tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84280052472234601742024-03-22T17:15:03.739-04:00KidliteratiMelanie Conklinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16593672562888738055noreply@blogger.comBlogger642125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8428005247223460174.post-44505609872063472862021-05-05T14:17:00.004-04:002021-05-05T14:18:15.492-04:00THANK YOU!<p>It's been a wonderful ride here at Kidliterati, but the time has come to permanently archive this blog. Our content will remain here for readers to enjoy. Please feel free to contact any of our writers directly. We will no longer accept books for review or post new content, but we remain enormous fans of children's literature! Happy reading, all!!!</p>Melanie Conklinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16593672562888738055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8428005247223460174.post-9908087886449811232019-07-23T00:30:00.000-04:002019-07-23T00:30:12.128-04:00Congrats to Jen Malone on The Arrival of Someday<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-size: x-large;"><b>We are excited to celebrate the release</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-size: x-large;"><b>of Jen Malone's <i>The Arrival of Someday</i></b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNBcysucUOYtGmtftl6SOLstA2CdmUqPkoDp-0G0NSj7HzgF1J0SZwqzoAk2mUD7wfADYi507XfTImGwzmOyLIjvgg_hKfmydGZFgX0ENF-S7MQv-HZ9hQlp3QzqOiGadAQdpc3SKNArU/s1600/arrival+of+someday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNBcysucUOYtGmtftl6SOLstA2CdmUqPkoDp-0G0NSj7HzgF1J0SZwqzoAk2mUD7wfADYi507XfTImGwzmOyLIjvgg_hKfmydGZFgX0ENF-S7MQv-HZ9hQlp3QzqOiGadAQdpc3SKNArU/s400/arrival+of+someday.jpg" width="263" /></a></div>
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Hard-charging and irrepressible eighteen-year-old Amelia Linehan could see a roller derby opponent a mile away—and that’s while crouched down, bent over skates, and zooming around a track at the speed of light. They don’t call her Rolldemort for nothing! What she couldn’t see coming, however, was the unexpected flare-up of a rare liver disorder she was born with. But now it’s the only thing she—and everyone around her—can think about.<br /><br />With no guarantee of a viable organ transplant, everything Amelia’s been sure of—like her college plans, the mural she’d been commissioned to paint, or the possibility of one day falling in love—has become a huge question mark, threatening to drag her down into a sea of what-ifs she’s desperate to avoid.<br /><br />Then a friend from the past shows up. With Will, it’s easy to forget about what’s lurking underneath the lightness of their time together. It’s easy to feel alive when all signs point elsewhere. On the other hand, with the odds decidedly not in her favor, Amelia knows this feeling couldn’t last forever. But what can?<div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-size: large;">Get your copy:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Arrival-Someday-Jen-Malone/dp/0062795384/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1SZ13EMOSBPN0&keywords=the+arrival+of+someday+by+jen+malone&qid=1563808852&s=gateway&sprefix=the+arrival+of+someday+jen%2Caps%2C152&sr=8-1">Amazon</a>, <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-arrival-of-someday-jen-malone/1128904737?ean=9780062795380#/">B&N</a>, or <a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780062795380">IndieBound</a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-size: large;">Congrats Jen from your Kidliterati crew!</span></div>
Jean Giardinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00557121077607252980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8428005247223460174.post-5632569146902927892019-05-31T16:21:00.000-04:002019-05-31T16:21:21.793-04:00Announcing Archive Summer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8rQ4FWkQhPABS8vs60OvyjvaHVrPXpGFmFsKl8Y87L3nt6l5HzOfC-aL6En2382o8LqtyogwOpN0r5FXN90VfIZuV70Lw_Vqq82_3b_54ojhf5Xp07AHWf_wQgltaP9f9FyRfzI9Pijo4/s1600/IMG_6731.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1021" data-original-width="1600" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8rQ4FWkQhPABS8vs60OvyjvaHVrPXpGFmFsKl8Y87L3nt6l5HzOfC-aL6En2382o8LqtyogwOpN0r5FXN90VfIZuV70Lw_Vqq82_3b_54ojhf5Xp07AHWf_wQgltaP9f9FyRfzI9Pijo4/s640/IMG_6731.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />
Summer has arrived at long last.<br />
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Our contributors have decided that it is time to take a little break. We will be decreasing the number of new posts over this summer.<br />
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But don't worry. Please join us over on Twitter (<a href="https://twitter.com/TheKidliterati">@TheKidliterati</a>) where we will be sharing our favorite Kidliterati posts using #ArchiveSummer.<br />
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Wishing you sunshine and a bit of R&R as we celebrate our great kidlit content.<br />
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Happy reading.Kidliteratihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740731928586201376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8428005247223460174.post-45545894941449655572019-05-15T05:30:00.000-04:002019-05-15T05:30:14.421-04:00K10: The Girl in the Locked Room by Mary Downing Hahn<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd6Bg2uWbT4Ue6j5ZXUR1wVv6sgKHi16i3DqeSj7voKn5mPjQcjSG6mE3w9bkFosN3oXFvKsI9yjlfGCkcJyT_meNuOsdjzGZ-HU85ClCoQIpvJk8lghc6p0qQAgsyH0Df2aEfqDlNUop2/s1600/The+Girl+in+the+Locked+Room.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="236" data-original-width="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd6Bg2uWbT4Ue6j5ZXUR1wVv6sgKHi16i3DqeSj7voKn5mPjQcjSG6mE3w9bkFosN3oXFvKsI9yjlfGCkcJyT_meNuOsdjzGZ-HU85ClCoQIpvJk8lghc6p0qQAgsyH0Df2aEfqDlNUop2/s1600/The+Girl+in+the+Locked+Room.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: #201f1e;">Tell us a little about yourself:
what is your first name, how old are you, and what is your favorite flavor of
ice cream?</span></b><span style="color: #201f1e;"> <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">M</span></span><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #201f1e; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0in;">y first name is Danni. I am nine and my favorite type of ice cream is cookies and cream.</span><span style="color: #201f1e;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: #201f1e; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">What book did you read and why did
you choose it?</span></b><span style="color: #201f1e; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> I read <i>The Girl
In The Locked Room</i>. I chose it because it was my favorite book from the year. I couldn't remember much about the other books I read this year. This book was pretty scary.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: #201f1e; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Can you describe this book in one
word?</span></b><span style="color: #201f1e; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Creepy.</span><span style="color: #201f1e; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: #201f1e; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">What was your favorite part of this
story?</span></b><span style="color: #201f1e; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">When the girl/main
character finds out that the six-year-old had been locked in her room for 100
years.</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: #201f1e; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">If you had a problem similar to the
main character's problem, what would you do?</span></b> <span style="color: #201f1e;">It was a pretty bazaar problem.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: #201f1e; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">What would you say to your best
friend to convince them to read this book?</span></b><span style="color: #201f1e; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">"It’s creepy, awesome, and had a weird, but happy ending!!!"</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: #201f1e; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">What do you think about the book's
cover?</span></b><span style="color: #201f1e; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Like almost all the
book, the cover is haunting.</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: #201f1e; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Would you want to read another book
about these characters? Why or why not?</span></b><span style="color: #201f1e; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Y</span></span><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #201f1e; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; padding: 0in;">es, because
they were cool, funny and I liked their accent.</span><span style="color: #201f1e; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: #201f1e; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Can you name another book that
reminds you of this one?</span></b><span style="color: #201f1e; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">No. It was pretty "different."</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: #201f1e; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">If you could ask the author one
