Stand Up For What You Want To Read: A Video #YouTube

This is a video I made back in 2013 for Banned Books Week. Unfortunately, many more books have been added to the list since then.

According to the ALA:
Frequently Challenged Children's Books
Frequently Challenged with Diverse Content
Frequently Challenged Classics

Chronicles of Steele: Raven by Pauline Creeden #BookBlast #FreeEbook

Disclosure: I agreed to promote this book on behalf of the author and Promotional Book Tours. I am not responsible for distribution.

This is the complete Steampunk Fantasy novel – all four parts of the serial in one volume! Human life has value. The poor living in the gutter is as valuable as the rich living in a manor. The scoundrel is no less valuable than the saint. Because of this, every life a reaper takes must be redeemed. Raven has lived by this first tenet since she was trained by her father to become a reaper. But since his death, she’s been spending years redeeming the lives she’s taken. By her count, she’s even and it’s time for that life to end. If she settles down and becomes a wife, she might just feel human again. But on the way to the life she thinks she wants, the baron of New Haven asks her to complete a task which she cannot ignore… Just when Raven decides to give up on her life as an assassin, she’s pulled right back in.

Amazon

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Pauline Creeden

Pauline Creeden is a horse trainer from Virginia, but writing is her therapy. In her fiction, she creates worlds that are both familiar and strange, often pulling the veil between dimensions. She becomes the main character in each of her stories, and because she has ADD, she will get bored if she pretends to be one person for too long.

Follow Pauline Creeden: Website | Facebook 

Book Blast & #Giveaway:Pickled Pumpkin Pie A Thanksgiving Treat by Deb Troehler/ Illustrated by Jaime D. Buckley #blogtour #bookblast

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About the Book

 Genre: Children's Picture Book | Number of Pages: 38 | Publication Date: March 9, 2016

 

Book Description: Thanksgiving is almost here and Dillon can’t wait to see his lovable Uncle Pete once again. Uncle Pete’s visits with his peculiar penchant for pickled pumpkin pie always bring an extra helping of laughter to the dining table. Join Dad, Mom, Uncle Pete, Dillon, and their dog, Baxter, for togetherness, laughter, and a dill-icious meal. Pickled Pumpkin Pie is a read-aloud book for children ages 3-7.

Pickled Pumpkin Pie will be FREE on Amazon September 27 & 28

Review by BeachBoundBooks

Pickled Pumpkin Pie is a charming picture book, told in delightful rhyme, and filled with colorful and fun illustrations.

It's Thanksgiving and Uncle Pete can't wait to eat, but it's not turkey, potatoes, or cranberries he's after. Uncle Pete is waiting for dessert and not just any dessert. He wants pickled pumpkin pie. As the scrumptious meal comes to an end Uncle Pete's excitement builds. Will he finally get his Thanksgiving wish?

Pickled Pumpkin Pie is well written, engaging, and highly entertaining. The book also contains several activities and of course gives readers a chance to create their own pickled pumpkin pie. This is certain to become a fast holiday favorite among children and adults.

I recommend picking up a copy.

About the Author: Deb Troehler

Deb Troehler has worn many hats over the years—teacher, fabric artist, author, illustrator, gardener, mother, and grandmother. Although each hat is unique, they are all stitched with a common thread—Deb’s connections to her loved ones and the world around her.

Mrs. Troehler was a special education teacher for 15 years. After leaving the classroom due to a recurrence of cancer, her family moved to West Michigan to spend time with her husband’s family. To help make ends meet, Deb wrote instructional material and stories for several trade magazines such as Doll Crafter, Doll Reader, and Soft Dolls and Animals. Eventually, the magic of West Michigan motivated Deb to put pen to paper and record the stories inspired by her treks up and down the shores of Lake Michigan. Pickled Pumpkin Pie: A Thanksgiving Treat is Deb’s third book for children.

Blog  Facebook

About the Illustrator: Jaime D. Buckley

Jaime Buckley is an author, illustrator, father of 12 and the creator of wantedhero.com, which has been entertaining youth and the young at heart for over a decade.

