Review of The Stupendously Spectacular Spelling Bee by Deborah Abela

The Stupendously Spectacular Spelling Bee

India Wimple can spell. Brilliantly. Every Friday night, she and her family watch the Stupendously Spectacular Spelling Bee on TV. When the Wimples suggest she enter the next Bee, India feels nothing but trepidation. She's sure she's not good enough – but with the support of her family, India finds the courage to sign up.

There are plenty of obstacles to reaching the finals, like Summer Millicent Ernestine Beauregard-Champion, a spoiled rich girl who isn't afraid to step on anyone who gets in her way of winning.

The whole thing seems rather calamitous to India. But with hope, hard work, and a little bit of heart, something splendiferous might be on the horizon...

Book Links

Goodreads * Amazon * B&N

**My thoughts**

India is a girl after my own heart. She loves words and spelling and dreams of a winning a spelling bee. But she also has horrid stagefright. But she finally decides to take a chance and enters the spelling bee that she and her family regularly watch.

India has amazing support from her family, the Whimples, and all of Yungabilla. And she is fiercely devoted to them, willing to sacrifice her dreams for her brother Boo's health and her family's financial status. It shows how she has a big heart and how doing good for others can lead to others doing good for you.

The book also gives a peek into how parents can be completely overbearing in the name of winning and how much pain they cause when spoiling and ignoring their kids. India is one who is able to step up and be a friend to these kids, in spite of their treatment. It's a great lesson for kids on kindness. And parents should take note of the horrible behavior of these other parents and what they do their kids' self esteem.

Each chapter is headed by a vocabulary word with definition and sentence example. It's a great not-so-subtle unconscious way to impart some new vocabulary on readers. I got a kick out of that part.

Overall, a fun read for elementary kids that they could enjoy on their own or that could lead to some good classroom discussions.

Thank you to NetGalley for my review copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Preorder Derek Hyde Knows Spooky When He Sees It by E. Michael Lunsford

Derek Hyde Series, Book 1

Middle-Grade Paranormal

Date Published: 12-21-2019

Publisher: INtense Publications LLC

Twelve-year-old Derek Hyde isn’t thrilled that the spookiest old mansion in town is about to become the Hyde Funeral Home & Used Coffin Outlet. Especially since he has to live there with his mortician parents, Jack and Formalda.

Of course, being driven in the family hearse to his first day at middle school doesn’t exactly add whipped cream to his broccoli.

As if things couldn't get more horrific, an evil classmate named Nussbaum attacks him in the cafeteria with a plate of beef stroganoff. Seems this kid used to love living in the old mansion himself, but got yanked out after accidentally blowing up his own mom and dad. With his chemistry set. Now his dead parents are stuck as ghosts and Nussbaum is a foster kid stuck on revenge, vowing to get even with Derek’s family for taking over his haunted home.

Derek desperately craves a nice place to live, but a couple of minor details stand in his way—just some blood-curdling apparitions that scare the pants off him and a classmate bent on landing him in his parents’ embalming room. As a client.

Purchase Links

Publisher 

About the Author

E. Michael Lunsford is the author of an award-winning play, Scary, Scary Night, and a book of wacky kid’s poems, Sometimes I Get My Shoes on Backwards, winner of the Readers’ Favorite International Book Award. His debut novel is the first of the funny Derek Hyde series of spooky middle grade books published by INtense Publications. Michael is also a musician, composer, inventor, entrepreneur and chief cook & bottle washer who works and lives with his wife and love of his life in San Carlos, California.

Contact Links

Website

Twitter

Goodreads

Author Amazon Page

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Our Military Family by Suzan Johnson

Our Military Family

Many families miss loved ones when they are away serving in the military. Sometimes the service men and women are away from moms, dads, brothers, and sisters. In this story Dad and the kids, Harmony and Dominic, are home missing mom. Mom is in the United States Army, and during her deployment, she is sometimes gone for up to 12 months. Throughout the book, you experience what the family has to do to cope without mom, all the while missing her. I hope this book is a testament to those families who make many sacrifices at home and abroad so that we can enjoy the freedoms that we have.

