Giveaway & Review – Santa’s Magical Reindeer by Michele Monaco @ireadbooktours

Posted on December 6, 2023 by fundinmental

Book Details:

Book Title:  Santa’s Magical Reindeer: Becoming Pen Pals by Michele Monaco
Category: Children’s Fiction (ages 3 to 7), 38 pages
Genre:  Children’s Book
Publisher:  Mascot Kids
Release date:   Nov 7, 2023
Content Rating: G. Suitable for everyone.

MY REVIEW

Michele Monaco and illustrator, Prabir Sharkar have created an entertaining fantasy of magical reindeers visiting three young girls, wanting them to be pen pals. The illustrations for the oversized book are colorful and fun, on heavy, slick pages for the youngsters to touch. The story may encourage the young to pick up pencil and paper and write to..anyone. There are a list of questions at then end for the kiddies to ask their favorite reindeer, Santa, or any pen pal they choose. I love books that encourage children to communicate in any form and stretch their imagination. Sure to entertain the child hiding in all of us.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos — 4 Stars

Book Description:

Right after Thanksgiving is the busiest time of year for Santa and his crew of eight famous reindeer! Every year, the Famous Eight sleigh team from the North Pole eagerly helps Santa by going on a quest to find kids who believe in Christmas magic. In Santa’s Magical Reindeer: Becoming Pen Pals, Prancer, Vixen, and Dasher go on an adventure in search of eager pen pals. On their journey, they find three rambunctious girls who eagerly exchange letters with them and become lifelong friends.

Buy the Book:
Mascot Books
Amazon ~ B&N
add to Goodreads

Meet the Author:

Michele Monaco has a great love for the Christmas season. She embraces the Christmas spirit all year round by remembering to look at life through the eyes of a child. As a mother of three beautiful and exuberant daughters, she believes in the magic that the holiday brings. Michele lives in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, and enjoys traveling, reading, running, and enjoying the outdoors.

connect with author: website ~ facebook ~ instagram

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Giveaway – A Beautiful Story by Sarah French @ireadbooktours

Posted on September 14, 2023 by fundinmental

Book Details:

Book Title:  A Beautiful Story: Jesus & St. Nick by Sarah French
Category: Children’s Non-Fiction (ages 3 to 8), 32 pages
Genre:  Children’s Book
Publisher:  Sarah French
Release date:   Sep 2023
Content Rating: G. Suitable for everyone.

Book Description:

The Christmas season is here, and you once again have to juggle the story of Jesus with good Ole St. Nick…

…but what if you didn’t have to?

This beautifully illustrated bedtime story teaches children the story behind St. Nick and how he was a follower of Jesus too! Children will learn about the birth of Jesus, the importance of giving, and the reason for many of our holiday traditions.

A Beautiful Story: Jesus & St. Nick will quickly become a family favorite. Parents love the values it teaches, and kids love the way it brings the real Christmas story to life! Make this book a Christmas tradition in your household so your kids will grow up understanding why we celebrate Christmas with certain traditions today. And don’t worry! We don’t give away any holiday secrets!

Buy the Book:
Amazon ~ B&N
add to Goodreads

Meet the Author:

Sarah French is a three-time Emmy Award-winning journalist. She is a broadcast news anchor for the NBC affiliate, WCNC Charlotte.

Sarah joined WCNC from WHDH in Boston, MA. She was the morning anchor there and joined the team in 2011. She was also the host of What’s Cooking, How to Help, and Backstage in Boston. Prior to WHDH, Sarah was the morning anchor at WTIC in Hartford, CT. Sarah began her career as a reporter for KOMU in Columbia, MO.

Sarah brings rich experience covering major world events. She was on the ground covering the Boston Marathon bombing, the destructive aftermath of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, and the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. She holds three prestigious Emmy Awards. She also received the “Speak for Thyself Award” honoring community advocates and non-profit leaders, as well as Boston’s Most Exceptional Women Honoree.

Sarah is an inspirational champion for several notable causes, including the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Susan G. Komen Foundation. She is also an advocate for domestic violence victims. After the tragic death of her friend and colleague, Alice Morrin, Sarah worked tirelessly with Connecticut legislators to pass a 911 texting bill after Alice’s death.

