The March MG Madness Comes To A Close

The 2nd Annual March MG Madness is coming to a close.

The March MG Madness officially ends 3/31, but I wanted to take this time to say how awesome this event was! I had SO much fun reading, sharing, promoting, reviewing, and gushing about some fantabulous middle-grade books and authors this month. I want to say a huge 

THANK YOU

to each and every author who participated. Y'all bake my cupcakes!!!

I look forward to doing this again for the third time next year and hopefully it will be even bigger and better. If you've missed any of the posts or giveaways you can find the full schedule and links HERE. All the giveaways (there's like 20!!) end at midnight on 3/31, so go forth and enter to win signed books, ARCs, ebooks, and swag!!! I'll be picking and announcing winners in the next week or so.

And to close the March MG Madness, I thought I would share a list of some of my fave middle-grade books that have come out in the last couple of years. Hopefully you'll be able to find some new and splendiferious reads from this list...

Click the title to learn more

The Mapmaker and the Ghost

by Sarvenaz Tash

Juniper Berry

by M.P. Kozlowsky

Storybound

by Marissa Burt

See You at Harry's

by Jo Knowles

Eve Hallows and the Book of Shrieks

by Robert Gray

Three Times Lucky

by Sheila Turnage

Night of the Purple Moon

by Scott Cramer

Evertaster

by Adam Glendon Sidwell

Dead City

by James Ponti

One for the Murphys

by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

The Flower Power Series

by Lauren Myracle

What are some of YOUR fave middle-grade reads?!

Share in the comments!

Interview and Giveaway: Lisa Greenwald

I'm so excited to have Lisa Greenwald stopping by the March MG Madness today to talk about her Pink & Green series!

My Summer of Pink & Green

by Lisa Greenwald

3/19/13

Abrams

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Purchase: Amazon / B&N

At the end of My Life in Pink & Green, Lucy Desberg had just won the grant that would save her family’s pharmacy—and turn it into a modern eco-spa. Now it’s summer, and the work has begun in earnest. Lucy figures that with the spa opening and her sister, Claudia, home, she’ll have a great summer. But her sister brings a new boyfriend, and their investor brings his extremely irritating daughter, Bevin. Plus there’s a new spa coordinator in charge of the plans, and so Lucy finds herself at loose ends. What’s a girl to do? A makeover, of course. But this time Lucy’s makeover skills might not smooth over the cracks in her happy family . . .

What three words best describe your Pink & Green series?

fun, optimistic, inspirational

Can you give us your best one sentence pitch to convince readers (especially reluctant readers) to give your Pink & Green books a try? 

Twelve year old Lucy Desberg thinks she can save her family's pharmacy, heal the environment and help her best friend find love all at the same time! Is she crazy or can she do it?

Grab a copy of My Summer Of Pink & Green and answer the following? 

Favorite chapter?

chapter 6

Favorite page?

128

Favorite character?

Bean

Flip to a random page and give us a 1-2 sentence teaser?

I float and float and float and I keep telling myself to think, because if I think hard enough I can figure out what to tell Sunny and Bevin and my family.

Your character Lucy is all about helping the environment, which is awesome! Why was this an important element to you to incorporate in this series?

I think we all care about the environment and want to do as much as we can to help. Tweens, especially, feel very passionate about it, so it made sense that it was so important to Lucy. 

Why did you choose to write middle-grade fiction? What do you love about middle-grade and why do you think it's such an important category of books? 

I hated middle school and I want to try and make it better for middle schoolers today! It's such an exciting time, but it's also so difficult and emotional. I want tween readers to know they're not alone in their struggles. 

What is your favorite middle-grade book? Your favorite middle-grade hero and heroine? 

Tuck Everlasting is my favorite book of all time. My favorite middle-grade heroine is Emma-Jean Lazarus and my favorite middle-grade hero is Auggie Pullman. 

What's your favorite aisle to browse in a pharmacy? What would be the first thing you'd like to try or get at an eco-spa?

My favorite browsing aisle is definitely the face wash/moisturizer aisle. The first thing I'd try at an eco-spa would be an eco-friendly facial! 

You've been tasked with creating two different colors of nail polish inspired by your two Pink & Green books...what do these two colors look like and what do you call them? 

I love this question! My dream is to become a nail polish namer. color 1: a pale blue called Lounge Chair by the Seacolor 2: a bright pink called Toes in the Sand 

Fill in the blanks: 

I'm really awesome at 

finding people jobs .

 I'm really embarrassed to admit that

I can't do a cartwheel.

My favorite middle-grade appropriate curse word or expletive is

Ugh!

