Review: Appleblossom the Possum by Holly Goldberg Sloan {giveaway}

I'm excited to share my review of the charming Appleblossom the Possum today! Plus, you can win a hardcover copy...

Appleblossom the Possum

by Holly Goldberg Sloan

August 11, 2015

Dial Books

Fans of E.B. White and Dick King-Smith will adore this heartwarming and funny animal adventure by the award-winning author of Counting by 7s 

Mama has trained up her baby possums in the ways of their breed, and now it’s time for all of them—even little Appleblossom—to make their way in the world. Appleblossom knows the rules: she must never be seen during the day, and she must avoid cars, humans, and the dreaded hairies (sometimes known as dogs). Even so, Appleblossom decides to spy on a human family—and accidentally falls down their chimney! The curious Appleblossom, her faithful brothers—who launch a hilarious rescue mission—and even the little girl in the house have no idea how fascinating the big world can be. But they're about to find out!

With dynamic illustrations, a tight-knit family, and a glimpse at the world from a charming little marsupial's point of view, this cozy animal story is a perfect read-aloud and a classic in the making.

amazon / b&n / indiebound

Praise for Appleblossom the Possum

“Readers will enjoy both the realistic details of a newborn possum making her way to her mother’s pouch, and the fanciful view of adult possums’ urban nightlife, complete with rooftop music and a conga line. . . . This attractive book will engage young readers intrigued by animals.”—Booklist“Insights about possums add an educational element to this otherwise comic adventure, while humorous illustrations capture the wee possums’ antics and personalities. A warm and funny possum-family saga.”—Kirkus Reviews

“A perfectly sweet animal tale, with just the right blend of humor, excitement, and uncertainty.”—School Library Journal

“Amid the homey message that family matters most, Sloan seeds the story with assorted possum facts and vocabulary lessons, but it’s the possum-as-actor metaphor . . . that generates the most fun.”—Publishers Weekly

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Mama Possum has trained her baby possums in their possum ways the best she can. She’s taught them the art of acting (especially acting dead!), how to find food, and most importantly, how to stay away from the three monsters: cars, people, and hairies (dogs). But when it’s time for the babies to go their own way, little Appleblossom and two of her brothers, Antonio and Amlet, just aren’t ready to walk away from each other. And when Appleblossom gets a little too curious, she falls down a chimney and gets trapped inside a people monster home. Antonio, Amlet, and a surprising newcomer, set out to rescue Appleblossom...meanwhile, Appleblossom learns that maybe not all people monsters are so bad.

Holly Goldberg Sloan’s Appleblossom the Possum is a sweet, charming, and unforgettable middle-grade read! With sparkling storytelling, endearing characters, and an exciting and amusing storyline, Appleblossom the Possum is a delight from beginning to end. After jumping into Appleblossom’s world, readers will never look at possums the same way again! With vivid imagery that engages all the senses, authentic possum behavior, and age appropriate humor and thrills, Sloan crafts a captivating and fun setting. Young readers will be fascinated by this world of possums and inspired to learn more.

Sloan does a wonderful job of anthropomorphizing her animal characters and given them such big, engaging personalities! With her curiosity, unexpected bravery, and clever thinking, Appleblossom is a darling and daring heroine. I love Appleblossom’s relationship with her brothers, intelligent Antonio and amusing Amlet. And Appleblossom and Izzy’s (her new people monster friend) surprising, tender friendship will just melt your heart.

From the protective hedges to high up a tree, into the big city, across dangerous roads, in the fascinating people monsters’ home, and everywhere in between, Sloan takes Appleblossom and readers on a dazzling adventure.

my final thoughts: Appleblossom the Possum is a simply adorable little book, full of memorable characters, big adventure, and a lot of heart. Readers of all ages will fall in love with Appleblossom!

