Holiday Gift Ideas (1)

Coloring Books

Nope this craze still hasn't gone away. Great for relaxing and unwinding after a hard day. Perhaps you know someone who could use a break. There are hundred of coloring books out there, one for every person. Here are a few that I've looked at this year. 

This one I got for Christmas last year and it's amazing!

Gifted from a friend

  

Sent for review.

You can see my write up and some favorite pages here. 

Sent for review: perfect for cat loving friends 

Kid friendly. 

Quotes on ones side, coloring pages on the other.

  

Sent for review. Perfect for animal loving friends

Kid friendly. 

Quotes on ones side, coloring pages on the other.

Mix of animals, not just puppies, a nice variety including pigs and snowman too.

 

Giveaway: Percy Jackson Coloring Pack

The Percy Jackson Coloring Book

By Rick Riordan with artwork by Keith Robinson

Published by Disney-Hyperion

In Stores August 15^th, 2017

Disney-Hyperion sent me a copy to check out, and is partnering with me for a giveaway!

About The Percy Jackson Coloring Book

Demigods, brandish your pencils!

Over the past decade, millions of young readers, parents, and teachers have come to adore Rick Riordan's classic series Percy Jackson and the Olympians, which made ancient Greek mythology contemporary, relevant, and entertaining as it turned kids on to reading. Now fans can literally color Percy's world with the amusing portraits, dramatic scenes, and intricate designs on every spread of this large format paperback. This book is a great way to introduce young children to the series, to allow older fans to reminisce, and to augment classroom units on Greek mythology. 

About the Author

Rick Riordan, dubbed “storyteller of the gods” by Publishers Weekly, is the author of five #1 New York Times best-selling middle grade series with millions of copies sold throughout the world: Percy Jackson and the Olympians, the Heroes of Olympus, and the Trials of Apollo, based on Greek and Roman mythology; the Kane Chronicles, based on Ancient Egyptian mythology; and Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, based on Norse mythology. Rick collaborated with illustrator John Rocco on two best-selling collections of Greek myths for the whole family: Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods and Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes. Rick lives in Boston, Massachusetts with his wife and two sons. Follow him on Twitter at @camphalfblood.  

About the Illustrator

Keith Robinson graduated with a degree in graphic design and illustration in 1992 and worked as an animator on some of the earliest digital media productions for clients around the world. He joined the BBC and was part of the R&D team that developed the corporation's first website. He later founded Codename, an award-winning media production company, before he became a freelance illustrator in 2001. His illustrations have been featured in children's books, magazines, television programs, and on postage stamps. He especially enjoys drawing fantasy, mythical, and historical subjects. He lives on the south coast of England.

The Insides:

The Percy Jackson Coloring Book is pretty cool. It basically tells the story of The Lightning Thief. Here are a few of my favorites.

A map of camp

Percy's Cabin

Percy Fighting

 

Percy's Dad                                Fluffy

Annabeth 

Key Links + Social Media

Visit ReadRiordan.com

Like Percy Jackson on Facebook

Follow Disney-Hyperion on Twitter and Instagram

Follow Rick Riordan on Twitter and Instagram

Hashtag #PJColoringBook

Demigods, Brandish Your Pencils!

One (1) winner receives:

• Copy of The Percy Jackson Coloring Book
• Percy Jackson-branded tin of colored pencils

Giveaway open to US addresses only.

Prizing and samples provided by Disney-Hyperion.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway: Trials of Apollo

ABOUT THE BOOK

New series from #1 New York Times bestselling author Rick Riordan.

After angering his father Zeus, the god Apollo is cast down from Olympus. Weak and disoriented, he lands in New York City as a regular teenage boy. Now, without his godly powers, the four-thousand-year-old deity must learn to survive in the modern world until he can somehow find a way to regain Zeus’s favor.

But Apollo has many enemies—gods, monsters, and mortals who would love to see the former Olympian permanently destroyed. Apollo needs help, and he can think of only one place to go . . . an enclave of modern demigods known as Camp Half-Blood.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rick Riordan, dubbed “Storyteller of the Gods” by Publishers Weekly, is the author of three #1 New York Times best-selling middle grade series with millions of copies sold throughout the world: Percy Jackson and the Olympians, based on Greek mythology; the Kane Chronicles, based on Ancient Egyptian mythology; and the Heroes of Olympus, based on Greek and Roman mythology.

