A Bedtime Kiss for Chester Raccoon by Audrey Penn

A Bedtime Kiss for Chester Raccoon 

by Audrey Penn

illustrated by Barbara L. Gibson

14 pages

NetGalley-  Tanglewood Press 

Boardbook

July 26th 2011

Book Jacket Summary

The sun is up, it's time for little Chester Raccoon to go to bed, but he is frightened by the shadows the sun is creating on the walls. Mrs. Raccoon soothes him with a Kissing Hand, and he is able to go to sleep.
This sweet and decidedly unscary board book is both a light-hearted way to calm children's fears at bedtime, along with a gentle introduction to Chester Raccoon and the Kissing Hand for the younger child. Funny illustrations will gentle the scary-looking shadows in a bedroom.

My Thoughts

This would be the perfect story to read before bedtime! It deals with scary shadows on the wall that look like crocodiles or six foot spiders that might crawl up the wall. Chester's mother kisses his hand to reassure him that there is nothing to fear. This is a companion book to The Kissing Hand that deals with anxiety of school. I enjoyed the difference in how the nocturnal Chester would be afraid of a sunbeam and the shadow it casts rather than our shadows caused by the moon. Plus we would dream of a peaceful day and Chester dreams of fireflies and moonlight. 

Very cute and great for kids who might be afraid to go to sleep. The illustrations are more cartoony than The Kissing Hand but it works for the board book fort. Worth checking out. 

Book Pairings

Up Cat by Hazel Hutchins

 Sassafras by Audrey Penn

The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn 

Stitch Head by Guy Bass

Stitch Head

by Guy Bass

illustrated by Pete Williamson

176 pages

NetGalley-Capstone

2013

Book Jacket Summary

In the frightening, maze-like dungeon laboratory deep within Castle Grotteskew, mad scientist Professor Erasmus brings his bizarre experiments to life. His first creation, Stitch Head, has long been ignored and forgotten.  But when a traveling circus ringmaster promises to make him a star, Stitch Head is torn between his almost-life in the castle and the promise of fame outside its walls. Before he can decide what to do, Castle Grotteskew and its inhabitants (living and almost-living) are in danger: the professor’s latest monstrous creation has smashed its way to freedom, and Stitch Head may be the only one who can stop it.

My Thoughts

Poor Stitch Head. All he wants is to be remembered by his Master/Creator after years of waiting. Stitch Head fixes the Master's mistakes and calms the creatures with potions. Filled with pictures and will give reluctant readers something to jump at for it is rather silly but scary.
I do love Creature and the fact that he wants Stitch Head to be his Very Best Friend Forever! There are funny poems for each chapter. Fulbert Freakfinder wants a way into the castle and is willing to use Stitch Head for his own means. Stitch Head does not want to betray his Master but does want to be remembered in some way.

This is a super cute but kinda scary book with monsters at every turn. I really like this one and already have the next one from NetGalley for reading!

Book Pairings

Monster Boy by Guy Bass

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman 

A Not Scary Book About Big Scary Things by C.K. Williams

Zeke Meeks vs. the Big Blah-rific Birthday by D. L. Green

Zeke Meeks vs. the Big Blah-rific Birthday 

by D. L. Green

illustrated by Josh Alves

128 pages

NetGalley- Capstone

Elementary Chapter Book

February 1st 2013

Book Jacket Summary

When Zeke's birthday party falls near Grace Chang's and Owen Leech's big bashes, he decides to cancel his party. After all, even he would rather go to their over-the-top parties than his simple celebration. But Zeke and his classmates are in for a surprise. Bigger doesn't always mean better.

My thoughts

Zeek is turning nine and all he wants is a bigger allowance and a later bed time. Instead he gets more mature and more chores! Plus there are two birthday parties scheduled on the weekend he was supposed to have his at home birthday party. Zeke cancels his party but his best friends Hector and Charlie come over a day before to have a small celebration. The class bully, Grace, has a huge birthday party but it ends up being a disaster and it is up to Zeke to save the party. I like that he uses a Tom Sawyer approach.
The chapter page is covered with scribbles of what Zeek thinks about them! We also have illustrations throughout and it is cool to see Grace's long sharp finger nails longing to lunge at Zeek. The book also has activities and a "Big Word" list with fun words like emesis and mutant that show up throughout the book. There is also a party game from Argentina that looks like fun! This looks like a fun series to start and I'll have to backtrack through them.

