Category: Challenges (past)

Alexis and the Sacramento Surprise (Camp Club Girls) Review

Posted on by Cindy


AUTHOR: Erica Rodgers
PUB DATE: March 2010
PAGES: 159
PUBLISHER: Barbour Books

ABOUT THE BOOK:
If dinosaurs are extinct, then why do they seem to come to
life each night? When Alexis’ friend, Miss Maria, tries to save her
business by importing mechanical dinosaurs to her nature park, Alexis and Kate
are instantly on the spot to show their support. But the Camp Club girls are
soon embroiled in surprises when they soon have to not only deal with mechanical
dinosaurs appearing to have minds of their own, but also the local media, which
also seems determined to destroy Miss Maria. Can the girls crack the case and
keep Miss Maria’s dreams—and business—alive?

MY THOUGHTS:

This is the fourth book in the Camp Club Girls series.

This is a series of middle grade books that I am really enjoying. I think they would make the perfect gift for middle grade girls who like a little bit of mystery without being scary. They are sort of like Nancy Drew books. Although I have to admit that I never really read alot of Nancy Drew books when I was younger as they never really interested me.

Alexis lives not very far from her friend, Miss Maria’s nature park called Aspen Heights Conservation Park. The nature park is getting set to close when funding is being denied to the park.

When Miss Maria comes up with the idea to bring in prehistoric dinosaurs (animatrons) to bring in some business it all seems like a good idea until it appears as though certain dinosaurs are moving around in the night.

Thankfully Kate is coming to visit with Alexis and she brings Kate to see the park. As the girls are walking around looking at the dinosaurs, nothing is out of the ordinary for them until they go back to the visitor center to talk to Miss Maria. When a local biology professor mentions that he loves the foot prints and that he loved where the raptor was placed. Maria looks concerned and admits to the girls that she didn’t move the raptor or make the foot prints. Maria goes off to check it out.

Before long everyone hears a scream. They all go running to Maria and find her flat on her back in the mud. She had climbed on top of the triceratops to get a better look at the foot prints.

With Maria starting to feel a little better she asks the girls to help find out who is moving the dinosaurs. The girls try various things such as setting up cameras, looking around and even camping out. The raptor keeps moving around the park. Can the dinosaur really come to life at night? Is someone moving it?

There never seems to any leads or evidence that a human is involved until the person starts to get a little sloppy and leaves clues. The girls are pretty sure they know who is involved but the person keeps denying it. Is he/she really involved or is it just coincidence? What will the girls think when they find out who is really behind it?

I am anxiously awaiting Kate’s Philadelphia Frenzy – Camp Club Girls #5 and Bailey’s Peoria Problem – Camp Club Girls #6 to come out May 1, 2010.

Special thanks to Angie Brillhart of Barbour Publishing, Inc. for sending me a review copy and for First Wild Card Tours for allowing me to be a part of this tour.

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.

I Am Not Emmanuelle Review

Posted on by Cindy

Today Annick Press launches a new series of books for young adults called the Single Voice. These novellas were originally published in France. Each little story talks about issues that teens face today. As of today there is six novellas in a three book flip book format. Another two books are scheduled for the fall.

Today I am proud to be able to take part in the launch of these novellas.

TITLE: I Am Not Emmanuelle
AUTHOR: Carine Tardieu
PUB DATE: 2010
PAGES: 64
PUBLISHER: Annick Press

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Yes, it’s true, I stole a package of chewing gum, but I didn’t do it on purpose. I mean, I didn’t plan it, it was the circumstances that made me do it. Mom had given me a fifty-dollar bill and a list of things to buy at Naturalia: dish soap, tofu, sausage (“Make sure you check the expiration date,” she told me), dates, broccoli. When I passed the candy rack, just before the checkout, I saw this package of fancy chewing gum that I really wanted, $3.50 for a package of eighteen. Natural banana-flavored gum, 100 percent organic, surely Mom, if she had been there, would have bought it for me. So I put it in my shopping bag and got in line to pay.

Thank You to Joanna from Annick Press for providing the photos used in this post and please note that ABOUT THE BOOK was taken from the Annick Press’s Website

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MY THOUGHTS:
Thanks to Joanna for sending me this book to read, review and for allowing me to be a part of the virtual tour of the book. It was truly an honor to be one of the selected six bloggers to be able to do this.

This was a super quick easy read. I was able to read through it rather quickly.

Its a teen issue that I am sure teens are always struggling with that is shoplifting.

Adele is a thirteen year old girl. Her mother has sent her to the store to pick up somethings for dinner. While she is in the check out line she spots a pack of banana flavored gum and puts it in her bag. As she is waiting she daydreams about her dead sister. When its her turn she puts all the items on the counter and mistakenly forgets the gum.

