We are on break! #MMBBR @WaltDisneyWorld

I will be away from the computer enjoying....

with my family for Spring Break...

Stay tuned for lots of reviews and other fun stuff upon my return!!!!

Have a great week!!!!

Sincerely,

Mrs Mommy Booknerd

#Review The Illustrated Emily Dickinson Nature Sketchbook: A Poetry-Inspired Drawing Journal by Tara Lilly (Illustrations) #MMBBR @QuarryBooks

Become inspired by beautiful full-color illustrations, partial drawings, and small sketches based on Emily Dickinson's brilliant poems!

Emily Dickinson had fewer than a dozen of her 1,800 poems published during her lifetime. But her talent for writing and passion for love, language, and nature has contributed to her reputation as one of the most innovative poets of her time. The Illustrated Emily Dickinson Nature Sketchbook relies on the joys of verse to inpsire drawing and sketching. Gorgeous illustrations from Lilla Roger's 2014 Global Talent Search winner Tara Lilly will prompt further drawing and literary exploration throughout the pages. This beautiful, embossed interactive sketchbook is the perfect gift for the artist or poetry lover in your life.

This book is BEAUTIFUL!  From the cover, with it's textured, vibrant, and stunning nature scene with the colorful peacock, butterfly, flowers and birds to the inside with the powerful, timeless and moving words of Emily Dickinson this book is a must for lovers of nature, poetry and art in one amazing collaboration.  You can draw your own pictures inspired by the poems or color or elaborate upon the ones provided.  I cannot wait to really dive into this book in Spring, when the weather is warming and the birds are chirping.  I cannot wait to dive into the creative and inner part of myself.  Emily Dickinson is my FAVORITE poet as well, so I feel like I hit the jackpot with this gorgeous book.  5 stars 

*closer look at cover

*a page you can color and doddle and sketch on

*a colored page that allows space for additional drawings

BUY IT

#MMBBR #Giveaway The Apple Tart of Hope by Sarah Moore Fitzgerald @SMooreFitz @HolidayHouseBks

With Oscar as my friend, mused Meg, everything made sense. 

Fourteen-year-old Oscar Dunleavy is missing, presumed dead. His bike was found at sea, out past the end of the pier, and everyone in town seems to have accepted this as a teenage tragedy. But Oscar s best friend Meg knows he isn t dead. Oscar is an optimistic and kind boy who bakes the world s best apple tarts; he would never kill himself, and Meg is going to prove it. 

Through interwoven narratives, the reader learns what really happened to Oscar: bullying, broken hearts and the revelation of a dark secret. Meg must confront the painful truth of Oscar s past six months, along with the possibility that he might really be gone.

This story of friendship and first love reminds us to keep hope in our hearts, even when it seems that all hope is lost.

                       Sarah Moore Fitzgerald (follow her on Twitter here)

Publisher:  Holiday House

              $16.95 (also available as an e-book)

I cannot stop thinking about this book! It is one of the BEST books I have EVER read! If you love John Green, this book will blow your mind.  I am sitting here trying to review it and I am afraid my review will not capture the way this book moved me, changed me and both broke my heart and put it back together all at the same time!!!!  I have told so many people about this book because I feel like it is an important read...for kids and parents to read together and then discuss.

This book is a coming of age story, a story about first love, first heart break, unyielding friendship, finding hope among despair and grief, about believing in yourself and moving past the hard times, so you can live all the great times.

I have never filled a book with more sticky notes than this book! So many beautiful sentences, paragraphs capturing life lessons, heartbreak, first love, fear, the loss of innocence and then finding hope when all seems lost... Seriously swooning still! 

Here are only a few of my favorite passages:

"I mean," continued Andy, "there's this one moment as you're growing up when the world suddenly feels more or less pointless- when the terribleness of reality lands on you, like something falling form the sky."  (pg. 6)

I wanted to say lots of things to him too.  Things that had gradually become clearer just before I was supposed to leave.  But sometimes the things you want to say are exactly the things that somehow you are least able to. (pg. 22)

He wasn't just my friend.  He was a kind of magic. (pg. 25)

"But it's not an ordinary apple tart.  It's the apple tart of hope.  After you've taken a bite, the whole world will look almost completely different.  Things will start to change and by the time you've had a whole slice you'll realize that everything is going to be okay." (pg. 34)

These are only a few of my favorites.  My book is covered in sticky notes.  So make your you have a pack ready when you read this book!!  

5 HUGE STARS

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Q&A with Sarah Moore Fitzgerald

Sarah Moore Fitzgerald is an Irish academic and novelist. Her first novel, Back to Blackbrick was published in 2013, adapted for the stage by Patch of Blue Theatre Company and showed in Edinburgh and London in 2015. Her second novel, The Apple Tart of Hope was shortlisted for the Waterstone’s Prize, has been translated into twelve languages, and is currently being released to American readers by Holiday House publishers in New York. Her third novel A Very Good Chance is due out in September.

