Review: Franken-Sci High

In the first book in the series, What’s the Matter with Newton?, Newton Warp is a mystery, even to himself: He wakes up one day in the library with no idea of who he is, how he got there, or where he came from. Newton is quickly assigned to a dorm and makes a friend: Shelly Ravenholt, who creates living, breathing monsters for fun. He’s eager to find out who his family is, but this is high school after all, and he soon has other problems: Newton has to create a last-minute project for the Mad Science Fair and Shelly’s friend Theremin (a robot) is really jealous of him. And that’s not all: the other students at Franken-Sci High soon realize that Newton has a few useful, but surprising quirks. Wherever Newton came from, they start to suspect that he’s not entirely human! (Summary from the publisher)

n the second book in the Franken-Sci High series, Monsters Among Us, Newton Warp’s friends notice he’s being followed around by a strange new professor, Dr. Flubitus, but have no idea why. Newton wonders if it has something to do with the barcode on his foot. He doesn’t have much time to dwell on it, though, because soon there are reports of a giant monster loose on campus! Shelly assumes a school for mad scientists would have top-notch security against monsters, nosy tourists, and other invaders, but soon she and her friends Newton and Theremin discover a gaping loophole in the system. If a marauding monster can find its way to the school’s secret location in the Bermuda Triangle and figure out how to open a portal to the campus, anyone else could get in, too! Then Shelly finds out she might be the reason the monster is there in the first place… (Summary from the publisher)

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed these books. I felt terrible for Newton as he had no memories of his life. I liked how Shelly took him under her wing and showed him the school. I loved the school - it's very inventive. Especially the locker licks. The classes seem fun too. Both books contain friendship, monsters, and a mystery. There are questions that readers want answered like: Who is Newton? Why is he at the school? Where is his home? Why does Shelly need protection? Will Theremin ever be happy? These questions and more will keep the reader turning the pages and looking forward to the next book to uncover more information. Artwork's mixed in with the story.

Cover Thoughts: Both are great.

Source: Book sent for review

Library Recommendation: A fun series for kids about friendship and monsters - a great series for both school and public libraries.

Also this series is perfect for Halloween.

Up Next: April 28, 2020 

Blog Tour: Glass Slippers, Ever After, and Me

Glass Slippers, Ever After, and Me

by Julie Wright

Publication Date: 10/21/19

Paperback

ISBN: 9781629726076

Retail Price: $16.99

Page Count: 336

Fiction / Romance / Contemporary

Cover Design: © Shadow Mountain

Art Direction: Richard Erickson

Design: Kimberly Kay

About the Book:

Can the fairy tale bring Charlotte the happiness she’s looking for, or was he always there to begin with? A modern, reimagined Cinderella story.

When aspiring author Charlotte Kingsley finally gets published, she thinks all her dreams have come true. But the trouble begins when her publicity firm reinvents her quirky online presence into a perfectly curated dream life. Gone are the days of sweatpant posts and ice cream binges with her best friend, Anders, replaced instead with beautiful clothes, orchestrated selfies, and no boyfriend. Only, that carefully curated fairy tale life is ruining her self-esteem and making her feel like a fraud.

When a bestselling author takes Charlotte under her wing—almost like a fairy godmother—she helps Charlotte see the beautiful person she already is and the worth of being authentic. But is it too late to save her relationship with Anders? The clock is quickly ticking towards midnight, and Charlotte must decide between her fairy tale life and the man she loves, before he's gone forever.

About the Author:
Julie Wright is the author of more than twenty novels, including the Proper Romance® novels Lies Jane Austen Told Me and Lies, Love, and Breakfast at Tiffany’s. She is a Whitney Award winner and a Crown Heart recipient. She is represented by agent Sara Crowe. She loves reading and writing, playing on the beach or hiking with her husband and kids, and watching her husband make dinner.



Advance Praise/Endorsements:

“This sweet, heartfelt tale of authentic characters facing intriguing challenges is at once very romantic and charmingly chaste.”

