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Ages 14-18 / Young Adult / Thomas Nelson
Win a set of Beautiful by Cindy Martinusen-Coloma for your book club.
Enter to win by emailing Ashley Schneider (write "KidsBookClubbing" in the subject line).
Dear Reader,
With
my daughter in high school, I see how she and her friends all possess beauty in
unique ways. Yet it's so hard for women - young and old - to recognize their
own beauty without matching it against others. We also miss a lot of beautiful
things in our day-to-day life. That's what made me want to write this book.
I
was inspired by my daughter and by the question of having and losing
everything. What's left when perfection is shattered? I hope readers will
discover beauty throughout their lives and in themselves as they read Beautiful.
Cindy Martinusen-Coloma
[email protected] www.cindycoloma-ya.com
"With intriguing premise and characters, I was
pulled right into this multi-faceted story. The relationship between the
sisters felt honest and poignant, yet unpredictable."
-
Melody Carlson, author of The Diary of a Teenage Girl series
"Young adults will be familiar with
the mantra that what is on the inside is more important than outer beauty, even
though experience tells them otherwise. Ellie's and Megan's well-written
character development will cause readers to care about them long after this
poignant story is over."
-Romantic Times - 4
stars!
Discussion Questions for Beautiful:
1. Which sister
do you identify most with? Megan or Ellie? In what ways did the journey of the
sister's lives influence your life?
2. Do you have
a sister or a best friend who is like a sister? How has that sister
relationship helped you? How has it been hard and brought feelings of jealousy
or insecurity? Are there ways you can improve your sister relationships, feel
more secure about yourself and more okay about your differences?
3. In what ways
has your self imaged hindered you from seeking your dreams?
Author call-in information:
Cindy is happy to call-in to your club. Email Ashley Schneider at Thomas
Nelson Publishers to submit your request.
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Ages 8 - 12 / Middle Grade Fiction / Candlewick Press
Win a set of Lincoln and His Boys by Rosemary Wells for your book club.
Enter
to win via the author's website
(write "KidsBookclubbing" at the top of the message).
Dear
Reader,
Why
another book about Lincoln? Because it shows something new.
Lincoln
was a human being much deeper than the traditional myth based histories that
kids normally get about this great man. There are no well-worn anecdotes in
this book. Almost everything in it is history that children will read nowhere
else.
Few
readers know Tad Lincoln had a cleft palate and was severely dyslexic. Few
readers know that Lincoln's greatest joy was theatre and railroads, or that he
read out loud every time he read anything.
His
sons Tad and Willie were the heart of this great man. Their stories on the way
to and in the White House are the heart of Lincoln and His Boys.
Lincoln
was an extraordinary father, kind and gentle despite his own childhood where
poverty and neglect ruled the day. 
The
history is researched impeccably. Every incident in the book has passed muster
of the curators of the Lincoln Library in Springfield, Illinois. The
conversation is what makes it different.
In
its pages you can hear the Lincolns talking, very much as we do in our time.
Keep
talking and reading,
Rosemary
Wells
Book Reviews for Lincoln and His Boys:
"Introduces the legendary president through the
perspectives of his youngest children, Willie and Tad... Rarely does a
biography so robustly engage the audience's emotions."
-Publishers Weekly
"Wells' choice of words that a lad of the time
might have used are especially good...we've been taken inside a family."
-Chicago Tribune
"With
an almost absurdly great teaming of talent, it's little surprise that this
fact-based chapter book is marvelous. Almost heart-breaking, because of the
omnipresence of tragic death, at the same time it' somehow inspiring,
confirming that a great man can be incredibly good and incredibly human as
well."
-Journal Inquirer
1.
What would it be like to be a child of the
president of the United States? What would be its best aspects? What would be
its worst? If your parent wanted to be president, would you encourage her or
him?
2.
How does coming to the President's House change the Lincoln
family? How does the Lincoln family change the President's House?
3. What is Tad Lincoln's physical disability? How
does it affect the way he is treated by people outside the family? Why does he
feel more confident in his soldier's uniform?
Author call-in information:
Rosemary Wells is happy to call-in to your club. Send an email to
Rosemary via her website to submit your
request.
