Confessions of a Bibliovore

A few weeks ago I was approached by Penguin Young Readers to participate in a super fun blog tour called Wicked Reads.  They paired candy up with several books.  I picked a candy and got that book. BUT the book was a surprise!  We then post about the book along with other fun material.  I jumped at the chance to participate because it sounded like so much fun.   I picked: And got the book: On a winter's day in a British town, twelve-year old Alex receives a package in the mail: an old tin robot from his grandfather. "This one is special," says the enclosed note, and when strange events start occurring around him, Alex suspects this small toy is more than special; it might be deadly. Right as things get out of hand, Alex's grandfather arrives, pulling him away from an attack--and his otherwise humdrum world of friends, bullies, and homework--and into the macabre magic of an ancient family feud. Together, the duo flees across snowy Europe, unraveling the...

Sometimes I want to post about books that just need to be spotlighted. In the spotlight today: Halloween Inspired Nonfiction! First are two books I've read: Zombie alert! Meet the real-life monsters of the animal kingdom and explore the gory, gross, and creepy behaviors these creatures have honed in order to survive. Do monsters really exist? Find out for yourself in this fun-filled book, featuring some real-life wonders of nature: zombifying parasites, bloodsucking vampires, aliens, sea beasts, ghosts, and more. Discover more than 50 creatures with unusual talents, find out what makes each animal tick, and whether they are truly "monsters" after all. Features include eye-popping photography, spine-tingling scientific info, the most up-to-date research, and fun facts for extra knowledge. You'll also meet the "Mad Scientist" experts who study these creatures, explore the creepy origins of their mythical counterparts, and learn how these spooky adaptations he...

http://www.jeanbooknerd.com/2018/10/nerd-blast-oracle-of-doom-by-dj-machale.html SYNOPSIS Check out a book and read your future. . . . It’s another page-turning adventure from #1 New York Times bestselling author D. J. MacHale! Marcus is an agent of the Library, a place filled with tales that don’t have an ending. Puzzles that won’t be solved until Marcus and his friends step in to finish them. This time it’s their own stories at stake. Theo just visited the Oracle Baz, an old amusement-park machine that spits out fortunes for the cost of a quarter. Fun, right? The only problem is, the oracle’s cheap predictions have been coming true . . . and Theo’s fortune says that life as he knows it will end on his fourteenth birthday! Plus, Lu’s cousin, who also went to the oracle, is missing. Marcus knows where to find help for his friends–the Library. It turns out that the Oracle Baz was a real man who died in a fire long ago. Can a glimpse into the fortune-teller’s past change all their fut...

Title : Food Fight: A Mouthwatering History of Who Ate What and Why Through the Ages Author : Tanya Steel Copy Obtained : From publisher About the Book from Goodreads Grab your knife and fork and get ready to dig into human history through the lens of food and the struggle to acquire it with award-winning celebrity food editor and author Tanya Steel. This book includes 30 kid-tested and approved recipes inside! Did you know that Christopher Columbus set out on his most famous voyage in search not of the new world, but cinnamon? Or that rich people in the Middle Ages served flaming peacocks and spun sugar castles to their lucky dinner party guests? Did you ever wonder why M&Ms were invented? (Hint: That candy coating isn't just for decoration!) The quest for food has inspired all kinds of adventures and misadventures around the world, and this book explores the wildest and wackiest of them all, from prehistoric times through modern day. Hungry readers can go on a finger-licking ...

There are some books I just can't wait for.   Here's where I share!  Due Out:  March 12th, 2019 Years ago, the house at the end of the lane burned down. The townspeople never learned what happened, but Rita Frost and her teenage ward, Bevan, were never seen again. Only Mae and her brother Rossa know the truth of what happened that summer—and they’ll never say a word. When they were told they’d be spending their summer with their great aunt, Mae and Rossa were anything but thrilled. But nothing at Rita’s is as it appears. Bevan is enthralled by a dangerous power lurking behind the walls of Rita’s home. The power—known as Sweet James—is hungry, and what he wants most is a taste of the twins. And Bevan wants the magic and escape that Sweet James is offering her. But Sweet James is never satisfied, no matter what Bevan brings him. Mae would give Bevan almost anything—she is in the grip of first love, both dying for Bevan’s attention and worried she’ll get it. But Rossa i...

I love book covers! I love walking around Barnes and Noble just looking at all the different covers.   A good cover will make me pull the book off the shelf!   It's almost like I have a crush on them :) Today I'm crushin' on: About the Book: In the two weeks since her drunken bike accident, Marcelle has been forced to look deeply at her own life. She’s clean and sober now, attending a tough-love version of after-school rehab, and barely hanging out with her user friends. Then one night she gets a mysterious text from her best friend, Hannah, asking Marcelle to cover for her. It’s a small, simple lie. But Marcelle learned in group therapy not to enable her drug-using friends. One lie could lead Marcelle back to a dark, dangerous place. But it’s Hannah: beautiful, messed-up, in-deeper-than-anyone-knows Hannah. So Marcelle gives in. The next morning, Hannah is missing. Marcelle was the last one to hear from her . . . and now she’s lying to everyone—her parents, Hannah’s mom,...

