Kids' Authors Share Their Stories Plus Fabulous Book Giveaways for Your Club
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Dear Readers,
In this issue of KidsBuzz, featuring
book giveaways and behind-the-scenes stories from top kids' authors, you'll meet:
- Gayle
Brandeis, who "seamlessly intersperses serious topics with laugh-out
loud humor" (School Library Journal) in her middle-grade historical
novel, My Life with the Lincolns. -Chris Bradford as he talks about martial arts, special powers, and his 17th-century action-adventure series Young Samurai.
- and Y.S. Lee, who reimagines Victorian England with her smart teenage heroine Mary Quinn in The Agency: A Spy in the House.
Warm wishes, Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp kidsbookclubbook.com
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Win a set of Young Samurai: The Way of the Sword
for your book club.
Enter to win by emailing Disney-Hyperion (write "KidsBookclubbing" in the subject line).
Dear Reader:
I started martial arts at eight years old. I now have a black
belt in taijutsu,
the secret fighting art of the ninja. This was my inspiration for the Young
Samurai series.
Most heroes have special powers. Jack Fletcher only has
himself to rely on.
Shipwrecked and his father murdered by ninja, Jack Fletcher
is rescued by the legendary swordmaster Masamoto Takeshi and taken to his
samurai school in Kyoto, Japan. Hunted by the ninja Dragon Eye, Jack's only
hope is to become a samurai warrior. And so his training begins . . .
The Way of the Sword is the second installment of this action-adventure
series set in the 17th century. With the help of a beautiful Japanese girl called Akiko,
Jack must now conquer the Circle of Three, an ancient ritual that tests a
samurai's courage, skill and spirit to the limit!
Follow Jack and Akiko's thrilling adventures at youngsamurai.com.
Sayonara (Bye!)
Chris Bradford
www.youngsamurai.com
www.chrisbradford.co.uk
Book Reviews for Young Samurai:
"This book
earns the literary equivalent of a black belt."
-Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Riveting!"
-School Library Journal
Nominated
for 10 Book Awards in 2009 alone.
Discussion Questions for Young Samurai:
1. Chapter 1 starts with Jack and his sister
Jess playing Knucklebones. Can you think of any other games that children or
adults play today that have been about for many centuries? Do you
know the rules of any of these games and the country where they originated
from?
2.
Kazuki
forms the Scorpion Gang. Are there any benefits of being in a gang? What are
the negative effects of gangs? Why do gangs often cause problems?
3.
Jack is
training to be a samurai warrior. Would you want to be a samurai? Would you
prefer to be a ninja? Give your reasons.
4. Akiko is a female samurai. Do you think
she has to train harder than the others to prove herself? Why is that? Is the
role of women different in Japan than it is in your country?
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I've always felt a connection to Abraham Lincoln; I grew up
in the Land of Lincoln, went to Lincoln Elementary School, and was born on the
anniversary of the day Lincoln was shot (which still makes me sad.) I also used
to think my dad was Abraham Lincoln reincarnated, and decided to write a story
in which the main character thought her dad used to be Abraham Lincoln, as
well. I also wanted to make sure the book dealt with issues of civil rights and
social change, so I set it in my home town of Chicago in 1966 when Martin
Luther King, Jr. came to the city to lead marches for fair housing.
My character, twelve-year-old Mina, not only thinks her dad
used to be Abe; she also thinks her whole family used to be the Lincoln family
and it's her job to save them from their fate. She and her dad end up getting
deeply involved in the civil rights movement, with consequences for the entire
family.
I hope you'll enjoy this quirky story, and will enjoy
discussing it with your book group!
All the very best,
Gayle Brandeis
www.gaylebrandeis.com
Book Reviews for My Life with the Lincolns:
"Gayle Brandeis
expertly marries a humorous manner to serious matter in My Life with the Lincolns, an original and timely Civil Rights Era novel about a young girl
learning to take part in a cause greater than herself. It's a winner." -Lauren Baratz-Logsted, author of Crazy Beautiful
"An informative,
clear, personal and passionate novel."
-Booklist Discussion Questions for My Life with the Lincolns:1.
On an emotional level, why do you think Mina believed her family
was the Lincoln family reincarnated? Did she have anything to gain from this
belief?
2.
How have things changed since 1966? How have they not changed?
3.
Do you believe in reincarnation? If so, who do you think you might
have been in a previous life?
4. The Chicago Freedom Movement was started to create positive social
change. What needs to be done to make the world a better place today?
Hear an
audio book excerpt,
read a Q&A with
the author, and follow her blog or friend her on Facebook.
Author call-in information:
Gayle Brandeis is happy to call-in to or skype with your club. She can also meet with your group if
you live in Southern California. E-mail
Gayle Brandeis to submit your request.
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Ages 12 and up
/ Young Adult Historical Fiction / Candlewick Press
Win a set of
The Agency: A Spy in the House by Y. S.
Lee
for your book club.
Enter to win by emailing Y. S. Lee (write "KidsBookclubbing"
in the subject line).MDear Reader,I adore smart
heroines, Victorian England, and lively banter. So when I wrote my debut novel,
A Spy in the House,
I aimed to bring these elements to a twisty, fast-paced mystery plot. The
heroine is 17-year-old Mary Quinn: ex-thief, escaped convict, and newest member
of the Agency, an elite, all-female intelligence force. The setting is
Victorian London, in all its grimy glory. And Mary's partner in banter is James
Easton, an arrogant young engineer, her rival, and her love interest.
Victorian England was
hard on clever, unconventional women. If you weren't a good little girl, and
you didn't have a lot of money, what on earth happened to you? The odds were
terrible. Creating the Agency is my way of re-imagining the past, and writing
an alternative history for the fate that would otherwise swallow a girl like
Mary Quinn.
Happy reading!
Y. S. Leewww.yslee.comwww.candlewick.com
Book Reviews for The Agency: A Spy in the House:
"Set in the richly described underbelly of Victorian
London, Lee's debut novel launching the Agency trilogy
introduces feisty Mary Quinn... Mary's lively escapades... will
hold readers' attention and whet their interest for the next installment."
-Publisher's Weekly
"A fine whodunit, with clues carefully rationed out as the
story evolves, it also holds some great surprises likely to catch even the
sharpest readers off guard... A Spy in the House is entirely true to the genre,
full of thrills and danger and wonderfully sharp writing... Long live The
Agency!"
-BookPage
Discussion
Questions for The Agency: A Spy in the House:
1.
If you
could time-travel, would you visit 1850s London? Why or why not?
2.
How
would you describe Mary's character? How do you think it affects her
performance as a spy-in-training?
3.
Did you
guess the villain? Why or why not?
Read the first chapter (downloadable pdf) and an additional excerpt,
plus check out a Q&A and interviews with the author.
Author
call-in information:
Y. S. Lee is happy to skype with your
club. She can also meet with your
group if you live in Eastern Ontario. E-mail Y. S. Lee to make your request.
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A maximum of 10 books is available for each book club giveaway.
- Contest entries are sent directly to the authors administering each contest. Our Privacy Policy does not apply to emails sent as contest entries. You must be 18 years or older to enter the contests.
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