Holidays for Kids by Charles Pascalar

Now that the excitement of the holidays is almost over and the kids are beginning to get bored with their new toys and their Christmas vacation feels like it is endless, there's a new book in town to help with the after Christmas holiday letdown.  Holidays for Kids helps to keep the excitement going all year long.  The best part is that they are easy to do.  None of that endless Christmas shopping in crowded stores.  Here are holidays we don't usually celebrate such as National Popcorn Day, Cloud Day and even Slurpee Day.

Holidays for Kids might just be the answer to the age of cry of children everywhere "Mom, I'm bored!"

So who is it that came of with this novel idea?  His name is Charles Pascalar and you can get to know him in this interview:

If you could travel in a Time Machine would you go back to the past or into the future? This is a great question…would I go back in time knowing the winning lottery numbers and then play them…that seems like a good thing. But seriously, I would go into the future. How have we progressed as a society? What new inventions can people not live without? How did my kids and their kids turn out? Will cars fly at some point? Will my favorite sports teams ever win something?

If you could invite any 5 people to dinner who would you choose? Since this is so wide open  with no limits, the people would be Jesus (would explain a lot of things) Leonardo da Vinci (how did one person have that level of imagination and intelligence) Abraham Lincoln (how did he really steer the United States and keep it together) , and my Mom and Dad (just to see them one last time)

If you were stranded on a desert island what 3 things would you want with you?  One of those GPS phones that can call anywhere in the world (solves the problem), $10 million in cash (makes it easy to have someone pick you up) and my wife (great island vacation)

If you could have any superpower what would you choose? Ability to bestow happiness on anyone

What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? Chocolate…because doesn’t everyone love Chuck-A-Lot (get it…Chuck is short for Charles)

What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Leftover Pizza

Night owl, or early bird? I am probably my best between mid-morning and mid-afternoon

Please tell us in one sentence only, why we should read your book. It’s a way for parents to connect with their kids while doing fun, unique holidays together with both learning new things to create memories to last their lifetimes.

Any other books in the works? Goals for future projects? I have another book that the topic is fascinating. It’s entitled Table #3. I have a few chapters in my head on what to write about, but need a few more plus some unique, insider information.

What inspired you to want to become a writer? We had recently moved to a new state and my children’s new friends were over the house one day and were listening to many of the “holidays” written about in the book and were amazed at how fun they were. They had commented about wishing they could have done those things and what a great Dad I was. I started thinking then about just sharing my ideas and writing the book  Four weeks later I had written 90% of it.

Tell us your most rewarding experience since being published. Someone in California posted a YouTube video about things to do for the Christmas holidays and having traditions with her children. She held up a copy of my book and talked about traditions in it with kids ALL year long. I found out about the video and showed it to my family that night and my wife cried and told me how proud she was of me.

A friend sent me two books to be autographed for friends of hers, who were going to become new Moms. I signed them and wrote a short note telling the new Mom she was already on her way to becoming a great parent. My friend called me a week later and told both her friends had called her, crying, that the book was the greatest present anyone had ever given to them. My kids told me they were proud of me.

What is your dream cast for your book? Every Mother and Father plus THEIR children. This is not a book that would be made into a movie, but a book that would be made into a memory.

What was your favorite book when you were a child/teen? I was an avid comic book reader. In fact, I still have all those comics from the 60’s and 70s. Over 4000. I read them so many times I can still look at the front cover of those books and remember the story lines.

What’s one piece of advice you would give aspiring authors? Write the book! So many people talk about having this great novel inside them, but never take the initiative to do anything other than say it. Write down an outline. Or write your thoughts down. They don’t have to be in any order. After you re-read them, you will begin to develop a story line and what you need. Just do it!

When you were little, what did you want to be when you “grew up?” Not when I was little, but in my 30’s one of my bosses asked me this question during a performance review with the philosophy about finding out my career plans over the next 5-10 years. I really didn’t have a good answer for him then, but after many more years of thinking about it, I finally know what I want to be when I grow up. Younger, Smarter, and Better Looking!

