Book Spotlight/ Lulu The Broadway Mouse

Title: LuLu The Broadway Mouse
Author: Jenna Gavigan
Publisher: Running Press Kids
Pages: 256
SYNOPSIS
 

Ratatouille meets Broadway in this charming new middle grade novel about a little mouse with big dreams.

Lulu is a little girl with a very big dream: she wants to be on Broadway. She wants it more than anything in the world. As it happens, she lives in Broadway’s Shubert Theatre; so achieving her dream shouldn’t be too tricky, right? Wrong. Because the thing about Lulu? She’s a little girl mouse.

When a human girl named Jayne joins the cast of the show at the Shubert as an understudy, Lulu becomes Jayne’s guide through the world of her theatre and its wonderfully kooky cast and crew. Together, Jayne and Lulu learn that sometimes dreams turn out differently than we imagined; sometimes they come with terms and conditions (aka the company mean girl, Amanda). But sometimes, just when we’ve given up all hope, bigger and better dreams than we’d ever thought could come true, do.

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Praise for LULU THE BROADWAY MOUSE

“Preteens who are star-struck for Broadway will enjoy the drama.” ―Kirkus Reviews

“Jenna Gavigan is a true Broadway baby whose backstage debut novel will delight theater kids of all ages (and species)!” ―Tim Federle, author ofBetter Nate than Ever

“A standing ovation for Lulu! This delightful debut serves up a sweet and sassy mouse’s-eye view of life in the footlights from a real Broadway insider. Encore, please?” ―Heather Vogel Frederick, author of the Spy Mice, the Mother-Daughter Book Club, and the Pumpkin Falls Mystery series

“Jenna manages to capture the drama and tension and excitement of the theatre without ever losing the magic and joy of what it feels like to be on Broadway. Lulu’s burning desire to be onstage was exactly how I felt when I was younger, and reading this book reawakened that feeling in me!” ―Tony nominee Jonathan Groff  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
 

Jenna Gavigan, a fourth generation New Yorker, grew up dreaming of Broadway. At age sixteen she made her Broadway debut in Gypsy, opposite Bernadette Peters. Since then she’s appeared in a half-dozen films, on more than a dozen television shows, and on east and west coast stages, most recently Off-Broadway in the world premiere of Straight. Jenna graduated from Columbia University with a BA in Creative Writing, where she focused on fiction, television, and screenwriting. She lives in a teeny tiny Manhattan apartment with her husband, Kevin. This is her first novel.

 
PHOTO CONTENT FROM JENNA GAVIGAN

WEBSITE: https://www.iamjennagavigan.com/
TWITTER: @Jenna_Gavigan
 
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17020607.Jenna_Gavigan
INSTAGRAM: 
http://instagram.com/jenna_gavigan

Giveaway is open to International. | Must be 13+ to Enter
 

–  5 Winners will receive a Copy of LULU THE BROADWAY MOUSE by Jenna Gavigan.    

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BOOK TRAILER

Review/ Lulu The Broadway Mouse

Review/ Lulu The Broadway MouseLulu the Broadway Mouse by Jenna Gavigan
Published by Running Press Kids on October 9, 2018
Pages: 256
Goodreads

Ratatouille meets Broadway in this charming new middle grade novel about a little mouse with big dreams.
Lulu is a little girl with a very big dream: she wants to be on Broadway. She wants it more than anything in the world. As it happens, she lives in Broadway's Shubert Theatre; so achieving her dream shouldn't be too tricky, right? Wrong. Because the thing about Lulu? She's a little girl mouse.
When a human girl named Jayne joins the cast of the show at the Shubert as an understudy, Lulu becomes Jayne's guide through the world of her theatre and its wonderfully kooky cast and crew. Together, Jayne and Lulu learn that sometimes dreams turn out differently than we imagined; sometimes they come with terms and conditions (aka the company mean girl, Amanda). But sometimes, just when we've given up all hope, bigger and better dreams than we'd ever thought could come true, do.

Before beginning my review I quickly have to thank HBG for sending me an advance reader’s copy of Lulu the Broadway Mouse to read and review.

I just have to say that I absolutely loved the book and devoured it in one sitting. I was completely drawn into the book instantly. I mean whats not to love it takes place in one of my favorite cities in the world, New York City.

