Giveaway: GRANTED by John David Anderson

John David Anderson is one of my favorite middle grade authors to recommend to young readers because, once they're hooked on his writing, he'll take them on adventures through a variety of genres, where they'll meet fantastic, memorable characters. His newest novel, Granted, is no exception to this rule! 

I'm thrilled to kick off the blog tour for Granted with a giveaway! Learn more about the book and enter below.

Granted by John David Anderson 
Pub Date: February 13, 2018
Publisher: Walden Pond Press
ISBN: 9780062643865 
Buy It!

Everyone who wishes upon a star, or a candle, or a penny thrown into a fountain knows that you’re not allowed to tell anyone what you’ve wished for. But even so, rest assured: There is someone out there who hears it. 
Ophelia Delphinium Fidgets is no ordinary fairy – she is a Granter: one of the select few whose job it is to venture beyond the boundaries of the Haven and grant the wishes of unsuspecting humans every day. It’s the work of the Granters that generate the magic that allows the fairies to do what they do and to keep the Haven hidden and safe. But with worldwide magic levels at an all-time low, this is not as easy as it sounds. On a typical day, only a small fraction of the millions of potential wishes get granted. And even granting those promised few means navigating a human world fraught with danger. 
Today, however, is anything but typical. Because today, Ophelia is going out on her first assignment. And she’s about to discover that getting what you truly want takes much more than a handful of fairy dust.

About the Author

John David Anderson is the author of Ms. Bixby's Last Day, Posted, Sidekicked, Minion, and The Dungeoneers. A dedicated root beer connoisseur and chocolate fiend, he lives with his wife, two kids, and perpetually whiny cat in Indianapolis, Indiana. You can visit him online at www.johndavidanderson.org.

1 winner. Open to US/Canada addresses only. Ends 3/10/2018.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: The Real Boy

Title: The Real Boy
Author: Anne Ursu
Publisher: Walden Pond Press/HarperCollins
Pub Date: September 24, 2013
Genre: MG
Rec. Age Level: 8-12
More by author: Breadcrumbs

 

   
Anne Ursu, beloved author of Breadcrumbs, gives readers another magical tale of adventure and heart with The Real Boy. 

Oscar is the shop boy to the most powerful magician in the Barrow, an ancient forest that surrounds a perfect city that was once almost decimated by a plague decades before. Oscar, who was brought to the Barrow from a far away land devoid of magic, spends his days gathering and preparing ingredients for the magician's potions and spells, avoiding the magician's assistant, a bully who spends his days looking for new ways to pick on Oscar, and talking to his many cats who understand him when no else seems to. Oscar likes simple things, structure, and quiet, but his small rebellion is his love of books, which he sneaks secretly from the magician's library. 

When an unknown monster begins terrorizing the Barrow and the children of the perfect city within its protection begin falling ill, Oscar must step out from the comforting shadow of life and face his fears to save day.

A gorgeous story about belonging, believing in yourself, and the true meaning of magic, The Real Boy is a fairy tale destined to earn a place in readers' hearts.
  
Notable Quote:

“I think if you'll look around, my boy," he said gently, "you'll find that no one is quite right. But we all do the best we can.”

Support local and small businesses by shopping indie! Purchase this book via IndieBound using link below.

 

Giveaway: The Real Boy by Anne Ursu

Once again, Anne Ursu, author of the absolutely wonderful Breadcrumbs, enchants readers with the story of Oscar, an often overlooked young orphan and shop boy to a powerful magician. I adore Ursu's novels; lush and gorgeous writing paired with loveable characters makes Ursu a writer that should be on librarian and parent watch lists. The Real Boy is a must read for middle grade readers and older. 

__________________________________

More about the book:

On an island on the edge of an immense sea there is a city, a forest, and a boy. The city is called Asteri, a perfect city that was saved by the magic woven into its walls from a devastating plague that swept through the world over a hundred years before. The forest is called the Barrow, a vast wood of ancient trees that encircles the city and feeds the earth with magic. And the boy is called Oscar, a shop boy for the most powerful magician in the Barrow. Oscar spends his days in a small room in the dark cellar of his master's shop, grinding herbs and dreaming of the wizards who once lived on the island generations ago. Oscar's world is small, but he likes it that way. The real world is vast, strange, and unpredictable. And Oscar does not quite fit in it.

But it's been a long time since anyone who could call himself a wizard walked the world, and now that world is changing. Children in the city are falling ill, and something sinister lurks in the forest. Oscar has long been content to stay in his small room in the cellar, comforted in the knowledge that the magic that flows from the trees will keep his island safe. Now, even magic may not be enough to save it.

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Hero's Guide to Storming the Castle by Christopher Healy {Blog Tour & Giveaway}

The second League of Princes book, The Hero's Guide to Storming the Castle, has finally hit shelves, much to the joy of fans everywhere. Today at The Hiding Spot, I'm hosting a blog tour stop with more information about this hilarious sequel to The Hero's Guide to Saving the Kingdom and a chance to win your own copy of the book or a $200 gift card to the bookstore of your choice (SCORE!). Keep reading to meet Lord Rundark, one of the characters from Healy's books, find out more about the League of Princes books, and how to enter for your chance to win these great prizes!

