Review of Sophie Washington: Secret Santa by Tonya Duncan Ellis

The holiday season is upon us, so of course we have a new holiday-themed Sophie Washington book to read and enjoy! If you follow this blog at all, you know that I am a big fan of this series, and this installment is no exception. Please enjoy my review and then follow the tour to get the thoughts of others. Be sure to leave Tonya any comments or questions you may have. And of course enter the giveaway!

'The World According to Perdita Whacknoodle: The Christmas Hayride of Doom' by Jim Gibson

BLURB:

In Perdita Whacknoodle's fourth book, her adventurous dog-father tries to bring holiday cheer to everyone at the town's big Christmas festival. He's convinced that the humans will LOVE the dogs' new Christmas songs.

But, as usual, he's wrong. And before the evening is over the dogs have created utter chaos at the festival. There's a huge police chase, the police chief gets hopelessly tangled in flashing Christmas lights, and Perdita's father takes the police and the pompous school principal on a furious hayride through the town.

It's a night the town will NEVER forget!

And when you read these stories about the world according to Perdita Whacknoodle, you'll never forget them, either! 

Available on Amazon

AUTHOR BIO

Jim Gibson is a writer and pianist in Atlanta. His books include titles on the music industry, college study skills, and children's funny dog stories. His piano CDs are enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of people around the world, and his Perdita Whacknoodle books frequently are number one in their categories on amazon.com.

Happy Release Day! 'Have a Fairy Christmas (Magic Library Series)' by K.B. Miller

It's time! 

Join Holly as she decks the halls and Has a Fairy Christmas!!

Blurb

New Friends, Unicorns, and the Winter Court...

That’s what’s in store this holiday season for Holly Daniels.  Two days before Christmas, she takes a special trip to the mall to see Santa Claus.  He sends her to the library on a quest to find a book that could make her dreams come true.

Since moving to Montana, Holly hasn’t made any new friends.  And, being an only child can be very lonely.  All that could change when Holly meets Dylan, the princess of the Winter Court in the Fairy Realm.  

Christmas fun and Fairy enchantment is on its way in,

Have a Fairy Christmas!

K.B. Miller

K.B. Miller is a wife, mother, author and freelance writer.  She spends her days creating worlds for her fans.  She resides in Pennsylvania with her husband, son, parrot and two puppies.

The second book in The Magic Library Book series, Have a Fairy Christmas is perfect for the kiddies this Christmas!!

To order, Have a Fairy Christmas in print, please visit my website, www.kbmillerbooks.com

Don't forget to check out the first book in the Magic Library Book Series, Uh-oh... We turned our brother into a Zombie?

Available wherever fine ebooks are sold.

Stalker Links

Website

Facebook

Purchase Link
Smashwords

'The Three Lost Kids and the Christmas Curse' Review Blitz

BLURB:

Christmas everyday sounds like the best thing ever to Bella and her sisters. But when a special Wishing Stone grants her heart's desire, The Three Lost Kids discover the curse hidden in the wish.

Now they have to stop Christmas no matter what--even if that means ending up on Santa's Naughty List.

Will the girls learn the true meaning of Christmas and find a way to break the curse? Or will they be stuck in their self-created Jingle Bells Nightmare forever?

***

Look for the original Three Lost Kids Trilogy--Lexie World, Bella World and Maddie World--if you like enchanted Dragons, Fairies, and more adventures through magical worlds with great life lessons for kids!

www.ThreeLostKids.com 

**My thoughts**

I will be honest. My initial thought was, "Oh great, here is yet another story about the problems of having Christmas every day." But I still greatly enjoyed this book. Yes, the idea is not a new one, by any means. But it seems like a natural and necessary addition in The Three Lost Kids series and is well-written.

Bella is the one telling this story. She is the middle child who tends to be full of anger. and had to learn how to control it. It is her idea to make it Christmas every day. At the same time, she is the one who has to figure out how to break the curse. I like how she is shown brainstorming with her sisters and how she has to fail a few times before she is successful. Yet again, a valuable life lesson is taught to readers. This time it is to be careful for what you wish. I can see Kimberly using this story as a way to teach her own kids a lesson in real life, just as they learn one in the story. Discussion questions at the end can help to drive the message home. They make it easy for this book to be used in an educational setting or as a family.

I really do like this series a lot and have read all of the books. It's great for children as young as four or five as a read-aloud. Independent readers of all ages will also enjoy it. More stories are coming and I look forward to them!  

Buy links: Kindle \ Paperback 

BIO:

Kimberly Kinrade was born with ink in her veins and magic in her heart. She writes fantasy and paranormal stories for children, YA and adults and still believes in magic worlds. Check out her YA paranormal novels ForbiddenMind, ForbiddenFire and Forbidden Life and her illustrated children's fantasy chapter books LexieWorld, BellaWorld, Maddie World, and Three Lost Kids and the Death of the Sugar Fairy, all on Amazon.

