Friday, April 27, 2012

Book Review: Martin on the Moon by Martine Audet


Illustrated by: Luc Melanson
Published by: Owl Kids Publishing
Released on: April 10th, 2012
Ages: 5 & up
Source: book from publisher to review
3.5 stars: It's A Good Read
Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

An active daydreamer, Martin can't help his mind from wandering on the first day of school. His teacher's waving arms remind him of the seagulls that fly along the river banks, which reminds him of a summer trip he took with his mother, which reminds him of a poem he wrote, which reminds him...
When his teacher gently calls him back to Earth, Martin is embarrassed about his inattention. But when his whole class laughs along with him, Martin happily realizes that his imagination can help him make friends and have fun at school.
The spirit of this whimsical story comes alive through the pairing of inquisitive and unexpected words and simple yet surreal illustrations. Nominated for the Prix TD de littérature canadienne pour l'enfance et la jeunesse in its original French, Martin on the Moon explores the poetry, beauty, and possibility of the first day of school. -quoted from Goodreads
What a fun read! This story is about a boy named Martin who day dreams. It's Martin's first day at school and he can't help but pretend he's somewhere else. You see, Martin's day dreams are used as a way to help him cope with being in a new class room, surrounded by some unfamiliar faces. To help ease his fears, he pretends he's on the moon. By doing this, Martin is able to mentally talk himself through his worries and fears. Along with Martin himself, I liked the way this story is told and the simply, yet engaging choice of words, and the tone of the story itself. 

It's not very often you can pick up a picture that portrays real fears that younger kids deal with, on a level they'll get. Martin on the Moon is a book that tackles that perfectly, and makes it easy for kids to understand what Martin is doing and why. Huge kudos to the illustrator, Luc for being able to not only capture Martin, he does a great job at showing us Martin in the present and Martin in his day dream. Luc makes it incredibly easy for younger readers to understand what's going on. I also liked that fact that the story illustrates Martin's teacher as a kind teacher who seems to understand what's he going through and what he's doing with out having to ask him nor does she point it out in front of everyone else. In stead she asks him what he's doing and gives him that assuring "I know what you're doing" smile. 

I enjoyed this book. It's a good read, with a good story line, great illustrations and a catchy color scheme kids will love.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Book Review: The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate


Released on: January 17th, 2012
Ages: 8 & up
Source: Bought
4.5 stars: I Really Enjoyed It
Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound

Ivan is an easygoing gorilla. Living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, he has grown accustomed to humans watching him through the glass walls of his domain. He rarely misses his life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly ever thinks about it at all.

Instead, Ivan thinks about TV shows he’s seen and about his friends Stella, an elderly elephant, and Bob, a stray dog. But mostly Ivan thinks about art and how to capture the taste of a mango or the sound of leaves with color and a well-placed line.

Then he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from her family, and she makes Ivan see their home—and his own art—through new eyes. When Ruby arrives, change comes with her, and it’s up to Ivan to make it a change for the better.

Katherine Applegate blends humor and poignancy to create Ivan’s unforgettable first-person narration in a story of friendship, art, and hope - quoted from Goodreads


This is a story that animal lovers of all ages will fall in love with. Katherine Applegate does a beautiful job at giving a voice to the true story of Ivan the Urban Gorilla, who spent 27 years living in a cage at mall in Washington State. In telling Ivan's story, Katherine not only allows readers to understand and fall in love with Ivan, but she gives his story an imaginative spin. The fact that does this through Ivan's point of view in first person really fascinated me, and made the story feel that much more genuine. I felt like if Ivan could speak, it would similar to the words Katherine used in telling his story. What an unforgettable character Ivan is.

To help tell Ivan's story, readers are introduced to some lovable animals like Bob the dog, Stella the elephant and Ruby the baby elephant who joins Ivan and his family of misfits at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall. I loved the interactions between the characters, as well as some of the friendly humans, like young Julia. It was interesting reading the story from Ivan's point of view, as I got see how Ivan went from being a young wild gorilla to slowly become more human like, due to his surroundings and how he was treated. Not only that, I loved seeing how incredibly intelligent he is. The story that tugged on my heart strings the most was seeing how protective of Ruby Ivan becomes and watching how his plan to help save her gets put into action. 

