What's Coming in December?

It's Advent and, soon, Christmas! I've got my baking well underway and am enjoying all of the holiday cheer...probably more than I should be. My celebrations start right at Thanksgiving weekend and stay in full swing until well after New Year Day. Of course, that means tons of lovely reads, too. Some are holiday geared, while others make great stocking-stuffers. Plus, I have quite a few nonfiction reads hitting this month. 

Let's take a peek and see a tiny bit of the surprises this month has in store!

SANTA MOUSE MAKES A CHRISTMAS WISH

Doesn't this mouse look holiday-ish sweet? He just happens to be one of Santa's helpers at the North Pole and is in for some Christmas adventure. I'm really looking forward to swinging into the season with him. Let's deck those halls on the 3rd!

Picture Book

DUDE PERFECT 101 TRICKS, TIPS, AND COOL STUFF

I was thrilled to get my hands on this book! It's a tips and tricks to everything behind the scenes with Dude Perfect. Packed full of photos and things to do and try, this one promises to get readers moving and discovering and even shove in tons of excitement and physical fun. Let's do this one on the 7th!

Middle Grade Nonfiction

FERRYMAN

Another new series takes off with this book. It centers around death, love and the borders in the realms beyond. Oh, and wraiths, which want to feed on the heroine's soul. It has hit the highly-anticipated list. I'm going to take a look at this one on the 9th.

Young Adult Fantasy

THE COOLEST VEHICLES IN THE WORLD

What kid doesn't love to color? I'm going to be exploring coloring books, which are also packed with information, from a very prolific, coloring book creator. Yep, this author has produced...oh, my...tons of books. And I'm betting these will make great, last-minute stocking stuffers. Find out with me on the 13th!

Coloring Books

DASHER

Who is Dasher? This holiday book investigates that question and introduces the tale of a young reindeer, who was once part of a traveling circus. I'm looking forward to a tale to snuggle up with while sipping hot chocolate on the 14th!

Picture Book

THE WONDER OF CREATION

This is the follow-up devotional to the best-sellers, Indescribable and How Great Is Our God. It packs 100 devotions surrounding God and science, and should presented tons of illustrations, information, and be, of course, inspiring. Let's find out if it does all of this on the 18th.

Middle Grade Religious

A COSY CHRISTMAS AT BRIDGET'S BICYCLE BAKERY

Now, I'm not sure this one is really a YA read, although it is listed as such on several sites. But it's definitely a clean read, and the surmise is so cute that even if it doesn't fit into the advertised YA category, I'm going to shove it into a Mommy and Daddy's Day Post. Be Christmassy with me on the 20th!

Young Adult Contemporary

ZANTA CLAUS: THERE'S ANOTHER CLAUS IN TOWN

Almost every book on Bookworm for Kids is a new or upcoming release. This book is an exception. It came out in 2015 but caught my attention with the good reviews and super cute description. Santa's brother is determined to start his own fairy tale and the Council of Fairies let's him start up his own business. Giggle with me on the 23rd!

Young Adult Fantasy

STARPASSAGE: CYBER PLAGUE

This is book 4 in a series (which I haven't read, yet)...and btw, starts with an ancient Christmas ornament...and rotates around time travel, adventure, an ancient warrior, and the possible erasing of the human race. It involves twin sisters and threats galore. I'm taking the ride on the 27th and hope you'll join me.

Middle Grade Science Fiction

ABSURD WORDS

Words can get such a bad reputation with kids, but vocabulary isn't nearly as boring as some of them think. This book is a type of dictionary-thesaurus, which supposedly takes words to the next level and proves how silly, interesting and exciting they can be. Find out if it's true with me on the 30th!

Middle Grade Non-Fiction

Usually, I end off my list with a 'Joker Read', but not this month. December also means the end of the year, which.... (and I love this part)....means I take a peek at all of the books I reviewed during 2021. I'll offer some statistics, kidlit thoughts, and announce my favorite reads of the year (ones presented here on Bookworm for Kids).

So, get ready for my end of the year celebration on December 31st!

Review: Night Night, Angel by Amy Parker

 Today's review is a perfect...

Or even better as a gift during the upcoming days before Christmas. I find the animals on the cover so cute, and the image of the sleeping very calming. After all, this is a nighttime read. Add the extra bonus that it's for Christmas, and well, that makes it perfect for a review before the holidays.

