There's A Book

Book Review and Giveaway: Truck Stop by Anne F. Rockwell

By the1stdaughter On May 21, 2013 · 7 Comments · In Book Reviews, Giveaways, Turkeybird Speaks

Truck Stop by Anne F. Rockwell and Illustrated by Melissa Iwai
Published by Viking Juvenile
Pages: 40
Ages: 3-5
Buy It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Powell’s Books | Indiebound | Book Depository | ISBN/ISBN-13: 0670062618 / 9780670062614
Publishers Summary:

Early each morning,
before the sun is even up,
the Truck Stop opens for breakfast,
and the trucks start pulling in.
Eighteen wheeler,
milk tank,
moving van,
and flatbed!
Their drivers order eggs and bacon,
pancakes with syrup,
and a blueberry muffin.
For the boy who helps his parents at the counter, there is nothing better than seeing all the trucks roll in; he knows every single one . . . and can tell when one is missing!

Here is a story for very young truck lovers, worth stopping for again and again.

Turkeybird Drives Away: So many super neat trucks! I really liked reading the front and back covers because there are trucks of all different kinds all over it. Super neat!

The story about all the friends and their trucks was so good! I thought it was nice that they all knew what they liked to have for breakfast at the truck stop and they all look out for each other. They’re all friends and that was super super neat.

Mom’s Two Cents: Each morning brings a new day at the truck stop filled with friends and things to do. With the arrival of each truck brings another friend, a new breakfast order and a different type of truck. When one of the trucks doesn’t show up as he normally does the others start to worry. It’s only when the green truck is spotted on the side of the road that they’re all able to come together and set things back to normal.

This was a truly enjoyable read. The story within the pages of Truck Stop by Anne F. Rockwell was not only fun and enjoyable for kiddos who love trucks, but it captured a wonderful feeling of friendship and looking out for each other. We’ve really enjoyed seeing how the family in the story worked together to get things ready for the day as well as how they looked out for each other.

Truck Stop by Anne F. Rockwell has been a story our entire family has enjoyed, but Turkeybird most of all. From reading the cover of the book to the story it’s one we’ve been able to learn from and also feel connected to the characters. The illustrations by Melissa Iwai were also delightful, perfect for the story in fact. Normally truck books tend to focus more on the trucks themselves, but instead this focused on the heart of the story with a sprinkling of trucks here and there. Making this a story that wasn’t only appealing to truck loving kiddos, but also a great way to share a message of caring for others and friendship.

The1stdaughter Recommends: Ages 3 to 8. This is the perfect book for a truck loving kiddo that’s not only about trucks but friendship as well.

Follow the Truck Stop book tour for more reviews and giveaways! The next stop is at Hey Lorri!

Giveaway!

Thanks to the author, Anne F. Rockwell, and Blue Slip Media I have the opportunity to giveaway two copies of to two There’s A Book readers! Be sure to enter using the rafflecopter form below and good luck! Open US residents only.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Viking Juvenile, for providing a copy of this book for review! Connect with them on Twitter and on Facebook!
Purchasing products by clicking through the links in this post will provide us a modest commission through our various affiliate relationships.

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Book Review and Giveaway: Because I’m Your Dad by Ahmet Zappa

By the1stdaughter On May 18, 2013 · 13 Comments · In Book Reviews, Giveaways, Turkeybird Speaks

Because I’m Your Dad by Ahmet Zappa and Illustrated by Dan Santat
Published by Disney Hyperion
Pages: 32
Ages: 4-8
Buy It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Powell’s Books | Indiebound | Book Depository | ISBN/ISBN-13: 142314774X / 9781423147749
Publishers Summary:

Because I’m your dad, you can have spaghetti for breakfast, French toast for dinner, and rocky road ice cream in the bathtub.

In a text that’s both playful and loving, a father expresses his hopes and dreams for a one-of-a-kind relationship with his child. Whimsical monster characters bring the silly and sweet scenes to life and keep the book universal. The book’s ending, a moving tribute to the author’s father, guarantees intergenerational appeal.

