(December) Middle Grade Book Challenge

**Please note that this is a sticky post. All newer posts are after this one.**

Are you reading middle grade books this month? If so, which titles and from which authors?

The rules again are really simply all you have to do is commit to reading 12+ Middle Grade books and posting your review and then coming back and sharing your link in this post. You have from now until August 2011 to complete this challenge.

Just add your blog link/name to the MckLinky below. Your blog name and book titles will be fine.

Just to let everyone know I have given it some thought and I think I am going to go ahead and do a monthly giveaway. Please note it won’t be a big prize just because I will be mailing it so some ideas will be a gift card for coffee, a bookmark etc.

So the only rules are in order to qualify all you have to do is come back and link your reviews and for everyone you add for the month of December will count for one entry into the bowl.

Have fun and happy reading.

copyright 2010, Cindy (Cindy’s Love Of Books)
If you are reading this on a blog or website other than Cindy’s Love Of Books or via a feedreader, this content has been stolen and used without permission.

(November) Middle Grade Book Challenge

**This is a sticky post so please scroll down to see all new posts**

Are you reading middle grade books this month? If so, which titles and from which authors?

The rules again are really simply all you have to do is commit to reading 12+ Middle Grade books and posting your review and then coming back and sharing your link in this post. You have from now until August 2011 to complete this challenge.

Just add your blog link/name to the MckLinky below. Your blog name and book titles will be fine.

Just to let everyone know I have given it some thought and I think I am going to go ahead and do a monthly giveaway. Please note it won’t be a big prize just because I will be mailing it so some ideas will be a gift card for coffee, a bookmark etc.

So the only rules are in order to qualify all you have to do is come back and link your reviews and for everyone you add for the month of October will count for one entry into the bowl.

Have fun and happy reading.

copyright 2010, Cindy (Cindy’s Love Of Books)
If you are reading this on a blog or website other than Cindy’s Love Of Books or via a feedreader, this content has been stolen and used without permission.

(October) Middle Grade Book Challenge Winner

As I mentioned in the October Middle Grade Book Challenge sign up post, I decided I was going to run a give away each month to go along with the challenge.

What I decided to do was for every link you posted in Mr Linky that would count as one entry for you and I would put them all in a bowl at the end of the month, actually I will be announcing the winners on the first of every month. So the more middle grade books you read the more entries you get.

Without further adiou here is the first winner in the Middle Grade Book Challenge for October:

Nicola from Back to Books. Congrats Nicola I will be emailing you for your address today.

So don’t forget to share your links if you are reviewing middle grade books.

copyright 2010, Cindy (Cindy’s Love Of Books)
If you are reading this on a blog or website other than Cindy’s Love Of Books or via a feedreader, this content has been stolen and used without permission.

(October) Middle Grade Book Challenge

We are into month two of the Middle Grade Book Challenge. As you can see we have a new button for this challenge. What do you think?

Are you reading middle grade books this month? If so, which titles and from which authors?

The rules again are really simply all you have to do is commit to reading 12+ Middle Grade books and posting your review and then coming back and sharing your link in this post. You have from now until August 2011 to complete this challenge.

Just add your blog link/name to the MckLinky below. Your blog name and book titles will be fine.

Just to let everyone know I have given it some thought and I think I am going to go ahead and do a monthly giveaway. Please note it won’t be a big prize just because I will be mailing it so some ideas will be a gift card for coffee, a bookmark etc.

So the only rules are in order to qualify all you have to do is come back and link your reviews and for everyone you add for the month of October will count for one entry into the bowl.

Have fun and happy reading.

copyright 2010, Cindy (Cindy’s Love Of Books)
If you are reading this on a blog or website other than Cindy’s Love Of Books or via a feedreader, this content has been stolen and used without permission.

September Middle Grade Book Challenge Wrap Up

This was my first month hosting the Middle Grade Book Challenge. Thanks to the ones who took part this month. I really appreciate you coming back and linking your reviews to Mr Linky. I will be making my rounds to check out your reviews.

Check back tomorrow, October 1st for the monthly link.

I know I only read two books this month but hopefully October will be a better month for me and for everyone.

I have a question for the participants would you like to see a little monthly giveaway? Say for every link you leave you get one entry into the giveaway? Please leave me your feed back here in this post.

copyright 2010, Cindy (Cindy’s Love Of Books)
If you are reading this on a blog or website other than Cindy’s Love Of Books or via a feedreader, this content has been stolen and used without permission.

Middle Grade Book Challenge September

If your wondering why you happen to see the Middle Grade book Challenge here its because Linda from Better With Books the orginal host of the Middle Grade Book Challenge has asked me if I would take over the challenge for her and I graciously accepted.

