About the book: FAKESPEARE: SOMETHING STINKS IN HAMLET Three kids get lost inside Shakespeare’s book and must help Hamlet finish his story in order to return home in this silly middle school series! Dear Reader, You are reading this because you expressed interest in the Get Lost Book Club. Get ready to take a journey through time to a really smelly place known as Denmark. There, an evil uncle is trying to dethrone a prince who sees [...]
How do you make your writing stand out from the competition? Be LOUD. Dial up good dialogue. Long before there were writers, there were storytellers. Some stories became myths. Others became legends. Many were forgotten. Why? Some stories just sound better. The same holds true for writing. I’m not talking about writing that sounds good when read out loud, though that is a plus. I’m talking about writing that jumps off the page and makes [...]
Magic still exists, if you know where to find it. Tess is unhappy. She and her brother must spend the summer with their Aunt in England. There’s no Wi-Fi! Wandering the English countryside is boring, until she discovers an old brass key that opens a gate that’s attached to an invisible wall! Beyond the gate is a mysterious castle in the mist. A lonely boy lives there with some mysterious people. William’s world is full [...]
If you are anything like me, you ponder such questions as "Who would make the best gourmet meal - Nikola Tesla or Isaac Newton?" or "Who would be the better zookeeper - Joan of Arc or Thomas Jefferson?" Okay, I admit I never had those thoughts going through my head, but lucky for us, Clay Swartz did. I recently received a copy of WHO WINS? (Workman Publishing) and have had great fun debating with my [...]
Castle Cranshaw can run. He discovered how fast he was the night he and his mother had to out run the bullets his father was shooting at them. Being in middle school is tough enough, but it's even tougher when your father is in jail for attempting to murder you and your mother’s lousy cafeteria job means you live in the worst of the worst public housing and you have to wear second-hand clothes. [...]
Happy book birthday to Rebecca Donnelly for her debut middle grade novel, How to Stage a Catastrophe. The title alone makes you want to read this book and it delivers with a fun, unique story. The book is written somewhat like a play and the main character talks directly to the reader through a bit of stage direction. The setting is a small town in Northwest Florida and the cast of characters is fun and engaging. Congratulations to Rebecca Donnelly on a [...]
Princess Anya has a problem. Her evil stepstepfather just transformed her sister’s current boyfriend into a frog. Her sister, Princess Morvan is bereft. She insists that Anya save her dear Prince Denholm who is somewhere in the castle moat about to be eaten by the moat monster. Anya swears a sister swear (even more binding than a pinkie swear) that she will find Prince Denholm. As if that wasn’t enough to worry about, Anya’s evil [...]
Charmed children tell no tales. Chills and thrills abound in this clever story that takes place in Scotland during World War II. When Kate Bateson is sent to Rookskill Castle with her brother and sister to avoid the air raids in London, she has no idea that this “school” for children is full of danger. There is a German spy, children who look like ghosts and the Lady of the Castle who is more evil [...]
Mibs (short for Mississippi Beaumont) is about to turn thirteen, which is when she finally gets her unique magical power . . . a secret family savvy. This special savvy comes on suddenly and initially is difficult to control. It can even be dangerous. Mibs excitement about her upcoming birthday is cut short when a tragic incident occurs. Initially, she believes her savvy is the ability to heal, so Mibs sets out to save the day. One generous gesture gets herself and several others in a heap of [...]
Toilet brushes that are guns! Need I say more? Jennifer Bell has created an amazing world where common objects have uncommon powers. And if you are wondering… MAGIC has nothing to do with it! Intrigued? When Ivy and Seb rush their Gran to the hospital they end up on an adventure. Escape from the man wielding the toilet brush is just the beginning. Soon they are in a race against time to find their parents, [...]