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Ages 7 - 11 / Illustrated Chapter Book Mystery / Kane Press
Win a set of a Milo & Jazz mystery of your choice by Lewis B. Montgomery for your book club.
Enter to win by emailing Kane Press
(write "KidsBookclubbing" in the subject line).
Greetings,
mystery-lovers!
When
you read a mystery, the problem comes before the solution. But when you write a
mystery, sometimes the solution comes first! That's what happened with my first
book in The Milo & Jazz Mysteries, The Case of the Stinky Socks. I started
with a neat idea for a tricky answer to a mystery. Then I built a story around
it, full of fun stuff like spy glasses, a baseball game, lucky socks, a crazy
costume, ice-cream sundaes, and a pair of bold and clever young detectives.
What
was the solution that I started with? Sorry, can't tell you that. You'll have
to read the book! But take a long, hard look at yourself, and you just might
find a clue. . . .
Happy
sleuthing!
Lewis
B. Montgomery
Book Reviews for The Milo & Jazz Mysteries:
"The
Case of the Stinky Socks gets it just right: a fun, easy-to-solve mystery,
readily identifiable young detectives, and some extras readers will enjoy.
[Kids] will enjoy flexing their detective skills here and in the second
installment, The Case of the Poisoned Pig . . . cleverly ends with new
materials offering additional opportunities for armchair sleuthing."
-Booklist (starred review)
"
. . . Each volume ends with additional 'brain stretchers' and mini-cases direct
from Dash Marlowe. The stories are quick and satisfying, and challenges at the
back of the books contribute to the enjoyment. Wummer's pencil and ink illustrations
add a humorous touch and are perfect for the stories."
-School Library Journal
"The Milo & Jazz Mysteries are a perfect blend of
humor and suspense. Realistic characters and kid-friendly mysteries will make
this series a favorite among young readers. Very refreshing!"
-Marcia Thornton Jones, author of The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids
series
1. Ask your readers if they've ever had to work in a group or play on a team with
someone they didn't like or didn't know very well. How did they feel about
that? Did they think it would work out? Discuss how Milo begins to value Jazz's
help and eventually accepts her as his detective partner.
2. Has anyone in your book club ever had a good-luck charm? Talk about Dylan's
stinky socks and how they might have helped or hurt his pitching. Revisit
P.J.'s line on page 70: "Dylan, you don't need luck. You just need to get your
head back in the game." Ask your readers if they've ever been in a position
where they thought they needed luck. Encourage them to think about what they
might really have needed at the time.
3. Ask your readers if they've ever had to let a little brother or sister (or any
younger kid) tag along with them. Did they relate to Milo's feelings about
having to baby-sit Ethan? Think about how Ethan's getting chased by Wildcat
Willie helped Milo add a suspect to his list. Ask your readers if younger kids
ever surprise them.
4. Has anyone in your book club ever solved a mystery? (Even a mini-mystery-like
finding something they thought they'd lost.) Ask the readers how they can use
the tips in Dash Marlowe's lesson-observing, thinking logically, and drawing
conclusions-to solve everyday mysteries in their own lives. Ask the readers
what they like about reading mysteries. Do they want to be detectives when they
grow up?
Visit Kane Press for more Milo & Jazz.
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Ages 7 - 12 / Interactive Adventure / Chooseco
Win a set of Choose Your Own Adventure #6 House of Danger by R.A. Montgomery for your book club.
Enter to win by emailing Choose Your Own Adventure (write
"KidsBookclubbing" in the subject line).
Dear Reader,
House of Danger is the sixth book in the "Choose
Your Own Adventure" (CYOA) series. CYOA is different because every book puts YOU the
reader in charge. You are the main
character in the story and make choices about where you want the story to go.
Each book has many endings, so there are lots of different directions to take
as you make your way to the end.
A lot of my books are inspired by real adventures in
my own world travels, and the stories I heard about or experienced in those
places. When I wrote House of Danger I
started with a pretty normal place - a modern house in a typical  neighborhood-and
imagined a lot of wild things happening there.