I have to apologize for the delay in getting this posted but I have been having trouble with Mr Linky and honestly I am not very techincally savvy so please bare with me.

Are you reading middle grade books this month? If so, which titles and from which authors?

Just add your blog link/name to the MckLinky below.

If I remember correctly the challenge ended August 2010 so the new round starts this month. The goal is to read 12 to 25 Middle Grade books from now to August 2011.

I know I have a bunch of middle grade books that I have to read so I am looking forward to adding them to this challenge.

I think to make this a little exciting I am going to host a giveaway monthly to the person that reads and posts the most reviews per month. What do you think?

Don’t forget to post your links. Your blog name and book titles will be fine.

Have fun and happy reading.

copyright 2010, Cindy (Cindy’s Love Of Books)
If you are reading this on a blog or website other than Cindy’s Love Of Books or via a feedreader, this content has been stolen and used without permission.

(Review) Fledgling: Jason Steed


TITLE: Fledgling: Jason Steed
AUTHOR: Mark A. Cooper
PUB DATE: September 2010
PAGES: 240
PUBLISHER: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

SOURCE: I received an Advance Readers Copy from Paul at Sourcebooks when I met up with him this summer.

COVER: I just noticed that the finished copy of the cover is different from the ARC edition and the difference is the shadow of the guy isn’t on the ARC copy. Still the same I like the cover.

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Tormented by his mother’s death…
Taken for granted by his father…
Trained in deadly martial arts…

Jason Steed is looking for a place to call home. He finds what he’s looking for in the Sea Cadets—an elite group of British youngsters being groomed for lifelong service in the military. But when a routine training exercise goes awry, Jason finds himself in the middle of a secret mission. The future of the world hangs in the balance…and Jason might be the only one who can save it.

MY THOUGHTS:
I never heard about this book until Paul handed it to me when I meet up with him this summer and he raved about it so I was curious about it so I read a bit of the first chapter and I have been dying to read it every since then but with it only coming out in September I decided to wait.

Well I picked up this weekend to read and I have to say I really really enjoyed it and had a hard time to put it down.

The book takes place in 1963 and I have to say honestly that most books like this doesn’t appeal to me but I have to admit that very quickly it didn’t feel like I was reading the book in that time period and at times I was like What? One example of this is when Jason is in Catherine’s bedroom and there is a picture of Jimmy Osmond and the Osmond’s hanging on her wall.

Jason is an eleven year old boy who is fearless (saves the Queen’s daughter and stands up to bullies), independent (this is due to the fact that his mother died when Jason was born and his father is always away because he is a naval officer in Her Majesty’s Navy) and a learner (learned how to speak Chinese and karate, he is the youngest to hold a black belt plus several other belts as well).

Jason has grown up in Hong Kong which lead him to wanting to learn to speak Chinese and to learn karate. In Hong Kong he developed his skill to the much surprise of many people who said he would never get his black belt because he was too young but he proved them all wrong.

When his father comes home from the Navy he informs Jason that they will be moving to London. This is something Jason isn’t all the keen on but quickly makes the most of it and wants to join the Sea Cadets even if it means lying about his age. In sea cadets he impresses his instructors with his skill and knowledge.

For summer vacation Jason will be spending it with Sea Cadets and doing some training with his regiment and several others from the UK although what seems like a harmless training quickly turns into a life and death situation. Will Jason be able to get out alive? Will what he’s learned be able to help him and others survive? Curious to know what its all about? Then go and pick up the book.

I think this would be a great book for a reluctant male reader because there is enough going in action to hold there attention plus its a quick read and not alot of pages.

What you might not know is that Fledgling, Jason Steel was actually self published in 2008 and it developed a huge following that Sourcebooks decided to take over and reprint the book.

Book two is called Boudica, Jason Steed and there is no release date as of yet and a book three is in the works.

Here is what Boudica, Jason Steed is about:
Triad Oath: If any of my sworn brothers are killed or arrested, I shall seek revenge.

If I do not do so I will be killed by myriads of swords.

Boudica; the Dragon Leader of the shadowy criminal organization known as

the Triads, has her evil plan exposed by Scotland Yard Undercover Intelligence

Unit. When she finds out it was with the help of Jason Steed who she had

once trusted. Jason finds himself in the cross hairs of an unforgiving blood

thirsty predator with harrowing consequences.

You can check out Mark A Cooper‘s website by clicking on his name. There is alot of great info to go along with the book on there.

copyright 2010, Cindy (Cindy’s Love Of Books)
If you are reading this on a blog or website other than Cindy’s Love Of Books or via a feedreader, this content has been stolen and used without permission.