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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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

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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

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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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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

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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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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

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Interview and Giveaway: Sally Harris

Today Sally Harris is stopping by the March MG Madness to talk about her hilarious book Diary of a Penguin-napper. And you can win an ebook copy!

Diary of a Penguin-napper

Sally Harris

11/15/12

Frankly Books

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3 weeks ...

2 boys ...

1 little penguin ...What could possibly go wrong?

When 11 (and a half) year old Marty is partnered up with Jessica on the overnight science trip, he thinks all of this dreams are about to come true. It's his big chance to impress the most beautiful girl in Year 7 (and probably the world) and he wouldn't miss it for anything.

Only problem is: Marty can't afford to go on the overnight trip. 

Yet.

Inspired by the urban myth that it is possible to steal a penguin from the zoo on a school visit, Diary of a Penguin-napper is a hilarious tale of growing up, bending the rules and how one big fuss can be caused by stealing just one little penguin.

What three words best describe DIARY OF A PENGUIN-NAPPER?

Funny. Giggleworthy. Hilarious! Page-turner. Penguin-thievery.

Can you give us your best one sentence pitch to convince readers (especially reluctant readers) why they should give DIARY OF A PENGUIN-NAPPER a try?

There are short chapters, laughes, cartoon pictures and lots of elephant poo - Diary of a Penguin-napper is totally for you!

Grab a copy of DIARY OF A PENGUIN-NAPPER and answer the following:

Favorite chapter?

That would have to be Chapter 17.  Let’s just say there is a great moment involving a pygmy hippopotamus!  How many authors can say that about their book?

Favorite page?

The first one! (I’ve read it so much that I think I know it off by heart!)

Favorite character?

That’s a tough one.  I’d probably have to say Marty.  I love his single-minded focus, creative attempts to problem solve and his perseverance. He keeps on going long after the rest of us would probably have given up!

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

Penguin poop. Almost every surface of the bathroom was covered in penguin poop.

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

As a teacher, I’ve found that students often become disengaged with reading in the middle years, particularly if they find reading difficult.  They want to be reading what they see as ‘proper novels’ but there aren’t many books that cater for the reluctant reader AND look like books that other kids of that age would be reading.  That really inspired me to write Diary of a Penguin-napper. I really wanted to cater for that group of readers.I love writing for middle grade readers because they like to laugh and be entertained.  And I like to laugh and be entertained. So it is pretty much a perfect match!

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

Middle grade is such an important and popular category of books because it is, in my opinion, where readers really become readers.  It is that step between being a confident young adult reader and learning to read as a child.  It is where independent reading really takes off and readers begin to form opinions about which authors and books they really like.  It is so important that books aimed at middle grade readers really capture their imagination and inspires them to keep reading into adulthood.

What is your all time favorite middle-grade book?

Right now, I’ve just fallen back in love with Roald Dahl’s Matilda.  It’s my absolute favourite.  Although it is hard to pick just one Roald Dahl book!

Who is your favorite middle-grade hero and heroine?

I adore Hermione Granger as a heroine in this age group.  She is so well developed as a character and really represents bright girls so beautifully.  I love dressing up as her during Book Week celebrations at school.  As for a hero, I’m loving August Pullman in Wonder. He is so entirely unique that he has stayed with me long after I finished the book.

Your characters commit a bit of penguin-napping, so I gotta ask: if you could get away with it, what kind of animal would you kidnap from the zoo?

If I knew that I could get away with it, I think I’d probably go for an elephant.  A small one, because I live on the third floor of an apartment block, and I wouldn’t want to disturb the neighbours..

Fill in the blanks:

I'm really awesome at

cutting and pasting. As a teacher that is very important!

I'm really embarrassed to admit that 

I can’t whistle. I’ve been trying to learn for about 20 years and still can’t do it.

If I could be best friends with any book character it would be 

Andy in the ‘Just’ series by Andy Griffiths. Life would never be dull with him around!

My favorite middle-grade curse word or expletive is 

Far out Brussels sprout!

The last great book I read was 

The One and Only Ivan.

If you were to create and bake a cupcake inspired by DIARY OF A PENGUIN-NAPPER, what would it look and taste like, and what would you call it?

It would be a vanilla cupcake with sea-salted caramel pieces, peaks of blue icing and a bemused fondant penguin on each one.

Sally Harris
Site / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook
Sally Harris is a 28-year-old teacher and author of Diary of a Penguin-napper. She lives in Melbourne and when she’s not writing, you can find her blogging, dancing, drinking chai lattes, reading children's books and scouring the paper for unlikely news articles to turn into exciting fiction. Sally loves animals, including penguins, and if she can't have one of those as a pet, a dog would be the next best thing. 

Win an ebook copy of

Diary of a Penguin-napper!

Sally Harris has generously offered up one ebook copy of her funny book.

DETAILS

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-will end 3/31

-one main entry per person, must be 13+

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

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Review and Giveaway: Awesome Blossom by Lauren Myracle

Today I'm reviewing the fourth book in Lauren Myracle's Flower Power series, Awesome Blossom and you have a chance to win a copy! Be sure to check out the full March MG Madness schedule of events/giveaways.

