Father's Day Book Giveaway: win a copy of James Madison, A Life Reconsidered by Lynne Cheney

Today, I have a book giveaway perfect for Father's Day! Now, normally I stick to YA, MG, and Picture Books here at Word Spelunking, but the very awesome people at Viking and Penguin contacted me about hosting a giveaway for JAMES MADISON: A Life Reconsidered, a book perfect for the dads out there that love history, reading, politics, and so much more, and I couldn't resist bringing this giveaway to y'all! Below, you can learn more about this much raved about book and enter two win a gorgeous copy...

James Madison: A Life Reconsidered

by Lynne Cheney

5/6/14

Viking Adult

$36.00

A major new biography of the fourth president of the United States by New York Times bestselling author Lynne Cheney
 
This majestic new biography of James Madison explores the astonishing story of a man of vaunted modesty who audaciously changed the world. Among the Founding Fathers, Madison was a true genius of the early republic.
 
Outwardly reserved, Madison was the intellectual driving force behind the Constitution and crucial to its ratification. His visionary political philosophy and rationale for the union of states—so eloquently presented in The Federalist papers—helped shape the country Americans live in today.
 
Along with Thomas Jefferson, Madison would found the first political party in the country’s history—the Democratic Republicans. As Jefferson’s secretary of state, he managed the Louisiana Purchase, doubling the size of the United States. As president, Madison led the country in its first war under the Constitution, the War of 1812. Without precedent to guide him, he would demonstrate that a republic could defend its honor and independence—and remain a republic still.

WHO:  Lynne Cheney, wife of former Vice President Dick Cheney, is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. She is the author or co-author of twelve books, includes six bestsellers about American history for children and their families.  Cheney’s most recent book is We the People: The Story of Our Constitution (2008). 

WHAT: Cheney, who holds a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin, has been studying Madison since 1987, when she was a member of the Commission on the Bicentennial of the Constitution.  She has spent the last five years immersed in Madison archival materials, and the result is a lively, intimate, and compelling narrative that takes the reader through the history-altering events in which Madison played key roles.  He was not only the Father of the Constitution, but the leader of the first Congress and President Washington’s most influential advisor.  He used both positions and a political savvy unmatched since to secure passage of the Bill of Rights. In 1812, he became the first president to lead the nation in war under the Constitution, and he was not only as steady a commander-in-chief as the nation has ever known, he was a friend of liberty, refusing to silence those opposed to war, although many pressed him to do so.

WHY: Father of the Constitution, principle author of the Bill of Rights, founder of the first opposition party, secretary of state, and fourth president, Madison was both a far-seeing theorist and a masterful politician, who despite all he accomplished has been overshadowed by other Founders.  Mrs. Cheney covers the sweep of Madison’s significant life, exploring his deeds, his mind, and his character to reveal the brilliance and determination that enabled this seemingly modest man to change the world.  Debunking the myths that have burdened his reputation, she shows us the Madison lauded by his famous contemporaries—Washington, Adams, Jefferson—and loved by his glamorous wife, Dolley.

PRAISE for James Madison: A Life Reconsidered

“Lucidly written… this is probably the best single volume bio of Madison that we now have.”

—Gordon Wood, New York Times Book Review

“The book is a lovingly researched tribute to an often-underestimated man. It does not explicitly refer to modern controversies. But present-day politics intrudes.”

—The Economist

“Cheney might have written a book that made Madison a prop in today’s political battles. She did not, which is greatly to her credit and true to the life of the man.”

—Washington Post

“Meticulously researched, richly detailed look at the life and times of Madison, former Second Lady Cheney fleshes out the achievements and struggles of this American founding father…authoritative, conversational, certainly confident in its analysis.” 

—Publishers Weekly 

“A proficiently argued account for Madison’s greatness.”

—Kirkus Reviews

"With this compelling, elegant, original biography, Lynne Cheney brings the great, elusive James Madison back to life, reminding us of how powerfully this brilliant Founder’s political and intellectual leadership has shaped the course of American history.  In this era in which Madison is too often eclipsed by more histrionic Founders, Cheney shows us his crucial, fascinating relationships with Dolley, Thomas Jefferson and an all-star cast, and lets us witness the growth of a world-changing political philosopher. Her book demonstrates why Madison deserves to stand near the center of our early American firmament.”  

