Three Wonderful Fairy Tales by Sergey Nikolov

I received copies of these books in exchange for my honest review. 

I love this author's writing style.  The stories are charming as are most fairy tales yet they have a wonderful lesson to be learned.

Princess Rose and the Golden Bird
This is a wonderful fairy tale of a young princess who loved roses. Everyone called her Princess Rose. Every night a golden bird would fly to her balcony. She and the bird sang and the people all had beautiful dreams,. One day a witch cast a spell on the roses. Princess Rose's hair turned black. When the bird came to her and they sang the people fell asleep and had nightmares. Princess Rose manages to break the curse only to have the witch cast it again. Want to know what happened? You must read this book to see what the witch did to Princess Rose and whether she can break the curse again.






The Legend of the Black Sea

What a lesson this story has. An old man, his dog and a black cat live by the sea. The dog doesn't like the black cat because it is black and doesn't help as much as he does. The old man is always telling the dog that he believes in the cat's goodness.  One day disaster strikes and the old man asks both the dog and cat to help.  When the cat doesn't he loses faith in its goodness. find out what happens when the old man loses faith in the cat's goodness.

Mommy
In a kingdom lived a king with his little princess. He stayed with her always. He was afraid of losing her like he had lost her mother. Princess Selena had no friends. She became very sad and very ill. In heaven two little angels always played together. One of the m became bored and wanted someone else to play with. God tells them it is not a good idea. He gives in to the pleading.  Selena leaves her earthly body and goes to heaven.  Her father is so sad he won't leave her body.  Selena has so much fun.  After a while one of the angels gets upset because three is a crowd.  God sends Selena back to her body and her father learns to give her some freedom.  Selena grows up.  To find out what happens next to Selena and to both of the angels read the book.  It is wonderfully written.

Five More Picture Books

Blue Baboon in the Big Balloon - Sarah & Steven Mostyn

In a story told in the form of the woman who swallowed a fly we find a blue baboon who lives in a balloon. Every afternoon they have tea at half past three. Their friend Matt the Cat chases a family of mice that fly kites and eat friend mice.  On one of the kites lives an orange mite that likes to fight a troll who wears bright red tights.  One day they all get into the balloon to fly to the moon.  There they meet Holly and Molly, two raccoons who live in a cocoon and have a friend named Miranda the Panda. They watch cartoons in the cocoon until they hear the moo of the cow who jumped over the moon.  Then they go home to sit by the sea and have tea.

Not only is this a wonderful story full of rhyming words but the pictures are bright and colorful and leave so much to share with the child you are reading it to.

You can learn more at their web site: mostynbooks.com

Magical Toys – Uncle Amos

Ron had a room full of wonderful toys. He played with them every afternoon when he came home from school. One day he invited a friend over to play with him. They played hard until it was time for John to go home. Ron’s mom told him to clean up the toys. Ron waited to continue playing. When they looked at how messy the room was they knew it would be a lot of hard work. John convinced Ron they needed to leave everything here it was so they could play with it the net day. When Ron’s mom saw Ron had not cleaned his room she was angry with him. She told him Ron couldn’t come over. Ron was just as upset with hi mom. He didn’t think she was being fair. Suddenly Ron started hearing voices. Who was talking to him? What did they want?

Will Ron clean his room? Will mom allow him to have friends over again? Read this wonderful book that teaches children the importance of being responsible for their possessions.  Then check out more of Uncle Amos’ books.

My Brother is My Best Friend – Nicole Weaver

This story is told in English, Spanish and French. Since all the languages are on each page the author has color coded them. English is in black, Spanish is in red, and French is in blue.

This simple story is about twin brothers Blake and Drake and the fun they have playing outside in the winter and summer. It demonstrates why they are not only brothers but best friends.

At the end of the story there is a glossary of words found in French and Spanish There are also a word search and find the English sentences to match the French and Spanish sentences. The pictures are fun and whimsical. This would be a great teaching tool.

Part of the proceeds from the purchase of this book goes to a Haitian orphanage through Mercy & Sharing, an organization that provides food and shelter to Haiti’s abandoned children.  This is a project near and dear to the author’s heart. Her own mother lost 13 cousins in the 2010 earthquake that ravaged Haiti.

