#Review: Hello, Ninjas & Hello, Knights by Joan Holub #boardbooks #mathconcepts

Summary:
Perfect for reading out loud, Joan Holub’s hilarious text and Chris Dickason’s lively illustrations will have little ones learning and laughing as they try to find all the sneaky ninjas hidden on each page.

A clever, interactive approach to first concepts, this board book series also introduces important “next-step” concepts like counting in a hilariously engaging way.

My review:

If your kiddo, like my Grandson, loves ninjas, then this is the book to get! A new board-book series by the author will have your child wanting to do a ninja roll or chop but having fun counting while doing so. I have read many books by this author and her gift of writing is always top-notch. 

I love the rhymes that the book has and the illustrations that go along with it are just fantastic. The little twist in the middle of the book, which is a fold-out page,  will not only have your child in stitches but you too! I know I laughed out loud when I found out what the ninjas were on a mission for. I will just say it is pretty yummy but you will have to get your own copy to find out what it is.

A winner for sure! 5 stars!

Summary:


Perfect for reading out loud, Joan Holub’s hilarious text and Chris Dickason’s lively illustrations will have little ones huff-puff laughing as the knights and dragons run up and down the castle wall.

A clever, interactive approach to first concepts, this board book series also introduces important “next-step” concepts like opposites in a hilariously engaging way.

My review:
This book is in the author's new series of board books. The illustrations are as fun as the ninja one I read, quite bright and colorful. Here the subject is Knights and Dragons. Even if you have a Princess, she will love this book.

As with many of Ms. Holub's books, she always has something to learn in them. In this book, the concept is learning opposites and making friends.
How do you make friends with dragons? Well, read the book for that!

Once again, the board book had a pull-out page that made the book simply fun and there were lead up pages that made me laugh, the one I loved most was seeing the king's underwear flying.

You can't miss this book.
Another 5 stars!

Disclosure: The books here were given to me by the author. All opinions expressed here are 100% my own and may differ from yours.
~Michelle aka Naila Moon

Where to find the author:

Joan is an NY Times bestselling children's book author, with books starring Goddess Girls, poodles, a superhero zero, or even a red pencil, in stories about friendship, girl-power, mythology, and other universally important stuff.

Website

#Giveaway & #BookBlast: The Wesyern Lands and All That Really Matters Series

   

The Purple Haze (The Western Lands and All That Really Matters Book 1) Being a princess is hard. Especially when you're just a little OCD. And your twin goes missing. Sure, Princess Eloise is Futur#e Ruler and Heir to the Western Lands and All That Really Matters. And yes, her life is structured by Protocol and full of little "habits" that help her get through the day. But none of that matters when her twin sister disappears. Eloise has to suck it up to try and get her back. She sets out with her champion (a nervous, yammering chipmunk), her guard (the human incarnation of rectitude), and two horses (one an equine perfection, the other on a vow of silence). Like a kind of fantasy-world Gilligan's Island meets Discworld, a quick little two-day jaunt turns into traipsing across realms. sniffing out a trail that is getting colder by the minute. The Purple Haze is a humorous novel set in a world of weak magic, talking animals, and wäÿ töö mänÿ ümläüts. If you like quirky, clever characters, lively dialog, and fun, ripping yarns, then you'll love this fabulous debut novel from Andrew Einspruch
  Get The Purple Haze today and dive into the freshest fantasy series in years. ON Sale for $.99 

The Star of Whatever (The Western Lands and All That Really Matters Book 2)

The slightly OCD princess was doing just fine, thanks. Then she got thrown to her death. That might have put a crimp in things. Princess Eloise, Future Ruler and Heir to the Western Lands and All That Really Matters, swallowed back her "habits" and went after her missing twin sister. She found her. Awesome! And then they both got chucked into the mysterious, magical, deadly Purple Haze. Less awesome! While her champion (a nervous, yammering chipmunk) and her guard (the human incarnation of rectitude) rot in prison and her two horses desperately try to find some way to help, Eloise and her sister go deeper into the Purple Haze to discover the source of the inner tug they both feel. The Star of Whatever (book two of The Western Lands and All That Really Matters series) is a humorous, Discworld-ish novel set in a world of weak magic, talking animals, and wäÿ töö mänÿ ümläüts. If you like quirky, clever characters, lively dialog, and fun, ripping yarns, then you'll love this fabulous second novel from Andrew Einspruch. Get The Star of Whatever today, and dive into the freshest fantasy series in years. Get this new release on Amazon also available in Kindle Unlimited

