Author: Andy Zach
Narrator: Michael Stafford
Length: 3 hours 10 minutes
Series: Secret Supers, Book 2
Publisher: Jule Inc.
Released: May 5, 2021
Genre: Middle Grade; Science Fiction
Middle Grade
#Excerpt “The Problem at Wisteria Gardens” by Pamela McCord
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Middle Grade Mystery
Date Published: 3/9/21
Publisher: Acorn Publishing
The ghost haunting Wisteria Gardens Antiques appears to be a charming and loving mother who can’t stand the thought of being separated from her son.
But appearances can be deceiving.
The Ghosties are moved by her expression of devotion, until they discover the truth. Her attachment to the real world has nothing to do with love.
As the teen ghost hunters struggle with the case, Althea’s determination to stay threatens their very lives. Will Pekin, Scout, and Amber convince the ghost to move on before it’s too late?
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Excerpt from The Problem at Wisteria Gardens
“Uh-oh,” Amber said.
“I know,” Pekin said. “I think she’s up to something.”
“Let’s split up and see if we can find her,” Scout said, and the three of them headed for different areas of the shop.
Before they separated, Pekin handed each of them a crystal for whatever protection the stones could provide against the ghost of Althea Cooley.
Despite the chill, nothing seemed out of place, and no ghostly voice addressed them. None of the kids felt reassured by this, however, knowing Althea was toying with them.
After his search of the shop turned up no sign of the ghost, Scout said loudly, “You might as well come out, Althea. Matt’s gone and he’s not coming back. You have to deal with us now.”
Oh, I’m sooo scared, the ghost responded.
Ignoring the voice, Pekin continued her sweep of the shop, sticking her head in the supply room. When she turned back toward the interior, she heard an odd swishing sound, and from around a corner marched half-a-dozen dolls with painted porcelain faces and frilly party dresses, each about two feet tall.
Her hand flew to her mouth in alarm, and she called out for her friends. In an instant, Scout was at her side with Amber close behind. They all stared in wide-eyed shock at the approaching doll army, and Althea’s laughter boomed around them.
The dolls formed themselves into a semicircle around the kids, cutting off any escape route. Scout motioned Pekin and Amber into the supply room and turned back to face the scary toys. Glancing over his shoulder at the girls with an encouraging smile, looking braver than he felt, he squared his shoulders and planted his feet, ready to meet the silent troop. For a moment, it appeared they were in a standoff until the dolls’ eyes started blinking and their jaws clacked open and closed exposing teeth that were pointed and menacing, definitely not innocent doll teeth. And they were going num num num num. Pekin shrieked and clutched Amber’s arm as the dolls moved toward them, still going num num num num.
“What are they?” Amber whined, covering her ears and huddling against Pekin.
His back to Pekin and Amber, Scout spread his arms out to protect them. One of the dolls rushed forward, an odd, tinny battle cry emanating from it. Both girls screamed as the doll surged toward Scout and flew into the air in front of him, its arms reaching for his face. Scout raised his hands instinctively and batted it away. The doll fell in a heap on the floor in a cloud of taffeta and ribbons. He was speechless for a moment, and suddenly he laughed. “Really, Althea? Dolls?”
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About the Author
Contact Links
Purchase Links
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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#ReleaseBlitz “The Problem at Wisteria Gardens” by Pamela McCord
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A Pekin Dewlap Mystery
Middle Grade Mystery
Date Published: 3/9/21
Publisher: Acorn Publishing
The ghost haunting Wisteria Gardens Antiques appears to be a charming and loving mother who can’t stand the thought of being separated from her son.
But appearances can be deceiving.
The Ghosties are moved by her expression of devotion, until they discover the truth. Her attachment to the real world has nothing to do with love.
As the teen ghost hunters struggle with the case, Althea’s determination to stay threatens their very lives. Will Pekin, Scout, and Amber convince the ghost to move on before it’s too late?