What do you do in your free time? Most of this interview really deals with my being an author. Actually that is what I try to do in my free time. My real job is Vice President of Marketing for Payless ShoeSource, one of the largest and best footwear retailers in the world. So I think about how to get women and families to buy more shoes from us. Then at night I love social media and write several comments on Facebook or Twitter etc with friends and just enjoy making them laugh.

If someone wrote a book about your life, what would the title be? Ripley Wouldn’t Believe This Guy!

Finish the sentence- one book I wish I had written is…. The Firm, by John Grisham…I had an idea for a book 20 years ago called The Office, just featuring all the craziness that went on at a former employer of mine…who hasn’t thought about that? His was exceptionally better than mine would have been…but mine would have been much funnier!

Favorite places to travel? In my imagination

In your wildest dreams, which author would you love to co-author a book with? William Shakespeare…would be like a He said…He really said…where I could take his brilliance and translate it into a totally similar, but different reality.

Holidays for Kids is available at Amazon

You can follow Charles Pascalar on Twitter and Holidays for Kids on Twitter

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Divergent takes place in a futuristic post-apocalyptic now dystopian Chicago.  It is a world divided into five factions and the member of each faction are supposed to be the embodiment of that factions central virtue.  Those in Abnegation value selflessness; in Dauntless, it is bravery;  for Erudite, it is intelligence; Candor values honesty and Amity embodies peacefulness.  At 16, children are give an aptitude test to determine which value they are personally disposed to.  And after getting the results, they face a Choosing Day ceremony and pick the faction they believe they will best fit into.

Beatrice Prior, 16, the book's narrator, was born into Abnegation, but has always known that she did not belong there, that a life of absolute selflessness would be impossible for her.  So it is not surprise that after her aptitude test, sh is told she is Divergent, meaning that she does not fit into a particular faction.  And at the Choosing Day ceremony, Beatrice picks Dauntless as her faction and Tris as her new name.

Being in Dauntless isn't easy.  First, there are the physical feats to accomplish, like jumping onto a moving train, or jumping from the roof of a tall building.  And it is especially hard when you have to keep it a secret that you are Divergent.  They truly believed in Faction before Blood and Tris is warned that past Divergents ended up dead in Dauntless.  But Tris turns out to be somewhat of a daredevil, even if some of her Abnegation traits sometimes surface.  And she makes friends with other Dauntless initiates.

There are only 10 spots open in Dauntless to the more than  20 initiates who have chosen it, and everyone figures the Dauntless-born initiates have an edge.  And failing to be initiated into a faction means your are factionless, which is very much like being homeless.  But Tris isn't the type to back away from danger and soon she is gaining ground over other initiates.  And gaining enemies!

I had heard Divergent compared to The Hunger Games so much, that I was hesitant to read it.  And while there are indeed similarities, I thought that there were enough differences to make it a worthwhile book to read.

I thought that Tris, as the main protagonist and narrator, was a well thought out character, strong and independent, in a world that seems to value conformity.  She is brave, sometimes to a fault, but in choosing Dauntless, she never fully gives up her Abnegation traits of caring about her fellow human beings.  And of course, even as she is in a fight for her place in Dauntless society, there is a love interest and his (nick)name  is Four and there is a definite reason they are attracted to one another, but to talk about that would be a *spoiler* and some parts of this story are too good to spoil.

I also thought that Roth's world building was pretty good.  She mentions enough of Chicago's landmarks that you can more or less figure out where the characters are.  And ironically, I found I never wondered where the rest of the world was and how they were governed, a experience I also had reading The Hunger Games.  It was all so nicely self-contained.

But the virtues are what really caught my attention.  The world of Divergent  had been set up in faction ever since the Great Peace, in an attempt to prevent future wars that were based on mankind's inclination towards evil.  So each faction was formed by people who blamed certain qualities or vices in man for the "world's disarray." (pg 43)  For example, Abnegation was formed by those who blamed selfishness.  What's interesting about virtues and vices is that they are just two sides to the same coin and seeing how they play out in Divergent.

