BLOG TOUR: This Is My America by Kim Johnson

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the THIS IS MY AMERICA by Kim Johnson Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

About the Book:

Title: THIS IS MY AMERICA

Author: Kim Johnson

Pub. Date: July 28, 2020

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook

Pages: 416

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org

Dear Martin meets Just Mercy in this unflinching yet uplifting YA novel that explores the racist injustices in the American justice system.

Every week, seventeen-year-old Tracy Beaumont writes letters to Innocence X, asking the organization to help her father, an innocent Black man on death row. After seven years, Tracy is running out of time--her dad has only 267 days left. Then the unthinkable happens. The police arrive in the night, and Tracy's older brother, Jamal, goes from being a bright, promising track star to a "thug" on the run, accused of killing a white girl. Determined to save her brother, Tracy investigates what really happened between Jamal and Angela down at the Pike. But will Tracy and her family survive the uncovering of the skeletons of their Texas town's racist history that still haunt the present?

Fans of Nic Stone, Tiffany D. Jackson, and Jason Reynolds won't want to miss this provocative and gripping debut.

REVIEW: I have went through a load of emotions while reading this. The first chapter hooked me from the very beginning. I was irritated with Tracy and heartbroken for her. I was torn between how I was supposed to feel for her during her brother's TV interview. I wanted to just tell her she was being selfish, but I have to admit that if I was in her shoes and my father was in jail, I would do anything and everything I could to get attention of an organization that gave me hope. 

Tracy is selfish, but she is resilient and dedicated to her community. She stands up for those who can't and she puts herself in dangerous situations to find the truth because she knows that her town's corrupt police officers will shit all over it. 

About Kim:

KIM JOHNSON held leadership positions in social justice organizations as a teen and in college. She’s now a college administrator who maintains civic engagement throughout the community while also mentoring Black student activists and leaders. She is also the graduate advisor and member of an historically Black sorority. This Is My America is her debut novel and explores racial injustice against innocent Black men who are criminally sentenced and the families left behind to pick up the pieces. She holds degrees from the University of Oregon and the University of Maryland, College Park.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Goodreads

Giveaway Details:

3 winners will receive a finished copy of THIS IS MY AMERICA, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

7/13/2020	BookHounds YA	Excerpt
7/14/2020	She Just Loves Books	Review
7/15/2020	A Dream Within A Dream	Excerpt
7/16/2020	Thepagesinbetween	Review
7/17/2020	Here's to Happy Endings	Review

Week Two:

7/20/2020	Not In Jersey	Review
7/21/2020	The Bookwyrm's Den	Review
7/22/2020	Bri's Book Nook	Review
7/23/2020	Confessions of a YA Reader	Review
7/24/2020	Emelie's Books	Review

Week Three:

7/27/2020	Hurn Publications	Review
7/28/2020	Kait Plus Books	Excerpt
7/29/2020	Lifestyle of Me	Review
7/30/2020	Rajiv's Reviews	Review
7/31/2020	Stuck in the Stacks	Review

Week Four:

8/3/2020	Popthebutterfly Reads	Review
8/4/2020	A Gingerly Review	Excerpt
8/5/2020	Two Chicks on Books	Excerpt
8/6/2020	Life of a Female Bibliophile	Review
8/7/2020	Momfluenster	Review

Review: An Arabian Journey by Levison Wood

Another Levison Wood book read and it was a page turner. I have not been able to watch the show because it is not available in the US. I have seen the first episode though and it was very nerve wracking. I have read his books after watching his shows, so I know what to expect but not with this one. I had expectations of him meeting with suspected terrorists and walking in terrorist territory. But the amount of time this man risked his life walking through these places were jarring. I was holding my breath through the majority of this book and when I wasn't, my heart was breaking because of the people he encountered who just wanted the wars and fighting to stop. People who had lost sons and husbands in the battles. The loss of thousand year old landmarks and people living in hell.

This book was half religious battle between Muslims and Christians and the rest was political with ISIS, Trump and the Kurds with Turkey and Russian, Lebanon and Syria fighting.

The same thing that has been a constant in his books is his constant complaints of this being his last expedition and never doing it again because he is basically losing his friends and distancing from his family.

Then always there is an epiphany that it is a great thing because he has this opportunity to see the world and his white male privilege allows him to travel to Israel and Pakistan on the same passport and not be shot on the spot.

BLOG TOUR: Orphan Eleven by Gennifer Choldenko

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the ORPHAN ELEVEN by Gennifer Choldenko Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

About the Book:

Title: ORPHAN ELEVEN

Author: Gennifer Choldenko

Pub. Date: May 26, 2020

Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook

Pages: 320

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org

Four orphans have escaped from the Home for Friendless Children. One is Lucy, who used to talk and sing. No one knows why she doesn't speak anymore; silence is her protection.