You can find more information at her website



Maya and Filippo Play Chef at Sea - Alinka Rutkowska

Maya and Filippo live on a cruise ship called the "Fun Princess". They travel all over the world having fun discovering new things. In this story they are traveling from New Zealand to Tasmania. When their mom asks them what they'd like to do that day, Maya says she'd like to make a cake and Filippo says he wants to eat cake. They join a group of other children with the pastry chef. The chef had them wash their hands and put on an apron and hat like a real chef. He shows them the ingredients on the table and tells the what to do. Maya sees one boy looking sad and not participating. He only sees a mess, not cake.  Maya convinces him that if he doesn't try he'll never know what he can do. They bake their cakes and then the parents get to taste them. The children learn how to have fun, take chances on something new and cooperate with each other.

Why Blue - Josh Tuininga

I loved this book because it is spot on. children are full of "why" questions. In this story Maya goes for a walk. While sitting on a bench she looks up at the sky and wonders why it is blue and not some other color. Read to find out what she learns about why the sky is blue. The author has demonstrated through his writing that a little kid still exists inside of him that continues to make him ask why.
You can find Josh at:
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Three Woderful Books - Eitan Hana

Foxy the Fox and the Vineyard


Foxy the fox lives with his wife and three fox children, sons Dolly and Polly and daughter Tolly. Foxy has lots of friends. He also has an enemy. Snicker the snake is the enemy of all of the animals. He is rich.  Everything he has he has taken by force.  He has a vineyard full of grapes that will soon be ripe.  At one time all the animals enjoyed the grapes. That was before Snicker took them and put fences and traps around them so no one could get to them except the crow who could fly in from above.  Foxy wants grapes more than anything.  He and his family sit down and make a plan to get the grapes.  Will he get the grapes or will he get caught.  Read this wonderful story to find out how friends help each other.  This story teaches kids not to be greedy, to remain loyal to friends, and to help each other.


Foxy's Birthday

It is Foxy's birthday.  His family and friends have prepared a surprise party for him.  Foxa his wife has prepared some omlettes from eggs given to her by her chicken friend.  Foxy's friend Coby Cat is coming for a visit and bringing the cake. Foxy hasn't seen Coby in a long time. When Foxy sits down to eat breakfast he sees his youngest is not at the table.  Mama sends him in to check on Tolly.  Tolly says she feels better and gets out of bed.  When they get to the table Foxy is surprised by a special breakfast. A knock on the door and he is surprised by his friend Coby.  Coby loves pranks.  Read to find out what happens when one of his pranks goes wrong.  This is a lesson about caring for each other in many different ways. It also shows how a simple act can be an act of heroism.

6 Activities For Children

This book has six activities you can do with your children.  These activities would be great for parties, or any large gathering. The book has instructions and a list of what you need for each activity. A couple of them are the Tug of War, Creating bottles with layers of colored salt, water races.  This book was a reminder to me of things that my family did whenever we would get together with other relatives on our farm or when we would go camping.  This was a reminder of a lot of great fun that I and my family had growing up.  This is a definite book for parents. This is enough to give you a start on activities to do together.  This seems to be something that is missing in families today.




Eitan Hana is the father of ten children, and has several grandchildren.  They grew up being told wonderful stories such as these.  These are definite must reads.

Title: The Infinity Program
Author: Richard H. Hardy
f Genre: Science Fiction
Paperback available at: Amazon





Book Description:

Jon Graeme and Harry Sale are unlikely friends. Harry is a world-class programmer, but his abrasive personality alienates co-workers. In contrast, Jon is a handsome and easy-going technical writer, the low man on the IT totem pole.

Sharing a love of nature, the men set out together, planning to go their separate ways--Jon on a hike and Harry, fly fishing. Three days later, Jon arrives at the rendezvous point, but his friend is nowhere in sight. When Jon finds Harry unconscious on the floor of a cave, Harry claims to have been lying there the entire time. But he is neither cold nor hungry. What Jon doesn't know is that Harry fell into an underground cavern, where he came into contact with an alien quantum computer.

Back at work, Harry jettisons his regular tasks and concentrates exclusively on inventing new operating language to access the alien system. In the process he crashes his office's Super Computer and is fired. Jon convinces the company to give Harry a second chance, arguing that the system he has invented will make them millions.

