Amulet: The Last Council by Kazu Kibuishi
Published by Graphix (An Imprint of Scholastic Press)
Pages: 224
Publishers Summmary:

Emily and her friends think they’ll find the help they need in Cielis, but something isn’t right. Streets that were once busy are deserted, and the townspeople who are left live in crippling fear. Emily is escorted to the Academy where she’s expected to compete for a spot on the Guardian Council, the most powerful Stonekeepers. But as the number of competitors gets smaller and smaller, a terrible secret is slowly uncovered—a secret that, if left buried, means certain destruction of everything Emily fights for.

Amulet is a series I’m not going to attempt to sum up. Being that I’ve only read this most recent in the series it’s hard to summarize without giving away too much of the story. Let me just say that I was impressed. Not only was the story compelling, but the graphics & illustrations were astonishing. Take a look at the interior spread provided by the publisher:

Isn’t it gorgeous? It’s a bit of a mix between a strictly comic book style and manga which blends to make a very stunning story. Not only does it pop while reading it, its also enjoyable from a reading stand point. Teenagers and tweens will especially appreciate the fast paced story and creative characters. I was incredibly impressed to discover this fantastic new world to explore and can’t wait to read more of the Amulet series as soon as possible!

The1stdaughter Recommends: Ages 10 and up. Enter a creative new world with a cast of characters that come to life through the amazing storytelling of Kazu Kibuishi. Perfect for tweens and up!

Giveaway!

Thanks to the publisher, Scholastic Press, I have two copies of Amulet: The Last Council by Kazu Kibuishi to giveaway to There’s A Book readers! Make sure to fill out the form below which also contains the details about the giveaway and good luck!

Find Amulet: The Last Council by Kazu Kibuishi at the following spots:
Powell’s Books
Indiebound
Barnes & Noble
Goodreads

Thank you so much to the publisher, Scholastic Press, for sending a copy for review & giveaway! Find them on Twitter as well as Facebook.
Purchasing products by clicking through the links in this post will provide us a modest commission through our various affiliate relationships.

The 20 Question Interview with our very own Turkeybird is our feature interview that will be happening with all of the book authors, illustrators and poets we love! Today the Turkeybird has something special up his sleeve…not one, but two interviews! Yep, today he’s interviewing both of the authors from the fantastic middle grade series The Familiars, Andrew Jacobson and Adam Jay Epstein. The second book in the series, Secrets of the Crown, was released on Tuesday and the Turkeybird’s mom loved it (look for a review next week)! We shared his 20 Question interview with Andrew earlier and now it’s Adam Jay Epstein’s turn!

1. My mom told me all about your books, they sound really neat but why call them “familiars”, why not just call them your pet?

Familiars are magical animal companions to wizards and witches… and while pets are great… they don’t have magic.

2. Do you have a favorite animal?

I love monkeys and apes.

3. Why?

I think their human-like qualities are incredible. And I got to play with a spider monkey in the Amazon.

4. When your kids were my age what did you read to them?

I love reading them Dr. Seuss and Margaret Wise Brown books!

5. Crayons or Markers?

Crayons!

6. Why?

I don’t like the sound that markers make.

7. What’s your favorite color?

Blue and Green. It’s a tie.

8. I really like playing my dad’s computer. What’s your favorite game?

I love Legend of Zelda… all of them.

9. What are you writing right now?

The third book of The Familiars

10. Do they have real magical animals for your movie? That would be so cool!

Yes. It would!

11. If you were four what would you read next?

Green Eggs and Ham.

12. You ate a crocodile, how cool! What did it taste like?

Like chicken… and I really have eaten crocodile.

13. Do you have a favorite treat? (Mine is anything chocolate!)

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice cream

14. I like to run superfast, do you have a favorite super power?

Flying.

15. Why?

I would love to soar through the sky!

16. Do you like writing with the other guy from the book? (I think it would be really hard to write a book with Littlebug, but maybe because she’s my sister.)

Yep. He’s really nice and types fast.

17. Zombies or pirates?

Pirates.

18. Why?

Zombies smell bad.

19. Why do you like to write?

I love making up stories and sharing them.

20. What’s your next book going to be about?

More Familiars!

The Turkeybird Speaks: “Adam, I’m not sure I agree with you on the zombie thing…I love zombies! And don’t you think pirates smell too? They spend forever on those boats and don’t ever get in the water. I think they might stink a little.

“I do agree on your pick of mint chocolate chip ice cream! That’s my very very most favorite ice cream ever! I love it when Mom & Dad let me have some, even if I think they could let me have it all the time.

“Thank you so much for letting me interview you Adam! You and Andrew had the best answers! I told Andrew, but I’m so excited to read your books and I get to start listening to them with my mom reading them very soon. I can’t wait! I know they’re going to be super good because my mom said they are great!”

