Mundie Moms

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Must Have Middle Grade Reads

This past week on Mundie Kids I reviewed some fantastic middle grade books. I highly recommend picking these books up. Here's a snippet of my reviews:


Published by Aladdin
Released On March 15th, 2011
Ages 8-12
Source: Bought
4.5 stars - A Fantastic Adventure
You can read the rest of my review here
Jason Walker has often wished his life could be less predictable—until a routine day at the zoo ends with Jason suddenly transporting from the hippo tank into a strange, imperiled world. Lyrian holds dangers and challenges unlike anyplace Jason has ever known. The people all live in fear of their malicious wizard emperor, Maldor. The brave resistors who once opposed the emperor have been bought off or broken, leaving a realm where fear and suspicion prevail.

In his search for a way home, Jason meets Rachel, who was also mysteriously drawn to Lyrian from our world. With the help of a few scattered rebels, Jason and Rachel become entangled in a quest to piece together the word of power that can destroy the emperor and learn that their best hope to find a way home will be to save this world without heroes (quoted from Brandon's Site).
A World Without Heros takes readers to an incredible, mesmerizing world for an epic adventure and introduces them to some fantastic, unforgettable characters.
I wish I had a fraction of the imagination talent Brandon Mull has. Beyonders takes world building to a whole new level. I've not read anything quite like this before. It's world full of possibilities, danger, adventure and a place where choices determine your outcome. Aside from the characters, one of things I really enjoyed about this story was how the character's choices always have consequences and impact their journey. Coming from an outside world, the story's main characters Jason and Rachel are bit naive to the new world they've accidentally come into, but smart enough to withstand some of the temptations that come their way. In an unfamiliar place full of strong, indepth characters it's hard to decide who they should trust.


Published by G. Putnam & Sons
Released on May 12th, 2011
Source- ARC from author for review
Ages eight years & up
4.5 stars- A wonderful story about self discovery, love & friendship
You can read the rest of my review here
It's the summer before seventh grade, and twelve-year- old Raine O'Rourke's mother suddenly takes a job hours from home at mysterious Sparrow Road- a creepy, dilapidated mansion that houses an eccentric group of artists. As Raine tries to make sense of her new surroundings, she forges friendships with a cast of quirky characters including the outrageous and funky Josie.

Together, Raine and Josie decide to solve the mysteries of Sparrow Road-from its haunting history as an orphanage to the secrets of its silent, brooding owner, Viktor. But it's an unexpected secret from Raine's own life that changes her forever.
Sparrow Road is a beautifully written, fulfilling read. It's not often I feel well connected to both the characters and the setting with a middle grade read from the get go like I was with with this book. Sheila O'Connor has a talent for writing prose and a magical ability to make her characters and the world they're apart of come to life. There are so many elements I liked about the story that I truly enjoyed every moment of this book.

By Julie Sternberg
Illustrated by Matthew Cordell
Published by Amulet Books/ Abrams
Released on March 1st, 2011
Ages 8-10
Source: publisher for review
4 stars- I really liked it

You can read the rest of my review here.

I had a bad August.

A very bad August.
As bad as pickle juice on a cookie.
As bad as a spider web on your leg.
As bad as the black parts on a banana.
I hope your August was better.
I really do.
When Eleanor's beloved babysitter, Bibi, has to move away to take care of her ailing father, Eleanor must try to bear the summer without Bibi and prepare for the upcoming school year. Her new, less-than-perfect babysitter just isn't up to snuff, and she doesn't take care of things like Bibi used to. But as the school year looms, it's time for new beginnings. Eleanor soon realizes that she will always have Bibi, no matter how far away she is.
Written in a lyrical style with thoughtful and charming illustrations throughout, this remarkable debut novel tells a poignant story of friendship and the bittersweet feelings of growing up.
Eleanor's fresh voice makes this debut book by Julie Sternberg a fun, enjoyable read. Eleanor is learning to cope with losing her best sitter she's had for the last few years, Bibi, who's moving to FL. Not only does Eleanor learn to cope with her moving away, but she's entering 3rd grade and has to learn to be open to a new babysitter.