MY RATING

4/5 yummy cupcakes

website * goodreads * facebook * twitter

Holly Goldberg Sloan was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan and spent her childhood living in Holland, Istanbul, Turkey, Washington DC, Berkeley, California and Eugene, Oregon. After graduating from Wellesley College and spending some time as an advertising copywriter, she began writing and directing family feature films, including Angels in the Outfield and Made in America. Counting by 7s, her first middle-grade novel, was a New York TimesBestseller. The mother of two sons, Holly lives with her husband in Santa Monica, California.

Win a hardcover copy of

Appleblossom the Possum!

The wonderful people at Penguin have offered one new hardcover copy for one winner.

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Review: YOLO Juliet by Brett Wright and Srsly Hamlet by Courtney Carbone

I have a double review for y'all today, of two books in a new series...

YOLO Juliet 

by Brett Wright and William Shakespeare

5/26/15

Random House

Romeo and Juliet, one of the greatest love stories ever told . . . in texts?! 

Imagine: What if those star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet had smartphones? A classic is reborn in this fun and funny adaptation of one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays!

 

Two families at war. 

A boy and a girl in love.

A secret marriage gone oh-so-wrong.

 

and h8. The classics just got a whole lot more interesting. ;)

 

tl;dr A Shakespeare play told through its characters texting with emojis, checking in at certain locations, and updating their relationship statuses. The perfect gift for hip theater lovers and teens. 

 

A glossary and cast of characters are included for those who need it. For example: tl;dr means too long; didn’t read.

goodreads / amazon / b&n / indiebound

Srsly Hamlet

by Courtney Carbone and William Shakespeare

5/26/15

Random House

Hamlet, one of the greatest stories ever told . . . in texts?!
 
Imagine: What if Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, and the tragic Ophelia had smartphones? A classic is reborn in this fun and funny adaptation of one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays!
 
A kingdom on the brink of war.
A stolen throne.
A boy seeking revenge.
 
and h8. The classics just got a whole lot more interesting. ;)
 
tl;dr A Shakespeare play told through its characters texting with emojis, checking in at certain locations, and updating their relationship statuses. The perfect gift for hip theater lovers and teens.

A glossary and cast of characters are included for those who need it. For example: tl;dr means too long; didn’t read.

goodreads / amazon / b&n / indiebound

Combining Shakespeare's classic works with hip, modern language and technology, YOLO Juliet by Brett Wright and Srsly Hamlet by Courtney Carbone, aim to introduce a whole new generation to the world of William Shakespeare.

Told through texts, status updates, emails, memos, and emojis, YOLO Juliet and Srsly Hamlet are pure fun from beginning to end. Easily gobbled up in one quick sitting, these two books offer some serious laughs and seriously juicy drama. Authors Wright and Carbone do a wonderful job of capturing the themes, tone, and feel of Shakespeare’s work, while adding some entertaining pizzazz. Using modern, relatable slang and situations, the authors make Shakespeare’s sometimes daunting work, accessible and understandable. But never fear Shakespeare enthusiasts, the essence of each play’s characters, story, and mood remains very intact in these books.

Readers will be amused by a lovesick, moody Romeo; a sassy Juliet; a bumbling Claudius; and crazy-pants Hamlet and be enthralled by their over-the-top drama.

my final thoughts: Funny, smart, and wildly addicting, YOLO Juliet and Srsly Hamlet will appeal to both Shakespeare fans and newbies, who, after reading these little gems, will be eager to devour the real plays.

MY RATING (for both books)

4/5 yummy cupcakes

Review: Jack, The True Story of Jack and the Beanstalk by Liesl Shurtliff

Jack: The True Story of Jack and the Beanstalk

by Liesl Shurtliff

4/14/15

Knopf Books for Young Readers

Jack has always been told that giants are not real. But if that’s the case, how do you explain the huge, foot shaped pond in the yard, or the occurrence of strange and sudden storms in which the earth quakes and dirt rains from the sky? When his father is carried away in such a storm, Jack gives chase in the only logical way: by trading the family cow for some magic beans that will give him access to a land beyond the clouds. He arrives to find that the giants themselves have giant-sized troubles. With the help of an overachieving little sister, a magic goose and a chatty cook (who is not interested in grinding human bones into bread, thank you very much!) Jack sets out to save his dad and save the day.