NIGHT NIGHT, ANGEL

A Sleepy Christmas Celebration

by Amy Parker

Illustrated by Virginia Allyn

Thomas Nelson

Board Book / Holidays

20 pages

ages 2 to 5

'Tis the season for joy! Celebrate the family fun and season's blessings of Christmas with a young arctic fox as your family remembers that Jesus is the best gift of all. Amy Parker's delightful rhymes and Virginia Allyn's sweet illustrations make Night Night, Angel the perfect read-aloud for toddlers and preschoolers enjoying the Christmas season.

Little fox loves all the excitement that Christmas brings to the forest: making creative presents, placing the star on the tree, and making sure she is spotlight-ready for the big Christmas play. But soon she realizes that the perfect gift has already been given through the baby who arrived on the first Christmas night!

As the fourth seasonal title in the hugely successful Night Night bedtime storybook brand, this Christmas board book gives families a fun way to say goodnight during the Advent season
celebrates the special moments of family holiday activities gently reminds children that Baby Jesus is the reason for the season The Christmas theme and sparkling cover make Night Night, Angel perfect for an Advent gift, stocking stuffer, or Christmas morning surprise from parents, grandparents, Sunday school teachers, and friends. Your little angel will be ready to snuggle in for the night as together you celebrate the many blessings of Christmas!

GOODREADS    /    AMAZON   /   B&N   /    BOOK DEPOSITORY

MY TIDBITS

 Sleepy time dreams will radiate with the calm and joy of Christmas with this super sweet, bedtime read for the days before the holidays.

This is a board book made for young hands. The cover and pages will take a little abuse and can be wiped from lighter marks and smudges...as most board books are. Each two-page spread holds a four-line rhyme and ends with a 'Night Night'. This keeps a lovely familiarity and repetition, which young listeners can recognize, speak along with the reader, or even let it lull them into sleep. The text is simple enough for the younger ones to follow, and the situations are ones many younger listeners can identify with and recognize.

The illustrations are bright and, yet, hold a pastel atmosphere to gently lure into dreamy thoughts. The animals are friendly and joyful as they go about various, holiday activities such as baking cookies or sitting around a cozy fire and listening to tales. Friendship, being together, and enjoying moments are themes which radiate off of every page, making it a wholesome read from beginning to end. 

This is a religious book, which does even include a scene where the animals reenact the manger scene (as young listeners might see themselves at a local church before Christmas day). The last pages ease to a happy and satisfied end and a good night. It's gentle, holds hope and joy, and brings across the warming atmosphere very well.

Review: Countdown to Christmas! by Charles M. Schulz

Yesterday, we picked out our Christmas tree, making today the perfect time to start the holiday fun. I got my hands on a lovely read...yep, this one made me smile. Since Advent's Calendars are a standard tradition in our household, this one slid right in.

So, Peanut fans get ready because this one is perfect for you! 

PEANUTS 

COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS!

With a Story a Day

by Charles M. Schulz

Illustrated by Robert Pope

Simon Spotlight

Children's Holiday Fiction

63 pages

ages 6 to 8 (and up, too)

Get into the Christmas spirit with the Peanuts gang in this joyful collection of twenty-five stories—one for every day of December from the first through the twenty-fifth—with original illustrations and foil on the cover!

This collection of Peanuts stories celebrates everything wonderful about the Christmas season—writing Christmas cards, shopping for presents, going to holiday parties, going sledding, drinking hot cocoa, and baking cookies for Santa! There’s a story for each day of the month to make the wait go faster!

© 2021 Peanuts Worldwide LLC

GOODREADS   /    AMAZON   /   BOOK DEPOSITORY   /   B&N  /   KOBO

MY TIDBITS

The preparation for Christmas with all of it's wish lists, cards, tree shopping, present wishing and nervous expectations make this into an adorable read...but Peanuts is in a class all of its own.

This is a collection of 25 stories, each derived from the beloved Peanuts tales that many of us know and love. The stories have been realigned to fit a short reading for each day. The scenes will awake memories for those, who are already Peanut fans, and give new readers a glance at all those things which made the characters, who they are. This is not done in comic form, but rather, short story tales with a large illustration or two to set the scene.