Facebook | 

Book Blast Giveaway

Prize: One winner will receive a $25 Amazon gift card or $25 PayPal cash prize, winner's choice. Giveaway ends: October 10, 11:59 pm, 2016 Open to: Internationally. How to enter: Please enter using the Rafflecopter widget below. Terms and Conditions: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. A winner will be randomly drawn through the Rafflecopter widget and will be contacted by email within 48 hours after the giveaway ends. The winner will then have 72 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond within 72 hours, a new draw will take place for a new winner. Odds of winning will vary depending on the number of eligible entries received. This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. This giveaway is sponsored by the author, Deb Troehler and is hosted and managed by Stacie from BeachBoundBooks. If you have any additional questions feel free to send an email to stacie@BeachBoundBooks.com.

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Reading books in October 2016

Welcome to Fall Reading!

In just a few days, October will be upon us. I will be switching gears just a bit for this month as I will be reading and posting every day a book either Fall or mostly Halloween related. I have chosen books that I have never read before to present. All of them will be children's books except maybe one or two.

I will also being doing the annual Frightful Fall Challenge, a couple of blog tours, and of course there will be the Kid Lit Blog Hop and maybe a giveaway or two.

Since I will be reading mostly books that I have picked up from the library and the fact that I will be posting every day, I will be changing my review format just a little. I will only have the book cover, summary, and my review. I will not spotlight the authors links or photo. However, if an author of any of the books wishes, they may contact me and we will discuss further promotional, perhaps even a giveaway for my readers.  I always review books for free. I will still review on Amazon and Goodreads no matter if I get books from tours or I checked them out. So, there is not much change you will see for October.

I hope you will join me every day and enjoy the Fall and Reading as much as I do.

Review: Bossy Flossy by Paulette Bogan @paulettebogan1 @iReadBookTours #childrensfiction #kidlit #giveaway #bossykids

Summary:
Flossy is the bossiest girl around. She's bossy at home and she's bossy in school. She's bossy to her friends and she's bossy to her cat. Sometimes she's even bossy to her teacher! Flossy doesn't understand why no one will listen to her. One day, Flossy meets Edward, a boy who may be just as bossy as she is. Has Flossy finally met her match?

My review:
I have known a few bossy children in my time as a teacher and mother. It is without a doubt frustrating for all when such a child is near. That is why I could understand Flossy and Edward.

It was nice to see the ending but I felt something was missing. When I taught preschool, we used redirection for children like Flossy and Edward and different other techniques to teach children why they were in trouble or why kids did not want to play with them. In the book, Flossy and Edward are sent to time out but there is no understanding for them of why their behavior is unacceptable. I realize this is a book and author privy but it just seemed this part was needed.

Other than that, I enjoyed this book. I thought the illustrations, also done by the author were just adorable. All of the pictures were colorful and larger than life. They made the idea of bossiness even more so.

Overall, this was a cute book and even with what I said above, I still give it 4 stars. 

If you would like to enter in a giveaway for three books and Amazon cash, go HERE. There will be two winners.

Disclosure: I was given a copy of this book for my open and honest opinion. The views here are 100% my own and may differ from yours. This review is also part of the iRead bog tours. ~M.M. aka Naila Moon

Where to find the author:

Paulette Bogan admits she was bossy as a child. She is the author and illustrator of Virgil & Owen, which was chosen as one of Bank Street Best Children's books of the Year 2016, Virgil & Owen Stick Together, which won a Mom's Choice Award Gold Medal for Picture Books, and Lulu The Big Little Chick, which won a Children's Choice Book Award. She lives in New York City with her husband, three daughters, and two dogs. They ALL think she is STILL bossy. But they've never told her to go to her room!

Connect with the author: Website  ~Amazon  ~  Facebook

KID LIT BLOG HOP-September 2016 #KLBH #KidLitBLogHop

We want to welcome you to the September 2016 Kid Lit Blog Hop. Fall is finally here...YAY! There are some really great Autumn books out there for children. We have seen some list already. How about you share some of those on our monthly hop or for that matter, any great kid's literature.

This exciting, monthly hop, is where we develop an engaged group of people who love everything that has to do with children's literature. Everyone is welcome to join us: bloggers, authors, publicist, and publishers!