Book Pairings 

 Mason Dixon: Pet Disasters by Claudia Mills
 Horton Halfpott by Tom Angleberger 

Infinity and Me by Kate Hosford

Infinity and Me 

by Kate Hosford

illustrated by Gabi Swiatkowska

Library- Carol Rhoda Books

Picture Books

2012

Book Jacket Summary

When I looked up, I shivered. How many stars were in the sky? A million? A billion? Maybe the number was as big as infinity. I started to feel very, very small. How could I even think about something as big as infinity? Uma can't help feeling small when she peers up at the night sky. She begins to wonder about infinity. Is infinity a number that grows forever? Is it an endless racetrack? Could infinity be in an ice cream cone? Uma soon finds that the ways to think about this big idea may just be . . . infinite.

My Thoughts

What is infinity? Uma is trying to find out after looking out at the stars one night. She feels small and overwhelmed by the concept. She goes around asking people what they think infinity is and how they would describe it. Charlie says that it is a number that never ends Swiatkowska illustrates a thought bubble with a stream of numbers and Charlie must really love numbers because he is excited. Samantha thinks of the infinity sign as a race track that she can drive around forever.
Infinity is a huge concept for anyone to think about, never mind an eight year old.  This is a great picture book to explain infinity and the concept of something that never ends, 

Book Pairings

More by I.C. Springman

My Name Is Yoon  by Helen Recorvits 

Shadow Breakers by Daniel Blythe

Shadow Breakers 

(Shadow Runners #1)

by Daniel Blythe 

256 pages

NetGalley- Chicken House

January 1st 2013

Book Jacket Summary

Can she escape the shadows and face the truth before the darkness destroys her?

"If the enemy is a fire, the evil is its shadow, flickering upon the wall."

"That's very poetic, Miss Bellini. I just wish I knew what it meant."
 Miranda's new home is a dull seaside town at the edge of the world, the sort of forgotten place where nothing ever happens. Until something does. Something strange and sinister. With her schoolteacher and her classmates, who might be more clued in than they let on, Miranda sets out to uncover the mystery. Her bravery borders on recklessness. She thinks she's chasing shadows, tortured spirits from centuries past, but could true darkness lie within? With a mixture of science and magic, Miranda's got to figure out how to break and banish the evil before it destroys her.

An electrifying paranormal thriller that will have readers guessing till the end!

My Thoughts

Miranda, Jade, Josh, Cal, Miss Bellini. Ollie, Lyssa, Firecroft Bay
  This tween fantasy is a fast read and a fun ride. Miranda is the new girl in Firecroft Bay and seems to be on the wrong side of a group of supernatural hunters. Her new friend Jade calls them freaks and Miranda tends to agree until her own dreams of an evil shadow seems to be haunting her real life. When she sneaks into the supernatural club's base Miranda finds that she may have more in common with the group than she original thought.
I really liked Miranda and Jade plus the other side characters. Jade is not well liked because of her gypsy background and her set apart ways. I also really liked Ollie, even though he is not in the story a lot. His sense of calm and ability to just let Miranda talk to him without judgement really made a connection.
I enjoyed this one and will be checking out the next book in the Shadow Runner's series. Especially because it is set in an English town. The setting of the town really made it another character.

Book Pairings

Enchanted Glass by Diana Wynne Jones

The Cabinet of Earths by Anne Nesbet 

The Mapmaker and the Ghost by Sarvenaz Tash

Watermark Cover & Plot Synopsis Reveal

Watermark, the fourth installment of the YA fantasy Phantom Island series by Krissi Dallas is finally releasing this fall! If you haven’t jumped on board this island adventure full of magic, mystery, and romance, now is your chance. Enter to win an autographed Phantom Island trilogy pack, an autographed copy of Watermark when it releases, a tribal t-shirt, or an autographed copy of The Collector by debut author Victoria Scott! The giveaway will be open for entries until Friday, June 14. See information below.

