Today I have a treat for our young fans of science fiction and fantasy! Take a peek inside of Elvia and the Gift of Passion by Ruthy Ballard with this exclusive excerpt. Follow the tour to read even more. Best of luck entering the giveaway!
Showing posts with label giveaway. Show all posts
Showing posts with label giveaway. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 16, 2023
Tuesday, August 30, 2022
The Mermaid and the Unicorns by LT Getty
I don't know about you, but when I was in the middle grades, unicorns and mermaids were all we needed! If you or someone you know feel the same, check out this excerpt from The Mermaid and the Unicorns by LT Getty. You can also read her thoughts on making her character Daphne both flawed and likeable. Be sure to let her know what you think in the comments as you follow the tour for more! Best of luck entering the giveaway!
Monday, August 8, 2022
Nat Geo Kids Dinosaur Books Giveaway (Ends 9/5) @NGKidsBks @HomeJobsByMom
Welcome To The Nat Geo Kids Dinosaur Books Giveaway!
This giveaway is part of our Back to School Gift Guide. Stop by to see all the great giveaways and products!
Your dinosaur lover will go gaga over any of these RAWRsome book ideas!
GIVEAWAY DETAILS
Prize:
Nat Geo Kids Dinosaur Books Prize Pack
(affiliate links included)
One Lucky Winner Will Receive a Nat Geo Kids Dinosaur Books Prize Pack Valued at $92!
Hosted By:
Home Jobs By Mom
Co-Hosted By:
Deliciously Savvy & Nerdy Dad RP & Versatileer
Rules: Use The Giveaway Tools Form To Enter Daily. The giveaway ends 9/5 And Is Open To The United States. Entrants Must Be 18 Years Old To Enter. The Winner Will Be Notified Via Email.
Are You A Blogger? CLICK HERE To Get A FREE Link Added To One Of Our Giveaways. Just Post And Report!
If You Have Any Questions Or Are A Brand/Company And Would Like To Work With Home Jobs By Mom Please Contact Me. Also, To Be Informed Of New Giveaways And Blogger Opps CLICK HERE.
Good Luck! Enter Below
One entrant will be selected by the entry form to win a Nat Geo Kids Dinosaur Books Prize Pack. Open for entry in the United States, 18 years and older from 7/21/22 thru 9/5/22. No purchase is necessary. Void where prohibited. This giveaway is in no way endorsed, affiliated, or associated with Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media networking site. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the notification email to claim their prize, or a new winner will be selected. Once a winner is drawn and confirmed, the name will be announced on the Giveaway Tools form. The sponsor will be responsible for sending the winners their prizes.
Thank You So Much For Visiting Today!
Thursday, August 4, 2022
Review of Sophie Washington: Treasure Beach by Tonya Duncan Ellis
Hey, y'all, there's a new Sophie Washington book out! And if you follow the blog at all, you know that these books are among my favorite contemporary reads for elementary/middle grade kids. Today you get a sneak peek inside with an excerpt and then get to read all of my thoughts. Let the author know your thoughts in the comments section. Check out the rest of the tour and best of luck in the giveaway!
Thursday, July 28, 2022
Review of Tucked In by Corey Wainman
It's a flash back in time to the late 1970s and all of the crazy growing up things that happen. Read an excerpt and my thoughts on Tucked In by Corey Wainman. Follow the tour for even more and remember to let him know what you think. Best of luck in the giveaway!
Saturday, July 23, 2022
Help Me Celebrate My Birthday! $15 Amazon Gift Card #Giveaway Ends 7/31
July is my birthday month! I was one of those weird kids who was happy getting books for my birthday. So now for my birthday, I want your kids to be able to get books, too! Plus I will never tire of reading the middle grade and chapter books that I share here with you. I'm offering up a $15 Amazon gift card so that you can add some to your bookshelves! Enjoy! And good luck!
Tuesday, June 14, 2022
The Secret Benefits of Invisibility by C.W. Allen
I may be a grown adult, but I still love to read middle grade novels and then share them with others. There's just something special about that age group and level. Today, author C.W. Allen talks about her love for writing this genre as well as shares an excerpt from The Secret Benefits of Invisibility. Let the author know your thoughts in the comments section. Be sure to follow the tour for even more! Best of luck entering the giveaway!
Thursday, May 26, 2022
Beyond the Birch by Torina Kingsley
Fantasy is one of the most popular genres in the middle grade years. And this one has faeries. Check out an excerpt from Beyond the Birch by Torina Kingsley and then follow the tour for more. Best of luck entering the giveaway!
