MMGM -- Deadweather and Sunrise + Giveaway

 

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

Shannon Whitney Messenger decided it was time to give middle grade stories the attention they deserve, and "Marvelous Middle Grade Mondays" was born.

Deadweather and Sunrise

by Geoff Rodkey

   

Blurb:

It's tough to be thirteen, especially when somebody's trying to kill you.

Not that Egg's life was ever easy, growing up on sweaty, pirate-infested Deadweather Island with no company except an incompetent tutor and a pair of unusually violent siblings who hate his guts.

But when Egg's father hustles their family off on a mysterious errand to fabulously wealthy Sunrise Island, then disappears with the siblings in a freak accident, Egg finds himself a long-term guest at the mansion of the glamorous Pembroke family and their beautiful, sharp-tongued daughter Millicent. Finally, life seems perfect.

Until someone tries to throw him off a cliff.

Suddenly, Egg's running for his life in a bewildering world of cutthroat pirates, villainous businessmen, and strange Native legends. The only people who can help him sort out the mystery of why he's been marked for death are Millicent and a one-handed, possibly deranged cabin boy.

Come along for the ride. You'll be glad you did.

This is such a fun book! Fans of middle grade adventure filled with non-stop action and thrills should not miss this one. I can't wait to share the sequel with you when I participate in the blog tour in May--you'll love that one, too!

I enjoyed this one so much that I am giving away a copy to one lucky winner. Just fill out the rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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And for a little extra fun, check out these reviews:

* In The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books starred review: "The fast-paced swashbuckling will surely satisfy fans of adventure, but it's really Egg's narration that makes this pirate story rise above its counterparts'' and

* Kirkus: "Fans of pirates and perilous quests will certainly enjoy this tale of hijinks on the high seas and eagerly anticipate the next installment in Egg's story."

* February's 2012 Top Shelf review: "Almost every character in this book is deliciously awful and the dialogue is often laugh-out-loud funny.  Sometimes it's hard to be a boy with a conscience, but throughout, Egg remains upright, honest and unintentionally brave." 

Places you can find Geoff:     * Official Chronicles of Egg website 

* Follow Geoff Rodkey on Facebook   

* Follow Geoff Rodkey on Twitter: @GeoffRodkey

* Geoff's blog 

Places you can buy Deadweather and Sunrise:

* Barnes & Noble:                                              

* Amazon:                                                             

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Coming Soon:

Blog Tour -- Inevitable

Announcing the release of Inevitable, 

the newest young adult suspense novel by Tamara Hart Heiner!

Blurb:

Visions of death plague Jayne, who thinks watching her boyfriend die is the worst that could happen to her. But when she witnesses a murder, Jayne finds herself caught up in a dangerous world of intrigue and suspense.

As it turns out, she is not the only one doing the stalking. The killer is on to her, and all of her visions of the dying don't reveal how her life will end. Somehow, she must stop the murderer before he arranges Jayne's own inevitable death.

**First page
Available on Amazon.com, Smashwords.com, Barnes & Noble.com, and Kobo.com!

After an awesome ebook launch on Facebook, Tamara's trying hard to top that with the paperback. So here's the plan:

1) For the entire month of March, every comment on Tamara's blog gets entered into a drawing to win a HARD COPY of one of her books. (You get to choose which one!)

2) Leave a comment on THIS BLOG for a chance to win ALL of her young adult ebooks!

3) Enter the Goodreads Giveaway for another chance to win Inevitable.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Inevitable

by Tamara Hart Heiner

Giveaway ends April 02, 2013.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

4) If you SPREAD THE NEWS, whether it's on your blog, on Facebook, on Twitter, or just plain word of mouth, you'll be entered into a drawing for a $50 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble gift card. Email Tamara at tamarahartheiner dot com and tell her how many times you did it, and you'll be entered into the drawing that many times!

Are we ready??? Get set! Go!

 

About the author: I live in Arkansas with my husband and three children, two crazy boys and one pretty little princess. I used to spend a lot of time writing until I had a baby and discovered Facebook. Now you'll often find me on there pretending to have a social life.

I am the author of three young adult suspense novels, PERILOUS, ALTERCATION, and INEVITABLE. You can find out more about what I'm writing and catch deleted scenes from my books on my blog at http://tamarahartheiner.blogspot.com.

MMGM -- Bitopia

 

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

Shannon Whitney Messenger decided it was time to give middle grade stories the attention they deserve, and "Marvelous Middle Grade Mondays" was born. 

Bitopia

by Ari Magnuson

 

 

 

 

Blurb:

 

Named to Kirkus Reviews' Best of 2012!

When you run from bullies, you never know where you might wind up…

Bitopia is a wonderland of fantastical foliage and mysterious creatures. It’s also a place where Venators lurk, vile creatures that relentlessly hunt children. So the children of Bitopia, the only human inhabitants, are forced to live in a high-walled city for protection, a medieval metropolis of cold and shadow where time passes but no one ages, a place of no escape.

Like all the other children of Bitopia, Stewart arrives there unexpectedly while fleeing from bullies. And, like all Newcomers, Stewart dreams of finding a way back home. Risking exile from the city and the protection that it offers, Stewart and Cora, his Finder, discover a clue to escaping, one that presents them with a terrible choice: face their greatest fear and risk death, or be trapped in Bitopia forever.

A fast-paced adventure that addresses a fundamental element of bullying-fear-and provides readers with an example of how to deal with bullying on their own.

 

 

As a teacher AND a mom, I really appreciate this book and its creative approach to bullying. What I love even more, though, is that the message is embedded within a fun and vivid storyline. Kids who love fantasy will enjoy this book just for the story--the anti-bullying message is simply an added bonus.

 

For all my teacher-writer friends out there, BITOPIA has a great teacher's guide full of strategies for implementing the book into bullying discussions and lessons.

 

 

 

MMGM -- Hollow Earth

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

Shannon Whitney Messenger decided it was time to give middle grade stories the attention they deserve, and "Marvelous Middle Grade Mondays" was born. 

Hollow Earth

by John Barrowman & Carole E. Barrowman

 

Blurb:

Imagination matters most in a world where art can keep monsters trapped—or set them free.

Lots of twins have a special connection, but twelve-year-old Matt and Emily Calder can do way more than finish each other’s sentences. Together, they are able to bring art to life and enter paintings at will. Their extraordinary abilities are highly sought after, particularly by a secret group who want to access the terrors called Hollow Earth. All the demons, devils, and evil creatures ever imagined are trapped for eternity in the world of Hollow Earth—trapped unless special powers release them.

The twins flee from London to a remote island off the west coast of Scotland in hopes of escaping their pursuers and gaining the protection of their grandfather, who has powers of his own. But the villains will stop at nothing to find Hollow Earth and harness the powers within. With so much at stake, nowhere is safe—and survival might be a fantasy.

I loved this book! It is filled-to-bursting with mystery and suspense, fabulous characters, and an amazing storyline that had the writer in me drooling. Wow. This is without question one of my favorite reads of 2013 so far. If you are a fan of MG fantasy and adventure, DO NOT MISS this one!!