Merry Christmas and Congratulations to Mid-Winter Giveaway Winners!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas Day filled with good friends and families, lots of food, and special gifts.  And I hope that there were a few books under the tree. 

Happy Holidays to the following winners:

Congratulations to Alex from Colorado who will be receiving the signed copy of Thirteen Plus One by Lauren Myracle. 

Congratulations to Maria from Venezuela who won the signed copy of Only the Good Spy Young by Ally Carter.












Congratulations to Misha in India who won the signed copy of The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong.

Welcome to the Mid-Winter's Eve Giveaway Hop

Midwinter's Eve is the longest night of the year so why not spend it entering some great giveaways.

The is a quick hop that runs from 12:01 AM on Tuesday, December 21st to 11:59 PM on Wednesday, December 22nd.  Kathy from I am a Reader, Not a Writer is hosting this wonderful event and I am so excited to be a part of this Giveaway Hop. 

Giveaway #1:

A signed hardcover copy of Thirteen Plus One by Lauren Myracle

Description from GoodReads:
Winnie Perry is fourteen now, and the countdown to high school is shaping up to be as eventful as an entire year of middle school. Not only are things shaky with her boyfriend, Lars, but BFFs Dinah and Cinnamon have been acting weird, big sister Sandra is college-bound, little brother Ty has smuggled a stolen penguin home in his backpack, and new baby sister Maggie has everything turned upside down. It’s a lot for anyone to handle, and loyal Winnie is so busy worrying about everyone else that she hardly notices that she might just be struggling a little bit herself.

With humor and honesty, Lauren Myracle brings us another pitch-perfect novel featuring the characters that her legions of fans have grown up loving.

Giveaway #2:

A signed hardcover copy of Only The Good Spy Young (Gallagher Girls, Bk 4) by Ally Carter

Description from GoodReads:
When Cammie Morgan enrolled at the Gallagher Academy, she knew she was preparing for the dangerous life of a spy. What she didn’t know was that the serious, real-life danger would start during her junior year of high school. But that’s exactly what happened two months ago when Cammie faced off against an ancient terrorist organization dead set on kidnapping her.

Now the danger follows her everywhere, and even Cammie “The Chameleon” can’t hide. When a terrifying encounter in London reveals that one of her most-trusted allies is actually a rogue double-agent, Cammie no longer knows if she can trust her classmates, her teachers—or even her own heart.

In this fourth installment of the New York Times best-selling series, the Gallagher Girls must hack, spy, steal, and lie their way to the truth, as they go searching for answers, recognizing that the key to Cammie’s future may lie deep in the past.

Giveaway # 3:

A signed hardcover copy of The Reckoning (Darkest Powers, #3) by Kelley Armstrong

Description from GoodReads:
My name is Chloe Saunders. I'm fifteen, and I would love to be normal.

But normal is one thing I'm not.

For one thing, I'm having these feelings for a certain antisocial werewolf and his sweet-tempered brother—who just happens to be a sorcerer—but, between you and me, I'm leaning toward the werewolf.

Not normal.

My friends and I are also on the run from an evil corporation that wants to get rid of us—permanently.

Definitely not normal.

And finally, I'm a genetically altered necro-mancer who can raise the dead, rotting corpses and all, without even trying.

As far away from normal as it gets.

Happy Holiday! And have fun entering all of the giveaways! - Aly

Rules for the Contest:

1. Please do not enter any personal information in the comments section, you must complete the Entry Form to officially enter the contest.
2.  The Contest runs from 12:00 a.m. December 21st to 11:59 p.m. PST on December 22nd.
3.  You must be a follower of this blog to enter.
4.  You must be 13 or older to participate in this contest.
5.  Comments are nice and always appreciated but will not enter you into the contest.
6.  You must indicate at least two giveaways that you would like to enter.  There will be a total of 3 winners selected.  If one of your choices were already selected, you will receive the second choice. 
7.  If you are selected as a winner, I will notify you by e-mail.  If you do not respond within 48 hours, I will select a new winner.
8.  International participants are welcome to enter the contest.



Here is a list of all the participating blogs:

Book Review - The Twelve Bots of Christmas

Author/Illustrator: Nathan Hale
Publisher: Walker Books for Young Children (October 1, 2010)
Reading Level: 4 to 8 years old
Source: Personal Copy
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Description from GoodReads:
Take one robotic Santa, nine cyber-reindeer pulling his techno-sleigh, and twelve days of Christmas circuitry and wizardry—and this incredible holiday offering is guaranteed to add up to every gear-head's delight!
This unique spin on the familiar song just begs to be read aloud, as it retains the cadence and lyricism of the original. With two turbo doves and three wrench hens leading the way, young readers will be thrilled to join Robo-Santa on his annual round of gift giving. Nathan Hale has created a special delivery for all robot fans.

If you are a fan of The Twelve Days of Christmas and like collecting various versions of the same book, then Nathan Hale's The Twelve Bots of Christmas would be a fun addition to a collection.  The verse follows the traditional song with substitutions such as "Two Turbo-Doves" for "Two Turtle Doves" or "Four Calling Borgs" vs. "Four Calling Birds" which allows for children to sing the song as you would its traditional counterpart. 

The brilliant part of this book for me was the illustrations.  The book opens with Robo-Santa in a space-ship like sled led by eight mechanical reindeer.  Rather than a partridge in a pear tree though there is a"cartridge in a gear tree".  The realistic eyes of the "wrench hens" are designed from screws and the neck/head/beak of the "geese-o-matics" truly conjure up images of geese.  I admire the work and illustrations of Hale.  He uses bright colors, and sharp images that make the imaginative pictures pop on the page.  Readers will pick up new things with each perusal through the book.  And I have feeling that if I was more of a sci-fi fan that there may be some nods to the work of other famous robots.