Have you seen the new Kid Lit Blog Hopper Facebook fan page. This page has all the news and information related to the hop plus ongoing posts, giveaways, news articles, etc. related to Kid's Lit. Check it out and of course, please like the page.

So for our hop, please make sure that your posts are related to Children’s literature only and add it to the linky. (Please make sure to add your direct post only) If you are an author, feel free just to link to your blog.

Once you are done, then hop around to visit others. Please follow the co-host and visit at least the one-two people above your link. Please leave a comment when you do visit, we all like those.

Also, it would be appreciated if you grab the Kid Lit Blog Hop Badge and display it on your blog and/or your post. Note: Make sure you have the newest badge as the old one goes to the wrong page.

We would also be grateful if you tweet and/or posted on Facebook about the blog hop. Let’s grow this wonderful community.

Our next hop will be October 19, 2016.  Thanks for sharing your great children's books with all of us! The hostess will be around to see you.

Happy Hopping!

Reading Authors, Host

Julie Grasso

BeachBoundBooks

Cheryl Carpinello

Pragmatic Mom

The Logonauts

Spark and Pook

The Bookshelf Gargoyle

Book Spotlight & Giveaway:A Drop of Water by Yvonne Williams Casaus (5 Winners ends 10/15) @ywtherapy @iReadBookTours #memoir #selfhelp #spirituality

I am posting the spotlight on behalf of the author as part of a spotlight tour via iRead Tours. I have received no compensation for this post. ~Naila Moon

Book Description:

In this extraordinary book, Yvonne reflects upon her past experiences, grief, and losses to find her way back to her spirituality and strength. She bares her soul, yet is able to use water as a lighthearted, uninhibited, and fun way to express how we are all connected. It is a spiritually inspired book about healing, grief, and personal growth.

It becomes a beautiful poetic journey as she discovers her love of water as part of what led her towards her spiritual path. Through her writing she expresses how she found her way through several tremendous losses, including the loss of her husband. In her ability to endure, she found a strength she never knew she had.

This book is for anyone that has ever struggled with depression, grief, or loss of any kind. It is for anyone interested in personal growth and healing. By sharing her personal story she is able to remind us that we are never truly alone. Water connects us all.

Buy the Book: Amazon

Author's Bio:

Yvonne Williams Casaus is a Mom, Wife, Author, Counselor, and Play Therapist. She is an independently licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LPCC), a Registered Play Therapist (RPT), and is certified in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. She specializes in Depression, Trauma and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). She has a private practice in New Mexico and has been helping adults, children, adolescents, and families for over eleven years.

Yvonne’s areas of expertise include Depression, Anxiety, Divorce, Panic Attacks, PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), Sexual Abuse, Rape, Physical Abuse, Grief, ADHD and other issues. She also specializes in treating traumatized children with issues such as PTSD, Sexual abuse, Physical Abuse, Neglect, Adoption, and Reactive Attachment Disorder.

Connect with the author:

Website    Facebook  

Would you like a copy of this book? You can win Win a copy of A Drop of Water (choice of print or ebook) and/or a $20 Amazon Gift Card (open internationally) 5 winners - ends Oct 15 by entering the Rafflecopter below. 

Disclosure: I am not responsible for this giveaway as that is the sole responsibility of the author. (open internationally) 5 winners - ends Oct 15, 2016

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#Review: Navigating Indieworld:A Beginner's Guide to Self-publishing and Marketing Your Book by Julie A. Gerber and Carole P. Roman

Summary: 
Social media guru, Julie A. Gerber and award-winning author of forty-three best-selling books, Carole P. Roman, team up to travel the winding road of self-publishing, promoting, and marketing a book. Join these two experts as they share their vast store of experience in an easy to read book. 
Learn why you need a beta reader and the importance of a good editor. Make a list of what you need to do when choosing an illustrator. Compare the many ways to promote your book.

My review:
Having worked with Indie authors and being an Indie author myself, I have had to navigate all the issues with writing a book that these two authors explore. They mentioned time and time again that the act of writing the book is only half the battle and that yes, it can be a daunting task to get a published and seen but is worth it in the end.

They mention many people they have worked with from beta readers, to editors, to cover designers, to illustrators, to publishing. Included are links to many of these people. In addition, several chapters are dedicated to the marketing end which includes the use of social media, radio, advertisement, as well as book reviewers and bloggers.