goodreads / amazon / b&n / indiebound

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Giants are not real...at least that’s what naughty boy, Jack, has always been told. But Jack isn’t so sure. What about the stories of his great-great-many-greats grandfather who was a famous giant slayer? And what about the giant shaped pond or the strange noises and storms? No, Jack is convinced giants are real, and when his father is taken during a giant raid, Jack sets out on a journey beyond the clouds. He is determined to save his father, but discovers that the world of giants isn’t quite what he was led to believe.

Liesl Shurtliff returns to the world of whimsical middle-grade retellings with the wonderful Jack: The True Story of Jack and the Beanstalk. Once again, Shurtliff uses her sparkling, pitch-perfect writing; fun humor; and clever imagination to weave an exciting and charming tale. Jack’s adventures are full of thrilling peril, fantastical experiences, and amusing characters. Young readers will be captivated by the surprising world of giants and its intriguing inhabitants. From feisty pixies, magical seeds, hitching rides on mice and cats, and a gold-greedy giant king, the giant world is never dull and provides readers with endless amusements.

Jack is a plucky, resourceful, and instantly likable fella. Readers will admire his courage, laugh at his sometimes naughty behavior, and eagerly root for him. From Jack’s clever, brave little sister to his endearing new friend Tom; a tender-hearted giant cook; and others, Jack: The True Story of Jack and the Beanstalk is chock full of fantastic characters.

A daring escape, an unlikely alliance, and a whole lot of crazy-fun adventure, the end of Jack: The True Story of Jack and the Beanstalk will make readers cheer.

my final thoughts: Full of whimsy, humor, adventure, and lovable characters, Jack: The True Story of Jack and the Beanstalk is giant fun!

MY RATING

4/5 yummy cupcakes

website * goodreads * twitter * facebook

Liesl Shurtliff was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, with the mountains for her playground. Just like Rump, Liesl was shy about her name, growing up. Not only did it rhyme with weasel, she could never find it on any of those personalized key chains in gift shops. But over the years she’s grown to love having an unusual name—and today she wouldn’t change it for the world!

Before she became a writer, Liesl graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in music, dance, and theater. She now lives in Chicago with her husband and three young children, where she still dreams of the mountains. Rump is her first novel.

Review: The Whisperer by Fiona McIntosh

The Whisperer

by Fiona McIntosh

4/15/15

Knopf Books for Young Readers

In this adventurous retelling of The Prince and the Pauper, the lives of a runaway royal and a carnival worker become intertwined as each is compelled to fight for his life and family. Fans of The Sixty-Eight Roomsand Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy won’t want to miss this.

 

Lute is a prince, next in line to the throne. Griff is a poor carnival worker who does the heavy lifting while the malevolent ringmaster orders him about. But there’s something special about Griff: he can hear the thoughts of everyone around him. And one day, he begins to connect with Lute’s mind, even though they’ve never met and are miles apart.

When Lute must run for his very life, Griff may be the only one who can help him. In a journey over land and sea, these heroes battle deadly foes and make unlikely allies, including a host of magical creatures and their caretaker, a bitter old dwarf, and a mysterious lady pirate. When the boys finally come together, they will learn they are connected in ways they could never have imagined, ways that may save them—or cost them both their lives. 

goodreads / amazon / b&n / indiebound

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Lute is a prince and the heir to the throne. Griff is a poor carnival worker, harboring a secret. These two boys couldn’t be anymore different, but quickly find their lives and destinies intertwined. Lute’s castle is overrun by a close enemy and Lute’s throne and life are in peril. Far away, Griff, who can hear people’s thoughts, is on the verge of fleeing for his own safety, when he begins to hear Lute’s thoughts. Each boy must face dangerous obstacles and rely on odd new friends to find one another and maybe even save each other.

