Hailey Twitch is not a Snitch Review

Posted on by Cindy


TITLE: Hailey Twitch is not a Snitch
AUTHOR: Lauren Barnholdt
ILLUSTRATOR: Suzanne Beaky
PUB DATE: May 2010
PUBLISHER: Sourcebooks/Jabberwacky
PAGES: 160

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Seven-year-old Hailey Twitch knows three things for sure: who she’s the boss of, how to throw a tantrum, and above all, how to get exactly what she wants. But all that changes when Hailey gets paired up with annoying Addie Jokobeck on the class project. No matter what Hailey does, she can’t seem to change her teacher’s mind.

At home, a cranky Hailey is feeling sorry for herself when – poof! — Maybelle, a magic sprite, comes flying out of Hailey’s dollhouse. Maybelle’s on probation with the Department of Magic, and on a special mission to get Hailey to have fun.

The only problem? The invisible Maybelle starts causing a lot of trouble, and when Hailey’s teacher wants to know who’s to blame, Hailey takes responsibility. After all, Hailey Twitch is not a snitch! Now if only Hailey can convince the Department of Magic that Maybelle has reformed.

Please note that the book cover and about the book was taken from the press release I was sent.

MY THOUGHTS:

I have to send a huge thank you to Carrie from Sourcebooks for contacting me about this book and for sending it to me to read and review.

I am really happy to tell you that Hailey Twitch is not a Snitch is being released today. If you have a child who loves chapter books then I highly recommend this. Amazon has it rated for children 4-8. Not sure if that is the right age group since its a long book.

I heard about Lauren Barnholdt last year and I bought a few of her books. I ended up pushing them further down on my TBR pile because they were books I bought and figured I could read and review them later but after reading this one I am curious to read her so I am probably going to bring Two-Way Street with me to NY.

I have to say that I loved Hailey Twitch is not a snitch. Hailey is seven years old and in grade 2. One day in class, the teacher has a special project for the kids. They will be studying a place and they have to present a food from that area and dress in a custom. Its part of Diversity Week.

Hailey is really excited and is eyeing her potential partner Antonio but her bubble is quickly popped when the teacher says your partners will be the person you sit next too. Her partner is Addie and Hailey doesn’t really like her because she is boring and not fun. So Hailey goes home upset.

Alone in her room she wishes she was a princess so that she can buy her way out of being Addie’s partner. Suddenly something flies out of the doll castle. Hailey is shocked. She discovers she has a spirit and that only Hailey can see her. Her name is Maybelle. Maybelle wants to learn how to be fun.

Maybelle is trying to bond with Hailey will trying to impress the Department of Magic. Unfortunately it seems like Maybelle is causing more problems then expected as she is following the rules and trying to keep Hailey from doing bad things. Hailey is getting into trouble at school, at home and with Addie. Maybelle is trying to help Hailey but everything she does just doesn’t work. Hailey is your typical kid trying to push the buttons to see how far she can go.

I had to laugh when Hailey came up with the idea to make braces out of paper clips. They have paper clips, super glue and a wrench. Now we all know what super glues does. Needless to say the girls ditch the super glue idea and use denture cream instead. When Addie’s mother comes into the bathroom she almost dies. The girls have made a mess of the bathroom and ruined her towels. I could just picture this and funny enough Suzanne did a great job in illustrating this for me.

This book was a quick and fun read and I am dying to read the next book to find out what happens because Hailey Twitch is not a snitch ended like this:

“No time for small talk,” he says. Then he pushes up his glasses and looks at me kind of seriously. “We need,” he says “to talk about Maybelle. And it is very important.” Yikes….

Is that not a cliff hanger? Hmm what is so important?

UPCOMING BOOK:
The next book in the series is called Hailey Twitch Saves the Play and the release date is November 2010.

You can check out Lauren’s site Here

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.

Musing Mondays #1

Posted on by Cindy

Musing Mondays is hosted by Rebecca from Just One More Page.

I have to admit that I have been reading these Monday Musings for quite awhile and I never took part in them but today’s question is one that is a good one to answer.

Do you frequent second hand book stores? Have you ever bought a book home only to find anything interesting within their pages?

Yes I do tend to frequently visit second hand bookstores. I always manage to find quite a few interesting books that I want to read. Although I have to admit that I am a little picky when I get books from second hand bookstores. I won’t buy anything that looks like the book has seen better days or smells.