Because I’m your dad, I will do all of these things for you and more . . . because that’s what my dad did for me.

Turkeybird Loves His Dad: Did you know that when I was super little my dad used to wrap me up in my blankets like a burrito? It’s just like the monster in this book! His dad does all these silly things like my dad does. Even my sister, Littlbug, says that my mom isn’t allowed to tickle us because it’s my dad’s job. He’s a super good tickler!

My dad hasn’t ever taken me to New York or Australia like the monster in the story, but he does take me out to breakfast sometimes. I really like that. We go just the two of us and have a big pancake together. He takes me running too! I love to run races with him. Hopefully we get to do another one really soon now that it’s almost summer time. My dad doesn’t like robots or monsters like this dad, but he does like Legos like I do, which is really fun.

This was a really good book to read with my dad because I could remember all the fun things my dad does. We always have super lots of fun together and I really liked reading this book with him and talking about all the fun stuff.

Mom’s Two Cents: Dads love doing all the silly stuff kids can’t help doing. From tickling to eat french toast for dinner to burping like a champ there’s nothing too messy or scary for a dad to try. Dads also protect and make us feel safe. Through the eyes of a father and son monster readers discover the many things Dads love to do and how they learned it all.

Ahmet Zappa has paired up with the very talented illustrator Dan Santat for his first picture book, Because I’m Your Dad. Obviously inspired by the unique relationship he had with his dad, Frank Zappa, Ahmet has created a story that kids will relate to on some levels, but others be left thinking about their own relationship with their own dad. Turkeybird definitely has specific things he’s decided are “mom things” and “dad things” which was really fun to explore while reading Because I’m Your Dad. I’m the one he likes to get ice cream with, but his dad is the one for a trip to their local breakfast place. I have no doubt that we’re similar to most families out there in this.

Obviously one of my favorite aspects of Because I’m Your Dad were the illustrations. Dan Santat has been very busy recently with numerous picture book and middle grade reads coming out over the last few years. His style is very recognizable, but one that seems to always fit perfectly with whatever text he’s paired with. Because I’m Your Dad is no expception. I have no doubt that without his illustrations this would be a completely different book. The monsters pop out of the story and the scenes are so action packed you can’t help but be pulled into the story.

Because I’m Your Dad by Ahmet Zappa and illustrated by Dan Santat is a heart-warming story about a father and their child. This is a story that shares the things we learn from our own parents and how we carry that on to our own children. A story that will grab the attention of young readers, causing them to reflect on their own relationships with their dads. We’ve loved reading Because I’m Your Dad and look forward to building a few mud forts of our own in the future.

The1stdaughter Recommends: Ages 3 to 7. Illustrations that pop, characters that shine and a story that will have even the youngest readers reflecting on the relationships they have with their parents. A perfect pick for the upcoming Father’s Day!

Don’t miss the Because I’m Your Dad website as well as this adorable book trailer:

Giveaway!

Thanks to the publisher, Disney Hyperion, I have the opportunity to giveaway two copies of to two There’s A Book readers! Connect with them on Twitter and on Facebook. Be sure to enter using the rafflecopter form below and good luck! Open US/Canada residents only.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Disney Hyperion, for providing a copy of this book for review! Connect with them on Twitter and on Facebook!
Purchasing products by clicking through the links in this post will provide us a modest commission through our various affiliate relationships.

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Book Review: The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

By the1stdaughter On May 16, 2013 · 3 Comments · In Book Reviews, When I Grow Up

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother–or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

Today our guest reviewer is none other than The Baker (ie. The1stdaughter’s hubby & baker extraordinaire)!

After the initial 4 waves of an alien invasion, Cassie finds herself separated from everyone she knows and loves. Many are dead, but she believes her younger brother is still alive. Cassie seeks to save her brother and try and reunite with him before he too is killed. The problem, she is not sure where he actually is.