This is a debut novel by Jenna Gavigan. Jenna is no stranger to broadway as she herself made her debut on at 16 years old along side Bernadette Peters in Gypsy. Since then she has appeared in various tv shows, movies and on stages in the east and west coast.

Jenna did an absolutely fantastic job with this box. After finishing it I instantly want to read more about Lulu and her broadway adventures so I hope there is more books in the work.

Lulu is our main character and she lives in the legendary Shubert Theatre along with her family. She loves living in this gorgeous theatre. If you have been to the theatre in NYC you know just how pretty and gorgeous they are inside. Her family works along side the humans in a unnamed musical and yes humans can actually hear the mice speak. Even though Lulu loves working in the theatre and helping out she dreams of one day making her broadway debut but she knows that will never happen because she is a mouse, but perhaps one day it could be a reality.

When Lulu finds out that her best friend, Maya will be leaving because the drive is too much for her parents into the city to make it  for every show especially since she is the understudy that has yet to make her debut she is upset. At first she’s not sure what to make of Jayne who is hired to replace Maya but before long the two become best friends and Lulu will do anything she can to make her feel welcomed especially when diva Amanda makes it know that no one will ever replace her.

This is where you know karma is a bitch and it will come and bite you in the butt when you least expect it and that is what happens. What will happen when things don’t go expected?

The story is told in Lulu’s point of view which was so much fun to read and I loved all the references to broadway shows including a little section at the back of the book with Lulu’s recommendations of things to see and do in NYC.

I loved that no matter how big or small you are dreams do come true if you believe.

Review/ A Properly Unhaunted Place by William Alexander

Review/ A Properly Unhaunted Place by William AlexanderA Properly Unhaunted Place by Kelly Murphy, William Alexander
Published by Margaret K. McElderry Books on August 7, 2018
Pages: 208
Goodreads

From National Book Award–winning author William Alexander comes “a fun and fast-paced supernatural mystery with secret depths” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review).
Rosa Ramona Díaz has a very special talent. She comes from a family of librarians who specialize in ghost appeasement. So she can’t understand why her mother has moved them to Ingot, the world’s only unhaunted town. What are they supposed to do there, with no poltergeists to quiet and no specters to soothe? Frankly, Rosa doesn’t think anyone should want to live in a place where the biggest attraction is a woefully inaccurate Renaissance Festival.
But Jasper Chevalier has always lived in Ingot, working at the festival while his parents hold court. Jasper has never seen a ghost, and can’t imagine his unhaunted town any other way…until an angry apparition thunders into the fairgrounds and turns Ingot upside down. Jasper is astonished…and Rosa is delighted.
Mist is building in the hills, and something otherworldly is about to be unleashed. Rosa will need all her ghost appeasement tools—and a little help from Jasper—to try to rein in the angry ghosts in this hilariously spooky adventure.

What does a young reader read when they want to read a book about ghosts but not anything that is too terrifying?  I found a perfectly proper book for kids who like to read about ghosts but prefer something not too haunting.  “A Properly Unhaunted Place” by William Alexander would be the book that you are looking for.

Rosa finds herself in a town that is completely unhaunted.  Not one creepy or ghastly thing about it.  She misses her old life, her old ways, and can’t wait to leave.  Her mother’s new job in a ghost-less town makes Rosa completely miserable.

Amid her brooding, Rosa meets Jasper, a local, on his way to the town’s annual medieval festival. This is a summer long party that the town holds in remembrance of its past.  What the townspeople don’t realize is that they don’t remember the true past nor the ghosts that belonged to it.

As this forgetfulness curse on the town weakens, Rosa finds herself in charge of helping a town she does not care for.  Simultaneously, Jasper is torn between hepling his town and leaving it the way it is, properly unhaunted, the way he likes it.

For readers ages 10 and up, this is an enjoyable read that isn’t too haunting or ghostly for our sensitive readers.  A great read with Halloween approaching.