Jon has no idea what havoc Harry is about to unleash.


Excerpt:

About the Author:
Richard H. Hardy was born in Glasgow, Scotland, during a week of relentless bombing raids just before the close of World War II. The day he was born an incendiary bomb fell on the church across the street from where he lived, so he is fond of saying that he entered the world with a big adrenaline rush.

His family later moved to England and then on to America.

After college Richard bounced through a series of temporary jobs as he traveled around the country, wanting nothing more than to write fiction. A job driving a library van allowed him free time to write several short stories and work on a novel.

He and his wife moved to New Hampshire, where he took an entry level job at a software company. He was soon promoted to the technical writing department and ended up producing over 500,000 words of online documentation. After a few years he was promoted to the programming department and ended up as the Senior EDI Programmer, creating EDI maps and writing UNIX scripts and troubleshooting on AIX systems throughout the U.S. and Canada.

After he retired, he started writing fiction again. The Infinity Program is his first published novel.


Where to find Richard H. Hardy:

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Eleven Wonderful Picture Books

 Two books by Emily Thomson 

The illustrations in both books are beautiful.  The animals have that adorable, want to cuddle them look to them.

All the Baby Animals in the Wild

 

In this book  we learn about the animals that are in the wild . She has included the monkey, zebra, rhinoceros, a giraffe, hippo, tiger, hyena, elephant, antelope, and lion. The author has created a simple rhyming book that gives one or two characteristics of these wild animals.

 

All the Baby Animals in the Woods

In this second rhyming book we get a look at animals that live in the woods.  It also is written in a rhyming format. The animals in this book include a fawn, bear, flying squirrel, raccoon, owl, porcupine, fox, and lynx.  It also shows them cuddling with their mothers and talks about what they do as babies until they grow up. She has included a link to LiltHouseKids.com for a free coloring book.

 

Bob and Larry in the Case of the Missing Patience – Karen Poth

Bob and Larry are detectives. Larry carries around a stuffed badger to help him remain courageous They have to teach a new group called the Pod Squad to be great detectives.  Their first case they get a tip on the Masked Door Slammer.  There are too many of them to fit in the detective’s car so they take the Pod Squad van that breaks down.  This causes them to miss the Masked Door Slammer. The peas rolled down the hill and this causes Larry and Bob to use hateful words towards them.  They suddenly find themselves investigating another case.  They think they have caught the culprit only to discover things aren’t what they thought.  As they learn the truth they also learn how hurtful words can be if they aren’t used for good.  Great lessons in this book.

 

Casey and Bella Face Their First Bully – written by Jane Lovascio; story idea by Anna Stover

Bella and Casey meet their new neighbor a Doberman named Roscoe. When they say hello and welcome him he is hateful to them. They decide to try the next day. When their Frisbee accidently flies over the fence Roscoe refuses to give it back. Casey and Bella decide to walk to the park where they meet a wise owl named Opie. The owl tells them that Roscoe is a Bully. He explains what a bully is and how to deal with them.  This is a must read book.  See how Casey and Bella help stop bullying.  Then read the story behind the story that was originally written by 10 year old Anna Stover. The basic story line and ideas for stopping bullying are in both stories. This is a wonderful way to teach young kids what to do if they or someone they know are being bullied.

 

Cat Cabby – Christina Tran

Cassidy cat is a cab driver who falls asleep as he is driving. He picks up Ginger cat to take her to a birthday party.  Ginger has a plan to help Cassidy stay awake.  She is going to play music but forgets the music. She has to get to the bakery to get the cupcakes.  Cassidy starts the car and falls asleep but still gets her there safely.  Cassidy is very sorry.  Read this book to see how Cassidy’s friends help him with his problem and then read to learn the true story behind Cassidy Cat.

 

 

Hero Cat – Eileen Spinelli

Eileen Spinelli is one of my favorite children’s authors.  Hero cat is the story of a mother cat who entered a burning building five different times to save her kittens.  She brought them out one at a time.  This simple, short story is based on the news story of a cat who did just that.  For this reason she is considered a hero.