Tuesday, May 24, 2022
The New Enchantress (Alyssa McCarthy's Magical Missions Book 3) by Sunayna Prasad
It's the third book in Sunayna Prasad's series Alyssa McCarthy's Magical Missions. Check out an excerpt from this installment and then read on to find out the author's thoughts on making this into a movie. Be sure to follow the tour for more. Best of luck in the giveaway!
Sunday, May 22, 2022
Nat Geo Kids DinoMAYnia Book Collection #Giveaway Ends 6/10 @DeliciouslySavv @NGKidsBks @mediamastersbks
Happiness is finding yet another Nat Geo Kids book collection giveaway to share with you all! And best of all, it's about dinosaurs! In all of my years of childcare and teaching, I cannot think of a single child who didn't get excited when dinosaurs were involved. And I know first-hand how beloved a couple of these titles are! Good luck entering!
Monday, May 9, 2022
Nat Geo Kids Feathered Friends Book Bundle #Giveaway Ends 6/1 @NGKidsBk @HomeJobsByMom
You know how much I love these Nat Geo Kids books! Here's a collection of bird books that you can win, thanks to this giveaway via Home Jobs by Mom. Best of luck entering and enjoy!
Home Jobs By Mom created this post in partnership with National Geographic Kids. They were not financially compensated for this post but did receive a sample. As always, all opinions are entirely our own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support us!
Welcome To The Nat Geo Kids Feathered Friends Book Bundle Giveaway!
This giveaway is part of our Mother's Day Gift Guide. Stop by to see all the great giveaways and products!
A fun and easy way to get kids outside and develop a love of nature is with birding!
GIVEAWAY DETAILS
Prize:
Little Kids First Board Book: Birds
Little Kids First Big Book Of Birds
Fly With Me: A Celebration Of Birds Through Pictures, Poems, And Stories
National Geographic Kids Bird Guide Of North America (Second Edition)
Everything Birds Of Prey
(affiliate links included throughout post)These titles from National Geographic Kids are the perfect way for kids of all ages (baby to age 12!) to get excited about the feathered friends that can be found in the backyard AND in some of the most exotic places in the world.
One Lucky Winner Will Receive These Five Awesome Bird Books for Kids Valued at $78!
Hosted By:
Home Jobs By Mom
Co-Hosted By:
Deliciously Savvy & Nerdy Dad RP & Versatileer
Sponsored By
Rules: Use The Giveaway Tools Form To Enter Daily. The giveaway ends 6/1 And Is Open To The United States. Entrants Must Be 18 Years Old To Enter. The Winner Will Be Notified Via Email.
Are You A Blogger? CLICK HERE To Get A FREE Link Added To One Of Our Giveaways. Just Post And Report!
If You Have Any Questions Or Are A Brand/Company And Would Like To Work With Home Jobs By Mom Please Contact Me. Also, To Be Informed Of New Giveaways And Blogger Opps CLICK HERE.
Good Luck! Enter Below
One entrant will be selected by the entry form to win Nat Geo Kids Bird Books Prize Pack. Open for entry in the United States, 18 years and older from 4/26/22 thru 6/1/22. No purchase is necessary. Void where prohibited. This giveaway is in no way endorsed, affiliated, or associated with Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media networking site. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the notification email to claim their prize or a new winner will be selected. Once a winner is drawn and confirmed, the name will be announced on the Giveaway Tools form. Nat Geo Kids will be responsible for sending the winners their prizes.
Thank You So Much For Visiting Today!
Friends to the End by C.L. Colyer
Friendship and adventure are the name of the game in Friends to the End by C.L. Colyer. Read an excerpt from this middle grade action adventure book and then learn a bit more about the author in a special guest post. Follow the tour for more! Best of luck in the giveaway!
Twelve-year-old Zach is convinced he'll never be happy without his best friend Jeremy by his side. But both of their lives changed with a bang five months ago, and as far as Zach's concerned, it's his fault Jeremy will never see his twelfth birthday.
When Zach moves with his family to a Chicago suburb, he quickly becomes friends with a group of thrill-seeking kids trying to find a disappearing haunted house. But Zach's not worried. He doesn't believe in ghosts, so he follows them into a wild, dangerous encounter that becomes a battle to decide what's real and what's not.
Read an excerpt:
My bewildered gaze slithered from Dom to Josh, finally coming to a stop on Morgan as I tried to decide if they were crazy.
“If the house is invisible, how do you expect to find it?” I asked.
Morgan sat on the stoop next to me. “It’s not always invisible. My brothers saw it once. They said it’s a big house with a long porch. It vanished before they could set foot on the first step, and I’m glad, too.”