The stories are written for lower middle graders or those chapter book readers, who have a good handle on their words. But this also works ( and in my opinion, is better) as a read-aloud. The tales are  snippets from the larger comic plots, but they are changed just enough to make them fit a short story form. There are other alterations and twists, and a few end with a slightly incomplete atmosphere. Still, all of the wonder which makes Lucy, Charlie, Snoopy nd the other characters, who they are, shines through. 

It's a fun read to get ready for the holidays and will make more than just Peanut fans smile.

Sneak Peek: Terra Nova by M.T.G. with Giveaway!

 

Terra Nova

M.T.G.

Terra Nova, #1

Publication date: July 28th 2020

YA Fantasy, Paranormal

 

Evangeline is living the life of a normal teenager—going to school and hanging out with friends—until mysterious, severe symptoms begin appearing. After passing out in the middle of a party, life as she knows it spirals beyond her grasp. She is then diagnosed with a rare, genetic blood disorder that causes her body’s white blood cells to kill the red ones. In the delirium of her deteriorating health, a door to a parallel world opens before her; however, once she steps through it, the portal closes, and she is unable to return to Earth.

The place Evangeline now finds herself in is called Terra Nova, a world wherein vampires rule supreme, with no traces of humanity left to speak of. Curious but afraid, she quickly learns that Terra Nova is not the shadow-side of Earth, but rather the tragic result of government experimentation. In order to survive, she must keep her mind open and accept the changes her body is undergoing; soon enough, those who she initially thinks are murderers become her trainers, whose help she must enlist if she ever hopes to return home—and soon enough, a romantic bond begins to bloom.

Meanwhile, Evangeline’s brother and friends back on Earth try to figure out what happened to her, and how the government is involved, and how to bring her home. Unbeknownst to any of them is the mysterious outcast Bambi, whose secrecy disguises her power in making a devastating choice: save one world at the risk of destroying the other.

Goodreads / Amazon

SNEAK PEEK

A horrible sound was ringing in Evangeline’s ears. She opened her eyes to find Eros standing above her, dangling a large bell.

“Stop! Oh my God. You can just tell me to go to my room. I must’ve passed out. I’m sorry. I’ll go sleep in my room. I’m going. I’m going.”

“You can go and get dressed and ready in your own room,” Eros said with a sardonic smile.

“What?” Evangeline asked, bleary-eyed.

“It is the middle of the night, again. We have all had our meal. Yours is waiting for you in the kitchen. Hurry up. The citizens are beginning to think we ate you.”

Evangeline sat up and looked at him, “I slept all day? Are you serious?”

“Do I jest much?”

She looked around his bed and then up at him, “I’m…sorry. You had to sleep on the chair.”

“No. I slept on my bed,” Eros said evenly.

“Oh,” Evangeline’s eyes went slightly wider and she immediately regretted letting him see her confusion. Eros narrowed his eyes and ran his tongue across his teeth, looking at her.

“Do you think I seduced you while you were sleeping?” he said, his lips curling down, “I believe Josepina explained the likelihood of that. I rested on the other side of the bed, wench. On top of the covers. We rarely feel cold, except for in extreme temperatures. The covers are for…nostalgia, I suppose. If you choose to hibernate on my bed do not expect me to sit on the chair all night.”

“You could have just woken me up, you know,” Evangeline said, standing up to go.

“I considered it. However, you had already slobbered on my book and the option of ringing a large bell in your face this evening appealed to me.”

Evangeline gave him a dirty look, which had the effect of bringing a wide smile to his face. She was about to leave the room without a word when a thought came to her head and squinting her eyes at him she began to laugh, “Sorry, I was just imagining you seducing someone.”

Eros’ smile began to lower into a confused frown and she burst out laughing harder, “It’s just that, well, how did you do it before? I mean, seduce someone? I can’t imagine you being charming for the life of me.”

Author Bio:

MTG has worked in numerous positions, mainly in managerial and executive roles. Terra Nova, her first publication, is Book 1 of a series. The series’ concept emerged when she, like the protagonist, was diagnosed with the blood disorder paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), and her then-boyfriend (now husband) joked she was becoming a vampire. She currently works and resides in Canada.