And now for Watermark… the dramatic conclusion to the first half of the Phantom Island series…

Excerpt:

I stared at her in frustration. “What is with you?!” I exploded. She was not acting like my best friend. Like my Morgan. “You’ve been so different this summer, and I don’t get it!”

“Well, you’ve been different too! People change, you know,” she snapped back.

“If I’ve changed, fine. But at least I’m still honest with you. You, however, have turned into a liar! If we don’t have trust between us, then what do we have, Morgan?”

Plot Synopsis:

Relationships on the White Island are volatile and Whitnee, Morgan, and Caleb aren’t sure who they can trust—even each other. Politicians are lying, history is being rewritten, and motives are questionable. Whitnee sets out with Gabriel and a band of rebel spies to take back the enemy's biggest weapon—Whitnee's father. However, a shocking turn of events proves once again that the Island's secrets have the power to destroy more than just the truth. Separated from her friends, Whitnee battles her own fears in order to survive and protect the ones she loves. But when Morgan's illness finally comes to light, Whitnee faces a decision that could alter her future—and Morgan’s—forever. And whether she ultimately stays on the Island or leaves might not be her choice, after all.

 “…[An] earnest tale of magic and romance that deals with the great distance between pain and recovery.” –Kirkus Reviews (Windchaser, Phantom Island Book 1)

Meet the Author:

Krissi Dallas loves pop music, mismatched socks, and fried chicken. She lives in Fort Worth, Texas with her youth minister husband, Sam, and their two wicked Yorkies, Elphie and Luna. Krissi enjoys hanging out with her quirky middle school students and building the dramatic, magical, and mysterious world that makes up the Phantom Island series. Be sure to check out Windchaser, Windfall, and Watercrossing. Krissi loves connecting with teens, as well as readers and writers of all ages! You can stalk her online at www.KrissiDallas.com.

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Moonlit Blog Tour

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Moonlit

Eighteen-year-old Tanzy Hightower knows horses, has grown up with them on Wildwood Farm. She also knows not to venture beyond the trees that line the pasture. Things happen out there that can’t be explained. Or undone. Worse, no one but she and the horses can see what lurks in the shadows of the woods.

When a moonlit ride turns into a terrifying chase, Tanzy is left to question everything, from the freak accident that killed her father to the very blood in her veins. Broken and confused, she turns to Lucas, a scarred, beautiful stranger, and to Vanessa, a charming new friend who has everything Tanzy doesn’t.

But why do they seem to know more about her than she knows herself?

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Praise

"Virginia's trees look like they're burning. Most of them blaze crimson or gold, but some still have a chokehold on their green. I wish they'd give it up already. Leaves are more beautiful when they're dying."

And so Moonlit begins. From here the story rolls from one twist to another with many vivid characters whose motives are hard to predict. I found myself being suspicious of everyone, wanting to tell Tanzy to be very careful. The deeper I fell into the plot, the more questions kept rising to the surface. But not to worry, all of my questions were answered. Appropriate for all ages, if you love paranormal fantasy mixed with suspense, mystery and other-worldly romance, you'll love this novel!

~Author Julie Ford

Prologue

The first anniversary of my father’s death was even harder on my mother. Back then, I thought she was haunted most by what she didn’t know. I refused to blame her when she raged above me on our staircase that night, drunk and sad and angry. When she made me promise I’d never ride again. When she hurled a half-full bottle of vodka at my face and it exploded on the wooden stairs at my feet. I hadn’t tried to get out of the way. She had just missed.

I wanted to tell her that knowledge was no solace, that what you know can burn inside you until there’s nothing left but guilt and ash. I also wanted to protect her from losing the only piece of him she had left. So I didn’t say a word.

Author Jadie Jones

Georgia native Jadie Jones first began working for a horse farm at twelve years old, her love of horses matched only by her love of books. She went on to acquire a B.A. in equine business management, and worked for competitive horse farms along the east coast. The need to write followed wherever she went.

She currently coaches a hunt seat equitation team that competes in the Interscholastic Equestrian Association, and lives with her family in the foothills of north Georgia. When she's not working on the next installment of the Moonlit series, she is either in the saddle or exploring the great outdoors with her daughter. Moonlit is her first book.

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$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 6/21/13

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