Sylvia Doe and the 100-Year Flood by Robert Beatty

 I was so excited to get my hands on today's read. I adore the cover with the cranes, storm, and girl pushing forward through it on her horse. It looks exciting, and the blurb definitely has me hooked. I hope my expectations aren't shattered. But I'm feeling good about this one.

And as a side note, this one takes place in North Carolina and tells about the huge destruction during a hurricane. I can't help but sigh.

SYLVIA DOE AND THE 100-YEAR FLOOD

by Robert Beatty

Disney Hyperion

Middle Grade Magical Realism

320 pages

ages 8 to 12

COMING...

OCTOBER 8th!!!

Sylvia Doe doesn't know where she was born or the people she came from. She doesn't even know her real last name. Sylvia has lived at the Highground Home for Children in the mountains of North Carolina for as long as she can remember. Whenever the administrators place her with a foster family in the city, she runs away, back to her horse Kitty Hawk—her best friend—and the other horses in the herd, the only place she feels like she belongs.

When Hurricane Jessamine causes the remote mountain valley where she lives to flood, Sylvia must rescue her beloved horses. But she begins to encounter strange and wondrous things floating down the river. Glittering gemstones and wild animals that don't belong — everything's out of place. Then she spots an unconscious boy floating in the water. As she drags him onto the shore and their adventure together begins, Sylvia wonders who he is and where he came from. And why does she feel such a strong connection to this mysterious boy?

SYLVIA DOE has earned the prestigious STARRED REVIEW from both Kirkus Reviews and Publisher's Weekly. The award-winning author Kwame Alexander praised the story, saying "Magical realism at its best!"

GOODREADS     /      PUBLISHER 

MY TIDBITS

Get ready for high-tension and one dangerous situation after the next because this read keeps the pacing high, allowing the reader to only come up for a breath every now and then.

Sylvia wanted the latest foster home to work, but the news of the hurricane propelled her worries to the extreme, leaving her no choice but to run away and head back to the horses she'd helped tend for years. She had to make sure they were safe. After days of traveling, she arrives only to find that the horses are in danger. As the floods come in full thrust, odd things start to happen, but Sylvia has little time to take notice since not only the horses' lives are in danger, but those of others as well. She's determined to do everything she can to help...even if it could never be enough and might cost her life.

This is a fast-paced read, which heads into a beautiful landscape and rides on the devastation of a massive storm. The author does a wonderful job at working in descriptions to let the reader sink into the surroundings, while never treading near the word boring. Sylvia finds herself in more than a few deadly situations, and the tension keeps the reader at the edge of their seat. The writing flows nicely while bringing across each scene clearly and with the fitting emotion. It's an enjoyable read from beginning to end.

While Sylvia and her lovely horse are up against the violence of Mother Nature, she's also dealing with mysteries surrounding her own past. As if that wasn't enough, there are more subplots thanks to the other characters, which thicken the tale's weave. Add the sprinkles of light fantasy, and there's quite a bit to enjoy. 

And here he is...

Robert Beatty lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Asheville, North Carolina with his wife and three daughters, who help create and refine his stories. He loves to explore the grand Biltmore Estate and the darkened forest trails where his novels take place. Robert’s Disney Hyperion novel Serafina and the Black Cloak will go on sale July 14, 2015. He writes full-time now, but in his past lives, Robert was one of the early pioneers of cloud computing, the founder/CEO of Plex Systems, the co-founder of Beatty Robotics, and the chairman/CTO of Narrative Magazine. In 2007, he was named an Entrepreneur of the Year. Answering a question about the inspiration for his book, Robert said, “Serafina’s journey grew out of my desire to write a story about an unusual and heroic young girl for my three daughters.”

Rago Gets A Pet Dragon by Matilda Peter

 Who wants a pet dragon? Okay, maybe not a true pet in the house. Maybe, not even in the shed outside? Who simply would like to have a dragon friend? Today's read embraces the idea of loving dragons and explores what it might be like to have one (a very small one) as a pet. It should be packed with humor, and I'm ready for a giggle. So, off we go!

RAGO GETS A PET DRAGON    

A Colorful and Most Unique Dragon

by Matilda Peter

Illustrated by Gul Sari

AMC Publishing

Picture Book / Chapter Book

ages 3 to 7

A fun, magical picture book story filled with humorous mishaps as Rago, a little wizard gets a pet… a most colorful, and quite unique, kind of dragon!