She lives with her three little girls who think they're ninja princesses with super powers, her two dogs who think they're humans and her husband, also known as the sexy Russian Prince, who is the love of her life and writing partner.

For a list of her books, check out: http://Amazon.com/author/kimberlykinrade

For kids and parents of young kids, join the Lost Kids at http://ThreeLostKids.com

Good Reads http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12659042-forbidden-mind

BUY NOW LINK:

The Three Lost Kids & The Christmas Curse

Amazon: http://amzn.to/Qk062F

B&N: http://bit.ly/WyhfZu

Kobo: http://bit.ly/UfmGdq

Smashwords: http://bit.ly/10urr4r

BookieJar: http://bit.ly/Tcci2Z

ONLINE LINKS:

• Website  http://KimberlyKinrade.com
• Twitter: @KimberlyKinrade
• Facebook: /KimberlyKinrade
• Three Lost Kids website: http://ThreeLostKids.com

AUTHOR PAGES:

• Amazon: http://amzn.to/10usgtP
• B&N: http://bit.ly/10dRI7E
• iTunes: http://bit.ly/RUbK2G
• Kobo: http://bit.ly/T4ILrK
• Smashwords: http://bit.ly/TcddR9
• BookieJar: http://bit.ly/TccXl6

Giveaway: All Prizes are being given away during the Release day event on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/events/472846019405495/

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from Innovative Online Book Tours in exchange for my honest review.

'Kris Kringle's Magic' Book Tour Review

About the book:

Kris Kringle is often in trouble for his beliefs. But in a world where elves are slaves, he is determined to make things right, even if it means standing alone. With the help of his friend Rebecca, Kris starts with the children. But can a pile of gifts on Christmas Eve really change anything?

Told from Rebecca’s perspective, Kris Kringle’s Magic is the story of a boy who devotes his life to the service of the poor, hungry, and destitute—and by doing so, becomes the legend of Santa Claus. This instant holiday classic is sure to captivate kids of all ages.

**My thoughts**

I enjoyed this book. It was yet another way of showing how Kris Kringle symbolizes love for humankind, regardless of age, race, or beliefs. He is able to teach Rebecca so much and in turn teaches the reader how to be compassionate. My hope for kids who are reading this is that they will be moved to do something in their own communities to help the less fortunate. I hope they will also realize how horrible it is to judge someone based on their size or race. I think this book is inspirational in that regard.

I would recommend that independent readers be in later elementary before reading it. If they are younger, it definitely should be read with an adult. I also think it is apporpriate for older readers. It can easily provoke conversation, whether in the home or in the classroom.


Meet the Author:

Diane Stringam Tolley was born and raised on the great Alberta prairies. Daughter of a ranching family of writers, she inherited her love of writing at a very early age. Trained in Journalism, she has penned countless articles and short stories. She is the author of four e-books and the recent Christmas story, Carving Angels, also by Cedar Fort. She and her husband, Grant, live in Beaumont, Alberta, and are the parents of six children and grandparents of twelve.  To learn more about author Diane Stringam Tolley you can visit her website: www.dianestringamtolley.com/index.html.

Review of Animal Ark: Kitten in the Cold

Kitten in the Cold is the 13th book in Ben M. Baglio's Animal Ark series. In this book, Christmas is approaching the little English village of Welford. This year, they are planning a special holiday event with Father Christmas to raise money to send five year-old Alex Hastings to a hospital in America for a life-saving operation. Mandy is excited, because two real reindeer are coming to stay with them at Animal Ark. She is also excited to meet her new friend Alex, and Alex's brand new kitten, Amber.

Just before Christmas, minor crises begin to pop up. Rudolph gets a virus and can't visit the sick children. Amber disappears in the cold and James is caught in a snowstorm in a different town with Dasher and his owner Don McNab (Father Christmas). Alex is even sicker with worry for her precious kitten. The whole town bands together, yet again, for Alex. Will Christmas be saved?


This book is very sweet and appropriate for elementary-aged children. It teaches them how to care for animals and how to do what's right to care for your fellow man. The kids never try to perform any heroics. And it is blissfully free from vampires, werewolves, zombies and other paranormal or fantastical creatures. Those can make for some fun stories, but kid lit has been inundated with them, lately! It also helps to keep the magic of Christmas alive, which is especially nice for those younger ones who still truly believe.

Kitten in the Cold has enough drama in it to keep the pages turning, without being scary. I will admit to even having a pit in my stomach during some parts of it. And while this series features a girl as the main character, boys and girls alike can enjoy this book and the rest of the Animal Ark series.