Monday, February 3, 2014

Zoe and Zak and the Tiger Temple by Lars Guignard




TIGER TEMPLE
 A Zoe and Zak Adventure, Book 3
by Lars Guignard
Fantastic Press
Middle Grade Fantasy
324 Pages




Last semester, Zoe and Zak returned the first lost Noble Truth to its rightful home. Now, Zoe and Zak are back in India for their second semester at Moonstock Himalayan Academy. School kicks off with the Activity Week Challenge in the tiny mountain kingdom of Bhutan where the students must deliver medical supplies. Things, however, take a turn for the worse, when Zak becomes deathly ill after an encounter with a strange floating bubble. On returning to Moonstock, Zoe and Zak discover that a creature has come through the lava hole far below their dormitory. When Zoe and Zak follow the creature, they soon discover what they must do. They have been tasked with finding the second lost Noble Truth — the Tiger Eye of Justice. Finding the Tiger Eye sounds like an impossible mission, and it’s only made more confusing when Zak discovers that he has been given a supernatural power to help them with their task– a power which Zak, for the life of him, just can’t control. But he’s going to have to learn how to use his new ability, because if Zoe and Zak can’t find the Tiger Eye quickly, Zak’s time will run out.




My Tidbits


This is the 3rd book in the Zoe and Zak Adventure series and my favorite so far. This time the characters,Zoe and Zak, must not only save others but also Zak,who's come down with a mysterious and deadly illness. The adventures are exciting, fantastic and creative as always, never leaving room for a single, dull moment.

As in the other two books, this one again takes place in India, letting the reader get a fun and informative glance into the cultures myths and customs. I especially enjoyed the deeper look into the geography in this one.

As in the other two books, Zoe and Zak get help from their 'friends' and must come behind some amazing secrets to get the job done--ones that kept my kids reading from one page to the next. Zoe and Zak develop wonderfully during all three books, and especially Zak takes on a leading role by the end.

This is a fun, interesting, informative and action packed series that I can definitely recommend to kids 8+.


I give this a. . .


TWO THUMBS UP!!!


You can find this here on Amazon!



And here he is. . .
Lars Guignard!!!


Prior to writing novels, Lars Guignard wrote for film and television. As a teenager he attended boarding school in the Indian Himalayas and his experiences there provided the inspiration for the Zoe and Zak series which now include: Zoe & Zak and the Ghost Leopard, Zoe & Zak and the Yogi’s Curse, and Zoe & Zak and the Tiger Temple.
He lives in the Pacific Northwest where he dodges bears and cougars while hiking & skiing the magnificent Coast Mountain Range.
For news about new releases, please join his email list by contacting the author: Zoe&ZakAdventures@gmail.com
http://www.larsguignard.com/
https://twitter.com/Lars_Gu
https://www.facebook.com/LarsGuignardAuthor
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5149795.Lars_Guignard

And here's the Giveaway!!!
Prize: One winner will receive a $100 Amazon gift card (or PayPal cash).
Contest runs: January 15 to February  21, 11:59 pm, 2014
Open: Worldwide
How to enter: Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below.
Terms and Conditions: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. The winners will be randomly drawn through the Rafflecopter widget and will be contacted by email within 48 hours after the giveaway ends. The winners will then have 72 hours to respond. If a winner does not respond within 72 hours, a new draw will take place for a new winner. Odds of winning will vary depending on the number of eligible entries received. This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. This giveaway is sponsored by the author Lars Guignard and Fantastic Press and is hosted and managed by Renee from Mother Daughter Book Reviews. If you have any additional questions – feel free to send and email to Renee(at)MotherDaughterBookReviews(dot)com.

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Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Release Day - 18 Truths by Jamie Ayres

Yeah, it's here!  Jamie Ayres's 2nd book in here 18- THINGS series came out yesterday, and it's as enjoyable as the 1st!


18 TRUTHS
Book #2, 18 - THINGS series
by Jamie Ayres
Curiosity Quills Press
YA Fantasy 





Lying is unbearable, betrayal is inevitable, and choosing which path to take is impossible.

Olga Gay Worontzoff ended her senior year as an eighteen-year-old girl totally in love with Nate, enjoying their new romance and about to attend the university of her dreams. Now she’s spending her summer in the weird subculture of the Underworld, with charmingly witty and powerful angels, and problematic demons, trying to rescue Connor, the best friend and secret crush she was unable to save during a freak accident.