 

 

It Stinks to Be Pink – Kathryn L. Novak

On an island called Flora live creatures that are round, fluffy and brightly colored. They have black markings on their puffy bodies. The children go to school and then love to play in the beautiful flowers on their island.  All of the fuzzipuffs love to play outside except for Spotty.  Everyone thinks that Spotty doesn’t like them because he always seems sad or mad.  Spotty thinks no one likes him or wants to play with him because unlike the others he is pink. Spotty decides he is going to run away to the Dark Forest.  It is the only place they are forbidden to go.  Spotty finds a magical mirror?  Read this wonderful book about self – image to find out what happens to Spotty and the other fuzzipuffs.

 

Mia’s Tooth Fairy – Yosifia Porat

Mia is about to lose her first tooth. She is very excited that the tooth fairy will visit her. She talks with her friends about it.  She decides to write a letter to the tooth fairy to make sure she remembers to visit her after she loses her tooth.  When the letter is returned she makes a video and puts it on YouTube in hopes the tooth fairy will see it. Read to find out if Mia gets a visit form the tooth fairy.

 

Rainboy Full of Joy – Eli

This book was different.  Troy is a young boy who looks out the window and see something strange.  He is not sure whether he should tell his parents.  Rainboy speaks to him and tells him to come out and play.  He asks him what he would like to do then tells him to grab hold of his tail.  They are transported to the area Troy wished for.  After a while they meet two new friends, Ned and Ted.  Each of them get to make a wish and then it is time to go back home.  Read all about their adventures in this cute book. Then ask yourself, if Rainboy visited you, where would you wish to go?

All Sheep Love to Sing - Paula McBride
In this cute book all the sheep were practicing for the 'Great Anwen Sheep Singing Contest'. That is all of the sheep except for the smallest one, Emlyn.  He was too shy to try to sing.  On the day of the great singing contest. Emlyn stands at the top of a mountain to hear better. Suddenly he spots danger.  Read this book to find out what he does to save the other sheep.  This was a cute book with wonderful pictures

Ten Busy Brownies - Talia Haven
This simple story is a counting book. It starts out with one little brownie guarding the dreams of children as they sleep. Then there are two brownies are cleaning up clothes and toys.  It continues adding a number and what the brownies are doing all the way up to ten.  In case you don't remember what  a brownie is, they are similar to goblins but usually live in houses and help out.  The story is delightful, the pictures are very colorful and give you something to sit with your child and have them find different things in the pictures. This is a great book to teach children to count to ten.

How to Promote Your Children's Book - Katie Davis

I was excited to participate in the promotion of this book. I received a copy from the author to read and review.  What you get here is my honest review.

Promoting my first book was extremely hard and that is probably why it has not done as well as I’d like it to.  I can take the advice in this book and apply it to not only my first book but to the one I have almost finished. Shy by nature, promoting myself and my work has always been an issue.  I am a National Board Certified Teacher.  I missed getting the certification the first time around by nine points.  When my mentor, someone who had been an evaluator in the process looked over my results her words were no surprise.  I missed it because I did not promote myself.  I grew up believing if you did that you were vain and self-centered.  In writing you have to promote yourself whether you are self-published or traditionally published.

Katie’s book takes some of the sting out of what seems like such a daunting process.  I was pleased to see that some of the things I had already done with my first book were things she had recommended in her book. I was also shocked at how much more I could have done. As a teacher, I loved the section on “Teacher’s Guides”. The proper way to use “Social” media is hit on which makes it very relevant to every author and really focuses on the social part of it. When I promoted my first book I was afraid of offending everyone by talking about my book on Facebook.  I had come across people who made it clear they hated and unfriended people who they felt used them just for that purpose. There is a right and a wrong way to use social media.

Another thing that was especially helpful to me was all of the links she included in the book.  This is a book that you need to read with a pen and pad at your side as there will be so much you will want to go back to or check on. Keeping a notepad handy helps.   This book doesn’t come across a stiff how-to manual.  Instead it is more like sitting down with a group of writing friends and discussing ways to promote your book, what worked and what didn’t work.

So how much do I believe in this book?  I have a group of middle school students who participated in NaNoWriMo.  I am going to tell them and their parents that this is the book they need if they are serious about getting their book published.  I am also going to work with them on some of the ideas in the book.  That is how much I believe in this book.