Q.  What inspires your writing?

A. One of the great things about writing is that inspiration comes from everywhere. Not a day goes by without providing a moment or a feeling or a sight or a sound that I feel like capturing and pinning down into a story.

Q.  What is your favorite thing about being a writer?

A. Those rare and unexpected moments when the words seem to flow out of their own accord.

Q.  What is the toughest part of being a writer?

A. The uncertainty and self-doubt that sometimes accompanies the solitude of the writing process.

Q.  If you could not be writer, what would you do/be?

A. I like to think that in another life I might have been an actor.

Q.  What would the story of your life be entitled?

A. Post nubis, lux.

Q.  What is your favorite book of all time?

A. That’s like trying to choose your favorite child. I love all of them! But if you forced me today to select one, I think it might be A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving.

Q.  Which character from ANY book are you most like?

A. I often used to fantasise that there were great similarities between me and Jo March from Little Women.

Q.  What character from all of your books are you most like?

A. There’s a boy called Cosmo in my first novel, Back to Blackbrick. I think I may be a little bit like him.

Q.  Which book would you love to take a weekend vacation inside of?

A. Oh please, please let me go to Longbourn for a weekend with the Bennetts.

Q.  What is your favorite season?

A. My absolute favourite season is and always has been Spring. And my favourite month is February when hints of brightness and warmth start to whisper to me after the long winter.

Q.  What inspired your book cover(s)? 

A. I feel so lucky that my publishers asked Leo Nickolls to do the artwork for my book covers. All of them are quirky and colorful and beautifully presented. The cover for The Apple Tart of Hope depicts the pier in the small harbor in a place called Dalkey – which is the village in Ireland where I grew up.

Q.  Tell me something funny that happened while on a book tour or while promoting your book.

A. I accidentally tucked my skirt into my tights on the evening of the launch of my first novel – a real live Bridget Jones moment – thankfully my then publicist – the very wonderful Nina Douglas – noticed, and rescued me from public mortification.

Q.  Are you working on something new?

A. Yes. I’m currently putting the finishing touches on my new novel, which is going to be called A Very Good Chance. It’s about a boy from Ireland’s travelling community and a girl who he makes friends with; I also hope it is about bravery and courage in the face of sadness and fear.

Q.  Anything you want to say to followers of this blog or those that are just stopping by?

A. Yes, thanks so much for checking in and keep reading books! Books are brilliant. In a world that often feels fragmented and senseless we all need stories to help us find meaning and hope.

#MMBBR #Review On Fire by Daniella Brodsky @daniellabrodsky

Before there was Girls, there was Anna Walker.   

Some people are destined for glory. Others have to be dragged kicking and screaming out of clinical anxiety, fall in love with a charming, self-absorbed investor, and light a fire under a lifetime of inertia in order to get a crack at it. Anna—and her roommate Ray—thinks she has what it takes to be a writer, if only she would write something; instead she’s hunkered down in a magazine’s publicity department for a difficult-to-like boss, promising herself she’ll do something to get noticed in editorial one day. When she accidentally humiliates said boss in a very public way, Anna's convinced her career is finito. Instead, she’s suspiciously given a New York City nightlife column for which Anna's dinner at the local, bed by nine, fashion-schmashion M.O. is an obscenely poor fit. Life is never all gravity or levity; and here its mix is at its messiest, hairiest, and somehow, its most hopeful yet. 

Editorial Reviews of On Fire:
   
“Brodsky's novel is funny and melancholy as Anna gets her life back on track and succeeds beyond anything she ever imagined.” 
—Booklist 

“A wonderful coming of age story.” 
—Harriet Klausner 

Editorial Reviews of Daniella Brodsky’s Novels:
   
“A super fun read with everything you could want . . .” - #1 New York Times Bestseller Meg Cabot  

"You'll get a kick out of Brodsky's books."-NY Post  

“This is so much fun!” - #1 New York Times Bestseller Nora Roberts 

Daniella Brodsky is the author of six novels published by Penguin, Random House, and Simon & Schuster, most famously DIARY OF A WORKING GIRL, which was adapted for the screen by Disney, starring Hilary Duff. Her latest title, THE PATRONS, launched in June. She has also had a long career as a journalist and made a name for herself with THE GIRL’S GUIDE TO NEW YORK nightlife, back when she didn’t need a babysitter and a disco nap to stay out past seven. Daniella has taught fiction craft at the ANU and at her Captain Cook Studio. A native New Yorker and enthusiastic Australian, Daniella lives in North Queensland, where she teaches creative writing at James Cook University. In 2012, Daniella was awarded a Varuna fellowship, and shortlisted for the Katharine Susannah Prichard Fellowship. www.daniellabrodsky.com.

