Kid Lit Giveaway Hop, #MiddleGradeMay Reading Challenge Check-in and #MMGM!

What is that? Three things in one post? Yep. This week I have upped the game from doing a double duty post to doing triple duty.


First up, welcome to everyone passing through as part of the Kid Lit Blog Hop being hosted by Mother Daughter and Son Book Reviews and  Youth Literature Reviews.

Hope you enjoy yourselves this week as you travel the blogosphere, enter to win great prizes and find some great reads to add to your pile of to reads! To enter my part of the giveaway all I ask you to do is leave a comment with your favorite children or teen lit read. Something you just read or something you read a while ago and is still with you OR, if you like, both! You will be entered to win a children or teen book of your choice from Book Depository. (international entries) The linky so you can keep on a hopping is below. Good luck and have fun!

Next, it is another Monday which means another MMGM as inspired by Shannon Messenger and to that I always say yay. Below you will find what I've been a reading. It is more of a quick round up, but it's aaaaallll middle grade!






Finally, now's the time to for the second check-in for #MiddleGradeMay Reading Challenge. Looking forward to hearing what those who are taking part have been reading. Leave a comment with what you read or a link to a post!  For those of you wondering...what? You can reading about it here and feel free to join our wee band of middle grade readers to win prizes. i

Here's my quick, what I read. Hope to get together something a little more review-ish this week. I done chewed off a wee bit too much.

THIS JOURNAL BELONGS TO RATCHET by Nancy J. Cavenaugh-my gosh love the voice in this one and love the twist on journal writing as assigned by teacher, in this case the teacher is dad. And let me tell you, as a writer I can tell you there does not appear to me once wasted word in this one-tight, tight tight the writing is. Finally, this may be a homeschooled, ratchet holding child with a rather unusual upbringing but boy, kids will relate to her as she struggles to find herself and some friends, too.

The following Linky is for the Kidlit Giveaway Hop. If you are interested in checking out #MiddleGradeMay you can go here.

#Wipmadness May-Week Two Check In

The week seemed to fly by! Got an article written, books read and more submissions "out there". This week will be more of the same. Have two articles to write while waiting for feedback on the one I handed in last week and have me some work-for-hire possibles I want to apply for. Carrying on with the reading for #middlegrademay reading challenge (see side bar) and taking part in a BLOG HOP (see sidebar again!) to celebrate children's book week in the States.

How did it go for all of you? Goals met? New goals made? A crazy busy week? Find time to slow it down and fill that well or find quiet time to just sit, relax and clear your mind? Looking forward to hearing how it went and how you a hoping to spend the week coming up.

I will leave you all with this thought. According to Robin Williams spring is nature's way of saying let's party! You know, I like that. There is a part in my backyard right now-poplar and ash trees, apple blossoms, robins, doves and starlings. Even the wind is joining in on the fun. It's blowing but it's warm and filled with earth waking up smells. I say let's join in with the party and read, write and shine wipsters!

MMGM and a #MiddleGradeMay Check-in

It's May! It's Marvelous Middle Grade Monday (brainchild of the fab Shannon Messenger) AND it is time for our first #MiddleGradeMay Reading Challenge Check-in. So, this post is doing double duty.

My reading is coming along. Here is where I am at so far.

Never Girls # 1: In a Blink by Kiki Thorpe

From Good Reads:

The smell of salt water, a gust of seabreeze, and the bell-like ringing of a fairy's laugh are the only hints that something magical is happening to Kate, Mia, Lainey, and Gabby. In a blink of an eye, the four friends are whisked out of their ordinary lives to the most wonderful place of all—Never Land, home to fairies, mermaids . . . and now four lost girls. The girls don't want to leave right away, but Queen Clarion and Tinker Bell have figured out a way for them to get home. 



What I thought:

For the younger middle grade set. It is in fact a chapter book series, but one I can see kids up to grade four being interested in. Might be especially good for those who are struggling some with their reading. Love the portrayal of the sibling relationship and how that plays out. Loved the realness of the world created and oh my the details are captivating as is the adventure. Now, what is really interesting is my grandson and husband really enjoyed this, too! My grandson (8) even put down his game of minecraft to listen to this one. Yes. You heard me right. The book was on my kindle so needless to say it didn't look girlie to him. I wonder if I could have convinced him to check it out if I had pulled it from the shelve? I am thinking not, but it is hard to say. Must test this out. Needless to say he settled right in and enjoyed every bit of this book! Also, I must add that I love this cover. Looking forward to the rest of the series and being able to place it in the hands of young readers.

