My Monster Burrufu – Alberto Corral

Publisher:  Petite Grande Idee

Pages:  102

Source:  Review Copy from Author

Genre: Juvenile Children’s fantasy

Goodreads:

Seven-year-old Olivia has just moved to a new house—the same house where a lonely monster named Burrufu lives hidden in a secret attic. One night, unable to resist the smell of delicious cookies, Burrufu sneaks out and is discovered by Olivia. The two soon learn that you can find friendship in the most unexpected places.

My thoughts:

I absolutely loved this book.  I had planned on reading it and sending it to a teacher for her classroom.  She is trying to build up a classroom library.  I have held onto the book  for quite a while.  I’ve re-read it three times.

Olivia has so much love in her heart.  When she discovers a monster living in her attic she decides to make him her friend.  He is too busy writing books to be her friend.  She keeps visiting him until she wins him over.  Now all she has to do is convince the world that he is okay. 

What wonderful lessons about learning about those who are different than yourself.  The illustrations were wonderful.  I think this would

make a wonderful children’s movie.  I highly recommend this parents and children every where.

A Gift For My Sister - Ann Pearlman

Publisher:  Atria Books
Pages:  288 pages
Source:  Review copy from the author
Genre:  Adult, Realistic fiction

From Goodreads:
Ann Pearlman's The Christmas Cookie Club enthralled readers everywhere with a heartwarming and touching story about the power of female friendship. Now, in A Gift for My Sister, she once again explores the depth of the human heart, and this time it’s through the eyes of two sisters. Tara and Sky share a mother, but aside from that they seem to differ in almost every way. When a series of tragedies strikes, they must somehow come together in the face of heartbreak, dashed hopes, and demons of the past. The journey they embark on forces each woman to take a walk in the other’s shoes and examine what sisterhood really means to them. It’s a long road to understanding, and everyone who knows them hopes these two sisters can find a way back to each other

My Thoughts:
Sky and Tara are half sisters.  Sky's father died when she was young.  Her mother remarried and Tara was born.  Tara's father left them to chase after other women.  Both of their father's shaped their lives.  Sky has issues with needing to feel secure.  She is a perfectionist.  Tara has always felt like she didn't fit in with her family.  She has trust issues when it comes to men.  Both of them have children they would do anything for.  On the day Sky loses her job her husband ends up in the hospital.  At the same time Tara's band is hitting the road for their first tour across the United States.  When her brother-in-law dies, she takes control of things and helps to move her sister and niece back to Michigan.  They will take the long way back because Tara's group is still touring.  During this trip the two sister must discover how much they are alike, how much they really know about each other, and how much they really love each other if they are ever going to be able to have a sisterly relationship.

I enjoyed this book.  There were seven years between my oldest sister and myself.  We were so much alike.  She is gone now but we had such a great relationship.  One of my younger sisters and I had a very rocky relationship.  Like Tara my sister was very musically talented.  She always did her own thing.  I was the studious one who had to have everything in its place and organized.  When my first marriage fell apart she was haughty about how I was no different that she was with her failed marriages.  She had no idea that I had envied the way she had so much courage to do what she had to do to survive.  After our oldest sister died we became closer.  She said she always envied my ability to learn so quickly.  I could see so many parallels between the sisters in this book and my sister and myself.    There were so many lessons to be learned.  I look forward to reading more from this author.

About the Author:

Ann Pearlman's The Christmas Cookie Club enthralled readers everywhere with a heartwarming and touching story about the power of female friendship.

Now, in A Gift for My Sister, she once again explores the depth of the human heart, and this time it’s through the eyes of two sisters. Tara and Sky share a mother, but aside from that they seem to differ in almost every way. When a series of tragedies strikes, they must somehow come together in the face of heartbreak, dashed hopes, and demons of the past. The journey they embark on forces each woman to take a walk in the other’s shoes and examine what sisterhood really means to them. It’s a long road to understanding, and everyone who knows them hopes these two sisters can find a way back to each other.

Ann Pearlman, Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award Nominee, is the author of Infidelity: A Memoir, The Christmas Cookie Club, and The Christmas Cookie Cookbook. She lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Memorial Day - We Remember - 3 Generations

Today of all days we remember.  We remember those who have served our country and are now gone.

My Dad:  Master Sergeant
 William Norman Bagley, US Army

Born:  November 29, 1930
Died:  May 28, 1999
Buried: Bushnell National Cemetery, Bushnell, FLorida.

Memorial Day is a difficult time for my family.  Although we know my father is with our Father in Heaven it is a sad time.  It is made even sadder by the fact that because he died on Memorial Weekend we were unable to have his funeral until the 2nd of June.  This is significant because it is the birthday of my sister Gloria who is now with our Heavenly Father.