If you are a new author reading my words then I recommend reading this book before you decide to publish. Keep it handy for reference because you will no doubt want to use it time and again even after your first book is complete.

Not only am I an author but a virtual assistant who has worked with authors to market their books. I would hate to see the pitfalls that can and do happen. However, I want to you to succeed too. Julie Gerber and Carole P. Roman outline those things too. If you take note, of their recommendations, then you have a good chance of maybe not falling trap to those things and have a better chance at succeeding and navigating the crazy but wonderful place they call "Indie World." 5 stars!
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As as side note: I have worked with both Julie A. Gerber and Carole P. Roman on many projects for the last few years. I was pleasantly surprised that they mentioned me not only as an author but also mentioning this blog as a resource. I am truly grateful.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book for my open and honest opinion. The views expressed here are 100% my own and may differ from yours. ~M.M. Hudson aka Naila Moon

Where to find the authors:

Julie A. Gerber
Amazon
Facebook

Carole P. Roman
Amazon
Facebook

Review: The Matchbox Diary by Paul Fleischman /Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline #DiverseBooks

Summary:
"Pick whatever you like most. Then I’ll tell you its story." 
When a little girl visits her great-grandfather at his curio-filled home, she chooses an unusual object to learn about: an old cigar box. What she finds inside surprises her: a collection of matchboxes making up her great-grandfather’s diary, harboring objects she can hold in her hand, each one evoking a memory. Together they tell of his journey from Italy to a new country, before he could read and write — the olive pit his mother gave him to suck on when there wasn’t enough food; a bottle cap he saw on his way to the boat; a ticket still retaining the thrill of his first baseball game. With a narrative entirely in dialogue.

My review:
This is the tale of a great-grandfather and great-granddaughter, getting to know one another through oral stories. The grandfather tells his story of his hardship life in Italy and coming to America. Along the way he keeps an unusual diary that only he could tell the story.

I thought this was an incredibly sweet way of telling yet another kind of "diary book" but this is no ordinary diary or ordinary immigration story. It goes to show that no matter what one person is capable or not capable of doing, in this case reading and writing, that their story can still be told. I thought it was amazing that this young boy knew that he needed to remember where he came from and his trip along the way. He managed to collect small things in such a way that he would never forget.

I enjoyed the telling as each matchbox was opened. Although this book would be considered a picture book, I thought it could have been expanded even more. None-the-less, I liked what was told.

The illustrations were by far what makes this book. Most of the photos are done in heavily muted browns and yellow. This has been purposely done to show oldness, age, and a time gone by. The incredible details of each matchbox were only something of a master illustrator.

Overall, I really liked this book and it is one that I think should be in schools and homes. It is one that will remain timeless. 5 stars.

Disclosure: I picked up a copy of this book at my local library. The reviews here are 100% my own and may differ from yours. ~M.M. aka Naila Moon




Where to find the author:

Amazon
Goodreads

National Read A Book Day #ReadABookDay #YouTubeVideo

Today I am celebrating National Read A Book Day. Nobody seems to know who started this holiday but it really does not matter. What does matter is that you pick up your favorite book and read it? Or maybe go to your local library and check out a great book or two. There are some hidden gems there!

I decided to do a video of me reading to my grand-kids, or for that matter, any child that wants to listen. So get comfy and listen as I read a book from author, Carole P. Roman.

Happy National Read A Book Day to you! ~M.M. aka Naila Moon

#Giveaway: Package of 3 books by Paulette Bogan & $20 Amazon ( Two Winners) Open U.S. & Canada

This giveaway is part of the book tour "Bossy Flossy " by Paulette Bogan. Watch out for my review of this book Sept. 23rd. Win a package of 3 children’s books by Paulette Bogan: Bossy Flossy, Virgil & Owen, and Virgil & Owen Stick Together plus a $20 Amazon Gift Card (Open to USA & Can) 2 winners, giveaway ends Oct 8-Enter below Disclosure: I, Naila Moon, of Reading Authors was asked to promote this giveaway and is not responsible for prize shipment. a Rafflecopter giveaway