“Why? What would have happened if they were on the steps?” I asked. Not because I believed an old ghost story had any truth to it, but I was curious to know what she’d say.
Morgan had to pick her jaw up from the walkway before she could answer, and when she did her voice came out in a high-pitched squeak. “If they had been on the porch or worse—” she swallowed loudly “—inside, they would have disappeared with it.”
Buy on Amazon
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I love this question.
- At the top of my list is a book on how to survive in the wild. Journey to the Center of the Earth might do, too. There are a lot of tips woven into the story.
- My husband or friends. I’d really hate to be stranded alone.
- Fresh water.
- Coffee. Please let there be coffee beans. I’ll learn how to roast them if it means a fresh cup of coffee each morning.
- Based on my recent experience lighting logs in a fireplace, I’m going to need help building a fire, so multiple lighters.
- Hairbands, because without my shampoo and conditioner my hair is going to be an uncontrollable wild mass of curls and frizz.
- My favorite pair of hiking boots. They’re warm, comfy, and grip the ground no matter the surface.
- A warm blanket in case it gets cold.
- A chest full of great fantasy books. I might not even notice I’m on a deserted island if I have enough reading material.
- Pens and journals. Just think of how much writing I could get done with all that free time!
Thanks, Andi, for having me on your wonderful blog. And thank you for stopping by!
This sparked her love for writing essays. It wasn’t until she was an adult that she sat down and penned her first novel. This story has a special place in her heart because it’s the story that helped her discover her passion for writing. She has since written several books, many of which may never see the light of day, but all of which helped her learn to combine her passion for writing with her fascination with all things mythical. You’ll find examples of this in her novels.
She lives in Illinois with her family.
Keep in Touch:
Website: https://cheriecolyer.com/children/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cherie-Colyer-author-250631921629169
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CherieColyer
Instagram: www.instagram.com/cherie_colyer/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21748654.C_L_Colyer
Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/C-L-Colyer/e/B09C6JPT3X/
Bookbub author page: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/cherie-colyer
Cherie Colyer will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Sunday, April 17, 2022
Nat Geo Kids ‘FOR THE BIRDS’ Book Bundle #Giveaway Ends 5/8 @NGKidsBks @DeliciouslySavv
It's another Nat Geo Kids book bundle giveaway! This one is perfect for spring because it's all about the birds. As I'm sitting here putting this together, I'm enjoying the chirping sounds outside the window. Kids would be able to use these to research what it is that they see and hear outside! They're so great! Best of luck entering!
Monday, April 11, 2022
Nat Geo Kids National Library Day Giveaway! Get 1 + Give 1 Book Prize Pack! $78 RV Each! Ends 5/9
I found yet another Nat Geo Kids Giveaway to share with you all! You know how much I love these, and I know you love them, too. These books are for all ages and just perfect for spring. Best of all, you get a set for yourself and a set to donate! Check it out!
Sunday, March 20, 2022
Nat Geo Kids Spring Reading Essentials #Giveaway Ends 3/31 @DeliciouslySavv @NGKidsBks
More reading for your kids to enjoy! It's another chance for you to win this amazing collection of books from Nat Geo Kids. I love these! And so will your kids. Best of luck to you!
Wednesday, March 16, 2022
Enter the @NGKidsBks Mega Prize Pack #Giveaway (Ends 3/31) @HomeJobsByMom
You know know how much I love these Nat Geo Kids Books giveaways! They're great in the classroom or at home and guarantee hours of engrossed learning. Who knows where it could all lead? Check out what's available in this collection. Good luck entering!
Monday, March 7, 2022
Review of Jaxon and the Naughty Secret Monster by Madeline M. Pratchler
Welcome to the book review tour for Jaxon and the Naughty Secret Monster by Madeline M. Pratchler! Today I'm sharing with you an excerpt and my thoughts on this middle grade read. Be sure to follow the tour for even more. Best of luck entering the giveaway!
Jaxon's enthusiasm for the simplest things bubbles out of him, and ideas continually pop out of his very large brain. His delight in helping plant the garden with his family creates a magical learning opportunity, and he's well on his way to being as smart as his dad. But sometimes his zest needs to be clamped down, and his blurting embarrasses others.
When Dad shares a surprise for Mom, Jaxon discovers the secret monster: a naughty guy who lives inside him, waiting to blab as soon as his mouth opens. Jaxon swallows him down and tells him to be quiet inside his head, but will that monster listen? And what about the next time when Jaxon plots a prank on the ice cream man?