Find The Familiars 2: Secrets of the Crown by Andrew Jacobson and Adam Jay Epstein at the following spots:
Powell’s Books
Indiebound
Barnes & Noble
Goodreads

Thank you so much to the publisher, HarperCollins, for providing a copy of their book for review! Connect with The Familiars 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.

The 20 Question Interview with our very own Turkeybird is our feature interview that will be happening with all of the book authors, illustrators and poets we love! Today the Turkeybird has something special up his sleeve…not one, but two interviews! Yep, today he’s interviewing both of the authors from the fantastic middle grade series The Familiars, Andrew Jacobson and Adam Jay Epstein. The second book in the series, Secrets of the Crown, was released on Tuesday and the Turkeybird’s mom loved it (look for a review next week)! Up first for the rigorous 20 Question interview, Andrew Jacobson…

1. My mom told me all about your books, they sound really neat but why call them “familiars”, why not just call them your pet?

Adam, I’m going to let you take this one. He’s the expert.

2. Do you have a favorite animal?

My dog, Elvis!

3. Why?

He’s my buddy. And he sleeps on my head.

4. How come there are different covers for your book?

Every country has different artists who create different looks for The Familiars.

5. Do you have a favorite? (My mom said I picked the “German” one.)

I think each cover is so representative of its country. The German one is weird and wonderful. The UK cover is dark and mysterious. And the US cover is magical.

6. Can you do any magic tricks?

No, but I’ve always made an excellent magician’s assistant to my older brother.

7. Crayons or Markers?

Crayons.

8. Why?

Markers run out to quickly.

9. What are you writing right now?

We’re finishing Book Three of The Familiars and starting a brand new book series.

10. Are you friends with my dad? I think you look like one of his friends.

No. Never met him.

11. Wow. How cool, you write movies and stuff! Are there any I would watch?

We’re writing the movie version of The Familiars. It’s going to be animated and in 3D.

12. Do you like pretzels?

I do. And funny enough, I just had pretzel bread for lunch.

13. If you were four what would you read next?

I don’t think I could read when I was four. But I’d probably go with Spider-Man or Batman novelization.

14. Do you have a favorite treat? (Mine is anything chocolate!)

I love me some cereal at any time of day.

15. Tennis looks really hard, I’m more of a soccer guy. Do you like other sports?

I love sports. Playing and watching. Tennis, basketball, football, baseball.

16. Which one is your favorite?

Tennis was always my favorite to play. Football is probably my favorite to watch. I’m a die hard Green Bay Packers fan.

17. Do you like writing with the other guy from the book? (I think it would be really hard to write a book with Littlebug, but maybe because she’s my sister.)

Eh, not really. No, I’m kidding. Of course. I couldn’t do what I do without him.

18. What’s your favorite color?

Blue?

19. I love going to the bookstore. Do you have a favorite bookstore?

I love any bookstore. I really do.

20. Is your next book going to be super exciting? My mom said the first one was.

I’d say it’s going to be ridonkulously exciting.

The Turkeybird Speaks: “If I knew you loved cereal so much I would have asked what your favorite one was Andrew! Mine is definitely All Crunch Berries Captain Crunch or a close second is Cocoa Puffs. Cereal is the best and I eat it all the time!

“Oh! I thought it was really funny that you like to watch football so much because Littlebug loves to watch football even if no one else in our family really watches it, she just really really likes it. Maybe you will have to talk with her about football sometime!

“Thank you so much Andrew! I thought you had some of the best answers ever, but Adam’s answers are some of the best too! I can’t wait to read your books when I get older and my mom even said she might start reading them out loud to me soon. I can’t wait! That would be super cool!”

Find The Familiars 2: Secrets of the Crown by Andrew Jacobson and Adam Jay Epstein at the following spots:
Powell’s Books
Indiebound
Barnes & Noble
Goodreads

Thank you so much to the publisher, HarperCollins, for providing a copy of their book for review! Connect with The Familiars 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.

Today’s Free Book Alert is from the new Magnificent Twelve series by Michael Grant, The Call. In anticipation of the sequel in the series, The Trap, being released Harper Collins has released The Call with additional bonus material for free for a limited time. My readers may not know this yet, but I’m a huge Michael Grant fan! I’ve been working on a “secret” project recently with him and I can’t wait to tell you all about it. Until then, make sure to run over and pick this one up!

Twelve-year-old Mack MacAvoy suffers from a serious case of mediumness. Medium looks. Medium grades. Medium parents who barely notice him. With a list of phobias that could make anyone crazy, Mack never would have guessed that he is destined for a more-than-medium life.

