Little Red Reads

City Spies Blog Tour

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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.

City Spies Blog TourCity Spies on March 10, 2020
Pages: 384
Format: Hardcover
Buy the Book • Goodreads
four-stars
In this new series James Ponti brings together five kids from all over the world and transforms them into real-life spies.

Sara Martinez is a hacker. She recently broke into the New York City foster care system to expose her foster parents as cheats and lawbreakers. However, instead of being hailed as a hero, Sara finds herself facing years in a juvenile detention facility and banned from using computers for the same stretch of time. Enter Mother, a British spy who not only gets Sara released from jail but also offers her a chance to make a home for herself within a secret MI6 agency.

Operating out of a base in Scotland, the City Spies are five kids from various parts of the world. When they’re not attending the local boarding school, they’re honing their unique skills, such as sleight of hand, breaking and entering, observation, and explosives. All of these allow them to go places in the world of espionage where adults can’t.

Before she knows what she’s doing, Sarah is heading to Paris for an international youth summit, hacking into a rival school’s computer to prevent them from winning a million euros, dangling thirty feet off the side of a building, and trying to stop a villain…all while navigating the complex dynamics of her new team.

No one said saving the world was easy…

Review

I loved this book! It reminded me of Ally Carter’s spy series. Non-stop action, interesting characters and a seaside setting in Scotland. It’s fun to see each main youth spy’s talents being put to use in a constructive way. I’m not sure how I feel about the main male guardian being called Mother, but that’s they only thing that struck me as odd. I plan to read all of the series as they come out and pass them on to my middle schoolers!

Content: mention of child abuse, mild violence, beer

About James

James Ponti was born in Italy, raised in Florida, and went to college in California. After receiving a degree in screenwriting from the USC Film School, he began a career writing and producing television shows for the likes of Nickelodeon, Disney Channel, PBS, Spike TV, History Channel, and Golf Channel. James loves writing, travel, and the Boston Red Sox. He lives with his family in Maitland, Florida.

Photo by Elena Seibert Photography.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Goodreads


Giveaway Details:

Three lucky winners will receive a finished copy of CITY SPIES, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour Schedule

Week One:

3/2/2020 Little Red Reads Review
3/3/2020 BookHounds YA Review
3/4/2020 Book-Keeping Review
3/5/2020 Nay’s Pink Bookshelf Review
3/6/2020 YA Book Nerd Review

Week Two:

3/9/2020 Wonder Struck Review
3/10/2020 fictitious.fox Review
3/11/2020 momfluenster Review
3/12/2020 Two Points of interest Review
3/13/2020 Savings in Seconds Review

Thanks to Aladdin and Rockstar Book Tours for the sneak peek!

Charlie Hernandez and the Castle of Bones Blog Tour & Giveaway

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Title: CHARLIE HERNANDEZ AND THE CASTLE OF BONES (Charlie Hernández #2)

About the Book:

Author: Ryan Calejo

Pub. Date: November 12, 2018

Publisher: Aladdin

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook

Pages: 608

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

Inspired by Hispanic folklore, legends, and myths from the Iberian Peninsula and Central and South America, this bold sequel to Charlie Hernández & the League of Shadows, which Booklist called “a perfect pick for kids who love Rick Riordan” in a starred review, follows Charlie as he continues on his quest to embrace his morphling identity.

Charlie Hernandez still likes to think of himself as a normal kid. But what’s normal about being a demon-slaying preteen with an encyclopedic knowledge of Hispanic and Latino mythology who can partially manifest nearly any animal trait found in nature? Well, not much. But, Charlie believes he can get used to this new “normal,” because being able to sprout wings or morph fins is pretty cool.

But there is a downside: it means having to constantly watch his back for La Mano Peluda’s sinister schemes. And when the leader of La Liga, the Witch Queen Jo herself, is suddenly kidnapped, Charlie’s sure they’re at it again.

Determined to save the queen and keep La Liga’s alliances intact, Charlie and his good friend Violet Rey embark on a perilous journey to track down her captors. As Charlie and Violet are drawn deeper into a world of monstruos and magia they are soon left with more questions than answers—like, why do they keep hearing rumors of dead men walking, and why is Charlie suddenly having visions of an ancient evil: a necromancer priest who’s been dead for more than five centuries?

Charlie’s abuela once told him that when dead men walk, the living run in fear. And Charlie’s about to learn the truth of that—the hard way. 

About Book 1:

Title: CHARLIE HERNANDEZ AND THE LEAGUE OF SHADOWS (Charlie Hernández #1)

Author: Ryan Calejo

Pub. Date: October 23, 2018

Publisher: Aladdin

Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook, audiobook

Pages: 330

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

“This is a perfect pick for kids who love Rick Riordan’s many series, particularly for those eager for mythologies beyond Greek and Roman stories.” —Booklist (starred review)


“A winner for all kids, but it will be especially beloved by Latinx and Hispanic families.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) 


The Lightning Thief meets the Story Thieves series in this middle grade fantasy inspired by Hispanic folklore, legends, and myths from the Iberian Peninsula and Central and South America.


Charlie Hernández has always been proud of his Latin American heritage. He loves the culture, the art, and especially the myths. Thanks to his abuela’s stories, Charlie possesses an almost encyclopedic knowledge of the monsters and ghouls who have spent the last five hundred years haunting the imaginations of children all across the Iberian Peninsula, as well as Central and South America. And even though his grandmother sometimes hinted that the tales might be more than mere myth, Charlie’s always been a pragmatist. Even barely out of diapers, he knew the stories were just make-believe—nothing more than intricately woven fables meant to keep little kids from misbehaving.