Amazon / Barnes and Noble

(affiliate link included)

About Suzan Johnson

Suzan Johnson has been the Media Specialist at an elementary school for over ten years. She is a voracious reader of books of all genres. Growing up, she loved and enjoyed participating in sporting activities such as cheerleading and softball. As a teacher she encourages her students to read a variety of books and participate in sports. Suzan has been a member of South Florida Writer’s Association, and Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Johnson currently lives in the South Florida area.

Email: shjstories@gmail.com
Website: https://www.shjstories.com/

Facebook: https://facebook.com/shjstories

Twitter: https://twitter.com/shjstories

Instagram: https://instagram.com/shjstories

I was compensated via Fiverr for sharing this book. I only share those books that I feel will be of interest to my readers.

The Day the Grapefruits Took Over the World by Sandi Smith

Children's Humor

Children's Chapter Books (Books)

Publisher: 102nd Place, LLC

Date Published: June 6, 2019

Mayor Pinkie Grapefruit smiled slightly, "Well . . . well . . . well . . . look who we have here. Nathaniel Joseph Parker! I don't really care what you think Nathaniel Joseph Parker, and, yes, we know your name. You are one of the biggest offenders of them all. You are ruining everything for us, but you won't be doing that much longer. You will be changing the way you think, whether you want to or not. We have very persuasive methods to change people's minds. We have decided to take over the world, and we will be number one in the kitchen, in restaurants, and, well, everywhere!"

Grapefruits rule!

Purchase Link

Amazon
Should you make a purchase through my affiliate link, I may earn a few pennies at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting my websites! 

About the Author

Sandi Smith spent her time as a young girl combing the shelves of the public library. She has always enjoyed the magic that books have to offer and was inspired by her high school English teacher, Mr. Coolidge to embrace the arts. The author found her calling as a writer early one morning as her first story came to her in the form of a poem. Since then she has written more than 15 children’s books, with her most popular series about the adventures of an adorable spider in the A.R. Achnid series. Sandi is happily married to her inspiration and husband of 40 years, John. She continues to write for her two precious grandchildren. When she’s not penning a new story, Sandi and John like to camp, kayak and to enjoy the simple life in their home in Pembroke, NH. To learn more about Sandi go to: www.authorsandismith.com

Contact Links

Website: 

Facebook 

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Halloween $25 Amazon Gift Card #Giveaway Ends 10/27

Halloween makes me flash back to favorite childhood books like Bunnicula and The Dollhouse Murders. Those eventually led to books by RL Stine and Christopher Pike. What did you read back then? What would you buy with $25 to Amazon?

Head below to enter to win! Giveaway is open to US &CAN and ends on on 10/27 at 11:59pmEST. Must be 18yo to enter.

Good luck!

Entry-Form

Disclosure: All opinions are 100% mine. This giveaway is in no way associated with, sponsored, administered, or endorsed by Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, Google, Pinterest or any other social media network. All opinions and experiences are Conservamom‘s. Open to US & CAN , must be 18+. Confirmed Winner(s) will be contacted through email and have 48 hours to respond before a new winner will be drawn. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. The sponsor will be responsible for product fulfillment to winner(s) of the giveaway. The disclosure is done in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 10 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. For questions or to see your product featured in an Event you can contact  Elia At Conservamom

$50 Visa Gift Card and The Fire Keeper Book Giveaway Ends 9/23

Gotta love it when great new middle grade books are available for readers! Check out the latest one from Rick Riordan Presents. Enter to win a copy, as well as a $50 Visa Gift Card to buy even more books, or whatever you want!

THE FIRE KEEPER is the exciting sequel to last year’s middle-grade bestseller, The Storm Runner, by J.C. Cervantes!

In this fiery and fast-paced follow-up, Zane Obispo is faced with an impossible decision: save the god-born children like him from the wrath of angry Maya gods, or rescue his father from his eternal prison.

About the Series

A contemporary adventure based on Maya mythology from Rick Riordan Presents! In Book 1, The Storm Runner, a lonely boy in New Mexico has a physical disability that makes middle school feel even more like everyone is watching him. But as he soon learns, his physical differences are merely the first clue to a family history that connects him to the Maya gods—and puts him in mortal danger.

