Category: Reviews-Simon and Schuster Canada

Blog Tour & Review/ The Littlest Bigfoot

Posted on by Cindy

littlest-bigfoot-blogtour

Title: The Littlest Bigfoot
Author: Jennifer Weiner
Series: Book #1
Pub Date: September 13, 2016
Publisher: Aladdin
Pages: 304

Source: I was provided with an advanced readers copy from Simon & Schuster Canada for my review and participation in the tour. Thank you Simon & Schuster Canada.

About the Book:

From New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Weiner comes a laugh-out-loud funny and painstakingly real tale of friendship, furry creatures, and finding the place where you belong.

Alice Mayfair, twelve years old, slips through the world unseen and unnoticed. Ignored by her family and shipped off to her eighth boarding school, Alice would like a friend. And when she rescues Millie Maximus from drowning in a lake one day, she finds one.

But Millie is a Bigfoot, part of a clan who dwells deep in the woods. Most Bigfoots believe that people—NoFurs, as they call them—are dangerous, yet Millie is fascinated with the No-Fur world. She is convinced that humans will appreciate all the things about her that her Bigfoot tribe does not: her fearless nature, her lovely singing voice, and her desire to be a star.

Alice swears to protect Millie’s secret. But a league of Bigfoot hunters is on their trail, led by a lonely kid named Jeremy. And in order to survive, Alice and Millie have to put their trust in each other—and have faith in themselves—above all else.

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I am honored to be a part of the book tour for The Littlest Bigfoot by Jennifer Weiner. I am a huge fan of Jennifer’s books and I have read them all so it was nice to see something new and completely different from her. I can’t wait for the second book to come out in this series.

Be sure to check out the other blog stops this week to read everyone’s thoughts on the book.

This was a fun and quick read. I think this is the perfect read for everyone to read. There is so much you can take away from the book.

Alice is a 12 year old girl. Alice is taller then most girls her age, awkward like I think most girls are at this age and has a hard time making friends. When you have one thing that is different about you its always hard to find someone who can share something with you.

Alice’s parents have in all reality checked out of their daughters life and in my opinion think of themselves as the couple who do what they want when they want because its clear when for them instead of being a parent they are shipping their daughter off from one school to another when things don’t go right instead of trying to find the perfect solution for her.

The other main character of the book is Milie. Millie is just like Alice she doesn’t fit in but for Millie her case is completely different from Alice because Millie is a Yare, and in english terms it means a bigfoot. Millie also doesn’t fit in with her tribe because she is smaller then the normal Yares, her fur is a different color and texture then the other yares and Millie is curious about everything and everyone around her especially people in the outside world.

Alice’s new school is in upper New York State right beside a beautiful lake in a quiet little town. This school is a little better then what Alice has been to but Alice is still encountering the same problem and issues of making friends. She is thrilled when it suddenly happens but realizes fairly quickly that its not all it seems and before long she is being picked on by a bully. She soon realizes that not everyone has good intentions. Being embarrassed she seeks refudge by the lake when she suddenly hears someone drowning so Alice rushes out to help the person. This person is Millie and they quickly become friends just what both girls wanted. Although at first Alice has no idea who or what Millie is and I honestly don’t think this would be a problem for Alice because all she wants is a honest and a good friend.

When a 12 year old boy threatens to expose who Millie is and where she is from the girls bang together to put a stop him. Will Alice and Millie be able to stop him before all the secrets are exposed on Millie?

I love this story and I think all young girls need to read this because we need to learn to accept ourselves for who and what we are and that we are unique for a reason. We need to be open and accepting and become friends with others who are different because that  is what makes us all unique.

When I got to the end I was like what the heck just happened. Jennifer threw that little twist in there that came out of no where and left me hanging…I am left hanging with so many questions..I need book two asap…

(Review) The Joy of Spooking: Fiendish Deeds

Posted on by Cindy

Title: The Joy Of Spooking: Fiendish Deeds (bk 1)
Author: P.J. Bracegirdle
Pages: 224
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pub Date: August 2009
Source: Publisher

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Joy Wells is a proud resident of Spooking, the terrible town at the top of the hideous hill. At the bottom of the hill is Darlington, a plastic suburban “paradise” where Joy and her brother go to school. When the mayor of Darlington announces that a water park is going to be constructed over the Spooking bog, Joy is horrified. She decides that she has to save the mysterious bog and the endangered species in it-but someone is determined to stop her! The Addams Family meets Carl Hiaasen in this quirky mystery with an environmental twist.

I have to start off by thanking the awesome Michelle at Simon & Schuster Canada for contacting me about this book. When I read the synpopsis of the book I knew this would be something that I would really enjoy and be able to share with Michael.

I have to admit that I think the cover goes really well with the book but when I was looking up the books online I spotted the original covers and loved them. I just love the cover art of those books so much so that I have already started to look for them in. Although I have had a few people suggest to me that I should just print them and this way you have to cover and not another book. (I’m not sure that I am able to share those covers but if you go to a book site and search for the book you will see them.)

Fiendish Deeds was a pretty quick and fun read. The perfect read for a middle grader + and I am so happy that I got to discover this author and his books because up until now I have never heard of either or.

This is the first book in the trilogy.