And then, one day, something incredibly strange happens to Mack. A three-thousand-year-old man named Grimluk appears in the boys’ bathroom to deliver some startling news: Mack is one of the Magnificent Twelve, called the Magnifica in ancient times, whatever that means. An evil force is on its way, and it’s up to Mack to track down eleven other twelve-year-olds in order to stop it. He must travel across the world to battle the wicked Pale Queen’s dangerous daughter, Ereskigal—also known as Risky. But Risky sounds a little scary, and Mack doesn’t want to be a hero. Will he answer the call?

A laugh-out-loud story filled with excitement and magic, The Magnificent Twelve: The Call is the first book in bestselling author Michael Grant’s hilarious new fantasy adventure series.

Pick it up here:
Kindle Book
B & N Nook
Goodreads

Also, another opportunity to pick it up (especially if you don’t read eBooks) is with BookPerk!
With Free UPS shipping you get:
• Hardcover edition of Book 2, The Magnificent 12: The Trap by Michael Grant
• Paperback edition of Book 1, The Magnificent 12: The Call by Michael Grant

So, you tell me…Are you a Michael Grant fan, either of this series or his other dystopian series Gone? Will you be picking this one up as well?

For more Free Book Alerts check take a look at Juju’s site, Tales of Whimsy “Free Kindle Book Alerts” and/or Gina’s site Hott Books “Free Friday” (which is primarily for Nook owners). Both have an excellent selection and inspired me to start sharing my random finds! Thanks gals!

PS…I’m not responsible for the prices going up, so make sure to grab these books quickly before it’s too late!

Book Dreaming is just that. It’s a feature I’m going to use to highlight those books that make you dreamy or possibly just end up making you dream about them. It could be anything from newly released books to one’s that are already out that I can’t get out of my head to those I can’t seem to get my hands on soon enough!

Today’s Book Dreaming pick is The Apothecary by Maile Meloy and Illustrated by Ian Schoenherr. This is actually a book I received in the mail quite a while ago with a fancy package that included an awesome old fashioned glass jar with “magic dust” in it. Obviously intrigued, I’ve been waiting until the time was right to dive into it. Well, lets just say, it’s one not to be missed. Now, what really has me talking today though is the recently released book trailer which has me thinking back to the trailer for Plain Kate by Erin Bow. Both are phenomenal and should be viewed! So, without further hesitation on my part, the synopsis and the gorgeous book trailer…

A mysterious apothecary. A magic book. A missing scientist. An impossible plan.

It’s 1952 and the Scott family has moved unexpectedly from Los Angeles to London. There, fourteen-year-old Janie gets a homesickness cure from the neighborhood apothecary and becomes fascinated by his defiant son, Benjamin Burrows—a boy struggling with his destiny, who isn’t afraid to stand up to authority and who dreams of becoming a spy.

When Benjamin’s father disappears, Janie and Benjamin must uncover the secrets of the apothecary’s ancient book, the Pharmacopoeia, in order to find him, all while keeping those secrets out of the hands of Russian spies. Discovering transformative elixirs they never imagined could exist, Janie and Benjamin embark on a dangerous race to save the apothecary and prevent impending nuclear disaster.

Pre-order The Apothecary by Maile Meloy and Illustrated by Ian Schoenherr at the following spots:
Powell’s Books
Indiebound
Goodreads
Barnes & Noble

Purchasing products by clicking through the links in this post will provide us a modest commission through our various affiliate relationships.

Book Dreaming is just that. It’s a feature I’m going to use to highlight those books that make you dreamy or possibly just end up making you dream about them. It could be anything from newly released books to one’s that are already out that I can’t get out of my head to those I can’t seem to get my hands on soon enough!

Today’s Book Dreaming pick is Cobbogoth by Hannah Clark. Yesterday Hannah shared the book cover for her upcoming debut novel on her blog for the very first time and I was completely blown away! It’s gorgeous! Not only that, but I love the premise for the novel. Take a look…

To seventeen-year-old Norah Lukens, the Cobbogothians were just a myth. But after her archeologist uncle’s brutal murder, and being asked to translate one of his old research journals for evidence, she begins a journey to discover the truth for herself.

Chasing the myth her uncle was obsessed with, Norah learns that his murder was a cover up for something far more sinister. If she hopes to save others from suffering the same fate he did–including the peculiarly magnetic James Riley–she must head to Iceland in order to find out the truth once and for all.

If she succeeds, she’ll gain the one thing she’s always longed for.

But if she fails, not even the gods can help her.

This is one I’ve been waiting to share with my readers for some time. I was one of the lucky few to get a sneak peek at early drafts of Cobbogoth and Hannah’s writing is phenomenal. Absolutely one to be added to the must-read piles! Also, make sure to take a look at the book trailer, it’s one of my absolute favorites:

Find Cobbogoth by Hannah Clark on Goodreads and in stores on October 19th, 2011! Also, make sure to stop by her blog for your chance to win a copy of Cobbogoth!

Purchasing products by clicking through the links in this post will provide us a modest commission through our various affiliate relationships.