The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street Book Trailer Reveal!

Celebrating books is just so fun! I love talking about books with students. Before spring break, I talked to a class of 3rd graders about how to create their own book trailers with Google Slides and Screencastify. Then last week and this week, I did the same with two classes of 6th graders. It's just so fun to hear what they are reading and to share my excitement for reading with them. 

It's super exciting when I get to celebrate friends' books and today I get to do just that! Lindsay Currie's next book The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street comes out in October from Simon and Schuster/Aladdin. 

Here's the GoodReads summary: 

A girl unravels a centuries-old mystery after moving into a haunted house in this deliciously suspenseful mystery.

Tessa Woodward isn’t exactly thrilled to move to move to rainy, cold Chicago from her home in sunny Florida. But homesickness turns to icy fear when unexplainable things start happening in her new house. Things like flickering lights, mysterious drawings appearing out of nowhere, and a crackling noise she can feel in her bones.

When her little brother’s doll starts crying real tears, Tessa realizes that someone—or something—is trying to communicate with her. A secret that’s been shrouded in mystery for more than one hundred years.

With the help of three new friends, Tessa begins unraveling the mystery of what happened in the house on Shady Street—and more importantly, what it has to do with her!

And now, here's the trailer! See what you think...

It's creepy but super intriguing, right!? 

I hope you'll share the trailer with young readers! The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street is available for pre-order through all major online retailers. And guess what? All U.S. orders who send a picture or screenshot of their receipt to the Lindsay (lindsayncurrie@gmail.com) will receive a thank-you kit that includes a handwritten letter, signed bookmark, exclusive character postcard and original artwork! Super fun!

For more details, visit Lindsay's website at www.lindsaycurrie.com. 

The Memory Box Cover Reveal!

A few years ago I was honored to share the cover of Joanna Rowland's book Always Mom, Forever Dad. And now she has a new book coming out that I'm excited to tell you about!

It's another picture book and it's titled The Memory Box: A Book About Grief. Here's a summary of the book for you to get an idea of what it's about:

"I'm scared I'll forget you…"

From the perspective of a young child, Joanna Rowland artfully describes what it is like to remember and grieve a loved one who has died. The child in the story creates a memory box to keep mementos and written memories of the loved one, to help in the grieving process. Heartfelt and comforting, The Memory Box will help children and adults talk about this very difficult topic together. The unique point of view allows the reader to imagine the loss of any they have loved - a friend, family member, or even a pet.

Despite being about a difficult topic, doesn't it sound lovely?

And now, I'm happy to share the cover.

Here it comes....

The Memory Box: A Book About Grief 

will be out this fall on September 26th, 2017

 from Sparkhouse Family. 

Until then, be sure to follow Joanna on social media. 
Visit Joanna's website and follow her on Twitter.

Let's Celebrate 2017 Books!

It's time to CELEBRATE This Week with Ruth Ayres from Discover. Play. Build.  Every week Ruth invites us to share our celebrations from the week and link up at her blog. What a fun way to reflect on everything there is to be thankful for. 

*                  *                   *

This week I'm celebrating school-wide collaboration!

*throws confetti*

January means thinking about the books I'm looking forward to this year! The Nerdy awards were announced last month and the ALA awards will be announced in two weeks but today I'm thinking about MG and YA books I'm excited to read this year. 

At the top of the list is The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street by my friend Lindsay Currie. Unfortunately, I have to wait until September to read this middle grade novel but I'm so so so excited for it! Isn't the book cover lovely? Lindsay describes it as, "Strong girls, clever boys, ghosts and first crushes️." Can you see why I can't wait?

And there here are some YA books I'm looking forward to in 2017:

 

It's going to be another year of wonderful books, I can just tell. What books are you excited for this year?

What are you celebrating this week?

Tito The Bonecrusher Cover Reveal!

As a mom to two boys, I know more about wrestling than I ever wanted to or thought I would. Honestly, I can tell you about John Cena and Roman Reigns, Sin Cara and Kalisto, The Miz and The New Day.  There's just no avoiding it in my house. 

*sigh*

But knowing that my kids are such wrestling fans, I know they are going to like Tito the Bonecrusher by Melissa Thomson. You might know Melissa from her Keena Ford chapter book series. I love Keena and her antics but I'm excited to read Melissa's first middle grade novel. Here's the summary from GoodReads:

"Oliver "Spaghetti-O" Rodriguez's dad is about to be deported to Mexico, and Oliver believes the only way to save him is with the help of his favorite lucha-libre wrestler turned action star, Tito the Bonecrusher. Together with his best friend Brianna (a.k.a. "Brain"), and their new ally Paul "Popcorn" Robards, Oliver devises a madcap plan to spring his dad from a Florida detention center. Heartwarming and hilarious, this book looks at what it takes to be a hero...and what happens when you realize that saving the day might not always be possible." 

Doesn't it sound so fun but also intriguing? I'm excited! And I'm excited for you to see the cover!

Are you ready?

*drum roll*

Ta da!

Open up your GoodReads!

Tito the Bonecrusher comes out next year on April 25th, 2017

 from Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 

And until then, be sure to follow Melissa on social media. 
Visit Melissa's website
Twitter
Facebook
Instagram.

Let's Celebrate Dear Dragon - Book Jacket Cover Reveal!

