26 - This That and the Other Thing - review

Sept 26 - A Peek at My Bookshelf - review

Sept 29 - Bluerose's Heart - review / giveaway

Sept 29 - Thoughts in Progress - review / giveaway

Sept 30 - Bookroom Reviews - review / guest post / giveaway

Sept 30 - Walking With Nora - review

Oct 1 -     Brooke Blogs - review

Oct 1 -     Savvy Verse and Wit - review

Oct 2 -     Library of Clean Reads - review / giveaway

Oct 2 -     Deal Sharing Aunt - review

Oct 2 -     Like a Bump on a Blog - review

Oct 3 -     Rockin' Book Reviews - interview / giveaway

Oct 3 -     I'd Rather be Reading at the Beach - review / giveaway

Oct 3 -     Pinky's Favorite Reads - review / giveaway

Oct 6 -     View From the Birdhouse - review / giveaway

Oct 6 -     Heart of a Philanthropist - review / interview / giveaway

Oct 7 -     Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers - review

Oct 7 -     Sara's Organized Chaos - review / giveaway

Oct 8 -     3 Partners in Shopping - review / giveaway

Oct 8 -     Create With Joy - review / giveaway

Oct 9 -     Bound 4 Escape - review

Oct 9 -     That Artsy Reader Girl - review

Oct 10 -   Book Dilettante - review

Oct 10 -   Kincavel Korner and Book Blast Central - review

Thanks to iRead Book Tours and the publisher for a review copy of this picture book.

Book Review: The Poodle Tales, Book Nine: The Modeling Poo

First Chapter, First Paragraph is a weekly meme hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea.
Teaser Tuesday is hosted by Miz B; choose two teaser sentences from a random page of your current read

Title: The Poodle Tales: The Modeling Poo by Toni Tuso Faber
Published September 12, 2012; MindStir Media
Genre: children's picture book for ages 4-9, written in rhyme

Opening paragraph/teaser:

The twelve poodle puppies growing older every week,
Had now received their first poo cuts, each looking very chic.
Each and every poodle just loved their Talent Show,
Eager for the next act, the girl who next would go.

Synopsis: 
The Poodle Pups is a series of illustrated rhymed stories for children, featuring twelve poodle puppies, from birth through their various growing-up adventures. The stories are meant to entertain and teach life lessons to children. Book Nine shows one of the poodles as a new model, wearing different outfits as she shares her accessories with the other poodles.

Comments:  
A cute picture storybook for young girls who are interested in dress-up using different outfits, high heels and other accessories. The rhyming is clever although some of the words may be too advanced for girls ages 4-9, but the pictures of the dogs in costume and the general story might make up for that. Adults who read the book to the children may enjoy it also.

Based on the first verse, would you read this book to your girls? 

Thanks to Kelly and Hall publicity for a review copy of this book.

Book Review: OMG...Am I A Witch? by Talia Aikens-Nunez

Title: OMG...Am I a Witch? by Talia Aikens-Nunez
Published October 31, 1013; Pinwheel Books
Genre: children's literature
Objective rating: 4/5

About the book: April is in the fifth grade and has used the internet to find a magic spell to change her irritating older brother Austin into a dog. Scared of what her parents will think or do, April gets her friend Grace to help her find another spell on the internet to undo the damage and return Austin to his human state. She wonders at her powers and if it means she is a witch. This is a very cute little story of 143 pages, illustrated at the beginning of each chapter

My comments: . There is suspense when April and Grace are almost found out by their parents that there is a dog in April's bedroom. The suspense continues when they have to find excuses for Austin's non-appearance at home, and for keeping Grace at April's house while they plan. How they manage to outwit their parents is all in the fun. And of course, there is a happy ending.

I think fifth graders and children in that age group will enjoy this book, for the suspense as well as for the characters of the two girls, April and Grace, not to mention, Austin the little dog. Well written, with an unusual story line, I think the book will appeal to middle school children and younger.

About the author: Talia Aikens-Nuñez wanted to be a meteorologist, a politician and a lawyer. She never thought she would be a writer. It was the birth of her daughter and raising a bilingual child that inspired Talia to write multicultural children’s books. She, her husband and daughter live on a river in Connecticut with their daughter Isabella.
Find out more about Talia at her website and connect with her on Facebook.

Thanks to TLC Book Tours and the author for a review copy of this book. For more reviews of OMG...visit this link.

Book Tour/Review: Brady Needs a Nightlight by Brian Barlics

Brian Barlics of Northern California is a pediatrician who believes not only in the physical health of children but also in the enrichment of their minds and building of their character. He advocates that reading to your child encourages a strong parent-child bond, promotes literacy, and helps them tap into their seemingly endless imaginations. His book, Brady Needs A Nightlight, is now available.

Title: Brady Needs a Nightlight by Brian Barlics

Published April 11, 2013; Black Rose Writing
Genre: children's book for ages 3 and up
Objective rating: 5/5

My comments: I adore the cheerful and colorful little fireflies who appear at the end of the story to give light and comfort to little Brady, the bat who is afraid of the dark. This is a wonderful children's story with charming illustrations that will delight any child, whether or not they are afraid of the dark.

Book description: "Brady is a loveable little bat who oddly has a terrible fear of the dark. This poses quite a dilemma for a creature that sleeps in a dark cave and comes out to play at night. The story opens with an image of Brady, scared to fall asleep inside of his dark cave. He is forced to watch the other bats hang fast asleep as he imagines himself playing outside in the sunshine. As night falls, the other bats are up and ready to play, but poor Brady is too afraid to step out into the darkness. After building up the courage to go, Brady realizes, with the help of some bright and shining fireflies, that the nighttime isn’t so bad after all. New friendships abound and thanks to his new friends, the fireflies Brady learns to overcome his fear!