If I could live inside the world of any middle-grade book, I'd choose

It's not middle grade, it's YA but I'd pick The Summer I Turned Pretty series by Jenny Han because I really, really want a beach house!

  If you were to create and bake a cupcake inspired by your Pink & Green books, what would it look and taste like, and what would you call it?

It would be yellow cake with chocolate frosting, pink and green sprinkles and a peanut m&m in the middle. I would call it "The Sweet Surprise."

Lisa Greenwald

Site / Goodreads 

Lisa Greenwald is the author of Reel Life Starring Us, Sweet Treats & Secret Crushes, and My Life in Pink & Green. She works in the library at the Birch Wathen Lenox School in Manhattan and is a graduate of the New School’s MFA program in writing for children. She lives in Brooklyn. Visit her online at lisagreenwald.com.

Win a finished copy of

My Summer in Pink & Green!

Thanks to the generous people at Abrams Books, I have one copy to give away.

PLEASE READ: Throughout the March MG Madness, I will be giving away 10 books from Abrams. I will be using the same Rafflecopter below to give away each book. There will be ten winners who will each win one of the books. 

DETAILS

-US ONLY

-Ten winners will each win one of the ten books

-will end 3/31

-must be 13+, one main entry per person

-winners will be emailed and must claim prize within 48 hours

-Word Spelunking is not responsible for lost, damaged, stolen prizes

Fill out the Rafflecopter

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Interview and Giveaway: Emma Adams

Emma Adams is stopping by the March MG Madness today to talk about her book The Puppet Spell. You can win an e-copy too!

The Puppet Spell

by Emma Adams

1/2013

Rowanvale Books

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Unlike her rebellious sister Lucinda, fifteen-year-old Lexa prefers to spend her free time playing video games, fighting the forces of evil with her partner-in-crime Marlon. But when Lucinda steals an invisibility potion from their uncle’s storeroom, she unleashes chaos into their lives. Lexa and Marlon find themselves catapulted into a world far more dangerous than any video game, full of misleading illusions, sinister Conjurors and deadly Fey, and threatened by a man with a grudge known as the Puppeteer. Accompanied only by Lexa’s uncle’s unreliable (and rather dangerous) Chimera, Lexa and Marlon must navigate this world to find Lucinda- before they too fall under the spell of the puppet master…

What three words best describe THE PUPPET SPELL?

Fun, imaginative and wacky!

Can you give us your best one sentence pitch to convince readers (especially reluctant readers) why they should give the THE PUPPET SPELL a try?

It’s a fast-paced fantasy adventure for all ages featuring eccentric characters, bizarre spells and an unreliable sidekick who also happens to be a terrifying monster. Convinced? :P

 Grab a copy of THE PUPPET SPELL and answer the following:

Favorite chapter? 

Chapter Six was one of my favourites to write. Crazy conjurors and buildings coming to life – fun!

Favorite page? 

Tough one! Looking at the first chapter, I’m quite fond of Lexa and Marlon’s conversation about zombies on page 15.

Favorite character? 

Has to be the chimera. I enjoy writing characters who refuse to do what they’re supposed to. He’s unreliable, sarcastic and unpredictable – and likes to eat people when their backs are turned. Yep.

Flip to a random page and give us 1-2 sentence teaser:

“I looked back at the bottle. The label read, ‘Instantaneous Invisibility: three doses.’”

What inspired THE PUPPET SPELL? Where did the story idea come from?

I wanted to write a traditional fantasy adventure with a modern twist.  I’d been working on another book series for years but it just wasn’t working out, so it was refreshing to invent a whole new set of characters. The original idea for this was in an old notebook I found in my room. I’d written the beginning of a story about a hidden laboratory a few years back, and I started thinking about how I might finish it. One idea led to another and The Puppet Spell was born!

THE PUPPET SPELL is infused with mythological elements...what are some of your favorite mythological beings?

My all-time favourite has to be dragons. I collect dragon ornaments and someday I’m going to write them into a story! When researching The Puppet Spell, I became fascinated by the idea of chimera, too, as they’re formed of pieces from different mythological creatures and as the legends are so varied I pretty much had free rein to give them whatever abilities I liked!

Why did you decide to write a middle-grade book? What do you love about writing middle-grade?

I like how fun and action-packed it is – after all, the key is not to bore your reader! It means I get to have fun writing it, too. And I get to revisit my childhood self.

Why do you think middle-grade is such a popular and important category of books?

Again, I think it’s because it’s fun. Kids at that age need heroes to root for, and the best MG books have fast-paced storylines and inventive plots.