_______________________________

Getting to Know Lord Rundark

Occupation: Warlord

Affiliation: Supreme Ruler of the Armies of Dar

Kingdom of Origin: Dar (which, being ruled by a warlord, is technically not a kingdom)

Current Residence: The burnt out, ransacked fortress of Dar’s previous warlord

Parentage: Unknown

Longtime Foe: Anyone who stands in his way

Likes: Death, destruction, power… Absolute POWER!

Dislikes: Laziness, cowardice, villains who don’t take their evil seriously

Signature Move: The Raging Backbreaker

Quote: “Pray that the armies of Dar do not pass through your town, for wherever I tread, I leave in my wake wagons reduced to splinters, houses burned to nothing but mere cinders, bottles of milk left uncapped and free to go sour in the warm air.” 

Little Known Fact: Likes ducklings. 

About the Book

Prince Liam. Prince Frederic. Prince Duncan. Prince Gustav. You remember them, don't you? They're the Princes Charming who finally got some credit after they stepped out of the shadows of their princesses - Cinderella, Rapunzel, Snow White, and Briar Rose - to defeat an evil witch bent on destroying all their kingdoms. 

But alas, such fame and recognition only last so long. And when the princes discover that an object of great power might fall into any number of wrong hands, they are going to have to once again band together to stop it from happening - even if no one will ever know it was they who did it. 

Christopher Healy, author of the acclaimed The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, takes us back to the hilariously fractured fairy-tale world he created for another tale of medieval mischief. Magical gemstones, bladejaw eels, a mysterious Gray Phantom, and two maniacal warlords bent on world domination - it's all in a day's work for the League of Princes.

Upcoming Fun!

Twitter Chat: Join New York Times Bestselling author Marissa Meyer and Christopher Healy for a Twitter Chat on fractured fairy tales on Monday, June 3rd at 9pm ET. 

Hashtag #talesretold. There will be giveaways!

Win It! 

The first THREE entrants today will receive signed copies of THE HERO’S GUIDE TO STORMING THE CASTLE and EVERYONE who enters is eligible to win a $200 gift card to the bookstore of his or her choice. 

You will need this SECRET CODE to enter the giveaway: Prince Charming. 

Enter here.

Exclusive Artwork Reveal: Flimsham from The Hero's Guide to Storming the Castle

The second League of Princes book, which follows The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, will be hitting shelves soon! But I have a special sneak peek for fans: an exclusive artwork reveal featuring the character Stanislav Flimsham! You'll find the reveal and information about Flimsham below, as well as a chance to win a framed print of the illustration (signed by the illustrator Todd Harris!) and a copy of the new book, The Hero's Guide to Storming the Castle!

__________________________

The Flimsham Brothers Circus was founded generations ago by Jacques and Dmitri Flimsham, twin boys who entertained houseguests by making their younger brother, Rufus, jump through a hoop with a ball balanced on his nose—and tossing him a small fish afterward as a reward. As word spread, the Flimshams added more acts and began charging admission. They built themselves some homemade stilts, brought in a neighborhood girl who could climb tall lamps, and even trained the tiny fishes to jump into Rufus’s mouth on their own. Eventually, this bit of weekend entertainment turned into a full-fledged traveling circus.

But it didn’t became a huge hit until years later, when the circus was under the management of the slick and stylish Stanislav Flimsham, who also served as ringmaster. It was Stanislav’s love of sparkle and dazzle (or “sparzle,” as he put it), combined with his knack for finding truly unusual acts (like his famous jousting chickens or El Stripo, the tiger that spat human babies into the audience), that made the Flimsham Brothers’s show the most renowned circus in the Thirteen Kingdoms.

Children all over would gather along the roadside to watch the circus caravan roll by: twenty glittering, rainbow-colored wagons driven by burly, heavily sequined men. The kids would keep their eyes trained on the passing windows, hoping for a glimpse of a shimmery top hat, a bouncy clown wig, or a flickering striped tail. Duncan had giddily done so several times in his own youth.

About the Book

Prince Liam. Prince Frederic. Prince Duncan. Prince Gustav. You remember them, don't you? They're the Princes Charming who finally got some credit after they stepped out of the shadows of their princesses - Cinderella, Rapunzel, Snow White, and Briar Rose - to defeat an evil witch bent on destroying all their kingdoms.
But alas, such fame and recognition only last so long. And when the princes discover that an object of great power might fall into any number of wrong hands, they are going to have to once again band together to stop it from happening - even if no one will ever know it was they who did it.
Christopher Healy, author of the acclaimed The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, takes us back to the hilariously fractured fairy-tale world he created for another tale of medieval mischief. Magical gemstones, bladejaw eels, a mysterious Gray Phantom, and two maniacal warlords bent on world domination - it's all in a day's work for the League of Princes.

The Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Artwork Copyright © 2013 by Todd Harris - Text Copyright © 2013 by Christopher Healy

Review: The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy

Prince Liam. Prince Frederic. Prince Duncan. Prince Gustav. You've never heard of them, have you? These are the princes who saved Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Snow White, and Rapunzel, respectively, and yet, thanks to those lousy bards who wrote the tales, you likely know them only as Prince Charming. But all of this is about to change. Rejected by their princesses and cast out of their castles, Liam, Frederic, Duncan, and Gustav stumble upon an evil plot that could endanger each of their kingdoms. Now it's up to them to triumph over their various shortcomings, take on trolls, bandits, dragons, witches, and other assorted terrors, and become the heroes no one ever thought they could be. 

Debut author Christopher Healy takes us on a journey with four imperfect princes and their four improbable princesses, all of whom are trying to become perfect heroes--a fast-paced, funny, and fresh introduction to a world where everything, even our classic fairy tales, is not at all what it seems.

___________________________________

Unique, funny, and fresh are all appropriate words to describe Christopher Healy's The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom. I seriously could not get enough of this fast-paced Middle Grade title!


Lots of little girls wish they could be princesses and plenty of girls and women wish for their Prince Charming to come riding to their rescue, shiny and dashing and heroic, but princesses and the perfect Prince Charming is no where to be found within these pages. Instead, the princesses are either spoiled or more heroic than the princes that are supposed to sweep them off their feet. Prince Charming is a generic name used to describe every prince in every tale... princes that are sometimes dashing and sometime heroic, but often flawed and more often terribly silly. In an endearing way of course.


I can't fully describe how much I adore this novel. The characters are vivid and each have a distinct voice. I'd much rather be a princess like the sort in The Hero's Guide... one who is happy to have a prince by her side, but is more than capable of taking matters into her own hands. 


The princes are a motley crew and never fail to entertain. I loved that each had a specific strength or skill so that when the four came together, usually in rather comedic circumstances, they achieved their goal. I have to say, Prince Duncan was my favorite of the princes, the Prince Charming of Snow White's tale.  Duncan refers to every animal he comes across by name... names he makes up on the spot. His oddities and personality never failed to make me laugh.


I highly recommend The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom. Yes, it's a MG title, but I can imagine readers of all age enjoying the characters and their quirks. And I hear the characters will be reunited in a second installment and they'll be joined by a few more interesting individuals... I, for one, can't wait!

Walden Pond Press, May 2012, Hardcover, ISBN: 9780062117434, 419 pages.

Review: Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu

Once upon a time, Hazel and Jack were best friends. They had been best friends since they were six, spending hot Minneapolis summers and cold Minneapolis winters together, dreaming of Hogwarts and Oz, superheroes and baseball. Now that they were eleven, it was weird for a boy and a girl to be best friends. But they couldn't help it - Hazel and Jack fit, in that way you only read about in books. And they didn't fit anywhere else. 
And then, one day, it was over. Jack just stopped talking to Hazel. And while her mom tried to tell her that this sometimes happens to boys and girls at this age, Hazel had read enough stories to know that it's never that simple. And it turns out, she was right. Jack's heart had been frozen, and he was taken into the woods by a woman dressed in white to live in a palace made of ice. Now, it's up to Hazel to venture into the woods after him. Hazel finds, however, that these woods are nothing like what she's read about, and the Jack that Hazel went in to save isn't the same Jack that will emerge. Or even the same Hazel. 
Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen," Breadcrumbs is a story of the struggle to hold on, and the things we leave behind.

_______________________________________________

Anne Ursu's Breadcrumbs wasn't quite what I was expecting. For some unknown reason, I had assumed that the novel would immediately launch into something at least vaguely recognizable as "The Snow Queen," but that wasn't the case. In retrospect, this makes sense and gives Breadcrumbs a modern, semi-believable feel. It is, in some ways, comparable to the Neil Gaiman's Stardust.


It wasn't until Hazel begins her trek through the magical woods to rescue her best friend that I truly fell for this story. I generally don't pick up middle grade level novels, but I'm making a distinct effort to venture outside of the YA realm. Picking up Breadcrumbs is the result of this effort - and marks my first foray into MG in quite some time. Because of this, I am still not completely comfortable with the MG pace and voice, which was especially present in the beginning of the novel. Once Hazel entered the forest, these troubling aspects faded into the background. I think that if I read more MG this probably would not have been the case, but I'm not used to the thinking of younger characters just yet.


The description of people and things Hazel encounters within the forest - and the stories she hears and lessons she learns - are what truly set Breadcrumbs apart. I loved the magical explanations for the disappointments of everyday life. Hazel and her best friend, Jack, didn't just grow apart, there was something much more complicated, and fantastical, going on.


I feel that if I read more MG, I might be more aware of certain nuances and other characteristics that set this book apart, but as of right now, I am only aware of the fact that Breadcrumbs is a very special novel. It's difficult for me to explain why, but I know that I would have adored this novel when I was younger, especially as I transitioned from elementary school to middle school and was experiencing the loss of my old friends and acquiring new acquaintances. I highly recommend Breadcrumbs to children and adults alike.


Walden Pond Press, Hardcover, September 2011, ISBN: 9780062015051, 313 pages