Review: Alycat and the Monday Blues by Alysson Foti Bourque with Giveaway

ALYCAT AND THE MONDAY BLUES

by Alysson Foti Bourque

Illustrated by Chiara Civati

Children's Picture Book

Mascot Books

 Sept 12, 2017

32 pages

Alycat wakes up with the dreaded Monday Blues and is certain that nothing will go right. But when a mishap sends her astray, she discovers that helping a friend will help her discover her own hidden talent—curing her Monday Blues.

To read reviews, please visit Alysson Foti Bourque's page on iRead Book Tours.

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MY TIDBITS

School blues are whisked away into a cute, little adventure, which not only offers inspiration but guarantees more than a smile or two.

It's Monday and Alycat does not want to go to school. The talent show is right around the corner, and she has no idea what she'll do. Her mother tries to encourage her and claims a solution will surely come, but Alycat is certain that she doesn't possess a single talent and will only make a fool out of herself.

Alycat is a sweet kitten with tons of heart. She might be in a bad mood, but her problem is easy to understand. Even though she's feeling down, Alycat thinks of others and radiates warmth and fun. It's this attitude which makes her easy to love and will have young readers cheering her on. 

The illustrations are bright and draw into the story. Even when someone isn't around to read this book aloud, kids can flip through the pictures again and again, letting the story to come to life on their own. The text is fitting for ages 3 and up, and flows nicely. Alycat's excitement radiates through the words, especially when it hits the song she wrote. It's lively, fun and sure to make young readers sing along.

To top off all the sweetness, there's also a wonderful message woven in. Alycat realizes that she does have a talent, but sometimes, it takes just the right moment to discover what it is. Everyone has something special about them, even if they haven't discovered it yet. And this is a message young listeners/readers can never hear often enough.

Summed up, this is a cute picture book with a main character to snuggle and love. The singing adds a fun twist, which is sure to make kids smile even more.

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And here she is. . .

Alysson Foti Bourque is the author of the Rhyme or ReasonTravel series, and the multi-award winning Alycat series. Alysson received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and a law degree from Southern University Law Center in Baton Rouge. She believes that there is an Alycat in all of us, encouraging our imaginations to guide us through new opportunities and adventures. ​

Connect with the author: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook

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Review: Don't Mess With Coleman Stoops by Justin Lantier-Novelli

DON'T MESS WITH COLEMAN STOOPS

by Justin Lantier-Novelli

Middle Grade Contemporary

113 pages

ages 9 and up

Coleman Stoops just had his twelfth birthday, but he’s not getting popular anytime soon. The kids in his grade call him “Stoopy”. He hates the cruel nickname almost as he hates himself for always managing to accidentally play into it. The clothes he wears, the hobbies he loves, and the way he behaves in school all contribute to his eternal low ranking as the butt of everyone’s jokes. Coleman’s a dork, a dweeb, a nerd. He’s the fool of the school.

So when the most popular kid in his class, B. Bradford Woffington III, approaches him with a proposition and a potential girlfriend, Coleman can’t help ignoring his instincts as they tell him not to trust “Trey”. He accepts the boy’s offer and begins the social and physical grooming that will make him fit for dating – gasp! – a real, live girl. No matter what happens though, Coleman can’t shake the sneaking suspicion that there’s something Trey isn’t being completely forthcoming about. What isn’t the most popular kid in school telling him?

MY TIDBITS

Coleman has it rough. He's twelve and the bullying post of the class, but when a girl named Wendy gives him a push to be himself, his life starts to change. Hopefully.

Coleman is supposedly an average kid in the sixth grade, who's a little chubby, quiet and from a more than average household. He's bullied, but unlike many of these types of stories, he doesn't really let it get him down too much. He's depressed and wishes it would change, but he's still him. The first chapters reel in the sympathy as his situation is described in an interesting way, which draws in. The reader gets to know him, like him and feel for him. Maybe even see themselves a bit in him.

The story is told from a narrative point of view—that of a girl named Wendy. This puts a needed distance to Coleman and allows the story to unfold a little more unbiased. The narrative isn't always obvious and drops in only at times, allowing the reader to forget that there's a third party involved much of the time. Wendy first introduces herself a few chapters in and comes across extremely mature and wise for her age. There's no gliding into the scene, but it drops in immediately with her pointed questions. At this point, Coleman's interest in a girl is introduced, which hit like a bomb since this 'interest' was never mentioned in the first chapters.

One situation leads to the next, making this a nice paced read the whole way through. Despite the more serious material, the author manages to hold emotion dumps at bay while still bringing Coleman's problems across loud and clear. Readers will feel right at home in Coleman's world and never have the urge to set the book down due to boredom. And at just over a hundred pages, it's even great for reluctant readers.