Vanish Teaser Tour & ARC Giveaway

I'm really excited to be kicking off a really fun week long *spoiler free* teaser tour for Sophie Jordan's Vanish, hosted by Kari at A Good Addiction. Before I give you all the information about the tour, here's a little bit about Vanish, the sequel to Sophie's YA debut, Firelight.

By Sophie Jordan
Published by Harper Teen
To Be Released On September 6th, 2011

To save the life of the boy she loves, Jacinda did the unthinkable: She betrayed the most closely-guarded secret of her kind. Now she must return to the protection of her pride knowing she might never see Will again—and worse, that because his mind has been shaded, Will’s memories of that fateful night and why she had to flee are gone.

Back home, Jacinda is greeted with hostility and must work to prove her loyalty for both her sake and her family’s. Among the few who will even talk to her are Cassian, the pride’s heir apparent who has always wanted her, and her sister, Tamra, who has been forever changed by a twist of fate. Jacinda knows that she should forget Will and move on—that if he managed to remember and keep his promise to find her, it would only endanger them both. Yet she clings to the hope that someday they will be together again. When the chance arrives to follow her heart, will she risk everything for love?

This is a fabulous sequel and believe me, it's one you want to try and win and this week you not only have a chance to win an ARC of Vanish, but a marked up copy of one! Here's what one lucky tour follower will win.... *hint it's all in the picture, well you don't get to win Sophie Jordan, but what she's holding*


Hmmm I wonder what Sophie is writing.... *insert kissy scene*

Just by looking at these picture of Sophie marking up her ARC makes me wish I could enter to win. YOU can enter to win it and here's how. All you have to do is follow this week's teaser tour.


Each day this week a new Vanish teaser will be posted on one of the following blogs:

Sunday, July 10: Mundie Moms
Monday, July 11: The Book Scout
Tuesday, July 12: i B Book Blogging
Wednesday, July 13: Reading Teen
Thursday, July 14: Electrifying Reviews
Friday, July 15: Once Upon A Twilight
Saturday, July 16: A Good Addiction


Each stop will also be hosting a swag giveaway (open to US residents only) to one of their tour stop commenters. Than on Saturday the entry form for the marked up ARC will be posted on A Good Addiction's blog. To enter the ARC giveaway you will need to answer the trivia question Kari posts, which will come from a teaser found on one of the tour stops above. Be sure you follow each stop this week to be able to answer the question.


Our giveaway:
To enter to win Vanish swag, please leave a comment along with your email address. US addresses only please. The contest closes next Saturday evening 7/16 & the winner announced next Sunday 7/17. Good luck to everyone and don't forget, be sure to stop by each of the tour stops for your chance to win Sophie's marked up ARC of Vanish.

Wolfsbane Blog Tour


We are so excited to be hosting Andrea Cremer's official Blog Tour for Wolfsbane! I absolutely love this series. Before I tell you the exciting news with the tour here's a little bit about Wolfsbane.

Published by Penguin
To Be released on July 26th, 2011

This thrilling sequel to the much-talked-about Nightshade begins just where it ended-Calla Tor wakes up in the lair of the Searchers, her sworn enemy, and she's certain her days are numbered. But then the Searchers make her an offer-one that gives her the chance to destroy her former masters and save the pack-and the man-she left behind. Is Ren worth the price of her freedom? And will Shay stand by her side no matter what? Now in control of her own destiny, Calla must decide which battles are worth fighting and how many trials true love can endure and still survive.

We've teamed up with Andrea and Penguin to bring you a tour you don't want to miss. Not only will there be author interviews, character interviews, reviews and guest posts, but GIVEAWAYS! Each participating blog will be giving away 1 SET of this series! That includes a paperback copy of Nightshade and hardcopy of Wolfsbane (these giveaways are open to US mailing addresses only). Be sure to follow the three week (July 19th- August 9th) tour schedule for your chance to win.