I love it when a children's author can weave together both fiction and non-fiction elements into their story. Katherine does an amazing job with this. Ivan's narration felt heart felt, it pulled at my heart strings and made me want to take action. Luckily I didn't need to do, as Ivan now has a beautiful at the Atlanta Zoo. Katherine does a superb job at balancing the various emotions readers will feel while reading Ivan's story. She delicately inserts moments of the harsh reality of exotic animal killings and importing through Ivan's back story and his early memories, to showing how people rallied around Ivan and sweet little Ruby and demanded they receive a better home than the ones they lived in at the mall. She also includes moments of joy, humor and heartfelt moments that will leave readers cheering for joy as Ivan finally gets the home he's so desperately deserved and becomes the Silverback he was destined to be, and Ruby gets the family she desperately missed. In the end, I loved seeing how Ivan was able to slowly revert back to being wild, while balancing some of his human like tendencies. 

This story is so wonderfully written. Katherine's elegant approach to Ivan's story teaches this story's young readers about the conversation that needs to happen with wild animals in captivity, that more needs to be done to protect them and how sticking to our principles can make all the difference, all with out sounding preaching. In fact, if I was a child reading this I wouldn't have picked up on a lot of that. As an adult it was easy for me to pick up on these key elements, but the inner child in me wanted to read more about Ivan. I absolutely enjoyed reading Ivan's touching story. If you're a fan of animals, happy endings and well written children's books I recommend picking this one up. 


Waiting on Wednesday: Under Wildwood by Colin Meloy


Published by: Balzer & Bray
To Be Released on: September 25th, 2012
Pre-Order from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Ever since Prue McKeel returned home from the Impassable Wilderness after rescuing her brother from the malevolent Dowager Governess, life has been pretty dull. School holds no interest for her, and her new science teacher keeps getting on her case about her dismal test scores and daydreaming in class. Her mind is constantly returning to the verdant groves and sky-tall trees of Wildwood, where her friend Curtis still remains as a bandit-in-training.


But all is not well in that world. Dark assassins with mysterious motives conspire to settle the scores of an unknown client. A titan of industry employs inmates from his orphanage to work in his machine shop, all the while obsessing over the exploitation of the Impassable Wilderness. And, in what will be their greatest challenge yet, Prue and Curtis are thrown together again to save themselves and the lives of their friends, and to bring unity to a divided country. But in order to do that, they must go under Wildwood.In Under Wildwood, Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis reveal new dimensions of the epic fantasy-adventure series begun with the critically acclaimed, bestselling Wildwood -quoted from Goodreads

I LOVED Wildwood and I'm so excited the sequel will be out this fall!! I can not wait to dive back into the world. Isn't that cover cool looking? If you haven't already, I highly recommend picking up Wildwood. It was one of my top 10 favorite MG reads last year. 

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Book Review: Puzzled by Pink by Sarah Frances Hardy


Published by: Viking Kids
Released on: April 12th, 2012
Source: book from author to review/giveaway
Ages: 4 & up
4 stars: We Enjoyed It
Purchase from: Amazon 

Izzy refuses to dress up as a fairy to attend her big sister Rose's birthday party, and instead brings her cat and other guests to the attic for a party featuring dried roses, spider webs, and nothing pink -quoted from Goodreads

This book will be a hit with little girls who love pink for those who don't. It's a story about two sisters, Rose and Izzy, who are completely opposite. Rose loves pink, dressing up, having tea parties and eating pink cupcakes. The older sister, Izzy wears black, loves her side of the room to be messy, and isn't into the frilly things her younger sibling is into. In fact, the only thing the two sisters have in common is their love for tea parties, though they're very different.

Readers get to know the girls more when during Rose's pink, frilly birthday party Izzy heads up to the attic to have her own tea party, with her own toy monsters and dolls. It's there that the sister's get into a fight over Rose's fairy wand that changes and turns Izzy's black cat into something other than a cat. Through Rose, Izzy discovers that maybe pink isn't so bad after all. The illustrations in this book are adorable! They really made this story fun. My little girl, who of course loves pink, really enjoyed having this story read to her. 

GIVEAWAY TIME!!
Thank you to Sarah, who sent me a SIGNED copy of her book to giveaway, one lucky follower will win this cute story. To enter, leave me a comment telling me your favorite color along with your email address. Open internationally, though international shipping rules apply. GOOD LUCK!! 

Monday, April 23, 2012

Cover Reveal: Stolen Magic by Stephanie Burgis

I am so excited to be revealing the cover for Stephanie Burgis's STOLEN Magic, the third book in her The Kat, Incorrigible series. If you haven't yet picked up this series, I highly recommend it. 


