What's Coming in July!

I actually had a day free from reviews today (Yippee! and Wow!) Yes, it does get crazy when I try to put up a review almost every single day (leaving weekends as free as possible). And I've always hoped to somehow find time to squeeze in a 'What's Coming!' post. Why? Because there are so many books I can't wait to share with you, and I wish I could get you as excited about these as I always am. (Some awesome books are coming up!)

But, alas, it's never worked out.

Until today.

So, here's some of the goodies you can expect to see this month here on Bookworm for Kids...
(and no, this isn't the entire list, just a tiny taste)

And notice the diversity! I didn't even realize how many different cultures are hitting this blog until I did this post. Amazing!

10 Things I Hate About Pinky

Written by bestselling author, Sandhya Menon, this is the highly anticipated, third book in the Dimple and Rishi series. It has romance. It has diversity. It has a fake boyfriend. And oh-so-much more!

Coming July 21st, we'll have this one up here tomorrow, July 1st, so you can get an early peek into my thoughts.

YA Romance

Bubble Kisses

Vanessa Williams? Yes, this is from THE Vanessa Williams that so many already know and love—actress, singer, dancer, and now... author!

This one came out May 5th, but you can see my thoughts on it on July 2nd.

Picture Book, ages 4 to 8

Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything 

Science Fiction meets the very modern theme of immigration and ICE in this middle grade novel, which I'm really looking forward to diving into. It releases on August 4th, but you can already hear my thoughts about it on July 7th.


Middle Grade Science Fiction, ages 8 to 12

The Sisters of Straygarden Place

And it's time for some mystery mixed with fantasy! This novel comes from an author, who grew up in Africa and promises chills and surprises. It's release date is planned for September 15th, but take a peek with me already on July 13th (and nope, that's not a Friday this month. Oh well)


Middle Grade Mystery/Spooky, ages 8 to 12

The Little Kitten

I'm LOVED the first book in this series and was super excited when I was asked to review this one. It's not fall yet, but it's never, ever, ever too early to dream. Coming out on July 21st, you'll see my review here on July 15th.



Picture Book, ages 4 to 8

The Invention of Sophie Carter

It's rare that I peek into a book more than a week or so before I post a review here, but I was so tempted by this one, that I already have read the first few chapters. And...I'm hooked! This already shows so much promise that I can't wait to drown myself in these pages. Coming July 14th, you'll have to wait until the 17th before I get this review up.

Young Adult Historical Romance

The Jade Rebellion

Science Fiction collides with magic to form a tale about rebellion, artificial intelligence, greed and slams it into dystopian form. I'm always up for a bit of action-packed science fiction, an I'm hoping this one fits the bill. My thoughts will be up on July 23rd.


Young Adult Science Fiction/Fantasy

Believe

This tale is set in the 1980's and revolves around more meaningful topics such as learning to trust oneself, dealing with the loss of a loved one, and carrying on. I'm expecting a lot of emotions and magical moments in this one, but we'll see. It's release date is scheduled for August 4th, but you'll get a glimpse at my thoughts on July 21st.

Middle Grade Contemporary (maybe, a little historical?)

Picture of Dorianna

I happened across this one by accident but fell in love with the surmise—so mysterious! It comes out from Konjur Road Press on October 23, but I'll have my thoughts up already on July 24th.


Young Adult Paranormal

Trust the Grind

And since I love to spice things up and head in other directions than just fiction, I'll be diving into this book about well-known athletes and the stories of how they achieved their goals. This is one for upper middle grade through young adult and, I'm hoping, will make sport fans' hearts' beat faster. I'll be reviewing this one on July 28th.


Non-Fiction





I'd love to list all of the others, too, because I plan on reviewing a total of (at least) 25 reads during July. So, grab that beach chair and a cool drink because there is bound to be something here for your young reader, too.

Review: The Protector Bug - The Tryouts by Jason Reid

THE PROTECTOR BUG:

The Tryouts (Volume Two)

by Jason Reid

Children Picture Book

36 pages

ages 3 +

"This amazing new addition to The Protector Bug series not only has new illustrations, but a fun new adventure for children of all ages to enjoy. In “The Tryouts” two best friends Sheldon, the ant, and Jared ,the mosquito, overcome challenges as they are both on their own journeys to becoming the newest Protector Bugs. The wonderfully illustrated children’s book is full of adventure and great moral lessons of overcoming self-doubt and helping those in need. The unexpected surprises of these two best friends will keep you and your children on your toes and wanting to read more!"

MY TIDBITS

They might be little, but these bugs are ready to dive into an adventure which will leaves kids wanting more.

Sheldon and Jared both want to be Protector Bugs, but neither is as strong and powerful as the beetles who usually fill this position. When the contest comes to see who the next Protector Bugs will be, Jared gives his best while Sheldon decides bookworms like him shouldn't even bother to risk an attempt. Fate, it would seem, has other plans.

This is a picture book packed with adventure and speeds on through from the beginning to the last page. Sheldon and Jared are quickly introduced with few words, but that's all which is needed to get the story underway.  Each personality is brought across clear enough for kids to understand why these two doubt their abilities to become protector bugs. Especially a short tale by a past Protector Bug and his battle against a tentacle monster makes it crystal clear that only the strongest bugs can handle such a position. This little story was a delight in itself.

The illustrations are very bright, colorful and have just enough details to invite young readers/ listeners to flip through them again and again. The pictures support the words, and add a nice touch to the story.

There are many messages in these pages--bullying, self-confidence, not giving up, helping others and more. Never do these come across in a preachy fashion, but flow seamlessly with the story.