question about this book what would it be? </span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Would you write another book? PLEASE!</span><span style="color: #201f1e; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thank you, Danni, for telling us about this book! I does look creepy! I can't wait to read it! It looks like Ms. Hahn has written several scary books for kids. You may want to <a href="https://www.hmhbooks.com/author/Mary-Downing-Hahn/2233077">check them out</a> here.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">You can read more about <i>The Girl in the Locked</i> room <a href="https://www.kidsreads.com/reviews/the-girl-in-the-locked-room-a-ghost-story">here</a>.</span></div>
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<br />Kidliteratihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740731928586201376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8428005247223460174.post-6516162931470791212019-05-15T00:00:00.000-04:002019-05-15T00:00:08.257-04:00Book Review: Spirit Hunters by Ellen Oh<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25117605-spirit-hunters" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Spirit Hunters" border="0" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1476437544m/25117605.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25117605-spirit-hunters">Spirit Hunters</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4559822.Ellen_Oh">Ellen Oh</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2816028941">5 of 5 stars</a><br />
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Twelve-year-old Harper Raine and her family have relocated from New York City to DC during the heat of summer. There’s much to get used to, the incessant heat, and the “gothic charm” of their new house and the renovations. <br />
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Her four-year-old brother, Michael is oblivious, and it’s strange that his room is cold with an unnatural chill when she visits, and he tells her about his new friend, Billy, pointing to a corner. <br />
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Michael is frustrated Harper can’t see him. His words trigger a memory of Harper’s when she was five-years-old when she had a best friend her older sister couldn’t see either. <br />
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<i>“Billy doesn’t like when you call his house stupid.” </i><br />
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Harper covers for Michael when he tries telling their mother. She doesn’t like things she can’t understand. Harper doesn’t understand either. <br />
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Nothing has been the same since Harper’s accident. Reviewing her memory book, an <i>unfinished jigsaw puzzle,</i> that had one missing piece. Unable to remember anything about the fire at school, when she was hospitalized with several broken bones.<i> It’s what the mind does to forget terrible tragedy. </i>Did she really want to remember what happened? <br />
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With the move, Harper’s Korean grandmother lives closer, and she can’t wait to see her. But her mother won’t speak to her. She hasn’t in years. Harper misses her grandmother terribly, and through all the hauntings, and missing memories, Harper works to reunite them. Turns out, Grandma has a few surprises. <br />
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Ooh, I LOVED this fun, spooky middle-grade book! The ghosts were truly evil and SCARY! Harper has to go through several hoops to save her brother, and her older sister blames her for the move to D.C. One of my favorite scenes is Harper confronting a salesperson who’s a racist, and she sticks up for herself! The author is the founder of “We Need Diverse Books”.<br />
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The first in a series, I can’t wait to read the follow-up, ISLAND OF MONSTERS, for more spooky-fun! Out now! <br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/4834095-k-l-hallam">View all my reviews</a>
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K. L. Hallamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05672153195378644215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8428005247223460174.post-66464435284458237712019-05-08T06:00:00.000-04:002019-05-08T06:00:06.881-04:00Secrets of Kidlit: Why Skype?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB-KDWLC5FbfRWo160ZmdRE7bkK_71W6uBoHo1NFsnEEQBJR9soc5QEvnoYl5xX9Lz_XLV9k9_yL92_FzQifQcCPSAkNsCsfkTlmaDLysIUlnOrnWbDae3ylk7672Lzuw93hsq50T4r8E/s1600/kids.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="640" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB-KDWLC5FbfRWo160ZmdRE7bkK_71W6uBoHo1NFsnEEQBJR9soc5QEvnoYl5xX9Lz_XLV9k9_yL92_FzQifQcCPSAkNsCsfkTlmaDLysIUlnOrnWbDae3ylk7672Lzuw93hsq50T4r8E/s320/kids.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Used under a Creative Commons license.<br />Attribution: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/kathycassidy/8334324661">Kathy Cassidy</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Skype is one of my favorite "events." Okay, so it isn't really an event, in that I don't have to pack up and go somewhere -- but that's the best part!<br />
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Skype visits with classrooms are the perfect option for authors who work day jobs or who are stay-at-home parents with young kids at home, are unable to travel, or just feel more comfortable being in a familiar setting<br />
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Today, I thought I'd share some tips to make sure your author Skype visit goes well!<br />
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1) Work out all of your tech issues ahead of time. Set up your laptop/computer/whatever in the place where you'll be doing the visit. Double check internet connection, test out the video and audio, make sure the camera is at a good angle, and -- most importantly -- be sure you have the teacher or librarian's Skype handle! (Or you may find yourself scrambling to get in touch with the teacher two minutes after the visit was supposed to start. Not that this has ever happened to me . . . ;)<br />
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2) Be prepared for anything. This includes poor lighting in the classroom, pixelated video, video that doesn't work, delayed audio, and, well, just about anything.<br />
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3) Set up parameters for the visit ahead of time. How long will the visit last? What will it include? Are the students familiar with your books? How many kids will be in the classroom? Will you be paid, or is this a free visit?<br />
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4) Ask the teacher or librarian to send you the students' questions ahead of time. Not only will this help you prepare, but it can be a lifesaver if the kids are hard to hear on Skype.<br />
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5) Relax and have fun! Skype visits are especially great because they're informal and usually short.<br />
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Do you have any additional tips for Skyping with a classroom? If so, drop them in the comments below!<br />
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<br />gailecnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08004265486129312885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8428005247223460174.post-21997028947515372782019-05-07T00:30:00.000-04:002019-05-07T00:30:07.773-04:00Congrats to Miriam Spitzer Franklin on EMILY OUT OF FOCUS<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #bf9000; font-size: large;">Today we are celebrating </span></div>
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<span style="color: #bf9000; font-size: large;">Miriam Spitzer Franklin's</span></div>
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<span style="color: #bf9000; font-size: large;"><i>Emily Out of Focus</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-CNXtSNvXS2tVE8ls3BVaEgEy1kT6yBuJmtfFMa3sjweaBCrBYuzXuJbklwbyhe8YNxv0te5ZAd9OQyJOQp_VsfnWNksVghd4BQtq8VyAFr9jzUJNmNwQ7TrZE7nGGj7x8za-mOY-Mqg/s1600/emily+out+of+focus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-CNXtSNvXS2tVE8ls3BVaEgEy1kT6yBuJmtfFMa3sjweaBCrBYuzXuJbklwbyhe8YNxv0te5ZAd9OQyJOQp_VsfnWNksVghd4BQtq8VyAFr9jzUJNmNwQ7TrZE7nGGj7x8za-mOY-Mqg/s400/emily+out+of+focus.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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Twelve-year-old Emily is flying with her parents to China to adopt and bring home a new baby sister. She’s excited but nervous to travel across the world and very aware that this trip will change her entire life. And the cracks are already starting to show the moment they reach the hotel—her parents are all about the new baby, and have no interest in exploring.<br />
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In the adoption trip group, Emily meets Katherine, a Chinese-American girl whose family has returned to China to adopt a second child. The girls eventually become friends and Katherine reveals a secret: she’s determined to find her birth mother, and she wants Emily’s help.<br />