Get the prequel for FREE - The Wombanditos (The Western Lands and All That Really Matters Book 0)

Andrew Einspruch is the author of the humorous YA fantasy series The Western Lands and All That Really Matters. He's also had more than 120 children's books published, both fiction and non-fiction, that have sold around the world. Starting with the four-book "Dunkin' Dazza" series in the 1990s, Andrew's work has covered everything from basketball to DNA, biographies to histories to mysteries, outback heroes to Christmas Island red crabs, and from how the rides work at amusement parks to how the Australian Government works (perhaps the greatest mystery of all). Andrew is the co-founder of the not-for-profit charity the Deep Peace Trust, which fosters deep peace for all species. Based in rural New South Wales, Andrew, Billie and their adult daughter Tamsin run the Trust's A Place of Peace, one of Australia's largest farm animal sanctuaries. The cows, sheep, horses, goats, dogs, cats, and geese, as well as local wildlife including kangaroos, wombats, and cockatoos, are a constant source of inspiration. If you ask, he'll deny he ever programmed in COBOL for a bank.

  Enter to win a set of The Western Lands and All That Really Matters Series in print. A great gift for any child in your life. Fill out the form to enter

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#Spotlight: In The Key of Be by Lena Hubin #memoir

Non-Fiction / Memoir

Date Published: April 2, 2018

Publisher:  Chatnoir Press

Many of us across the globe suffer from some sort of mental illness. .Although it can be treated, many still struggle, some win, some lose. This is the story of one woman's fight.

Lena Hubin is a straight-A college senior when she lands in a psych ward. After her release, psychotherapy, illicit drugs, and sex distract her from her chronic anxiety--but none yields lasting relief. Despite teaching abroad, marrying, earning a masters and adopting two children, she remains haunted by anxiety.

 In her fifties, Lena returns with her family to the U.S., anticipating peace of mind. But when her son struggles with alcoholism, she feels her sanity swirling down the drain like the liquor she would dump--if she could find it. In a quest to help him, the author starts a journey that will change her life for good. 

Lena Hubin has been writing since she was a young kid growing up on a small Wisconsin dairy farm. She has had essays and articles published in ISS Newslinks, The International Educator, Midwest Living, and The Sun. For four years she wrote quarterly book reviews for In Recovery Magazine. She has a masters degree in Creative Writing from California State University, Fresno. Lena writes, plays piano, teaches, and works for social justice in Prescott, Arizona, where she lives with her husband, dog, and cat.

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#CSReadathon #Christmas Challenge

Are you joining in this season? I am off and running with two middle grade books and many Hallmark films.

Join in on the fun!

Peace, Michelle

Review: The Vampire Knitting Club by Nancy Warren #Paranormal #cozymystery #vampires

Summary:

Vampires who knit
A troublemaking witch
Who killed Granny — and is she really dead?

My review:
This is the first book in a series but is also a stand-alone book. I seriously loved this cozy mystery. 

The main character, Lucy, is trying to find herself when she goes to visit her beloved grandmother. However, upon arrival, she finds that her grandma has died and she has suddenly inherited her Grandma's knit shop, a family secret, and a cast of interesting characters who just happen to be vampires that knit.

Of course, being a cozy, a murder happens and minor chaos ensues. I enjoyed the fact the vampires helped out with the shop and taught Lucy a thing or two. They also protected her just as they had her Grandmother. I did not know who the actual murderer was until near the end even though there were clues. The family mystery discovery and dissolving were also well done. The only thing I thought was maybe the chapters should have been switched as they were both near the end but, that is personal preference.

One major thing I loved and a running theme throughout the book was acceptance of people no matter who (or what) they are. It was loud and clear and I would hope that theme shows up in future books.

Great job! 5 stars.

Disclosure: I was provided a copy of this book from the author for review. The reviews and opinions are 100% mine and may differ from yours.  ~Michelle aka Naila Moon

Where to find the author:
Amazon