The orphans find work and new friends at a traveling circus. Lucy loves caring for the elephants, but she must be able to speak to them, and to warn others of danger. If Lucy doesn't find her voice, she'll be left behind when the circus goes on the rails. Meanwhile, people are searching for Lucy, and her puzzling past is about to catch up with her.

About Gennifer:

With more than 2 and a half million books sold, Choldenko’s best known Tales from Alcatraz series, has been called “A cornerstone series in contemporary children’s literature.” Al Capone Does My Shirts—the first book in the series—was a Newbery Honor Book and the recipient of twenty other awards. All four books in the series were Junior Library Guild selections and garnered many starred reviews. Gennifer’s newest novel: Orphan Eleven will be out May 26. Publisher’s Weekly has said this about Orphan Eleven: “This uplifting tale of hope, survival and belonging has all the ingredients to become a beloved middle grade book.” Gennifer lives in the San Francisco Bay area with her loyal husband and naughty dog.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

Giveaway Details:

3 winners will receive a finished copy of ORPHAN ELEVEN, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

7/13/2020	Twirling Book Princess	Excerpt
7/13/2020	Forever Lost in Literature	Excerpt
7/14/2020	For the Love of KidLit	Excerpt
7/14/2020	Trapped Inside Stories	Excerpt
7/15/2020	Little Red Reads	Review
7/15/2020	Jazzy Book Reviews	Excerpt
7/16/2020	JaimeRockstarBookTours	Instagram Stop
7/16/2020	Jaime's World	Excerpt
7/17/2020	TheReadingCornerforAll	Review
7/17/2020	Two Chicks on Books	Interview

Week Two:

7/20/2020	Lifestyle of Me	Review
7/20/2020	popthebutterfly	Review
7/21/2020	Do You Dog-ear?	Review
7/21/2020	Krisha's cosy corner	Review
7/22/2020	Rajiv's Reviews	Review
7/22/2020	BookHounds YA	Interview
7/23/2020	Two Points of Interest	Review
7/23/2020	Log Cabin Library	Excerpt
7/24/2020	Books and Zebras @jypsylynn	Review
7/24/2020	Hurn Publications	Excerpt

REVIEW: At first, I thought this was going to be just another lower middle grade book. The short choppy endings gave me that feel and the tone of the letters that the sister writes made me think that she was younger than she is. I felt bad for the orphans having the typical abusive matrons. 

Lucy was dumped there her mother's boyfriend and has been wanting her sister to come rescue her. She runs away with three other orphans and she thinks that the matrons won't care because it will be 4 less mouths to feed, but the matrons come running after her. The orphans run to the circus and work hard to show that they can be apprentices, only it takes Lucy longer to be able to secure hers as an Elephant Girl is because she is a selective mute. 

Getting to read this book taught me more about history that I had never known about. Lucy was part of a study and I figured that the author just made it up, but it actually took place in universities all over the country in the 1930's up until the 2000's. Where orphans who spoke so well, would get belittled and yelled at and verbally abused that they would start to stutter and make them think that to not get into trouble to couldn't talk. 

I have to learn more about this subject. Why isn't this talked about. 

Review: Ember Queen by Laura Sebastian

A series completed this year and I am sad to see it finished. I am glad that I hosted a blog tour for the second book couple of years ago that introduced me to this series and I have been antsy to find out if Theodosia would get her country freed.

Before I read this book, I finished another series where I was confused about what the heck was going on for a good half of the book. I feared that I would feel the same way about this one. In the very first chapter, it does a small recap of what happened at the end of book two and it was a great memory jog.

We start the book of with Theo stumbling out of the fire mine with no recollection of what happened. We follow her plans to retake each of the elemental mines where the spirit gems are mined for jewelry purposes for the Kalovaxians and the source of power for the enslaved Astreans. While trying to liberate the mines, she has to harness her own power that was made stronger by her new enemy, the Kaiserin and her time in the fire mine.

I loved all the action scenes and some of the plot twists and the dream sequences. The love triangle if it could be called that between Blaise, Theo and Soren was quite cute, but I was rooting for Soren and was not expecting the beginning of a sex scene. It also has some LGBTQ+ representation with Theo's cousin Artemisia being Lesbian and maybe asexual. There are mentions of rape and there is a misogynist Kalovaxian asshole.

I give this book a 5 out of 5.

