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Showing posts from May, 2016

PICTURE BOOK REVIEWS: Go, Little Green Truck! and Bucky and Stu vs. the Mikanikal Man

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GO, LITTLE GREEN TRUCK! by Roni Schotter, pictures by Julia Kuo Farrar Straus Giroux, 2016 ISBN: 978-0-374-30070-8 Source: publisher for review Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Ready, set, go! Little Green is ready to rumble. He is a happy, busy little pickup truck who loves helping out on the farm. Until... He wakes up one morning to find a big new blue truck ready to take his place. But can Big Blue take on all the jobs? Even the small and gentle ones? With some love, care, and paint... Ready, set, go! Little Green is ready to rumble again, all the way to the farmers' market. REVIEW Just like Otis is Otis by Loren Long, Little Green faces a crisis when he is replaced by Big Blue, a bigger, stronger, tougher truck.  But like Otis, Little Green too discovers a new place for himself when Fern, the farmer's daughter finds him sitting alone in a field and decides he would make great transportation to the upcomi...

BLOG TOUR: Mastermind by National Geographic Kids

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Welcome to Stop #3 on the National Geographic Kids Mastermind Blog Tour ! This summer, National Geographic Kids Books is inviting kids to "Unleash Their Inner Genius" with the release of Mastermind (May 2016, ages 8-12).  In this fun, interactive book, kids learn what type of thinker they are and are given the chance to exercise different parts of their brains with games, tests and puzzles.  Each stop on the National Geographic Kids Mastermind Blog Tou r will bring you one step closer to becoming a Certified Mastermind.  Be sure to stop by each stop on the tour and challenge yourself to unleash your inner genius with fun quizzes, optical illusions, and brain teasers, and learn tips and tricks for improving brainpower and explanations for the science behind navigating your mental map.  Are you ready to test your sense of touch? Check out below and be sure to tweet your results using #Mastermind! Stop by Mrs. Mommy Book Nerd’s Book R...

FANTASTIC FRIDAY: Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson

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ALCATRAZ VS. THE EVIL LIBRARIANS by Brandon Sanderson, illustrations by Hayley Lazo Starscape, 2016 ISBN: 978-0-7653-7894-1 Middle grade speculative (fantasy/adventure) Ages 9-12 Source: publisher for review All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians is the first adventure in a fantasy series for young readers by the #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson. The fast-paced and funny series is now available in deluxe hardcover editions illustrated by Hayley Lazo. On his thirteenth birthday, foster child Alcatraz Smedry gets a bag of sand in the mail-his only inheritance from his father and mother. He soon learns that this is no ordinary bag of sand. It is quickly stolen by the cult of evil Librarians who are taking over the world by spreading misinformation and suppressing truth. Alcatraz must stop them, using the only weapon he has: an incredible talent for breaking things. "In this origi...

WILD & WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY: Two WILD picture books!

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EXPLORERS OF THE WILD by Cale Atkinson Disney Hyperion, 2016 ISBN: 978-148472340-1 Picture Book Ages 4-8 Source: purchased All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Boy and Bear both love to explore the outdoors. There are so many neat things to see, and so many strange things to find. These explorers are prepared for anything . . . except each other! When Bear and Boy meet in the woods, they're scared at first. Really scared. But soon these kings of the wild realize that no mountain is too big to conquer if you have a friend to climb it by your side. REVIEW Atkinson's boy and bear are adorable protagonists in this homage to the joys of nature and friendship.  The boy and the bear start out on parallel journeys, enjoying the woods, creek, and animals near their homes. Preparation is essential for such an exploration and both bear and boy carry what they need with them.  After enjoying their journey alone, they bump into each other....

NONFICTION MONDAY: Poop Happened! by Sarah Albee

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POOP HAPPENED! A History of the World From the Bottom Up by Sarah Albee Walker & Company, 2010 ISBN: 978-0-8027-2077-1 MG/YA Nonfiction Ages 10 and up Source: purchased All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Did lead pipes cause the fall of the Roman Empire? How many toilets were in the average Egyptian pyramid? How did a knight wearing fifty pounds of armor go to the bathroom? Was poor hygiene the last straw before the French Revolution? Did Thomas Crapper really invent the modern toilet? How do astronauts go in space? History finally comes out of the water-closet in this exploration of how people's need to relieve themselves shaped human development from ancient times to the present. Throughout time, the most successful civilizations were the ones who realized that everyone poops, and they had better figure out how to get rid of it! From the world's first flushing toilet invented by ancient Minoan plumbers to castle moats...

BOOK SPOTLIGHT & GIVEAWAY: The Skeleth by Matthew Jobin

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THE SKELETH Book 2 of the Nethergrim Epic by Matthew Jobin Philomel, 2016 ISBN; 978-0-399-15999-2 Middle Grade Speculative (Fantasy) Ages 9-12 ABOUT THE BOOK In a vast kingdom divided by power-hungry lords, land equals power. With the Nethergrim now awake, her limitless wellspring of evil means opportunity for those willing to do her bidding. One ambitious Lord, eager to overthrow his counterparts and rule the north, succumbs to temptation, helping to let loose the Skeleth, forces of energy that absorb whole anyone who attempts to kill them. In this way the slain end up as slayers, a vicious cycle that never ends. Yet that will not stop young Edmund--an apprentice wizard--and his friends Katherine and Tom, from trying to stop the evil threatening to overtake their kingdom. Together, they team up with the legendary Tristan in a battle of courage, brains, determination, and sacrifice to stop the Skeleth and save the Barony of Elverain from being conquered. THE NETH...

BLOG TOUR w/ GIVEAWAY: A Fire Truck Named Red by Randall De Seve

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A FIRE TRUCK NAMED RED by Randall De Seve, pictures by Bob Staake Farrar Straus Giroux, 2016 ISBN: 978-0-374-30073-9 Picture Book Ages 3-6 Source: ARC for review All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK A young boy has his heart set on a brand-new toy fire truck, so he is disappointed when he gets his grandfather's rusty old fire truck, Red, instead. But working together, the boy and his grandfather patch Red right up while Grandpa tells his grandson all about the adventures he had with Red when he was a boy. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Randall de Seve is the New York Times bestselling author of ​​ Toy Boat , ​​ The Duchess of Whimsy , and ​​Mathilda and the Orange Balloon . ​Her newest book, A Fire Truck Named Red , illustrated by Bob Staake, is on sale now. ​She lives in Brooklyn, NY, with her husband, two daughters and a very wicked dog named Henry Biscuit. Learn more about her at randalldeseve.com . REVIEW De Seve has written a delightful b...