A young wizard named Rago always wanted a pet but wasn’t quite prepared when he got Zalon… a rather unique dragon! Now, what could possibly go wrong when a dragon learns spells? Or sneezes (fire)?

Through a series of funny and chaotic events, Rago soon learns that looking after a dragon is not easy—from finding a dragon-proof bed to discovering Zalon’s favorite food ( it’s smelly and blue).

“Well now, Rago knew dragons ate huge plates of food.
Then he thought, ‘Hmm, but what did they think tasted good?’
Old snake soup, maybe red spider cake, or bug pies?
Or sour pickles and cookies with toasted green flies?”

Can determination and the power of friendship help Rago and Zalon through such chaos?

This humorous and beautifully illustrated rhyming book will make children giggle and spark their imagination. It touches on friendship, acceptance, and perseverance, with fun vocabulary and challenging words to encourage your child’s love for reading.

AMAZON    /    GOODREADS

MY TIDBITS

Not only dragon fans will enjoy this up-beat and silly tale, which lets rhymes dance around a little mishap, a bit of chaos, and a dab of heart.

Rago wants a pet, and as a wizard, the possibilities are pretty broad. When Zalon, a dragon, ends up being his companion, he's happy and somewhat unsure. This is a unique dragon, which also makes it unpredictable. Plus, Rago isn't quite sure what a dragon needs or wants...or much of anything, really. And not meeting a dragons needs, even one as lovely as Zalon, can quickly lead to sticky situations.

This read was written with the intention of being fun, and it hits that mark nicely. The rhyming bounces along with energy and quirky twists while keeping the humor side high. Zalon is a sympathetic wizard and comes across as normal as can be...well, ignoring the wizardy aspect. It's easy to connect to him and understand his problem. The classroom settings add silliness as do more than a few of the home situations. There's something to smile at on every page, and the tension at one ridiculousness might happen next keeps the anticipation high.

The text makes a great read-aloud for story times and can be read by those who have a good grip on their words. It's not overly text heavy but keeps things light the entire way through. The illustrations add to the humor and fun, bring Zalon to life. Zalon is such a fun dragon, too, and some readers might be left wishing they could have this dragon as a pet themselves.

IWSG and Happy Book Birthday, Spellcaster Wild Card by Nikki Jefford with Giveaway!

 

It's IWSG time!

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Alex J. Cavanaugh is the amazing founder of this even more amazing group. Special thanks goes to this month's co-hosts:  Nancy Gideon, Jennifer Lane, Jacqui Murray, and Natalie Aguirre!

I'm feeling a bit brain-dead on the writing end...although I am writing a little. So, I'm going to hit today's question and call it good.

October 2 question - Ghost stories fit right in during this month. What's your favorite classic ghostly tale? Tell us about it and why it sends chills up your spine.

Hmmm...I'm not a huge horror fan. So, this is a difficult question because I'm pretty sure It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown doesn't count. Ones I have enjoyed are: The Amityville Horror, Sleepy Hollow, several of the Stephen King novels (obviously), and...well, I'm not sure the rest I've enjoyed count as scary.

What about you? What are your favorites?

**********

SPELLCASTER WILD CARD

by Nikki Jefford

YA Urban Fantasy

Win the game. Change the world.

Winning the show means living forever. It is the golden ticket to fame, fortune, and a place among the vampire elite.

Being remade isn’t on my wish list. I like being me, and with nearly a million online followers, it’s working. My parents and big sister are the do-gooders in our family who want to make the world a fair and just place for all humans and paranormal creatures. I just want to finish high school and keep doing what I do best—sharing hair and beauty tips while discussing Spellcaster and how the show’s vampire judge Malachi Rayne is the hottest male on the planet.

Then, life as I know it ends. There are evil forces who will stop at nothing to maintain world dominance—indefinitely.

It’s hard to care when I’ve become dead inside and out.

After my family is violently attacked, the host of Spellcaster insists I audition for Season 13. For the first time in the show’s history, they want to represent every species of paranormals. That’s me now. Not human. Not vampire. Not the class of creature anyone EVER cheers for.

This season’s prize is power beyond anyone’s imagination. It is the kind of reward that contestants and their sponsors would kill to possess.