I have not found anything interesting in my books but I will definitely have to double check them now. Hmm perhaps a hidden treasure will be found.

If you want to take part all you have to do is head over to Rebecca’s blog for this week’s question.

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.

New Release Day in Books #1

Posted on by Cindy

Welcome to New Release Day. I am not sure if anyone else is doing this in the blogosphere and if it is being done please let me know and I can credit you for it.

I thought it would be nice to showcase New Releases being released today. I plan on showcasing the books that I own.(They were either sent to me or I either bought them.)

ABOUT THE BOOK:
A ghost will find his way home.

Jennie Lovell’s life is the very picture of love and loss. First she is orphaned and forced to live at the mercy of her stingy, indifferent relatives. Then her fiancé falls on the battlefield, leaving her heartbroken and alone. Jennie struggles to pick up the pieces of her shattered life, but is haunted by a mysterious figure that refuses to let her bury the past.

When Jennie forms an unlikely alliance with a spirit photographer, she begins to uncover secrets about the man she thought she loved. With her sanity on edge and her life in the balance, can Jennie expose the chilling truth before someone—or something—stops her?

Against the brutal, vivid backdrop of the American Civil War, Adele Griffin and Lisa Brown have created a spellbinding mystery where the living cannot always be trusted and death is not always the end.

Check for my review of Picture The Dead on May 19th.

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Maggie:
I began the deception when I was too young to know right from wrong. Only with the passing of time did I come to understand the consequences of my actions.

Kate:
I do not believe that I have ever intentionally deceived anyone. Maggie has a different understanding of the events that have happened. To her the spirits were always a game. For me they were my life’s calling. I have no regrets.

It starts as a harmless prank…then one lie quickly grows into another. Soon Kate and Maggie Fox are swept into a dizzying flurry of national attention for their abilities to communicate with the dead. But living a lie is sometimes too much to handle, even if you have the best intentions. Based on a true story, We Hear the Dead reveals how secrets and lies can sometimes lead you to what’s real and what’s right. And how sometimes talking with the dead is easier than talking with the people around you.

Check for my review of We Hear The Dead on May 20th.

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.

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

.

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.

Magna Review (Scenarios 3)

Posted on by Cindy

TITLE: Magna Scenarios 3
AUTHOR: Nicole O’Dell
PUB DATE: April 2010
PUBLISHER: Barbour Books
PAGES: 192

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Molly Jacobs isn’t sure what she should do: Should she follow
through with stealing some clothes for her friends from Magna—the trendy girls’
clothing store where she works? Or should she do what she knows is right, even
if it means losing her new found popularity? Girls ages 10 to 15 make
the choice in this interactive story and see how the consequences change Molly’s
life. Includes a contract and prayer to remind the reader of the importance of
making godly decisions.

MY THOUGHTS:
This is the third book in the scenarios series.

Molly is your typical teenager in high school. She is with her friends (Sara and Jess) complaining about clothes and how they all look Junior high-ish. They girls decide that they should all get jobs since they are old enough to get work permits (if their parents sign the forms). They quickly work on a list of where they could work, they decide on a clothing store because not only would they get paid but they would get a discount.

With the okay to work the girls know just where they want to apply, Magna. They all get a call for an interview but only Molly gets hired.

Molly quickly realizes she has a knack for fashion and putting together great looks. This impresses Donna, the manager. Molly has the knack for thinking of the customers need but yet has the knack for adding on to the sale. This is a great quality management likes and can bring you up in a job.

Being in a higher position brings on additional responsibility and friends she didn’t know she had such as the popular girls in the school when they realize where she works. When her friends and her so called friends ask for favors, will Molly help them out or will she say no?

Molly is your typical teenager she wants the friends, to fit in and to have it all but with that there comes a price, will this cost her everything?

I really enjoyed this book. Funny enough I was thinking as a teen and knew shew would make the wrong choice but happy that she came clean in the end. I am sure most teens wouldn’t. I think most teens don’t realize that there are consequences to your actions when you make the wrong choice.

I asked the neighborhood girls what they would do and the majority said they wouldn’t bow to the peer pressure and stand their ground because they said eventually you would get caught and the guilt would eat away at you. So I guess some teen girls would do the right thing.

To find out more you can check out this site: http://www.nicoleodell.com/

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.