Geo Librarian

Welcome to my Freedom to Read Giveaway.  This giveaway hop is being sponsored by Mundie Moms & I Am A Reader, Not A Writer . I am sincerely grateful for the freedom to read as I see fit. If I don't like a book, I can put it down. If I love it, I can read it as many times as I want. I want to share that freedom with my readers. For this one I'm keeping it simple, I am giving away: One Book of Choice from Book Depository or Amazon under $20. To Enter: You must be 13 or older. Fill out the rafflecopter form. This giveaway is open internationally. I will email the winner, the winner has 48 hours to respond before I will choose another winner.   a Rafflecopter giveaway  

Both books that I'm highlighting today deal with a difficult topic: terminal illness of a parent.  I'll say right off that both books made me cry because they were well told and the characters so real.  But both books will need to be shared in a sensitive manner because they won't be appropriate for all students. MERCY LILY by Lisa Albert Flux, 2011 ISBN: 978-0-7387-2699-1 Grades 9 and up Reviewed from copy received from author. All opinions expressed here are solely my own. Lily's mother has slowly been losing herself to multiple sclerosis.  After traditional treatment fails, she uses bee sting therapy, administered by Lily, to alleviate her pain.  Lily is trained as a veterinary assistant, so she can easily handle the treatments. What she can't handle is what happens when the bee sting therapy fails and it becomes clear that her mom wants to die.  One beautiful spring day, Lily's mother asks her for the most impossible thing of all--mercy.  Whi...

  Book Synopsis : Vesuvius is Awakening. Mira, a fifteen-year old slave who saw the coming death and destruction in a vision. Now it is time to fulfill the vow she made to the mother of the Roman child in her care. To do this, she must escape the watchful eye of the slave ordered to guard her, and the stubborn father who refuses to believe there is any danger. Before Mount Vesuvius erupts and buries the town, she has to convince her guard to go with her or suffer the fate of Herculaneum and all who have not yet fled to safety. Seeing his neighbours leave, her owner decides to join them, but first he will make sacrifices to the gods. To Mira’s dismay he takes them to the temple farthest from the best escape route. Mira thinks about killing the slave keeping watch on her, or even better the child’s father, then they can all run from the certain death she knows is on its way. But can she commit murder, even if to save the life of the child she loves? Review: I enjoyed th...

THE AGE OF MIRACLES: A NOVEL by Karen Thompson Walker Random House, 2012 ISBN: 978-0812992977 Grades 4-7 Reviewed from copy provided by publisher through NetGalley. Book Synopsis comes from Goodreads. “It still amazes me how little we really knew. . . . Maybe everything that happened to me and my family had nothing at all to do with the slowing. It’s possible, I guess. But I doubt it. I doubt it very much.” Luminous, haunting, unforgettable, The Age of Miracles is a stunning fiction debut by a superb new writer, a story about coming of age during extraordinary times, about people going on with their lives in an era of profound uncertainty. On a seemingly ordinary Saturday in a California suburb, Julia and her family awake to discover, along with the rest of the world, that the rotation of the earth has suddenly begun to slow. The days and nights grow longer and longer, gravity is affected, the environment is thrown into disarray. Yet as she struggles to navigate an ...

This is my first Marvelous Middle Grade Monday post, but since I love middle grade as a genre, it will not be my last. WOLF STORM by Dee Garretson Harper, 2011 ISBN: 978-0-06-200032-3 Grades 4 and up Reviewed from copy received from author in giveaway. All opinions here expressed are solely my own. This is Stefan's big break.  He's on location in the mountains far from home for his first movie role, filming a blockbuster sci-fi adventure.  The props, the spaceships, and the trained wolves on set should add up to a dream job, but acting turns out to be much tougher than he ever imagined, and he feels like his inner loser is all that's showing through.  From the way his famously stuck-up co-star, Raine, treats him, he's pretty sure she thinks so too.  And worst of all, no one will believe his claim that there are wild wolves haunting the forest around the set. When a blizzard strikes, isolating the young co-stars and bringing hungry feral wolves into the ...

Time to announce the winners of my Clear Your Shelf Giveaway. I wish everyone could have won, but since that isn't possible, here are the winners. LINDA KISH KAYLA BECK BECCA WILSON BETH DERENZIS SUSAN SMITH   I will be contacting the winners by email.  Thanks to all those who participated and please visit again!

Hey, check this out! A free book for 10-17 year olds and a free e-book for adults. If you know a 10-17 year old who likes fantasy be sure to check this out! Take The Ride: 1000 signed copies of my book, Nikolas and Company: The Merman and The Moon Forgotten, will be given away on July 6th. I explain more in the announcement video:  (Also, you can watch my book go into space!)    http://nikolasandco.com/taketheride July 6th, Aero Studios will mail 1000 free, signed copies of my book,   Nikolas and Company: The Merman and The Moon Forgotten   to those who get their orders in first. You don’t have to pay for the book, or shipping and handling. To qualify: Be between the ages of 10 and 17 (If you know someone between 10 and 17, feel free to order for them). Live in the US ( adults can also get a free digital copy) .                                 CLICK HER...