Let the other contestants and judges underestimate me. They can gossip all they want about the hotshot wizard and the alpha werewolf behaving as though I’m another prize to be won. And if Coach Malachi can’t handle a bold influencer with abilities, then he can suck it. I preferred watching him from the other side of the screen. He’s about to discover that Haylee Hutchins is a force to be reckoned with. The whole world will.

Someone thought they could silence my family for good. Instead, they created a monster. I’m still here, and I am much harder to kill.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

SNEAK PEEK

Everything is spinning. My body. My vision. My brain. I clamp my mouth shut to keep from vomiting. The cleaning crew just got the stage cleaned. Then there’s the second reason I keep my lips pressed tight. I refuse to beg Malachi for mercy.

My hands flail and grasp for something to hold on to, but the wind rushing between my fingers is no help. If this is what flying feels like, then it’s highly overrated. I lean forward in an attempt to go vertical, which has the ill effect of pitching me forward so I catch a brief view of how far I am from the stage. My body flips around another time. I don’t want to land on my feet and crush my ankles. I certainly don’t want to land on my head and shatter my skull. I don’t want to break anything on my body!

If I won this season’s prize, I could defend myself instead of swirling helplessly like the roof of a house caught in a tornado.

The wind rips out my hair tie and blows my braid out in an instant. Blond hair whips me in the eyes. My body begins to descend slowly, while the spinning continues in full force. The tornado fades little by little into the stage until I am set down gently and it disappears altogether. I try to remain standing while the theater seats and stage continue to spin, but I tilt to one side and misstep. Thump. I fall to the stage, sprawled out on my side. It could have been worse, though. Way, way worse.

It’s a little hard to feel grateful as partially digested lunch rushes up my throat. I swallow it down.

Malachi stomps over. “What the hell was that, Hutchins?”

Great. He’s using my last name. The coaches never use contestants’ last names. I must be in trouble.

It’s a serious effort to get to my feet, which takes outstretched arms to keep my balance, but I’m not about to listen to this lecture in a crumpled heap on the stage.

My loose hair tickles my cheeks. I swallow again and cover my mouth with my hand. Malachi’s not in my face, but I don’t want him scenting my vomit breath. Well, not technically breath, but whatever foul waft might originate from the leftover taste on my tongue.

Malachi doesn’t wait for me to answer his question before drilling into me. “First rule of magical combat—never lose hold of your wand.”

“You lost yours,” I mutter, which is the wrong thing to say.

Author Bio:

Nikki Jefford is a third-generation Alaskan nomad married to an amazing Frenchman. She loves fictional bad boys and heroines who kick butt! Books, travel, TV series, hiking, writing, and motorcycle riding are her favorite escapes. The dark side of human nature fascinates her, so long as it's balanced by humor and romance.

To get in on the fun and adventure, visit Nikki at her website for release alerts, updates, exclusive giveaways, and a free story when you subscribe to her newsletter: https://nikkijefford.com/newsletter/

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter

GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Our Galaxy: A First Adventure in Space by Sue Lowell Gallion

I enjoy books with a slightly different twist, and today's read has exactly that. This book can be pulled around to form a globe on its stand and represents Earth. Each page should hold information about the planet and, I'm assuming, hold colorful illustrations. It sounds fun and interesting, so let's see if it is.

OUR GALAXY

A First Adventure in Space

by Sue Lowell Gallion

Illustrated by Lisk Feng

Phaidon  Press

Board Book Nonfiction

26 pages

ages 2 to 5

COMING...

OCTOBER 15th!!!

A poetic read-aloud introduction to space for readers aged 2-5 years that, when opened and folded back, creates a freestanding galactic globe, fastened by a magnetic closure.

Children are invited to explore space for the first time through rhyming verse and exquisite illustrations: from the Moon and the Sun they see every day, to the fiery and icy worlds of the eight planets in our solar system, and from asteroids and stars, to the galaxy we call home.
Secondary text offers more detailed information and facts, encouraging readers to learn not only about the celestial objects in our solar neighbourhood, but also about rockets, rovers, and other space technologies.

This informative homage to our galactic home, featuring frame-worthy art, is sure to inspire readers to explore the night sky and to learn more about astronomy.

GOODREADS   /    PHAIDON

MY TIDBITS

Visually pleasing and holding quite a bit of atmosphere as well as information, this read soars into space and inspires.