A word of warning, throughout the book each time there is a section change, the point of view is changed to a new character. I was confused after the first section change, but once I was able to figure out that the point of view had changed, the book then became much easier to read.

In addition, for all those familiar with literary theory, if I was a high school teacher and wanted to teach the class about deconstructionism, this is the book I would use. What is a human? Who is the main person in the book? Etc. It is both a very entertaining read and a great example of a deconstructionist story. Sorry for the boring theory talk, on to the review.

The style of writing is what really stuck with me from this book. Although the book is near 500 pages, the plot does not progress as far as many other books do within the same number of pages. Instead, the plot is analyzed from many perspectives. One of the things that initially drew me to reading when I was younger was the desire to be able to see things from another person’s perspective. Reading allows me to be inside the head of someone else. This book not only allowed me to see inside one character’s head, but inside many. I really enjoyed being able to see and analyze the plot from multiple perspectives.

I love post-apocalyptic/end of the world books and this book fit right in there. This book is along the lines of the Rot and Ruin series, but instead of zombies, there are Aliens. I eagerly await the next book in the series and will definitely read it when it comes out.

The Baker Recommends: Ages 10 and up.

Be sure to visit The 5th Wave site, you simply cannot miss checking it out!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Penguin Teen, for providing a copy of this book for review! Connect with them on Twitter, Facebook and on Tumblr!
Purchasing products by clicking through the links in this post will provide us a modest commission through our various affiliate relationships.

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Giveaway: The Lovecraft Middle School series by Charles Gilman

By the1stdaughter On May 14, 2013 · 7 Comments · In Giveaways

Today I’m really excited to bring a great middle grade series to my readers. Inspired partly by the author HP Lovecraft the author of The Lovecraft Middle School series, Charles Gilman, wanted to create a series that kids everywhere would be equally freaked out by and love.

Not only was I an HP Lovecraft fan growing up, but I simply love middle grade books featuring those things that go bump in the night. I first saw this series at Book Expo America last year when it was featured on the MG Editor’s Buzz panels and I couldn’t get over how disturbed and intrigued I was by the cover alone. This is a series that both boy and girl readers will no doubt be creeped out by and love at the same time!

In Professor Gargoyle, we’re introduced to 11-year-old Robert Arthur and the strange world of Lovecraft Middle School. It’s a brand-new state-of-the-art facility—so why do so many creepy things keep happening? Why is the science teacher acting so strangely? And where are all the rats coming from? As Robert explores with his new friends Glenn and Carina, he discovers that the school may be a portal to another world.

In The Slither Sisters, we follow Robert and his friends deeper into the world of Lovecraft Middle School—and its bizarre parallel dimension, the Tillinghast Mansion. Along the way they discover a pair of mysterious twin sisters who may not be exactly what they seem. Can they convince the principal that something is wrong before it’s too late?

TEACHER’S PEST: DON’T BE FOOLED by his friendly smile, his perfect manners, or his shiny red apple. Student council president Howard Mergler is actually a sinister bug-monster in disguise—and he’s summoning swarms of roaches, wasps, fleas, and head lice into the corridors of Lovecraft Middle School! Twelve-year-old Robert Arthur is the only student who can stop him–but he’ll need help from his best friends: the school bully, the school ghost, and an extremely courageous two-headed rat.

This third novel in the Lovecraft Middle School series begins right where Professor Gargoyle and The Slither Sisters ended—with more action, more adventure, and more outrageous monsters.

Giveaway!

Thanks to the publisher, Quirk Books, I have a the fantastic opportunity to giveaway an entire set of the first three books in The Lovecraft Middle School series by Charles Gilman to one There’s A Book reader! Be sure to fill out the rafflecopter form below and good luck to all! Open US/Canadian residents only.

Be sure to visit The Lovecraft Middle School website to learn more about the series, it’s creator and just generally find some fantastic spooky info about this great series!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Quirk Books, for providing a copy of this book for review! Connect with them on Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest and on Facebook!
Purchasing products by clicking through the links in this post will provide us a modest commission through our various affiliate relationships.

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