THE HERO'S GUIDE TO SAVING YOUR KINGDOM by Christopher Healy Walden Pond Press, 2012 ISBN: 978-0-06-211743-4 Grades 4-8 Reviewed from personal copy. Prince Liam. Prince Frederic. Prince Duncan. Prince Gustav. You've never heard of them, have you? These are the princes who saved Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Snow White, and Rapunzel, respectively, and yet, thanks to those lousy bards who wrote the tales, you likely know them only as Prince Charming. But all of this is about to change. Rejected by their princesses and cast out of their castles, Liam, Frederic, Duncan, and Gustav stumble upon an evil plot that could endanger each of their kingdoms. Now it's up to them to triumph over their various shortcomings, take on trolls, bandits, dragons, witches, and other assorted terrors, and become the heroes no one ever thought they could be. Debut author Christopher Healy takes us on a journey with four imperfect princes and their four improbable princesses, all ...

Easing his pace, Jonathon advanced only inches at a time. Instinct heightened beneath unseen eyes and he knew he moved in the presence of a creature that could kill him. As he progressed forward, his light caught a presence to his left… a human presence. The dark image startled him and Jonathon whirled to face the threat, the beam of his headlamp cutting into the darkness. Jonathon’s had more than enough adventure for one lifetime. That’s why he’s planning to spend this summer camping in quiet central Utah with his Peruvian friend, Severino. But when the two of them accidentally discover an ancient artifact, they wind up in more danger than ever! Now Jonathon, Severino, and their new friend, Tallie, will have to choose between protecting a secret that’s been hidden for centuries or saving their own lives! A perfect combination of action, thrills, suspense, and a hint of romance, this is a cover-to-cover adventure that you simply can’t miss. Join forces with this ...

Oops. I didn't realize I signed up for two blog tour posts on the same day.  Oh, well.  They are both great books so I hope you take a look at both. This blog tour is being sponsored by Pump Up Your Book . Jake, a 14-year-old gadget whiz, didn’t plan on a summer full of treasure, thieves, and danger. He just got lucky. While in Ireland on a class trip, Jake stumbles upon the first clue to a treasure missing from the Spanish Armada. Jake sees the riches as his chance to buy back the family sailboat and restore a piece of the life he enjoyed before his father was critically injured in an accident. Desperate to find the treasure, Jake teams up with Zach, his nemesis and class bully, and two girls in a clue-hunting chase across the Dingle Peninsula. Dodging would-be thieves, exchanging wisecracks with Zach, and concocting ingenious devices to get them out of scrapes, Jake leads the team as they connect piece after piece to the 400-year-old mystery. ABOUT SEAN VOGEL ...

Welcome to the Tracing Stars Blog Tour and giveaway.  I am excited to be able to share this book and author with you.  If you have not already, I recommend reading my review/author bio here . Today, I have an interview with the author to share with you and a great giveaway. A charming novel about sisterhood, self-identity, and friendship from the author of Flutter. Indie Lee Chickory knows she's not as cool as her older sister Bebe. Bebe has more friends, for one. And no one tells Bebe she's a fish freak, for two. So when Indie accidentally brings her pet lobster to school, makes a scene, loses him in the ocean and embarrasses Bebe worse than usual, she makes a wish on a star to become a better Chickory. She tries to do this by joining the stage crew of the community's theater production, The Sound of Music . (Bebe has a starring role.) But Bebe is worried that Indie will embarrass her again, so she gives her a makeover and tells her who she should be friends wi...

I am super excited to be a part of the Tracing Stars Blog Tour.  Today, I'll share my review and the author bio.  Tomorrow, be sure to check back for an interview with the author and a giveaway. TRACING STARS by Erin E. Moulton Philomel Books, 2012 ISBN: 978-0-399-25696-7 Grades 3-6 Reviewed from copy provided by author. Opinions expressed about book are my own. A charming novel about sisterhood, self-identity, and friendship from the author of Flutter Indie Lee Chickory knows she's not as cool as her older sister Bebe. Bebe has more friends, for one. And no one tells Bebe she's a fish freak, for two. So when Indie accidentally brings her pet lobster to school, makes a scene, loses him in the ocean and embarrasses Bebe worse than usual, she makes a wish on a star to become a better Chickory. She tries to do this by joining the stage crew of the community's theater production, The Sound of Music . (Bebe has a starring role.) But Bebe is worried that Ind...