Read an excerpt:
Once our groceries were on the belt, I heard a whiny man’s voice. I was shocked because a whiny voice usually sounded like mine, not a deep voice like Dad’s. I turned around curiously, and here was a man with gray hair, holding a plastic bag with just one small thing in it. He was doing big breaths.
“Only one till open, hmmmm, only one till open,” he complained.
I stared at him in disbelief. I had never heard a grown-up act whiny before! I saw him look back and forth, then sigh loudly again.
“HMMMM, only one till open.”
A lady was between us and him. She had a basket slung over her arm with juice, bread, and some fruit inside. She said kindly to him, “You can go ahead of me if you like.”
“Hey, thanks,” he happily stepped right behind us. Now I could see inside his plastic bag. He had one thing only – a green pepper. I hated green peppers. He came into the store for just a green pepper? Seriously? Was he gonna eat that thing?
“Hmmm, just one till open,” he whined again and this time Mom turned around.
“Did you wish to go ahead of us?”
“Oh, thanks, yes!” He squeezed ahead of us and handed his pepper to the cashier who was just about to beep our order.
I felt hot rushing into my head and my mouth came all the way open. Before I could even think, the monster inside of me jumped out of my mouth, “That’s no fair! How come he gets his way when he’s being a whiny pants? You always say we shouldn’t whine, and –“ Mom poked me sharply and her face was super red but I couldn’t stop. “Then you actually totally listened to him!”
The man heard and looked at me. “Just super busy today, thanks.” He pulled out some money to pay.
“But it’s a pepper!” The monster in me refused to be swallowed and quiet, and it just didn’t make any sense! “If you’re so busy, you really needed a pepper? They are gross anyway!”
“Jaxon, HUSH!” Mom’s eyebrows were almost up to her hair.
Luke’s face looked amused…and horrified. “Peppers look like lizards when they’re cut up on pizza,” he said quietly, “I wouldn’t drive to the grocery store on a busy day just to buy a pepper either.”
Buy Links
(affiliate link included)
The book is free during the tour.
**My thoughts**
This cute chapter book is told from Jaxon's point of view as he contemplates life and the world around him. Some of his vocabulary mix-ups are a little reminiscent of Ramona. He is very curious and very outspoken, much like other young men I have known at that age.
It is a snapshot into his life in the country one particular summer that actually took me back to my own childhood planting the gardens with my own parents. Readers may develop curiosity about starting one of their own!
I will say it did feel more like reading a memoir than the adventures of a child, but it was still cute.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and Goddess Fish for fulfilling my review request. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
CONNECT WITH Madeline M. Pratchler
WEBSITE madelinepratchlerauthor.com
FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100069545053024
Madeline M. Pratchler will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Monday, February 21, 2022
Read an exclusive excerpt from Kidventure: Twelve Weeks to Midnight Blue by Steve Searfoss
On Tour with Prism Book Tours
Welcome to the book tour for Twelve Weeks to Midnight Blue by Steve Searfoss! Today I have an exclusive excerpt for you for this tour. Download your own copy and be sure to check out the rest of the tour! Best of luck entering the giveaway!
KidVenture: Twelve Weeks to Midnight Blue
(KidVenture #1)
By Steve Searfoss
Middle Grade Fiction, Contemporary
Paperback & ebook, 125 Pages
January 26, 2020 by Steve Searfoss
Chance Sterling launches a pool cleaning business over the summer. Join Chance as he looks for new customers, discovers how much to charge them, takes on a business partner, recruits an employee, deals with difficult clients, and figures out how to make a profit. He has twelve weeks to reach his goal. Will he make it? Only if he takes some chances.
KidVenture stories are business adventures where kids figure out how to market their company, understand risk, and negotiate. Each chapter ends with a challenge, including business decisions, ethical dilemmas and interpersonal conflict for young readers to wrestle with. As the story progresses, the characters track revenue, costs, profit margin, and other key metrics which are explained in simple, fun ways that tie into the story.
Read an excerpt:
When I was done, I emptied the bucket of debris into our large trashcan and I put up the nets. I headed to the kitchen for some of my mom’s iced tea. Addie was at the table drawing. She was always doing art. Ponies and puppies, bears and bunnies, that sort of thing. Lots of pinks and purples, sparkles and glitter. Girly stuff. Rainbows and sunsets. Boring stuff, if you ask me.
I reached into the fridge, poured myself a glass and took a big gulp. Ah, that felt good. I downed the full glass and then poured myself another one. As I sipped it I flipped through the newspaper my dad had left on the counter. Nothing caught my eye. Then I glanced over at what Addie was drawing. I bet she’s drawing a unicorn or something just as silly—
“Wait a minute! Addie! What are you drawing?” I said, shocked.