Sarah is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism. In 2021, she went back to school and earned her Master of Journalism degree. After covering the Boston Marathon bombing, Sarah decided her research would focus on how to help journalists who cover traumatic events.

Sarah is a member of Cherokee nation. She grew up in Arkansas and lives in Charlotte with her husband and two kids. They also have two dogs, Buddy and Teddy! Sarah is a huge fan of the theater and enjoys spending her free time with family. Sarah also volunteers in the children’s ministry of her church.

connect with author: website

Enter the Giveaway:

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Giveaway & Review – Sammy & Scarlett’s Coral Reef Adventure by Robert Andrew Provan @ireadbooktours

Posted on September 5, 2023 by fundinmental

Book Details:

Book Title:  Sammy & Scarlett’s Coral Reef Adventure by Robert Andrew Provan
Category: Children’s Fiction (ages 3 to 7), 46 pages
Genre:  Children’s Book
Publisher:  Archway Pub
Release date: May, 2023
Content Rating: G.  This children’s book is for everyone.

MY REVIEW

I love the magnificent illustrations created by Mary Wentzel in Sammy & Scarlett’s Coral Reef Adventure by Robert Andrew Provan. Detailed and colorful that lead us, step by step, through the story. I was eager to get my hands on it, and wasted no time diving in. I love anything to do with oceans, seas, lakes, ponds…and all of their inhabitants. I am fascinated with water and find it soothing, hypnotizing.

We are introduced to Sammy, a sergeant major fish, and Scarlett, a yellowtail snapper who are washed out of their tidal pool, fiding safety in the mangroves. They decide it”s time to head to the Florida Keys, where they will spend their adult life.

They meet Howie, a Hawksbill Sea Turtle, and become fast friends. They learn a lot from him, as did we. Didn’t we, little ones?

I can imagine the delight a young child can gain from the wonderful illustrations as they learn about the symbiotic relationship of the Florida sea creatures. As Sammy and Scarlett learn from Howie, so do we. We learn of corals, reefs, solitary fish, schools of fish, who could be a friend, who could be your enemy and who could eat you. We, also get a glimpse of ourselves and our contributions, good and bad.

I loved it. I loved it. I loved it.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Sammy & Scarlett’s Coral Reef Adventure by Robert Andrew Provan.

Book Description:

Sammy, a sergeant major fish, and Scarlett, a yellowtail snapper, are best friends who have found safety in a mangrove forest after being washed out of a tidal pool in a large wave. But they’ve decided to leave the mangroves and their friend Manny and journey across the sea-grass meadows to the barrier reef of the Florida Keys, the place that will be their home in adulthood.

Along the way, they make a new friend, a hawksbill sea turtle named Howie. Howie is a kind sea turtle who gives the young fish the guidance they need to get where they’re going and stay safe. The three quickly become fast friends and learn that they can trust one another through thick and thin. Howie protects the little fish from predators, and in return they help keep the turtle safe from the dangers of human litter such as plastic bags. Join Sammy, Scarlett, and new friend Howie as their epic journey continues through the magnificent Florida Keys.

Buy the Book:
Amazon ~ B&N
BookBub
add to goodreads

Meet the Author:

Robert Andrew Provan is the author of three children’s books Ronnie the Raindrop, Sammy & Scarlett’s Mangrove Adventure, and Sammy & Scarlett’s Coral Reef Adventure.

Born and raised in Vermont, he has lived most of his adult life in the Sunshine State of Florida. When not writing, he is often to be found in the Florida Keys snorkeling or scuba diving as he conducts research for the next book in his children’s series. You can learn more about Robert at www.robertandrewprovan.com.

connect with the author: website ~ facebook ~ instagram ~ goodreads

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Giveaway & Excerpt – Control Freakz by Michael Evans @MEvansInked @YABoundToursPR

Posted on February 24, 2018 by fundinmental

Continue reading →

Giveaway & Review – Keep In A Cold Dark Place by Michael F Stewart @MichaelFStewart @XpressoReads

Posted on June 14, 2017 by fundinmental

Keep in a Cold, Dark Place by Michael F Steward is an irrestible story and I knew I had to have it. I mean…look at the cutie on the cover, with those eyes pleading at me to let out of the burlap bag it has been stuffed in.