Website / Goodreads / Instagram

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Review: Avalina Jones and the Eye of the Storm by Lori Adams

We're diving into the world of pirates and open seas....and magic! Today's review spins the myth of Davy Jones into a magical and very adventurous tale for high-sea lovers with a brave and risk-friendly heroine. It's the first in a new series and sets sails on November 29th (so, just a couple more days to wait). 

Ready for a peek?

AVALINA JONES 

AND THE EYE OF THE STORM

by Lori Adams

Spyhop Publishing

Middle Grade Fantasy

360 pages

ages 9 to 14

COMING...

NOVEMBER 29th!!!

When a young girl learns she is the Last Heir to the infamous pirate Davy Jones, she is whisked away to begin life aboard an enchanted schoolship for Pirate Heirs where danger and excitement awaits. 

Contemporary kids who happen to be Heirs of the most villainous and celebrated pirates in history. Superstitions, mysteries, curses, secrets, strange ocean creatures, undead pirates, and seafaring legends will thrill middle-grade readers in this rollicking, globe-trotting adventure. 

Avalina Jones, the Last Heir of the infamous pirate Davy Jones, has never heard of Sea Magic, flying dinghies, Pirate Heir schoolships, phantom islands, or creatures called Half Ones. And she has never understood her strange connection to water. When a beautiful woman arrives in a swirling waterspout, Avalina’s life explodes with more adventures than she can possibly imagine. She takes her rightful place aboard a giant Pirate Heir schoolship teeming with Heirs of the world’s most nefarious pirates.

Raised as a Landlubber, Avalina quickly realizes bizarre and danger are normal aboard Pirate Heir schoolships—food fights back, school supplies giggle or explode in your face. And not everyone can be trusted.

When Avalina is accused of a terrible crime, she must prove her innocence or risk being banished from the schoolship forever—and this in the middle of a crucial Treasure Hunt!

Avalina races to unlock secrets of the ship, and makes a dangerous discovery that threatens everyone aboard. With the help of her new friends Charlie, Pippa, and Bummy, Avalina draws closer to the truth, unaware that a deeper, darker fate awaits.

Worlds collide for middle-grade readers who will love the fast-paced thrills, colorful characters, secrets, legends, and the interplay of fantasy and reality in Avalina Jones and the Eye of the Storm. Author Lori Adams expertly delivers a story that is timeless, bringing together elements of sea lore, magic, and adventure. The first book in a seven-book series, Avalina Jones and the Eye of the Storm, is a romping tale for middle graders who are searching for the next enduring fantasy classic.

GOODREADS   /   AMAZON   /    B&N

MY TIDBITS

High seas and pirating adventure mixes with imagination and quirky magic to create a very rich world, and one with more than a little bit of fun.

Avalina Jones has spent most of her childhood at the orphanage, gazing across the Mississippi River. Not only does she feel as if it's calling to her, but strange things happen around her, which makes her positive she isn't like the other children. The headmistress doesn't seem surprised but refuses to explain exactly what's going on. When an odd woman comes to the building in a flying boat and kidnaps Avalina with the promise to take her where she truly belongs...and the woman knows her dead parents...the adventure begins. Avalina is a 1st year student on a famous, pirate ship school, might have a curse, and has more than a few enemies.

This is a fun adventure from beginning to end. It packs imagination upon imagination...and I do mean to the gills. Every page swims with magical hints, objects, characters, and quirkiness, creating a very rich fantasy world, where nothing seems to be impossible and surprises lurk past every gangway. The characters are just as rich and pop off the page. There's never a second for boredom and always something happening. So, get ready for fast-paced adventure because this book has that. Tons of it.

To say that this one reminds me of Harry Potter's Hogwarts is an understatement. There are many parallels in the world, although in this book, everything takes a very strong pirate twist. In that sense, I found it clever and loved getting lost in the fun. However, all the quirky details also became too much, at times, and ended up overwhelming a few of the scenes. Still, the richness is amazing and is sure to thrill younger readers.

Avalina Jones is a character to root for from beginning to end. She gets herself into sticky situations, is a bit head-strong, and yet, even held back and careful, at times. She fits her age group pretty well and definitely slides into a great character for a middle grade read. The tale is tense and also stays age appropriate. Fantasy and pirate fans are sure to enjoy this one.