Joy and her family (mother, father and brother, Bryon) live in a little town called Spooking and within eye sight is the picturesque town of Darlington. Think of the movie Stepwives here and you can see what the town of Darlington is like. I instantly thought of that as I was reading the book.

Joy and her brother are bused to school in Darlington and the clearly don’t fit in with the local residents especially Joy. She looks nothing like the girls there (she has blonde hair and it seems like all the girls there have dark hair) and she clearly doesn’t share the same interest or hobbies as these girls.

Joy is a huge fan of the author Ethan A. Peugeot. So much so that she is probably like most of us staying up all night to read the book to just find out what happens. Joy some how begins to believe that Ethan has actually lived or been to Spooking because of his writing about the bog and a monster that lives there. Joy soon discovers that this bog is soon to be no more because the town of Darlington plan to make it into a water park. Joy knows that her and her brother have to save it even if it means it them against the town.

Will they be able to save the bog? You can only image what they will over come.

I loved Joy and I think Joy beats to the sound of her own drum. She doesn’t let what others say affect her. She wears what she wants and does what she wants.

The Joy of Spooking:
  1. Fiendish Deeds
  2. Unearthly Asylum
  3. Sinister Scenes
You can also check out the The Joy Of Spooking website by clicking on the link.
Also if you happen to be in the Montreal area, Simon & Schuster Canada and P.J Bracegirdle have teamed up to do a booksigning for his latest and last book in the series, Sinister Scenes.

I have to send out a huge thank you again to Simon & Schuster for the invite for this and for sending his book as well as introducing me to a new and local author.

I will be there for the book signing as well as some other local bloggers. Come back on Sunday when I share with you some pictures and thoughts about the evening. It sounds like its going to be a fun evening.

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 & Tour) The Guilty Plea

Posted on by Cindy


Title: The Guilty Plea
Author: Robert Rotenberg
Pub Date: May 2011
Pages: 336
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Canada

Source: I received an advance readers copy so that I could give my honest review for the book tour.

About the book:
Bestselling author Robert Rotenberg is back with his next razor-sharp legal thriller. Rotenberg’s insider knowledge of the behind-the-scenes courtroom machinations and his mesmerizing trial scenes make this another scorching page-turner.

On the morning that his headline-grabbing divorce trial is set to begin, Terrance Wyler, youngest son of the Wyler Food dynasty, is found stabbed to death in the kitchen of his million-dollar home. Detective Ari Greene arrives minutes before the press and finds Wyler’s four-year-old son asleep upstairs. When Wyler’s ex-wife, a strange beauty named Samantha, shows up at her lawyer’s office with a bloody knife, it looks as if the case is over.

But Greene soon discovers the Wyler family has secrets they’d like to keep hidden, and they’re not the only ones. If there’s one thing Greene knows, it’s that the truth is never simple.

I want to thank Simon and Schuster Canada for allowing me to be one of the tour host for The Guilty Plea book tour. I believe I am the last stop in the tour so be sure to check out what everyone else has thought about the book. (I provided the links below.)

Personally one of the best things about book blogging is the chance to discover new and exciting authors especially if they happen to be from your own country. Up until getting contacted about this book I have to admit that I haven’t heard of Robert Rotenberg but I have to say since reading The Guilty Plea (which I loved) I am curious to read his first book.

The Guilty Plea was just the kind of book I use to love reading but I think over the years I haven’t found one that I could really get into until picking up this and reading it. I had a hard time to put it down at times just because there was so much suspense happening.

Terrance Wyler is the youngest son of the Wyler family who is famous for Wyler Foods. He is going though a really messy divorce and the morning of the trial he is found dead on the kitchen floor stabbed to death.

The detective to arrive on the scene is Ari Greene. As he arrives on scene he quickly discovers that Terrance’s four year old son, Simon is upstairs and unaware of what happened that morning.

Its not until a few hours later when the soon to be ex-wife, Samantha Wyler shows up at her lawyers office with the bloody knife wrapped up in a kitchen towel. You would think this would be a wrap up the case and the murder but as the book progress you quickly realize that thats not the case even though the evidence points to Samantha. Its not as easy as it looks although I am sure sometimes they wish it would be.

Looking at the evidence you begin to think its Samantha and at the end you are shaking your head thinking wow where did that come from. For me that makes a great legal thriller thinking its one person when out of the blue its someone else and then when you look back you realize that yea your right.

As the investigation goes on you discover that every family no matter rich or poor have their secrets and this family is no exception. Although if this secret gets out many peoples lives will be effected.

If you are looking for a fantastic legal thriller (think John Grisham in the early days) I have to say you must pick this up to read. You won’t be disappointed. I am going to pick up Old City Hall the next time I am at Chapters and save it for my summer read by the pool when Michael does his swimming lessons.

Thanks again Simon and Schuster for sending this to me.

Check out other reviews and tour stops of this book:
Mysteries and More Review,Questions and Answers,Thoughts on Q&A
Books Bound Review with Q&A
Serendipiter’s Q&A, Review
Teena in Toronto Review with Q&A
Luanne-A Book Worms World Review with Q&A
Books and Brands Review
Canadian Authors Review

If you happen to be in the Toronto area on May 6th (Friday), Robert will be at the Indigo at the Eaton Centre at 1pm to talk about his book and to do a signing.

If any one goes I hope you will have fun.

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.