July:
19th- Mundie Moms, kick off tour & review
20th- Eve's Fan Garden, character interview w/ Ren
21st- Bookalicious, review
22nd- Books Complete Me, author interview
24th- Once Upon a Twilight, guest post
26th- The Story Siren, review, author interview & giveaway
27th- A Blog About Nothing, review
28th- Mundie Moms, character interview w/ Calla
30th- Novel Novice, author interview
31st- Naughty Book Kitties, author interview

August:
1st- Eve's Fan Garden, review
2nd- Page Turners, character interview with Shay
3rd- Mindful Musings, giveaway
4th- Electrifying Reviews, author interview
5th- Late Bloomers, review
6th- Book Butterfly, guest post
7th- Page Turners, review
8th- Books with Bite, author interview
9th- Fire & Ice, review



Since Wolfsbane has four different group of searchers, the tour is broken up into different searchers groups. You can find which searcher group you belong to here.

*Haldis:
-Mundie Moms
- Bookacilious
- Electrifying Reviews
- Books with Bite

*Tordis:
- The Story Siren
- Novel Novice
- Mindful Musings
- Naughty Book Kitties

*Eydis:
- Eve's Fan Garden
- The Secret Life of a Bibliophile
- Once Upon A Twilight
- A Blog About Nothing
- Late Bloomers

Pyralis:
- Page Turners
- Books Complete Me
- Book Butterfly
- Fire & Ice
___________________________________________

To find out more about the series, read an excerpt, where to buy & more, visit the Nightshadebook site. Don't forget to follow the series on Facebook. As always, you can keep up with all of Andrea's latest news by following her on her blog here. You can watch a short video of Andrea talking about Wolfsbane and her series here

Is Love Worth The Ultimate Sacrifice?
Don't forget to pre-order the third book in this series, Bloodrose, which will be released on February 21st, 2012.

Book Review - Epic Fail

Written by: Claire LaZebnick
Published by: Harper Collins
Release Date: August 2, 2011
Source: Publisher
4 stars - I really liked this book. Go pick it up. It's made of win.

Synopsis (from Harper Collins): Will Elise’s love life be an epic win or an epic fail?

At Coral Tree Prep in Los Angeles, who your parents are can make or break you. Case in point:

As the son of Hollywood royalty, Derek Edwards is pretty much prince of the school—not that he deigns to acknowledge many of his loyal subjects.

As the daughter of the new principal, Elise Benton isn’t exactly on everyone’s must-sit-next-to-at-lunch list.

When Elise’s beautiful sister catches the eye of the prince’s best friend, Elise gets to spend a lot of time with Derek, making her the envy of every girl on campus. Except she refuses to fall for any of his rare smiles and instead warms up to his enemy, the surprisingly charming social outcast Webster Grant. But in this hilarious tale of fitting in and flirting, not all snubs are undeserved, not all celebrity brats are bratty, and pride and prejudice can get in the way of true love for only so long.

Who doesn't love to read a romance in the summertime? Well, I obviously do and any story that keeps the structure of my beloved Pride and Prejudice is definitely worth the perusal.

Claire LaZebnick brings the rhythm of Pride and Prejudice's plot into the modern day setting of Coral Tree Prep School in Los Angeles. Imagine a school where every kid is not only privileged but also related to a movie star or someone famous. Then imagine a more academic family moving from snowy Massachusetts to sunny L.A. because of their parent's jobs. What if that family consisted of four daughters, and contained the new principal of Coral Tree as well as a new teacher there? Okay, now you are all with me.

Epic Fail is told from Elise Benton's point-of-view. She's the second oldest daughter and the one who is partnered up with Coral Tree's resident hottie, Derek Edwards. They are brought together only because Elise's older sister has fallen for Derek's best friend and sisters tend to stick together. You can already tell that I loved that sibling bond part, right? Well, I did. But, my heart went out to Elise as the moments of awkwardness and misunderstanding grew between her and Derek. Yes, I've read P&P dozens of times and yes, I fall for the plot's high and lows every time. This adaptation had them all but tweaked them just enough to keep me interested.

If you are looking for a smart, funny romance be sure to pick up Epic Fail when it comes out in a few weeks. As for me, well, I have to do something about that dreamy look in my eye that manifested itself after I turned the last page.

Labels