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Student Saturday: Duckling Ugly - Neal Shusterman

Student Reviewer: Grant

The book Duckling Ugly was a really good book because it had good detail, and taught a good lesson. The lesson learned was to think before you do. The book would really paint a picture in your mind about the setting. It was very descriptive. I might warn you there is a little sadness in the beginning and also at the end,

The time frame of the book is pretty modern, I think that the year is 2011. The story takes place in a small town named Flockcrest. There are mountains on the northwest side of the town. Somewhere in the town there is a cemetery where Clara visits almost every day. There are a lot of characters in this book. the main character is Clara. Clara is an ugly girl who can literally crack a mirror just by looking at it. She also sleeps standing up in the northwest corner of her room at night. Grenado is a kid who once sat in the mercy seat (the chair across the table from Clara). Tud Tuddie is an ugly boy like Clara. He got made fun of a lot and went missing a few years back. Clara's mom and dad always supported Clara and always loved her. Her brother was always a smart aleck towards Clara. Her mom and dad were not happy about that. One more character in the story is Marshal. She bullies Clara every day.

The plot of the story begins at school when Grenado sits in the mercy seat and Clara ignores him the whole lunch, The next week Grendado comes back to sit in the  mercy seat. He was the first student to sit in the mercy seat more than once. That day Clara sneaks out to go to the cemetery. She was relaxing when she saw Marshal doing graffiti in the cemetery. Clara hid but when Marshal saw Clara he started to beat her up. An old lady came over and stabbed Marshal in the toe and Marshal ran away. That night Clara gets a letter hand delivered to her house that said "find the answers". A kid named Marshal Aster asked Clara to the homecoming dance and Clara said yes. At the dance Clara forces a kiss on her date and he throws up in the punch bowl. After that Clara is so humiliated she drives North West towards the mountains and wanders on a path and passes out near the mountains.

Just like Clara's school, our school and most schools have a hand full of bullies. Also, I think most people have made decisions that were not so smart and hopefully they have learned fro that. I think a lot of people can relate to this.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good descriptive book and a little bit of drama with emotions. It can be a little confusing so you want to focus while reading the book to get the most out of it. Overall an 8 out of 10 stars for this book.

First Light - Michelle Frost

 

Genre: Adult, Fantasy
Pages: 400
Source: I received a review copy in exchange for my honest review.

From Goodreads:
On the harsh militant world of Sindorus, where even colours are considered sinful, three people living very separate lives are about to have those lives change forever. As deceptions are torn away, and ancient secrets brought to light, they each must struggle to find the missing pieces to the puzzle...answers that will unlock their true destiny

My Review:
This is an awesome book.  We are introduced to the three main characters in the first three chapters.
We meet Idrith, a young man who lives in a monastery.  This was not by his choice.  Idrith, as a young boy goes to live with his uncle due to a scandal and death in his family. Life with his uncle is not easy.  He knows his uncle can't stand him.  He and his cousin Aztar become very close. They share secrets they would not dare tell anyone else. Idrith follows his father into the monastery. His father is well liked.  For Idrith it seems more like a prison until he meets Harmion and finds a secret room.

Daen's family owns land that once grew Rae trees. Rae trees are vital to Sindorous. As the trees have died they have started to raise milk giving animals.  Daen's mother died giving birth to her.  Unlike most women, Daen was raised  with many of the freedoms that boys had.  She was free to read more than others, climbed trees, and ask as man y questions as she wanted. This was great until she was promised in marriage so that her family land would always be hers. The nobleman's son she was to marry had great aspirations.  He definitely would not allow her the freedoms she had grown up with because that could cause a scandal. When her betrothed keeps putting off the wedding her future father-in-law sends her a slave girl as a gift. This girl is a big help to her ailing father. She also introduces her to Harmion who helps her with her art.

Aztar has one goal, to become a Controller before the age of 30.  Most people don't make it before age 40. He has attended the military academy and is moving up at a very fast rate for such a young age. Imagine his surprise when he is called in by the Zah-Riel and made a Controller at age 29 and given a secret mission. The one hitch is he must work with a southerner named Anachar. There are prejudices that abound between the people of the north and south. Aztar is beginning to overcome those prejudices as he works with Aachar.  A letter from his cousin Idrith, delivered by a friend of Anachars proves both worrisome and beneficial at the same time. The friend turns out to be Harmion.