 What is your all time favorite middle-grade book? Who is your favorite middle-grade hero and heroine?

I’m going to have to be cliché and go with the Harry Potter series…but Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy is a close second! My favourite HP characters are Snape, Sirius and Hermione.

Fill in the blanks:

I'm really awesome at 

multitasking (seriously…I must be the only person I know who can read a book and watch a film at the same time!).

I'm really embarrassed to admit that 

I fall over. A lot. Except it happens so often I don’t even really get embarrassed any more if I face plant in public! I also can’t dance to save my life.

My favorite video game is 

Pokemon HeartGold. Yep, I’m still an unashamed Pokemon nerd at 21!

My favorite place to write 

is at my desk.

The last great book I read was 

the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan. Fantastic series.

If you were to create and bake a cupcake inspired by THE PUPPET SPELL what would it look and taste like, and what would you call it?

Very interesting question! I’m picturing a cupcake that’s two-sided – one vanilla, representing the ordinary world, and one chocolate, representing the other world! And rainbow sprinkles on top. I’d call it the Chimera Cupcake! 

Emma Adams

Site / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

Emma is a 21-year-old author of fantasy, urban fantasy and paranormal for young adults, from Birmingham, UK. When she isn't reading voraciously, studying, or taking every opportunity to travel, she can be found in front of her writing desk.
Having aspired to be a writer since the age of ten, Emma aims to give life to her (admittedly bizarre) daydreams, through creating weird and wonderful alternative worlds. Her debut novel THE PUPPET SPELL, published in January 2013 by Rowanvale Books, is a fantasy tale for young adults and the young at heart, inspired by her lifelong love of traditional fantasy, mythology, and video games.
When not living the crazy life of an English Literature with Creative Writing student at Lancaster University, Emma reluctantly resides in the attic in her parents' house in Birmingham, writing about demons and other assorted night terrors. She has recently signed a contract to publish her new NA/YA supernatural fantasy series with Curiosity Quills Press. 

Win an ebook copy of The Puppet Spell!

Emma has generously offered up one e-copy of her book to one reader.

DETAILS

-OPEN INT

-will end 3/31

-must be 13+, one main entry per person

-winner will be emailed and must claim prize within 48 hours

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Review and Giveaway: NERDS (National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society) by Michael Buckley

Today's March MG Madness post features my review of NERDS by Michael Buckley. You have a chance to win book four in this series below.

Nerds: National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society #1

Michael Buckley

9/1/09

Abrams

Format: pb

Source: pub

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Purchase: Amazon / B&N

Michael Buckley is at his comic best in this madcap new series sure to appeal to kids looking for a quick, exciting read. Combining all the excitement of international espionage and all the awkwardness of elementary school, NERDS, featuring a group of unpopular students who run a spy network from inside their school, hits the mark. With the help of cutting-edge science, their nerdy qualities are enhanced and transformed into incredible abilities! They battle the Hyena, a former junior beauty pageant contestant turned assassin, and an array of James Bond–style villains, each with an evil plan more diabolical and more ridiculous than the last.

Michael Buckley's first book in his N.E.R.D.S (National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society) series was an absolute and complete joy to read! I went into this book not sure sure what to expect, and what I got was a wild bucket of awesomeness.

The NERDS are a secret organization made up of children spies. But these aren't just any children, these are the nerdy, unpopular kids. The ones who get teased and bullied the most. So, it would seem strange that once popular and King Bully, Jackson Jones becomes a NERDS agent, but he does. And he discovers the secret lab hidden under the elementary school, where the NERDS are trained and enhanced with super abilities. The other NERDS agents aren't thrilled with Jackson joining them, but they must all band together to stop the evil Dr. Jigsaw from destroying the world. Which is way harder than it sounds, especially when former beauty pageant queen turned deadly twelve year old assassin, The Hyena, is working for Jigsaw.

This book is over the top fun (in the best way possible) and chock full of adventure, thrills, cool gadgets, and humor. With non-stop action, awesome characters, and superb storytelling, NERDS is an un-put-downable middle-grade read.

NERDS is like an awesome kiddie version of a mash-up of James Bond films, Kick-Ass, and Veronica Mars (again, a very age appropriate mash-up)...which, is pretty epic, right? Michael Buckley has spun a spy story that readers of all ages will love. The spy gadgets and gizmos are wicked cool, the spy assignments are thrillingly dangerous, the villains are perfectly vile and the twists are extra twisty. I found myself completely addicted to this book and excited to turn each page.