My Brother:
Rex Allan Bagley
US Air Force Retired

I am so proud of my brother for serving his country in Iraq.

My wonderful son:
Christopher William Torres, US Army

Christopher will be deployed to Korea sometime this July.  He will leave behind his children and his wife who will give birth to another child in November.

I am very proud of these three.  I've had numerous nephews serve as well.  To all of my family, and all soldiers everywhere, I salute you, and thank you for serving our country.

Student Saturday: The Book Thief - Markus Zusak

Publisher:  Knopf Books for Young Readers
Pages:  550
Student Reviewer:  Courtney

I read The Book Thief written by Markus Zusak.  This book is about Liesel Miminger.  She doesn't have the best luck.  For example, her brother dies on a train, her mom gives her away to foster parents and she's living in the Nazi time.  Liesel steals books. Her foster father would wake up at midnight every night and teach her how to read.  One night Liese's family hides a Jew, and from there things start to go down hill.  I can make a connection with the story because when I was three my dad would help me all the time, working hard to learn to read.  My opinion of the book was that it was really good, but I was expecting something a little bit more interesting to happen.  My recommendation for this boo is when yous tart to read you should give a long way into it.  If you don't it gets a little bit boring.

Guest Post: John Bemis

    John Claude Bemis

The act of creating a story becomes an opportunity to explore truths about life.  This is one of the most exciting aspects to being a writer.  In writing The Prince Who Fell from the Sky, I discovered something very interesting: our identity is often based on our relationships with others. 

The unnamed boy who is at the center of my novel is the sole survivor of a crashed spaceship.  He has landed on a future Earth where no humans remain.  In our absence, animals and the wilderness have taken over.  To the powerful and outcast bear Casseomae who finds the boy, he becomes her surrogate child.  None of her real cubs have ever survived, and she longs to be a mother, even if it means given up all she has ever known to protect this boy.  But wolves rule Casseomae’s forest, wolves that carry legends how their kind were once hunted by humans.  To the wolves and their merciless leader, the Ogeema, the boy is a threat and a devil.  So the wolves begin a deadly hunt for Casseomae’s cub.

Other animals have legends about humans as well.  Dogs remember how their kind once lived gloriously among us.  And it is because of this that dogs are viewed as traitors by the wolves and other animals of Casseomae’s forest.  To the dog Pang, the boy is a spark of hope, a possible savior for Pang’s kin, and he joins Casseomae in her quest to lead the boy to a safe haven.  The boy’s third companion is a rat named Dumpster.  Rats have very different legends about humans.  To Dumpster, the boy brings out conflicting feelings.  Humans meant food and a comfortable life to his ancestors, but humans were also a threat.  Dumpster struggles with his feelings and intentions for Casseomae’s cub.  To each of the various characters of my novel, the boy takes on a different role.

While the story makes for a grand and often harrowing adventure, it also allowed me a chance to wonder about our relationships, our dreams, and our fears.  Who are we if not the person others see us as?  It’s a fascinating mystery that’s left me wondering long after finishing The Prince Who Fell from the Sky.

Bio:

John Claude Bemis is the author of The Clockwork Dark, a fantasy adventure trilogy that takes place in a mythical America. The first book, The Nine Pound Hammer (Random House), was described as “a steampunk collision of heroes, mermaids, pirates, and good old-fashioned Americana” by Booklist and was a New York Public Library Best Children’s Book 2009 for Reading and Sharing.  The trilogy continues with The Wolf Tree and The White City and has been described as “original and fresh” and “a unique way of creating fantasy.”  His new book The Prince Who Fell from the Sky was named an Amazon Best Book of the Month for May 2012.   John lives in Hillsborough, North Carolina with his wife and daughter.  www.johnclaudebemis.com

The Prince Who Fell From the Sky - John Claude Bemis

REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

Publisher:  Random House (May 22, 2012)

Pages:  272

Source:  Review copy from publisher in exchange for an honest review

Genre:  Middle Grade, Post-Apocalyptic, Animal Fantasy

From Goodreads:

In Casseomae's world, the wolves rule the Forest, and the Forest is everywhere. The animals tell stories of the Skinless Ones, whose cities and roads once covered the earth, but the Skinless disappeared long ago.

Casseomae is content to live alone, apart from the other bears in her tribe, until one of the ancients' sky vehicles crashes to the ground, and from it emerges a Skinless One, a child. Rather than turn him over to the wolves, Casseomae chooses to protect this human cub, to find someplace safe for him to live. But where among the animals will a human child be safe? And is Casseomae threatening the safety of the Forest and all its tribes by protecting him?