I wanted to write about ghosts, paranormal activity, and the way a dark
historic event can make a place haunted. A lot of kids have told me that House of Danger is
one of their favorite Choose Your Own Adventure books because of its crazy
endings. I can't give too much away,
but I will tell you that this haunted house is very powerful - and depending on
what choices you make, you could be turned into a crystal, a baby, or even
Genghis Kahn.
Best of luck on your adventures,
R. A. Montgomery
Book Reviews for House of Danger:
"This was the first of
the Choose Your Own Adventure books that I ever read, and I loved it. They're
aimed at pure action and adventure. Plus, as small as each book is, they
contain numerous different stories. It is up to the reader to decide how the
story ends. It is Nintendo in book form! In this particular book, you are
investigating a mysterious house. Who owns the house? What kind of strange
things or people will you encounter?"
- A reader from
Amazon.com
"This book is crazy. You
are a young detective, solving crimes. The story begins with a mysterious phone
call for help. You end up following clues to the old site of a prison. That is
where the real adventure begins. There are talking chimpanzees, a professor,
genetically altered plants, aliens, explosions, and all sorts of advanced
technology! Each turn of the page brings a new scene with new characters and
new dangers. It's up to you how the story ends."
- A reader from Amazon.com
Discussion
Questions for House of Danger:
1.
The first choice of
this book is whether to investigate the mystery of the House of Danger on your
own, or to ask your friends Lisa and Ricardo for help. When you have a tough
task ahead of you, do you usually ask for help from your
friends?
2.
Sometimes readers told
me that they think the haunted parts of this house sound scary, and other
readers think they sound funny. Did parts of the haunted house make you laugh?
Did parts creep you out?
3.
I am a fan of scary
books and scary movies. Do you think this book could be made into a scary
movie? If you were directing it, would you change
anything?
4.
There are 20 possible
endings in this story. Did you reach just one ending, or did you go back and
try again several times? Which ending did you like the
best?
Read a sneak peek excerpt from House of Danger, learn more about R.A. Montgomery and his adventures in this interview with Reading is Fundamental, keep up with his adventures on his blog and via Twitter.
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Ages 9 - 15 / YA Magical Realism Fiction / Dutton
Win a set of The Enchanted Riddle: Book One, The Scarlet Stockings Trilogy for your book club.
Enter to win by emailing Charlotte Kandel (write
"KidsBookclubbing" in the subject line).
Dear
Reader,
IF
you are reading this then I know for sure YOU LOVE BOOKS. Reading them and perhaps even one day
writing them?
That
was my dream. And I DID write a book,
the sort of book I loved to read; a book with a brave, mixed-up, wonderful
heroine setting off on a fabulous magical quest that changes her life and her
heart.
My
book is The Enchanted Riddle: Book One of The Scarlet Stockings Trilogy. You can read the first chapter at The Enchanted Riddle - Chapter One.
I
hope you do, I hope you love The Enchanted Riddle, and I hope you invite me to
talk to your book club by phone (or in person if you live in Los Angeles).
Affectionately,
Charlotte
www.scarletstockings.com
Book Reviews for The Enchanted Riddle and Charlotte Kandel:
"A
charmed world of magic, mystery, glamour and adventure."
-Honolulu Advertiser/Gannett News Syndicate
"Deliciously
enchanting for imaginative readers.
Charlotte's love of working with and encouraging young talent is her
special gift."
-Young Writers' Conference
Discussion
Questions for The Enchanted Riddle:
1. Have you ever felt lonely or that people
didn't understand you? Horrible feelings. If you have, what did YOU
do about it?
2. Was Daphne right to get so angry with Carlo and Maria when
they wouldn't let her take a 'glamorous' job as beautiful Magda's personal
assistant?
3.
Why was Daphne so mean
to her 3 best friends when they came to see her backstage in
Paris?
4.
Was there anything
Daphne could have done to avoid her awful onstage accident?
5. What is the real meaning of the final line
of the enchanted riddle, 'At last you must deserve me.'
Read an excerpt and keep up on the latest via the author's blog.
Charlotte Kandel is happy to call-in to your club, or to visit your club if you live in Los Angeles. Email Charlotte to submit your request.
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A maximum of 10 books is available for each book club giveaway.
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