Review/ Caveboy Dave: Not So Faboo

Review/ Caveboy Dave: Not So FabooCaveboy Dave: Not So Faboo by Aaron Reynolds, Phil McAndrew
Published by Viking Books for Young Readers on October 23, 2018
Pages: 256
Goodreads

From New York Times bestselling author Aaron Reynolds comes the latest installment of Caveboy Dave, a middle-grade graphic novel series perfect for fans of Captain Underpants.
Twelve-year-old Dave Unga-Bunga is having a great year: he survived his deadly Baby-Go-Boom ceremony, he's earned the respect of the villagers of Bleccchh, and he just invented ice cream and summer vacation. Before the ice cream melts, Dave and his friends spot a plume of smoke on the horizon (could there be another tribe nearby?) and suddenly Shaman Faboo--the glue that holds the village together--goes missing. With no one to tell them what to do or how to think, the village panics and elects Dave as their new leader. If Dave can't find Shaman Faboo and bring him back (alive), he'll be doomed to a life of boredom and something much worse: public service!
Not So Faboo, the second book in the Caveboy Dave series, delivers irresistible characters, big thrills, and even bigger laughs.

I quickly need to thank Penguin Random House Canada for sending me this unexpected ARC. I was under no obligation to read or review it. Since this was such a fun graphic novel to read I thought I would share my thoughts on it today.

Caveboy Dave Not So Faboo is a middle grade graphic novel and its the second book in the Caveboy Dave series.  Not quite sure if you can read them out of order but I was able to pick this up and follow the story and not feel like I was missing something.

I am not quite sure how to review graphic novels as its something I don’t tend to get a lot of.  I do enjoy reading them. If anyone has any tips on how to review a graphic novel please let me know.

The illustrations are perfect, eye catching and kind of funny when you read through it. I will definitely have to check it out the next time I am in Chapters because the ARC was in black and white.

The main character is a twelve year old boy named Dave Unga-Bunga and he is thinking this this has been the best year of his life so far.

Not to far into the book Dave and his friends spot some smoke off in the distance and this is the first time they have seen this. Could their be other people outside of the village of Bleccchh? They go looking for  Shaman Faboo because he will know what to do but when they go looking for him they discover he is missing. Where did he go?

The villagers start to panic who will run the tribe? They begin to panic because there is no one there to guide them or tell them what to do. Basically they need someone to tell them what to do, how to do it and to think for them.  Without really thinking about it they elect Dave to run the village until the Shaman comes back, if he ever comes back.

Without getting to far into the graphic novel and what is about I do have to say that this was a quick and fun read. I read it in one sitting. I did laugh so I would recommend it to any kids who like graphic novels and is looking for something new to read.

 

October 2018 Books Unhauling

I had so much success in 2015 unhauling books that I thought I decided to  continue this year after year and going into 2018 I will be doing the same thing again although the only thing I plan on doing differently is doing this 2x a year instead of monthly. I think I do this out of curiosity  for myself to see if I am giving more away then I am bringing in.

Before summer began one of my big missions was to tackle the overwhelming number of books I had on my bookcases, in my cedar chest, bedroom and boxes in the basement and as you can see from the past few months I have been successfully in doing just that its still an ongoing process but happy to see some progress being made.

Plus all the books I have been boxing up are being donated to my local church so when they have their bazaar the money will go back into the church.

  1. Tomorrow Girls Behind the Gates by Eva Gray
  2. Tomorrow Girls Run for Cover by Eva Gray
  3. Tomorrow Girls With The Enemy by Eva Gray
  4. Tomorrow Girls Set me Free by Eva Gray
  5. Dreamsleeves by Coleen Murtagh Paratore
  6. Bruiser by Neal Shusterman
  7. #Scandal by Sarah Ockler
  8. starling by Lesley Livingston
  9. Witch & Wizard The Gift by James Patterson
  10. Witch & Wizard The Fire by James Patterson
  11. Nick & Tesla’s Super Cyborg Gadget Glove
  12. Nick & Tesla’s Secret Agent Gadget Battle
  13. Nick & Tesla’s Robot Army Rampage
  14. Nick & Tesla’s High Voltage Danger Lab
  15. infinity Ring Cave of Wonders
  16. All Fall Down by Ally Carter
  17. Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
  18. Revamped
  19. Vamped
  20. The Eye of MInds by James Dashner
  21. The Rule of Thoughts by James Dashner
  22. The Scorch Trials by James Dashner
  23. the maze runner by James Dashner
  24. half Lives by Sara Grant
  25. awoken by Timothy Miller
  26. ink by Amanda Sun
  27. The Truth That’s in Me by Julie Berry
  28. Christmas with Holly by  Lisa Kleypas
  29. Perfection by J.L Spelbring
  30. Plain Kate by Erin Bow
  31. Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult & Samantha Can Leer

Total books released this month: 31

Total books released in 2018: 223

Total books released in 2017: 156

Total books released in 2016: 124

Total books released in 2015: 211

Sunday’s In Bed With

This is being hosted by two of the sweetest people I have the privilege of knowing in real life, Kate and Kim. Sadly we don’t talk like we use to because you know real life happens but there is not a day that goes by that I don’t think of them both.