About The Fire Keeper

Zane Obispo’s new life on a beautiful secluded tropical island, complete with his family and closest friends, should be perfect. But he can’t control his newfound fire skills yet (inherited from his father, the Maya god Hurakan); there’s a painful rift between him and his dog ever since she became a hell hound; and he doesn’t know what to do with his feelings for Brooks.

One day he discovers that by writing the book about his misadventures with the Maya gods, he unintentionally put other godborn children at risk. Unless Zane can find the godborns before the gods do, they will be killed. To make matters worse, Zane learns that Hurakan is scheduled to be executed. Zane knows he must rescue him, no matter the cost. Can he accomplish both tasks without the gods detecting him, or will he end up a permanent resident of the underworld?

In this cleverly plotted sequel to The Storm Runner, the gang's back together again with spirited new characters, sneaky gods, Aztec royalty, unlikely alliances, and secrets darker than Zane could ever have imagined. Secrets that will change him forever.

 

About the Author

J.C. Cervantes is theNew York Times best-selling author of The Storm Runner, which Booklist called “a rip-roaring adventure” in a starred review. Her first novel, Tortilla Sun, was a 2010 New Voices pick by the American Booksellers Association and was named to Bank Street's 2011 Best Book List. Jen grew up in San Diego and was fascinated by stories about Maya gods and magic.

 

About Rick Riordan Presents

The Rick Riordan Presents imprint is dedicated to providing entertaining middle grade fiction based on various world mythologies. Rick Riordan is involved in the selection, editing, and promotion of these books, working with great authors to tell exciting stories inspired by the mythologies of their own heritages. Learn more about the imprint and its current and upcoming titles on their official site.

This new book is now available. Head over to here to Learn more about the book on the official Rick Riordan Presents site.

 

Make sure and stay connected with Rick Riordian & J.C Cervantes on Social Media

#TheFireKeeperRRP

Follow Rick Riordan Presents on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Follow J.C. Cervantes on Twitter | Instagram | Official Site

Now for the best part! One lucky winner have the chance to enter to win a this fantastic prize pack:

• a copy of The Fire Keeper,
• branded baseball cap & bumper sticker,
• plus a $50 Visa gift card to stock up on a fresh wardrobe.

Head below to enter! Giveaway is open to US only and ends on 9/23/2019 at 11:59pm EST. Good luck!

Entry-Form

Disclosure: All opinions are 100% mine. This giveaway is in no way associated with, sponsored, administered, or endorsed by Facebook, Twitter, Google, Pinterest or any other social media network. All opinions and experiences are Conservamom‘s. Open to US &  must be 18+. Confirmed Winner(s) will be contacted through email and have 48 hours to respond before a new winner will be drawn. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. The sponsor will be responsible for product fulfillment to winner(s) of the giveaway. The disclosure is done in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 10 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. For questions or to see your product featured in an Event you can contact  Elia At Conservamom  

Review of Sophie Washington: Mismatch by Tonya Duncan Ellis

Yay! It's another Sophie Washington book! Find out what I thought about the latest installment, Mismatch, and check out an excerpt from the book. Let the author know what you think in the comments! And then follow the tour to find out what others have to say about it. Plus there's a giveaway at the end!

$25 Amazon Gift Card #Giveaway 2 Winners Ends 9/8

Do you have a book lover who is excited about being back at school, learning about new books and authors? Do they have a new wishlist of books to check out? Why not add to their library at home so that they can embrace that love of reading?

To enter: Just head below! Giveaway is open to US &CAN and ends on 9/8 at 11:59pm EST. Good luck!

Entry-Form

Disclosure: All opinions are 100% mine. This giveaway is in no way associated with, sponsored, administered, or endorsed by Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, Google, Pinterest or any other social media network. All opinions and experiences are Conservamom‘s. Open to US & CAN , must be 18+. Confirmed Winner(s) will be contacted through email and have 48 hours to respond before a new winner will be drawn. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. The sponsor will be responsible for product fulfillment to winner(s) of the giveaway. The disclosure is done in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 10 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. For questions or to see your product featured in an Event you can contact  Elia At Conservamom

Enter the @jambobooks 3-Month Subscription #Giveaway Ends 8/29 @las930 @SMGurusNetwork

One of my favorite things as a kid was the Scholastic book order forms, because I knew I was going to get at least one new book each and every month. Can you imagine how much greater it would be to have those books delivered right to your door? It would be like a holiday every single month with fun surprises!