The sixth grade setting is nicely brought to life, and usually fits perfectly. There are moments where Coleman comes across a little too mature, and these make him hard to grasp at times. There are a couple of situations, which are more fitting to an older group than sixth graders, but most things hit the age group well. In any case, the message comes across clear without growing preachy. Kids will enjoy getting to know Coleman and root for him the whole way through.


And here he is. . . 

Justin Lantier-Novelli was born in 1979, and grew up in the Philadelphia area. For five years, he worked in advertising as a producer of radio and television commercials before traveling around the world teaching English in developing nations, including a six month volunteer position at a buddhist monastery in the Himalayan foothills of Nepal He has been published in Global Living Magazine, The courier Post, Page and Spine and songplaces.com. He began writing screenplays and full-length novels in 2003. You can find him on Twitter: @jlnovelli or Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/authorjnovelli/
https://www.facebook.com/colemanstoops/

Happy Book Birthday, Hair In All The Wrong Places 2 by Andrew Buckley and an Interview!

HAIR IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES 2

The Perils of Growing Up Werewolf

by Andrew Buckley

YA Paranormal

Month9Books

Being a werewolf is no picnic. Colin’s constantly hungry, spends a ton of time shaving, and fights to keep his emotions in check to avoid turning into a giant, drooling, hairy, smelly, howling wolf. But Colin's not the only creature hanging around the town of Elkwood. Vampires, zombies, goblins, ogres, and other questionable visitors and their various shenanigans have got everyone on edge.

Colin just wants to live a normal life, date, and get his homework done on time. But the town of Elkwood needs him. So when a secret government organization asks for his help, will he be able to control the animal inside, or will he give in to the perils of growing up werewolf?

MY TIDBITS

Young fans of werewolves, witches, vampires, demons and all sorts of other fantastical creatures will dive into these pages and be howling for delight all the way to the last page.

Colin is a teenager. If that wasn't hard enough to deal with, he happens to be a werewolf too. Luckily, he lives in a town where magical creatures can mix with 'normals' and lead a somewhat peaceful life. That is, until classrooms explode, strange men with evil eyes appear and killer werewolves haunt the forest. Now, Colin not only has to survive algebra, he has to figure out what danger is about to destroy the town and keep his inner werewolf from controlling him. 

This is the second book in the series, and although I'd highly recommend reading the first one, there is enough background information to sink into this book without reading book one.

Colin is a fairly normal guy. He's level-headed, pretty mature in his decision making but still a teen, which sometimes means getting into more trouble than he'd hoped. He's settled pretty well into his new existence as a werewolf and enjoys a little more popularity at school since his adventures in book one. But he still is awkward and doesn't really fit in. In other words, he's a pretty average teen and easy to sympathize with and like. 

Although Colin has some fairly impressive werewolf powers and gets to show off in several scenes, this is also a story of friendship and working together. Colin takes the lead. . .somewhat hesitantly. . .but it's the support from those around him which help him pull through. But even this doesn't always work smoothly. Every character has their own quirks, and not all of them are ready to help him. Despite all of the magic and fantasy, the relationships and dialogue between the characters stays realistic and makes the story feel like it could happen in any school—if there was magic, that is.

The pacing holds steady the entire way through, making this a read which is hard to set down until the very last page. There are layers of mystery, and although some things are easy to predict, others come as a complete surprise. It's not a deep read but weaves a constant flow of humor into the action. Even the romance stays light and never overshadows the main plot or fun. The only disappointment to this tale is that it does have a last page. But luckily, there will be more to come.

INTERVIEW

Despite all of the hectic the last few days and a trip to GeekGirlCon as well as conducting a workshop and joining a discussion panel, Andrew still found the time to sit down and answer some questions for us. Thanks a ton, Andrew!

So without further adieu, here we go. . .

After reading up on you—*aehm* never stalking—I discovered that you've got quite a bit going on. You co-host a podcast, write novels under two names, and are an acquisitions editor for Curiosity Quills Press. Where do you find the time to get it all done?

Firstly, I’ve always wanted a stalker, so thank you :) Time does seem to constantly be in short supply these days. Many a time I’ve wished for a clone or a time machine, but neither have come to pass. My attempts at a clone were woefully miscalculated and I only tried turning the toaster into a time machine once before my wife said I was no longer allowed to do that. I’m a fairly determined and persistent person and despite having a flair for procrastination, I’m actually quite disciplined. My family is very understanding and supportive of my writing and everything that comes along with it, so I just make all the pieces fit the best I can. Sometimes it works, and sometimes the toaster explodes. 

2) HAIR IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES was your first dive into fiction for the young adult audience. What inspired you to take that plunge?