It's time to CELEBRATE This Week with Ruth Ayres from Discover. Play. Build.  Every week Ruth invites us to share our celebrations from the week and link up at her blog. What a fun way to reflect on everything there is to be thankful for. 

*                  *                   *

This week I'm celebrating Dear Dragon!

*throws confetti*

I hope I didn't get you tooooooo excited! Dear Dragon doesn't actually come out until this fall but I'm thrilled to share an exclusive look at the jacket cover for the book. If you haven't heard about Dear Dragon by Josh Funk and illustrated by Rodolfo Montalvo yet, here's the summary from GoodReads:

A sweet and clever friendship story in rhyme, about looking past physical differences to appreciate the person (or dragon) underneath.George and Blaise are pen pals, and they write letters to each other about everything: their pets, birthdays, favorite sports, and science fair projects. There’s just one thing that the two friends don’t know: George is a human, while Blaise is a dragon! What will happen when these pen pals finally meet face-to-face?

Totally sweet, right? But also completely awesome! It would be pretty amazing to have a dragon for a friend. It sounds like both George and Blaise are in for a surprise! And here's your prize for stopping in today. 

I give you, the epic book jacket cover reveal! Ta da!

I've heard from Josh that this book is told in epistolary letter form which means it's a collection of letters used to tell the story. How fun is that? I recently met with a teacher to talk about how to practice letter writing with kindergarteners. We brainstormed expanding the letter writing idea to writing emails and even posting updates to Twitter. I can see how Dear Dragon might be a great mentor text for letter writing. I can't wait!

Mark your calendars! 
Dear Dragon comes out September 6th 2016 
from Viking Books for Young Readers!

And until then, be sure to follow Josh and Rodolfo on social media. 

Visit Josh's website
Twitter
Facebook
Instagram.

Visit Rodolfo's website
Twitter
Facebook.

What are you celebrating this week?

Sweet Madness Cover Reveal!

I'm super excited to be sharing the cover of the next book by my wonderful writer friends Trisha Leaver and Lindsay Currie. I recently learned more about Lizzie Borden in Bad Girls by Jane Yolen and Heidi E.Y. Stemple and am fascinated by Sweet Madness. Here's more about the book:

Lizzie Borden took an axe

And gave her mother forty whacks.

When she saw what she had done,

She gave her father forty one.

Who was Lizzie Borden? A confused young woman, or a cold-hearted killer? For generations, people all over the world have wondered how Andrew Borden and his second wife, Abby, met their gruesome deaths. Lizzie, Andrew’s younger daughter, was charged, but a jury took only 90 minutes to find her not guilty. In this retelling, the family maid, Bridget Sullivan, shines a compassionate light on a young woman oppressed by her cheap father and her ambitious stepmother. Was Lizzie mad, or was she driven to madness?

SWEET MADNESS will be out on September 18th, 2015 from Merit Press

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About the Authors:

Trisha Leaver lives on Cape Cod with her husband, three children, and one rather irreverent black lab.  She is a chronic daydreamer who prefers the cozy confines of her own imagination to the mundane routine of everyday life.  She writes Young Adult Contemporary fiction, Psychological Horror and Science Fiction and is published with FSG/ Macmillan, Flux/Llewellyn and Merit Press. To can learn more about Trisha’s books, upcoming shenanigans, and her quest to reel in the perfect tuna, visit her website www.trishaleaver.com.

Website: www.trishaleaver.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/tleaver

Instagram: https://instagram.com/trishaleaver/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorTrishaLeaver

 Tumblr:http://trishaleaver.tumblr.com/

Lindsay Currie lives in Chicago with her three awesome children, husband, and a one hundred and sixty pound lap dog named Sam. She has an unnatural fondness for coffee, chocolate and things that go bump in the night. She spends her days curled up in the comfortable confines of her writing nook, penning young adult psychological horror, contemporary fiction and science-fiction and is published with Flux/Llewellyn, Merit Press and Spencer Hill Contemporary. Learn more about her at www.lindsaycurrie.com.

Website: www.lindsaycurrie.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/lindsayncurrie 

Instagram: www.instagram.com/lindsayncurrie 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lindsay-Currie/607067126002275?ref=hl

Mark it to read on Goodreads!

And be sure to pre-order on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Cover Reveal: Always Mom, Forever Dad Cover Reveal! by Joanna Rowland

I'm so excited to reveal the cover of Joanna Rowland's debut picture book Always Mom, Forever Dad! This book will be available in May and is perfect for children with two households. It shows that even though some things might be different, one thing never changes: love. I already have it on my GoodReads list and I'm sure you'll want to add it, too!

Title: Always Mom, Forever Dad     
Author: Joanna Rowland   
Illustrator: Penny Weber  
Publisher: Tilbury House Publishers 
Publication Date: May 15th, 2014 
Genre/Format: Realistic Fiction/Picture Book 
GoodReads Summary: In today's world, more and more children have parents who live separately. As these children move between homes, they can't help but wonder: will mom still love me? Will Dad? In this reassuring picture book, young readers see children who have two households,whether because of divorce, separation, or other circumstances, experiencing life's ups and downs with both parents, secure in the knowledge that Mom will always be Mom, and Dad is forever Dad.