She quickly scooped up her papers and stuffed them into her sketchbook and closed the cover. Mighty suspicious.
“Nothing.” She grinned.
“That didn’t look like nothing.”
“Just drawing.“
“What were you doing?”
“Why do you care?” she said defensively.
“I want to know.”
“It’s none of your business.”
“Oh, it is my business.” I glared at her. “It’s very much my business. In fact, I think you were actually drawing my business. Was that a swimming pool you were drawing?”
“No.” She cracked a smile. “I was just drawing water.”
I scowled.
“Water inside four walls!” I said, accusatorily. She started giggling. “In a backyard! With a diving board!” By now she was laughing uncontrollably.
“Let me see that!” I reached for her sketchbook. She pulled it away from me, but as she did that, a bunch of papers went flying into the air. And there it was. One of her drawings floated slowly down to the ground and when it landed I could see it, clear as day. Not just a swimming pool, but in bright orange big letters it said Pool Cleaning Service.
“Addison!” I shouted. “What are you doing?!”
“It’s called marketing,” she said in the voice of a grown-up, tired of explaining the same thing over and over again to a child.
“You don’t even know what that is!”
“Yes I do,” she huffed. “Dad told me what it means.”
“Oh yeah, well what is it?”
“I am making flyers to promote my pool cleaning business.”
“You don’t have a pool cleaning business!” I stomped my foot. “I do.”
“Not yet, I don’t, but I expect that soon I will.”
I looked down again at the flyer she had drawn. There was a phone number on it. I pointed to it.
“Mom said I could use her number,” she said.
I was about to tell her this whole thing was crazy, it would never work. But I was stopped short in my tracks. I do believe my jaw was open. I might have even been drooling, if you want to know the truth.
“Addie!” I gave her a big hug. “This is a great idea! That’s exactly what I need to find new customers.”
“But you don’t know how to draw.”
“Yes I do,” I said defensively.
“No, you don’t,” she smirked. “Even your stick figures don’t look like sticks, they look like nervous spaghetti.”
“You have a point. Maybe you can draw them for me.”
“No thanks,” she said and quickly picked up her papers and started to head out of the kitchen.
“Wait! Addie wait!”
“I’ll pay you.”
“How much?”
“I don’t know. A dollar.”
“No way,”
“Two dollars?” I said hopefully.
She shook her head
“Three?”
“Half.”
“A half dollar?” I giggled. “Ok, sure.”
“No, I want half of everything you make cleaning pools.”
“What?!” I shrieked.
“That’s right, 50-50.”
“No way, not a chance! Get lost.”
“Ok,” she said in that you’re-going-to-regret-this tone of voice and started to walk away.
I swallowed. There was something stuck in my throat. Ok, you might even say it was pride. I swallowed my pride and called out, “Addie! Come back.”
“Yes, brother?” she teased.
“I’ll give you a third.”
She pretended to think about it, and then said, “No.”
“Forty percent.”
“No.”
“Forty! Addie, that’s a lot.”
“I don’t want forty, I want to be your partner. An equal partner.”
“My partner?” I said sarcastically.
“That’s right. Your partner.”
“But you don’t know anything about cleaning pools. And you’re too little to carry heavy buckets of wet leaves.”
“And you don’t know how to draw. And it sure doesn’t seem like you know much about marketing either.”
“You want me to give you half of my business just because you can draw flyers? That hardly seems fair. I can get anyone to draw pictures of a pool for me.”
“It’s not just drawing, Chance. It told you, it’s called marketing. I have Mom’s phone ready to go, so we can take calls. I made a map of the neighborhood so we can write down which houses we visited and left flyers with, and what they said. I’ll find us new customers, if you make me your partner.”
I scratched my head. There was something appealing about what she was proposing. It was no fun knocking on doors all day in the hot sun, hoping someone needed their pool cleaned. “Ok, ok. Maybe we can do half of any new customer you bring.”
“No,” she said. “I want to be a full partner in the whole business, or I’m not interested.”
Excerpted from Kidventure: Twelve Weeks to Midnight Blue by Steve Searfoss, Copyright © 2022 by Steve Searfoss. Published by Steve Searfoss.
(Affiliate links included.)
About the Author
Steve Searfoss: I wrote my first KidVenture book after years of making up stories to teach my kids about business and economics. Whenever they'd ask how something works or why things were a certain way, I would say, "Let's pretend you have a business that sells..." and off we'd go. What would start as a simple hypothetical to explain a concept would become an adventure spanning several days as my kids would come back with new questions which would spawn more plot twists. Rather than give them quick answers, I tried to create cliffhangers to get them to really think through an idea and make the experience as interactive as possible.
