#MMBBR #Review #HowTheCandyCaneGotItsStripes by #ScottCasperson #MixedMedia

It's Christmas Eve (of course) & our hero, Cane, is having a crises. What exactly is his role in the event that is Christmas? Luckily, with the help of his good bud Snoey he stumbles upon what's the most important gift of all during the holidays: friendship. This sweet story hits on issues of self-worth during the holidays that both adults & children can enjoy.

This book is adorable. It is a great new spin on how candy canes came to be part of Christmas. I love that this story focuses on being kind to others because, sometimes, the simplest act of kindness leaves the biggest impact. Christmas should be more about giving than it should be about receiving. This story is about the friendships we develop and the ways we make others happy. How the Candy Cane Got Its Stripes is a delightful new Christmas favorite your whole family will enjoy.

Scott Casperson is an Air Force brat who was lucky enough to get to explore new & far away places. He was able to settle down long enough to graduate from the University of Florida. He put his degree in advertising to good use for a number of years in a few different cities before trying his hand at other things including hospitality, children’s education & comedy (sometimes all three at once!). Now, he’s taking that creativity & channeling it into the perfect medium for him, children’s books. How The Candy Cane Got Its Stripes is his first printed work. He’s honored to have you join him on this adventure & thanks you immensely for your interest & support. Thank you.

#MMBBR #Review #UnusualAnimalsAZ by #HeatherJones

Award winning Unusual Animals A-Z is quirky, imaginative, educational and just plain fun. Whether it's Andre the aardvark or Zena the zorilla, each of these twenty-six unusual animals is introduced to the reader with a colorful watercolor painting and a factual characteristic. While Bernie the bearded dragon likes to bask in the sun, Morris the manatee uses his small front flippers and massive body to body surf through the waves. Each animal has the same lettered name and when the reader reaches the end, he has twenty-six chances to come up with one of his own.

This book is so fun and interesting. It is filled from A-Z with zany, crazy and unusually awesome animals. You cannot help but we blown away and completely entertained by the animals you may have never even known existed. This book will be a delight for children and kids alike. The bright and colorful illustrations will keep your attention and the funny little stories underneath are adorable. 

Heather Jones is the co-founder of the international award winning company, The Rhythm Child Network, an enterprise devoted to musical empowerment and education of children, teachers and families. After having the incredible opportunity of performing at The White House, Michelle Obama has said, “I greatly appreciate your helping to create so many lovely memories for families from across our Nation”. Heather is hoping her book will have the same impact! Her first children's book, "Unusual Animals A-Z", won an Academics Choice Award for Smart Book (2017).

#MMBBR #FirstLine #TheGoodLiar by @CEMcKenzie1 #LakeUnionPublishing @AmazonPub

Can you hide a secret with the whole world watching?

When an explosion rips apart a Chicago building, the lives of three women are forever altered.

A year later, Cecily is in mourning. She was supposed to be in the building that day. Instead, she stood on the street and witnessed it going down, with her husband and best friend inside. Kate, now living thousands of miles away, fled the disaster and is hoping that her past won’t catch up with her. And Franny, a young woman in search of her birth mother, watched the horror unfold on the morning news, knowing that the woman she was so desperate to reconnect with was in the building.

Now, despite the marks left by the tragedy, they all seem safe. But as its anniversary dominates the media, the memories of that terrifying morning become dangerous triggers. All these women are guarding important secrets. Just how far will they go to keep them?

#FirstLine ~ I was late. 

This book is so fantastic. McKenzie has such a talent of telling a story that makes the reader get completely lost in the world she creates. There are characters that you cannot help but be drawn to and McKenzie fleshes them out perfectly. Each of them equally interesting and engaging. How she can creates connections and maintains the flow of the story is nothing short of genius. This book captures time and place and our role in it all and how secrets can change us...a brilliant read! McKenzie is a master storyteller and not to be missed. The Good Liar is one of her best books yet and is not to be missed. You are going to be in for a treat. 

Catherine McKenzie was born and raised in Montreal, Canada. A graduate of McGill University and McGill Law School, Catherine practices law in Montreal. An avid runner and skier, she's the author of numerous bestsellers including HIDDEN, SPIN, and SMOKE. Her works have been translated into multiple languages.

HIDDEN was a #1 Amazon bestseller and a Digital Bookworld bestseller for five weeks. SMOKE, was a #1 Amazon bestseller, and was named as a Best Book of October (Goodreads) and One of the Top 100 Books of 2015 (Amazon). Her latest novel, FRACTURED, was named one a Best Book of October by Goodreads.

She is also the author of THE MURDER GAME, under her pseudonym, Julie Apple (the protagonist of Fractured).

Her eighth novel, THE GOOD LIAR, will be released on April 8, 2018. 

