Testing the Ice

Testing the Ice - A True Story about Jackie Robinson is Sharon Robinson's wonderful tribute to her father. And what a tribute it is! The book not only shares Robinson's life as a ball player, but his fight to overcome racial prejudice and his own fear - that of water. It is inspiring - and such a wonderful story of a part of Robinson's personal life. The illustrations, done by Kadir Nelson, are AMAZING and only add to the tenderness of this story. I fell in love with this book - ALL of it! And I am excited that I get to share it with you!

Big Honcho Media provided me with a copy of the book to use to review AND they have a contest going where you can receive your own copy as well. Details are here:
One (1) winner from your site receives a TESTING THE ICE prize pack!
Kidorable Hat, Glove & Scarf set (random styles - see attached image) copy of Testing the Ice

Four (4) additional winners will receive a copy of the book!
Prizing Values:
The grand prize pack is valued at $52.99
The books are valued at $16.99 each

Shipping Guidelines:

Prizing is only available to United States mailing address only.
(International readers can enter if they have a friend in the States who can
accept their prizes by mail.)

ALL YOU HAVE TO DO is leave a comment on this post - remember, you must be a U.S. mailing address. With your comment - make sure and leave an email so that I can contact you if you win!!

This is truly a book you will want on your shelves - it is inspiring - we all have fears we can overcome and this will encourage us to do just that!

The 13 Days of Halloween

Carol Greene has written a parody on "The 12 Days of Christmas" - it is so fun and kids will truly relate! It's catchy and Tim Raglin's illustrations are SUPERB!! Here is what the publisher had to say about Greene:

Carol Greene wrote her first poem when she was six years old (it was about a spider). To date she has published over a hundred books for children. Tim Raglin brings his wacky imagination and wonderfully odd cast of characters to The Thirteen Days of Halloween. His previous books include Five Funny Fights, Pecos Bill, and The Birthday ABC. He received a silver medal from the New York Society of Illustrators for his book Uncle Mugsy & the Terrible Twins of Christmas.

This is a new Halloween title - not-to-miss!!

The Swiss Courier

My favorite type of reading used to be historical fiction - that was what I devoured. Well, since working in a library, I have broadened my reading quite extensively and hardly read historical fiction anymore. So, when I heard of the blog tour for The Swiss Courier, I wanted to join in and give myself a REASON to read hist. fiction again. AND I was so glad I did, Tricia Goyer and Mike Yorkey DO NOT disappoint! What a great, fast-paced read - you will be hooked from the start and learn something along the way. World War Two history always intrigues me.


About the Book:
It is August 1944 and the Gestapo is mercilessly rounding up suspected enemies of the Third Reich. When Joseph Engel, a German physicist working on the atomic bomb, finds that he is actually a Jew, adopted by Christian parents, he must flee for his life to neutral Switzerland. Gabi Mueller is a young Swiss-American woman working for the newly formed American Office of Strategic Services (the forerunner to the CIA) close to Nazi Germany. When she is asked to risk her life to safely "courier" Engel out of Germany, the fate of the world rests in her hands. If she can lead him to safety, she can keep the Germans from developing nuclear capabilities. But in a time of traitors and uncertainty, whom can she trust along the way? This fast-paced, suspenseful novel takes readers along treacherous twists and turns during a fascinating--and deadly--time in history.

About the authors:
Tricia Goyer is the author of several books, including Night Song and Dawn of a Thousand Nights, both past winners of the ACFW's Book of the Year Award for Long Historical Romance. Goyer lives with her family in Montana. To find out more visit her website: www.triciagoyer.com
Mike Yorkey is the author or coauthor of dozens of books, including the bestselling Every Man's Battle series. Married to a Swiss native, Yorkey lived in Switzerland for 18 months. He and his family currently reside in California.To find out more visit his website: www.MikeYorkey.com. Would you like to hear an interview with the authors? Then go HERE.

Thank you, LitFuse, for providing a copy of The Swiss Courier for me to review.

Shiver

Once I broke that "I will never do this" and read Twilight - I have since been more willing to broaden my horizons and try others along the vampire/werewolf theme. So Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater was one that now interested me. The book totally caught me from the first page - Grace is mesmerized by a werewolf that saved her life - although she can only watch the wolf from afar. She spends lots of time outside trying to just see her wolf with the yellow eyes. But what happens when the wolf becomes human?? That is the story of Sam and Grace - I was totally caught up in the story - Sam's struggle to stay human and stay with Grace. Sam has to battle the cold to stay human and that becomes quite a challenge. Really, it was a great book - held my interest the whole way through. I know it's getting rave reviews, and well it should, however I would think twice before you hand it to your teens - the sexual tension is great and does culminate in sex between Grace and Sam. I would definitely stay with mature readers on this one.

Bear-ly There

I was sent a ARC copy of Bear-ly There by Rebekah Raye and LOVED it. What a fun story - one I think all kids will enjoy - but especially fun as it is very boy-friendly! What would you do if you found a bear roaming in your backyard - possibly bothering your geese?? That is just what Charlie has to decide - how to deal with the big bear! He is clever and kids will enjoy the fun ending to this book! The illustrations are also marvelous - they are so realistic that it seems you can reach right out and touch the bear. The book is a wonderful story that even teaches about the habits of bears - I thoroughly enjoyed it and am sure kids will too!

***The best part of this blog tour is that Tilbury House is offering giveaways for readers that leave comments - look at what they are giving away:

We will draw 9 lucky winners from all of those who leave comments on the participating tour posts from (October 16-30) to win one of the following prizes:
- A set of four art cards (2 sets available)
- A signed wildlife art print
- An original sketch from Bear-ly There
- An original sketch from The Very Best Bed
- An original sketch from Thanks to the Animals
- A copy of Bear-ly There, The Very Best Bed, or Thanks to the Animals, signed by Rebekah Raye
Winners will be announced on Oct. 31, US/Canada addresses only, please.

So leave a comment and you are entered!! And don't forget - catch Bear-ly There - it is a treat!

Climbing the Stairs

I just finished Padma Venkatraman's WONDERFUL Climbing the Stairs. I was sent this ARC Copy and asked to review this on my blog. As I thoroughly enjoy literature set in India - I was thrilled to do so! It was a book that I thoroughly enjoyed. I enjoyed seeing the culture of India through 15 year-old Vidya's eyes. Vidya is not at all trapped by her society's view of women - she wants to go to college and progress on her own terms! I like that about this fun protagonist - she is spunky and not afraid to "buck" a bit. Her life is not easy - but that is the beauty of this book! I was captured from page one and plan to tell my teens all about it! This one is NOT to be missed!