I try to bring that same spirit of fun, curiosity and challenge to each KidVenture book. That’s why every chapter ends with a dilemma and a set of questions. KidVenture books are fun for kids to read alone, and even more fun to read together and discuss. There are plenty of books where kids learn about being doctors and astronauts and firefighters. There are hardly any where they learn what it’s like to run small business. KidVenture is different. The companies the kids start are modest and simple, but the themes are serious and important.
I’m an entrepreneur who has started a half dozen or so businesses and have had my share of failures. My dad was an entrepreneur and as a kid I used to love asking him about his business and learning the ins and outs of what to do and not do. Mistakes make the best stories — and the best lessons. I wanted to write a business book that was realistic, where you get to see the characters stumble and wander and reset, the way entrepreneurs do in real life. Unlike most books and movies where business is portrayed as easy, where all you need is one good idea and the desire to be successful, the characters in KidVenture find that every day brings new problems to solve.
Tour Schedule
Tour Giveaway
Ends March 2, 2022
Tuesday, February 8, 2022
The Dark Beast by Dave Maruszewski
This one is for all of the kids and kids-at-heart who love epic fantasy. Read an excerpt from Dave Maruszewski's The Dark Beast as well as a guest post about how he crafts his fictional world. Be sure to check out the rest of the tour for even more fun. Best of luck entering the giveaway!
Recently knighted squires Raven, Romda, and Ravai are tasked to help a nearby priest. However, this simple errand turns into much more. They cross paths with the Dark Beast. After that brief encounter, they soon realize the Beast’s plans to destroy an entire town. They journey to this town, meeting residents who tell large tales about the Beast. How much of stories are true? The three will find out. The Dark Beast is coming.
Read an excerpt:
The Dark Beast lunged toward Agnew and grabbed him, but his hand smashed into something. The wizard had put up as a barrier, invisible to the Beast.
“A nice spell,” the Beast said, “but there are ways around it, as well.”
“It will be too late,” the wizard said. He then shot out a large burst of blue energy. The Beast jumped out of the way, grabbed onto one of the rafters, and did not come back down.
“Do you know what your problem is?” the Dark Beast asked.
“Right now?” Agnew replied. “You.”
“No,” the Dark Beast continued, “even in my form, you are more than my superior. You have great power.” Agnew almost seemed pleased to hear this.
The Beast continued explaining. “However, you are too vain and unwilling to get your hands dirty. No one turned me into the beast that you see before you. I chose to do it. It made me stronger. You would never do it.”
The wizard released another blast, almost missing, but indeed striking the Dark Beast. He fell to the ground.
“It would appear that you have overestimated yourself,” Agnew proclaimed. “I stand above you, and you are defeated.”
The Beast looked up and said, “But you won’t touch me, will you, even if I am dead?”
“Of course not,” Agnew replied. “That is why I have guards.” He raised his hand to give the final blow.
The Dark Beast rolled and smashed another vial on the ground. The mist penetrated Agnew’s shield. When he smelled it, he immediately got sick and tried not to vomit.
The Beast slowly rose with a glare aimed directly at Agnew. The Beast was unaffected. His form was resistant to the sickly fumes.
Buy on Amazon
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Just $0.99 during the tour!
Once, a very good artist and teacher said to me, “Don’t put every detail into your painting. If you do, the people will have no way of let themselves into it.” Even though I used quotes, this is a bit of a paraphrase. Nonetheless, what he meant was that if I put in too much detail in my painting, viewers won’t be able to use their imagination to “fill in the blanks” so to speak.
The above concept is a method I have kept in a lot of my creative endeavors. It is also what I employ in my Raven, Romda and Ravai series. In these books, you’ll see scant description of the three characters appearance. Furthermore, I practice this pretty much for every personality in the books. I want you, the reader, to make a picture of each person that is specific to you.
When I talk about a sunset, I don’t want to describe it perfectly to you with wonderful style. Instead, I want to take you back to a sunset you remember and put it into my book. This is part of my goal to create a little bit of interaction with the reader.
Another reason that I do this is to engage readers who are less apt to love reading. These type of readers see fiction as a static, impersonal way of presenting material and not a beautiful, expressive way that book-lovers have discovered since written stories were invented.
This style can be scary. My writing may turn off the traditional reader. Even more intimidating, this may gain me low scores with the professional critic, who evaluates books based on traditional methods. After all, I’d like to sell books and make a small living from it. However, what if I don’t choose this way? Who will reach these youth?
