Review: Grynbad and the Seven Soups by David Hailwood

GRYNBAD AND THE SEVEN SOUPS

by David Hailwood

Children's Fantasy

102 pages

ages 7 to 9

Timmy Grynbad has bad teeth, and a big heart. So when his beloved grandpa’s most magnificent false teeth get stolen by a great green Gribble Grobble, he responds in the same manner as any dutiful grandson would; he leaps headfirst into a barrel of custard and sets off after them.

Emerging in a strange land of liquid, Timmy soon discovers he must cross the Seven Soups and face its many hazards.

Along the way he will battle lolly-loving pirates, wrestle with mermaids, haggle with trolls, and learn to run on custard. But such tasks pale in comparison to the dangers that await him in the foul reeking depths of minestrone!

Will Timmy sink or swim? Find out inside this fully illustrated self-contained comedy fantasy adventure, available exclusively to Kindle Select.

MY TIDBITS

Packed to the brim with silliness, adventure and imagination, this tale even manages to work in the wonderful love between a grandfather and his grandson.

Timmy thinks his grandfather's teeth are so cool—they might be fake but they are big, bad and can really chomp. When Timmy's visit to the dentist reveals anything but a perfect set of biters, things turn grim in the family. A next day visit to Grandpa in the retirement home results with a terrible event; Grandpa's teeth are missing! Timmy dives into the barrel of custard to search for his grandfather's chompers...a feat which lands him in the seas of Seven Soups and tons of adventure.

This is NOT a book to be read with a serious attitude. Timmy might be full of heart and ready to take on almost anything to get his grandfather's beloved teeth back, but it's a journey into fantasy pure. From pirates to mermaids, trolls and so much more, Timmy comes across the most amazing adventures as he travels through Minestrone, Tomato and many other soupy waters. 

There is never a boring moment, not with countless amazing situations, quirky characters and adventures which hit the depths of imagination roll along at top speed. It makes for a very entertaining, quick read and unexpected twists on every page. Boys and reluctant readers will be lured in by this story. As for serious readers, they might shake their heads.

And there's Timmy's wonderful heart. Even with all of the nonsense, the sacrifice and effort Timmy puts forth is impossible to ignore. He loves his grandfather and gives his all to help him. Even when it comes to finding his teeth.

And here he is...

David Hailwood is a two-time BBC Writers Room sitcom writing finalist, who’s had comedy material broadcast on ITV and E4.  He’s spent the past twenty years writing comic scripts for numerous publications around the UK, including Egmont’s best selling children’s comic ‘Toxic’.  He edits the ‘100% Biodegradable’ comic anthology, and his previous book of Alternative Facts ‘Not A Lot Of People Know That’ (co-written with F.J. Riley) received over 80 5-star reviews and made it into the iBooks top ten ‘Free Humour’ chart.  His debut children’s fantasy novel ‘The Last Of The Navel Navigators’ was awarded a Distinction as part of his Creative Writing MA at University of Chichester, England.

Website:  www.davidhailwood.com

Newsletter:   https://mailchi.mp/397996b52684/biopresskidsfreebie

Social Media links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DavidCJHailwood

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

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/biomekazoik/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4572039.David_Hailwood

Universal Book Links (take you to the most appropriate store for your country):

Amazon Kindle: http://mybook.to/Grynbad

Amazon Print: http://mybook.to/GrynbadPaperback

Standard Amazon Links:

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Grynbad-Seven-Soups-Illustrated-Children/dp/1722218657/

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Grynbad-Seven-Soups-Illustrated-Children/dp/1722218657/

Review: Time Sandwich by Matt Brennan

TIME SANDWICH

A Start-In-The-Middle Book

by Matt Brennan

Illustrated by Jonathan Reich

Picture Book 

38 pages

ages 4 to 8

COMING...
NOVEMBER 6th, 2018!!!

When Tuckie and Huggs discover a time machine, they have no idea of the adventures they're about to have - but their future selves do! They'll travel to the past and see dinosaurs, disco and President Millard Fillmore! They'll jump to the future to experience cool roller coasters, killer robots and the Time Vortex! And they'll keep running into themselves along the way. Don't worry - it all makes sense in the end! But will they be able to get back to their own place and time?

In this unique tale, instead of starting at the beginning, the reader starts in the middle of the book. As our heroes travel forwards and backwards in time, the reader flips pages forwards and backwards, following timelines, to keep up with them.