—Michael Beschloss, author of The Conquerors and Presidential Courage

“James Madison did as much to put his stamp on the nation as any of the founders, yet too rarely is he given his due in the pantheon of America’s statesman. In this stunning, brilliant work, Lynne Cheney rectifies this glaring oversight, and brings Madison to life as never before. Written with subtlety and grace, the book is as groundbreaking as it is fresh, as enthralling as it is compulsively readable. It is nothing short of a masterpiece that deserves to be in the bookshelf of every history buff!”

—Jay Winik, author of April 1865 and The Great Upheaval

"After more than 25 years working on the Madison Papers, it's not often that I read something about him that is fresh and engaging, and discovers new aspects of his life and character.  Cheney's exploration of Madison's health issues, not only as a young man, but throughout his career, is imaginative and groundbreaking. Her writing is both fluid and polished; the tone is measured and judicious; there isn't a strident note in the whole book. And, an added plus, her treatment of Madison as a political actor is informed by a sophisticated knowledge of politics, without in any way being presentist.” 

—David B. Mattern, Research Professor and Senior Associate Editor, Papers of James Madison, University of Virginia

Win a gorgeous hardcover copy of James Madison: A Life Reconsidered (worth almost $40), to keep or give as a gift!

Viking will ship the book (to you or gift recipient) in time for 

Father's Day.

DETAILS

-US only (no PO Boxes)

-will end 5/31

-must be 13+, one free entry per person

-winner will have 48 hours to claim prize

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

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The Forbidden Library Blog Tour {Guest Post & Giveaway}

I'm very excited to have The Forbidden Library Blog Tour stopping by today with a super fun Guest Post and book Giveaway...

Welcome to THE FORBIDDEN LIBRARY blog tour! In honor of Django Wexler’s new series, perfect for fans of Coraline, Inkheart, and The Books of Elsewhere, we’ve paired Django and fellow Penguin author Seth Fishman (The Well’s End) in a battle of wits! Each day for the next two weeks, Seth and Django will challenge each other to escape from popular story scenes in the most creative way. Follow along as the two try to outmatch each other and check out some cool interior art from THE FORBIDDEN LIBRARY along the way!

Django to Seth: One of Mia’s classmates tells her that he’s a vampire and has been floating outside her window watching her sleep.  What does she do about it?

I’d like to make a disclaimer here and say I’ve read all of the Twilight books and this question you happen to ask hits on the one note I always found really weird about the books – yes, the guy is ‘perfect’ cause he’ll faun over Belle forever, but man, I’d never fall asleep if this happened to me.

 This is something that Mia has never wished for, or dreamed of, at all.  She'd be happy with a good guy, sure. But a stalker who has no agency of his own?  Nope.  Sharpen up the stakes.  I mean, imagine it: she’s at this elite prep school and every student there is super rich. The boys are annoying and haughty and if the one who’s a direct descendent of a Habsburgian prince called himself a vampire and floated outside her window she’d be creeped out. She’d tell her friends and not keep it a secret.  Rob would do research and figure out how to take this guy out and Mia would ask her dad for help and either the vampire would be killed by his own kind for telling too many people about vampires, or he’d get uninterested and go stalk someone more desperate. 

The Forbidden Library

by Django Wexler

4/15/14

Penguin

The Forbidden Library kicks off a brand new classic fantasy series perfect for fans of Coraline, Inkheart, and The Books of Elsewhere.
Alice always thought fairy tales had happy endings. That--along with everything else--changed the day she met her first fairy.
When Alice's father goes down in a shipwreck, she is sent to live with her uncle Geryon--an uncle she's never heard of and knows nothing about. He lives in an enormous manor with a massive library that is off-limits to Alice. But then she meets a talking cat. And even for a rule-follower, when a talking cat sneaks you into a forbidden library and introduces you to an arrogant boy who dares you to open a book, it's hard to resist. Especially if you're a reader to begin with. Soon Alice finds herself INSIDE the book, and the only way out is to defeat the creature imprisoned within.
It seems her uncle is more than he says he is. But then so is Alice.

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Django Wexler is the author of The Thousand Names. He lives near Seattle, Washington.