Middle-grade fans of post apocalyptic fiction are in for a treat with this fanciful and engaging animal story by the author of the Clockwork Dark trilogy.

My Thoughts:

This is one author who has that magical touch that allows his animals to become somewhat human.  In a world where the humans are supposedly extinct, a bear and rat find themselves protecting a child who fell from the sky.  When a flying craft crashes in the forest, Dumpster, a rat and Casseomae find themselves the protector of the only survivor, a young boy.  The animals of the forest call humans the “skinless ones”.  As you read you realize they have many prejudices against humans based on what they have heard from tales passed down.  I thought it interesting that Dumpster was the keeper of the memories.  He is despised by others in the forest because he lived among the humans.  Dogs are even lower on the list because they lived with the humans. 

Knowing this small boy or cub as Casseomae calls him will not harm them, she sets out to get him to safety.  When word of the child reaches their leader Ogeema, he is determined to kill the child.  I loved the bond between the bear and the boy.  I loved the way Dumpster pretended he didn’t care about the boy and that he was nothing but trouble.  His actions proved different.   This reminded me of the movie “Ice Age” where the wooly mammoth was determined to get the small boy back to his people.

I loved the writing style.  Bemis did not tell the names of animals.  He described them through the eyes of the band of animals traveling together.  When Casseomae comes upon her first strange animal she described it as a “strange deer.  It had an exceptionally long neck ….she could make out spots over its coat, large brown blots against a field of tawny yellow.” (Page 193)  It would have been so much easier to just say they saw the carcass of a dead giraffe.  His descriptions showed the animals as intelligent but not all knowing.  I had not read his previous trilogy The Clockwork Dark, but will definitely do so now.  This is an author I will proudly recommend to all of my students and parents. 


Come back tomorrow for a guest post from the Author.

GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Student Saturdays: Syren - Angie Sage

Publisher:  Bloomsbury
Pages:  628
Student Reviewer:  Lauren

Syrah Serra was a wizard apprentice that was "possessed" and was stuck on one island for 500 years.  Septimus Heap is the wizard apprentice that is still in training and is the latest wizard apprentice.  Marcia Overstrand is Simon's girlfriend.  Simon is Septimus's big brother.  Miarr is a cat that protects the lighthouse.  Wolf boy is also Septimus's best friend.  On the 7 islands, the islands that possessed Syrah.  The middle of the ocean, Lucy and Wolf Boy were trapped by pirates.  The Ice Tunnels, the jinn tried to take over the castle.  The Wizard Tower, where Septimus and Marcia live.  I would recommend this book to people who like fiction, fantasy, action and adventure.  One rainstorm can cause dramatic things to drive out of their right places.  This book was a very excellent book.  I got so attached to it that whenever I took it out to read I would have to force myself to put it down!  When Lucy, Wolf Boy and Miarr were hiding in one of the rooms of the lighthouse so that they wouldn't get shot, reminds me of when I was little and played hide and go seek tag with my friends.

Sweetie Goes To Bed - Lydia Lin

Pages:  48
Source:  Review Copy
Genre:  Children's Picture Book

This is a simple bedtime story to read to your tiny ones.  Sweetie is a young penguin whose loving parents put him to bed.  When they fall asleep Sweetie gets up and begins to explore.  He meets a friend named Bobo and runs into danger.  He learns a valuable lesson about obeying his parents.  This would be a great story to read to your child after you have tucked them into bed.  Great pictures. 

Trailer: 

http://youtu.be/-vgIBWNgtk4

As One Devil To Another - Richard Platt

Publisher:  Tyndale House

Pages:  208

Genre:  Adult, Christian Fiction

Source: Review copy

Giveaway: To Win A Copy of the Book from the publisher, leave a comment below along with an email address.  I will use Random.org to choose the winner Friday, May 18 at 9pm EST.  The winner will have 48 hours to contact me with their mailing address.  I will send the certificate  from the publisher, to the winner for their free copy.

From the Publisher:

As One Devil to Another is an astonishing debut work that C. S. Lewis’s biographer and foremost Lewis authority Walter Hooper calls “a stunning achievement, the finest example of the genre of diabolical correspondence to appear since this genre was popularized by C. S. Lewis.” Enter into this chilling and diabolical tale, one that reveals the very tricks and strategies of Hell.

Through a series of letters between devils created by Platt, senior devil Slashreap trains his young protégé, Scardagger, to win an individual soul away from Heaven and into their clutches. As the devils plot their way to triumph, they reveal the spiritual dangers and risks we face in today’s society. Their frighteningly accurate perspective on issues such as contemporary technology and sexual mores is interwoven with timeless matters such as the power of prayer, the purpose of suffering, and the promises held out by Heaven . . . and Hell.