Awesome Blossom

(Flower Power #4)

Lauren Myracle

1/8/13

Abrams

Format: ARC

Source: pub

Purchase: Amazon / B&N

The Flower Power books follow the funny fifth-grade adventures of four girls with little in common but their flower names who, nevertheless, blossom into the greatest of friends.Katie-Rose, Milla, Yasaman, and Violet have confronted their share of challenges in fifth grade: a dead hamster, turtle theft, trapeze lessons, and pesky boys, just to name a few. Nothing can stop these four fabulous friends. Well, nothing except for their archnemesis, the evil Modessa (a.k.a. "Medusa”). Somehow, Modessa has recruited one of the sweetest girls in the class to be her new sidekick. The flower friends are determined to save Elena, even if it means braving Modessa’s wrath. But it will also mean getting Katie-Rose to focus—she’s a bit too busy NOT flirting with cute-but-annoying Preston. And then there’s Yasaman’s little sister’s birthday bubblegum party, which the four friends promised to organize . . . if it’s possible to call anything involving 30 kindergartners organized. Luckily, Violet is back to herself and ready to lead the Flowers to their most glorious triumph. With mean girls, romance, and tons of fifth-grade drama, this critically acclaimed friendship series shows that author Lauren Myracle has her finger firmly on the pulse of tween girldom.”

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Lauren Myracle is my literary soulmate. Whenever I read one of her books, even if I'm reading it for the first time, it feels like I'm sitting down with an old and beloved friend...and her tween Flower Power series is no exception.

Awesome Blossom is the fourth book in the Flower Power series, which follows the ups and downs in tween life of four fifth grade girls. The FFF's (Flower Friends Forever) Katie-Rose, Yasaman, Milla, and Violet are four very different girls who all have flowery names, and despite their differences, they're a tight group. These girls have had to deal with some difficult stuff, but they persevere together. In Awesome Blossom, the FFF's must once again deal with mean girls, kinda-cute-semi-boyfriend-boys, and doing the right thing even when it's hard.

Lauren Myracle is the queen of tween and teen lit! Her writing is laugh-out-loud funny, pitch perfect, wildly entertaining, and often incredibly poignant. Awesome Blossom, like the other books in the series, is an addicting and splendiferious read with a faboo cast of young characters.

Myracle constantly amazes me with her ability to capture the tween voice so perfectly and with such humor and heart. This series is full of giggle inducing writing and situations, but also touches on very real and important topics (Milla has two moms, Violet's mom spends time in a psychiatric hospital, girl-on-girl hate, etc). This isn't a squeaky clean series by any means, but it is written in a way that is appropriate for its intended audience, yet doesn't talk down to them either. Myracle really speaks to her audience and not just at them; she really “gets” them. No matter what obstacles or wackiness the girls face in this series, readers are presented with so many wonderful messages about love, friendship, acceptance, and kindness.

This series will appeal to a younger generation with its hip, modern format of mixing in IM/Email/Forum/Texts type conversations with its traditional prose.

And at the core of the series is the strong, inspiring friendship between the four very different female characters. I absolutely adore the friendship between these girls! Clever Yasaman, sweet Milla, brave Violet, and funny Katie-Rose are fantastically crafted tween characters. I love that readers won't just find one of the girls to relate to, but will see a little of themselves in each girl. I love all four of these cupcakes, but I must admit that loud, unpredictable, hyper Katie-Rose is my fave.

In Awesome Blossom the FFF's must deal with a group of mean girls called the Evil Chicks, must save the new girl from becoming an Evil Chick, and begin the awkward and scary and confusing and awesome exploration of boy/girl relationships...and I enjoyed every moment of it!

MY FINAL THOUGHTS: Awesome Blossom bakes my cupcakes and rocks my socks off! The Flower Power series simply shines with its awesome storytelling and fantabulous characters. I can't recommend this series enough, especially to tween readers. An absolute MUST read book in a MUST read series! 

MY RATING

Lauren Myracle

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Lauren Myracle is the author of numerous young adult novels. She was born in 1969 in North Carolina. Lauren Myracle holds an MA in English from Colorado State University and an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College. she has written many novels, including the famous IM books, ttyl, ttfn, and l8r, g8r.
Her first novel, Kissing Kate, was selected as one of ALA's "Best Books for Young Adults" for the year 2004. It was named by Booklist as one of the "Top Ten Youth Romances" of the year, as well as one of the "Top Ten Books by New Writers." Her middle-grade novel, Eleven, came out 2004, followed by its YA sequels (Twelve, Thirteen, Thirteen Plus One) .

Win a finished copy of

Awesome Blossom from Abrams!

You have the chance to win 1 of 10 middle-grade books from Abrams books.

DETAILS

-US ONLY

-will run from until 3/31

-there will be 10 winners who will each win 1 books

-must be 13+, one main entry per person

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

-I am not responsible for lost, damaged, or stolen prizes

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