Review: If You Give the Puffin a Muffin by Timothy Young

IF YOU GIVE THE PUFFIN A MUFFIN

by Timothy Young

Schiffer Publishing

Picture Book

32 pages

Everyone's favorite puffin is back, and guess what--he's still ANGRY! When Puffin is offered a muffin, he realizes that he's the subject of another picture book and the target of a rhyming scheme gone wrong. His emotions take over and chaos ensues as he tries to escape the story line. Luckily, Puffin knows just where to turn for help. See what happens when characters from other picture books come to Puffin's rescue. Timothy Young fans will have fun spotting characters and scenes from his previously published books, as well as references to other children's classics. Will Puffin get lost in the fantasy worlds, or will he find his way out?

MY TIDBITS

This is a sweet and laugh-inducing adventure. Give the puffin a muffin, and the most unexpected thing happens...or not really. The question of whether puffins even eat muffins comes into play and runs along this exact theme the entire way through. This puffin might get a muffin, but just because he gets one doesn't make him happy. And nonsense, ensues from there.

With tongue in cheek humor, this book takes an interesting turn away from the usual story lines. The puffin takes his attitude onto a mission to make it clear that just because a puffin gets a muffin in a book, doesn't mean anything. The illustrations swing right along, giving the right dab and bump of humor to make the entire thing cause giggles along the way. The reader/listener is drawn in and made to think about the problem as well. It makes a funny read-aloud which is sure to hold childrens' attention until the last page.

Cover Reveal: Ava: A Hart Twins Novel by Charyse Allan

AVA
A Hart Twins Novel

by Charyse Allan

YA Romance/Suspense

COMING...
January 29th 2019!!!

Ava has everything planned, as usual. Finish senior year at the top of her class, perform her best dance routine at the dance concert, and have the greatest prom ever. But her best friend, Cade, has other ideas. He convinces Ava to abandon her rigid schedule and enjoy her last year of high school. After letting her hair down for one amazing night and exchanging a steamy kiss with Cade, she's ready to explore this carefree side of herself, until someone plays a cruel joke on her.

Humiliated and hurt, Ava retreats into her carefully constructed box, hoping everything will go back to normal. But it doesn't. What she thought was a prank has turned out to be so much more, and she doesn't even know the half of it. Determined to handle the situation herself, Ava hides her true feelings from her friends and her new love interest, but is quickly pushed past her breaking point.

The survival of a sickening betrayal, a broken heart, and a perilous attack mean very little when lost in a game you don’t even know you’re playing.

And here she is...

Charyse Allan grew up in Arizona dancing and riding horses. She is an avid reader, but didn’t become one until high school. This is also when she realized her passion for writing, however it wasn’t until a couple years into her marriage that she tried her hand at writing a novel.

When she isn’t writing or reading, she can be found in Northern Arizona, tending her garden with her husband and best friend, while their two kids and two crazy dogs run around the yard. Charyse is also a big fan of Holy yoga, juicing and being a vegetarian—she misses bacon like nobody’s business. 

Author Links:

   

Cover Reveal Organized by:

Review: All is Merry and Bright by Jeffrey Burton, Illustrated by Don Clark

ALL IS MERRY AND BRIGHT

by Jeffrey Burton 

Illustrated by Don Clark

Simon & Schuster

Board Books / Holiday

26 pages 

ages 2 and up

A gorgeous keepsake book that shines with holiday cheer andfoil on every spread, All Is Merry and Bright is full of illumination and hope—perfect for the youngest readers in your life.

Stars jingle in the sky
All is calm over night
All is merry
All is bright

As cheer and good will fill the air, there is an undeniable, joyous feeling that connects the world during the holiday season. With show-stopping foil, embossing, and spot UV on every page, All Is Merry and Bright is an artistic and shimmering board book celebrating the deep sense of happiness and hope that glows as warm and bright as the holiday lights.

MY TIDBITS

This is one of those books which feels special the moment it hits the hands.

Big, bright and beautiful—not only does the cover flash with color and shiny foil, but the stability is instantly clear. This is a book built to keep and treasure, year after year. Especially younger listeners will be drawn in by the glimmering pages, and cheerful and packed illustrations. Nothing is calm about this book. Rather, it screams celebration on every page.

The text is kept to a minimum with only a few words on each two-page spread. These words are big and bold, and at times, almost get lost in the vibrant illustrations surrounding them (but reading it isn't the main point). No space is wasted as very corner and cranny has something to look at. The concentration stays on the joy and excitement Christmas time brings, sticking to winter landscapes, fur trees, shiny decorations and jolly moments.

This is one of those books to keep in a special place for each Christmas season and bring out for the youngest to enjoy. Each page is like a new discovery and even the youngest will realize it isn't just an average read. It's busy, it's chaotic, it's exuberant and it's very merry and bright.


And here they are...

The Author...
Jeffrey Burton has written several books for children. He lives in New York City with his family.

The Illustrator...

Don Clark is an artist and cofounder of Invisible Creature, a widely respected and award-winning design studio he runs with his brother based in Seattle, Washington. He has worked with clients such as Target, NASA, LEGO, Wired Magazine, Nike, Adobe, XBox, The New York Times, and musicians including the Foo Fighters, Kendrick Lamar, Chris Cornell, Wolfmother, Alice In Chains, and more. Don's love for mid-century design and illustration lays the groundwork for Invisible Creature's aesthetic and curated line of products for both children and adults alike. He lives with his wife and their three children on a ranch thirty minutes southeast of Seattle.

