Maria's Mélange

Illustrations by Ben Whitehouse. Welcome, my bookish friends! Today I have a real treat for you. This title looks like so much fun - and I'll be diving into it myself shortly. It disappeared from my stack and I just rediscovered it in my son's pile. Read on for a description of the book and then a fabulous Q&A with the title character - written by Elinor Teele. For even more excitement - head to the bottom of the post to learn how you could win a signed copy (generously sent to you by the publisher). The Mechanical Mind of John Coggin by Elinor Teele Hardcover, 352 pages Pub Date: April 12th 2016 by Walden Pond Press ISBN 0062345109 (ISBN13: 9780062345103) Book Description: Roald Dahl meets The Penderwicks in this quirky, humorous, whimsical, and heartwarming middle grade debut about two siblings who run away from home to escape working in the family coffin business. John Coggin is no ordinary boy. He is devising an invention that nobody has ever seen bef...

Welcome to the blog tour for John David Anderson's newest novel.... The Dungeoneers ! I'm thrilled to share this title with the world; and I love the piece he wrote for my blog on "The Rogue Essentials"  (Don't forget to get all the way to the end of the post and leave a comment for your chance to win a copy of the book. I'll choose one commenter at random on June 14th at the end of the blog tour.)  I make no secret of my love for all things geeky. Fantasy, science fiction, superheroes.... you name it, and I am there. Anderson had the scifi supheroes covered in his last two books (Sidekicked and Minion - which I also loved).  For this one, he tackles dungeon crawlers. I can't wait to share this title with my students. There's a character in it for everyone. Rogues and wizards. Warriors and druids. What class would you pick?  Dungeoneers summary  ( Publishing  June 23, 2015 ): The Dungeoneers is an action-packed, funny, an...

There are some "old" books that I just can't praise enough. The Book of Three is a novel that I just adore. I use it every year with my fourth grade advanced reading group as a prime example of fantasy, a classic quest structure novel, and just because I love the characters. Over the past few years, my students and I added yet another reason to love this series. Tom Angleberger - of Origami Yoda fame - also loves Prydain. That was more than enough to help several of my students cheerfully dive into the books. So when I heard that there was going to be a blog tour to celebrate the 50th anniversary, I knew I wanted in. Look at these covers... just look at them! They are just beautiful. Don't forget to scroll down and enter for your very own hardback... Paperback edition Hardcover edition   Info about the  50th Anniversary editions: Henry Holt Books for Young Readers is proud to publish this 50th Anniversary Edition of Lloyd A...

I absolutely love everything Lish McBride has put out there. I love her twitter feed, too!  This is an author with just the right level of snark.       Just the right level of swagger.  Her books and her characters make me chuckle, cheer, and captivate me all along the way.  Firebug  (Firebug #1) by Lish McBride Hardcover, 336 pages Expected publication: September 23rd 2014 by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) ISBN 0805098623 (ISBN13: 9780805098624) Source: I received an advanced copy from the publisher for my honest thoughts.  Goodreads Blurb: Ava can start fires with her mind . . . but is it a blessing or a curse? Ava is a firebug—she can start fires with her mind. Which would all be well and good if she weren't caught in a deadly contract with the Coterie, a magical mafia. She's one of their main hit men . . . and she doesn't like it one bit. Not least because her mother's death was ordered by Venus—who is n...

When Alyson asked me to participate in this blog tour, I knew immediately which book I wanted to share. It's partly because I haven't read as many of the Schneider Award winners as I would like to, but mostly because this book is nearly perfect. It had been on my "to be read" list for several years, but I finally made the space to read it in December of 2013. My colleagues and I were doing our second annual Bookish March Madness, with titles selected by our students, and Mango appeared on the list both years. What was it about this story that appealed to them so strongly? A Mango-Shaped Space by   Wendy Mass Paperback, 276 pages Published October 19th 2005 by Little, Brown and Company  ISBN 0316058254 (ISBN13: 9780316058254) Goodreads Blurb: Mia Winchell appears to be a typical kid, but she's keeping a big secret—sounds, numbers, and words have color for her. No one knows, and Mia wants to keep it that way. But when trouble at school finally fo...

I am devilishly excited to host the very first stop of the Minion Blog Tour!  I promise it had nothing to do with the fact that I'm a secret super villain, bent on world domination myself. There was no blackmail involved. There are no sharks with lasers on their heads. There is no moon sized weapon of mass destruction aimed at said author's abode. There's just a teacher - a reader - who loves books about super powered kids. Yeah... that's it.  So come along and check out a fabulous vlog by Anderson, where he reveals HIS secret plans for world domination. What will he demand? Will he be successful? Will you win a copy of this amazing book by entering my giveaway?  (Also check out my review of the first book - Sidekicked - and Anderson's humorous stop on that blog tour !)  MINION  by John David Anderson Published by Walden Pond Press June 24, 2014 ISBN-13: 978-0062133113 ABOUT MINION John David Anderson returns to the world of super...

This post is part of TWO marvelous blogging events!  Sci-Fi Month is brought to you by Rinn Reads. Check out the  full schedule  of Sci-Fi Month posts! There are reviews, discussions, give aways, and more! Doctor Who Week is a joint venture between my blog and  Teen Librarian Toolbox . We have a full week of fun posts to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who.  When Karen suggested we host giveaways for our Doctor Who Week extravaganza, I thought for a while about what I wanted to do. I wanted it to be fun. I wanted it to be unique. Most of all, though, I wanted it to celebrate some independent businesses run by amazing Geeky Ladies. I am running TWO giveaways. One is available only for US , because I am shipping it. THIS one? This is open internationally. I have already paid LCG Creations for the bag and for her to ship it to you - no matter where you live! Visit her shop directly!   You get the choice of ONE of these bags. B...