Children's Book Review Turns 10! +GIVEAWAY

I was introduced to Children's Book Review awhile back and really enjoying visiting the site.  They always have information I need and can use!  As a media specialist, they are very helpful when I'm looking to add books to the media center.  

They are celebrating 10 years of growing readers!  
To celebrate they have an amazing giveaway!

First about Children's Book Review

The Children’s Book Review, named one of the ALSC (Association For Library Service To Children) Great Web Sites For Kids, is a resource devoted to children’s literature and literacy. TCBR publishes reviews and book lists of the best books for kids of all ages. TCBR also produces author and illustrator interviews and shares literacy based articles that help parents, grandparents, caregivers, teachers and librarians to grow readers. Bianca Schulze is the founder of TCBR and the bestselling author of 101 Books to Read Before You Grow Up (Walter Foster Jr. 2016), an Amazon “Best Book of the Month” in October 2016. 

OFFICIAL LINK https://www.thechildrensbookreview.com

The Children’s Book Review 10th Anniversary Giveaway!

Enter for a chance to win a special prize pack that will help a lucky reader create a fun kids reading nook—including a framed TCBR original print created by children’s author & illustrator Alexandra MacVean.

One (1) winner receives:

A framed and matted TCBR original “Growing Readers” print. Frame size: 12.25 X 12.25

A Black Stripe Teepee from Crate and Kids

A copy of 101 Books to Read Before You Grow Up, autographed by Bianca Schulze

A $20 Target gift card

Value: $291.95

Giveaway open to residents of the fifty United States and the District of Columbia who are 13 and older.

Prizes provided by The Children’s Book Review

Here's what the print looks like!  Isn't it cute?!?

Alexandra MacVean was commissioned to create a commemorative illustration that honors 10 years of The Children’s Book Review’s mission of growing readers. She is a professional award-winning, freelance children’s illustrator who creates vibrant, whimsical illustrations for children’s books, greeting cards, and more. Her desire is to touch the lives of adults and children alike, bringing some sort of hope, peace and love along the way. The 6″ x 6″ print is surrounded by white mat and a thin white frame that looks great in any space.

About the book included

Written by Bianca Schulze

Illustrated by Shaw Nielsen

Publisher’s Synopsis: 101 Books to Read Before You Grow Up provides a comprehensive list of kid-friendly books for children to read before they grow up. This must-read review list acts as an interactive journal where kids can document the books they read, why they like them, and how they rate them. Divided into sections by subject, from fairy tales and fantasy to sports and nonfiction, 101 Books to Read Before You Grow Up celebrates the importance of reading and encourages family participation to develop lifelong readers. The perfect reference guide for book lovers of all ages, 101 Books to Read Before You Grow Up helps both kids and parents decide which books to read next!

Ages 5-11 | Walter Foster Jr. | October 10, 2016 | 978-1633221697

AVAILABLE HERE: http://amzn.to/2cEPtJT

To Enter:

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Per FCC Disclosure post materials and giveaway provided by Children's Book Review

Book Spotlight: Count All Her Bones by April Henry

Now and again I just like to spotlight a book that looks fantastic, is the latest in a great series or just one I want to share!

Today I'm spotlighting:

Cheyenne sets out to save her former captor in this much-anticipated sequel to Girl, Stolen.

Six months ago, Griffin Sawyer meant to steal a car, but he never meant to steal the girl asleep in the backseat. Panicked, he took her home. His father, Roy, decided to hold Cheyenne―who is blind―for ransom. Griffin helped her escape, and now Roy is awaiting trial. As they prepare to testify, Griffin and Cheyenne reconnect and make plans to meet. But the plan goes wrong and Cheyenne gets captured by Roy’s henchmen―this time for the kill. Can Cheyenne free herself? And is Griffin a pawn or a player in this deadly chase?

I know so many students that will be soooooooo excited to read this one.  They LOVED Girl, Stolen, so I know they will grab this one! 

The Sacrifice of Sunshine Girl Book Release Day Feature/Interview AND Giveaway!

Today the 3rd book in The Haunting of Sunshine Girl series is released.  In honor of that release I have an interview the author AND a giveaway!

About the book

Is Sunshine Griffith who she thinks she is? Now that her luiseach powers are fully awakened, and having barely survived an abyss full of demons at the end of Book Two, Sunshine must figure out who—or what—has been organizing the forces of darkness against her. 

Thanks to her brainiac boyfriend, Nolan, they not only unearth that Sunshine's death would trigger a calamitous event, but that all civilization depends on her survival. So when an unexpected event unleashes a fierce war between the luiseach and the demon army, Sunshine will learn a shocking truth about herself. Can she bring herself to make the ultimate sacrifice to save humankind?

About Paige McKenzie:
Paige McKenzie is the YouTube star and NYT Bestselling author behind the enormously successful Sunshine Girl series. In 2010, the then sixteen-year-old McKenzie teamed up with producer Nick Hagen and her mother, actress Mercedes Rose, to record an episodic series of paranormal-themed videos, which soon had millions of fans. Signed to The Weinstein Company, McKenzie has been covered by Entertainment Weekly, The Today Show, Seventeen, The New York Times, USA Today, TIME and others. Her YouTube channel today boasts more than 250 million total views, averages 7.5 million unique views per month and maintains more than 500,000 monthly subscribers. McKenzie lives in Portland, Oregon.