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New country, new family, new responsibilities—it’s all a lot to handle, and Emily has never felt more alone.<br />
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From the author of <i>Extraordinary</i> and <i>Call Me Sunflower</i>, Emily Out of Focus is a warm and winning exploration of the complexity of family, friendship, and identity that readers will love.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Get your copy at <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Emily-Focus-Miriam-Spitzer-Franklin/dp/1510738541/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2DJPWDAKJEQ9K&keywords=emily+out+of+focus&qid=1557166270&s=books&sprefix=emily+out+%2Caps%2C149&sr=1-1-catcorr">Amazon</a>, <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/emily-out-of-focus-miriam-spitzer-franklin/1127961179#/">B&N</a>, or <a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781510738546">IndieBound</a>.</span></div>
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Or enter to win a hardcover here:<br />
<br /></div>
<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="e922a6b856" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e922a6b856/" id="rcwidget_3kyozdld" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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<span style="color: #bf9000; font-size: large;">Your Kidliterati friends hope you enjoy</span></div>
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<span style="color: #bf9000; font-size: large;">your book birthday, Miriam!</span></div>
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Jean Giardinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00557121077607252980noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8428005247223460174.post-47458964502948365452019-04-22T00:00:00.000-04:002019-04-22T00:00:02.699-04:00Book Review: The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35656180-the-57-bus" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives" border="0" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1503141097m/35656180.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35656180-the-57-bus">The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/25018.Dashka_Slater">Dashka Slater</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2294712918">5 of 5 stars</a><br />
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This is a true story.<br />
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Monday, November 2, 2013. Oakland, California. <br />
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Sasha sits in the back of the bus reading wearing a T-shirt, black fleece jacket, a gray flat cap, and gauzy white skirt. A senior at a small private school, the teenager identifies as agender—neither male nor female.<br />
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Sasha falls asleep.<br />
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A few seats away, three teenage boys are fooling around. Richard, with the sweet smile, wears a black hoodie and New York Knicks hat. He’s sixteen and a junior at Oakland High School. <br />
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Sasha wakes up in flames and screams. <br />
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Sasha spends over three weeks undergoing multiple surgeries to treat second and third-degree burns on their legs. Richard is arrested and charged as an adult with two felonies, each with a hate-crime clause. <br />
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From the start, the author reminds us how delicate the balance hangs prior to the crime, how it almost didn’t happen, how any number of things could have changed each teenager’s fate. <br />
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Income Inequality. <br />
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Richard is from East Oakland.<br />
He’d rather cruise town with friends looking for excitement. Until he meets truancy coordinator, Kaprice Wilson, who grew up on these streets. Richard related to her and he wanted to get his act together.<br />
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“He has the potential to achieve anything he wants,” his employer wrote. Richard helped his mother with the bills, while she also took care of his deceased aunt’s daughters. He’d lost two aunts to gun violence and many friends. <br />
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Pronouns.<br />
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Sasha has always been fascinated by language. The shape and structure of it. They created their own language known as “Conlangers”. Sasha loves buses. <br />
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“I don’t want for people to think of me as a he, and when they say he, not only does it reinforce in their brains that I am a he, it also reinforces it in the brains of people who are listening,” Sasha explains. “It doesn’t really directly affect me, at least to hear it—it’s more like, Huh, that’s not right. And when people use the right pronouns, when they use they or another gender-neutral pronoun, it feels validating.”<br />
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“<i>Transgender people are the victims of an astonishing amount of violence. One out of every four trans people has experienced a bias-driven assault, and numbers are higher for trans women, trans people of color, and people who identify as neither male nor female. Of the 860 nonbinary people who responded to the 2008 National Transgender Discrimination Survey, 32 percent had been physically assaulted.” </i><br />
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“<i>A 2012 analysis by California’s Department of Justice found that cases against black youths were more than twice as likely to be directly filed in adult court than cases against white youths, and cases against Latino youths were more than six times as likely. And the disparity didn’t end there. Once they landed in adult court, young black and brown offenders were also much more likely to serve time.”</i><br />
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A harrowing account of a terrible crime, detailing the agony each family went through, and the heartbreak of those who love Richard and Sasha. The author has written with clarity and compassion about the injustices within the juvenile incarceration system and the prejudices endured by the LGBTQIA+ community. Showing us much about forgiveness and the importance of community. A compelling must-read for anyone who cares about social justice. <br />
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K. L. Hallamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05672153195378644215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8428005247223460174.post-9810900371308844752019-04-03T04:00:00.000-04:002019-04-03T04:00:03.467-04:00K10: The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11.5pt;">The Kidliterati Ten is an interview series with
young readers. We ask them about a favorite book and hope that you enjoy their
answers. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0QLlFKHb8o2948DJ32ZdXecSUiFEG7QIR4asImOCY8COG1q0EwHfvADG8NCxP7ducoLW-CFVV2X69kdehvETsYWGuGEpH7y6uvz31n3fnX11CQrRTbJ5xwPDZq_vpC6U00QpYFu_7I4qw/s1600/51ttPWWhA5L._SX334_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="336" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0QLlFKHb8o2948DJ32ZdXecSUiFEG7QIR4asImOCY8COG1q0EwHfvADG8NCxP7ducoLW-CFVV2X69kdehvETsYWGuGEpH7y6uvz31n3fnX11CQrRTbJ5xwPDZq_vpC6U00QpYFu_7I4qw/s320/51ttPWWhA5L._SX334_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="215" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11.5pt;">Tell us a little about yourself: what is your
first name, how old are you, and what is your favorite flavor of ice cream? </span></b><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11.5pt;">Valeria, 11, and<b> </b>mint
chocolate chip.</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11.5pt;">What book did you read and why did you choose
it? </span></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11.5pt;">The Tale of Despereaux</span></i><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11.5pt;"> by Kate DiCamillo. I chose this
book because it looked very interesting and I read the back of the book and it sounded interesting.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11.5pt;">Can you describe this book in one word?</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11.5pt;">Heroic.<b></b></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11.5pt;">What was your favorite part of this story?</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11.5pt;">When I found out that
the evil master was the mom to the princess.</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11.5pt; font-weight: bold;">If you had a problem similar to the main
character's problem, what would you do?</span><span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"> </span></span><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11.5pt;">I guess do the same thing, but with friends and