Rick collaborated with illustrator John Rocco on two best-selling collections of Greek myths for the whole family: Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods and Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes. The first book in his Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgardtrilogy based on Norse mythology, The Sword of Summer, also debuted at #1 on the New York Times list.

Rick lives in Boston, Massachusetts with his wife and two sons. Follow him on Twitter at @camphalfblood.

LEARN MORE

Learn more at ReadRiordan.com

Follow Disney on Twitter and Instagram

Follow Rick on Twitter and Instagram

‘Like’ Percy Jackson on Facebook

#TrialsofApollo

BONUS CONTENT

Read an Excerpt at the Official Site

Download the Activity Kit
Check out the book trailer:

Exclusive Copies:

The Hidden Oracle is being released with five retail-specific editions that all hit shelves on May 3^rd. Each edition includes a unique insert that you can get exclusively from that retailer. Collect them all!

1.    Barnes and Noble Exclusive Edition includes a Camp Half-Blood letter from Apollo to Zeus!

2.    Target Exclusive Edition includes an illustrated map of Apollo’s Trials at Camp Half-Blood

3.    Books-a-Million Exclusive Edition includes an Apollo Bumper Sticker (“I’d Rather be Driving by Sun Chariot”)

4.    Walmart Exclusive Edition includes a 2-sided bookmark with character art of Apollo and his mortal counterpart, Lester.

5.    Costco Exclusive Edition includes an illustrated poster depicting the “Plague of Secrets” scene from The Hidden Oracle

Giveaway:

One (1) winner from your site will receive one of the exclusive editions of The Hidden Oracle with a surprise insert!

Giveaway open to US addresses only.

Prizing and samples provided by Disney-Hyperion.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Top Ten Reasons to Gift Percy Jackson this Holiday Season

PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS (Series)

Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can't seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse--Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy's mom finds out, she knows it's time that he knew the truth about where he came from, and that he go to the one place he'll be safe. She sends Percy to Camp Half Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon a mystery unfolds and together with his friends--one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena--Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods.

10 Years of Readers can't be wrong:  Here are my favorites:

1. Fantastic Spin on Mythology
2. Insults: where else do you hear Seaweed Brain?
3. Action - Adventure - Danger
4. Quests
5. Monsters
6. Saving the World
7. Summer Camp that Rocks
8. Percy struggles to find himself in this world
9. Blue Food
10. Rick Riordan is a really nice guy

RICK RIORDAN ONLINE

Visit the Official Website

Follow Rick Riordan on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

#ReadRiordan

GIVEAWAY: Happy Holidays from Rick Riordan!

One (1) winner receives:

·         Copy of MAGNUS CHASE AND THE GODS OF ASGARD

Open to US addresses only. Prizing provided by Disney-Hyperion.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

ABOUT THE BOOK

MAGNUS CHASE AND THE GODS OF ASGARD: THE SWORD OF SUMMER

Magnus Chase has always been a troubled kid. Since his mother’s mysterious death, he’s lived alone on the streets of Boston, surviving by his wits, keeping one step ahead of the police and the truant officers. One day, he’s tracked down by an uncle he’s never met—a man his mother claimed was dangerous. His uncle tells him an impossible secret: Magnus is the son of a Norse god. The Viking myths are true. The gods of Asgard are preparing for war. Trolls, giants, and worse monsters are stirring for doomsday. To prevent Ragnarök, Magnus must search the Nine Worlds for a weapon that has been lost for thousands of years. When an attack by fire giants forces him to choose between his own safety and the lives of hundreds of innocents, Magnus makes a fatal decision. Sometimes, the only way to start a new life is to die . . .