But Nate has other things on his mind, mainly Grace. She’s their first assignment as joint spirit guides, and Olga’s feeling hurt and jealous. His mysterious behavior has Olga questioning everything she believed about him and now she must decide whether to stick to their plan, or follow her heart. Unfortunately, a series of mistakes threatens everyone around her and plants Olga in the center of cosmic events much larger than she ever imagined.

Only one thing is certain: the chilling truths uncovered during her journey will leave no one untouched



Go on over and help her celebrate!

http://jamieayres.com/

(My review is coming soon)




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Monday, January 20, 2014

Counting to D by Kate Scott with Giveaway!

COUNTING TO D
by Kate Scott
Elliot Books
YA Contemporary
228 pages
Expected Publication:  February 11, 2014







The kids at Sam's school never knew if they should make fun of her for being too smart or too dumb. That's what it means to be dyslexic: smart, and illiterate. Sam is sick of it. So when her mom gets a job in a faraway city, Sam decides not to tell anyone about her little illiteracy problem. Without her paradox of a reputation, she falls in with a new group of highly competitive friends who call themselves the Brain Trust. When she meets Nate, her charming valedictorian lab partner, she declares her new reality perfect. But in order to keep it that way, she has to keep her learning disability a secret. The books are stacked against her and so are the lies. Sam's got to get the grades, get the guy, and get it straight--without being able to read.




My Tidbits
I'll admit, when I see that a book is about a person with a disability, disease or handicap, I usually think 'Uh, oh...this will be preachy', but COUNTING TO D surprised me. Although Sam must face a new school and new friends while dealing with dyslexia, it was very entertaining and felt just like a 'normal' teenage, high school romance novel. 

The dialogue and scenes were very realistic, pulling me into the story right away. I really felt for Sam and had no problem rooting for her the whole way--as well as wanting to punch some of those jerky kids she ran into in the nose. The dialogue was done well and there was enough tension to keep me reading all the way to the end. As soon as I was done, I handed this to my 14 yr. old daughter, who devoured it too.

Complaints? The only one I might have is that toward the end, the dyslexia problem began to feel a little heavy, but this by no means hurt the story! The length was perfect, not too short and not too long. I also enjoyed the fact that the type was a little bigger than usual. 

Summed up, I can only recommend this to teenage girls who enjoy high school drama with a bit of romance. And give it a big. . .



TWO THUMBS UP!!!



As of February 11th, 2014, available:




And here she is. . .
Kate Scott!!!



Kate Scott lives in the suburbs outside Portland, Oregon with her husband Warren. Kate was diagnosed with dyslexia as a young child but somehow managed to fall in love with stories anyway. Counting to D is her first novel. When Kate isn’t writing, she enjoys listening to audiobooks, camping, and spending time with her friends and family. Kate also spends a lot of time doing math and sciency things and is a licensed professional engineer. 

 You can find her:


And there's a GIVEAWAY!!!



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Friday, January 17, 2014

Orenda by Ruth Silver

ORENDA
by Ruth Silver
Patchwork Press
Expected Publication: Spring 2014
YA Fantasy




A sword wielding girl, an eternal suit and an alternate universe.
 
 
Lil has a gift, one she never thought possible as she finds herself awake after a strange dream with the tell-tale sign that what she dreamt was in fact real.  The dreamscape, was more than just a premonition it happened.  She’d been momentarily tossed into another dimension.  Where most would consider her crazy, not her best friend Bray.
In another reality, one similar and yet slightly different Willow has been kidnapped by the sorceress turned demon, Eilith.  Rawlie, Willow’s friend and companion crosses to our universe for help and brings Lil into his world.  Filled with frightening creatures and magical elements, Lil demands to go home, until she discovers Bray has been taken by Eilith as well.  Unable to watch her best friend die, she joins forces with Rawlie, Jamie and the others to hunt down Eilith and rescue those they care about.

And here she is. . .
RUTH SILVER!!!