Fiona McIntosh’s The Whisperer is a thrilling retelling of The Pauper and the Prince. Lute and Griff find themselves on a grand adventure and they each encounter a variety of magical, intriguing, and amusing people and places. From mythical creatures, cursed pirate ships, special abilities, and dazzling magic, the world in The Whisperer is fantastical and full of imagination. Young readers will eagerly join Griff and Lute on their journeys, celebrating in their triumphs and enthralled by all the action, danger, and twists and turns.

The Whisperer has a fun, eclectic cast of characters that range from the endearing to the wicked to the downright strange. From clever Lute to sweet Griff, a girl who can talk to animals, a grumpy dwarf, a fierce lady pirate, and more, there’s no shortage of amusing people to meet.

McIntosh adds a fun twist to her retelling and concludes The Whisperer in a very heart-warming, satisfying way.

my final thoughts: Full of fantastical elements, exciting adventure, quirky characters, and captivating writing, The Whisperer is a charming middle-grade read.

MY RATING

4/5 yummy cupcakes

website * goodreads * twitter * facebook

Fiona writes best selling historical adventure-romance alongside the heroic-romantic, often brutal, fantasy she built her career upon. She lives in Australia but frequently roams the world meticulously researching the locations and gathering material for her historical novels that have international settings. Her books are published worldwide and in various languages. 

Her most recent historical fiction has gathered such a following that she is now hosting a tour in 2014 to Paris and Provence so eager readers can walk in the footsteps of her characters.

Review and Interview: Claire Youmans, author of The Toki-Girl and The Sparrow-Boy

I'm thrilled to share my Review of The Toki-Girl and The Sparrow-Boy with y'all and to have its author, Claire Youmans, stopping by for a chat...

The Toki-Girl and the Sparrow-Boy

by Claire Youmans

6/24/14

With their parents killed by an evil feudal overlord, who wants Azuki for the valuable feathers she produces when she is a Toki bird, Azuki feels she must flee. It’s all her fault, isn’t it? She is the one with the cursed ability to turn into a bird!

Shota, her brother, can become a sparrow, but nobody wants his plain brown feathers. Armed with information from their dying mother, he must reach his sister to tell her they will lose their inheritance and will no longer be able to live in human society unless they can return to claim it!

While Azuki searches for her Toki-kin, encountering Egrets, storms, a fierce mountain ogre and even a dragon, Shota, smaller, slower, follows a dream of his late father to track his sister to the Toki nesting grounds, discovering in himself a love of the sea, and a way to get them home in time.

Goodreads / Amazon 

Young Azuki and her brother Shota are not like regular children. Shota can transform into a sparrow and Azuki is a rare Toki bird. When Azuki is in Toki form she sheds beautiful and sought after white feathers. A greedy feudal overlord kills their parents and captures Azuki because he wants her feathers. This tragic event sets Azuki and Shota off onto two separate, but connected, wild journeys. 

The Toki-Girl and The Sparrow-Boy is an imaginative and unique tale full of captivating settings, mesmerizing fantastical elements, and unforgettable characters. Author Claire Youmans spins a truly lovely story. Set in a world that is both inspired by history and creatively crafted, The Toki-Girl and The Sparrow-Boy is rich in vivid details and brimming with intriguing elements of Japanese culture and folklore. Youmans has clearly done her research and wonderfully presents this half-true, half-made-up Japanese history to readers. From Toki-birds to a mountain ogre, sea dragon, and so much more, the fantastical elements in this book are wondrous and whimsical and fun! Young readers will be simply fascinated and inspired by both the historical and fantasy elements within The Toki-Girl and The Sparrow-Boy.