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#MMBBR #Review #FirstLine #ThenSheWasBorn by #CristianoGentili #HelpAfricanAlbinos

2017 Award Winning B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree and Awesome Indies Seal of Excellence for Outstanding Independent Literature.

Then She Was Born is more than a novel. It’s an international human rights awareness campaign supported by eleven Nobel Peace Prize laureates, the Dalai Lama and Pope Francis. Based on an inconceivable reality for many in the world today, Then She Was Born combines the drama and redemption of Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner with the spirituality of Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist.

A child is born and the joy of her parents turns to horror. The child is different, in a way that will bring bad luck to their superstitious community. The tradition should be for her to be abandoned, but Nkamba, the grandmother, is allowed to care for her.

Naming her Adimu, Nkamba raises her as her own. Adimu is constantly marginalized and shunned by the community, although her spirit remains undiminished and full of faith. But when she encounters the wealthy British mine owner Charles Fielding and his wife Sarah, it is the beginning of something which will test them all.

As Charles Fielding’s fortunes wane, he turns in desperation to a witch doctor whose suggestion leaves him horrified. But as events begin to spiral out of control he succumbs to the suggestions and a group of men are sent on a terrible mission. The final acts, of one man driven by greed and another by power, will have a devastating effect on many lives.

Cristiano Gentili’s glittering prose and vivid imagery will have you captivated from the first page.

#FirstLine ~ The mother's body broke open to make way for the baby's entry into the world.

I am not sure I can adequately capture the impact that this book had on me. It was heartbreaking and tragic. It will seriously hurt your heart, but it is also important and significant. It is one of those reads that will change the way you look at the world. A must read and one you will want to talk to others about, but may struggle to find the right words.

Cristiano Gentili is an author and a civil servant, from the Italian region of Tuscany. He is married and has a child.

Since his graduation, where he obtained a BA in political science, a MAs in humanitarian assistance and a PhD in social science, Cristiano’s work has taken him to some of the most challenging locations around the world, often dealing with the after effects of war and natural disasters. He currently works in Ukraine, in the hazardous border area with Russia.

In 2011, he went on a personal fact-finding trip to Tanzania, to assess the living conditions of Africans with albinism. From that experience his goal became to raise awareness of the living conditions of African albinos through the #HelpAfricanAlbinos campaign. His novel, Then She Was Born, is the English translation of his book, originally written in Italian.

Cristiano has met with eleven Nobel Peace Laureates, the Dalai Lama and Pope Francis, who have each read a part of his novel and have leant their considerable support to the campaign.

In the case of Pope Francis, Cristiano was invited to an international symposium on Africa at the Vatican, to speak about Africans with albinism. He stayed in the Pope’s residence for four days and had a private meeting with him during that time. As a result, the #HelpAfricanAlbinos campaign is now endorsed by Pope Francis as an universal and interreligious message of peace and brotherhood.

Cristiano’s next target is to get celebrities to record video messages, just as the Nobel peace laureates and the Pope did, and spread them on social media to increase awareness of the living conditions of Africans with albinism, the last among all others.

The official campaign website is www.HelpAfricanAlbinos.com
#HelpAfricanAlbinos

#MMBBR #Reviews #ILikeToRead #ReviewRoundUp #GiftGuide @HolidayHouseBks ‏

This is post one of two for the Holiday House Fall books. I love Holiday House because there is something for everyone!  This post will focus on the I Like to Read books and Guided Reading Level books.  Watch for other posts within the next week that will focus on picture books and a chapter books.  These books are all 5 star reads and books I seriously loved!!

I Like to Read® Books:

NOTE:  About the Series

I Like to Read® books are picture books written and illustrated so that even the newest reader can enjoy a satisfying, quality literary experience. The books in the series are written at kindergarten and early first grade reading levels.

"These books deftly combine text and art to create a positive experience for new readers."—School Library Journal

"This series dares to make entertaining reads from short texts and familiar vocabulary"—Kirkus Reviews

"Each one makes the hard world of learning to read enough fun to encourage children at this critical developmental moment to try another one."—Vicky Smith, Children's and YA Editor at Kirkus Reviews

Who would think that twelve simple words could create such a wonderful story? UP captures your imagination through the the gorgeous illustrations and simple text as a young boy is taken to the sky by a magic pinwheel. It is such a delightful and wondrous adventure in the sky, that is sure to entertain children and kids alike.

Oh my goodness gracious...BIG CAT is too cute for words. For anyone who loves cats, this book is a must! It is hilarious! The little girl in this story does all sorts of "fun" stuff with Big Cat and the looks on Big Cat's face is priceless. This is one of those books that the pictures would have to be spot to really capture the stories tone and the pictures perfectly illustrate Big Cats personality! The reader can see what Big Cat is feeling and thinking so this is a great book to teach your child to infer about feeling both of the little girl and Big Cat. Also, since it is told simply your early reader will love reading it to you! I have read this book over and over and still smile each and every time! Wonderful, just wonderful. 5 stars. I also cannot wait to sue this book in my classes!!!

