middle grade

THE BEAR HOUSE by Meaghan McIsaac Blog Tour and Giveaway

October 26, 2021 By Heather Leave a Comment

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the THE BEAR HOUSE by Meaghan McIsaac Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

About The Book:

Title: THE BEAR HOUSE (#1)

Author: Meaghan McIsaac

Pub. Date: October 5, 2021

Publisher: Holiday House

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook

Pages: 368

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org

Pre-Order The eBook now for 99 cents!

In a gritty medieval world where the ruling houses are based on the constellations, betrayal, intrigue, and a king’s murder force the royal sisters of the Bear House on the run!

Moody Aster and her spoiled sister Ursula are the daughters of Jasper Lourdes, Major of Bears and lord of all the realm. Rivals, both girls dream of becoming the Bear queen someday, although neither really deserve to, having no particular talent in… well, anything.

But when their Uncle Bram murders their father in a bid for the crown, the girls are forced onto the run, along with lowly Dev the Bearkeeper and the Lourdes’s half-grown grizzly Alcor, symbol of their house. As a bitter struggle for the throne consumes the kingdom in civil war, the sisters must rely on Dev, the bear cub, and each other to survive–and find wells of courage, cunning, and skill they never knew they had.

Reviews

“Weaves intrigue and adventure. . . . An epic, complex narrative.”—Publishers Weekly

“The stellar worldbuilding is both expansive and accessible, and the action never falters. . . . Thrilling adventure set in an enchanting world makes this an easy pick for high fantasy fans.”—Kirkus Reviews

REVIEW: In a world dominated by the stars and houses based on constellations, two houses are at war. The shift of power begins with betrayal. The major and minor are in chaos after a coup. Children of the king are forced into the forest seeking refuge, while their cousin remains to take up her father’s orders. Two houses, major and minor are in chaos after a coup. The children of the king are forced into the forest seeking refuge, while their cousin remains to take up her father’s orders. The keeper and heirs will have to navigate more than one fore out to gain their power while trying to save the bear at the center of their society. Fans of Shannon Hale or How to Train Your Dragon will enjoy this midevil fantasy tale. Thanks to Holiday House for the advance reading copy. All opinions are my own. Content and trigger warnings: moderate violence, murder.

About Meaghan McIsaac:

Meaghan McIsaac is the author of several books for young readers, including The Boys of Fire and Ash, which was shortlisted for the Manitoba Young Readers’ Choice Award; and Movers, which was a Shining Willow Finalist for the Saskatchewan Young Readers’ Choice Awards. Meaghan lives in Toronto, Ontario with her two dogs.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon

Giveaway Details:

3 winners will win an eBook of THE BEAR HOUSE, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

10/18/2021	Rockstar Book Tours	Kickoff Post
10/18/2021	Log Cabin Library	Excerpt
10/19/2021	BookHounds Ya	Excerpt
10/19/2021	Kait Plus Books	Excerpt
10/20/2021	#BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog	Review
10/20/2021	The Bookwyrm’s Den	Excerpt
10/21/2021	Jazzy Book Reviews	Excerpt
10/21/2021	Two Chicks on Books	Excerpt
10/22/2021	Jaime’s World	Review
10/22/2021	Books a Plenty Book Reviews	Review

Week Two:

10/25/2021	Lifestyle of Me	Review
10/25/2021	Rajiv’s Reviews	Review
10/26/2021	The Momma Spot	Review
10/26/2021	Little Red Reads	Review
10/27/2021	Two Points of Interest	Review
10/27/2021	Books and Zebras	Review
10/28/2021	Eli to the nth	Review
10/28/2021	The Reading Wordsmith	Review
10/29/2021	History from a Woman’s Perspective	Review
10/29/2021	Nonbinary Knight Reads and Reviews	Review

Uncovering Tutankhamun’s Tomb by Candace Fleming Tour and Giveaway

August 31, 2021 By Heather Leave a Comment

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the THE CURSE OF THE MUMMY: Uncovering Tutankhamun’s Tomb by Candace Fleming Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

About the Book:

Title: THE CURSE OF THE MUMMY: Uncovering Tutankhamun’s Tomb

Author: Candace Fleming

Pub. Date: September 7, 2021

Publisher: Scholastic Focus

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook

Pages: 304

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org

Award-winning and critically acclaimed author Candace Fleming presents the edge-of-your-seat true story of the search for Tutankhamun’s tomb, the Western public’s belief that the dig was cursed, and the battle for ownership of the treasures within.

During the reign of the New Kingdom of Egypt, the boy pharaoh Tutankhamun ruled and died tragically young. In order to send him on his way into the afterlife, his tomb was filled with every treasure he would need after death. And then, it was lost to time, buried in the sands of the Valley of the Kings.

His tomb was also said to be cursed.

Centuries later, as Egypt-mania gripped Europe, two Brits — a rich earl with a habit for gambling and a disreputable, determined archeologist — worked for years to rediscover and open Tutankhamun’s tomb. But once it was uncovered, would ancient powers take their revenge for disturbing and even looting the pharaoh’s resting place? What else could explain the mysterious illnesses, accidents, and deaths that began once it was found?

