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City Spies Blog Tour

March 2, 2020 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.

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!

Middle Grade Book Review – Hound Dog True by Linda Urban

May 29, 2012 By Heather Leave a Comment

Hound Dog True
by Linda Urban 
Paperback, 160 pages 
Published September 2011
by Harcourt Children’s Books
ISBN 0547558694
Book Source: BEA
5 stars

Summary from Goodreads: “A story about small acts of courage from the author of A Crooked Kind of Perfect. Do not let a mop sit overnight in water. Fix things before they get too big for fixing. Custodial wisdom: Mattie Breen writes it all down. She has just one week to convince Uncle Potluck to take her on as his custodial apprentice at Mitchell P. Anderson Elementary School. One week until school starts and she has to be the new girl again. But if she can be Uncle Potluck’s apprentice, she’ll have important work to do during lunch and recess. Work that will keep her safely away from the other fifth graders. But when her custodial wisdom goes all wrong, Mattie’s plan comes crashing down. And only then does she begin to see how one small, brave act can lead to a friend who is hound dog true.”

Margie’s Review: I truly wish that I had been able to read Hound Dog True as a child. Linda Urban’s writing is sweet and refreshing, heartfelt and insightful – a book for all ages to read, experience and be inspired by.

Mattie has one week to adjust before becoming the new kid in school again. She decides that maybe this time it won’t be so bad if she can convince her Uncle Potluck, the custodian to her school, to let her become his apprentice in order to avoid any moments to where she would have to be forced to talk to her classmates. She is very observant and records all of their odd jobs in her notebook.
Will her idea work?

Then the neighbors niece comes into town for the week. Mattie’s mother and Uncle would like them to be friends. But Mattie is awkward and doesn’t know what to do with Quincy who looks to be older and outspoken, the complete opposite of what Mattie is.
Will Mattie be able to trust Quincy to be her friend?

Mattie’s mother, although very loving and caring, is flighty and in denial. Her motto being “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” After getting some advice from Uncle Potluck, she decides that it is finally time for her and Mattie to stay put for once. That they weren’t going to run anymore ‘when the going gets tough’… Mattie doesn’t agree at first. She is having a tough time adjusting and wants to get going… will they?

Will Mattie stay “Hound Dog True”?

It is a coming of age story of a painfully shy girl; a fifth grader who overcomes some of her fears by accepting what is, opening up and accepting how good things can be if she allows herself the opportunity.

I truly recommend reading this book!

About the Author: “On New Year’s Eve, I write down all the things I want to happen in the year upcoming and then I stick the list behind my mirror. And guess what? For the past few years, most of those things have happened. 
Now, my rational side says that this is because every time I look in that mirror, my subconscious is reminded of what it is I want and encourages me to work all the harder to get it. 
But the other part of my brain knows it is magic.”  ~ from Linda’s journal 

Find out more about Linda Urban: Goodreads/Official Website/Blog 

Middle Grade Book Review- Hannah Montana-Crush-tastics!

April 20, 2012 By Heather Leave a Comment

Hannah Montana-Crush-tastics!
by Beth Beechwood
Paperback, 122 pages
Published 2007
by Disney Press
ISBN 13: 978-14231-0461-2
ISBN-10-1-4231-0461-7
Book Source: Bought
4 stars
Book Overview: Miley just can’t get her mind off cutie Jake Ryan, but should she tell him how she feels? Then, Miley ends up confessing her love for Jake on a home movie that her Aunt Dolly is making, and the tape ends up in Jake’s hands by mistake! Will Aunt Dolly she be able to help Miley get the tape back before her secret is revealed?
Mary’s Review:
Part One:  Good Golly Miss Molly- Hannah has a terrible crush on Jake Ryan, star of “The Zombie Slayer” and heartthrob of every girl in school.  She doesn’t know how to tell him.  She confides in her Aunt Dolly who captures this moment on her video camera.  Then her camera gets taken by mistake by Oliver, Hannah’s friend who is taping a video farewell to their retiring principal.  Horrified she has to get it back.  With the help of Aunt Dolly and best friend Lilly, they recover the video tape and Hannah learns a valuable lesson at the same time.
Part Two: Mascot Love- Hannah and Lilly decide to go out for cheerleading.  Hannah is not as good as Lilly who is having problems of her own.  With Hannah’s encouragement Lilly decides to do her own thing and surprises everyone with her awesome skills as a cheerleader and because of her ability to maintain team spirit to Hannah’s horror is made team mascot-not exactly what she had in mind.
    
I recommend this book for girls ages 12 and up.
About the Author: Beth Beechwood is a published adapter and an author of children’s books. Some of the published credits of Beth Beechwood include Get Your Vote On! (Disney High School Musical), Hannah Montana: Face the Music – #9 (Hannah Montana), The Game Plan: The Novelization (Junior Novelization), and Crush-tastic!.

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We are the children's division of Fire and Ice. We review baby board books to middle-grade titles. We also review products and toys for the family. For inquiries on reviews, blog tours, and author interviews contact FireandIce.Heather@gmail.com
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