The entire cover:



I absolutely love the covers for this series, but this is my favorite one yet! Here's a little bit more about the book:
When Kat’s family travels to a grand country house by the north Devon coast for her sister Angeline’s wedding, Kat is stalked by a dangerous magical enemy - and finds everything she thought she knew about her late mother called into question. Smugglers, romance, and social disaster abound!

The third book will be released in the Spring of 2013 from Atheneum/ Simon & Schuster kids. Be sure to check out the rest of the series on Stephanie's site

Follow Stephanie on her Website | Blog | Live Journal | Twitter 

If you're in the UK, the book's title is A Reckless Magick and you VOTE on the cover for it. I totally adore the UK covers as well. I'm going to have see about getting my hands on these too. I'm think my Mundie daughter will need her own set of these books and I'll need my own set. ;)

What do you think of Stolen Magic's cover? 

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Happy Earth Day!

image found on google

I sadly didn't get a lot of my posts up and reviews up like I wanted to. I've had a lot going on and I've attended a few fabulous signings and conventions that I'll be posting about on Mundie Moms soon. I will have a lot of reviews I'll be posting this coming week and TOMORROW an EXCITING reveal!! Be sure to check back in the morning to check out the new cover for an excited MG series. 

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday: Merits of Mischief, The Bad Apple by T.R. Burns


By: T.R. Burns
Published by: Simon & Schuster / Aladdin
To Be Released on: April 24th, 2012
Pre-Order from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble


Quirky and irreverent new middle-grade series about a group of kids being trained to cause trouble!

For all of his 12 years, Seamus Hinkle has stayed out of trouble, but on one fateful afternoon in the Cloudview Middle School cafeteria, Seamus accidentally does the unthinkable—a substitute teacher is dead, and Seamus is to blame. 



Unable to return to Cloudview, Seamus’ parents take him to the most infamous of reform schools: Kilter Academy. But when Seamus’ parents drive off, headmistress Annika Kilter shows her true colors: she’s not interested in reforming delinquents, but quite the opposite—the mission of Kilter Academy is to foster troublemaking, and she's decided Seamus is her star pupil! 


Together with his new mischief-making friends, Seamus lives every young boy’s dream of getting points for getting in trouble! But soon Seamus discovers that Kilter Academy may have more plans in store for its students than just turning out troublemakers…

T.R. Burns is an acclaimed author of several middle-grade and YA novels for girls, and she’s gone undercover (under her initials) to present this fantastic new series! -quoted from Goodreads



Doesn't this sound like a fun MG read? I can't wait to read it!

Monday, April 16, 2012

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: Blog Tour Giveaway

Today's MMGM is a giveaway from a blog tour I had the chance to be apart of this past week for E.J. Patten's Return to Exile. You can read my interview with E.J. here. Today's giveaway is for:


This awesome SIGNED hardcover book and book mark! To enter, all you need to do is leave me a comment with your email address. This is for US residents only. Standard giveaway rules apply. Be sure to check out the rest of the blog tour here.



Be sure to stop by and check out these other MMMG Bloggers (click on their links below):

Friday, April 13, 2012

Book Review: Seeing Cinderella by Jenny Lundquist

I recently posted my review for Jenny's debut book on Mundie Moms, but I also wanted to feature it here on Mundie Kids, as it's a fun MG read with a great message for kids.


Published by: Aladdin
Released on: March 20, 2012
Source: book from publisher to review
Ages: 9-13
4 Stars: I Enjoyed It
Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Calliope Meadow Anderson wishes her life could be more of a fairy tale—just like the stories she writes. Her best friend, Ellen, is acting weird, her parent's marriage is falling apart, and to top things off, she found out she needs hideously large and geeky glasses. 

But Callie soon learns they aren't just any glasses—they are magical and let her read people's thoughts. For the first time ever she's answering all the questions right in math class, and gets a glimpse of what goes through people's minds all day, including what Ellen—and her longtime crush—really think of her. 

As if dealing with these crazy glasses weren't enough, Callie tries out for the lead in her school's production of Cinderella and actually gets the part. Instead, Callie chooses to let Ellen have the lead and be Ellen's understudy—just like she has done for their entire friendship. Add in a new girl who has something to hide, a secret admirer, a best friend stealer who isn't what she seems, and Callie's year just went from ordinary to extraordinary. 