REVIEW: What a fascinating book! When I was younger I wanted to be an archeologist and this book fed right into those dreams. With historic photos, maps, diagrams, artifacts and stories the author has fully fleshed out the backstory behind finding the ancient Egyptian tombs. I enjoyed reading about the men involved in the expeditions, including the workers. Also included are black pages with myths, legends and tales of cursed objects and supernatural activity surrounding the tombs. With an air of Raiders of the Lost Ark, the book is factual and historically correct for students of all ages. Thanks so much to the publisher for the sneak peek of Uncovering Tutankhamun’s Tomb. All thoughts are my own.

About Candace:

Candace Fleming awarded herself the Newbery Medal in fifth grade after scraping the gold sticker off the class copy of The Witch of Blackbird Pond and pasting it onto her first novel—a ten-page, ten-chapter mystery called Who Done It? She’s been collecting awards (her own, not Elizabeth George Speare’s) ever since.

Today, Candace is the versatile and acclaimed author of more than forty books for children and young adults, including the Los Angeles Times Book Prize honored The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of the Russian Empire; Boston Globe/Horn Book Award-winning biography, The Lincolns; the bestselling picture book, Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!; the Sibert-Award-winning Giant Squid; and the beloved Boxes for Katje. She contributed the chapter on Katharine of Aragon to Fatal Throne. Photo credit: Michael Lionstar.

Giveaway Details:

3 winners will win a finished copy of THE CURSE OF THE MUMMY, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

8/24/2021	Kait Plus Books	Excerpt
8/25/2021	The Momma Spot	Review
8/25/2021	Lifestyle of Me	Review
8/26/2021	#BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog	Excerpt
8/27/2021	A Dream Within A Dream	Excerpt
8/27/2021	Rajiv’s Reviews	Review
8/28/2021	YABooksCentral	Interview

Week Two:

8/29/2021	Log Cabin Library	Excerpt
8/29/2021	BookHounds ya	Review
8/30/2021	Two Chicks on Books	Excerpt
8/31/2021	Little Red Reads	Review
8/31/2021	Jaime’s World	Excerpt
9/1/2021	Locks, Hooks and Books	Review
9/2/2021	@lexijava	Excerpt
9/3/2021	Two Points of Interest	Review
9/4/2021	hauntedbybooks	Review
9/4/2021	Enjoyingbooksagain	Review

Week Three:

9/5/2021	The Bookwyrm’s Den	Review
9/6/2021	Books and Zebras @jypsylynn	Review

Alone by Megan E. Freeman

January 29, 2021 By Heather Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Alone on January 12, 2021
Pages: 416
Format: ARC
Buy the Book • Goodreads
four-stars

Perfect for fans of Hatchet and the I Survived series, this harrowing middle grade debut novel-in-verse from a Pushcart Prize–nominated poet tells the story of a young girl who wakes up one day to find herself utterly alone in her small Colorado town.

When twelve-year-old Maddie hatches a scheme for a secret sleepover with her two best friends, she ends up waking up to a nightmare. She’s alone—left behind in a town that has been mysteriously evacuated and abandoned.

With no one to rely on, no power, and no working phone lines or internet access, Maddie slowly learns to survive on her own. Her only companions are a Rottweiler named George and all the books she can read. After a rough start, Maddie learns to trust her own ingenuity and invents clever ways to survive in a place that has been deserted and forgotten.

As months pass, she escapes natural disasters, looters, and wild animals. But Maddie’s most formidable enemy is the crushing loneliness she faces every day. Can Maddie’s stubborn will to survive carry her through the most frightening experience of her life?

Review

I’ve been a fan of books in verse since Lisa Schroeder’s book Far From You. Freeman’s Alone flows as easily as Schroeder’s and is captivating. The 12- year-old MC, Maddie is stranded, left behind, with only a dog to keep her company. Against all odds, she must survive. Readers will want to know what she is up against, how she endures the elements, natural disasters and uncertainty. I loved Maddie’s grit and determination, as well a her decision to use the local library to research her options. Toward the end there a are beautiful references to poetry, hope begins to bloom.

Alone challenges readers to examine what they could and could not live without. We see the ultimate value of human contact. It leaves a message of resilience and nature’s ability to start over. In a time of pandemic, the author asks us to assess what really is highest in the hierarchy of needs.

Content: guns, violence. There is one scene which us particularly disturbing. Parents and teachers will want to pre-read.

Thanks so much to Aladdin for the captivating read.

About the Author

Megan E. Freeman attended an elementary school where poets visited her classroom every week, and she has been a writer ever since. She writes middle grade and young adult fiction. Megan is also a Pushcart Prize–nominated poet. An award-winning teacher with decades of classroom experience, Megan taught multiple subjects across the arts and humanities to students of all ages. She lives near Boulder, Colorado. Visit her online at MeganEFreeman.com.