Visit Sunshine Girl online:

Website

YouTube

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram

I'm very excited to welcome Paige to The O.W.L. today.  She was kind enough to answer some questions for us! 

THE FUN QUESTIONS - These are always things my middle school students wanted to know.

Do you chew gum?

I'm more of an Altoid girl. Fresh breath is my life!

Were school lunches just as yucky when you were a kid?
This is so embarrassing but I've never once eaten a school lunch. I've always packed my own. Even in kindergarten. It was a good excuse to have cute little containers. Plus my mom always wrote cute little notes and drawings for me. The lunch lady was never willing to do that!

Do you text?
I really just text my friends. I loath talking on the phone. And I'm usually so busy I don't have time to do any social media outside of what I have to do for The Haunting of Sunshine Girl!

ABOUT THE BOOK QUESTIONS

First or Third Person Point-of-View
The story is told from both points of view! Most of the trilogy is told from Sunshine's point of view. But each book has some chapters told from a different mystery person's point of view.

Boy or Girl Main Character
Sunshine is a girl. But not a girly-girl. I guess because she is a lot like me. But taller. And braver.

What genre
The genre is what I like to call horror-light.

Middle Grade or Young Adult
The books are classified under young adult. But I definitely have a lot of readers in middle graders and even younger. And of course, a ton of adults like it too.

10 Word Summary
Gilmore Girls /Paranormal Activity, very loosely based on a YouTube show!  (10 words exactly!)

THE SERIOUS QUESTIONS

For The Sacrifice of Sunshine Girl what part/character/event are you most excited/proud about?
The Sacrifice of Sunshine Girl finds Sunshine headed back home and reuniting with her mom and Nolan, which I thought was important for the final installment. There are some fun new characters and a lot of action.

Tell about your writing process.  How long did it take you to write The Sacrifice of Sunshine Girl from idea to finish? Since this is the third book in the series how did it compare?
Sacrifice is so far removed from anything that I've done on the YouTube that it was fun to work out some new details. I always knew from the beginning that I wanted it to be a trilogy and wrap up nicely without it being a hard end. My co-author and I were already outlining book 3 before book 2 was even out so about a year from start to finish.

When you were in middle school what kind of student were you?  Did you write then? Did any part of the book come from middle school experience?
I was always a good student if not terribly studious! I got good grades without trying very hard. In hindsight, that probably wasn't the best choice! I never wrote anything very serious outside of what was required for school. But I've always been creative. And I've just always been fascinated with the idea of a character having to do normal life as well as something spectacular like saving the world. Very Buffy!

And because it's The O.W.L., my standard question always is: WHOOO do you admire when it comes to writing? OR WHOOO do you like to read or really enjoyed in HS or middle school?
My taste in books is as eclectic as my taste in music! I like everything from Stephen King to Sarah Dessen! Probably my fave book is Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. I also love Beauty, The Princess Academy, The Night Circus and The Eyes of the Dragon.

Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with us today!  I love your choice in books!!!

1 SIGNED Copy of The Sacrifice of Sunshine Girl

Must be at least 13

Must be US Resident

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You CAN Write in Books! The Doodle Adventure Series by Mike Lowery

You know you're always told when you're young that you CANNOT write in books?  Not one little scribble! 

Well this series throws that all out the window! 

The Doodle Adventure Series puts a pen in your hand as you read asking you to draw in parts of the story or your own idea of what something might look like.  Perfect for fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid or Creature From My Closet.  Like those books it has hand-drawn illustrations and fast pacing.  

It's not just a drawing book.  I like that it is actually a story, but it just has the reader interact with the text. The first book starts with a duck talking to the reader - a new recruit - and pulling the right into the story making them a character. For kids who struggle visualizing or staying focused it would definitely help! They would be reading a full story, but also having some of that activeness they need.  BTW - I really like that duck.  He made me giggle! 

About the Books

The Search for the Slimy Space Slugs

Doodle Adventures: The Search for the Slim!y Space Slugs! is a lighthearted fantasy where the reader first draws him- or herself into the story, and then continues by following prompts and adding more illustrations and doodles. Set in space, the book invites the reader to join Carl, a duck and member of a super-secret international group of explorers, on a journey in search of a very important grail-like object. The book is sturdy paper over board with beautiful cream paper—perfect for defacing! And by the end, the reader will have co-written a tale to return to again and again, and show off to family and friends.

The Pursuit of the Pesky Pizza Pirate!

Doodle Adventures: The Pursuit of the Pesky Pizza Pirate! is a rip-roaring adventure tale starring Carl, the friendly narrator who happens to be a duck, and the reader, who is drawn right into the story—literally. Together, they embark on the very important mission of finding out who has been stealing all of the pizza in town. Could it be the Dread Pirate Slobberts, the meanest, nastiest pirate ever to sail the Seven Seas? And, more important, how are they going to get all that pizza back?

Armed with a well-sharpened pencil and their imaginations, and following Carl’s prompts, readers fill in the blanks on each page until the story is complete. The result is a sturdy, one-of-a-kind book—starring you!—that’s as much a joy to read over and over again as it was to make.

I would recommend these books for elementary kids that need activity and enjoy a laugh.  They'll get both with the Doodle Adventure Books.