This book is the first of a series entitled Fundamentales. The series includes books about facing fears, being yourself, sharing, safety, eating right and staying active, doing chores, responsibility, and much more!" (publisher)

Thanks to TLC Book Tours and the publisher for a review copy of this book. Visit TLC for more reviews of this book.

Sunday Salon: Hot Read, Hot Temps

Welcome to the Sunday Salon! And visit The Sunday Post hosted by The Caffeinated Bookreviewer!

The weather was wonderfully sunny this past week but sweltering. I spent the hottest hours inside, reading.

From the bookstore:  Louise Penny's new mystery is set in a cold winter in Quebec.

How the Light Gets In is the 9th in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache mystery series, and yes, it's better to read the books in order, but if you don't intend to read the entire series, it's fine to jump in and read this one. The book gives enough background that you won't be lost about the main characters, their relationships, and the places where they work and live.

The mystery is suspenseful and the characters are so believable that you want to know more about them. The plot drags you in and keeps you involved in the book. Louise Penny has won many awards for the series, and I think this latest novel is also a winner.

Gardening: Today turned cool, and we did some gardening, mulching the new hostas planted a month ago, in preparation for what may be a bitter and snowy winter! We also bought a few perennial plants to replace the annuals that will die out in fall -  the zinnias, daisies, marigolds, petunias.

We found some pale yellow butterflies are attracted to the marigolds and zinnias, so we plan to plant them again next spring/summer. The butterflies also like the pale blue flowers of the cat mint, a perennial, so in it goes this summer.

Mailbox: I got a cute ARE of a children's book, No Dogs Allowed (Ready, Set, Dogs!) by Stephanie Calmenson, Joanna Cole, Heather Ross. Here is the book description:

 "Kate and Lucie are best friends. Kate is neat and Lucie is messy. Kate wakes up early and Lucie loves to sleep in. But both girls love, love, love dogs!

Unfortunately, Kate and Lucie live in apartments where dogs are not allowed. Instead of real dogs, they have dog T-shirts, dog sheets and pajamas, and dog books. But nothing is quite the same as having a real dog. One day, the girls discover sparkly pink dog necklaces at the thrift store and try them on. But when they admire themselves in the mirror and give each other high fives, there is a pop and a whoosh and the girls are turned into dogs! Now it seems like Kate and Lucie won’t need their own pet dogs . . . because they’ll be having furry adventures of their own."

 I don't think the girls stay dogs forever though. Now I am curious to see if my grand-niece will like this book!

What's your Sunday like?

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Book Review: Candy and the Cankersaur by Jason Sandberg

"This is a Cankersaurus Rex," her father said. My golfing buddy is a Paleontologist. I had it shipped to America from the Island that Time Forgot." (page 9)

 I love that quote about the dinosaur from the Island that Time Forgot.  I don't normally review children's books, but the author made a gentle suggestion about variety on my blog, and now I think I have been missing out by not including children's books before.

This is a story of a young girl named Candy who gets an unusual gift from her busy dad - a dinosaur or a Cankersaurus Rex. She trains her dinosaur to be a good pet while her next door neighbor, a young boy, tries to get a dinosaur of his own to rival hers.

The illustrations: Lively and cheerful colors in shades of yellow, green, red, and pink make this an eye catching picture book. I imagine children ages three or older would have loved hearing this imaginative story and looking at the lively illustrations. The book is not scary as Cankersaurus Rex is not at all frightening. For adults, the name Cankersaurus might be a strange pun, but young children would probably be delighted with the sounds of the word.

Title: Candy and the Cankersaur, written and illustrated by Jason Sandberg
Published June 18, 2012
Genre: children's picture ebook, ages 3-9

The author-illustrator, Jason Sandberg:

"I'm a Fine Artist who also wants to produce the "missing books" from my childhood, the books I wished I'd had."

Find out more about Jason's published and exhibited art and his children's books at www.jasonsandberg.com/

Thanks to the author for a review copy of this e-book.

If a Dog Could Blog: Book Review

If a Dog Could Blog, this is what he/she might write:

"As reigning North Valley canine royalty, most people and non-human types want to meet me...grovel...bow before me and then....RUB MY BELLY!!!"

" I'm a bit distracted these days. Mom and Dad went bonkers and brought home TWO KITTENS!!!!"

Comments: Very cute diary of a basset hound named Killer who lives with another dog in the countryside with his human family. Made me sad though when I visited The Killer Chronicles online at http://killerdog.typepad.com/ and found the last entry was in May 2010. Killer lived 11 happy years in the countryside and had help from her human mom to write this blog when she was well and kicking.

Product Description: Tsunamis...gun battles..skunk hunts..and lots of BELLY RUBS! Your pup may be dozing away the day. NOT Princess Lola LaDeaux aka Killer! This little basset has daily adventures and close calls...shakedowns by Mom and Dad...a coterie of basset buddies..and of course, the constant Battle of the Basset Bulge. And she shares all in her sort-of daily on-line diary.

If a Dog Could Blog by Princess Lola LeDeaux aka Killer with Lisa Breeden Garcia. Illustrated by Susan Shorter. Reading level: ages 4-8; Paperback: 28 pages. Publisher: AuthorHouse (September 23, 2010). Review copy provided by the publisher.