It didn't take me long after I started the book to start making connections to other books. One of the things that is evident from the very beginning is that people are not to have anything to do with colors. They are not allowed to have colorful clothing or pictures, etc.  Everything is drab.  As a teacher I immediately thought of two books "Truesight" by David Stahler. This is about a society that is blind in so many ways following a leadership that only pretends to be blind to keep the people in line. The other book is called "The Giver" by Lois Lowry. In this society everyone does what they are told. No one sees color except Jonas who is being trained by The Giver.  He becomes angry when he learns the truth.  It is the same with the people in this book.  When they learn the truth they are called to action.

The lessons and themes in this book are many. The danger is everywhere.  Will the individuals  find common ground and find the connections that will bind them together, or will the darkness within the Zan-Riel cover them all?

This is a must read book.  I look forward to reading the sequel and anything else this author writes. I was so engrossed I finished the book in one day. Definitely a book I recommend to all fantasy lovers.

Amazon link First Light: http://www.amazon.co.uk/First-Light-Michelle-Frost-ebook/dp/B00HUNPHYE/ref=sr_1_4_bnp_1_kin?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1389795133&sr=1-4&keywords=michelle+frost

 

B&N Link: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/first-light-michelle-frost/1103826388?ean=9781494262938

 

Author's Blog: http://crows-feet.blogspot.co.uk/index.html

Student Saturday: The Looking Glass Wars - Frank Beddor

Student Reviewer: Kai

The Looking Glass Wars is a three-part series that was inspired by the original books by Lewis Carroll; Alice in Wonderland, and Through the Looking Glass. The story focuses on young Alyss Heart the soon-to-be queen of Wonderland, but Wonderland has an enemy, Genevieve Heart's (The queen) sister Redd. Redd wants to take back the kingdom after being exiled for thirteen years, and if need be by force. Redd and her most trusted minion the cat (a feline-human hybrid assassin) have gathered an army of warriors trained in imagination (A magic-like power used to manipulate the normal world that is fueled by your imagination to take the throne of power. This is a very good Three-part series with lots of action, tragedy, and some love. I would recommend anyone to read these books as they are a good twist on a classic book.

It's Time to Begin Reading for SRT 2014

Welcome to Spring Reading Thing 2014!

It is my sincerest hope that you have a great time with this challenge.  I hope you get to read lots of books and that you find a lot of new books for our TBR list.

Briefly here is what you need to do to be a part of Spring Reading Thing 2014:

• Make a list of books you want to read or finish reading this spring.  Feel free to modify the list as you go along if it isn't working for you.

• Write a blog post containing your list and submit it to this post using the Mr. Linky below.

• Check out other participants' lists and add to your own to-read-someday pile!

• You may begin reading on the 20th!  The challenge goes from March 20th to June 20th.

• Write a post about your challenge experience in June, telling us all about your experience and whether you reached our goals.  REMEMBER: this is a low-pressure, stressfree challenge that should be fun. As long as you do some reading this spring (and enjoy it!) that's good enough for me.

There is a Mr. Linky at the end of this post.  Please use it to link to your blog post containing your Spring Reading Thing list. Remember to link to your specific post, not just your general blog homepate. People will be stopping by for days or weeks!) and when you link to your specific post, it will make it easier for everyone to find your reading list. Also, if you don't mind, please link back here from your post so that your readers can come check out all the other participants.

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I will be giving away two prizes as part of Spring Reading Thing 2014:

1. Two  $20 gift certificate to Amazon.com

To be eligible for these prizes, you must:

• Post your initial Spring Reading 204 post (and enter it on the linky list on my blog) by midnight on March 24th

• AND post a wrap-up post on your blog at the end of the challenge (and enter it on the linky list I'll have up then) by midnight on June 24th

That's it. I'll randomly draw the winners shortly after the end of the challenge.

Note:  There is NO limit to when people can sign up to participate in Spring Reading Thing 2014. You're welcome to join in any time between now and June! The "deadlines" mentioned in the above prize section are only for prize eligibility.

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Link Up Below!