Percy Pack: Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes

Who cut off Medusa's head? Who was raised by a she-bear? Who tamed Pegasus? It takes a demigod to know, and Percy Jackson can fill you in on the all the daring deeds of Perseus, Atalanta, Bellerophon, and the rest of the major Greek heroes. Told in the funny, irreverent style readers have come to expect from Percy, ( I've had some bad experiences in my time, but the heroes I'm going to tell you about were the original old school hard luck cases. They boldly screwed up where no one had screwed up before. . .) and enhanced with vibrant artwork by Caldecott Honoree John Rocco, this story collection will become the new must-have classic for Rick Riordan's legions of devoted fans--and for anyone who needs a hero. So get your flaming spear. Put on your lion skin cape. Polish your shield and make sure you've got arrows in your quiver. We're going back about four thousand years to decapitate monsters, save some kingdoms, shoot a few gods in the butt, raid the Underworld, and steal loot from evil people. Then, for dessert, we'll die painful tragic deaths. Ready? Sweet. Let's do this.

Did you know: There's an Activity Kit for GREEK HEROES.

My Thoughts about the Book:
12 tales
Percy's humor 
Male and female hero/heroines 
Great book for mythology fans (or obviously fans of Percy)
Great illustrations

The puppy reading about Otrera

Great Map (I love books with maps)

RICK RIORDAN ONLINE

Visit the Official Website

Follow Rick Riordan on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

#ReadRiordan

GIVEAWAY 

Be back-to-school ready with GREEK HEROES!

One (1) winner receives:

·         a copy of GREEK HEROES

·         plus a “Percy Pack” limited edition backpack!

US only please!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Percy Pack: First Look at The Demigods of Olympus

NEW ORIGINAL RICK RIORDAN E-BOOK

DETAILS

Title: The Demigods of Olympus: An Interactive Adventure

Price: $8.99 / $7.99 

On-Sale: July 14, 2015 

Description: Your quest begins! Use your demigod skills in this interactive and customizable adventure story written by New York Times #1 best-selling author Rick Riordan. Combining four short stories, The Two-Headed Guidance Counselor, The Library of Deadly Weapons, My Demon Satyr Tea Party, and My Personal Zombie Apocalypse, your choices will have consequences in this first interactive demigod adventure. 

                               

DID YOU MISS IT?: 

MAGNUS CHASE COVER REVEAL & EXCERPT

The first look at Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard was revealed last week on USA Today.

 

Title: Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard

On-Sale: October 6, 2015 

Description: Magnus Chase has always been a troubled kid. Since his mother’s mysterious death, he’s lived alone on the streets of Boston, surviving by his wits, keeping one step ahead of the police and the truant officers. One day, he’s tracked down by an uncle he’s never met—a man his mother claimed was dangerous. His uncle tells him an impossible secret: Magnus is the son of a Norse god. The Viking myths are true. The gods of Asgard are preparing for war. Trolls, giants, and worse monsters are stirring for doomsday. To prevent Ragnarök, Magnus must search the Nine Worlds for a weapon that has been lost for thousands of years. When an attack by fire giants forces him to choose between his own safety and the lives of hundreds of innocents, Magnus makes a fatal decision. Sometimes, the only way to start a new life is to die.

Start it now: Chapter 2 of Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard.

COMING SOON:

Title: Greek Heroes

On-Sale: August 18, 2015 

Description: Who cut off Medusa's head? Who was raised by a she-bear? Who tamed Pegasus? It takes a demigod to know, and Percy Jackson can fill you in on the all the daring deeds of Perseus, Atalanta, Bellerophon, and the rest of the major Greek heroes. Told in the funny, irreverent style readers have come to expect from Percy, ( I've had some bad experiences in my time, but the heroes I'm going to tell you about were the original old school hard luck cases. They boldly screwed up where no one had screwed up before. . .) and enhanced with vibrant artwork by Caldecott Honoree John Rocco, this story collection will become the new must-have classic for Rick Riordan's legions of devoted fans--and for anyone who needs a hero. So get your flaming spear. Put on your lion skin cape. Polish your shield and make sure you've got arrows in your quiver. We're going back about four thousand years to decapitate monsters, save some kingdoms, shoot a few gods in the butt, raid the Underworld, and steal loot from evil people. Then, for dessert, we'll die painful tragic deaths. Ready? Sweet. Let's do this.