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Giveaway: Spaceheadz by Jon Sciezka
Earlier today, my oldest son, John, reviewed Spaceheadz by Jon Sciezka, a humorous, witty book guaranteed to appeal middle grade children.
Thanks to the publisher, I have two copies of SPACEHEADZ to give away! Winners will also receive an exclusive neon Spaceheadz pencil!
To enter, please fill out the form below. Open to US and Canadian residents only, please. No PO Boxes. Winner will be announced next Tuesday, September 14th!
Good luck!
Posted in Bookish Chatter
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Review: Spaceheadz by Jon Scieszka
- Reading level: Ages 9-12
- Hardcover: 176 pages
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing (June 22, 2010)
- ISBN-10: 1416979514
- Source: Publisher
Michael K. just started 5th grade in a brand new school in a brand new town. If that’s not bad enough, he’s been assigned to a group made up of the two weird kids in class, Bob & Jennifer. Jennifer likes to eat everything, including pencils, and Bob tells Michael K. that he and Jennifer are aliens from another planet. Their leader, Major Fluffy, is the classroom hamster.
Bob & Jennifer also have the habit of shouting slogans from commercials, like “Think outside the bun” and “They’rrrrre Greeeat!” You see, they’ve learned about this planet by viewing Earth’s TV broadcasts. Their mission: to get 3.14 million people to become Spaceheadz. The problem is, a federal agent, Umber, from AAA (Anti-Alien Agency) is hunting them down. Will they be able to complete their mission before they are captured?
I read SPACEHEADZ with my oldest son, John. We both really enjoyed the witty humor and the amusing characters. Typically, John would give a full-fledged review at this point, but now that school is in session he’s off to bed. Instead, I asked him to create a list of things he liked about the book:
1. Nice, short chapters. When chapters are long, it seems as though I’m reading forever and ever with no breaks.
2. The type (font) is much easier to read than usual type. It makes it seem like I’m reading someone’s diary or something instead of a book.
3. The illustrations-they really break up the words so it doesn’t seem as though I’m reading as much as I am!
4. Finally, the websites really work! Check them out:
www.sphdz.com
www.antialienagency.com
www.mrshaleyscomets.com
www.imsuregladthatdidnthappen.com
As a Mom, I agree with the things John has said above. In the past, John was a reluctant reader and really struggled to read. Things like long chapters or endless text really frustrated him and prevented him from focusing on reading the book. Creating a multimedia experience (the active websites) were a sort of takeaway, giving him something to do after reading the book. All in all, we both highly recommend this book and can’t wait to the second book, scheduled for release in December.
Be sure to check back later! Two will win a copy of SPACEHEADZ and Spaceheadz neon pencil!
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Posted in Kid-Lit/Middle Grade, Review
Tagged aliens, fifth grade, Francesco Sedita, Jon Scieszka, middle grade, Simon & Schuster
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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading This Week?
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading This Week? This is a weekly event to list the books completed last week, the books currently being reading, and the books to be finish this week. It was created by J.Kaye’s Book Blog, but is now being hosted by Sheila from One Person’s Journey Through a World of Books so stop by and join in!
Books Completed Last Week
Currently Reading
The Life You’ve Imagined by Kristina Riggle
61 Hours by Lee Child
Spaceheadz by Jon Scieszka
Books to Complete This Week
The Gendarme by Mark Mustian
The Capture (Guardians of Ga’hoole) by Kathryn Lasky
What are you reading this week?
A Month in Review: August 2010
August was a pretty phenomenal month for me, book-wise.
Books Reviewed
The Improper Life of Bezellia Grove by Susan Gregg Gilmore
Is Your Buffalo Ready for Kindergarten? by Audrey Vernick
Ashes to Water by Irene Ziegler
Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning
The Blessings of the Animals by Katrina Kittle
Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
How Rocket Learned to Read by Tad Hills
Scar Tissue-Seven Stories About Love and Wounds by Marcus Sakey
Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel
An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon
Total books read: 12
Pick of the month: It’s impossible for me to narrow my favorite down to just one book, so following are my favorites:
Bad Marie by Marcy Dermansky
The Improper Life of Bezellia Grove by Susan Gregg Gilmore
Come Sunday by Isla Morley
The Blessings of the Animals by Katrina Kittle
Upcoming Events!