-Booklist, starred review

“Wright spins a modern-day and very meta Cinderella tale. This fast-paced, lighthearted romance also carries a moral lesson about falsehoods getting in the way of the quest for true happiness.”

-Publishers Weekly

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this modern spin on the Cinderella story. I loved how Charlotte's new book was born out of frustration and rejection. I admired her for not giving up. I didn't believe most of the publishing/marketing moments, but they made the book entertaining. I loved Charlotte's relationship with Kat. I enjoyed her banter with Anders. I liked seeing her two different sides and how she figured out which side was her true self. I love how everything turned out. 

Cover Thoughts: Love it!

Source: ARC sent for review
Library Recommendation: A great book for your adult romance collection

Christmas Book Review: Clementine for Christmas

Josie's shy, but she loves volunteering in the pediatric ward at the hospital -especially around the holidays. She and her dog, Clementine, dress up and visit the sick kids and their families. Josie sings and puts on skits while Clementine comforts them.

When a boy from school is forced to join her team, Josie isn't thrilled. He refuses to sing or dress up. Soon she begins to get fed up with him. Oscar hates the holidays because it makes his parents fight - all the time and about everything. He isn't interested in making anyone else happy. But there's something about Clementine that eases his pain.

Gabby's keeping her illness a secret after what happened at her last school. When her illness lands her in the hospital she's worried that the two volunteers from her class will spill the beans and everything will be ruined - again. She's hoping she can find a way to stop that from happening.

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book - I liked that Josie attempted to work through her shyness for something important. And that she had friends by her side. I liked how Oscar came around to volunteering. I liked how Gabby tried to help both of them. I love how the three of them needed each other and how eventually they became good friends. I felt bad for the three of them as they each worked through their troubles, but was happy they had each other. I adored Clementine. I wasn't a huge fan of the ending, but overall a sweet book.

Cover Thoughts: Cute
Source: My library

Picture Book Review: Bad Moods

I've recently read two books about bad moods.

Ed's in a bad mood. At first it starts out small, but it soon grows out of control. He needs to figure out how to change his mood - and fast. 

I like how this one talked about changing emotions, festering emotions, and controlling emotions. I love how it mentioned there's beauty in everything and sometimes the smallest thing can change a person's mood.

A little mouse finds a badger lost and in need of help. The little mouse, although unhappy about having his day interrupted, decides to help. Each animal they encounter seems to know about the grumpy mouse. He insists that he's not grumpy.

I love how the mouse helped out the poor little badger. I loved the twist at the end. A cute story with great illustrations about friendship and bad moods.

Blog Tour: A Family by Christmas

A FAMILY BY CHRISTMAS ASSETS

About the Book:

Title: A FAMILY BY CHRISTMAS

Author: Viv Royce

Pub. Date: October 14, 2019

Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC (Bliss)

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 200

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B and N, iBooks, Kobo

Chocolatier Emma Miller has a new business selling bonbons to the residents of the quaint town of Wood Creek. When a tiny visitor stops by her shop with an interesting request, Emma is intrigued. The young girl needs chocolates that will help her widowed dad fall in love, preferably with her teacher. What Emma didn't count on was Casey's ever so charming and handsome dad, Grant, stepping into her life. She has to remind herself to be cautious because the one thing she learned in foster care is that people always leave. 

Pilot Grant Galloway is touched by his daughter's gift and is curious about the person who made the world-class chocolates. But when he steps into Emma's shop full of delicious smells and tasty morsels, he forgets to breathe. And it has nothing to do with his favorite dessert. She's pretty and kind, and when she has to deal with a difficult client, his protective instincts kick into high gear. But he risked his heart once. When his wife died, it left him broken. He's just now beginning to pick up the pieces, and he and his daughter will be leaving town once the holidays are over.

Thanks to some Christmas wishes, though, these two might discover that their carefully laid plans are about to change.