We are seeing a decline in reading, and I don’t see it coming back up to levels it was at before. Maybe, it isn’t important to start all children on the classical methods of writing. They are living different times than when reading was more prevalent. They may need different approaches to writing as much as they need different genres. And why not? So, they aren’t ready for Shakespeare or Milton as quickly. If they learn to read, they will learn to read more. Then, let’s see where it takes us.
His stories are created from an accumulation of experiences from careers/backgrounds as a physicist, engineer, teacher, artist, video game designer and software developer. He strives to develop stories with sound moral values that will be enlightening as well as entertaining to youths and adults.
In between writing stories and running his own company, Digital Tumult (DigitalTumult.com), Dave enjoys video games, watching internet videos and hanging out with his family.
Book: www.ravenromdaandravai.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dave-Maruszewski-Books-100693982454237/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21946064.Dave_Maruszewski
Dave Maruszewski will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
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Tuesday, January 4, 2022
Review of KidVenture: Twelve Weeks to Midnight Blue by Steve Searfoss
Welcome to the review tour for Twelve Weeks to Midnight Blue, part of the KidVenture series by Steve Searfoss. Take a peek inside and then learn my thoughts on this middle grade educational story. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for more. Best of luck entering the giveaway!
Chance Sterling launches a pool cleaning business over the summer. Join Chance as he looks for new customers, discovers how much to charge them, takes on a business partner, recruits an employee, deals with difficult clients, and figures out how to make a profit. He has twelve weeks to reach his goal. Will he make it? Only if he takes some chances.
KidVenture stories are business adventures where kids figure out how to market their company, understand risk, and negotiate. Each chapter ends with a challenge, including business decisions, ethical dilemmas and interpersonal conflict for young readers to wrestle with. As the story progresses, the characters track revenue, costs, profit margin, and other key metrics which are explained in simple, fun ways that tie into the story.
Read an excerpt:
If anyone tells you that kids can’t start a business, don’t listen to them. They can. I should know, because I did. People sometimes ask me how KidVenture started and how it got its name. Well, I’ll tell you. It all started the summer before sixth grade. All I remember about that summer is that it was hot, so hot I thought I would melt. That and my sister Addison kept annoying me. You could say I was boiling and steaming that summer.
My dad told me he would pay me ten bucks to clean the pool. It was a pretty good deal. I’d take a net and scoop out all the leaves and dead bugs that had landed in the water. It took me about two hours to clean the pool so I 3gure I was making about 3ve dollars an hour. Not bad for a ten-year-old kid.
I thought it was going to be a one-time gig, but the following week my dad asked me if I wanted to clean the pool again.
“But I already did,” I said. He told me to go take a look. I couldn’t believe it. The pool was full of leaves and dead bugs again. I had spent all the money I made from cleaning the pool the week before on a slingshot, two comic books and an ice cream cone. I needed the cash so I said yes.
Next thing you know, I’m cleaning the pool every week and making an easy ten bucks each time. After a couple weeks, I realized I could save my money and buy that bicycle I had seen one time at that big sporting goods store on Wilson Street. The bike was super cool. When I looked at the sticker, it said the color was midnight blue. I didn’t know what that meant, except that it sounded dangerous and I liked that. I asked my dad if we could get it and he said, which is the grown-up way of saying No, but I want to let you down easy.
The bike, the dangerous one, cost $225. Which is way more money than a ten-year-old could ever hope to get. That is, unless said impoverished ten-year-old had a job, which I now apparently had.
“It’s going to take forever to save up for that bike,” I said, after I had just 3nished cleaning the pool for the second time, and my dad handed me a crisp ten dollar bill.
“No, not forever,” my dad retorted. “You’ll save up $225 in no time.”
“Not when I’m only making ten bucks a week.” I started to feel sorry for myself and walked away.
Then I turned around. “Dad, how long will it take if I save all my pool cleaning money?”
“You figure it out,” my dad said, and handed me a paper and pencil.
“But I hate math!” I protested.
“Well then you’re right. It will take forever,” my dad said and returned to reading his newspaper.
“Oh all right,” I sighed. “Hand me the pencil.”
I started scribbling some numbers.
“Twenty…Twenty-two…Twenty-three! No, wait. Twenty-two and a half weeks!” I shouted excitedly.
“How many months is that?” my dad asked.
“Ugh. More math? Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
My dad has a way with words. I began scribbling numbers again. “Let’s see, four weeks in a month, approximately, so that works out to…” I mumbled.