Will she get caught?

I really enjoyed reading this book as well as the other books in the series (stay tuned for upcoming reviews of these) and I loved the concept of the books. Its two books in one and all with an important message in them. I think this would make a great gift for young adults to know they aren’t alone or going through it on their own.

Annick Press has also set up a web page dedicated to the Single Voice books and you can check it the Single Voice website for more info.

I am also very honored to include a trailer for the books which is being released today.

You can check out these other selected bloggers who are reviewing the Single Voice series today:

Book 1:
Just Julie: http://classicvasilly.wordpress.com/

Book 2:
Descent into Paradise: Green Bean Teen Queen
A Place to Live: The Book Muncher


Book 3:
Nothing but Your Skin: Up The Tower Of Books
The Pool Was Empty: Hey Teenager

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.

My Own Personal Soap Opera Review

Posted on by Cindy


TITLE: My Own Personal Soap Opera
AUTHOR: Libby Malin
PUB DATE: April 2010
PUBLISHER: Source Books
PAGES: 326

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Is life stranger than fiction, or vice versa?

Frankie McNally has found the perfect solution for life’s perplexing problems: as head writer for the daytime soap Lust for Life, she works them out on the air!

Meanwhile, Frankie’s being courted simultaneously by the dashing older man sent in to save the show’s sagging ratings and by the soap’s totally hot leading man. And just when Frankie thinks the plot couldn’t get more complicated, a jewel thief starts copying the show’s storyline-a development that could send the show’s ratings soaring, if it doesn’t get Frankie arrested first.

Please note that photo and about the book was taken from Source Books website.

MY THOUGHTS:

I have to say that I really enjoyed My Own Personal Soap Opera.

When I was looking up the author to find out more about her I discovered that she has written several books. She also writes under the name Libby Sternberg. I will definitely check out more of her work as I enjoyed reading this book.

Who doesn’t love a soap opera? I use to be a big time fan of Another World and Days Of Our Lives.

My very first brush with a soap opera actor was my all time favorites even to this very day:

(Sorry for the poor quality as my scanner isn’t working all that great.) This was taken in the early 1990’s. I was visiting my sister in Montreal and she found out that Mathew Ashford (Jack from Days)was going to be here attending the auto show. She got me tickets to go. I was in such awe of him.

So back to the my thoughts on the book. Frankie is the head writer for the soap opera Lust For Life and the ratings are dropping. She is trying to get the show back on track. With a risk that the show will be cancelled a handsome older man, Victor is brought in to try and bring the ratings back up.

But before they know it what appears to be a soap opera story line is actually happening in the real world. Someone has stolen an idea from Lust and carrying it into the reality. What can it be? Who is behind it? Will they discover who the person is?

My two favorite parts of the book were when Frankie was talking to her friend Gail and she was remembering how they met: (page 78)

Gail and Frankie had met at an author reading at Columbia.

It just goes to show that you will be surprised what can come out of an author reading. This is how I met Donna from Books Bound. We only discovered this after we had met.

My other favorite part is: (page 173)

Victor could speed-read through bland reports and digest complex material with diligent attention to detail. But he felt like he had to use toothpicks to keep his eyes open when reading through Brian Aiglans’s “masterpiece.” More then once as he sat at his desk, feet propped up and coffee at the ready, he felt like throwing the thing across the room, or at least taking it back to the bookstore and asking for a refund.

Brian is Frankie’s ex husband and he has written a book. How many times have you read a book and felt this way?

I have to send a big thank you to Danielle at Source Books for sending me an advance readers copy of this book to read and review.

Since we are on the topic of soap opera’s, I have one more meeting to share with you. My little northern NB town was lucky enough to bring in a few stars from Another World. I unfortunately didn’t get to meet them all because trying to convince my father to bring me into town was hard and he thought it wasn’t necessary to see them. The ones who came were: Amanda (Sandra Ferguson),Cass (Stephen Schnetzer)and a few others.


Then in 1995, I actually got to meet Grayson McCouch. He played Morgan, Cass’s brother and now plays Dusty on As The World Turns. This meeting to was one of my all time favorites. I was in my early 20s when I met him and very nervous and he was so super sweet. It was funny meeting with him. The mall had brought him in and you could get your picture taken with him and the sale of the picture was going to the hospital.

I had paid my money and when it was my turn I went over he had put his arm around me and I froze. My friend was laughing because she thought it was funny. He was talking to me saying to put my arm around him and I couldn’t so he told the guy he wasn’t to take the picture unless I did it. (Which I have to say was really sweet of him as I am sure others wouldn’t have cared and just snapped the picture) Well needless to say I did end up doing it. He was super sweet and for a few years afterwards we actually kept in touch. (My friend and I gave him a card and our addresses were in it.)Then when Another World ended we lost touch and I think my moving to Montreal too had a part in it.