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The Well's End

by Seth Fishman

2/25/14

Penguin

A deadly virus and an impossible discovery unite in one enthralling can’t-miss read... 
Sixteen-year-old Mia Kish has always been afraid of the dark. After all, she’s baby Mia, the one who fell down a well. That was years ago, though the darkness still haunts her. But when her classmates and teachers at ritzy Westbrook Academy start dying of old age from a bizarre and frightening virus that ages its victims years in a matter of hours, Mia becomes haunted by a lot more than the dark. Their deaths are gruesome and Mia worries she and her friends may be next. In order to survive, Mia and her small crew must break quarantine and outrun armed soldiers in hazmat suits who shoot first and ask questions later.
And there’s only one place to go—the Cave, aka Fenton Electronics. Mia knows it’s somehow connected and hopes her dad, Director of Fenton Electronics, who has always been strangely secretive about his work, has the answers she needs, and more importantly a cure to save everyone before the whole town succumbs to the mysterious virus. Unfortunately, it’s not answers Mia discovers, but something far more treacherous and impossible than even the virus itself. 
A high-stakes, fast-paced adventure with imagination and heart.

goodreads * amazon * b&n * indiebound

Seth Fishman is a native of Midland, Texas (think Friday Night Lights), and a graduate of Princeton University and the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England.  He spends his days as a literary agent at The Gernert Company and his nights (and mornings) writing. He lives in Jersey City, New Jersey.  This is his first novel (that's not in a drawer). 

website * goodreads * twitter * facebook

Win a finished copy of 

The Forbidden Library!

Penguin has generously offered up one copy to give away.

DETAILS

-US only

-ends 5/17

-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

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Guest Post and Giveaway: Heather Brittain Bergstrom, author of Steal The North

I'm pleased to have Heather Brittain Bergstrom stopping by today with a wonderful Guest Post and Giveaway....

Steal the North

by Heather Brittain Bergstrom

April 10, 2014

Viking/Penguin

A novel of love in all its forms: for the land, for family, and the once-in-a-lifetime kind that catches two people when they least expect it

Emmy is a shy, sheltered sixteen-year-old when her mom, Kate, sends her to eastern Washington to an aunt and uncle she never knew she had. Fifteen years earlier, Kate had
abandoned her sister, Beth, when she fled her painful past and their fundamentalist church. And now, Beth believes Emmy’s participation in a faith healing is her last hope for having a child.

Emmy goes reluctantly, but before long she knows she has come home. She feels tied to the rugged landscape of coulees and scablands. And she meets Reuben, the Native American boy next door.

In a part of the country where the age-old tensions of cowboys versus Indians still play out, theirs is the kind of magical, fraught love that can only survive with the passion and resilience of youth. Their story is mirrored by the generation before them, who fears that their mistakes are doomed to repeat themselves in Emmy and Reuben. With Louise Erdrich’s sense of place and a love story in the tradition of Water for Elephants, this is an atmospheric family drama in which the question of home is a spiritual one, in which getting over the past is the only hope for the future.

What people are saying about Steal the North:

“A heartrending exploration of longing, loyalty and love. With palpable sympathy, Bergstrom captures the rugged and desolate atmosphere of eastern Washington and the distinctive people who call that place home.”
—Christina Schwarz, bestselling author of Drowning Ruth andThe Edge of the Earth

“A shimmering debut about the ties that bind, and the bonds that save us, especially when we least expect it. Shattering, romantic, and deeply profound, (and how many books can claim such adjectives?) Bergstrom’s novel lays a dazzlingly original claim to the unpredictable landscape of the human heart.”
—Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of Is This Tomorrow and Pictures of You

“In Steal The North, Heather Brittain Bergstrom has written the kind of debut novel one longs to read—full of crooked fates, hopeful hearts, and the bitten courage it takes to thrive—a tale, ultimately, of redemption.”
—Carol Edgarian, New York Times bestselling author of Three Stages of Amazement

Goodreads / Amazon / B&N / IndieBound

The First Step to Becoming A Young Heroine

by Heather Brittain Bergstrom

I think for many a young girl, like my protagonist, Emmy Nolan, the first step to becoming a heroine (at least of her own life) is standing up to mother. I write this as a mother. Emmy’s mom, Kate, has made all the decisions for her, and many of these important decisions Kate had a right to make as Emmy’s caretaker. Others she did not—for example, not allowing Emmy to embrace or even explore spirituality. Emmy is obedient, for the most part, to her controlling mom. But even daughters of less overbearing moms often go away to college unable to make a move or the smallest decision without mother’s approval. I am guilty myself of being a hovering parent. By sixteen, Emmy knew one day soon she’d stand up to her mom, but she also knew it would have to be over something more significant than clothing choices or even picking which high school to attend. At the end of Steal the North, love triumphs (as it always should after great adversity). But equally important, Emmy makes a bold, decisive move on her own. She leaves her mom’s path and starts etching out her own. She take possession of her own life. That is hard to do, especially for kids nowadays (thanks to hovering parents). But it is an absolute triumph: with possession comes accountability, creativity, and growth. Emmy may not slay a dragon, but, in my opinion, she does something equally brave by taking possession of her life. By the end of the novel, the North of the title has come to stand for, among other things, Emmy’s right to decide her fate. She steals this—in the same way Coyote steals a blanket or Raven steals the sun.