helpful allies.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11.5pt;">What would you say to your best friend to
convince them to read this book?</span><span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"> </span></span></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11.5pt;">I would tell her that the book has
an amazing plot and a great story line.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11.5pt;">What do you think about the book's cover?</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11.5pt;">I think the cover of
this book is really captivating and persuasive. </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11.5pt;">Would you want to read another book about these
characters? Why or why not?</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11.5pt;">YES, because I liked how it ended,
but I’d really like to see a continuation of this book. Also, because there’s a
movie about it and I LOVED the movie.</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11.5pt;">Can you name another book that reminds you of
this one?</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11.5pt;">The Wizard of Once.</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11.5pt;">If you could ask the author one question about
this book what would it be?</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What made you want to do
this with </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Timothy B. Ering?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>Thank you, Valeria! I love this book, too!</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">You can read more about <i>The Tale of Despereaux <a href="https://www.katedicamillo.com/books/tale.html">here</a>.</i></span></div>
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<br />Kidliteratihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740731928586201376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8428005247223460174.post-85616475115166035302019-04-01T11:51:00.001-04:002019-04-01T12:04:03.841-04:00Review: The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40206380-the-bridge-home" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Bridge Home" border="0" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1531855208m/40206380.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40206380-the-bridge-home">The Bridge Home</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/895265.Padma_Venkatraman">Padma Venkatraman</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2681780577">5 of 5 stars</a><br />
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When Viji and her sister Rukku run away from their abusive home, their situation is dire. The streets of Chennai are dangerous and cruel, especially as Viji must be extra vigilant due to Rukku's developmental disability. <br />
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But bolstered by small acts of kindness from Teashop Aunty, the girls find a home on an abandoned bridge and make new friends with two boys named Muthi and Arul. With their street dog companion Kutti, the four friends learn to survive by scavenging and sharing their resources. When the rainy season starts, the children must decide whether to seek help or fight for their hard-won independence.<br />
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<i>The Bridge Home</i> will break your heart and help it to mend. Venkatraman's lean storytelling is filled with raw emotion and it puts the reader directly into the lives of vulnerable children. The empathy on every page and the warmth of Viji and Rukku's found family provide a warm glow.<br />
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This story provides young readers with a framework for thinking about many difficult topics including abuse, homelessness, child labor, and grief. But each is handled with such humanity and care that every reader will come away with strength and hope.
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/2893893-jean">View all my reviews</a>
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<br />Jean Giardinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00557121077607252980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8428005247223460174.post-19852532651238357002019-03-26T08:47:00.001-04:002019-03-26T08:47:38.097-04:00Congratulations to Ella Schwartz and Can You Crack the Code<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-size: large;">Congratulations, Ella!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-size: large;">We are excited to crack the code.</span></div>
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Codes can carry big secrets! Throughout history, lots of good guys and lots of bad guys have used codes to keep their messages under wraps. <div>
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This fun and flippable nonfiction features stories of hidden treasures, war-time maneuverings, and contemporary hacking as well as explaining the mechanics behind the codes in accessible and kid friendly forms. Sidebars call out activities that invite the reader to try their own hand at cracking and crafting their own secret messages. </div>
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This is the launch of an exciting new series that invites readers into a STEM topic through compelling historical anecdotes, scientific backup, and DIY projects. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Get your copy today:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Can-You-Crack-Code-Cryptography/dp/1681195143/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?keywords=can+you+crack+the+code+ella+schwartz&qid=1553604301&s=gateway&sr=8-1-fkmrnull">Amazon</a>, <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/can-you-crack-the-code-ella-schwartz/1129548806?ean=9781681195148#/">B&N</a>, <a href="https://www.indiebound.org/search/book?keys=can+you+crack+the+code+ella+schwartz">IndieBound</a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-size: large;">Your Kidliterati friends are so happy for you.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-size: large;">Enjoy your special day.</span></div>
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Jean Giardinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00557121077607252980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8428005247223460174.post-84420180432509129182019-03-25T05:38:00.001-04:002019-03-25T05:38:41.629-04:00Review: 14 Hollow Road by Jenn Bishop<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32319718-14-hollow-road" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="14 Hollow Road" border="0" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1475593003m/32319718.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32319718-14-hollow-road">14 Hollow Road</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14097845.Jenn_Bishop">Jenn Bishop</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2747007121">5 of 5 stars</a><br />
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<i>The night of the sixth-grade dance is supposed to be perfect for Maddie: she'll wear her perfect new dress, hit the dance floor with her friends, and her crush, Avery, will ask her to dance. But as the first slow song starts to play, her plans crumble. Avery asks someone else to dance instead--and then the power goes out. Huddled in the gym, Maddie and her friends are stunned to hear that a tornado has ripped through the other side of town, destroying both Maddie's and Avery's homes.<br /><br />Kind neighbors open up their home to Maddie's and Avery's families, which both excites and horrifies Maddie. Sharing the same house . . . with Avery? For the entire summer? While it buys her some time to prove that Avery made the wrong choice at the dance, it also means he'll be there to witness her morning breath and her annoying little brother. At the dance, all she wanted was to be more grown-up. Now that she has no choice, is she really ready for it?</i><br />
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I loved the premise of this book, and it didn't disappoint. While it begins with the tragedy of of Maddie losing her home to a tornado, it's mostly the sweet story of a girl growing up, navigating changing friendships, and dealing with a crush. Set in Massachusetts, where tornadoes are a rarity, it's the details that make this book so wonderful. <br />
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I especially loved Maddie's relationship with her younger brother -- while he's exasperating at times, she's protective of him. The details worked into the changing friendship dynamics between Maddie, her best friend, and the new girl in town are also so very realistic, and call to mind all those feelings of being left out and jealousy that happen at twelve years old. Maddie also has to deal with loss of her dog, who can't be found after the tornado. Her feelings about this are also spot-on. <br />
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This is a little thing, but as a kid whose mom worked and as mom who works, I really appreciated a book where the main character and her friends spend the summer at various camps, rather than hanging out at home or around the neighborhood. A really great read altogether!