Do you have any meetings like this? Have you meet anyone famous?

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.

McKenzie’s Montana Mystery Review

Posted on by Cindy

PUB DATE: March 2010
PUBLISHER: Barbour Books
PAGES: 158

ABOUT THE BOOK:
When Bailey and McKenzie arrive to help at a horse ranch in
Montana, they’re immediately entrenched in mysteries: a horse disappearing into
thin air, spookiness in an abandoned western town, and ranch hand upheaval. And
with all the unexpected action going on, how will they ever find time to prepare
for their rodeo competitions? Can the Camp Club Girls successfully combine their
skills to help Bailey and McKenzie save the ranch…and the rodeo for Sunshine
Stables?

MY THOUGHTS:

This is the 3rd book in the Camp Club Girls series.

I have been very lucky and got to read and review Mystery At Discovery Lake (Book 1) and Sydney’s DC Discovery (book 2). This is such a great series for the middle grade girl readers. There is always a mystery in each book that the girls decide to solve.

McKenzie is working at a horse ranch called Sunshine Stables and she is also training for the barrel racing. She has no idea but she is about to be surpised by Bailey. Bailey is also going to be working at the horse ranch for a little bit.

Its not to long after Bailey arrives that Emma’s (owner of Sunshine Stables) prized horse, Diamond Girl is missing. With no clues or leads the girls decide that this is a mystery for the Camp Club Girls. McKenzie and Bailey look for clues that will lead them to who ever is responsible for the disappearance of Diamond Girl.

What I love about these books is that it seems like all the clues point to one person and then at the end bam its someone you didn’t think of right away to begin with. I love that kind of surprise ending.

Will McKenzie and Bailey find out who took Diamond Girl and why?

UPCOMING TITLES:
-Alexis and the Sacramento Surpise (book 4) March 2010 pub date
-Kate’s Philadelphia Frenzy (book 5) May 2010 pub date
-Bailey’s Peoria Problem (book 6) May 2010 pub date

I just checked out the website for Camp Club Girls http://www.campclubgirls.com/ and the series is now up to 24 books. All coming out later this year and into next year and it seems like every two months two books are being released.

I can’t wait to read all of the books in this series.

Special thanks to Angie Brillhart of Barbour Publishing, Inc. for sending me a review copy and for First Wild Card Tours for allowing me to be a part of this tour.

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.

Dear Diary, I’m Pregnant Review

Posted on by Cindy

TITLE: Dear Diary, I’m Pregnant: Ten Real Life Stories
AUTHOR: AnRenee Englander
PUB DATE: April 2010
PUBLISHER: Annick Press
PAGES: 160

ABOUT THE BOOK:
You’re a teenager. You’re pregnant. Now what?

In
poignant and insightful interviews, Anrénee Englander presents the voices of ten
pregnant teens as they discuss their experiences and choices around motherhood,
adoption and abortion. First published to critical acclaim in 1997, this new
edition contains the original interviews as well as d material including a
resources section. Presenting different points of view, DEAR DIARY, I’M PREGNANT
is a non-judgmental source of information for all teens that provides support
and guidance for those who find themselves in this situation.Chosen by The New
York Public Library’s “Books for the Teen Age” list and hailed by The Globe and
Mail for its “…frank, revealing and brave conversations,” this is a must-read
book for young women looking for reassurance that they are not alone.

MY THOUGHTS:

This is a revised edition and it was first published in 1997.

I think being a teenager is hard but when you throw in a pregnancy its even harder. The book is about ten real life stories. All the stories were very touching and heart breaking. None of these girls planned to get pregnant and we all forced with three decisions, keep the baby, give the baby up for adoption or have an abortion.
The girls all range from 14 to 19 and they were from all walks of life.
I think what bothered me the most was in the some of the stories their families kicked them out leaving the girls to fend for themselves with no money or a place to go. I am sure it must be a shock to the family when that happens but I just can’t see as a parent kicking my child out.
I would recommend this book to any parent with teenage kids to read. I think we need to have an open line of communication with our children and let them know that they can come to us with any problem no matter how small or big it is. I think we need to let our kids know that we will love them no matter what and hey everyone makes mistakes and that we shouldn’t turn our backs on them.
I think what is great about the book is that AnRenee added a resource section in the back with numbers for Hotlines both in Canada and the US as well as info about finding about about adoption, abuse, etc.
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.

i.d Stuff That Happens To Define Us Review

Posted on by Cindy

TITLE: i.d Stuff That Happens To Define Us
AUTHOR: Kate Scowen
ILLUSTRATOR: Peter Mitchell
PAGES: 160
PUBLISHER: Annick Press
PUB DATE: February 2010

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Some things can change you forever.