This book is all about the nerd power! I LOVE that the butt-kicking, super-powered heroes are the misfit, outcast kids. This sends such an empowering and awesome message to young readers who feel like they don't fit in or belong. And the five original NERDS (Gluestick, Pufferfish, Choppers, Wheezer, and Flinch) are the coolest bunch of nerd, geeks, dweebs, and spazzes you'll ever meet. And each agent's super spy abilities and powers come directly from what others see as their weaknesses, which again, is not only cool, but empowering. The NERDS are wonderfully multicultural with distinct, unique personalities, and readers will have no problem connecting with and identifying with at least one character.

In the middle of all the fun, humor, mystery, spy thrills and danger, is also a great, heartfelt message about bullying and respect.

Ethen Beavers' comic book style illustrations are just as awesome as the story itself, and add a whole new layer of epicness.

MY FINAL THOUGHTS: Nerds everywhere unite! NERDS is such fantastic fun and stellar spy storytelling. I loved every minute of this book and can't wait to read the rest of the series! A MUST read middle-grade book!

MY RATING

Michael Buckley

Goodreads / Twitter

New York Times bestselling author Michael Buckley was born in Akron, Ohio. He tried his hand as a stand-up comic and lead singer for a punk rock back before attending Ohio University. After graduating with honors he moved to New York City to be an intern on the Late Show with David Letterman which led to stints developing programming for Discovery Networks, MTV, MTV Animation and Klasky Csupo (producers of Nickelodeon’s Rugrats). Today he lives in Brooklyn, New York with his wife, Alison, and their son Finn. 

Win a finished copy of

NERDS #4!

Thanks to the generous people at Abrams Books, I have one copy to give away.

PLEASE READ: Throughout the March MG Madness, I will be giving away 10 books from Abrams. I will be using the same Rafflecopter below to give away each book. There will be ten winners who will each win one of the books. 

DETAILS

-US ONLY

-Ten winners will each win one of the ten books

-will run from 3/2 - 3/31

-must be 13+, one main entry per person

-winners will be emailed and must claim prize within 48 hours

-Word Spelunking is not responsible for lost, damaged, stolen prizes

Fill out the Rafflecopter

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Guest Post and Giveaway: Sarvenaz Tash

I'm very excited to have Sarvenaz Tash stopping by to celebrate the paperback release of her fantabulous middle-grade read The Mapmaker and the Ghost. This was one of my favorite books I read last year (check out my 5 cupcakes review). Sarvenaz talks about why she writes and loves middle-grade, plus you can win a signed copy of the newly released paperback...

The Mapmaker and the Ghost

Sarvenaz Tash

3/26/13 (paperback)

Walker Childrens

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Goldenrod Moram loves nothing better than a good quest, so she decides to start her own exploring team fashioned after her idols, the explorers Lewis and Clark. Setting out to map the forest right behind her home, her task is derailed when the team encounters a mysterious old lady, who has them search for a legendary blue rose. And when she stumbles upon none other than the ghost of Meriwether Lewis himself, Goldenrod knows this will be anything but an ordinary summer . . . or an ordinary quest.

WATCH THE AWESOME TRAILER

Why I Write (and Love) Middle Grade

Sarvenaz Tash

In honor of Word Spelunking’s March MG Madness Month, I thought I’d explain why exactly I love to write and love to love middle grade books.

The most obvious reason is that I first fell in love with books when I started reading middle grade. Roald Dahl, Beverly Cleary, Ellen Raskin. Louis Sachar, and Ann M. Martin come clearly to mind whenever I stop and reminisce about my childhood. You know how they say you never get over your first love? I believe that to be true of many things. For me, that includes reading.

I adore writing from the point-of-view of kids, especially kids that are anywhere from 7 to 13 years old. I think it's a magical time, but one that is also rife with conflicts: conflicts that can seem thoroughly epic to someone with limited life experience (and sometimes even thoroughly epic to anybody).

Speaking of magic...ah, magic. I really enjoy writing about fantastical things. The Mapmaker and the Ghost has touches of fantasy but the latest book I'm working on takes place in a whole fantastical world. And let me tell you: it's been SO fun to write. I'm pretty sure I'm going to try writing contemporary MGs at some point too, but--for me--MG lends itself to fantasy so wonderfully. I think it's because the MG audience still believes in bits of magic. The secret is...I do too. I think there are touches of magic all around us and being able to expand upon that in a story...well, I'm not sure how many other audiences will give you the same leeway to do so.

Humor. I love writing it and I never laughed harder as a child than I did when reading a really funny book. I'm not sure I ever lost that silly/slightly mischievous sense of humor. In other words, the average 8-year-old will probably find me funnier than the average 38-year-old. I have accepted this to be true.