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About The Author
Contact Links
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Purchase Links
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a Rafflecopter giveaway
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#BookBlitz “Dragon Lad: Wand of the Black Sphere” by J.C. Stevens
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Dragon Lad: Wand of the Black Sphere
Juvenile Fiction, Middle Grade, Middle-Grade Fantasy
Publisher: Dragon’s Egg Books
A shapeshifting magic fantasy adventure filled with dragons, witches, wizards, fairies and fun.
Dirk is a budding boy wizard who hatched as a dragon and has a ring that turns him back into one. For his summer vacation, he’s leaving Roman Britannia on a secret journey to tell the dragon who raised him she’s free from a curse.
He doesn’t realize he’s being tracked by his worst enemy, the sorceress who abducted him as a baby and blames him for her husband’s death. Treacherous Ethelda thinks Dirk has her fiendishly powerful wand and she’ll do anything to get it back.
The Roman Army wants the Wand of the Black Sphere, too, worried Ethelda will use it against them, and they’re looking for Dirk, the last one seen with it. But Dirk’s halfway around the world dealing with monsters and magic they couldn’t imagine.
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Praise for Dragon Lad: Wand of the Black Sphere:
“The third volume of Stevens’ middle-grade series is a perfect balance of education and entertainment. … Detailed illustrations by the author enliven scenes throughout. … The lively final volume of a charming series.” – Kirkus Reviews
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Other Books in the Dragon Lad Trilogy:
Dragon Lad: The Thirteenth Egg
Publisher: Dragon’s Egg Books
Fly through page after page of adventures with Dorg as the young dragon discovers an astonishing truth about himself: he may not be a dragon after all.
Dorg hatches small due to a magic curse. A tough start in the biting, clawing, flame-spitting world he lives in. At first, all he wants to do is end the curse, so he can be like the other dragons. But friends and enemies help him see that being a big, mean dragon isn’t what it’s cracked up to be.
Along the way, he encounters a mysterious pendant, shapeshifting dragons, a grouchy witch who loves wildlife, an absentminded wizard, and a swarm of friendly insects.
Heartwarming and humorous, this book is the first in a trilogy of stories about learning to live in harmony with one’s self as well as with nature. An egg-straordinary fantasy awaits the reader.
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Dragon Lad: Tale of the Talisman
Publisher: Dragon’s Egg Books
Magic and adventure abound in this second book in the Dragon Lad trilogy.
“Tale of the Talisman” follows our young, dragon-hatched hero as he seeks his parents, his past and his destiny in Roman-ruled Britannia. A boy without a history — at least one that he can remember — Dirk turns to his shape-shifting friends for help. They launch him on a quest involving the one clue he has to his previous existence: a magic talisman.
The wizard Beldor gives Dirk a ring that allows him to re-enter the realm he thought he’d left behind. Armed with this ring and a magic map, he travels a trail leading to a raging dragon, a slippery mermaid, two grasping sorcerers and a legion of Roman soldiers. He also rediscovers a long-lost friend and powers he never imagined.
Fast-paced and funny, “Dragon Lad: Tale of the Talisman” is a modern classic that can be read alone or as a companion to the first novel in the trilogy, “Dragon Lad: The Thirteenth Egg.”
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Excerpt
Chapter Nineteen
Dorg tried to pull up. It only reduced the speed of his impact. He hit the ground hard and blacked out.
He regained consciousness in a daze of pain. His ears were ringing, jaw ached, wing burned, shoulder throbbed. Turning on his side to touch the inflamed shoulder, he dislodged the raven perched there. He grimaced at the bird as it squawked to the ground, then took in his surroundings.
He lay on a mat of animal skin in one of the human dwellings. Dug into the ground like a burrow, with stonework above and below the level of the ground, it had a domed, willow-frame roof covered with skins. In the center, some sort of animal fat burned in a soapstone trough with moss wicks, illuminating a short entry tunnel, benches, clothing hung from leather cords, and
baskets full of herbs, plants and tools made of antler, stone and bone. The dwelling was crowded, yet they’d managed to fit a dragon with large wings and a body the size of a small bull inside. As he wondered how, the raven demanded his attention.