Everyone remembers
that first love. Or the first all-out fight with a parent or sibling; the
feeling of being let down by someone you love; losing something or someone that
matters to you; struggling to fit in. I.D. collects 12 first-person accounts
about life’s pivotal moments and offers each as an incisive graphic narrative.
With raw honesty, and illuminated by Peter Mitchell’s bold, gritty illustration
style, these true stories tackle the universal experiences from childhood and
adolescence that stay with us forever. Each anecdote, and accompanying
reflection, reveals how individual identity can be shaped by common themes of
growing up. By turns thoughtful, painful, funny and fierce, I.D. powerfully
demonstrates that what happens to define us in youth doesn’t have to confine us
forever.

MY THOUGHTS:

Kate Scowen is the other of two other books called: My Crazy Life and My Kind of Sad. I have never read her precious books but I am thinking that I just might look for them.

i.d Stuff That Happens To Define Us is a book that contains 12 first person accounts about things that happen in our lives growing up from childhood to adolescence.

Of all the 12 stories the one that hit home for me were Broken Hearted. We all remember our first loves and Broken Hearted is about that. Its about a boy who is 16 years old and basically has no luck with the girls. His luck changes when he meets a girl from another school at a dance. He meets a girl and falls in love. The are having a good time for two months and they go to the prom together. She leaves her purse in the car and he goes to return it only to discover his girlfriend making out with another guy. Needless to say you know where this goes.

For me it didn’t happen like that or maybe it did and I didn’t know. I have to clarify that, for me I met this guy and he was visiting from another province and staying at his grandparents for the summer. For me it was “love” and I was heart broken when he had to return home at the end of the summer. Thankfully with the technology that is available today I have been able to reconnect with him and we are the best of friends so 20 years later. Who would have thought?

What I loved about the book was the fact that the illustrator, Peter Mitchell added illustrations to accompany the book and they all suited the story perfectly. Kate also included a resource section with Hotline numbers for both Canada and the US, books and websites links for kids who are in need of advise or help.

I want to thank Annick Press for sending me i.d Stuff That Happens to Define Us to read and review.

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.

Through Thick and Thin Book 2 London Chronicles Review

Posted on by Cindy

TITLE: Through Thick & Thin (London Chronicles)
AUTHOR: Sandra Byrd
PUBLISHER: Tyndale
PUB DATE: March 2010
PAGES: 271

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Savvy Smith, 15, sees her chance to write a full column in the paper,
making her name and making her way in her new hometown near London, England. But
the choices she faces when given the chance to choose between friends, family,
and fame may turn her dream into a nightmare. London Confidential is a new
series where British fashion, friendships, and guys collide, and an all-American
girl learns to love life and live out her faith.

From the Back Cover
My assignment was clear. I had to find a way
into that photo shoot. And then get Jack to allow me to write a feature article
for the Wexburg Academy Times. Savvy Smith, 15, sees her chance to write a full
column in the paper, making her name and making her way in her new hometown near
London, England. But the choices she faces when given the chance to choose
between friends, family, and fame may turn her dream into a nightmare. London
Confidential: Where British fashion, friendships, and guys collide, and where an
all-American girl learns to love life and live out her faith.

MY THOUGHTS:

Earlier this month I was given the chance to read and review Asking For Trouble which is the first book in a new series by author Sandra Byrd called the London Chronicles. I loved this book so much that I rushed out to buy book 2 Through Thick & Thin.

Savvy is still writing the column Asking For Trouble for the Wexburg Academy school newspaper and its going really well. No one knows who is writing except for Jack.
Savvy is dying to have her own byline in the paper and is trying so hard to get it. When she hears about a fashion photo shoot with her favorite designer Peter Chen she decides she has to get in and hopefully get the article.
She quickly realizes that the photo shoot is being done at an Aristocrat’s (popular kid’s) estate. She realizes getting in won’t be as easy as she thinks. She has to work and prove that she is worthy of attending this event.
Savvy decides that she must look the part, she needs new clothes. When she asks her parents to take her into London they are busy and can’t. She looks around at the shops in town but quickly realizes nothing will do. Whats a girl to do? Will she sneak off to London to do some shopping?
With a new look for every Friday she finally gets the nod of approval from the aristocrats. She gets her ticket into the shoot and is excited. Although her excitement is short lived when the one person she was hoping could help her can’t and she is forced to take someone who is basically fashion challenged.
Will she get that by line or will a secret come back to haunt her?

I am anxiously awaiting book 3 and 4 which will be coming out soon. Here is a sneak peak at the covers. I couldn’t find dates of when they will be released but I am hoping really soon.

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.