About Viv:

With the same trademark atmospheric settings, relatable characters and cute canines that made several of her cozy mysteries #1 Amazon US and Canada bestsellers in multiple categories, Vivian Conroy pens romance as Viv Royce, creating heartthrob heroes ranging from rugged pilots to royals reluctant to believe in true love who meet their match in that girl next door or the co-worker with the business ideas exactly opposing their own – happy endings guaranteed! When not frequenting fictional worlds, Viv loves to hike (especially in the mountains), craft with paper, felt and clay, and hunt for the perfect cheesecake. Quite active on Twitter, she's the founder of #HistFicChat, a live Twitter chat about historical fiction, featuring authors like Kate Quinn, Anna Lee Huber and Susan Spann, and would love for readers to follow her and connect via @VivWrites.

Twitter | Goodreads

Follow the Tour:

10/14/2019	Becky on Books	Review
10/14/2019	Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers	Spotlight
10/15/2019	YA Book Nerd	Interview
10/15/2019	Two Chicks on Books	Interview
10/16/2019	BookHounds (or BookHounds YA)	Interview
10/16/2019	Nursebookie	Review
10/17/2019	Dena Garson-Real... Hot... Romance	Spotlight
10/17/2019	Books_AndPoetrii	Review

Giveaway Details:
1 winner will receive a $15 Amazon Gift Card, International.

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Top Ten Tuesday: Titles

This week's topic is all about fun titles. I always think that cozies have the best titles - and most of them have to do with food. Here are a few of my favorites.

Blog Tour: Sam Saves the Night

About the Book

Title: SAM SAVES THE NIGHT

Author: Shari Simpson

Pub. Date: October 1, 2019

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Pages: 304

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B and N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD

What would you do if you could stay out all night and not get in trouble?

Thirteen-year-old Sam has no friends, but you can't really blame her. She lives her life in a state of chronic exhaustion thanks to her nightly sleepwalking jaunts, which include trips to the store, treehouse-building projects, and breaking-and-entering escapades-none of which she remembers in the morning. Her condition is taking its toll on her family (and her life), so when her mom takes her to see a wacky strip-mall sleep specialist, Sam is wary, but 100 percent in.

The night after the doc works his mojo, Sam wakes up outside her body, watching herself sleep. FREAKY! But once she gets over the panic attack, she realizes there's a whole world of detached-souls out there, called SleepWakers-cliques of kids like the Achieves, who use their sleep time to learn new things; the Numbs, who eat junk food and play video games all night long, and the OCDeeds who search for missing things and organize other people's stuff. And then there are the Mean Dreams, led by Madalynn Sucret, the nicest girl in Sam's school, who shows Sam that she can use her power to get back at a bully who's been tormenting her. Sam is intrigued-until it becomes clear that Madalynn is the real bully and the "tormentor" is just, well... sad. Now Sam is faced with uniting the various tribes of SleepWakers to fight back against Madalynn and the Mean Dreams in the most epic battle the night has ever seen.

My Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this book. I'm hoping it's the start of a new series because the end left us hanging - just a little bit. I loved the idea of SleepWalkers being able to do different things during the day - opposites from their daytime self. But also maybe more like their inner soul. I like how everyone found their own tribe. I felt terrible for Sam and her family for all that they had been through. I enjoyed uncovering more information about the SleepWalkers with Sam and seeing how she fit into the that world. I loved how she finally stood up for herself and pulled other people with her. 

Cover Thoughts: Cute
Source: Book sent for review
Library Recommendations: A fun middle grade read for your library.

About the Author:

Shari Simpson is a playwright and screenwriter who cowrote the off-Broadway hit Maybe Baby, It's You and the Disney Channel Original Movie The Swap, both with her longtime writing partner, Charlie Shahnaian. She also won the 2012 BlogHer Voice of the Year for Humor Writing. Shari lives in Hoboken, NJ, with a patient husband, two hilarious teenagers, a demonic cat, and her pug, Mila Kunis. This is her first novel.

Twitter | Goodreads

Follow the Tour:

10/14/2019- YA Book Nerd- Review

10/15/2019- Life Within The Pages- Review

10/16/2019- fictitious.fox- Review

10/17/2019- Fyrekatz Blog- Review

10/18/2019- The Try Everything- Excerpt

Giveaway Details:

3 winners will receive a finished copy of SAM SAVES THE NIGHT, US Only.

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