I want to say it’s because I wanted to speak into young minds and inspire imagination and creativity, but the real answer is a little more boring. A lot of publishers are looking for MG/YA/Adult crossovers because it speaks to a larger audience. A 10 year old is unlikely to read an adult book but a 40 year old could and would definitely read a book written for a ten year old. That was part of my decision. The other half was influenced by my own kids who are still years away from being able to read my adult titles. I wanted to write something that they could read, and voila! Hair in All the Wrong Places :)

3) What would you rather eat worms than do?

I’m saying this because it just came up during GeekGirlCon: I would rather eat worms than watch the movie adaptation of ‘Into the Woods’ again. That’s two hours of life I can never get back, and this is coming from someone who LOVES fairy tales and musicals. There was just so much of them going into the woods, and singing about going into the woods, and how once they were out of the woods they’d like to go back into them again, all the while singing about said woods. Pass the worms. 

4) What is your favorite part about writing?

I still love the aspect of creating new worlds and characters. It’s always such a thrill to come up with a new concept, to introduce new character to each other, and to build out the story. Writing for younger audiences also opened up a whole new world for me as an author. I now spend a large part of the year visiting schools and classrooms, speaking about being an author, and presenting storytelling workshops. It’s not something I’d ever really considered before, but it’s something I’m really enjoying. 

5) What are your favorite books to grab up and devour?

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is my favourite book of all time. I’ve read it multiple times and it influenced me heavily in becoming an author. I’ve also read Lord of the Rings multiple times (such an amazing example of world building), and I’m currently working my way through the original James Bond series of novels by Ian Fleming. 

6) What book are you reading right now?

I’m currently reading three books: Wonder Woman: Warbringer (audio book) by Leigh Bardugo, Ember in the Ashes (ebook) by Sabaa Tahir, and Sycamore Row (print) by John Grisham. 

7) What was your biggest wish as a child?

I went through several big wishes . . . We lost our dog when I was ten and I remember wishing for him back. For a while, I wished I was a werewolf (coincidence?). I wished I could talk to girls without turning the same colour as Superman’s underwear. At least one of these came true ;)

And here he is. . .

Andrew Buckley attended the Vancouver Film School’s Writing for Film and Television program. He pitched and developed several screenplay projects for film and television before completing his first two novels, DEATH, THE DEVIL AND THE GOLDFISH and STILTSKIN, both published by Curiosity Quills Press. Andrew also writes under the pen name 'Jane D. Everly' for his HAVELOCK series of novels. 

His foray into writing for a younger audience resulted in the HAIR IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES series of books, published by Month9Books, part of the Georgia McBride Media Group. 

Andrew also co-hosts a geek movie podcast, is working on several new novels, has a stunning amount of other ideas, and is currently attempting to bend time and space to allow for more hours in the day. He now lives happily in the Okanagan Valley, BC with one beautiful wife, three kids, one cat, one needy dog, and a multitude of characters that live comfortably inside of his mind. 

Andrew is represented by Mark Gottlieb at the Trident Media Group.

You can stalk him yourself at. . .

http://www.andrewbuckleyauthor.com

https://twitter.com/abuckley23
https://www.facebook.com/AndrewBuckleyAuthor/

Review: The Glass Town Game by Catherynne M. Valente

THE GLASS TOWN GAME

by Catherynne M. Valente

Margaret K. McElderry Books

(Simon & Schuster)

Middle Grade Fantasy

Ages 10 and up

544 pages

Charlotte and Emily must enter a fantasy world that they invented in order to rescue their siblings in this adventurous and fiercely intelligent novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making.

Inside a small Yorkshire parsonage, Charlotte, Branwell, Emily, and Anne Brontë have invented a game called Glass Town, where their toy soldiers fight Napoleon and no one dies. This make-believe land helps the four escape from a harsh reality: Charlotte and Emily are being sent away to a dangerous boarding school, a school they might not return from. But on this Beastliest Day, the day Anne and Branwell walk their sisters to the train station, something incredible happens: the train whisks them all away to a real Glass Town, and the children trade the moors for a wonderland all their own.

This is their Glass Town, exactly like they envisioned it…almost. They certainly never gave Napoleon a fire-breathing porcelain rooster instead of a horse. And their soldiers can die; wars are fought over the potion that raises the dead, a potion Anne would very much like to bring back to England. But when Anne and Branwell are kidnapped, Charlotte and Emily must find a way to save their siblings. Can two English girls stand against Napoleon’s armies, especially now that he has a new weapon from the real world? And if he escapes Glass Town, will England ever be safe again?

Together the Brontë siblings must battle with a world of their own creation if they are to make it back to England alive in this magical celebration of authorship, creativity, and classic literature from award-winning author Catherynne M. Valente.

MY TIDBITS

This book reminds of a candy store—the atmosphere is a sheer delight and every turn offers an unexpected treat.