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<br />gailecnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08004265486129312885noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8428005247223460174.post-73688288531797701632019-03-13T04:00:00.000-04:002019-03-13T04:00:05.783-04:00K10: The Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling<br />
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young readers. We ask them about a favorite book and hope that you enjoy their
answers. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<b><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 11.5pt;">Tell us a little
about yourself: what is your first name, how old are you, and what is your
favorite flavor of ice cream?</span></b> <span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">My first name is Abraham, I’m 10, and my favorite flavor is vanilla</span>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 11.5pt;">What book did you
read and why did you choose it?</span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I chose </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; white-space: pre-wrap;">Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone</span></i><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">, and I chose it because it was interesting and the way Mrs. Thayer (my 5<sup>th</sup> grade teacher) read it made it better.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 11.5pt;">Can you describe this book in one word?</span> </b></span><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Magical</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 11.5pt;">What was your
favorite part of this story?</span></b> <span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The chess match</span>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 11.5pt;">If you had a
problem similar to the main character's problem, what would you do?</span><span style="background: white;"> </span></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 11.5pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I would make sacrifices even if it hurt me.</span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 11.5pt;">What would you say to your best friend to convince them to read this
book?</span></b></span> <span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I would say “The
friendship in it will make you want to be there.”</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 11.5pt;">What do you think
about the book's cover?</span></b> <span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I think it shows a little idea of what will happen</span>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 11.5pt;">Would you want to
read another book about these characters? Why or why not?</span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I would because I would like to see more powerful friendships.</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 11.5pt;">Can you name
another book that reminds you of this one?</span></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Hatchet</span></i><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></b><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">by Gary Paulsen, because Harry tried his best to defeat Voldemort, and Brian tried his best to get out of the woods. </span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 11.5pt;">If you could ask
the author one question about this book what would it be?</span></b> <span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">How did you get this idea of Harry Potter?</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Here's some information on how Ms. Rowling came up with the character, Harry Potter. </span><a href="https://harrypotter.bloomsbury.com/uk/jk-rowling-biography/" style="font-size: 14.6667px;">https://harrypotter.bloomsbury.com/uk/jk-rowling-biography/</a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14.6667px;">Thank you, Abraham! It's so cool that your teacher, Mrs. Thayer, reads to your class! She sounds like an awesome teacher!</span></div>
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<br />Kidliteratihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740731928586201376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8428005247223460174.post-22695819304532274192019-03-12T09:50:00.000-04:002019-03-12T09:50:12.713-04:00Congrats Jessika on Beware the Night<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">Congratulations, Jessika Fleck!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">Everyone must <i>Beware the Night.</i></span></div>
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When her world divides, pitting light against dark, Veda must join a dangerous revolution to save her grandfather and fight against injustice...even if it costs her the boy she loves.<br /><br />On the island of Bellona, life is peaceful--as long as the citizens dutifully worship the Sun, which protects them from all harm. Seventeen-year-old Veda knows that keeping the Sun happy will protect her and her grandfather from the Night, the dangerous people who snatch innocent citizens from their beds under the cover of darkness, never to be seen again. As long as Veda follows the rules, she will be safe. <br /><br />But when Veda's grandfather is offered up as the next sacrificial offering to keep the Sun's favor, she starts to see that the safety she's been promised comes at a dangerous price. Maybe there is more to fear above than there is below. <br /><br />With a mysterious young man, Dorian, at her side, Veda has to figure out if the scary bedtime stories she grew up hearing are real--or dangerous lies.<div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Get your copy here:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Beware-Night-Jessika-Fleck/dp/1250154758/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=beware+the+night&qid=1552398174&s=gateway&sr=8-1">Amazon</a>, <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/beware-the-night-jessika-fleck/1128476783?ean=9781250154750#/">B&N</a>, and <a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781250154750">IndieBound</a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">Your Kidliterati friends are so happy for you, Jessika. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">Enjoy your special day.</span></div>
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Jean Giardinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00557121077607252980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8428005247223460174.post-2829872753954348722019-03-11T13:12:00.000-04:002019-03-11T13:12:57.389-04:00Review: Damsel by Elana K. Arnold<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36260155-damsel" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Damsel" border="0" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1518818837m/36260155.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36260155-damsel">Damsel</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5772357.Elana_K_Arnold">Elana K. Arnold</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2635272106">5 of 5 stars</a><br />
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The way of the world has never changed. Before a prince can become king, he must slay a dragon and rescue the damsel who will become his bride. Prince Emory is like his father and his father's father before him. <br />
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Ama awakes in Emory's arms with no memory of her rescue. It is now her fate to be the queen of Harding and the wife of Emory after his coronation. As she adjusts to life in the castle, Ama begins to suspect that there is much more to the tales of kings and dragons than she has been told.<br />
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<i>“That is the way of being a woman, to carve away at herself, to fit herself to the task, but, also, to be able to carve herself in a different way, when a different shape is needed.” </i><br />
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Arnold's <i>Damsel</i> is a remarkable story. It takes the reader directly to the fiery heart of the issues while framing them as a dark, ancient fairy tale. This story is quite raw. It will not be for every young reader. But for the young women who are trying to make space in the world for themselves, I hope this book helps them find their power.<br />
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[CW: Sexual violence and suicide]<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/2893893-jean">View all my reviews</a>
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<br />Jean Giardinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00557121077607252980noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8428005247223460174.post-10793639122382330852019-03-04T00:00:00.000-05:002019-03-04T00:00:08.256-05:00Book Review: Charlie Hernández and the League of Shadows by Ryan Calejo<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36347821-charlie-hern-ndez-and-the-league-of-shadows" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Charlie Hernández and the League of Shadows" border="0" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1535685480m/36347821.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36347821-charlie-hern-ndez-and-the-league-of-shadows">Charlie Hernández and the League of Shadows</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17203058.Ryan_Calejo">Ryan Calejo</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2724216903">5 of 5 stars</a><br />
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<i>I received an ARC for an honest review.</i><br />