*****************

Welcome to the Jambo Book Club 3 Month Subscription Giveaway!

1 Winner

This giveaway is part of our Back To School Gift Guide – Stop by to see all the giveaways and great products.

Host is Michigan Saving and More

My co-hosts for this giveaway are Deliciously Savvy, SaraLee’s Deals Steals & Giveaways, Eclectic Evelyn, and Ice Cream n Sticky Fingers

Below is a list of all the bloggers involved in the gift guide giveaways.

A Rain of Thought, Deliciously Savvy, Java John Z’s, Lisa-Queen of Random, MarksvilleandMe, Michigan Saving and More, My Crafty Zoo, My Silly Little Gang, SaraLee’s Deals Steals & Giveaways, Tales From A Southern Mom, This Frugal Family

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This giveaway's Sponsor is:

WEBSITE ~ FACEBOOK ~ TWITTER ~ INSTAGRAM ~ PINTEREST ~ YOU TUBE

Jambo Book Club sends your child two beautiful high-quality books each month that star a child of color in an engaging story. Jambo makes it easy to add fun multicultural children’s books to your home library. Give your child the gift of reading stories that represent modern America.

~~~

Winner's choice of 3 month subscription

$67.50 ARV total

See the review HERE.

~~~~~~

THE GIVEAWAY

This giveaway/sweepstakes is in no way endorsed, affiliated, or associated with Facebook, Twitter or any other Social Media Networking Site. This Giveaway is valid to continental United States residents only, Entrants must be 18+ years of age to enter. This giveaway event will end at 11:59 PM (EST) 8/29/19. The winner will have 48 hours to email their information back to las93063 at gmail dot com or a new winner will be drawn, you may want to put this email address as safe as it could go to spam. The giveaway is not valid where prohibited! By entering you are authorizing us to collect the information on the form below, this information is used only to contact the winner! No purchase necessary, Void where prohibited by law, and the number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Winners are chosen randomly by the Giveaway Tools program. The sponsors are each responsible for shipping of the above prizes. No blog associated with this contests are responsible for prize fulfillment. If you would like to be a sponsor in a giveaway like this please email Laura Smith at las930 (at)gmail (dot) com. If you take an entry you must stay following for the entire contest or you will be disqualified.

If you are a blogger interested in our gift guides sign up here or more information is HERE.

Get blogger opps just like this by signing up to receive blogger emails HERE.

Also we all “love it if you like us” on Facebook! If you like our blogs on social media it helps us bring you only the best giveaways and more of them! Don't forget to stop by for your daily bonus entries. Share your referral links for even more chances to WIN!

Enter below and Good Luck!

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$25 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway

What are you reading right now? Which books would you grab if you had $25 to spend on Amazon right now? Or would you splurge on new books for your kids? For the middle grades and chapter books, I've been all over the Sophie Washington series by Tonya Duncan Ellis. (Yes, that is my affiliate link. If you make a purchase through it, I may earn a few pennies at no additional cost to you. Thanks for supporting my websites!)

Here's your chance to get your hands on an Amazon gift card. All you have to do is enter below. What will you spend your money on?  

Giveaway is open to US & CAN only. Must be 18+ to enter. Ends on 8/18/19 at 11:59pm EST. Good luck! 

Entry-Form

Disclosure: All opinions are 100% mine. This giveaway is in no way associated with, sponsored, administered, or endorsed by Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, Google, Pinterest or any other social media network. All opinions and experiences are Conservamom‘s. Open to US & CAN , must be 18+. Confirmed Winner(s) will be contacted through email and have 48 hours to respond before a new winner will be drawn. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. The sponsor will be responsible for product fulfillment to winner(s) of the giveaway. The disclosure is done in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 10 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. For questions or to see your product featured in an Event you can contact  Elia At Conservamom