The Brontë siblings enjoy their days imagining all sorts of adventures with their toy soldiers, but they known that it will all end when the Beastliest Day arrives. On that day, Charlotte and Emily must return to the boarding school—one full of all sorts of torments and danger. When they arrive for their carriage too early, the siblings instead discover something amazing and soon find themselves swept away into an imaginative adventure and the ever exciting place named Glass Town.

The story is a celebration of imagination and centers around the Brontë siblings' writings about the Glass Town. But by no means does the reader have to have any knowledge of these writings or the siblings. However, there are lovely nods to the siblings, which are sure to make Brontë fans' hearts beat faster.

Adventure, fun and fantasy fills every page. Imagination flows without bounds, allowing the strangest characters to come to life and the most obscure situations to unfold. From one adventure to the next, this is a book packed full of goodness. It's never clear what the Brontë children will face next, nor what course of action will be the best for them to overcome their difficulties. This vibrant ride into fantasy is accompanied with masterfully placed descriptions and metaphors, which are simply a treat to read and enjoy.

The Brontë siblings must not only face what the Glass Town throws at them, but their real life fears, emotions and dreams are peppered in as well. The first chapters are spent on getting to know the children and their situation well, and these original fears and traits spin along with the rest of the adventure to give it a lovely depth without every feeling preachy. 

At over 500 pages, this is a tale younger, reluctant readers ages 10 an up might shy away from. While diving into the book is a sheer, literary delight, readers who enjoy a little more action and faster pace will feel left behind and only certain readers in the intended age group will have the patience to appreciate all the gems this book offers. Older readers, who will thoroughly enjoy the artistic quality of the writing, will not find a deep plot, but be flown away into a more childlike world—something which will not appeal to every literary friend. This mixture makes it difficult to pinpoint an exact audience to recommend this read to. Still, for the right person, it's a magical tale to get lost in.

And here she is. . .

Catherynne M. Valente is a New York Times bestselling author of  fantasy and science fiction novels, short stories, and a poetry. She has been nominated for the Hugo, Nebula, and world fantasy awards, and has won the Locus an Andre Norton award. She lives on a small island off the coast of Maine with her partner, two dogs, one enormous cat, a less enormous cat, six chickens, a red accordion, an uncompleted master's degree, a roomful of yarn, a spinning wheel with ulterior motives, a cupboard of jam and pickles, a bookshelf full of folktales, an industrial torch, and an Oxford English Dictionary.

Sneak Peek: The Peacock Door by Wanda Kay Knight

THE PEACOCK DOOR

By Wanda Kay Knight

Xlibris

Middle Grade Fantasy

335 pages

 ages 8 and up

In a magical tale of adventure, eight cousins sneak through forbidden treehouse doors only to find themselves separated from each other and lost in strange worlds. In their quests to return home, they must unravel mysteries, escape snares and villains, find one another, and search for the elusive Oracle. The Peacock Door is a rich story of camaraderie, courage, and determination with a bit of whimsy sprinkled throughout. 

EXCERPT

Icy Stone Steps:

A full moon had risen in the cobalt sky casting a bluish glow over the icy, snow-swept mountainside, illuminating the entire hamlet. Icicles dangled from the steep, high pitched roofs of cottages nestling here and there, jumbled together at odd angles wherever the mountainside allowed. Jagged, ice covered stone steps, cut into the mountainside, curved up and around the icicle laden cottages until finally reaching a summit—a high, flat plateau. And it was on that plateau—high overhead and overshadowing the village—that a Citadel, a snow-covered stone fortress—overwhelming with its massive and imposing presence—rose up out of the mountain as though etched and carved from the rock itself.

They stood exhaling puffs of frosty mist; entranced by the ethereal beauty of their snow laden destination and shocked by the terrible price they must pay to get there. Finally realizing the price for warmth and comfort for the night so they would have an audience with the Oracle tomorrow was a midnight climb up jagged icy stone steps tonight. It was foreboding and frigid; it was ethereal and sublime.

“We can do this,” Eleanor whispered. She slipped over and laid one arm on Ivan’s shoulder and the other on Tilly’s. Addison silently reached down grabbing Brody’s hand—and he let her do it. Claire moved over to stand beside Levi who had taken Esmé back into his own arms. He smiled a grim smile, and then he turned, planting his foot on the first jagged, icy stone step as each of the cousins formed a silent line behind him, breathing in the cold, frosty air, and preparing to follow.

And here she is. . .

Wanda Kay Knight lives in the Pacific Northwest, teaches literature, strives really hard to keep up with her adventurous/competitive family, makes things out of yarn (mainly unique hats), enjoys collecting pretty rocks, and writes a lot.

www.thepeacockdoor.com