This was the first dystopian novel I have read with the same enthusiasm I felt when I read The Hunger Games.  And now I really can't wait to read Insurgent.

This book is recommended for readers age 13+
This book was purchased for my personal library.

HarperCollins offers a very useful discussion guide to readers of Divergent that can be found here

Paula Danziger's Amber Brown is Tickled Pink by Bruce Coville and Elizabeth Levy

I have always had a soft spot for the Amber Brown series.  As a teacher, I watched one of my 4th graders go from not reading to devouring Amber's adventures, as well as other Paula Danziger novels.  I thought that Paula's sudden death in 2004 would be the end of Amber, and who knows what other charming novels she could have written had she lived.  But I was wrong, there would be at least one more Amber Brown book for kids to discover how much they like to read.  Paula's best friends Bruce Coville and Elizabeth Levy teamed up to give us Amber Brown is Tickled Pink.

But does it work?  Is Amber the same Amber she always was, dealing with her joys and sorrows as she learns some important life lessons in the same charmingly 'I, Amber Brown' way?

You bet it does and it is almost seamless.

And best of all, the whimsical illustrations by Tony Ross, who did the other Amber Brown books, are back, too and help to provide a nice sense of continuity

In Amber's latest adventure, her mother is about to get married to Max and Amber couldn't be happier.  Not only does she get to be "best child" at the wedding, but it means her best friend Justin and his family will be there all the way from Alabama, and her dad is seeing a counselor to help him move on with his life and get pass his bitterness over being divorced from Amber's mother.

But suddenly there is trouble in paradise.  Amber's mom is worried about money and wants to just go to City Hall to get married and punk on the reception.  Which means no Justin visiting and telling her friends Brandi and Kelly they are disinvited from the reception party.

To top it all off, Amber's dad is making very snarky remarks about the wedding and Max and causing this 9 year old a great deal of unhappiness, and almost ruining their perfect weekend together.

So who would have thought the a possible affordable solution for the wedding and reception would be found through her nose-picking classmate  Fredrich?  But even after Amber hatches what seems to be the perfect plan, can she pull it off?  And will she be able to get her dad in line, too?

Fans of Amber already know some of the trials and tribulations she has had to deal with over the course of the series and so many of them caused by the adults in her life.  Her best friend Justin's move to Alabama, her parents separation and divorce, her father's new job in Paris, and her mother's new boyfriend now fiancee.  And then there is school - homework, skunks, a girl who also has a two color name.

But these realistic situations told in a first person narrative are exactly the kinds of everyday issues that Amber's young readers are often also dealing with, and for some the stories may be just entertaining, but for others, they may bring moments of solace and solidarity, they way they did for my student.

And I, Alex Baugh, am happy to see Amber's return.

This book is recommended for readers age 7+
This book was obtained from the publisher.

Christmastime by Alison Jay

When I first read Christmastime, I was quite taken in by the lovely illustrations because they reminded me of all the beautiful Christmas cards we used to get from relatives still living in England and Wales.  But when I got to the last page, I realized there was more to this book that just an early reader/picture book about Christmas.  In fact, it is an interactive book designed to familiarize kids with traditional symbols and treats of the Christmas season, to generate vocabulary building and to have fun trying to find the subtle clues and allusions to familiar Christmas songs.

But there is also a story line.  Two children creep down the stairs on Christmas Eve and and find themselves flying off to the North Pole in Santa's sleigh.  At the North Pole, they have Christmas dinner with Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus, visit the workshop, see the elves and the lovely toys that they make.  But don't worry, the kids make it home in time for Christmas morning and presents.

I really liked this book.  It is a nice quiet story that encourages the reader to use his/her imagination to plump up the story.  I also like that each illustration had a traditional feel to them and that they didn't give a commercial/materialistic feel to Christmas.  Children get enough of that during the holiday season.