This is one of those reads, which will have young space fans' hearts beating faster. It's unique shape and ability to open up into a globe form of Earth is a definite plus point, It makes it fun to peer between each set of pages and see the information inside, since it's standing there. The entire thing is brightly illustrated and works in balance with the text to make the information understandable, while also inviting readers to gaze at the scenes and dream of space.

The text is divided into two halves: a rhyming, short one to be read aloud, and next to it, a concise paragraph with information and explanations. The rhyming text allows young readers to sink into the joy of space, while doing a light exploration of moons, planets, sun, rotations and more. This stays very light, allowing a more general atmosphere to come across. The rhyming and word choices are fine, but not what makes this read. The information on the other side is stronger and dives into the subject just enough for young listeners to enjoy, who are ready for the facts. It is a bit heavy for the intended age group, but will delight slightly older ones, ages 4 to 9. And I'm tending to want to slide this read up to that group, in general.

It's a nicely thought-out book, especially for groups or classrooms, who are covering a theme in this direction.

And here they are...

Sue Lowell Gallion is an award-winning children’s book author based in Kansas City. She is the author of Phaidon’s Our World: A First Book of Geography, Our Seasons: The World in Winter, Spring, Summer, and Autumn, and Our Underwater World: A First Dive into Oceans, Lakes, and Rivers among others.

Lisk Feng is an award-winning illustrator from China. She graduated from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2014 with an MFA in Illustration and has since worked as a commercial illustrator for clients such as The New Yorker, New York Times, and Chanel.

Happy Book Birthday, Your Throne by Sam!

I covered this one earlier this year, but since it's Happy Book Birthday time, I'm just going post it again and scream ' Happy Birthday!'

YOUR THRONE, VOL. 1

by Sam

WEBTOON Unscrolled

Young Adult Fantasy

288 pages

COMING...

OCTOBER 1st!!!

A powerful noblewoman has to rewrite her entire revenge plan when she wakes up in the body of her sworn rival. Your Throne Vol. 1 collects the first 12 episodes of the stunning fantasy WEBTOON comic by SAM, which has over 830 million reads worldwide.

Tensions are brewing under the seemingly calm surface of the Vasilios Empire, a kingdom ruled by the Imperial Family and the Temple. Lady Medea Solon has lost her place next to Crown Prince Eros but resolves to do whatever it takes to win back what's rightfully hers. However, she’ll have to rewrite her entire revenge plan when she wakes up in the body of her sworn rival.

GOODREADS

MY TIDBITS

Revenge and evil-queen-vibes sink into an unexpected game, where everyone plays their own strategy while unknowingly taking the role of someone else's pawn.

Medea should have been queen but lost her place when the prince chose the other girl instead. Now, she's out for revenge, but before she can take it, the craziest thing happens, and she wakes up to find herself in her rival's body. While she quickly regains her footing and has all intentions to continue with her initial goal, her new and different perspective of the situation reveals a much more complicated scheme. What started as a simple plan to destroy one person has warped into a battle to save the entire kingdom.

I went into this hoping for a darker, cliche story, which would offer a bit of fun...my expectations weren't high. But this gives quite a bit more and promises to lead into an exciting series of intrigue and many hidden agendas. The beginning shows Medea in a terrible light as a vengeful young woman, who embodies the villain. It made her very hard to like or connect with, especially when juxtaposed with the angelic rival. During the first pages, I did wonder if I'd made a bad grab. Also, not much time is spent sinking into the situation or world, leaving a bit of confusion especially since Medea's hate seems very unfounded. But this ill-balanced beginning does end up setting off the tale better than first appears.

While this starts with an overly cliche atmosphere, the twists and turns flip everything on its head to create an original and grabbing read. There is a lot of room for character growth, and even in this first volume, that arc comes across well. To say that there's quite a bit going on is an understatement, and that guarantees quick pacing throughout. With all of the webbed intentions, this could quickly grow confusing but flashbacks root the background and keep things from flying out of control. Normally, I'm not a huge fan of such back-and-forth, but it works well because the reader gets hit with a truckload of information in this first volume. While it seems to border on confusing at times, it manages not to go too far, but instead, sets the base for so much more to come during the upcoming volumes.

The art style fits the story. The color tones match the atmosphere and subtly portray each 'queen' in a way, which supports how the reader is supposed to see them at that moment. The visual changes match the plot and balance well with the text.

I am looking forward to the next volume, especially since this beginning has laid such an intricate base. There are more than a few questions as to the intent and goals of several characters, and it will be exciting to see where this all might lead.