I feel like Bodsky as a voice that is distinctly hers.  She writes novels that are emotional...mixing all the emotions together in a wonderful cocktail which entices the reader to drink in her stories.  I think I felt a bit of everything while reading ON FIRE.  I felt like it was a beautiful story of finding one's self and making so much more of yourself than ever dreamed possible.  But it was more than that...deeper than that.  I felt connected, engaged and entertained.  Brodsky is a a talented story teller and one not to be missed! 4.5 stars

#MMBBR #Review Ask More, Tell Less by Greg Warburton

When faced with a misbehaving child, do you find yourself resorting to lecturing, reminding, or even yelling? Do you sometimes feel helpless and panicky after you have tried everything you know to do and your child still seems "out of control" or withdrawn? Do you feel frustrated when nothing you are doing is moving your children to be responsible and achieve their unique potential? Ask More, Tell Less provides a new model of parenting that can help transform the growing-up years. Life will become fulfilling and enjoyable rather than an ongoing, painful collision of wills. Behavior troubles diminish or vanish when children discover that they have the power to make their lives run more smoothly. These methods are not a "cater to the children" approach. Instead, they take the pressure off parents and put the whole family on a positively different road, traveling together in a land of mutual dignity and respect, maturity, and lasting change. Greg Warburton brings time-tested, practical methods out from behind the counselor's door to enable you to give your children the greatest gift of all: self-reliance. Through artful questioning, you can give them a clear and compelling road map for getting on with growing up in this rapidly changing world.

This book is AMAZING.  It is one of those practical books that a parent can use throughout their child's life to help them negotiate many tough situations and everyday situations.   It not only allows parents to learn the skills needed and knowledge required to help our children to become self-reliant, but it also helps to get parents out of their repeated patterns and away from negative reactions.  I feel that this book is priceless and I am so glad that I have it.  I am not a perfect parent.  I make mistakes.  This book helps me to find new ways to interact with my kids and form bonds, rather than break them.  I love all the self reflecting I did while reading via the questions presented in the book and I find myself trying to step back and think about the things that I have read when I am interacting with my children.  I feel like is this the go to book for all parents.  I rate it 5 stars and I know that I will be referencing it a lot.  

#MMBBR & #BooknerdBoy #Review Noodlehead Nightmares by Tedd Arnold @HolidayHouseBks

Mac and Mac, who love pie and hate making their beds, are hollow-headed. "See in here? Nothing! Zippo! Nada!" Mac explains. That's why they get duped by their friend Meatball and fooled out of their fair shares of apple pie. Slapstick humor, puns and wacky fun abound as the empty-headed duo comes up with outlandish solutions for everyday problems, such as sleeping under their beds to avoid ever having to make them again. Written in a comic-book style, this book will have young readers rolling on the floor, and educators rethinking their approaches to folklore."

This is such a funny book.  My Mom and I were laughing a lot when we were reading.  I like that this book is funny like Fly Guy books, but has new and silly characters, doing silly and goofy things.  I really hope this is a new series beczuse I really want to see what other fun things the Noodleheads are going to do.  5 stars  

Who doesn't love Tedd Arnold.  He is a master of his craft.  He casts a spell over his young readers and creates children that love to read due to his hilarious stories and zany illustrations.  Noodlehead Nightmares is another hit.  My son and I have read this numerous times and have laughed each and every time.  I always looking for books that keep my son's interest.  He struggles with reading, so finding books that capture his attention and create a desire to read is any mother's dream come true.  Noodehead Nightmares is one of those books my son is happy to read/reread.  In this hilarious story the Noodleheads have a problem...they don't want to make their beds and nothing but fun ensues when they try to find a way to deal with the problem.  These Noodleheads are a creative duo and this comic book style read is one both my son and I adored.  5 stars

#MMBBR #BooknerdBoy #Review The Adventures of Charlie Chameleon: New Beginnings by Ellen L. Buikema

Moving and making new friends is tough! When Charlie Chameleon and his family start their adventure in New Town, Charlie discovers he is braver than he knows. With his bossy pet fish Frankie by his side, he faces many challenges, including standing up to the neighborhood bully.

What was your favorite part of this story?

When Charlie made friends with Gary Gecko because Charlie had to move away from his other best friend, so it was nice to see Charlie making new friendships and creating bonds.

Did anything funny happen in the book that you want to share?

Yes, that Charlie's fish can talk and he likes meatballs!!!  That was unexpected and hilarious!  

Would you recommend this book?  To Whom?

Yes, anybody who likes funny books with interesting animals.  It was a nice book to read.  I would recommend it to kids ages 7-9 years old. 

How many stars would you give this book on a scale of 1-5?

3 stars