My only question was: would kids recognize the songs that the subtle clues and illusions refer to.  But after thinking about it, I realized that this could be just another interactive aspect of the book.  It could be fun to listen to the songs referred to and then try to recognize them later when they are playing somewhere - a sort of Name the Tune kind of game to play while shopping or doing other errands where there is Christmas music being piped in.

And finally, I really liked the technique Alison Jay used for the illustrations.  For Christmastime, she used a quick drying oil paint and then adds a coat crackle varnish to give it an aged look and her palate was soft colors in simple illustrations giving it a folk art feel - ideal for Christmas, I thought.

Can you guess what song is referred to in this illustration:

Christmastime is sure to become a holiday favorite with young children for years to come.

This book is recommended for readers age 2+

This book was received from the publisher

Ans: Santa Clause is Coming to Town

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

What can I actually say about the book Wonder that hasn't already been said?   You are most likely familiar with the story already, I'm sure.  Your probably also know that it is about 11 year old Auggie Pullman, who was born with a severe facial deformity and after being home-school and living a semi-protected life, he finds himself enrolled in a prep school and soon becomes the object of the other kids fears and cruelty.

The story of Auggie's 5th grade year is told in first person chapters by Auggie himself, his older sister Via (short for Olivia), Summer, his first real friend in  5th grade, Jack, his second real friend in 5th grade, Justin, Olivia's boyfriend and Miranda, Via's former best friend and still a friend to Auggie.  It is through their narratives that we get the whole picture of what life is life for and with a child who looks so very different from everyone else.

So in a way, Auggie's story is also their story.  How can it not be?  If this were only Auggie's story, we would only know his perception's about these people who play such important roles during that 5th grade year.  But because they are speaking to us in the privacy of their own chapters, we learn the truth about who they are, and what they feel.  None of them dislikes Auggie, but they do admit that because of how he looks, he makes some things difficult for them.  That can be a hard thing to admit, in fiction and in reality.  Admitting it, though, helps them grow.  Auggie is already a kind kid, and wise beyond his years as so often happens with kids who are faced with difficulties in life.  the catalyst that enable them to change, making Wonder a kind of multi-coming of age story.

So, why do I think it is the characters surrounding Auggie who change? At the beginning of the school year, Mr. Brown, Auggie's English teacher teaches his student the about precepts - essentially, rules or principles to live by.  Over the door of Beecher Prep School is the precept KNOW THYSELF.  Mr. Brown's goal is to help his students to find out what kind of people they are.   Auggie has already learned who he is. He may not always like the way things are for him, but he knows himself.  Right off the bat he tells us

"I know I'm not an ordinary ten-year-old kid.  I mean, sure, I do ordinary things.  I eat ice cream.  I ride my bike.  I play ball.  I have an X-Box.  Stuff like that makes me ordinary, I guess.  And I feel ordinary inside.  But I know ordinary kids don't make other ordinary kids rung away screaming in playgrounds.  I know ordinary kids don't get stared at wherever they go."  

The other kids, the "ordinary kid" have much to learn about themselves.  And to help them get started, Mr. Brown gives them their first precept:  WHEN GIVEN THE CHOICE BETWEEN BEING RIGHT AND BEING KIND, CHOOSE KIND.  For some, being kind comes easy and their simple acts of genuine kindness without ulterior motive, like Summer sitting with Auggie at lunch when no one else will, facilitates their growth.  For others, like Jack, it is not so easy.  And for still others, like Julian, it is a precept they will probably never learn and that makes for such a sense of sadness.  But of could Julian learn kindness, when it was his mother who photoshopped Auggie out of the class picture.

While Wonder is an excellent book for everyone to read, two things bothered me.  First, Via, Auggie's older sister, lets it be known how she feels about always having to take a back seat to him.  I think that is a valid reaction and would have liked to have heard more of Via's story.  The other thing that bothered me was that Auggie's parents were too perfect.  They never got irritated, angry, annoyed.  No matter how loving parents are, they are just not always so even tempered - under any circumstances.  But these are minor complaints.