“Tok!”
“Sorry, I don’t speak raven,” Dorg responded in the hawk language. “Do you speak hawk?”
The raven uttered a “pruk” that reminded him of a human sigh. Then, revolving on his claws, he transformed into a handsome hawk with brilliant eyes and glossy feathers.
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About the Author
J. C. Stevens began writing fiction, nonfiction and poetry at age five. The author’s first and favorite stories were about ghosts, witches and other spooky creatures. As an adult, Stevens served as a newspaper reporter, editor and teacher.
Dragon Lad: The Thirteenth Egg, the first book in the Dragon Lad trilogy, debuted in 2015. The second book in the trilogy, Dragon Lad: Tale of the Talisman, appeared in 2017. The third and final book, Dragon Lad: Wand of the Black Sphere, was published in 2019. Stevens lives in Southern California. To learn more, visit http://www.dragonseggbooks.com.
Contact Links
Purchase Links
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#BookBlitz “The Franklin Chemists” by Tilly Turbet
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Middle Grade
Published: December 2020
Publisher: Warblebox
Elephant Toothpaste… submarines… rockets and a chase across the lakes of England. This book follows the adventures of Hannah and George as they find themselves on an unexpected adventure with their scientific Aunt Rosalind. When she disappears, they must protect her biggest scientific discovery from two scientists intent on stealing it as their own.
A fun and enjoyable STEM tale from an exceptional author.
#TheFranklinChemists #TillyTurbet #Warblebox #STEM #BookBuzz
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Other Books by Tilly Turbet:
One Thousand-Eyed Spies
Publisher: Warblebox
Published: June 2018
Middle Grade
One Thousand-Eyed Spies is a fantastical middle-grade children’s story about Gopi, a hapless soldier who is tasked by his Queen with a quest to save the White Island. Gopi must cross an ocean, battle a sea dragon and deliver the heir to the Island to the Upper World and to safety until he is ready to return and fight for his legacy.
Eleven years later and Nana tells her grandson Jag the story of the White Island and how it came to sink to the bottom of the sea. Jag soon realises that there is more to his history than he has been told and a great sea voyage delivers him to a very different destination, one which exists many leagues under the sea and where he must fight for his destiny and the future of the White Island.
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Excerpt
“Listen.” She leant forward, whispering. “Between you and me, I don’t really like children. In fact, they’re just about my least favourite animal in the whole world. Worse than spiders. I just can’t bring 9 myself to care about your little plastic toys or your annoyingly loud games or your shocking lack of vocabulary. What’s your name?” “George.” “And yours?” “Hannah.” “It doesn’t matter, because I’ve forgotten you already,” confided Mrs Muddle. “I see forty, maybe fifty children just like you every week. If I cared about every child that I sent away from their family, it might make me sad; and you wouldn’t want me to be sad, would you? So instead, I don’t care. I don’t lose any sleep. I don’t shed a tear. Not ever.”
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Contact Links
Purchase Links
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#BookTour “Casey Grimes at Trickery School” by AJ Vanderhorst
Casey Grimes Book 2
Middle Grade Fantasy
Published Date: November 13, 2020
Publisher: INtense Publications LLC
Twelve-year-old Casey Grimes almost died fighting the Butcher Beasts. On the bright side, he’s no longer invisible. Even better, he’s enrolled at Trickery School in the heart of Sylvan Woods—a secret forest society in charge of keeping monsters out of the suburbs.
The campus is gorgeous, the classes are crazy, and Casey and his little sister Gloria have good friends: Luci and Robert and Jake. But Casey quickly realizes he has bigger problems than surviving Land Creature Defense and Extreme Climbing.