Cover by Martin Stiff

Keep in a Cold, Dark Place
Michael F. Stewart
Publication date: May 18th 2017
Genres: Horror, Middle-Grade

MY REVIEW

The cover for Keep In A Cold Dark Place by Michael F Stewart is sooo good, I knew I had to read this. I immediately thought of Gremlins and figured I was in for one hell of an adventure…and I was right.

Limpy is a poor young girl with large dreams. I get very angry over the way most people treat her. It takes all kinds to make up this world, and she does more than her fair share. Here dead mother haunts her thoughts. She is devoted to her family and her art. Her creativity and originality would probably make her millions in the read world.

BUT…there are no monsters in the real world…are there? I was pleasantly surprised at what the monsters are and don’t want to spoil it, so I’m not going to tell you. For all you horror lovers, you DO want to know. I mean, just the title, Keep In A Cold Dark Place, is ominous, telling us there will be death and mayhem between ‘the pages’.

Michael F Stewart did a fabulous job with the writing and world he created. I felt anger and fear, worry and hope, and I was pretty sure the humans would prevail. I just wasn’t sure what humans would be left standing.

Lots of action and suspense kept me reading this cute and terrifying coming of age horror tale for Limpy and her family, friends and neighbors.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Keep In A Cold Dark Place by Michael F Stewart.

4 Stars

Reaching for her dream, Limpy unleashes a cute, fluffy, NIGHTMARE …

Keep in a cold, dark place. That’s what’s written like some ancient law on every bag of potatoes the family farms. And it’s where Limpy fears she will always remain.

It’s also carved on a box of spheres she discovers in the cellar. Spheres that hatch.

Cute at first, the creatures begin to grow. Then the chickens disappear. The cat is hunted. And something sets the barn ablaze. To survive, Limpy will need to face her greatest fear. The whole family will. Or they may end up in a cold, dark place indeed.

Goodreads / Amazon

Author Bio:

Michael F. Stewart is winner of both the 2015 Claymore Award and the 2014 inaugural Creation of Stories Award for best YA novel at the Toronto International Book Fair.

He likes to combine storytelling with technology and pioneered interactive storytelling with Scholastic Canada, Australia, and New Zealand’s, anti-cyberbullying program Bully For You. In addition to his award winning Assured Destruction series, he has authored four graphic novels with Oxford University Press Canada’s Boldprint series. Publications of nonfiction titles on Corruption and Children’s Rights are published by Scholastic and early readers are out with Pearson Education.

For adults, Michael has written THE SAND DRAGON a horror about a revenant prehistoric vampire set in the tar sands, HURAKAN a Mayan themed thriller which pits the Maya against the MS-13 with a New York family stuck in the middle, 24 BONES an urban fantasy which draws from Egyptian myth, and THE TERMINALS–a covert government unit which solves crimes in this realm by investigating them in the next.

Herder of four daughters, Michael lives to write in Ottawa where he was the Ottawa Public Library’s first Writer in Residence. To learn more about Michael and his next projects visit his website at www.michaelfstewart.com or connect via Twitter @MichaelFStewart.

Michael is represented by Talcott Notch.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Friday 56 #106 – The Saga of Baby Divine by Bette Midler @BetteMidler

Posted on November 4, 2016 by fundinmental

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The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda’s Voice.The only rules are to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your ereader and find any sentence or a few ( no spoilers) that grabs you and post it.

Please join Rose City Reader every Friday to share the first sentence or so of the book you are reading along with you initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.