Azuki and Shota both go on a wild adventure full of perils, obstacles to be defeated, lessons to be learned, unexpected friends to make, and profound things to be discovered. These two bird-children make for wonderfully endearing and likable characters. Young readers will easily identify with Azuki and Shota and root for them to succeed. We also meet several other characters through-out The Toki-Girl and The Sparrow-Boy, whose stories intertwine with Azuki and Shota’s. I enjoyed getting to know Anko and Benjamin, but wish more time was spent on their story.

Azuki and Shota’s breathtaking journeys finally collide and find them on a desperate race back home together. I was a bit jolted by the rather abrupt ending, but Youmans does nicely set things up for a sequel with a surprising cliff-hanger.

I must mention the unique illustrations throughout The Toki-Girl and The Sparrow-Boy because all the awesome illustrations were actually created by young readers! How cool is that?!

My Final Thoughts: The Toki-Girl and The Sparrow-Boy is a captivating and entertaining mix of folklore, fairy-tale, fantasy, and thrilling history. A mix that Claire Youmans works with well and young readers will enjoy!

MY RATING

What three words best describe The Toki-Girl and the Sparrow-Boy?

 Exciting fantasy adventure.

Can you give us your best one sentence pitch to convince readers, especially reluctant readers, to give The Toki-Girl and the Sparrow-Boy?

The Toki-Girl and the Sparrow Boy is an exciting adventure featuring monsters, legends and history as two children who can become birds search for their places in the rapidly changing human world of Meiji-era Japan.

Grab a copy of The Toki-Girl and the Sparrow-Boy and answer the following:

favorite chapter?

I really enjoy the egrets in Chapter 7.  I love the way they squawk and dance!

favorite page?

Page 116, when Azuki is rescued by the Dragon Princess, is a great page!

favorite setting/place?

 I love the mountain valley that is Shota and Azuki’s home.  I actually found a real location that is right geographically, and is also as remarkably beautiful as I imagined it, when I visited Kyushu (the island where they are from) last summer.

flip to a random page and give us a 1-2 sentences teaser:

“Then she remembered her feather hair.  She couldn’t go into a human town looking like a bird-child.” (p. 54)

What inspired The Toki-Girl and the Sparrow-Boy? How did the story come to be?

Film director Yukita Kusunoki  (the award-winning Journey to Mt. Fuji, in which I was also involved) wrote a play called The Great Grateful Jizo.  I was involved in the production of the play, doing flipboard sets for the traveling group of players presenting the play.  In the play, Azuki and Shota are very minor characters, and the play itself covers only a small part of the events in the book.  The play then leaves these characters and jumps forward in time; it does not have a happy ending.  I loved these children and the use of slightly twisted folklore, so, with his permission, I took Azuki and Shota sideways in their own time to tell more of their story.  It’s such fun to work with the combination of the historical period, rich with change and opportunity, and the folklore of Japan to create a universe in which these characters can confront their obstacles and overcome them to live happy lives in which they can be entirely true to themselves.

Can you tell us a bit about your characters Azuki and Shota? What makes them special? What do you love about them?

First off, Azuki and Shota are birds who can turn into children — or the other way around!  That’s pretty special right there, though it is the source of many of their difficulties, since this isn’t a usual sort of thing.  Azuki is creative, curious, and likes to make things.  She’s an artist, intellectual and deep, given to analysis.  Shota is a happy soul, content with who he is, an adventurous explorer bent on discovering the world as well as finding his place in it.  I can picture myself walking on the beach with Azuki as she gathers shells, rocks and driftwood, working out a piece of art using her beautiful feathers.  I love and am awed by her artistry.  I can also see myself riding Blackie bareback through the forest, with Shota flying around my head, pointing out everything he sees, wanting to go here and there to check out everything new and interesting — and to Shota, everything is interesting!  I love his sense of fun!

What is your favorite mythical being explored in The Toki-Girl and the Sparrow-Boy? What mythical being, person, or story would you love to write about next?