The countdown has started for Fright Fest! I have some great guest posts, giveaways & contests lined up! There is still time to sign up if you would like to contribute a guest post or book for review!
You don’t need to do a guest post in order to be entered into the contests! Post a review about your favorite horror/thriller book or movie, or anything Halloween related during the month of October, and you will be entered into some pretty outstanding weekly giveaways. I’ll also be listing some suggested topics that you can chose from! I’ll be posting more information in the next few weeks so stay tuned!
So how was your August? What were your favorite reads?
Posted in Month in Review
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Review: The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths
Ruth Galloway, archeologist, lives in a remote area near Norfolk called Saltmarsh. She has experience recovering ancient relics & remains of the Iron Age people, but when a child’s body is discovered on a remote beach she is intrigued. The local police, lead by Detective Chief Inspector Harry Nelson, call in Ruth for asssistance. The bones are believed to be those of a young girl named Lucy, missing for a decade. Since Lucy’s disappearance, Nelson has been receiving bizzare letters about the young girl.
The bones turn out to be over two thousand years old, but Ruth becomes a part of the case when the letters reveal the writer has a knowledge of archeology. Another girl goes missing and the pace of the investigation speeds up. Soon Ruth discovers she’s a lot closer to the case than she’d like and in a great deal of danger.
I’ve always been fond of forensic mysteries. In college, I took several archeology courses and the entire science has always fascinated me. When I heard about this series, I was instantly drawn to it. Griffiths paints a very exciting, heart-pounding portrait of a crime. What I loved about it most was Ruth’s character. She was real, she had flaws. She’s overweight and lives with a bunch of cats in a remote cottage. She wasn’t a Barbie doll, but a truly average human being. In addition, she’s smart, independent and quite witty. These details make Ruth a fascinating and endearing character, one that readers will be drawn to and appreciate.
The setting added a great deal to the mystery. Where the North Sea meets the land, the landscape is full of deep pits of mud, neither land nor water. Thousands of years ago the area held religious significance to its inhabitants. While Saltmarsh is a fictional location, I found an image of a similar landscape:
I highly recommend this book to those looking for a new mystery series. I’m looking forward to reading & reviewing the second book in this series, THE JANUS STONE, scheduled for release in January 2011.
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Posted in Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Mystery/Suspense, Review, Thriller
Tagged Elly Griffiths, forensic archeology, mystery, Thriller
10 Comments
Review: Bad Marie by Marcy Dermansky
Marie spent six years in jail, charged with aiding and abetting after her boyfriend robbed a bank, killing one individual. She was convicted on the charges of accessory to murder and bank robbery. Said boyfriend hung himself in jail, so Marie is alone. She survived her time spent in jail in part due to a book she read, Virginie at Sea.
Despite her checkered past, Marie’s childhood friend, Ellen, hires her as a nanny for her precocious daughter, Caitlin. Ellen’s husband, Benoit Doniel, just happens to be the author of the book Marie cherish while in prison.
Marie is a very rude, selfish, manipulating character. Her one good trait is that she truly loves Caitlin. But when Ellen & Benoit discover Marie & Caitlin asleep in the bathtub, Marie is fired. The only “real” life she has is spinning out of control and she desperately attempts to retain it. When Benoit suggests that they take off for Paris together, Caitlin in tow, Marie readily agrees.
The life she was struggling to hold on to continues on a downward spiral, and Marie soon discovers the only person she can rely on is herself, and the love of a little girl.
Let me start by saying that there are times that I curse myself for not reading a book sooner. That happened in this case. Within the first few pages, I was hooked, I couldn’t stop reading. I read BAD MARIE in one sitting. It took me two hours to read; I simply couldn’t tear myself away from it. Marie is a character with traits one is meant to dispise, but I found myself enjoying and appreciating her crude behavior.