But when Charlie begins to experience freaky bodily manifestations—ones all too similar to those described by his grandma in his favorite legend—he is suddenly swept up in a world where the mythical beings he’s spent his entire life hearing about seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Hispanic folklore and into his life. And even stranger, they seem to know more about him than he knows about himself.

Soon, Charlie finds himself in the middle of an ancient battle between La Liga, a secret society of legendary mythological beings sworn to protect the Land of the Living, and La Mano Negra (a.k.a. the Black Hand), a cabal of evil spirits determined to rule mankind. With only the help of his lifelong crush, Violet Rey, and his grandmother’s stories to guide him, Charlie must navigate a world where monsters and brujas rule and things he couldn’t possibly imagine go bump in the night. That is, if he has any hope of discovering what’s happening to him and saving his missing parents (oh, and maybe even the world).

No pressure, muchacho.

About Ryan:

Ryan Calejo was born and raised in south Florida. He graduated from the University of Miami with a BA. He’s been invited to join both the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and the Golden Key International Honour Society. He teaches swimming to elementary school students, chess to middle school students, and writing to high school students. Having been born into a family of immigrants and growing up in the so-called “Capital of Latin America,” Ryan knows the importance of diversity in our communities and is passionate about writing books that children of all ethnicities can relate to. His first novel was Charlie Hernández & the League of Shadows.

Simon & Schuster Webpage | Twitter | Goodreads

Charlie Hernandez is a middle grade series reminiscent of Percy Jackson or the Janitors. We enjoyed the Hispanic culture and folklore references woven through out the story. Our boys gravitate more toward the action filled plots with mythology and the cover to book one was a huge hit with our bike riders in the family. Things jump start right into an alternate world within the ordinary and a main character whose life is about to change forever.

Thank you Aladdin and Rockstar book tours for the free review copy and tour stop! Win yours below.

Giveaway Details:

2 winners will win a signed hardcover of CHARLIE HERNANDEZ AND THE CASTLE OF BONES, US ONLY.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

11/15/19 Southern Girl Bookaholic Review

Week Two:

11/18/2019 BookHounds YA Excerpt
11/19/2019 Twirling Book Princess Excerpt
11/20/2019 @___nimraaa Excerpt
11/21/2019 onemused Review
11/22/2019 For the Love of KidLit Excerpt

Week Three:

11/25/2019 HBB Reviews Review
11/26/2019 Cuz I’m a Nerd Review
11/27/2019 @fictitious.fox Review
11/28/2019 Popthebutterfly.wordpress.com Review
11/29/2019 Little Red Reads Review

Week Four:

12/2/2019 DJREADSBOOKS Review
12/3/2019 Do You Dog-ear? Review
12/4/2019 The Reading Corner for All Review
12/5/2019 Hurn Publications Review
12/6/2019 BookishRealmReviews Review

Week Five:

12/9/2019 She Just Loves Books Review
12/10/2019 Life Within The Pages Review
12/11/2019 Books_andPoetrii Excerpt
12/12/2019 Two points of interest Review

Middle Grade Book Review- Leven Thumps

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Front CoverLeven Thumps
by Obert Skye
Paperback, 368 pages
Publishsed, 2005
by Aladdin Paperbacks
ISBN-13:978-1-4169-2806-5
ISBN-10:1-41692806-5
Book Source: bought
4 Stars
Summary from Amazon: Fourteen-year-old Leven Thumps (a.k.a. “Lev”) lives a wretched life in Burnt Culvert, Oklahoma. But his life is about to change and his destiny be fulfilled as he learns about a secret gateway that bridges two worlds — the real world and Foo, a place created at the at the beginning of time in the folds of the mind that makes it possible for mankind to dream and hope, aspire and imagine. But Foo is in chaos, and three transplants from that dreamworld have been sent to retrieve Lev, who alone has the power to save Foo.
Enter Clover, a wisecracking, foot-high sidekick; Winter, a girl with a special power of her own; and Geth, the rightful heir to Foo. Their mission: to convince Lev that he has the power to save Foo. Can this unique band of travelers help Lev overcome his doubt? Will Lev find the gateway in time? Or will Sabine and his dark shadows find the gateway first and destroy mankind?

Jodi’s Review: This book was different than anything I have ever read.  The story and characters were very original.  There where times when I did find the book moving a bit slow, but the exciting parts more then made up for those slow parts.  I think that many middle age readers will be able to feel sympathetic to the lives Lev and Winter lead before they begin their adventure together and will find themselves rooting for them to find success with their journey right away. This book really made me think about how important hopes and dreams are to mankind and what would happen without them.
About the author: Obert Skye read his first book at age two. He wrote his first story at age four. And he was nearly trampled by a herd of water buffalo at age six. For a short time, he lived on the Isle of Skye in Scotland, where he spent time as a candy-taster. Several years ago, Obert Skye says, he discovered the existence of Foo. Publishing his story as a fictional series was not Obert’s first choice. Nevertheless he is content that the “history” is being told.

Hobbies and other interests: Collecting old maps, water polo, roller coasters.

Find out more about author Obert Skye at http://www.abituneven.com/