The Dragon Princess, besides being a dual-natured being — she is both a girl and a dragon —  has to contend with parents of different dragon races who are living across the world from each other.  In Book Two, she’s going to bite off more than she can chew, and her father will need to come to her rescue.  An angry Dragon King isn’t somebody you want to encounter!  And then, concerned for his headstrong daughter, he decides he may have to talk to her mother.  That’s an even scarier prospect!

Can you tell us about the special illustrations in The Toki-Girl and the Sparrow-Boy and the unique way they were chosen?

Aren’t the illustrations wonderful?  The cover, by artist Franki Chan, perfectly captures the characters the way I see them — and I love the necktie on the Jizo, symbolizing the great changes taking place in Japan at that time.  The interior illustrations come from talented young artists who submitted portfolios to a contest, won by vote, and each illustrated a different chapter.  I am thrilled to see such interest in the book among its audience, and the wonderful way they captured their chosen chapters.  I want to do this again for Book Two and beyond.  Great talent, and great fun.

If you could switch places with any book character for just one day, who would you choose and what would you do as them?

 If I had a day to be anybody in my universe — oh, this is hard!  I want to be the Dragon Princess, and soar through the clouds and under the sea to her father’s palace.  I want to be Azuki, creating a fabulous fabric, alight with creative joy.  I want to be Shota, fearless, joyously flying amidst the rigging of a ship.  Can I have three days?  Maybe more?

Fill in the blanks:

I’m really awesome at I am an awesome sailor and skier — and a pretty darned good writer, artist and poet, too.

I’m really embarrassed to admit I am embarrassed to admit that I don’t keep up with popular culture much, and I rarely watch TV.  When I do, it’s mostly history, science and cooking shows — the kind where people actually cook things, because I like food science, though there is nothing embarrassing about being a fan of Alton Brown!

The last great book I read was The last truly great book I read, one which I think will stand the test of time as literary fiction, is Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell.  I don’t mean the film, though I think they did a decent job with an impossible subject — I mean the book.  It’s a difficult book, because of the time and characters switches, but the universe and philosophies it evokes make one think and take the reader to places I, at least, could never imagine.

If you were to bake and create a cupcake inspired by The Toki-Girl and the Sparrow-Boy, what would it look and taste like, and what would you call it?

 Hmmm.  They don’t have cupcakes in traditional Japanese cuisine, as far as I know.  Japanese bakers have become particularly fluent in European baking, though, not only keeping to traditional French, Italian and Austrian recipes, but creating new recipes using traditional Japanese ingredients.  I would call my cupcake “Earth and Sky,” and it would be made of a light, airy French style white cake, not too sweet, with a filling — not too much -- of sweet white bean paste (try it — it’s really good!  Tastes like chestnuts.)  There would be more sweet white bean paste, rolled out and layered like marzipan, on top, and that would be studded with fresh wild strawberries.  I may need to try making this — it sounds awfully good!

Thank you so much for stopping by, Claire!

website * goodreads * twitter * facebook

Claire Youmans is an accomplished adult non-fiction and mystery writer who has also written and edited innumerable articles, engaging audiences for over 20 years. With a deep love for Japan and its culture, Claire has traveled there extensively studying the country’s culture and folklore. She worked as a creative consultant on the award-winning international feature film Journey to Mt. Fuji, produced by Sasanquafilms. She continues to consult for Sasanquafilms, which expects to begin production on a new film in 2014. 

Claire has returned to the more complex world of novels, but now for a younger audience. While working on a play produced in Tokyo, The Great Grateful Jizo, Claire was so inspired by two minor characters -- Azuki, a Toki-Girl, and her brother, Shota, a Sparrow-Boy -- that she expanded their story into The Toki Girl and the Sparrow Boy. With generous doses of adventure, suspense, folklore and fantasy, Claire has brought their visually compelling story into book form. 

The Toki Girl and the Sparrow Boy is the first in a series of books recounting their adventures. With further books in development, Claire is returning to Japan for more inspiration and motivation to bring that nation’s beauty and culture to life for young readers through its traditional folklore.