Can this supporting actress learn to be a leading lady in her own life? Or is she destined to stay in the background forever—even with her super-freaky-magic glasses? -quoted from Goodreads

I love it when a book is not only written in a way that readers of all ages will be able to identify with it, but it delivers a great message for it's targeted audience. Jenny Lundquist's debut, Seeing Cinderella is a fun, charming, fast paced read that really struck a chord with me. Though I was never shy like the story's main character Callie, I still got her as a character. I remembered what it was like to be in her shoes at that awkward age in middle school when you're trying to discover who you are, you deal with first crush, you first heart break, you realize there's someone better out there, losing best friends, being made fun of, and making new friends. This line at the beginning of the book really hit home for me,

"I see Ellen making a bunch of friends at middle school. Then I see me' - I pointed to the larger stone- "reading a book or writing a story in my journal."

"Do you find that easier than making new friends?" Dr. Ingram asked.

"Books and journals can't make fun of you or call you names." 

Like Callie, at some point you try to realize that there's much more than meets the eye going on around you with your fellow classmates and friends. You realize that it's more than just okay to be who you really are. Callie has a bit of an upper hand in discovering everything that's going on around her. Like Callie, I remember vividly the horror of having to get those big ole' chunky glasses in middle school and how embarrassing it was to have to wear them. Much like Callie's, mine were for reading, but unlike hers, mine didn't allow me to read everyone's thoughts. While that might seem cool at first, after reading Callie's story there's no way I'd want to know what people are thinking, especially in middle school. Anytime Callie has her glasses on she's able to read her friends, teachers and parent's minds. I liked that Callie figures out that her glass it make it extremely easy for her to misinterpret what others are thinking, and there's more going around her than her own problems. 

For me what made Callie such a great character is how relatable she is. I enjoyed getting to know her and seeing her change to the girl she becomes by the end of her story. Seeing Cinderella isn't a fairy tale retelling, but it has a lot of fairytale type qualities to it. Jenny's writing is clean cut, encouraging, and the messages she includes through out her story are ones that readers of all ages can take to heart. Aside from Callie, I really liked her Optometrist, who spoke more like a fairy godmother than an eye doctor. He not only teaches Callie a great lesson by lending her the "special" glasses, but he teaches readers something as well. When we first meet him he tells Callie his glasses, "help me see who merely needs eyewear and who requires vision correction." He reminds Callie, "You never know what you'll see when your vision is corrected." 

This is one of those books that speaks a lot both with it's words and will have you reading between the lines to pick up on more of what Jenny is really getting across. Seeing Cinderella is a story I really enjoyed, and I'm looking forward to reading more books by Jenny. If you're looking for a wonderful story to spend the afternoon with, I highly recommend picking this one up! 

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Return to Exile Blog Tour: Author Interview w/ E.J. Patten


I'm thrilled to be the next stop in the Return to Exile blog tour. Today I have author E.J. Patten on the blog to talk about the first book in his The Hunter Chronicles series, Return to Exile. 


Which character did you enjoy writing the most? 
It’s a toss up between “Random Policeman #1” and “He Who Must Not Be Named In This Story And Therefore Wasn’t.” I think I’m going to have to go with HWMNBNITSATW. It just has a nice ring to it. Rolls right off the tongue and onto the floor where the cat can nibble on it—assuming I had a cat, which I don’t.

Cats aside (seriously—put them aside; they’re filthy beasts with unwholesome licking habits), I really liked writing Phineas T. Pimiscule. The man wears a frock and a monocle; need I say more? Okay, I probably should say more.

I loved creating Phineas’s quirky personality and figuring out how to balance the quirks against his inherently dangerous nature. Phineas has lived for a long, long time. It’s hard to imagine living that long. In many ways, our goals are so short term—eat, survive school, fall in love, survive love, raise kids, fall on kids (maybe not the last one). But what would it be like if we’d done all those things over and over again, if we’d watched all our loved ones go through those same patterns and forget about us as the years rolled on? What would it be like to live that long, especially given Phineas’s tragic life? How long would it take before I grew tired of the world, what would push me over the edge, and what would make me want to stay? What would I cherish? What would I live for?

Phineas, and many of the Hunters of Legend (most of whom you’ll meet in later books) got stuck in time at some point. They grew tired of changing to keep up with the world. In many instances, their clothing marks the year they grew weary—Phineas’s frock, Malvidia’s black mourning dress, Morton Thresher’s bowler hat (you’ll meet him in The Hunter Chronicles, Book 2: The Legend Thief, which comes out in December).