“Five-point-six-two-five months.” I said triumphantly.
“That’s right,” my dad smiled. “So about five and a half months.”
“Wait…” I said dejectedly. “Oh no!”
“What?” “That’s five and a half months, if I don’t buy any more ice cream.”
“True.”
“Better call it six months.”
“Six months is not a long time,” my dad insisted.
“It is!” I scowled. “At this rate I might was well just wait till Christmas.”
A couple more weeks went by, and even though I dreamed of mint chocolate chip ice cream almost every night, I had managed to save all of my pool money. I had $30 tucked away in my bike fund when I suddenly had an idea.
I went straight to my dad and declared, “Dad! Dad! I have an idea.” He put his newspaper down slowly and raised an eyebrow.
“Yes?”
I could barely contain myself. “How about you pay me $20 for cleaning the pool!”
“$20?”
“Yes! Yes! Twenty buckaroos. I can’t believe I didn’t think of this sooner. Twenty dollars for cleaning the pool instead of ten.”
“Hm….I like it.”
“You do?” I have to admit, even as excited as I was, I wasn’t really expecting the conversation to go so well.
“You’re negotiating,” my dad said. “I like that.”
“Great!” I exclaimed. “Wait, what’s negotiating?”
“It’s what you’re doing now,” my dad said. “Asking for more.”
“Great! Awesome. So, is that a yes?”
“No.”
“But why not? I’m negotiating, just like you said.”
“Yes,” my dad said. And then he smiled. I recognized that same smile. It was the smile he had when he told me when I was three years old that Santa had made a wrong turn somewhere east of Winnipeg on his way to our house and there would be no Christmas presents that year.
“You’re forgetting that I’m negotiating too.”
My mom had her own smile. It was the smile that immediately told my dad to stop making the children cry on Christmas Eve.
“And I want to know,” my Dad continued, still smiling, “why would I pay more for the exact same pool cleaning service you’re already providing for the handsome sum of $10.”
I had to admit he had a point. Where was Mom? I could really use her help right now.
“You raise an interesting question,” I said, trying to sound as serious as I could. “I’ll have to think about that and get back to you.”
I couldn’t sleep that night. I was thinking about what I could do that would be different than just the same pool cleaning service I offered. What could I offer my dad that would be of more value, so I could charge more?
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**My thoughts**
The teacher in me really appreciates so many aspects of this book! It's an entertaining story that I think kids can relate to. I mean, everyone wants to try to earn money, right? And Chance has to work at figuring out how much money he needs for his prized bike and then how to make his business happen. His father isn't just handing him the money, nor is he handing him the answers to questions. "You can figure it out." I am a firm believer in guiding toward answers and not just giving them. You'll raise better critical thinkers that way.
And does Chance always get his way? No. Is it a super easy ride for him? Of course not. He's going to make a few mistakes. But being allowed to make mistakes actually allows for better learning experiences in the future.
I also like that at the end of each chapter, there are questions for readers to ponder. They can do so on their own, in their head or maybe in a journal. But these also make for some great discussion questions should this book be read with multiple kids at home or in a group setting at school. Lots of possibilities here.
Now I'm curious about other books in the series!
Thank you to the author and Goddess Fish for providing me with a requested review copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I try to bring that same spirit of fun, curiosity and challenge to each KidVenture book. That’s why every chapter ends with a dilemma and a set of questions. KidVenture books are fun for kids to read alone, and even more fun to read together and discuss. There are plenty of books where kids learn about being doctors and astronauts and firefighters. There are hardly any where they learn what it’s like to run small business. KidVenture is different. The companies the kids start are modest and simple, but the themes are serious and important.
I’m an entrepreneur who has started a half dozen or so businesses and have had my share of failures. My dad was an entrepreneur and as a kid I used to love asking him about his business and learning the ins and outs of what to do and not do. Mistakes make the best stories — and the best lessons. I wanted to write a business book that was realistic, where you get to see the characters stumble and wander and reset, the way entrepreneurs do in real life. Unlike most books and movies where business is portrayed as easy, where all you need is one good idea and the desire to be successful, the characters in KidVenture find that every day brings new problems to solve.
KidVenture Links
Website
https://kidventurebook.com/
Author Bio
https://www.amazon.com/Steve-Searfoss/e/B08N1K65G1/
https://www.facebook.com/kidventurebook
https://twitter.com/KidVentureBook
https://www.instagram.com/kidventurebook/
https://www.pinterest.com/kidventurebook/_saved/
Steve Searfoss will be awarding one $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC + 10 Print copies to 11 randomly drawn winners via rafflecopter during the tour.
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