website * goodreads * facebook

Heather Brittain Bergstrom grew up in a small farming town in eastern Washington, located between the two largest Indian reservations in the state. Her family has deep roots in the Pacific Northwest, and she remembers her grandmother telling stories of how the Snake River used to flood their house every spring. For much of Bergstrom’s childhood, her parents were members of a fundamentalist Baptist church where she attended school in an unaccredited basement academy. Bergstrom has worked as a truck stop waitress and as a teacher. She has won multiple awards from Narrative Magazine, including first place in the Fall 2010 Story Contest. Four of her short stories can be found online at Narrative. Leslie Marmon Silko chose a story by Bergstrom to win the Kore Press Short Fiction Chapbook Award. She has also won writing awards from The Atlantic Monthly and The Chicago Tribune, as well as other places. One of her stories was picked as a notable story in the Best American Short Stories 2010.  Steal the North is her debut novel and first published book. Bergstrom currently lives in the Sacramento Valley with her husband and two children. She returns often to the Pacific Northwest to visit the rivers and to feel the wind in the canyons and coulees.

Win a finished copy of Steal the North!

The awesome people at Viking/Penguin have generously offered up one book for one winner.

DETAILS

-US only (no P.O boxes)

-ends 4/18

-must be 13+

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

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

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(MMGM) Tracy Holczer, author of The Secret Hum Of A Daisy {Review, Interview, Giveaway}

Be sure to check out the full schedule of this year’s 3rd Annual March MG Madness and enter to win a box of 6 books!

I'm so excited to have Tracy Holczer stopping by the March MG Madness today! Check out our Interview, my Review of Tracy's book, and enter the Giveaway below...

The Secret Hum of a Daisy

by Tracy Holczer

5/1/14

Penguin/Putnam

Twelve-year-old Grace and her mother have always been their own family, traveling from place to place like gypsies. But Grace wants to finally have a home all their own. Just when she thinks she's found it her mother says it's time to move again. Grace summons the courage to tell her mother how she really feels and will always regret that her last words to her were angry ones.

After her mother's sudden death, Grace is forced to live with a grandmother she's never met. She can't imagine her mother would want her to stay with this stranger. Then Grace finds clues in a mysterious treasure hunt, just like the ones her mother used to send her on. Maybe it is her mother, showing her the way to her true home.

Lyrical, poignant and fresh, The Secret Hum of a Daisy is a beautifully told middle grade tale with a great deal of heart.

Goodreads / Amazon / Indiebound

Tracy Holczer’s The Secret Hum Of A Daisy is a powerfully poignant middle-grade contemp, full of love, heart, honesty, hope, and beautiful writing.

Twelve year old Grace’s mom has always kept them on the move, never staying in one place too long. Grace believes they’ve found their forever home with Mrs. Greene and Lacey, but her mother says it’s time to go. The two argue and Grace’s last words to her mother are angry, sad ones. After her mother’s death, Grace is sent to live in her mother’s small hometown with a Grandma she’s never met. Full of grief and anger, Grace refuses to get to know her Grandma or new town and hatches a plan to get back to her beloved Mrs. Greene and Lacy. But when Grace discovers a clue, she’s sure her mother is somehow leading her on  a treasure hunt and back to where she belongs.

The Secret Hum Of A Daisy is such a breathtakingly felt book! Palpable and soul-deep, Tracy Holczer’s story of grief, love, and family fully consumed me from page one and well beyond the end. With lyrical storytelling, heart-aching emotion, and very real characters, The Secret Hum Of A Daisy is definitely an important page-turner.

The lovely, lyrical writing simply floats off the page, wrapping itself around readers. There is stunning magic in Holczer’s words and her ability to express and capture so much emotion. Grace’s story is a wonderfully woven and immensely felt one. Holczer deftly and beautifully explores grief, depression, heart-ache, disappointment, and so much more, in a way that feels honest and genuine, but appropriate for a middle-grade audience. I love how Holczer uses the smartly crafted treasure hunt and clues to gently guide Grace on her emotional and coming-of-age journey. This treasure hunt allows both Grace and readers to get to know and appreciate Grace’s new town and the people in.

And the people in this town and book are one of the reasons why I love The Secret Hum Of A Daisy so much! Holczer does a fantastic job of writing complex, well-developed characters who feel very real and very relatable. From feisty Grace, to her surprising Grandma, sweet Jo, endearing Mummy Max, motherly Mrs. Greene, and a town full of quirky, unforgettable people, there are so many characters to fall in love with.