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Charlie Hernández’s parents are gone. While waiting at child services for placement, he discovers tiny horns sprouting from his head and recalls the stories his abuela told him night after night, especially those about the Morphling, <i>the myth about a young hero who always defeats his nemesis—an evil twice-cursed witch—by manifesting some kind of an animal trait.</i><br />
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But those were just made up stories.<br />
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No longer sleeping at the police station, he’s placed temporarily with the elderly doll collector, Mrs. Wilson, and just when life begins to feel normal again, feathers sprout up all over his body—at middle school! Thinking fast, Charlie ditches into the office and finds a long-sleeve sparkly snow jacket in the lost and found. Wearing a ski jacket during the afternoon in Miami shouldn’t bring any unwanted attention.<br />
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Then he runs into <i>Alice-the-Terrible, 6-foot-tall-fastball-crushing all-state softball player</i>—and she wants the locket he’s wearing. The one thing he has left of his mother’s.<br />
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Not while Violet Rey is around—super-sleuth-school-newspaper-reporter—with the megawatt smile stops Alice in her tracks. The same girl he’s crushed on since first grade. Turns out, Violet has admired Charlie’s father, the animal geneticist, ever since his presentation on the harm in breeding dogs, she even used it for the school paper. Violet is very curious about his mother’s locket and knows it’s an antique (her father owns a pawn shop). Is there anything Violet doesn’t know? But it’s locked and Charlie’s unable to open it. Violet has a look and it clicks open in seconds. Inside, they find a miniature map, with the same horns and feather insignia Charlie now sees everywhere.<br />
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Together, they make an unlikely team, and go underground with the map, in search of answers to where Charlie’s parents are, and they come face to face with supernatural villains, myths and folklore from all over the Spanish-speaking world. Conversations with a calaca, and La Llorona, the weeping woman, after following the glowing orbs of La Luz Mala deep into the woods. Charlie discovers the stories his abuela told him were true. Was she preparing him?<br />
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An exciting, fast-paced Middle-Grade adventure! With friends standing up for each other and working together. I loved Violet’s character and the skills she has when they’re needed and Charlie’s self-deprecating humor. Rich in cultural mythology, and so much fun! For further study of these fascinating tales, the glossary of Spanish folklore is a good starting point. Perfect for fans of Percy Jackson, or anyone who loves magic, adventure, and tracking down a mystery.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/4834095-k-l-hallam">View all my reviews</a>
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K. L. Hallamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05672153195378644215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8428005247223460174.post-20551787676880964762019-02-20T03:00:00.000-05:002019-02-20T08:09:25.037-05:00K10: History's All-Stars Rosa Parks by Kathleen Kudlinski, Illustrated by Meryl Henderson<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.7149999999999996; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 6pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Kidliterati Ten is an interview series with young readers. We ask them about a </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">favorite</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> book and hope that you enjoy their answers.</span></span></i></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222;">Tell
us a little about yourself: what is your first name, how old are you, and what
is your favorite flavor of ice cream?</span></b> <span style="color: #222222;">My name is Allie. I am 11 years old and my favorite flavor of ice
cream is chocolate.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222;">What
book did you read and why did you choose it?</span></b> <span style="color: #222222;">I read <i>History's All-Stars</i> </span><i><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Rosa </span></i><i><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Parks,</span></i><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> and I chose this book </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">because I am learning about her in school.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222;">Can
you describe this book in one word?</span></b><span style="color: #222222;">Adventurous.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222;">What
was your favorite part of this story?</span></b> <span style="color: #222222;">When she stood up for what she believed. She did this a lot in her
life.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222;">If you
had a problem similar to the main character's problem, what would you do?</span></b>
<span style="color: #222222;">I would chose to live with it because I would be
arrested or beat up if I did not.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222;">What
would you say to your best friend to convince them to read this book?</span></b>
<span style="color: #222222;">It is the best book ever.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222;">What
do you think about the book's cover?</span></b> <span style="color: #222222;">Interesting</span>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222;">Would
you want to read another book about these characters? Why or why not?</span></b>
<span style="color: #222222;">Yes, because I like the story of how Black people
overcome their challenges. It is interesting to me. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222;">Can
you name another book that reminds you of this one?</span></b> <i><span style="color: #222222;">Who was Martin Luther King Jr.?</span></i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222;">If you
could ask the author one question about this book what would it be?</span></b>
<span style="color: #222222;">What made you write the book in Rosa’s perspective?</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thank you, Allie, for doing the interview! I love to read how people overcome challenges, too!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">You can read more about <i>History's All-Stars</i> <i>Rosa Parks</i> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Parks-Historys-All-Stars-Kathleen-Kudlinski-ebook/dp/B00AK806PG/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1550625003&sr=8-5&keywords=kathleen+kudlinski">here</a>.</span></div>
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Kidliteratihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740731928586201376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8428005247223460174.post-61961270661625014942019-02-18T05:30:00.000-05:002019-02-18T05:30:01.101-05:00Review: The Windfall App by Teresa Richards<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40376533-the-windfall-app" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Windfall App" border="0" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1528156101m/40376533.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40376533-the-windfall-app">The Windfall App</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13262730.Teresa_Richards">Teresa Richards</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2719952869">5 of 5 stars</a><br />
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<i>Marina Berghman is a classical piano prodigy with parents who’ve had her life mapped out since she was in diapers. But their plan leaves no room for her secret love of alternative rock, or Sean, the edgy guitarist who recently moved to town. <br /><br />When Marina buys a lottery ticket on her eighteenth birthday via the new Windfall app, she expects it to be nothing more than a rite of passage. But she wins—the grand prize of five thousand dollars a day, for life. Suddenly given the means to break free from a life she never felt in control of, she’s quick to cut her family ties and turn her back on everything she knows.<br /><br />But her lottery win was no lucky break. Her prize comes with strings attached, and Marina soon finds herself at the center of someone else’s life or death game. When she discovers evidence linking her dad to the intrigue, she turns to Sean for help. But he’s harboring secrets of his own. Now Marina must sort out who to trust and who’s pulling the strings, before her prize turns into a noose.</i><br />
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This book is a page-turner! I started to realize pretty quickly that all was not right with this lottery. While it's fun to read about how logical Marina spends her winnings, the underlying dread is what propels this story forward. Whether it's someone following Marina home one night or the flirty yet slightly creepy anonymous texts she gets, these were the little things that kept me from being able to put the book down. <br />
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The romance in the book is sweet and well-written. I also really loved the setting. San Francisco figures so prominently in the book that it made me want to visit. And Marina's best friend Darya is such a great character that I wish there was a spin-off novel that starred her! If you're looking for a fast-paced book with all the elements of a great YA, this is a perfect choice.
