Tuesday, January 2, 2018

WE ARE PARTY PEOPLE by Leslie Margolis / Blog Tour: Guest Post & Giveaway #WeArePartyPeople


Welcome to the first stop in the WE ARE PARTY PEOPLE blog tour, hosted by Macmillan. Released this past October, We Are Party People by Leslie Margolis is a fun, quirky, clean cut read for readers 10-14 years old. There's humor, first crushes, over coming fear, and finding ones self in the mix of middle school and all the 'fun' and issues that come with middle school life, mixed with bravery and being proud of who you are. 

PRAISE FOR THE BOOK



I am thrilled to kick off this week's blog tour, with a guest post from Leslie! Her post is one you'll definitely want to read if you love party planning. I got a few great pointers from her post. Check it out below. After you read her guest post, be sure to keep reading, as I've included information about her book, the tour schedule and there is a GIVEAWAY at the end of this post! 

GUEST POST by Leslie Margolis - PARTY PLANNING


WE ARE PARTY PEOPLE has been in the making for years and I am so thrilled that it is finally published.  I have been thinking about these characters and the premise for this novel for a long, long time. There is so much history.  There are so many threads woven through.

My own children are seven and nine, so parties occupy a big part of my life.  I spend a lot of time planning, attending, driving to and from, and standing around at parties.  It is exhausting. It is also fun and intriguing and thought-provoking and stressful.  There is so much conflict.  There are so many issues.   And there are always so many BIG FEELINGS surrounding kids parties.

Here are some examples, some dialogue overheard and some thoughts ripped from the headlines of my brain.  (Yes, sometimes my brain generates old-timey newspaper headlines.) 

Wait, they invited the whole class except for one kid?  That’s atrocious.  Was this an accident?  Do I say something?  Do I let it go?  How would I feel if it was my kid? Wait, now it is my kid? Ugh!

There is no gluten-free cake option?  Horrifying!  There is only gluten-free cake option?  Disgusting! 

Wait, there’s a bounce house?  And two kids collided?  And now they are both crying?  This is awful.  This also leads to the existential question… has ever a bounce house been inflated that didn’t result in tears? 

I also have my own party drama, harkening back to the sixth grade and stamped into the very fabric of my being.  Here it is:

When I was twelve, my mom’s friend, Darlene, opened up a party space at the mall.  She needed someone to entertain toddlers at their birthday parties.  I was perfect for the job because her costumes fit me.  Except I was not perfect for the job.  The costumes didnt fit my personality.  I was shy, with awkwardness flowing through my veins.  After the first Big Bird-themed party, as I took off the homemade felt and feathered suit, Darlene gave me a pep talk.  She asked me to bring more energy and fun to the role. I knew what she wanted, and I also doubted that I could deliver.  But I tried.  Next time I was Minnie Mouse, in a red and white polka dot dress and painted-on whiskers.  I practiced my high-pitched squeaky voice and did my very best, but I failed again.  I was too self-conscious.  Finally, I was a bunny.  This was my favorite character because bunnies don’t talk.  Also, the outfit was super soft and fluffy.  It was like a “slanket”, years before “slankets” were even invented.  Still, I failed to muster the proper enthusiasm.  I limped my way through a few more parties before Darlene told me it wasnt going to work out.  I turned in all three costumes, relieved. 

Three years ago, I took my kids to a Luau and found a mermaid in the swimming pool.  She was magical and magnetic, a natural performer.  The opposite of me.  I wondered about her inner life.  How she got this way.  A character named Pixie Jones took shape in my mind.  She is shy and awkward and she would never be a mermaid by choice.  But her parents run a party planning business and they needed her help.  So what is she going to do? 

And that is where WE ARE PARTY PEOPLE begins.

ABOUT THE BOOK


By: Leslie Margolis
Published by: Farrar, Straus & Giroux
Released on: October 3, 2017
Ages: 10-14
Purchase from: The Publisher | Amazon
Add it to Goodreads

Pixie Jones is a shy wallflower whose parents are the best (and most out-there) party planners around. When Pixie's mom has to leave town to care for an ailing family member, and Pixie's new friend wants help coordinating a campaign for student body president, Pixie finds herself uncomfortably, terrifyingly close to the spotlight. Pixie is going to have to test her limits to help the people she loves-- and discovers along the way that stepping outside of her comfort zone might not be so scary after all.



ENTER TO WIN!

Thank you to Macmillan, I have 1 copy of the book to giveaway to one lucky reader! To enter to win, fill out the form below. US residents only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

FOLLOW THE TOUR SCHEDULE

1/2Mundie Kids - Guest Post & Book Giveaway
1/3: Undeniably Book Nerdy - Party Theme
1/4: Ex Libris Kate - Book Giveaway
1/5: YA Book Nerd - Playlist
1/6: Book Briefs Interview with Leslie Margolis

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 ~