Little Red Reads

Emerald Ring Blog Tour and Author Interview with Dorine White

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Little Red Reads is pleased to be today’s stop on the official blog tour for 

Book Summary: Ordinary tween life turns upside down when Ancient Egypt intrudes on modern middle school life. Twelve year old Sara Guadalupe Bogus reads about adventures, but unexpectedly is drawn into one when a mystical emerald ring that once belonged to Cleopatra becomes stuck on her finger.
A series of burglaries spook Sara’s small Ohio hometown. Concluding that the root of all the crimes is the emerald ring, Sara realizes it’s up to her and her friends, Heidi and African exchange student Kainu, to save the town and protect Cleopatra’s legacy. Filled with magic, the ring thrusts Sara into a world filled with nightmares, allows her to shape shift into an Egyptian cat and battle assassins.

Author Interview…

Best all time books and or movies? 

Star Wars movies!

Do you have a playlist of songs you listen to while writing or for inspiration? 

I actually can’t write to music. I have to be able to picture the scene unfolding in my mind to write it down.

Give us a nutshell of your current works in progress.

I am doing NaNoWriMo right now. I am working on a YA fantasy that involves a young man named Kyler who must defeat an evil tyrant and its pet Griffin.

Any signings or events coming up?

I am doing two library NaNoWriMo events this month, but what I am most excited about are my upcoming school visits. My first two are booked for December and I can’t wait to get those kids excited about books.

Where is your dream vacation or writing retreat? 

I have always wanted to go to Hawaii. A dream spot would be somewhere near the water.

Paper or ebook?

 Paper. I like to hold a book in my hands and turn the pages. I do use my nook because some times I just can’t wait to read the next book.

Favorite bookstore, library?

I don’t have a specific one. I love bookstores in general. I could spend all day just bumming around and looking at books. I think one with a magical children’s section would be my favorite.

Your favorite character in the Emerald Ring and why?

I love both Sara and Heidi. Sara because she is based on my niece and every time I read the story I see her in my mind. I like Heidi because she is spunky and not afraid to put herself out there.

Author Bio: My name is Dorine White. I am a children’s author and a book reviewer. I grew up back East in Maryland and attended BYU in Utah. I have a BA in Humanities with an interest in Art History and French. Currently I live in the beautiful, yet rainy Northwest with my husband and 6 children.

 My first book in The Cleopatra’s Legacy series, The Emerald Ring, was published by Cedar Fort Books on May 14, 2013. It is a middle grade fantasy novel that involves Ancient Egypt, Cleopatra, and a magic emerald ring. Please check out the “My Books” page for more info.

 I am a member of the SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) and the PNWA (Pacific Northwest Writers Assoc.).

Author Website- http://www.dorinewhite.com/
Blog- The Write Path- http://www.dorinewhite.blogspot.com/
Twitter @Dorinewhite- https://twitter.com/DorineWhite
Facebook Author Page- https://www.facebook.com/dorinewhite

Purchase:

Giveaway: Dorine is giving away one paperback copy of The Emerald Ring to a lucky winner in the US or Canada. Enter using the Rafflecopter below.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Infinity Ring by James Dashner ARC Giveaway and Book Birthday

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Happy Book Birthday to
A Mutiny in Time
Infinity Ring #1
by James Dashner
Hardcover, 192 pages
Published August 28th 2012
by Scholastic Inc.
ISBN 0545386969
Book Summary: Scholastic’s next multi-platform mega-event begins here! History is broken, and three kids must travel back in time to set it right! When best friends Dak Smyth and Sera Froste stumble upon the secret of time travel — a hand-held device known as the Infinity Ring — they’re swept up in a centuries-long secret war for the fate of mankind. Recruited by the Hystorians, a secret society that dates back to Aristotle, the kids learn that history has gone disastrously off course.Now it’s up to Dak, Sera, and teenage Hystorian-in-training Riq to travel back in time to fix the Great Breaks . . . and to save Dak’s missing parents while they’re at it. First stop: Spain, 1492, where a sailor named Christopher Columbus is about to be thrown overboard in a deadly mutiny.

Author Bio from his website: James was born and raised in Georgia but now lives in the Rocky Mountains with his family. He has four kids, which some might think is too many but he thinks is just right. Once upon a time, James studied accounting and worked in the field of finance, but has been writing full time for several years. (He doesn’t miss numbers. At all.)
In his free time, James loves to read, watch movies and (good) TV shows, snow ski, and read. (Reading was mentioned twice on purpose.) Most of all, he’s thankful that he gets to make a living writing stories and considers himself pretty much the luckiest guy on the planet.
Learn more about James website/ blog/ twitter/ goodreads

The Giveaway: To celebrate the Infinity Ring book birthday, Little Red Reads is giving away an ARC of book one. To enter to win choose your own entries in the rafflecopter form below!

Middle Grade Book Review- The Frog Princess

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The Frog Princess
by E D Baker
Paperback, 224 pages
Published Oct 7, 2004
by Bloomsbury USA
ISBN 1582349231
Book Source: Bought
4 stars


Summary from Goodreads: Princess Emeralda a.ka. Emma isn’t exactly an ideal princess. Her laugh is more like a donkey’s bray than tinkling bells, she trips over her own feet and she does not like Prince Jorge, whom her mother hopes she will marry. But if Emma ever thought to escape her troubles, she never expected it to happen by turning into a frog! When convinced to kiss a frog so he might return to being a prince, somehow the spell is reversed and Emma turns into a frog herself! Thus begins their adventure–a quest to return to human form.

Fascinating and hilarious characters ranging from a self-conscious but friendly bat to a surprisingly loyal snake and a wise green witch confirm that readers won’t soon forget this madcap story. A fantastic debut from the talented E.D. Baker.


Cathy’s Review: Princess Emeralda (Emma) is getting pretty tired of castle-life. She is always less ladylike than her mother would have her be. Not to mention that her mother wants to marry her off to the horrible Prince Jorge. One day as she’s walking in her favorite place, the swamp, she comes across a talking frog. The frog tells her that he’s Prince Eadric and asks that she kiss him to reverse the spell that was cast on him by a witch.  She’s not quite sure that she believes him, after all, who’s ever heard of talking frogs! Emma goes to her aunt, Grassina the Green Witch, to see if it’s even a possibility that the frog could be a prince. Grassina seems preoccupied, but does confirm to Emma that people get turned into frogs, and Grassina herself has turned several people into frogs. Emma goes back to the swamp to find the frog, and decides that she will kiss him, but when she does something crazy happens. Emma turns into a frog as well. Unsure just what to do as a frog, Emma follows Eadric’s lead and learns all about being a frog, things like eating bugs, jumping, swimming and most importantly staying out of the way of animals that like to eat frogs! But just how will Emma be able to become human again, is it even possible?? This was a fun fairy-tale like book. I loved Emma, she was flawed enough that you could tell she wasn’t an everyday type of princess. I liked her aunt Grassina and I loved the way the book ended with a happy ending for both Emma and Grassina. I will make sure to look for the other books in this series!

Content: Nothing offensive

About the author: E.D. Baker made her international debut with The Frog Princess, which was a Book Sense Children’s Pick and has been optioned for an animated movie. Dragon’s Breath and Once Upon a Curse continue the Frog Princess series.

A mother of three, Ms Baker has had many interesting jobs: teacher, parrot caretaker at a garden centre, and currently, as a member of the Red Cross disaster Team, but her true love is writing. She lives in Maryland, USA, where she provides a home for two horses, one dog, three cats, one cockatiel and a bunny. 

Find out more about author E D Baker Goodreads/ Website