Who is your favorite character in the book and why?
There are a lot of characters in Return to Exile and, to be honest, it’s hard to pick a favorite. Phineas is definitely at the top, but so are Sky, Crystal, Hands, and all the others. Not to mention the monsters. That’s why I’m going to say that I liked writing Phineas, but HWMNBNITSATW is my favorite.
*********
Thank you Eric for stopping by Mundie Kids today! 
You can visit Eric via his Website | Twitter | Goodreads


ONE BOY. UNTOLD ENEMIES. A WHOLE WORLD TO SAVE. 
IT'S GOING TO BE A LOOONG THREE DAYS. 

Eleven years ago, a shattered band of ancient monster hunters captured an unimaginable evil and Phineas T. Pimiscule rescued his nephew, Sky, from the wreckage of that great battle. For eleven years, Sky Weathers has studied traps, puzzles, science, and the secret lore of the Hunters of Legend believing it all a game. For eleven years, Sky and his family have hidden from dark enemies while, unbeknownst to Sky, his uncle Phineas sacrificed everything to protect them. 

For eleven years, Sky Weathers has known nothing of that day. 

But on the eve of Sky's twelfth birthday and his family's long-awaited return to the town of Exile, everything changes. Phineas has disappeared, and Sky finds himself forced to confront the mysterious secrets he's denied for so long: why did his family leave Exile on that day so long ago? What, exactly, has Phineas been preparing him for? And, the biggest mystery of all, who is Sky really and why does everyone want to kill him?! 

Featuring an action-packed plot that covers the gamut of every monster you've never heard of (not to mention weird powers and weapons made out of garbage), Return to Exile--a modern-day fantasy adventure set in our world--is brimming with boy and girl appeal and is a gem for reluctant young readers. And, with a diverse assortment of well-aged monster hunters in the cast, this series will be a hit with adults young and old, as well -quoted from Goodreads


Published by: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Released on: September 6th, 2011
Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound
Browse inside & read the first 100 pages via Simon & Schuster's Return to Exile page.

Be sure to follow the rest of the blog tour here and like the Return to Exile facebook page

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

THE EXTRAORDINARY EDUCATION OF NICHOLAS BENEDICT giveaway!

Trenton Lee Stewart's The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict went on sale yesterday! Trenton himself is headed out on tour! You have your chance to meet him and get your book signed at the following locations: 


Be sure to stop by Little Brown's site for the Mysterious Benedict Society, which includes a fantastic book trailer for The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict.

"The Mysterious Benedict Society series has received a combined five starred reviews, and has sold over 1.5 million copies. But long before the adventures of The Mysterious Benedict Society series’ foursome - Reynie, Kate, Sticky and Constance - there was a brilliant young boy named Nicholas Benedict with his own problems, his own unusual friends, and his own mystery to solve. This is his story!"

To celebrate the release of Trenton's newest books, Little Brown is giving away 3 copies of this book!! Exciting right!?! To enter, all you need to do is fill out the form below. Standard giveaway rules apply. US only & no PO Boxes. Must be 13 yrs & older to enter, or have a parent/guardian's permission.





Giveaway Winners!!!

Congratulations to my latest GIVEAWAY WINNERS!!!

#36- Elizabeth B


#18- Diana A

Grand prize winner: 
#3- Judi C

Book winners:
#36- Mary Ann W
#7- Natalie R


* All winners have been notified by email and have 48 hrs to reply. Please be sure to check out the rest of my giveaways in my right hand side bar. 

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Double Dog Dare: Interview with author Lisa Graff

I'm thrilled to be hosting a Double Dog Dare day today on Mundie Kids! Along with sharing my review of Double Dog Dare (which will be up shortly), I'm thrilled to have Double Dog Dare author Lisa Graff on the blog today!! 


    1. Hi Lisa! Thank you for stopping by Mundie Kids today. What inspired your story, Double Dog Dare?


    I like to think of the book as being mostly fun and silly, but with a bit of a serious side to it too. The story really came together when I realized that although I am a child of divorced parents (mine separated when I was four), I had never written a book about a kid whose parents were divorced. For so many kids, that is simply their reality, and while parts of the experience can be traumatic, just like anything else it can be funny, or happy, or sad. So I really wanted to try to capture all of that, while still writing a book that was entertaining.