 MY TIDBITS

This is a back and forth, all over the place, flip those pages adventures, which keeps the fingers moving in the same excited pace as the adventure itself.

Tuckie and Huggs discovers an odd device in the garden. A sudden pull of the handle and off they go through time! Many adventures await them as they zip and zap and zip again. Where they'll land next is as unexpected as where they had last been.

This is an original, time travel story, which takes a picture book format but is definitely for middle grade readers. The entire thing is done in a comic book form, with the text snuggled into the illustrations. But it's the flip-flop, back and forth which gives this book its original flare. While the story starts on the beginning page....kind of...it then quickly sweeps to the middle and continues frontwards and backwards from there.

In a way, it reminds of the 'Choose Your Own Adventure' books, but in this one, there aren't any choices to be made. Instead, the story continues by following colorful arrows and lines through the pages until the followed 'path' ends in a story box. The reader finds out what happens next before zipping away and following the next arrowed and colored line again through the pages until landing somewhere else. About halfway through the story...and by story, I don't mean physical book...a time vortex hits and colored paths shoot back and forth in a frenzy. The reader has to take care to stick on the right color path in and out of the spin so they can continue the story. Sometimes, the color lines get a little confusing (there are quite a few to follow along the bottoms and tops of the pages), but as long as the reader pays attention to what they're doing, they'll get through.

The adventure itself is fun. There's not really a message to the entire thing, nor is there much of a plot outside of the excitement of meeting dinosaurs, aliens, and all sorts of suspenseful situations. But that's more than enough. It's a fun read, very original, and worth a try, especially for those more reluctant readers who get bored when reading a 'simple' book.


And here he is...

 Matt Brennan has always been obsessed with time travel, whether it's altering the past in order to change the future, or a closed time loop where everything that's going to happen has already happened. He lives in Burbank, CA with a stuffed Klingon Targ. This is his first book.
https://www.amazon.com/Time-Sandwich-Start-Middle/dp/0692125876/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1537204821&sr=8-1&keywords=time+sandwich+matt+brennan

https://mattarama2000.wixsite.com/website 

https://www.facebook.com/Start-in-the-Middle-Books-230741110850540 

Review: Aurella the Sorceress by Anni Sezate

AURELLA THE SORCERESS

The Aurella Trilogy, Book Two

by Anni Sezate

Folded Corners

Middle Grade Fantasy

375 pages

What do you do when your refuge is not the haven you imagined?
Aurella and Mavic have escaped a witch hunt in Dovice, only to discover that Rashtica has also been corrupted by a wicked king. Unlike King Slathgar, this king doesn't kill powerful people, but collects them for his army. No one is safe from forced recruitment, not even children. Though Rashtica is full of witches and warlocks, magic is rarely done in public for fear of being spotted by one of the king's knights and forced into servitude. Once again, Aurella must hide her power or risk capture.

 MY TIDBITS

This book takes a trip into a rich and exciting fantasy world with characters to befriend and root for the entire way through.

Note: This is the second book in the series. It isn't too difficult to get into the story and understand what is happening without reading the first book, but it does continue the adventure from where book one left off. So, I would highly recommend starting this series in the beginning.

Aurella and Mavic have escaped their home country after being hunted down and are now on a quest under the Queen's orders to find the heir to the throne. They soon find themselves taken into a home with a loving family, are attending school and even now fit in considering everyone is a witch or warlock and no humans are around—a safe environment they've only dreamed of before. But strange earthquakes shake the country more and more often. Everyone knows it's the king's fault. Plus, his knights are hunting down talented magic wielders and forcing them to join the king's forces. Aurella and Mavic discover that not only may then be in even more danger than before, but there's so much more going on than they ever thought possible.

This is an amazing series! (And this isn't something I saw very often). The author has created a gripping world with characters who are easy to connect with and soon find a place on the reader's side. There's never a dull moment as Aurella and Mavic face tense situations ranging from bullying, lies to action packed hand-to-hand combat. Layers of intrigue keep ever twist and turn bringing an unexpected surprise, and each and every character carries a personality and past of their own. It's a book to get lost in and wish it never ends.

Aurella is an terrific heroine. She packs a punch when necessary but is by no means perfect. Her powers are strong, but she has a lot to learn. Sometimes she wins, often it's a close call and more than once, she can't make it through. This makes every confrontation exciting, especially since it's not about her defeating all foes on her own. She has a true-to-the-end friend at her side...which doesn't mean that they don't get into each other's hair at times. And she discovers others who help her along the way.