Magic is causing controversy at Trickery. It’s back on the curriculum after a hundred years and everyone knows Casey is responsible. Even worse, someone is out to get him, someone more cunning than a Bog Creep or Hyena Toad.
As the shadow enemy closes in, Casey races to discover why he’s being targeted. Solving the deadly mystery will take all the courage and tenacity he’s got.
About the Author
AJ Vanderhorst has had many jobs, including journalist, paramedic, escape
artist, and baby whisperer. One time in fifth grade, he built a
traffic-stopping fort in a huge oak tree, using only branches and
imagination, and slept there for a week.
Now he and his wife live in a woodsy house with their proteges and a ridiculous number of pets, including a turtle with a taste for human toes. This makes AJ an expert on wild, dangerous things—invisibility spells, butcher beasts, hungry kids, you get the idea.
He is the only author in the world who enjoys pickup basketball and enormous bonfires, preferably not at the same time. He and his family have drawn up several blueprints for their future tree castle. Visit AJ online at ajvanderhorst.com.
Contact Links
Purchase Links
#ReleaseBlitz “Casey Grimes at Trickery School” by AJ Vanderhorst
Casey Grimes Book 2
Middle Grade Fantasy
Published Date: November 13, 2020
Publisher: INtense Publications LLC
Twelve-year-old Casey Grimes almost died fighting the Butcher Beasts. On the bright side, he’s no longer invisible. Even better, he’s enrolled at Trickery School in the heart of Sylvan Woods—a secret forest society in charge of keeping monsters out of the suburbs.
The campus is gorgeous, the classes are crazy, and Casey and his little sister Gloria have good friends: Luci and Robert and Jake. But Casey quickly realizes he has bigger problems than surviving Land Creature Defense and Extreme Climbing.
Magic is causing controversy at Trickery. It’s back on the curriculum after a hundred years and everyone knows Casey is responsible. Even worse, someone is out to get him, someone more cunning than a Bog Creep or Hyena Toad.
As the shadow enemy closes in, Casey races to discover why he’s being targeted. Solving the deadly mystery will take all the courage and tenacity he’s got.
About the Author
AJ Vanderhorst has had many jobs, including journalist, paramedic, escape
artist, and baby whisperer. One time in fifth grade, he built a
traffic-stopping fort in a huge oak tree, using only branches and
imagination, and slept there for a week.
Now he and his wife live in a woodsy house with their proteges and a ridiculous number of pets, including a turtle with a taste for human toes. This makes AJ an expert on wild, dangerous things—invisibility spells, butcher beasts, hungry kids, you get the idea.
He is the only author in the world who enjoys pickup basketball and enormous bonfires, preferably not at the same time. He and his family have drawn up several blueprints for their future tree castle. Visit AJ online at ajvanderhorst.com.
Contact Links
Purchase Links
#Excerpt “The Black Cup” by Alec Lavictoire
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Middle-Grade Fantasy
Published Date: May 29, 2020
Publisher: INtense Publications LLC
Twelve-year-old Max knows the King wants him dead. Born with his heart outside of his rib cage, Max is abandoned at birth by his father and raised by a kind witch who sacrifices all to keep him safe from the outside world. In time, Max’s father ruthlessly ascends to the throne and becomes the most feared king in history thanks to The Black Cup’s evil powers. When he learns that the baby he abandoned years ago still lives, and is now nearly a man, the King orders his troops to find and kill Max so that his rule will go unchallenged by his own blood. Rather than run away from the danger, Max embarks on a journey toward the city to seek his father and prevent further destruction of the kingdom and its people. That’s where the witch, the King, and Max are set on a collision course. The world they have known, and the lives they have lived, will be changed forever.
Purchase Link
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EXCERPT
He took the cup in his large hand and brought it to his lips. He examined the coarse black mineral the cup was made of. It appeared to be so dark as to absorb light. He felt the liquid travel down his throat and his thirst was quenched as it had never been before.