Ruth Silver attended Northern Illinois University and graduated with a Bachelor's in Communication in the spring of 2005.  While in college, she spent much of her free time writing with friends she met online and penning her first novel, Deuces are Wild, which she self-published in 2004.  Her favorite class was Creative Writing senior year where she often handed in assignments longer than the professor required because she loved to write and always wanted to finish her stories.  Her love of writing led her on an adventure in 2007 to Melbourne, Australia.  Silver enjoys reading, photography, traveling and most of all writing.  She loves dystopian and fantasy young adult stories.  Her debut novel published by Lazy Day Publishing and Patchwork Press, ABERRANT, was released April 2013.  The second novel in the series, MOIRAI, continues the saga. ISAURA, is the final installment in the ABERRANT trilogy. Ruth has been actively writing since she was a teenager.  Her current writing projects include a YA science-fiction fantasy series, ORENDA, and a YA/NA paranormal series, DEAD GIRL WALKING. Both novels are due for release in 2014. She currently resides in Plainfield, Illinois.
You can visit her online at http://writeawaybliss.com






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Sunday, November 10, 2013

Stanley & Katrina's book! + Giveaway

Celebrating 

Stanley and Katrina von Cat the Master of Wisdom and Knowledge are celebrating their one year blogiversary (click here to read their inaugural post) by hosting their very own "Book Blasty Tour". Thank you for taking the time to visit this special stop along their tour. 

About the Book

Title: The Perpetual Papers of the Pack of Pets
Authors: Stanley & Katrina, Pet Authors
Illustrator: Miro Chun
Year published:  2012
Updates: This book was updated in September of 2013 with a new cover, interior illustrations, and a sneak peek of book #2 in the series.
Publisher: CreateSpace
Number of pages: 106
Recommended ages: 5+
Summary (Amazon): After three years of living under the same roof as the dog in the house, Katrina von Cat the Master of Wisdom and Knowledge decides to write a letter to her canine housemate, Stanley. Katrina loves treats, naps and bossing the dog around. Stanley loves snow, attention and turkey. The diva kitty, Katrina, will have none of Stanley's antics and most certainly will not stand for him eating her food. The only reasonable solution is to take him to Kitty Court.

Amazon U.S. * Amazon U.K. * Amazon Canada 


 Barnes & Noble *  Leanpub(digital formats) 

The Buzz

"The book is really humorous. It is unique in a manner where you see the cat and dog communicating with each other about themselves, their likes, and dislikes in a letter form. The narrator's tidbits add to the charm of the book. The contrasting characters and their individual personalities have been etched well. The author has put the perspective of the pets in the forefront and written a unique and excellent book for children." ~ Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite
"We enjoyed this book tremendously! It charmed us, made us laugh, and kept us wanting to read more. A tip of the hat to the pair of pets whose rivalry leads the story along its delightful course." ~ Amazon Reviewer

My Tidbits

Cute! And totally realistic. . .well, I'm sure it is if I were a cat or a dog.

This book is a collection of the letters between Katrina the cat and Stanley the dog. We dive right into Katrina and Stanley's heads, getting to know everything about them -- their thoughts, opinions, hates, dreams -- as we follow them through their adventures. And guess what, those cats and dogs are exactly the way us humans always thought they would be! 

The authors did a terrific job on letting Katrina and Stanley each develop their own distinct personality. And to make sure the letter form doesn't become too confusing, a well written narrator throws in his thoughts every now and then.

There are plenty of scenes to put a smile on the face, especially for children. My daughter and son were able to sympathize with the characters immediately. We used this book as a read-a-loud and found it works best as such. Although my son (8) was able to read it on his own, he definitely preferred to hear the characters. Summed up, this is an enjoyable dive into the thoughts of two fun pets for children 5-8 years old.

About the Authors: Stanley & Katrina

Stanley is a three-year-old black Labrador/Rottweiler mix who does his best to ignore Katrina.
Katrina von Cat the Master of Wisdom and Knowledge is an eight-year-old grey tabby cat who loves her toy mouse.They would love to tell you where they live but all they know is that they live in a tan house. For more information about Stanley & Katrina, please visit their website, www.StanleyAndKatrina.com.

* Free Printables For This Book! *

Kid Lit Printables has created fun and FREE printables for The Perpetual Papers of the Pack of Pets. Click here to view all available printables, now. 


Stanley & Katrina's 

Book Blasty Tour Stops(2013)

November 8

* $25 Book Blasty Tour Giveaway *

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Prize: $25 Amazon Gift Card or PayPal cash (winner's choice)
Contest runs:November 8  to November 30, 11:59 pm, 2013 </ span>
Open: Internationally
How to enter: Please enter using the Rafflecopter widget above or by clicking here.
Terms and Conditions: A randomly drawn winner will be contacted by email within 48 hours after the giveaway ends. The winner will have 72 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond within 72 hours, a new draw will take place for a new winner. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest or any other entity unless otherwise specified. If you have any additional questions, feel free to send us an email at stanleyandkatrina (at) gmail (dot) com.</ div>
* This giveaway is sponsored by the authors, Stanley & Katrina. *</ strong>
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