My Final Thoughts: The Secret Hum Of A Daisy made me laugh and cry, moved and inspired me, left me thoughtful and hopeful, but I don’t think it will ever really love me. Author Tracy Holczer has written a truly special story that is bound to leave its magical mark on many readers!

MY RATING

What three words best describe The Secret Hum of a Daisy?

Mysterious. Tender. Honest.

Can you give us your best one sentence pitch to convince readers, especially reluctant readers, to give The Secret Hum of a Daisy a try?

The Secret Hum of a Daisy is for anyone who loves a good treasure hunt J

Grab a copy of The Secret Hum of a Daisy and answer the following:

favorite chapter? Chapter 33

favorite page? 306

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

Mama had told me that daisies spoke in a kind of song, a secret humming that birds could feel in their hollow bones, drawing them close. She said I could feel it, too, if I tried, along the fine hairs of my arms and neck. That we all have a little bird in us somewhere.

What inspired The Secret Hum of a Daisy? How did the story come to be?

When I was eight, I had a porcelain statue that I believed was magic. I’d been through a lot up to that point, more than an eight-year-old should, and this statue was everything to me. She was my guardian angel, my good luck charm. I believed this with all my heart.

I brought it to school one day for show and tell and a girl in my class made fun of me. She didn’t understand it was magic, of course, and I so I decided to prove it to her. By throwing it down on the asphalt playground as hard as it could. When that statue shattered, so did something inside of me.

When I first came to writing, I sat down to try and capture that story, but this one came out instead. I guess I wrote it for the little girl I was, giving that little eight-year-old some closure. I also figured there would be lots of other girls and boys who might have had something shatter in their lives – anything from losing a goldfish to losing a friend - and need assurance that they will find a way to put their pieces back together.

There are some memorable characters in The Secret Hum of a Daisy, do you have a favorite? What do you love about him/her? Did any of your characters end up surprising even you with the way they turned out?

My favorite character is Grace. I just love her. She is brave and honest and fiercely loyal, qualities, I think, we all struggle with when we are twelve. And when we are forty-six.

As for surprises, I have to say that Grandma’s character surprised me by the end of the story. I can’t explain specifically without ruining it for the reader, but I’ll just say, she didn’t turn out the way I thought she would. In a good way.

What do you hope readers walk away with or learn after reading The Secret Hum of a Daisy?

Oh, so many things. How to see beyond the tips of their noses into the hearts of not just their friends, but people in their lives who might be more challenging to love. Or maybe that forgiveness is an option, even in the worst of circumstances. Mostly, I hope readers see that tragedy doesn’t have to define who they are.

As a middle-grade author, why do you think middle-grade is so important? What do you love about writing and reading middle-grade?

We choose how we walk in the world by the stories we tell ourselves about who we are. While I’m writing, I’ve been known to press my palms into my eyeballs and say, vociferously, “I’m never going to figure this out!” So, of course, I don’t. And then I bang around and pout and generally become a nuisance to everyone because I’ve told myself the story that “I can’t do it.”

Generally it doesn’t take me more than a couple of days to remember that instead, I have to shout, “I can write anything!” or “I am the best crazy-dancer ever!” to counteract all the negativity. We are in charge of our destinies, much more than we think, by simply changing perspective. I love writing stories where this happens for the main character and just might give the reader permission to do the same. I think middle graders are so open to this experience that it makes it somewhat irresistible to write for them.

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

My all-time favorite book is The Great Gilly Hopkins, by Katherine Paterson with Gilly being my favorite heroine. She is the epitome of toughness and heart. Flawed and so very hurt, her experience is inspirational and makes me cry. Every time I read it, I feel like I’m visiting an old friend.

Fill in the blanks:

I’m really awesome at baking chocolate chip cookies.

I’m really embarrassed to admit that I’m afraid of the dark.

The last great book I read was Pointe by Brandy Colbert.

If you were to create and bake a cupcake inspired by The Secret Hum of a Daisy, what would it look and taste like, and what would you call it?

Hmmm, I’d call it Sunshine on a Tuesday. It would be frosted the color of summer sky and taste like melancholy.

Thanks so much for stopping by Tracy!

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Win a signed finished copy (+swag) of 

The Secret Hum of a Daisy!

Tracy has generously offered one signed copy +swag.

DETAILS

-US only

-ends 4/6

-must be 13+

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

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

Fill out Rafflecopter form:

a Rafflecopter giveaway