I love that this book has simple words, but a funny and larger than life story. Children will love reading all the action words as the animals make lots of commotion and disturb pig's attempt to nap. It will end with a party and a funny and create way pig dealt with the problem.

A great book about learning to share and to be kind to others, and possibly a lesson about not taking things that don's belong to you. With easy word and colorful pictures kids will have success in reading at their "just right" level.

This book is really great because it has real photos that catch the readers attention. There is action when the hawk is introduced in the book and the squirrel uses its skills to stay safe. New and emerging readers will love the pictures and the easy text will allow them to read this book over and over again.

An outrageous story about a Zoo break. Sally tries to tell her family about all the animals in the yard, but instead of believing her they disregard her until a call comes in to alert them of the news. By that time, Sally has all the animals fed and happy in the yard. 4 stars

I love this early reader book.  The pictures are such fun to look at with all the incredible details.  It is a story about giving and making friends.  Another book I cannot wait to adapt into a classroom lesson.

Anyone who loved dogs will adore this book. It captures dogs perfectly. I loved the colorful illustrations and simple text. This books is sheer dog love. I know kids that are new to reading will get lost in pictures and will laugh at the story. Adorable.





This mouse it so cute making its way through the city and avoiding danger to provide a piece of pizza to his mouse babies. The pictures are so adorable, bright and colorful and filled with details. Kids will surly love looking at the pictures and will love being on the adventure with the adorable mouse dad.

This book is a perfect book to introduce the animals that live on the farm. With real pictures and adorable kids this book will be a huge hit in the classroom when we learn about the farm. This is one of those books that kids will love to look at over and over and over again because kids LOVE animals and the farm. 

This book is so cute. Kids and hugs go hand and hand. It captures the sheer joy of being a kids.

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#MMBBR #TheRiotBrothers @HolidayHouseBks #MaryAmato #EthanLong

Move over, Captain Underpants, a couple of new pranksters are in town. Narrated by fifth-grader Wilbur and featuring his third-grade brother, Orville, this hilarious story follows the antics of two boys with overactive imaginations and a comfortable sibling relationship. The action is divided into three “books,” with six chapters each. In the first, the brothers are determined to catch a crook. They make a windfall by giving lessons in being annoying to their classmates, are reprimanded by the principal (who is also their mother), and still manage to foil a bank robber on the way home from school. Next, while searching for treasure, they find a mysterious box in the closet. After they finally open it, they discover that the contents, although not worth money, are still valuable. The final installment has the duo building a catapult designed to overthrow a king and using it instead to defeat a bully. 

Orville and Wilbur Riot have never been strangers to adventure, and according to Riot Brother Rule #15, You can't do the same mission twice. So now they're back with more games, more missions, and loads more fun. One day they are spies on the trail of dangerous criminals, the next they are movie stars in the making. But whether they're flinging insects while playing Bye-Bye Buggie or switching everything imaginable around for their [D]witch [S]ay, one thing is for sure: You'll never catch these brothers with nothing to do. After all, as the Riot Brothers say, A bad day is like bad breath. It just gets worse unless you do something about it.

Just when you though the Riot Brothers couldn't get any wackier or more hilarious, along comes the third book in the series, chock full of even more eye-popping, mouth-foaming missions, games, and sayings. A companion to Snarf Attack, Underfoodle and the Secret Life: The Riot Brothers Tell All and Drooling and Dangerous: The Riot Brothers Return!

Orville and Wilbur Riot are back in the hilarious fourth book of the Riot Brothers adventures. Whether hunting for lost mummies or creating their own water park, there's never a dull moment. A companion to "Snarf Attack," "Underfoodle," and the "Secret of Life: The Riot Brothers Tell All"; "Drooling and Dangerous: The Riot Brothers Return!"; and "Stinky and Successful: The Riot Brothers Never Stop."

SERIES REVIEW:

These books are the best books for kids ages 6-10. They are funny and engrossing with characters that kids will fall in love with! My boys read all four books and loved them all. They thought they were really funny, with great illustrations and quick chapters, which helped to keep them engaged. They were constantly filling me in on what was going on in the books. I loved seeing them so interested and loved all the great conversations that came from them reading these great stories. A great Christmas gift idea!