Destined to become a modern classic, As One Devil to Another is a brilliantly written, deeply unsettling perspective on twenty-first-century society . . . a glimpse of ourselves through the eyes of those who have embraced their underworldly existence.

My thoughts:

I have always been a fan of “The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis.  After reading this book I can say that if C.S. Lewis was still alive I would believe that this book was a sequel to his book.  We meet Slashreap and Scardaggar.  Slashreap is a demon who is mentoring his nephew Scardaggar in the fine points of corrupting people.  This is a book that points out the subtle ways Satan makes every day things we do appear to be benign.  It’s scary to read a book like this and realize as you are reading, ‘Hey that was me’.

The letters from Slashreap to his nephew Scardaggar focus on everything from gluttony and  over-consuming, to sexual depravity.  You know those things we don’t need that we buy, “just because”, and those movies that have just a little bit of sexual content to them.  Slashreap wants to make sure his nephew does everything he can to bring the “client” to the gates of hell.  They speak of Christ as the adversary.  I am sure that is how Satan sees him.

I was taken aback by how easily our society has slipped up.  We isolate ourselves with gadgets.  We separate ourselves from our friends and children, wasting valuable time we could give to God with “things”.  This is not only a modern retelling of “The Screwtape Letters”, but so much more.  This should be read by every Christian.  So many of these things didn’t seem important to me until I had finished the book.  I had to look at the book and realize there were so many areas I actually became the “client”.  This was something that I then needed to spend time praying about.   

I received this book free from the publisher.  I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Spectral - Shannon Duffy

Publisher:  Tribute Books

Pages:  242

Source:  Review copy from publisher in exchange for my honest review

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance

From Publisher:

Convinced she’s a part of the witness protection program, sixteen-year-old Jewel Rose is shuffled around the globe with her family like a pack of traveling gypsies. After arriving at lucky home twenty-seven, she stumbles upon a mysterious boy with magical powers claiming to be her guardian . . . and warning of imminent danger. Despite the obvious sparks between them, Jewel discovers a relationship is forbidden, and the more she learns about dark, brooding Roman, she begins to question who she can even believe — the family who raised her, or the supposed sworn protector who claims they’ve been lying to her all along.

As she struggles to uncover who her family has really been running from, she is forced to hide her birthmark that reveals who she is. With new realities surfacing, unexplained powers appearing, and two tempting boys vying for her heart, Jewel battles to learn who she can trust in an ever growing sea of lies, hoping she’ll make it through her seventeenth birthday alive.

My Thoughts:

This was a very interesting book.  It has two hunky guys for Jewel to hook up with.  One of them, Chase, is a very popular jock.  The other one, Roman, comes across as a bad boy.  Jewel has never been in one place long enough to have a close friend, let alone a boy friend.

Now she has a best friend named Taylor and two boys who are trying for her attention.  With her past experiences with people chasing them, who can she trust when strange things begin to happen? 

There is a well rounded cast of characters.  Jewel has a definite connection with her younger brother.  To say she would do anything for him is an understatement.  Their relationship reminded me of my son and daughter.  She has an aunt that you just want to kill.  I felt tension the minute she entered the story.  I just knew she had to be up to no good. Then we meet the grandmother.  Jewel and her brother are thrilled to see her.  The author does an excellent job of making you think you one thing then throwing a twist at you that you could not possibly see coming.   This was a great read.

About the Author:

Shannon Duffy writes young adult and middle grade fiction. She grew up on the beautiful east coast of Canada and now lives in Ontario, Canada. She is the mom of one boy, Gabriel, her angel. She loves writing, reading, working out, soccer, and the sport of champions-shopping. She is the author of the young adult paranormal romance novel, SPECTRAL. Her upcoming middle grade fantasy novel, GABRIEL STONE AND THE DIVINITY OF VALTA is scheduled for a January 2013 release.


Extra Resources:

Spectral web site:  http://spectralwitch.blogspot.com/

Spectral Twitter hashtag:  #Spectral

Spectral GoodReads page:  http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13319632-spectral

Shannon Duffy's Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001969007586

Shannon Duffy's Twitter:  http://twitter.com/#!/ShannonDuffyLit

Shannon Duffy's Website:  http://www.shannonduffylit.com/

Shannon Duffy's Blog:  http://1fantasyfairy.blogspot.com/

Shannon Duffy's GoodReads:  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3873156.Shannon_Duffy

Tribute Books website:  http://www.tribute-books.com