The great Madeleine L'Engle once said, "You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children."

And I love writing for children. I really do.

Sarvenaz Tash
Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook
Sarvenaz Tash was born in Tehran, Iran and grew up on Long Island, NY. She received her BFA in Film and Television from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. This means she got to spend most of college running around and making movies (it was a lot of fun). She has dabbled in all sorts of writing including screenwriting, copywriting, and professional tweeting. THE MAPMAKER AND THE GHOST is her debut novel.

Win a signed, personalized paperback copy of The Mapmaker and the Ghost!

Sarvenaz has generously offered one signed paperback copy of her book to give away.

DETAILS

-US ONLY

-will end 3/31

-must be 13+, one free entry per person, winner will be emailed and must claim prize within 48 hours

-Word Spelunking is NOT responsible for lost, damaged, or stolen prizes in the mail

Fill out the Rafflecopter form:

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Review and Giveaway: Paperboy by Vince Vawter

Today's March MG Madness post features my review of Paperboy by Vince Vawter and a giveaway to win an ebook copy!

Paperboy

Vince Vawter

5/14/13

Random House

Format: galley

Source: pub

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Purchase: Amazon / B&N

An 11-year-old boy living in Memphis in 1959 throws the meanest fastball in town, but talking is a whole different ball game. He can barely say a word without stuttering, not even his own name. So when he takes over his best friend's paper route for the month of July, he knows he'll be forced to communicate with the different customers, including a housewife who drinks too much and a retired merchant marine who seems to know just about everything. The paper route poses challenges, but it's a run-in with the neighborhood junkman, a bully and thief, that stirs up real trouble--and puts the boy's life, as well as that of his family's devoted housekeeper, in danger.

WATCH THE TRAILER

Vince Vawter's Paperboy is a very literary middle-grade contemporary story that turned out to be not what I quite expected, but in a really good way.

In 1959 Memphis, an 11 year old boy takes over his friend's paper route for a month. The main character, who remains nameless for most of the novel, has a debilitating stutter that keeps him from talking much. But that doesn't mean he doesn't have a lot of really profound thoughts. During his month as a paperboy, he encounters several grown-ups (a pretty young wife who drinks too much, a retired merchant marine who seems to know everything, and a bully homeless man) that affect the way he sees the world and himself. And an encounter with the homeless man, leaves the young boy and his beloved housekeeper in danger and changes his life forever.

Paperboy is an excellently written coming of age story that deals with very real and tough topics (abuse, racism, disabilities, etc) in a quiet, yet eloquent way. Vawter has given an unforgettable voice to an almost silent young hero and creates a truly memorable tale.

Vawter has laid out a very rich and vivid 1959 Memphis setting that will transport readers back into a time when paperboys collected weekly fees, fathers and mothers had very defined and separate roles, and racism was rampant. Vawter's world-building feels very complex, real, thought-out, and believable. And with that believability and realness, comes a story that isn't simple by any means. This book deals with those heavy topics I mentioned above in very real, but sensitive ways. The title character's (the paperboy) coming of age experiences are crafted with authenticity that requires some crass language.

But the story itself is not crass or sensationalized; it's merely honest and thought-provoking. The stuttering hero is forever changed by his short stint as a paperboy and the people he meets on the job, but also by the secrets and truths he uncovers in his own home. Vawter weaves a great deal of beauty, insight-fullness, and heart into this story and I found it to be quite poignant and touching.

The unnamed (until the end) main character and narrator is incredibly compelling and endearing with his big, smart thoughts and keen observations. Vawter has given him such a wonderful and affective voice.

MY FINAL THOUGHTS: Paperboy, both the book and its main character, have a quite beauty that is unexpected, yet unforgettable. I really enjoyed this smartly crafted story and recommend it for older middle-grade readers.

MY RATING

Vince Vawter

Site / Goodreads / Facebook

Vince Vawter, a native of Memphis, retired after a 40-year career in newspapers, most recently as the president and publisher of the Evansville (Ind.) Courier & Press. In 2002-2003 he was president of the board of directors of the Hoosier State Press Association. He previously served as managing editor of The Knoxville (Tenn.) News Sentinel and news editor of the now-defunct Memphis Press-Scimitar. He lives with his wife in Louisville, Tenn., on a small farm in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains.

Win an e-ARC of Paperboy!

The awesome people at Random House have generously offered one e-galley to give away.

DETAILS

-OPEN TO ANYONE WHO CAN READ EBOOKS

-will end 3/31

-must be 13+, one main entry per person, winner will be emailed and must claim prize within 48 hours

Fill out the Rafflecopter form:

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