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#MMBBR #Review #NatGeoKIDS @NGKids

I am so excited to work through this atlas with my kiddos. What makes this book so cool is that it is so different than other books. You may not be competing in a geography bee, but you can learn and study like you are. The chapters are The Why of Where, Bee Basics, Top Ten Study Tips, Conquering The Questions, Tips From Bee Finalists and Resources Genghis Khan Would Have Loved, as well as Notes To Teachers, Answers and Countries of the World Index. This book is filled with pictures, charts and stats. I am always looking for ways to keep the learning going over the winter months and into spring to supplement what they learn at school. This book is going to be a HUGE hit! I cannot get over how jam packed with facts, maps and other tidbits this book is. You will get to explore so much. I love that the facts are written in a way that is easy to understand. Adults and kids alike will get lost pretending that they are training for the bee and will learn so much cool and interesting information. So awesome!!! 5 HUGE stars This book is FANTASTIC. I could not stop reading it and both my boys thought is was super cool too and a bit spooky! This book is filled with stories of hauntings, all of which are true. So cool right! In this book you will read about all sorts of thrills, chills and spooky goings on. This book has all the things that I love about National Geographic...the amazing photos, great tidbits and facts, as well as the well written table of content. This book will make you want to snuggle in at night and maybe put the blanket over your head.  A spooktaular addition to any home library.  5 stars

#MMBBR #Review #TimeForKids #BigBookOfHow #1001Facts @timeforkids

How does a chameleon change colors? How do astronauts train for a space mission? How do diamonds form? How does Wi-Fi work?

The best-selling book in TIME For Kids' Big Book of Questions series is newly revised with updated information, photos, illustrations, and graphics to answer over 500 new questions in popular subject areas: Animals, Space, History, Science, Technology, Sports and more. Presented in an easy-to-follow format, this fun, must-have reference book will appeal to a young child's sense of curiosity. Kids can dive into the book at any point and learn over 1,001 amazing facts to impress their parents, teachers, and friends with their new found knowledge. 

This book is quite spectacular! Within this amazing book there are hundreds photos of some of the coolest things to grab our attention. In addition to all the fabulous photos, there are facts and tidbits galore. While you peruse the book you can look through the chapters and read things that interest you the most. The chapters are: Sports, Animals, Buildings,  Science, Transportation, Home Tech, Technology, Space, The Human Body, You And Your World, and Just For Fun. When this book arrived my son was instantly reading it bouncing from topic to topic...all I heard was "Did you know that...." followed by some amazing factoids and "Wow, look at this..." followed by me looking at some crazy cool things. These are the type of books that capture the attention of young readers because they have amazing vibrant photos with fun facts, projects, puzzles and extras. I love that I can trust that my child will be learning interesting and important facts and that their attention will be captured over the winter with this book. Every time you open it up you read you learn something new. This will be a staple read for my boys over the cold winter months! 5 stars 

PS ~This would make a great Christmas gift!!!

#MMBBR #Review #FirstLine #TheThingWithFeathers by @McCallHoyle @BlinkYABooks.

Description

Emilie Day believes in playing it safe: she’s homeschooled, her best friend is her seizure dog, and she’s probably the only girl on the Outer Banks of North Carolina who can’t swim.

Then Emilie’s mom enrolls her in public school, and Emilie goes from studying at home in her pj’s to halls full of strangers. To make matters worse, Emilie is paired with starting point guard Chatham York for a major research project on Emily Dickinson. She should be ecstatic when Chatham shows interest, but she has a problem. She hasn’t told anyone about her epilepsy.

Emilie lives in fear her recently adjusted meds will fail and she’ll seize at school. Eventually, the worst happens, and she must decide whether to withdraw to safety or follow a dead poet’s advice and “dwell in possibility.”

From Golden Heart award-winning author McCall Hoyle comes The Thing with Feathers, a story of overcoming fears, forging new friendships, and finding a first love, perfect for fans of Jennifer Niven, Robyn Schneider, and Sharon M. Draper.

The Thing with Feathers features a stunning cover with embossing.

#FirstLine ~ My mother lost her mind today, and I'm going to prison. 

This book is jam packed with every emotion, so if you read this book get ready for the feels because you will have them from the start of this book to the very end. It is one of those reads that grabs you and does not let go. From the very first line to the last you will be fully present in this book.  What a treat Hoyle has given to her readers.  Amazing!!!

McCall Hoyle writes honest YA novels about friendship, first love, and girls finding the strength to overcome great challenges. She is a high school English teacher. Her own less-than-perfect teenage experiences and those of the girls she teaches inspire many of the struggles in her books. When she’s not reading or writing, she’s spending time with her family and their odd assortment of pets—a food-obsessed beagle, a grumpy rescue cat, and a three-and-a-half-legged kitten. She has an English degree from Columbia College and a master’s degree from Georgia State University. She lives in a cottage in the woods in North Georgia where she reads and writes every day.

https://youtu.be/DKnQsUD7Qmo

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