The book starts off with the line: “Sometimes, Marie got a little drunk at work.” Talk about an attention-getting lead sentence! Based on the title alone, one would tend to think that Marie is a bad person. In reality, she is not, just a victim of circumstances. The time she spent in prison, six years of her young life, forever altered how she views friendships, love, relationships as a whole. I feel that she reacted as best she good, given her history and her experience.
So, go out and pick up a copy of BAD MARIE now. You won’t regret it.
Here are some other reviews of BAD MARIE:
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Posted in General Fiction, Harper Perennial, Review, Women's Fiction
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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading This Week?
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading This Week? This is a weekly event to list the books completed last week, the books currently being reading, and the books to be finish this week. It was created by J.Kaye’s Book Blog, but is now being hosted by Sheila from One Person’s Journey Through a World of Books so stop by and join in!
Books Completed Last Week
The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Bad Marie by Marcy Dermansky
Currently Reading
61 Hours by Lee Child
Kraken by China Mieville
Books to Complete This Week
The Death (and Further Adventures) of Silas Winterbottom: The Body Thief by Stephen M. Giles
The Life You’ve Imagined by Kristina Riggle
What are you reading this week?
Review: The Improper Life of Bezellia Grove by Susan Gregg Gilmore
- Hardcover: 272 pages
- Publisher: Crown (August 17, 2010)
- ISBN-10: 0307395030
- Source: Publisher
In 1960’s Nashville, Bezellia Grove is the oldest daughter in a prominent family. Her father is a doctor who would rather spend time with his patients than his own family, and her mother is a closet alcoholic. Bezellia and her sister are raised by their nanny, Maizelle, and the handyman, Nathanial. Bezellia treats them as members of her family while her mother treats them as pieces of property.
As a member of a prominent family, Bezellia is expected to accept her role by taking French lessons and attending cotillions. Bezellia wants more out of life than that.
Bezellia’s name has been passed down from generation to generation. Her namesake was known for her courage and passion, and Bezellia vows to live up to that name. While others in the family line shortened the name, Bezellia totes it proudly.
When she meets Nathanial’s son, Samuel, she is instantly enamored. In a world where the color lines can’t be breached, this relationship is damned from the beginning. Bezellia is forced to decide which name she will be known for; her first name or her last.
Gilmore is not afraid to touch on some pretty sensitive issues, including racism, alcoholism & insanity. She doesn’t sugar coat it at all, despite how difficult it may to accept. I fell in love with her characters, with Bezellia and her relationship with Samuel. I had a special bond with these two characters in specific, largely due to the fact that my husband and I make up an interracial couple. While the pain they went through is much larger than what my husband & I deal with on a regular basis, I could definitely sympathize with their struggle.
THE IMPROPER LIFE OF BEZELLIA GROVE is much more than “just” a novel about racism in the South. It’s a tale of one young woman’s struggle to come to terms with who she is. Does she live up to the expectations placed on her because of her family’s position in society, or does she live up to her own goals and aspirations.
I can’t recommend this book enough to you. If there is one book you must buy this summer, this should be it. I will forever cherish the gift Gilmore has given to me, through the characters in this book and her overwhelmingly powerful prose.
Buy this book now from:
These are affiliate links. If you purchase an item from either of these links I will earn a small commission, which goes toward the hosting of this blog & other routine costs associated with running this blog.
Posted in General Fiction, Review
Tagged 1960s, Nashville, racism, southern fiction, Susan Gregg Gilmore
10 Comments
Belated Announcement of Winners!
Yikes! I just realized I forgot to announce a few winners from giveaways I’ve hosted in the past few weeks!
Without further ado…the winner of FOR THE KING by Catherine Delors is:
And the winners of INFINITE DAYS by Rebecca Maizel are:
Congratulations to the winners! FOR THE KING will be shipped by the publisher and I will be shipping INFINITE DAYS personally. Thanks again to all who entered!
Posted in Bookish Chatter
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