In the end, Auggie's story is an important story, about him and about ourselves.  And luckily for us, Mr. Brown sums it all up nicely:"Courage. Kindness. Friendship. Character.  These are the qualities that define us as human beings, and propel us, on occasion, to greatness."

This book is recommended for readers age 8+
This book was purchased for my personal library

If you were inspired by Wonder, you may want to visit Random House's Anti-Bullying Campaign and share your story and

And the winner is...

The Book Lover's Holiday giveaway was for a signed copy of Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

The winner of my first giveaway is Alyssa at ACReads

Congratulations, Alyssa and thank you to everyone who participated.

I am looking forward to having more giveaways in the near future.

The Wicked and the Just by J. Anderson Coats

It's 1293 and Cicely d'Edgeley, 16, has just been told that she must leave her home and her two best friends in Coventry, England and travel with her father to Caernarvon, a walled town in Northern Wales and she is not at all happy about this.  But her father is a younger son and can't inherit, so with the news that his older brother is returning home from the Crusade he was on and wants his castle back, he accepts a burgage from Edward I.

Wales has been under English rule for only 10 years when Cicely and her father arrive there and it is clear from the beginning that the Welsh aren't welcoming to them.  But the accommodations the Crown provides their newest Burgess and his daughter is suitable and there are even two servants with the house, Mrs. Tripley the housekeeper and Gwynhwyfar, or Gwinny as she is called, who works in the house but doesn't live there.  Gwinny lives outside the walls of Carnarvon with her brother and dying mother.  Her father had been hanged by the English for plotting against them.

The two girls tell their stories in alternating chapters, but we really hear more from Cecily than Gwinny.  And they are both very angry about losing the place they called home.  But Cicely is a girl with some power over Gwinny and all the Welsh and takes her anger out on them, by turns with utter cruelty, sadism and even a self-serving kindness.  And Cecily's anger blinds her to the unrest that surrounds her.  It is not just that the Welsh hate her for being English, but the English see her a inferior and can't be bothered with her.  For her part, Cicely also thinks herself to be superior to both groups, so when the end [of the novel] comes, she is caught completely off guard.

Gwinny, not surprisingly, refers to to Cicely as the brat (and she is) and resents having to wait on her in the house that had originally been meant for her had Wales not been conquered.  Gwinny was descended from Welsh royalty and reduced to a starving, struggling servant when the English arrived.  And although we hear her voice less than Cicely's, it is through her that we see what happening among the Welsh so when the end {of the novel} comes, we are not surprised.  Gwinny has by then filled us in with enough historical fact for anyone who doesn't know much about their period in history will understand what is going on.

But just in case you don't get enough from Gwinny's story, there is an excellent Historical Note at the end of the novel, which you actually may prefer to read before beginning the novel.  Anderson has clearly done her homework researching the history surrounding The Wicked and the Just in depth.  It did peak my curiosity about what Carnarvon was like in the 13th century, since Cecily and Gwinny mentioned the area so much.  When I looked it up, I found this picture of the town and castle on Google:

This map, done in 1610, shows Shire Hall and Shire Hall Street where Cecily and her father lived.

I thought The Wicked and the Just was an interesting historical fiction novel.  I didn't really expect to like it at first because it felt like just another novel about another spoiled brat, but set in the Medieval period.  And Cecily is indeed spoiled, but it was more than that and in the end, I found I had really enjoyed the story.

This book is recommended for readers age 12+
This book was obtained from the publisher

Book Lover's Holiday Giveaway Hop

Welcome to my stop on the Book Lover's Holiday Giveaway Hop.  This hop is hosted by I am a Reader, Not a Writer and by Chapter by Chapter

Beside myself, there are lots of other blogs participating in this hop.  You can see a full list of participating blogs where there are more chances to win some great books here.

Here is what I have to offer to one lucky winner: a new unread signed copy of 

Details:
1- You must be 13 or older to ender.
2- This giveaway is for US residents only.
3- This contest will run until midnight December 10, 2012
4- The winner will be notified by email - and will have 48 hours to respond before I pick a new winner.
5- Winner will be chosen by Random.org

Here how to enter:
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