If there is a robot fan in your life, then this would make a great gift.   

Book Review - A Nutty Nutcracker Christmas

Authors: Ralph Covert, G. Riley Mills
Illustrator: Wilson Swain
Reading Level: 3rd to 5th grade
Publisher: Chronicle Books (October 21, 2009)
Source: Personal Copy
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Description from GoodReads:
This is no ordinary Nutcracker! This time, it's Fritz's story. The traditional Nutcracker tale gets turned on its head in this rollicking Christmas adventure, based on the hit musical A Nutty Nutcracker Christmas by the popular family music rock star Ralph Covert and playwright G. Riley Mills. Includes a bonus CD of songs from the musical, featuring a read-aloud track with the music and story woven together.

This holiday classic receives a modern redux with a change of point of view and rather than a ballet children are drawn into a video game.  First, I will say up front that I have never been a huge fan of the original version which I saw performed on stage before reading it.  Second, I have not seen the musical version that the book is based on.  I am purely reviewing the book version.  

Overall, I very much enjoyed this book version of the Nutcracker.  Instead of being from Clara's point of view, it is told from Fritz's POV.  The book begins with Fritz breaking Clara's nutcracker and being required to stay at home with an elderly neighbor while his family goes out to see the Nutcracker performed.  Fritz also lost the privilege of playing his video game Mouse Hunter 5000.  When the neighbor answers the phone, Fritz sneaks a chance to play his game.  Surprisingly the Mouse King from the game has come alive.  Fritz is then joined by a real live Nutcracker (a girl) and together they go after the Mouse King to save the day.  Of course, a similar twist occurs at the end, where Fritz awakes and wonders if it was all a dream. He then meets the neighbor's niece Marie who looks surprisingly like the Nutcracker.  

I am not sure what it says about me that it is easier for me to accept falling into a video game vs. having a regular dream (and no I did not grow up with video games) but the book really does have a feel of children trapped into the Mouse Hunter 5000 game.  It is humorous and charming in it's own way.  The illustrations are bright, busy, and have a magical quality to them.  The over-sized heads and eyes of the characters provide a cartoon-like feel to the images.  

If you are a Nutcracker purist, this might not be for you.  However, if you like a little twist to your classics, then I would suggest giving a Nutty Nutcracker Christmas a chance.  It is a nice addition to any collection, and may appeal a little more to boys than the original.  My students enjoyed this alternate version and I hope yours do as well.

Note:  The book is accompanied by a CD which includes 5 songs from the play and a read-aloud track with a musical background.

Book Review - My Brother Charlie

In this series of book reviews celebrating National Inclusive Schools Week, today I am focusing on a story that looks at the subject from a sibling's perspective.  

Author: Holly Robinson Peete, Ryan Elizabeth Peete
Illustrator: Shane W. Evans
Publisher: Scholastic (March 1, 2010)
Reading Level: 4 to 8 years old
Source:  Personal Copy
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Description from GoodReads:
Callie is very proud of her brother Charlie. He’s good at so many things  --  swimming, playing the piano, running fast. And Charlie has a special way with animals, especially their dog, Harriett.

But sometimes Charlie gets very quiet.

His words get locked inside him, and he seems far away.

Then, when Callie and Charlie start to play, Charlie is back to laughing, holding hands, having fun.
Charlie is like any other boy – and he has autism.

In this story, told from a sister’s point of view, we meet a family whose oldest son teaches them important lessons about togetherness, hope, tolerance, and love.   

Holly Robinson Peete, bestselling author, actress, and national autism spokesperson, has paired with her daughter, Ryan, to co-author this uplifting book based on their own personal experiences with Holly’s son and Ryan’s brother, RJ, who has autism.

I had a chance to hear Holly Robinson Peete speak about My Brother Charlie at the SCIBA dinner this past February.  She was so honest and straight-forward and compassionate about the topic of autism and what it was like being a parent of a child with autism.  Also, it was interesting to hear her speak about her daughter's experiences.  


When I finally had a chance to read the story, I was pleased to see that the book reflected that same honest, straight-forward compassion.  Additionally, I loved that it was from a sibling perspective.  In My Brother Charlie, Callie is the twin to Charlie who has autism.  Her voice rings true and when I hit the page that talks about how Charlie doesn't let anything stop him when he wants something - even if it is dangerous, I found myself shaking my head in full understanding.  But when Callie says that sometimes Charlie can ruin a playdate, I wanted to clap and give Callie (Ryan) a hug.  


There needs to be more books and more honest portrayals of what it is like for a sibling of a child with autism.  Sometimes I think they are the forgotten ones in the whole journey called "autism".  This book provides a parent or a teacher a chance to talk in a raw and real manner with a child about both the joys and the pitfalls of being a sibling of a child with special needs.  Over the years, as a teacher of children with autism, I have watched the impact the world of autism has had on the child(ren) without autism in a family.  It is more than time to celebrate the way it can shape siblings into warm, caring, and understanding people.  


The mixed media illustrations by Shane W. Evans are engaging and I loved the facial expressions - particularly the eyes of the characters.  Evans captured the spirit of the book.  


At the end of the book, there is a page with recommendations and suggestions for understanding individuals with autism.  I was particularly in awww of the ideas and thoughts presented by Ryan.  She is certainly one awesome and amazing young person.  Her suggestions about an Autism 101 class for her classmates was spectacular.  


Thank you Holly, and Ryan for finding a way to share about your life with RJ through the relationship of Callie and Charlie.  I am proud to be able to feature this book as part of our Inclusive Schools Week activities.  Continue to share your story so that others may be touched as well.