Heck Where the Bad Kids Go by Dale E. Basye 

From Good Reads:


WHEN MILTON AND Marlo Fauster die in a marshmallow bear explosion, they get sent straight to Heck, an otherworldly reform school. Milton can understand why his kleptomaniac sister is here, but Milton is—or was—a model citizen. Has a mistake been made? Not according to Bea “Elsa” Bubb, the Principal of Darkness. She doesn’t make mistakes. She personally sees to it that Heck—whether it be home-ec class with Lizzie Borden, ethics with Richard Nixon, or gym with Blackbeard the Pirate—is especially, well, heckish for the Fausters. Will Milton and Marlo find a way to escape? Or are they stuck here for all eternity, or until they turn 18, whichever comes first?

What I thought:

Oh my oh my I really enjoyed the darkly grimmly-ness of this. The humour was spot on and witty. That is, however, the adult me who loves it when dark and humour are mixed together. I do believe it's called black humour. For some middle graders, though, the dark funny might be too much and be just too scary. It is vivid and so incredibly well done my writer hat is definitely off.  I would say pick and choose your young readers for this one. Fans of Coraline would really enjoy this, I think. Skullduggary Pleasant fans also come to mind.  One thing is for sure, I'm a grown up fan! Why did I wait so long to start on this series? Not sure, but glad I finally got that start.

Oh My God Mother-The Glitter Trap by Barbara Brauner and James Iver Mattson 




From Good Reads:

Middle school is far from a fairytale for adorkable misfit Lacey Unger-Ware. When Lacey ends up with popular girl Paige Harrington's smart-mouthed fairy godmother, Katarina, trapped in her hair, life gets more magical--just not in a 'prince charming' kind of way. 
Katarina's wings are too damaged to continue her fairy duties, and Lacey must take over as Paige's fairy godmother. Distracted by her new responsibilities, Lacey's in danger of losing her best friend, Sunny. Can Lacey get the hang of magic, make Paige's dreams come true, and survive middle school? 

What I thought:

Great cover and the insides to deliver the promise it makes. Surviving middle school and the up and downs of friendship is something many a tween girl can relate to and as I read this I thought the authors did a wonderful job of showing the humour, the heartache, the fun, the growth that today's middle grader/tween experiences. The authors know who they are writing for. Add in some magic and the MC having to become her arch nemesis's new fairy godmother you have a series that is going to gain and keep a following. On a personal not this definitely spoke to the tween that still takes up residence in my head. Do add this to your to read list.

Have a couple more to share but am going to save those for later in the week.

NOW, on to the check-in part that gets you even more entries into the prize packs. All you need to do is let me know in the comments section for this post what you read or if you have a blog post leave the link so we can all go check it out!

And, if you are here from Shannon's blog, here is the link to head on back and do feel free to join in the Middle Grade May Reading Challenge...read one book, read ten or more, it is entirely up to you.

Happy Reading!

May #Wipmadness-Check-in One

Hello and welcome to #wipmadness for May! Hope April treated you well and you are ready to tackle May with your writing, reading and blogging projects. Looking forward to hearing how you are doing and what you have planned.

This month I plan on
-writing some non-fiction articles for parenting sites via Demand Studio.
-a new draft of the paranormal middle grade I am working on. Blogging and reading  middle grade
as I am hosting #middlegrademay.

What about all of you?

Plans?

Hopes?

Up and downs to share? We wipsters are here cheer you through the ups and be there for you through the downs.

Finally, I will leave you with this photo of the crocuses that were growing evey at the cabin the hubs and I were at this weekend. Spring is here. Wishing you all a wonder filled and inspiring week.

Day Two-Marvelous Middle Grade May Reading Challenge

I am thrilled to say that we have a cool looking icon thanks to Akoss!

Here it is:

I am kind of LOVING it! Huge thanks to her for making it and sharing it.

BTW, she's reading one of my favorites from last year, THREE TIMES LUCKY. 

Speaking of favorites I have decided to make one of the prize packs you will be entered to win if you are reading five or more middle grade books (fiction or non-fiction), the first three books of Arthur Slade's HUNCHBACK ASSIGNMENTS. Steampunk at its glorious best in my never to be humble opinion. I've been a fan of this author for a long time now. The following are the Canadian (left) and American covers. I like both...

And here is the author himself explaining steampunk as it applies to his series. Yeah, it's cool.