Title : The Unicorn in the Barn Author : Jacqueline K. Ogburn Copy Obtained : From publisher About the Book from Goodreads For years people have claimed to see a mysterious white deer in the woods around Chinaberry Creek. It always gets away.  One evening, Eric Harper thinks he spots it. But a deer doesn’t have a coat that shimmers like a pearl. And a deer certainly isn’t born with an ivory horn curling from its forehead.  When Eric discovers the unicorn is hurt and being taken care of by the vet next door and her daughter, Allegra, his life is transformed. One sentence review: Sweet story that's great for young middle school students, but I hoped for more.   Best for readers who: Are obsessed with unicorns, but will also understand it's a series book Best Stick-with-You Image: The baby unicorns Library Thoughts: I 'm not sure if this is one I'd get - only because kids want a fun book about unicorns, and this is a more series book.   This book was not at a...

There are some books I just can't wait for - whether it's waiting for them to be published or for me to just get time to read them.   Here's where I share!  Today I'm waiting to read: Frey and Rafi are inseparable . . . but very few people have ever seen them together. This is because Frey is Rafi’s double, raised in the shadows of their rich father’s fortress. While Rafi has been taught to charm, Frey has been taught to kill. Frey only exists to protect her sister. There is no other part of her life. Frey has never been out in the world on her own – until her father sends her in Rafi’s place to act as collateral for a dangerous deal. Everyone thinks she’s her sister – but Col, the son of a rival leader, is starting to get close enough to tell the difference. As the stakes grow higher and higher, Frey must decide whether she can trust him – or anyone in her life. Why I'm waiting to read: I loved the Uglies series.  REally loved them, so when I saw that he was coming...

Welcome to a world where nightmarish creatures reign supreme. Five hundred years ago, Jack made a deal with the devil. It’s difficult for him to remember much about his mortal days. So, he focuses on fulfilling his sentence as a Lantern—one of the watchmen who guard the portals to the Otherworld, a realm crawling with every nightmarish creature imaginable. Jack has spent centuries jumping from town to town, ensuring that nary a mortal—or not-so-mortal—soul slips past him. That is, until he meets beautiful Ember O’Dare.  Seventeen, stubborn, and a natural-born witch, Ember feels a strong pull to the Otherworld. Undeterred by Jack’s warnings, she crosses into the forbidden plane with the help of a mysterious and debonair vampire—and the chase through a dazzling, dangerous world is on. Jack must do everything in his power to get Ember back where she belongs before both the earthly and unearthly worlds descend into chaos.   AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY C...

Title : In Your Shoes Author : Donna Gephart Copy Obtained : From publisher About the Book from Goodreads Miles is an anxious boy who loves his family's bowling center even if though he could be killed by a bolt of lightning or a wild animal that escaped from the Philadelphia Zoo on the way there.  Amy is the new girl at school who wishes she didn't have to live above her uncle's funeral home and tries to write her way to her own happily-ever-after.  Then Miles and Amy meet in the most unexpected way . . . and that's when it all begin s. . . .  One sentence review: Sweet story that reminds us everyone is going through something.   Best for readers who: Like serious books Best Stick-with-You Image: Um I don't think I'll ever get the image of a bowling shoe flying through the air and hitting someone's head Library Thoughts: Yes I'd get this for the media center because I know some kids really need this mirror reminding them they aren't alone.   I do...

Hey everyone I just wanted to give you a heads up that (except for the posts I currently have scheduled), I'll only be posting reviews for a while.   I'm a first-round Cybils judge and I really only have time for reading and reviewing.  And the reviews may be short on top of that! 

http://www.rockstarbooktours.com/ Graphic novels are huge at our middle school.  I mean I got one kid to read Macbeth because it was a graphic novel! So when given the chance to check out a new graphic novel I jumped on it! Today I'd like to introduce you to: Title : SANITY & TALLULAH Author : Molly Brooks Pub. Date: October 16, 2018 Publisher : Disney-Hyperion Formats : Hardcover, paperback, eBook Pages : 240 Find it: Goodreads , Amazon , B&N , iBooks , TBD Sanity Jones and Tallulah Vega are best friends on Wilnick, the dilapidated space station they call home at the end of the galaxy. So naturally, when gifted scientist Sanity uses her lab skills and energy allowance to create a definitely-illegal-but-impossibly-cute three-headed kitten, she has to show Tallulah. But Princess, Sparkle, Destroyer of Worlds is a bit of a handful, and it isn't long before the kitten escapes to wreak havoc on the space station. The girls will have to turn Wilnick upside down to find her...

Title : The Nest Author : Kenneth Oppel Copy Obtained: Purchased About the Book From Goodreads For some kids summer is a sun-soaked season of fun. But for Steve, it’s just another season of worries. Worries about his sick newborn baby brother who is fighting to survive, worries about his parents who are struggling to cope, even worries about the wasp’s nest looming ominously from the eaves. So when a mysterious wasp queen invades his dreams, offering to “fix” the baby, Steve thinks his prayers have been answered. All he has to do is say “Yes.” But “yes” is a powerful word. It is also a dangerous one. And once it is uttered, can it be taken back? One sentence review: What an odd little book! Best for readers who: Ok with books that don't follow normal rules of storytelling and reality.   Best Stick-with-You Image: The description of the wasps Library Thoughts: I have two copies in the library because it's a Maud Hart Lovelace nominee this year.  I know several kids have ...