NOVEMBER 2019 OWLCRATE & OWLCRATE JR UNBOXING

OWLCRATE: Through The Enchanted Forest

• Winterwood by Shea Ernshaw (signed, exclusive OwlCrate Edition)
• Reading Planner (Team OwlCrate and Blue Star Press)
• The Cruel Prince Throw Blanket (Designed by Bookmark.d Tattoos)
• Planner Sticker Set (Pipsticks)
• The Raven Boys-inspired Ornament (Juniper and Ivy Designs)
• Uprooted-inspired Metal Bookmark (designed by Her Paper World
• Exclusive OwlCrate "Bone Moth" Enamel Pin (designed by Four Seasons Fox)
• Exclusive Winterwood Author Letter. 

OWLCRATE JR: Parallel Worlds

• The Star-Spun Web by Sinead O'Hart
• Wizard of Oz (Puffin Chalk Series)
• Coraline-inspired drawstring canvas bag (designed by Alex Klauss)
• Bookplates inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia and Alice in Wonderland (Designed by Holly Dunn)
• Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse patch (Designed byHey Atlas Creative)
• Small Neutron Ball
• Exclusive OwlCrate Jr "Parallel Worlds" Button (Designed by Melanie Demmer)
• Exclusive Author Letter, signed bookplate, and book sticker
• OwlCrate Jr Magazine Issue #15 (Designed by Michelle Gray) 

BLOG TOUR: Scorpion by Jeff Sweat

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the SCORPION  by Jeff Sweat Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

About the Book:

Title: SCORPION (Mayfly #2)

Author: Jeff Sweat

Pub. Date: June 23, 2020

Publisher: Feiwel and Friends

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Pages: 432

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org

In Scorpion, the sequel to Jeff Sweat's YA futuristic thriller Mayfly, Jemma, Lady, and Pico all left the Holy Wood to seek answers to the End, and when they find the Old Guys—the only adults to have survived the original wipeout of everyone over the age of seventeen—they think they've found help at last.

But there's a lot the Old Guys aren't telling them. In fact, some of them don't seem interested in solving the End at all and just want Jemma and her friends to leave. Meanwhile, war is brewing among the tribes of the rest of the Children. Jemma's old home has fallen into disorder, and is far from prepared for battle. It won't be long before the fighting reaches Jemma and the Old Guys, if they even live to see it.

Haven’t started the series yet? Grab book 1, MAYFLY now!

About Jeff:

Jeff Sweat has made a living from words his entire career, starting out as an award-winning tech journalist for Information Week magazine and moving into marketing.

He led the content marketing team for Yahoo and pioneered its use of social media. He directed PR for two of the top advertising agencies in the country, Deutsch LA and 72andSunny. He now runs his own Los Angeles–based PR and marketing agency, Mister Sweat.

He grew up in Idaho as the middle of eight children—seven boys and one girl—and attended Columbia University in New York. Jeff lives in a big blue house in Los Angeles with his wife Sunny and their three kids, two cats, and a racing greyhound.

He loves to travel and writes everywhere he goes, even when there's not a desk. He likes karaoke, motorcycles and carpentry. He was once shot in the head with a nail gun, which was not a big of a deal as it sounds. But it still hurt like crazy.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Amazon Author Page | Goodreads

Giveaway Details:

2 winners will receive a finished copy of SCORPION, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

7/13/2020	For the Love of KidLit	Excerpt
7/13/2020	JaimeRockstarBookTours	Instagram Stop
7/14/2020	Jaime's World	Excerpt
7/14/2020	The Try Everything/jenifer_reads	Excerpt
7/15/2020	Lifestyle of Me	Review
7/15/2020	Jazzy Book Reviews	Excerpt
7/16/2020	Fire and Ice	Review
7/16/2020	A Dream Within A Dream	Excerpt
7/17/2020	popthebutterfly	Review
7/17/2020	TheReadingCornerforAll	Review

Week Two:

7/20/2020	Rajiv's Reviews	Review
7/20/2020	Rajiv's Reviews	Instagram Stop
7/21/2020	BookHounds YA	Interview
7/21/2020	Hurn Publications	Excerpt
7/22/2020	Two Chicks on Books	Interview
7/22/2020	Momfluenster	Instagram Stop
7/23/2020	Books and Zebras @jypsylynn	Review
7/23/2020	Buried Under Books	Review
7/24/2020	Two Points of Interest	Review
7/24/2020	Eli to the nth	Review

REVIEW: I think this is a duology because it wrapped up nicely. It picks up right where it left off in book one. We follow Jemma, Lady, Pico and Grease in the Dead Lands with the old guys where they learned more about the man who saved them and how he worked on the Long Life Machine. 

We also follow the leaders of Holy Wood, the Kingdom and the Biter territory. There is an all out war that the Little Man leads against Jemma because he is jealous of her powerful bond with the Haze. She finally gets to roll with someone and she has to go head to head with Charlie. 

This could have been shortened and the big battle could have been a third book and the ending with all the characters trying to live without the Haze and The End dictating their every move.