    1. What three words would you use to describe your characters, Kansas and Francine?
    I’m going to cheat and think up three words for each of them. Francine is smart, stubborn, and loyal. Kansas is practical, brave, and reserved.

    1. Growing up were you someone who was like Kansas and Francine and accepted a Double Dog Dare? If so, what's your most memorable dare you did?
    Oh, I wish I’d been like that! As a child I had neither Francine’s gumption nor Kansas’s wit, and I had a tendency to be rather a stick in the mud. I think the wackiest dare I ever pulled was to eat some dry cat food (boring!). My friends and I did pull off some pretty memorable prank phone calls, however. One of our favorites was to call people up from the phone book and try to convince them that we were their old buddies from the Civil War (I think I had a very strange sense of humor as a child).

    1. What children's authors inspired you to read when you were in grade school / middle school?
    I loved, loved, loved Beverly Cleary when I was a kid. I was a big fan of the Ramona books, of course (who isn’t?), but my absolute favorite was Emily’s Runaway Imagination. In sixth grade I wrote a 20 page book report about it! (My teacher’s response to that paper was probably my first experience with the idea of “less is more.”) I also adored Roald Dahl, particularly Matilda. And I simply could not get enough of the Baby-sitters Club books by Ann M. Martin. I owned about sixty of them at one point, and I read them all so many times half the covers were ripped off. (Team Kristy!)

    1. What's one of your favorite children's books?
    My all-time favorite children’s book is Holes by Louis Sachar. It’s just so brilliant in the ways it ties all the various storylines together, and it’s funny and sometimes serious too. I never tire of re-reading that book.

    1. Is there any advice you'd give to young aspiring authors?
    I have two pieces of advice: #1: Keep writing, even if you think what you’re writing stinks. It’s probably not nearly as terrible as you think it is, and you’ll never finish that story or novel or poem unless you keep pushing forward. And #2: Keep a diary or a journal. Write about silly things, and sad things, and everyday boring things. It’s very good practice for writing a book, and when you get older you’ll be able to remember things you never would have been able to otherwise.
    Thank you Lisa for stopping by Mundie Kids today! 
    Thanks so much for having me, Katie!

    ************


    Published by: Penguin Books for Kids / Philomel Books
    To Be Released on: April 12th, 2012
    Ages: 8-12
    Pre-Order from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound

    What would you do to win a dare war?

    In a humorous and insightful novel reminiscent of her award-winning titles The Thing About Georgie and Umbrella Summer, Lisa Graff tells the story of fourth-graders Kansas Bloom and Francine Halata, who start out as archenemies, until--in a battle of wits and willpower--they discover that they have a lot more in common than either would have guessed.

    This dual-perspective novel will appeal to girls and boys alike--and to anyone who has ever wanted anything so badly that they'd lick a lizard to get it -quoted from Goodreads

    **************

    "To celebrate the release of the book, Lisa and Philomel Books are hosting a DOUBLE DOG DARE Rube Goldberg Machine Contest. Children ages 6 to 13 are invited to enter by creating their own Rube Goldberg Machines (delightfully complicated contraptions named after inventor Rube Goldberg). The contest is open to school and classroom groups as well as individuals, and the many awesome prizes include a full class set of Double Dog Dare books, and a free Skype visit for your school!
    For a full list of rules, as well as instructions on how to enter, visit the Double Dog Dare contest page. (link: http://www.lisagraff.com/contest.html).  

    Philomel is giving away a copy of Double Dog Dare to one blog reader. All you need to do to enter is to email graff [dot] lisa [at] yahoo [dot] com with the subject line “MUNDIE KIDS.” The winner will be chosen at random on May 1st. And don’t forget to follow Lisa on all the stops of her blog tour for more chances to win. Here are all of the stops:

    Sunday, April 15th: Pragmatic Mom Blog (www.pragmaticmom.com)
    Monday, April 16th: Novel Novice (www.novelnovice.com)
    Tuesday, April 17th: Mundie Kids (www.mundiekids.blogspot.com)
    Wednesday, April 18th: From the Mixed-Up Files . . . (www.fromthemixedupfiles.com)
    Thursday, April 19th: Greetings From Nowhere (greetings-from-nowhere.blogspot.com)
    Friday, April 20th: Reading Everywhere (www.readingeverywhere.com)
    I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves. ~ Anna Quindlen

    Good children's literature appeals not only to
    the child in the adult, but to the adult in the child.
    ~ Anonymous ~