Good Morning Everyone. I hope everyone had a good week and a just as good weekend. It’s been a busy weekend here. We started looking at CEGEP’s for my son who will be graduating in 2020. We did our first open house yesterday and wow what an impressive school.

In case your not from Quebec and wondering what CEGEP is I will try and explain it to the best of my ability. High schools in Quebec go from Secondary 1 to 5, everywhere else in Canada it would equal grades 7 to 11. Yes in Quebec we graduate at grade 11. Then CEGEP is to continue your education. Its usually 1 to 2+ years but can be more depending on what you want to study (nursing, document design, architectural technology, animal health, etc. can be studied in a CEGEP), basically a trade or profession. This is sort of preparing you for college/university if you want to study something else.

Hope that made some sense.

Not much reading got done this week because I ended up starting the week really badly. I got a email saying my account was hacked and that just made me sick to my stomach and I didn’t want to me online at all this week. I had no desire to sit, read or even blog . Hopefully its nothing and then again middle of the week I got another one.

This whole thing makes me sick and fed up with scammers. I am just a stay at home mom who loves to read and share my love of books with you. I make no money off my blogging (although I wish I could) and I do it for fun but this week it was not fun. It was stressful. Now hopefully that is behind us and we can move on. Its too bad that they people would use their abilities for good and not bad.

Currently reading:

Lulu The Broadway Mouse

This past week I read:

A Billionaire Wolf For Christmas

How was your week?

Review/ The Boundless

Review/ The BoundlessThe Boundless by Kenneth Oppel
Published by HarperTrophy on March 10, 2015
Pages: 336
Goodreads

Will Everett has always wished for an adventure. Little does he know that his adventure starts the moment he boards the Boundless. There is a murder, and now Will must protect a key that can unlock the train's hidden treasures. Villians are fast on his heels and strange creatures are lurking outside the windows as the Boundless hurtles across the country. Together with Maren, a gifted escape artist, and Mr. Dorian, a circus ringmaster with amazing abilities, Will must save the Boundless before someone else winds up dead.
His adventure may have begun without him knowing . . . but how it ends is up to Will.

Ready or not, school has started.  Along with this great adventure for our children comes great amounts of homework.  Homework may include…the dreaded book report.  It is challenging to get most kids to do their homework.  Add a book report and the challenge becomes even more difficult.  However, I have a solution.  “The Boundless” by Kenneth Oppel is a FANTASTIC novel for a book report or presentation.  For students in grades 6, 7, and 8, this is a book that they will enjoy reading AND sharing with classmates.  I absolutely loved reading this book and so did my husband, a train enthusiast and adventure seeker.

Situated during the final stages of construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway, “The Boundless” adds a bit of history to a fiction novel.  Not a lot of history to bore you, but just the right amount to include in those reports.  It really helped stage the novel and shared insight into the attitudes of many individuals involved with the railway.  A young reader may not have known this history, and the author did not take this back-ground information for granted.  The setting is in the beautiful Rocky Mountains, majestic and breath-taking, dangerous and foreboding.

On its maiden journey, “The Boundless” is the most magnificently built machine of its time.  The rich, famous, and most important individuals are embarking on a ride of a lifetime.  True to those times, classes amongst the people decided your place along the train cars with the owner of the train in the first car and the travelling circus at the very back.

Young Will accompanies his father on this journey of all journeys where it becomes apparent that people are not who they say they are and more importantly, lives are traded for valuable items.  Will must save his father’s life, but who can he trust? Men in suits or the oddities from the travelling circus.  Can wits, tricks, and magic save the day?  Can Will truly count on his new friends?

A fast-paced mystery aboard a moving train on new tracks in the mountains that may or may not be filled with snow monsters keeps the readers flipping the pages to read on and immerse themselves in this journey.  I could not put this book down!

Ready for the ride of your life? Read, “The Boundless” and get ready to have your breath taken away.