Summed up, this is a fun read for kids ages four and up.

And here he is. . .

Jason Reid is an entrepreneur by trade and a dad by passion. He currently lives in Murrieta, California with his wonderful wife and amazing four children.  Over the years he has written numerous business books and a novel, but finds he is most excited about his children’s The Protector Bug book series

www.theprotectorbug.com

www.facebook.com/theprotectorbug

Guest Post: Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy by Paula Berinstein Giveaway

This is my stop during the book blitz for the audiobook for Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy by Paula Berinstein. The audiobook is narrated by Allan Corduner. Allan Corduner has narrated multiple books, one of them being The Book Thief and he does the voice of Severus Snape in the Harry Potter videogames. This book blitz is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. The book blitz runs from 24 till 30 October. Every day there will be a different guest post in which Paula talks about the process of making the audiobook. You can view the blitz schedule here.

  AMANDA LESTER AND THE PINK SUGAR CONSPIRACY

Amanda Lester, Detective #1

 Written by Paula Berinstein Narrated by Allan Corduner Length: 10 hrs and 47 mins MG Mystery/ Detective 

September 27, 2016

A reluctant detective, a criminal mastermind, and sugar? Amanda Lester wouldn't be caught dead going into the family business. Her ancestor, Sherlock Holmes's colleague Inspector G. Lestrade, is a twit. Nevertheless her parents refuse to see his flaws, and she's going to a secret English school for the descendants of famous detectives whether she likes it or not. When Amanda arrives at the dreaded school, she considers running away - until she and her new friends discover blood and weird pink substances in odd places. At first they're not sure whether these oddities mean anything, but when Amanda's father disappears and the cook is found dead with her head in a bag of sugar, they're certain that crimes are taking place. Now Amanda must embrace her destiny and uncover the truth. The only snag is that arch-villain Blixus Moriarty, a descendant of Holmes's nemesis Professor James Moriarty, might be involved, and he doesn't like nosy little girls interfering in his business.

You can find Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy on Goodreads You can buy the audiobook of Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy here: - Audible - Amazon - iTunes Listen to a sample of the audiobook here on Soundcloud

Get the e-copy for free! 

The e-copy of Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy is free now on all vendor sites! Grab your free copy here:

 Amazon - Barnes & Noble - Kobo - Smashwords

GUEST POST

So You Want to Make an Audiobook, Post 6: Post-production

The Amanda Lester, Detective Odyssey with Paula Berinstein

Recording an audiobook doesn’t end on the last day in the studio. You have to edit and check listen, both detailed and time-consuming jobs.

In order to comply with ACX’s technical requirements, you must submit each chapter as a separate file. You also have to create files for the opening and closing credits and provide a sample of up to five minutes, all governed by requirements such as decibel range, compression, and so on. It’s fiddly stuff! Add to that the fact that it’s easy for the actor to misread something or the editor to forget to chop out a cough and there’s a lot to do.

As the team was going through the files, they discovered a few problems. Chris told me that Allan would have to come back into the studio and re-record some stuff. He was scheduled to return for another project in a few weeks. Did I want him to come in specially for my project or could I wait? I could wait.

About three weeks later Allan rerecorded the passages and David Griffiths, the editor (who did an amazing job!), took over. The next thing I knew I had thirty-something audio files (actually sixty-something if you count both the .wav and .mp3 files) in my Dropbox folder. I was scared to death. My shiny new audiobook was waiting for me and I was afraid to listen.

I needn’t have worried. Allan had worked such magic on Amanda that I barreled through the whole thing, stopping only to exclaim, “OMG, that is brilliant!” about a thousand times. I found only one problem: he had repeated a line. I asked Strathmore to fix it (easy peasy), and then it was time to upload my files to ACX, where I’d established a DIY account.  

I logged into my account and started the uploads. Ugh, what a dummy. I was in such a hurry I started the upload for every file at the same time! A few of them actually completed and then the whole thing froze. Well of course it did. I had overloaded the system. I cancelled everything that hadn’t completed and uploaded thirty-something files one by one. Then I uploaded the beautiful cover Anna Mogileva had completed a few months before and sat back to wait up to three week for a verdict.

I was lucky: I heard back in about a week. By that time the book was already listed on Audible. It popped up on Amazon and iTunes a couple of days later. There was a bit of an issue with the age range in the target audience categories, but we got that resolved quickly. (Audible had put it in the five- to seven-year-olds section. You can now find it in the 11-13-year-olds section, which they consider teens).

I just found out that you can also get the audio Whispersynced to your ebook (which means you can switch between the text and the audio without losing your place), and that that version of the audiobook costs waaaaaaay less than the standalone one. I mean like $3.47 as opposed to $24.95! You can get that on Audible and Amazon but not on iTunes. I guess that makes sense since Audible and Amazon are so well integrated.  

Please join me tomorrow for my thoughts on the audiobook as art.

And here she is. . .

PAULA BERINSTEIN!!!

Paula Berinstein is nothing like Amanda. For one thing, she’s crazy about Sherlock Holmes. For another, she’s never wanted to be a filmmaker. In addition, compared to Amanda she’s a big chicken! And she wouldn’t mind going to a secret school at all. In fact, she’s hoping that some day she’ll get to build one. You can find and contact Paula here:

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads - Paula's blog on Goodreads - The Writing Show podcasts - Newsletter

GIVEAWAY!!!

There is a tour wide giveaway for the book blitz for Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy. These are the prizes you can win: - 2 audiobook copies of Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy - 2 amazon gift cards of 15$ For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:
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