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<br />gailecnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08004265486129312885noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8428005247223460174.post-54601750952511578652019-02-11T00:00:00.000-05:002019-02-11T00:00:00.327-05:00Review: What the Woods Keep by Katya de Becerra<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29748448-what-the-woods-keep" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="What the Woods Keep" border="0" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1516109309m/29748448.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29748448-what-the-woods-keep">What the Woods Keep</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15140719.Katya_de_Becerra">Katya de Becerra</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2588191371">5 of 5 stars</a><br />
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Hayden has just turned eighteen, and she's living on her own for the first time, when she gets a call about the will her mother left. Though her mother is technically missing, not dead.<br />
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“<i>My mother remains elusive, in the periphery of my vision—there and not-there, dead and alive, like Schrödinger’s theoretical cat, its state altering the moment I focus on it. It’s been a decade since I last heard Mom’s voice …”</i><br />
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The dreams of her wearing full body armor and riding a horse while leading an army through the fog and ravaged cities, crying We’ll rise again have returned, and what’s with the white ravens that keep appearing in her dreams and real life? Hayden has a lot of questions.<br />
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It’s suggested that she keep mum about the will and not mention anything to her father, which may not be difficult considering he’s a physicist with his head buried always in his work. Even though he’d lost his tenure, due to outrageous claims about Nibelungs and multi-dimensional pathways and string theory.<br />
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Thank goodness, for her roommate, Del Chauvet, French-Senegalese Brooklynite, and her constant determination to give her a makeover or find her a date, especially since the last one left Hayden stranded. But Del has something special planned for her 18th birthday.<br />
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Memories and whispers in a foreign tongue, and Hayden’s mother watching from behind the dark trees surrounding her childhood home wearing a sad smile, as if she knows what’s coming. Hayden’s therapist, Dr. Erich reminds Hayden that those memories are long gone. But Hayden needs answers.<br />
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Hiding the will from her father, Hayden and Del leave their Brooklyn apartment to visit her childhood home in Promise, Colorado, and search for the gifts her mother left with the cryptic message:<br />
<i>She needs to listen with her blood. My second condition is that Hayden uses my gifts to destroy my darkest secret—my hidden treasure, my heaviest burden.</i><br />
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When Hayden struggles to understand she interprets things using theoretical physics, and the author does this beautifully at the start of each chapter with musings of the metaphysical, the forces of gravity, and Murphy’s Law and how they relate to Hayden’s life.<br />
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My kind of genre-mash-up, that twists urban fantasy and science fiction with the creepy factor that comes with a dark woodland mystery along with a gripping pace and self-sacrificing friendships. Quite unlike anything I’ve read before. I’d probably recommend this book for mature YA readers.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/4834095-k-l-hallam">View all my reviews</a>
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K. L. Hallamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05672153195378644215noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8428005247223460174.post-14156757225502151492019-02-05T10:18:00.000-05:002019-02-05T10:18:10.653-05:00Celebrating Make This! by Ella Schwartz<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: x-large;">Happy Book Birthday</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: x-large;">Ella Schwartz!</span></div>
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<b>Create your maker space with this fun and instructive book, chock-full of hands-on activities and cool experiments to get kids thinking and tinkering.</b><div>
<br />This book is designed to inspire the next generation of engineers and supports all kinds of kid creators: those who prefer guided instruction, those who prefer to dream up and design objects on their own, and everyone in between. With thoughtful text and bright illustrations, kids get the tools and the know-how to tackle all kinds of exciting projects: building a kaleidoscope, designing a fidget spinner, planting a rain forest, creating a musical instrument, and more. Unconventional scenarios inspired by real National Geographic explorers give kids a chance to think outside the box and apply their maker skills to real life. Chapters are divided up by scientific principle, such as simple machines, energy, and forces. In each chapter, kids can start by following step-by-step activities, or get creative by tackling an open-ended challenge. Helpful sidebars explain the science behind what's happening every step of the way.<br /><br /><i>Make This!</i> is perfect for curious and STEM-loving kids, families looking for a fun way to play together, and anyone else who's ready to get creative and start tinkering!</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">Your Kidliterati friends are so happy for you, Ella.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">Get your copy today:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Make-This-Building-Thinking-Tinkering/dp/1426333242/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1549379720&sr=8-1&keywords=make+this+ella+schwartz">Amazon</a>, <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/make-this-ella-schwartz/1128614420?ean=9781426333248#/">B&N</a>, or <a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781426333255">IndieBound</a></span></div>
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Jean Giardinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00557121077607252980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8428005247223460174.post-55114133064898849752019-02-04T00:00:00.000-05:002019-02-04T00:00:10.569-05:00Review: Love Like Sky by Leslie C. Youngblood<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38641513-love-like-sky" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Love Like Sky" border="0" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1519679011m/38641513.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38641513-love-like-sky">Love Like Sky</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16879234.Leslie_C_Youngblood">Leslie C. Youngblood</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2361012079">4 of 5 stars</a><br />
<br />
@disneyhyperion #partner - I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.<br />
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Georgie and her little sister Peach’s parents got divorced and each parent has started building new lives for themselves while trying their best to keep things inclusive and sensitive to their girls. On one of their visits with their biological Dad, Georgie does something daring and a little selfish after which everyone's lives change for better or worse.<br />
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Love Like Sky reads like you're talking to your best friend or a confidante. The author's writing takes you deep into the characters minds and hearts, and doesn't let you go even after you've read the last sentence. <br />
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This is such an intricate and complicated story. Blended families that stemmed from one or multiple divorces remain in the realm of impossible for me. But I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Georgie and her family and friends. I enjoyed seeing that when everyone does their best, things can work out (mostly). I enjoyed seeing how tremendously hard it can be to navigate feelings of not belonging or wanting to belong without letting said feelings cloud one's judgement.<br />
People's actions sometimes are misguided because of how much they love and care for someone but usually that love is the magic that keeps families together (blended or not).<br />
Love Like Sky is about family, love, and how much better life is when we surround ourselves with people who care about us and support us. Some kids wish for their parents to part ways, other kids want their parents to stay together no matter what. Learning to deal with the feelings of disappointment when things don't go the way they were supposed to is a huge challenge. I'm grateful Love Like Sky exists to provide some support to kids out there going through similar life challenges.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01186723258222270284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8428005247223460174.post-77274682218245959242019-02-01T11:35:00.000-05:002019-02-01T11:35:54.104-05:00Cover Reveal: REVENGE OF THE RED CLUB by Kim Harrington Today we're thrilled to share the cover of Kim Harrington's
upcoming middle grade novel, REVENGE OF THE RED CLUB, coming from Aladdin/Simon & Schuster in October, 2019!<br />
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First, let's learn a little bit about this exciting new story:<i><br /></i><br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Riley Dunne loves being a member--and leader--of the Red Club. It's
more than a group of girls supporting each other through Aunt Flo's ups
and downs; it's a Hawking Middle School tradition. The club's secret
locker has an emergency stash of supplies, and the girls are always
willing to lend an ear, a shoulder, or an old pair of sweatpants.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>But
when the school administration shuts down the Red Club because of
complaints, the girls are stunned. Using skills she cultivated as her
school paper's top investigative reporter (okay, only investigative
reporter), Riley digs for the truth about who shut the club down and
why.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>If that weren't enough, she also must deal with
her best friend, who is acting super weird as of late; a new and
ridiculous dress code; and trying to make sure the group remains focused
on fighting back, rather than fighting with one another.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>With
humor, heart, and lots of period power, Riley and her friends rely on
surprising allies--and their own strength--as they work to save their
club and stand up for what they know is right.</i></blockquote>
<i>
<br />
</i>Before we get to the awesome cover, here is a special message from the author about the cover design:<i><br />
</i><br />
<blockquote>
<i>Many times, authors will have a vision in their head of what their cover should look like. But with REVENGE OF THE RED CLUB, my mind was blank. How was it possible to convey in one image that this book had humor, heart, girl power, and, um…lots of talk about periods? I wouldn’t even know where to start. And that’s why I’m a writer and not a designer. Thankfully, Aladdin’s Tiara Iandiorio is brilliant. She designed the perfect cover for this book. It blew me away. The bright red. Riley’s strong pose. The fists with pens. The calendar. And, of course, the tampons. 😊 I am delighted with this cover. And I can’t wait for readers to meet Riley and her friends!</i></blockquote>
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A secret stash of monthly supplies, humor, heart, and girl power? Sounds
wonderful to us! Without further ado, here's the cover reveal:<br />
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What do you think? We love the bright red color and Riley's triumphant pose.