Book of Dreams Relaunch and Freebie with Bridgett O'Hare

Book of Dreams Series

by Bridgette O’Hare

YA Paranormal Fantasy

Cover Designer: DARK UNICORN DESIGNS

Editor: Jennifer Green of Plot2Published Editing

Publisher: CLOVERHOUSE PUBLISHING

Hosted by: Lady Amber’s PR

Halle Michaels is on the brink of insanity.

She’s haunted by dreams that find their way into her reality. Nightmares of death…of destruction. Visions that will uncover the truth – about her abilities, her family’s origins, and her part in a prophecy that could change the world.

And when a mysterious book shows up on her doorstep, those dreams may be all that can save her from an overwhelming evil. One that has its sights set on Halle.

She wanted normal, but normal is overrated. She was born to be so much more.

Lullaby (Free): https://amzn.to/2Ljd0y8

They say a good book can change your life. For Halle Michaels, it might just end it.

When an old, tattered book shows up on Halle’s doorstep containing undeciphered messages, it brings with it a surge of mysterious incidents, sinister voices, and a code only she understands. A code that could lead to the secrets her father left behind and enemies she never knew existed.

Now, forced to confront a past filled with mysteries and deceptions, Halle realizes the book not only holds the key to uncovering these secrets, but has the power to destroy everything.

Silent Night: https://amzn.to/2QSx7Z2

To realize who you are, you must forget who they taught you to be

.

Darkness flows through Halle Michaels. Darkness suppressed by the expectations of being the ideal daughter, the perfect friend, and the stereotypical girl next door.

Now, her family’s past has caught up to her. When Halle discovers she was meant to follow in her father’s footsteps—footsteps she’s certain led to his untimely death—she must forget every lie she’s been taught about who she is.

Hunted by Hell’s elite and armed only with what she can decipher from her father’s cryptic journal, she turns to Aedan Jeremiah for answers, unsure she can trust him.

Halle wants the truth, but the longer truth is twisted in shadows, the harder it is to recognize in the light.

Can Halle move beyond the deceit, or will she be consumed by the darkness that stole her father from her?

Bridgette O'Hare is a writerly life form surviving on high doses of chocolate, excessive episodes of Supernatural, and copious amounts of snark.

She spends her time in search of sleep, witty co-conspirators, the planet Gallifrey, and ways to unleash treachery upon her characters in interesting ways . . . or you may find her instigating shenanigans on Facebook.

She’s the proud Mum of two highly entertaining humans and she resides on the coast of North Carolina.

Bridgette is recommended by 4 out of 5 people that recommend things. Number 5 was unavailable for comment.

Author Links:

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9834245.Bridgette_O_Hare

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BridgetteOHare

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2EjckXR

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bridgetteohareauthor

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/bridgette-o-hare

Website: http://www.bridgetteohare.com/

Instagram: www.instagram.com/bridgetteohare

Smart Masses Newsletter http://bit.ly/smartmass

Buy Links:

Lullaby (Free): https://amzn.to/2Ljd0y8

Silent Night: https://amzn.to/2QSx7Z2

Dream Walker: https://amzn.to/2S7LohL

Review: Kate's Really Good At Hockey by Christina Frey and Howard Shapiro

KATE'S REALLY GOOD AT HOCKEY

by Christina Frey and Howard Shapiro

Animal Media Group, LLC

Middle Grade Sports / Graphic Novel

126 pages

ages 8 to 12

Best. Summer. Ever. At least it was supposed to be.

Kate can't wait to attend the elite girls' hockey camp in Denver and go up against some of the best players from around the world. But then Mom says Kate has to stay with her grandma in Denver, who doesn't care about Kate's hockey dreams at all. And two players at the camp have it in for Kate both on and off the ice. Toss in a tough-as-nails coach and a huge family secret, and Kate's perfect summer isn’t turning out quite like she planned.

Kate's Really Good at Hockey is a story about family, friendship, and doing what it takes to follow your dreams. 

MY TIDBITS

Firstly, this book automatically made me smile since it was set at my own alma mater.

Kate's life is hockey. When she's accepted into the elite hockey camp, it's a dream come true. Until she discovers that she's to stay with her grandmother instead of in the dorms with the rest of the girls. At camp, things get tough. Not only is the coach extremely hard on them...especially on Kate...but two girls from up north are determined to make her life difficult. Nothing is fair, but Kate doesn't seem to be able to do anything to stop it. Mix is the problems with her grandmother and coach, and the dream is morphing into a massive disappointment.

It's wonderful to see a middle grade book with girls and hockey, and one that hits the game with all that hardness the game holds. Young hockey fans are sure to enjoy that. The graphics/illustrations are extremely well done and keep the tension and emotions as grabbing as the text. It reads smoothly and brings the characters to life, making them easy to cheer for.

The author rolls in several tougher themes along the way. These slide right into the main story line, come with fairly practical solutions and mold in so as not to become overpowering, allowing the story to stay front and center. It has a feel-good ending, which wraps up the ends nicely.