“Your son still lives at this hour. He is with a witch. She is cunning. I would suggest you take care of the matter as soon as possible.”
The effects of the drink were beginning to take hold. His mind filled with euphoric visions of bloody triumph. He could feel the sheer power coursing in his veins.
“You mean for me to return in that maze to slay a mutant baby?”
“If he is your only blood as you say, then he is the only one who can ever stop you.”
“If he lives to see the sun rise, I would be stunned. He will not grow to be a warrior with the strength to slay me.”
“Very well. However, the possibility is there. Know that once you leave this forest you may never return. It is forbidden.”
“That is of little concern.”
William filled the cup from the bottle again and downed its contents. His grey eyes grew darker. He could see clearly in the darkness now. The old man’s eyes before him were a milky opalescent. A blind man in an abandoned tavern in the middle of nowhere. This was either an old fool or a specter handing him a power from across the divide. He examined the cup again before tucking it securely beneath his breastplate.
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About the Author
Contact Links
Twitter: @LavictoireAlec
Instagram: @lavictoirealec
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#ReleaseBlitz “The Black Cup” by Alec Lavictoire
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Middle-Grade Fantasy
Published Date: May 29, 2020
Publisher: INtense Publications LLC
Twelve-year-old Max knows the King wants him dead. Born with his heart outside of his rib cage, Max is abandoned at birth by his father and raised by a kind witch who sacrifices all to keep him safe from the outside world. In time, Max’s father ruthlessly ascends to the throne and becomes the most feared king in history thanks to The Black Cup’s evil powers. When he learns that the baby he abandoned years ago still lives, and is now nearly a man, the King orders his troops to find and kill Max so that his rule will go unchallenged by his own blood. Rather than run away from the danger, Max embarks on a journey toward the city to seek his father and prevent further destruction of the kingdom and its people. That’s where the witch, the King, and Max are set on a collision course. The world they have known, and the lives they have lived, will be changed forever.
Purchase Link
~~~
About the Author
Contact Links
Twitter: @LavictoireAlec
Instagram: @lavictoirealec
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#1DayBlogBlitz “Josie James and The Teardrops of Summer” & “Josie James and The Velvet Knife” by Lily Mae Walters
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Josie James and The Teardrops of Summer
Josie James is an ordinary 13 year old until something extraordinary happens during her summer holidays.Whilst staying at her Great Grandmother’s cottage in the country she finds herself swept into the cursed world of Suncroft where it is perpetual winter.Her new friends believe she could be the Chosen One who it is foretold will lift the curse, but there are more pressing matters.
The Teardrops of Summer – magical crystals that render the owner immortal – have been stolen. Along with her telepathic husky-dog Protector Asher and her new friends, Josie must race to find the Teardrops and prevent catastrophe for their world.
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Josie James and The Velvet Knife
For you to find the Velvet Knife, you must solve the riddles thrice.” A mysterious hooded figure, known only as the Velvet Knife has appeared in the cursed village of Suncroft. No one knows who he is or what he wants but when he starts leaving riddles around the village, it is time for Josie to return to Suncroft for a second time.
With Asher, her faithful husky Protector by her side, Filan, a half elf, and her great grandad, will they be able to solve the clues in time and discover his identity? The Velvet Knife is not the only one causing problems for Josie. Her rival for the position of the ‘Chosen One’ continues to grow stronger, and now he has a Protector of his own.
What does all this mean for Josie? Is she destined to lift the wintery curse of Suncroft or will another take her place as the ‘Chosen One’?
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About Lily Mae Walters
Lily Mae Walters chose her pen name in honour of her beloved grandparents who also stare in the Josie James series.
She is married with two teenage children, and two huskies that are the inspiration behind Murphy and Asher in the books.
Lily Mae lives in Nuneaton, England and finds herself using local places and even her old school in her stories.
Family and friends mean the world to Lily Mae and many will find themselves popping up throughout the series.
Lily Mae also writes for adults under the name of Florence Keeling.
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