Please include the title of the book and the author’s name.

~~~

I love Bette Midler. Her talent crosses many boundaries, from music, to movies to the written word.

I love her song, The Rose. It brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it.

Check out this cute illustrated story of The Saga of Baby Divine.

This is the cover for my 1st edition hardcover published in 1983.

Amazon / Goodreads

My 56

“I am Anxiety, friend to Despair!

I appear when your Courage departs.

‘I find you whenever your Confidence fails you

And Fear makes a Home in you Heart!”

(Page 36 in hardcover, published in 1983)

Book Beginnings

The skies were ablaze with Disorder that Night,

The Planets, aghast and aquiver;

The Delirious Moon had the Brass to be Full

When it should have been only a sliver.

Do you have a favorite Bette Midler song, movie or book?

GOODREADS BLURB: This book is divine, it’s simply sublime, As Baby Divine’s tale’s related in rhyme. Bette Midler inspires with her words full of charm. As she tells us how Baby Divine escapes harm. How so much talent could be in one girl? To fathom it makes my poor brain start to whirl. She not only acts, sings, dances and writes! She’s the brightest of stars in a world full of nights …

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Save

Review & Giveaway: The Knights Before Christmas by Joan Holub

Posted on November 23, 2015 by fundinmental

The Knights Before Christmas by Joan Holub is my holiday kickoff read.

Be sure and check out my review, then:

About the Book

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million

Goodreads | Indiebound | iBook | Kobo

MY REVIEW

I saw The Knights Before Christmas by Joan Holub and I thought, what better way to kick off the upcoming holiday season than with a classic, of sorts.

Written with humor and wit, what child wouldn’t delight in feeling they are a hero by saving the castle from the invaders, even if it is Santa.

There will be “reindeer” and Santa and gifts galore.

They will cower with fear, yet man the walls.

The book is large and thin, making it easy for the small hands in the household to hold onto. My biggest concern is the pages in those grasping little hands, how well will they hold up.

The illustrations describe the action, word by word, in vivid color.

A fun book to add to a child’s reading list, but I was left a bit confused at the ending. Santa bad? And a Trojan Horse? How would a 5 – 8 year old child respond to it?

I have not reviewed many children’s books, but these are my thoughts. Am I being too harsh? Your thoughts may be quite different, so be sure and check it out for yourself.

I received a copy of The Knights Before Christmas by Joan Holub in return for an honest review.

3 Stars

~~~~~~~~~~~~

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~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Children’s Coming of Age Story

Posted on August 20, 2012 by fundinmental

Flickering Hope by Naomi Kinsman

Sadie sets off to check on Patch. She knows Frankie’s dad, Jim, wants to get rid of Patch, so she has to be careful and cover her tracks. Jim thinks Patch is a problem to be taken care of, but Sadie thinks of her as a pet.

While she is out there, she runs into a young girl. Her family is living in a shack in the woods. The girl swears her to secrecy or she will expose Patch. Secrets have a way of coming out.

She loves visiting Helen and Andrew. Helen studies the bears. Sadie likes Andrew, she has a crush on him.

Secrets. Andrew’s secret. Frankie’s secret. Frankie is her enemy or is she? Does she want to be friends?

The girl in the woods says everything will be great if they find the bear. My bear?
3 Stars – Would Recommend to Others
Won in a Goodreads First Read Giveaway. A children’s book. Picked it up to read because the cover and title made it look like a fun, easy read. A short book to just relax with and enjoy a fun romp through Sadie’s mind. I could just imagine what the gravy looked like with all the different food colors added – olives on their fingertips, playing as if they were finger puppets. A nice story about a girl questioning life’s reasons, God, friendship, faith. Fighting for what she believes in and never giving up.

I could feel empathy with the characters and thought the story covered the problems and confusion that all kids go through. It was well written and the story is something that kids can relate to.

All the wonderful things that involve the holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Does it bring back memories? The gift of giving, friendship and loyalty.

About the author

Naomi Kinsman is the author of Spilled Ink (winner of the 2009 Moonbeam Gold Medal for Educational/Activity book) as well as the From Sadie’s Sketchbook series (Zondervan). She has written and directed over 50 plays for young audiences, and has written for Highlights, Spider and Devozine magazines.

As founder of the Society of Young Inklings, Naomi shares her passion for writing and creativity with young people across the country. Society of Young Inklings offers game-based classes, unique resources, national club membership and publishing opportunities for young writers. Naomi has a BA in Theatre Arts from Seattle Pacific University, has studied theatre with the Piven Theatre Workshop and ACT, and has an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Hamline University.

She is the Assistant Regional Advisor for the San Francisco South chapter of SCBWI. Naomi lives in Northern California with her husband, and identically colored pets: a tuxedo cat and a Portuguese Water Dog.

To get a copy of the book, just click on the link below.