There is a lot of heart in the tale, not only through messages or Aurella's good sense of wrong and right, but rather through the interaction of the characters themselves. The characters bicker, laugh, joke around, grow frustrated, panic, tire, get on each other's nerves and love each other to the end. And it's this which makes it so easy to connect to and dive in.

Summed up, this is a fantastic read for fantasy friends who love magic, political intrigue, difficult quests, horrible evil opponents, and exciting worlds. Especially readers ages ten to fourteen will feel at home in this book.


And here she is...

Debut author Anni Sezate is an elementary school teacher from Gilbert, Arizona. She received her education degree from Arizona State University, though she spent a semester living out her acting dreams as a musical theater major. Anni is your typical right-brained lefty who spends most of her time reading, writing, drawing, and singing way too loudly to Broadway soundtracks. Anni is a proud daughter, sister, aunt, and Ravenclaw (Thunderbird, if we’re being technical).

https://annisezate.com/

Review: Willie Out West by Rhonda Walker

WILLIE OUT WEST

by Rhonda Walker

Westbow Press

Children's Fantasy

24 pages

ages 6 to 10

Young Willie Walrus leaves his ice home to travel on an adventure to Big West, where the town's citizens desperately need help. Arriving to cheers, he quickly runs into Old Walter, the One-Eyed Whale. Colorful illustrations and action take readers to an old West town where the citizens expect Willie to save them. Can he?

 MY TIDBITS

This is a cute story set in an icy world, which proves that heroes aren't always muscle and might.

Willie Walrus is bored. Nothing exciting ever happens to him. One day, he's asked to come to the Big West and experience an adventure. Willie jumps at the chance and soon, is having the time of his life. Unfortunately, the parade and fun is only the beginning of his adventure. Hopefully, he can come out alive.

Willie is a lovely walrus who doesn't see what he has and wishes to have some fun, which he gets in loads. The colorful illustrations bring this simple yet interesting story to life. The creatures of the sea and ice are easy to identify and radiate friendliness. The story itself is written with a longer text on each page, making it a lovely read for beginning readers or as a read aloud for Kindergartners and older.

The story flows quickly and holds something new around every bend. It wasn't clear why anyone would approach Willie Walrus's house and invite him to come help the sea creatures out, but that's not necessarily important. Willie's fun and excitement during the parade is easy to identify with as is his shock when he faces the real adventure. The solution wasn't quite what we expected, but it works. In any case, the message is clear—becoming a hero can also mean working together, not alone. It's an easy read, kids are sure to sink into and enjoy.


I received a complimentary copy through Booklook Bloggers.

Review: Night Night, Sleepytown by Amy Parker, Illustrated by Virginia Allyn

NIGHT NIGHT, SLEEPYTOWN

by Amy Parker

Illustrated by Virginia Allyn

Thomas Nelson

Board Book

20 pages

Join bestselling author Amy Parker and award-winning illustrator Virginia Allyn in the latest Night Night adventure through Sleepytown, where community helpers work hard so everyone can rest! Say thank you and good night to farmers, doctors, teachers, firefighters, and God, who takes care of us all. Your little ones will sleep soundly, feeling safe and loved.

Night night, helpers—Sleepytown too!

Thank you all for what you do.

Amy Parker’s children’s books have sold more than a million copies, including two Christian Retailing’s Best award-winning books and the bestselling A Night Night Prayer; Night Night, Farm; and Night Night, Train.

 MY TIDBITS

There are many people working in a town to keep life running smoothly. This book takes a look at several professions and the influence they have on people around them, and then offers a quick thanks before a good night's sleep.

The cover already invites smiles with it's bright colors and busy portrayal of a small town. It's a sturdy book with a puffy cover and an easy to wash off surface. The pages are as sturdy as a board book should be. Each page offer two verses of rhyme. The first gives a quick, fun glimpse at a profession often found in towns (police, doctor, postman, etc) while the second verse is much more repetitive, starting with the words 'night night' and ends with a thank you.  Some of the rhymes run more smoothly than others but all are informative while also being fun.

The illustrations are bright and super sweet with animals as the main characters. There are fun little details sprinkled in such as a carrot car or mice helping themselves to cookies in the background. These little bits give young listeners something to explore and giggly moments.

It's a cute book which takes a glimpse at the important things people do and how these jobs are needed for everyday life. It reminds young listeners to be thankful and see those around them in a more grateful light. Even bubble makers and diggers before saying night night.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Booklookbloggers.com.