Congratulations to Kim on a gorgeous cover! We can't wait to see
inside!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin6Y4m89E926RjCfXK4bDyoqeU5V0x26PDKqz1O9aGcqIl9JkecPYRBpMUCJv97I6cy2jevW0nO-mwBvK1YWyQOE-vPrKSrOSnUZwWevbpbsqEKgk62ulZs0IWWZb0XFPLD39Yh7Dgbxk/s1600/a1931ae48ab65e0d43a598e5ac566da5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="342" data-original-width="277" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin6Y4m89E926RjCfXK4bDyoqeU5V0x26PDKqz1O9aGcqIl9JkecPYRBpMUCJv97I6cy2jevW0nO-mwBvK1YWyQOE-vPrKSrOSnUZwWevbpbsqEKgk62ulZs0IWWZb0XFPLD39Yh7Dgbxk/s200/a1931ae48ab65e0d43a598e5ac566da5.jpg" width="161" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Kim
Harrington is the author of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Clarity</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Perception</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Dead and Buried</i>, and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Forget
Me</i> for teens and the Sleuth or Dare and Gamer Squad series for kids. She
lives in Massachusetts with her husband and son. When not writing, she's most
likely reading, watching one of her favorite TV shows, or fantasizing about her
next vacation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://www.kimharringtonbooks.com/about.html" target="_blank">Website</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39675805-revenge-of-the-red-club" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/Kim_Harrington" target="_blank">Twitter</a> </span> </span></div>
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Melanie Conklinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16593672562888738055noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8428005247223460174.post-1736579375675772762019-01-15T00:30:00.000-05:002019-01-15T00:30:06.867-05:00Congrats to Jeff Chen on Ultraball: Lunar Blitz<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: x-large;">The Kidliterati are excited to celebrate Jeff Chen's middle grade debut. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: x-large;">Welcome to the game. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: x-large;">Welcome to <i>Ultraball: Lunar Blitz</i>.</span><br />
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We wanted to learn more about <i>Ultraball </i>so we sat down with Jeff with for an exclusive interview.<br />
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<b>What was it like writing your book on the moon?</b><br /><br />The low gravity was disorienting at first, but you get used to just about anything. Except pooping. Man, I tell you what, it's no fun hooking up a waste recycler to your butt ... okay, I'll stop. <br /><br /><div>
<b>What's it like to play Ultraball in an Ultrabot suit?</b></div>
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<br />Imagine being Superman. Except that you don't have to worry about kryptonite. And you catch speeding bullets instead of outracing them. So all in all, I'd give it a thumbs-up. I mean, it's nothing compared to the deep satisfaction of using a normal Earth toilet. There's that entire Earthfall thing, though.<br /><br /><b>How has Earthfall affected you?</b><br />The total destruction of Earth in a global nuclear war was a pretty big downer. But all the whining! Wah wah wah, the oceans are irradiated! Boo hoo, nuclear winter for millennia! The United Moon Colonies are on their own now! <br /><br />Suck it up, people. Life on the moon ain't so bad. Except for the nasty hardtack bars. And the crumbling infrastructure. Not to mention the dwindling water supply. <br /><br />Okay, maybe it's bad.<br /><br /><b>Do you think the Taiko Miners really have a shot at winning the Ultrabowl, after three straight defeats at the hands of the North Pole Neutrons? They kind of have your number, don't they? </b><br /><br />Thanks for bringing up all those agonizing memories. <br /><br /><b>What's the first thing you'll do if you finally win an Ultrabowl?</b><br /><br />I'm going to Disneyland! Oh, wait. There's that entire Earthfall thing. <br /><br /><b>Is there something seriously wrong with you? I mean, I wouldn't use the word "deranged," but ...</b><br /><br />My poor wife and kids will probably want to weigh in here.<br /><br /><b>How many copies of <i>Ultraball: Lunar Blitz</i> should I buy? 100 or 1000?</b><br />If nothing else, HarperCollins prints on high-quality paper. Y'know, in case you have problems after using your waste recycler. </div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">Congrats, Jeff!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">Get your own copy of Ultraball: Lunar Blitz.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780062802668">IndieBound</a>, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ultraball-Lunar-Blitz-Jeff-Chen/dp/0062802666/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1547510375&sr=8-1&keywords=ultraball+%231+lunar+blitz">Amazon</a>, or <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ultraball-1-jeff-chen/1127755104?ean=9780062802668#/">B&N</a></span></div>
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Jean Giardinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00557121077607252980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8428005247223460174.post-76038815683132895372019-01-14T09:41:00.000-05:002019-01-14T09:41:15.760-05:00Review: Flame in the Mist (Flame in the Mist #1) by Renée Ahdieh <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35002078-flame-in-the-mist" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Flame in the Mist (Flame in the Mist, #1)" border="0" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1493343041m/35002078.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35002078-flame-in-the-mist">Flame in the Mist</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4600197.Ren_e_Ahdieh">Renée Ahdieh</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2234946923">4 of 5 stars</a><br />
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Mariko is promised to Minamoto Raiden, the son of the emperor's favorite consort. On her way to the palace for her nuptials her caravan gets attacked and she narrowly escapes death. In her quest to oust her assassins Mariko discovers a horrible side to the politics of the world as she knows it.<br />
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This immersive and engrossing read will grab your attention from the first chapter. You will find yourself rooting for so many of the characters because they all have their personal goals and motives that often times will cross paths.<br />
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I love how the author layered the stakes in the story in perfect tandem with the main characters' growths.<br />
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Fair warning that if you enjoy this book it will leave you with a hangover, so make sure to have the second book handy so you can dive in immediately. <br />
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This is a young adult novel I know will listen to again in a near future.
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01186723258222270284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8428005247223460174.post-32815628002702031892019-01-10T17:40:00.000-05:002019-01-10T17:40:18.298-05:00Introducing Ultraball: Lunar Blitz by Jeff Chen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: x-large;">We are so excited about </span></div>
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Strike Sazaki loves defying gravity on the moon in his Ultrabot suit. He’s the best quarterback in the league, but while Strike’s led the Taiko Miners to the Ultrabowl three years in a row, each one has ended in defeat.<br /><br />This year, Strike thinks he’s finally found the missing piece to his championship quest: a mysterious girl who could be his new star rocketback. But Boom comes from the Dark Siders, a mass of people who left the United Moon Colonies to live in exile. And not all his teammates are happy sharing a field with her.<br /><br />When rumors surface of a traitor on the Miners, Strike isn’t sure who he can trust. If Strike can’t get his teammates to cooperate and play together, they’ll lose more than just the Ultrabowl. The stake of the colony’s future is on his shoulders. <div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Jeff's book, <i>Ultraball: Lunar Blitz</i>, will be available </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In the meantime, don't miss the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/enter_choose_address/287124-ultraball-1-lunar-blitz">Goodreads giveaway</a>.</span></div>
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Jean Giardinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00557121077607252980noreply@blogger.com0