THE IMPOSSIBLE DESTINY OF CUTIE GRACKLE by Shawn K. Stout Blog Tour with Review + Giveaway

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the THE IMPOSSIBLE DESTINY OF CUTIE GRACKLE by Shawn K. Stout Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

 

About The Book:

Title: THE IMPOSSIBLE DESTINY OF CUTIE GRACKLE

Author: Shawn K. Stout

Pub. Date: May 31, 2022

Publisher: Peachtree

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook

Pages: 336

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

Do you believe in impossible things? Cutie Grackle does. She has to. Otherwise, she’ll never be more than a lonely 10 year old in a cursed family.

Cutie Grackle is used to being different—she lives alone on a mountain with her feeble-minded uncle, and when she’s not sucking pebbles to trick her stomach into feeling full, she’s chatting with a weathered garden gnome for company. But having a flock of ravens follow you is more than just different. Cutie worries the birds are connected to the curse Uncle Horace tends to mutter about. And she’s right.

The ravens present her with a fortune from a cookie, and when she touches it she’s pulled into a vision from her family’s past. It involves the curse and her long-lost mother. The birds offer up a series of objects, each imbued with memories that eventually reveal Cutie must do what her mother could not: break the curse.

Part outdoor survival adventure, part fantastical quest, Shawn K. Stout’s The Impossible Destiny of Cutie Grackle is a journey of hope, heart, and a willingness to believe in the impossible.

 

                                                         MY REVIEW

10-year old Cutie Grackle lives with her Uncle Horace on Smite Mountain.  Ever since she’s been little, Cutie’s been told that her family is under a curse, which took both of her parents away.  Cutie’s only friend is the lunch lady at school, Toot, who takes her to the food pantry twice a month.  When Toot has to go out of town unexpectedly, Cutie notices a flock of ravens following her.  When one of them gives her a fortune, Cutie experiences memories from the past that lead her to a way of breaking the curse.  

Cutie Grackle is a sweet girl who is both financially and food insecure.  Being left by herself most of the time, she’s very lonely, and often entertains herself by reading her Uncles book on Claude Monet or talks to a gnome yard figurine.  Cutie’s uncle is often absent, and when he’s around, is not very talkative.  For only being ten years old, Cutie has taken on most of the responsibilities of the house, she takes the groceries and separates them into a daily ration, making sure they’ll last for two weeks.  Even with all the difficulties surrounding her, Cutie is optimistic and brave.  Her story definitely resonated with me, I felt her loneliness and my heart broke when she had no food to eat and talked about sucking on a pebble to calm her hunger pains.  I really enjoyed the boy she met, Galen, and his enthusiasm and eagerness to help Cutie unravel the mystery of her families curse.  Overall a very enjoyable read of destiny, curses, memories and impossible things.    Favorite line:  “History is not your destiny.  Uncover your destiny, and you will remake history.”

About Shawn K. Stout:

Shawn K. Stout is the author of several books for young readers, including A Tiny Piece of Sky (Philomel/PRH), which was a Bank Street Best Book. Shawn holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She lives in Maryland with her family. Visit her at www.shawnkstout.com

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

 

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a finished copy of THE IMPOSSIBLE DESTINY OF CUTIE GRACKLE, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

7/4/2022	BookHounds YA	Excerpt/IG Post
7/4/2022	#BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog	Excerpt
7/5/2022	@just_another_mother_with_books	IG Review
7/5/2022	Kait Plus Books	Excerpt/IG Post
7/6/2022	Log Cabin Library	Review
7/6/2022	Yabookscentral	Excerpt/IG Post
7/7/2022	Midnightbooklover	IG Post
7/7/2022	GryffindorBookishNerd	Review/IG Post
7/8/2022	The Momma Spot	Review/IG Post
7/8/2022	Little Red Reads	Review/IG Post

Week Two:

7/11/2022	hodophile_z	IG Review
7/11/2022	travelersguidetobooks	IG Review
7/12/2022	Write. Read. Live.	Excerpt/IG Post
7/12/2022	@enjoyingbooksagain	Review/IG Post
7/13/2022	pluvioreads	Review/IG Post
7/13/2022	@pickagoodbook	Review/IG Post
7/14/2022	Locks, Hooks and Books	Review/IG Post
7/14/2022	One More Exclamation	Review/IG Post
7/15/2022	Nerdophiles	Review/
7/15/2022	celiamcmahonreads on insta	Review/IG Post

NEXT DOOR TO HAPPY by Allison Weiser Strout Blog Tour Excerpt + Giveaway

Today I’m so thrilled to be hosting a spotlight spot on the NEXT DOOR TO HAPPY by Allison Weiser Strout Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Make sure to enter the giveaway!

 

About The Book:

Title: NEXT DOOR TO HAPPY

Author: Allison Weiser Strout

Pub. Date: June 12, 2022

Publisher: Margaret Ferguson Books

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Pages: 192

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

Twelve-year-old Violet Crane is an only child in a lonely household who longs to be part of the gregarious family that's just moved in next door.

With a mother struggling with anxiety, a father who recently moved out, and no siblings to commiserate with, socially awkward Violet Crane feels like she is starting middle school with less going for herself than that of your average kid.

When the rambunctious Walker family moves in next door, Violet can't help but wish she could become a part of their household--everyone and everything seems so normal compared to her own.

After she meets them, Violet falls in love with all five Walker siblings and especially with Mrs. Walker, who is nothing like her own mother. Violet and Reggie, the black sheep of the Walker family, find that they have an easy understanding of each other, and it doesn't hurt that they are in the same grade at school.

But then Violet overhears a conversation between Reggie and his mother in which she tells him that she doesn't feel like Violet is an appropriate friend. Violet is devastated until she faces a truth--no person, family or friendship is perfect--and realizes just how lucky she is.

Next Door to Happy

By Allison Weiser Strout

 

Excerpt for Rockstar Book Tours

 

ONE

 

EVER since they moved in next door last week, I’ve sat on our front porch watching them. They’re out in their yard all day long—laughing and screaming and playing with each other— until their mother calls them in. So far as I can tell, they’re a real family. Which means they’re the opposite of mine. 

 

This morning the kids are in the yard again. There are five of them—two boys, three girls—and they have divided themselves into two uneven teams for relay races. The kids at the front of the lines crabwalk across the lawn and onto the driveway, where they each bounce a soccer ball once on one knee before hopscotching back across the grass to tag their teammate’s hand. A yellow dog stands on the lawn next to them, barking as they cheer one another on. 

 

Every minute I sit here, I want to be there even more. It’s been a long summer. I spent the first part as a counselor- in-training at my old day camp, and now my best friend, Katie Patterson, is at sleepaway camp. My heart is crazy with desire, which is just the kind of emotion that my dad tells me I should try to tone down.

It’s been almost a year since he moved out, and at first, I was pretty upset about his leaving, but there were some good things about it. For one, he bought me a phone so that I could call him regularly. Every Wednesday and Saturday I spent the night at his apartment, and we went out to eat at the diner. He would always get the day’s special like veal shank or stuffed cabbage, which kind of grossed me out, and I would get some pasta dish. After we ate, we would go back to his place. He let me sleep in the bedroom while he took the fold-out couch in the living room. 

 

But in June he got a job at a different company and started flying from New York to Atlanta every Monday and coming back on Friday, and now I only see him on Saturdays. 

 

Dad’s always telling me how he thinks I need to realize that life isn’t perfect. It makes me kind of angry because if anyone knows that life isn’t perfect, it’s me. Maybe he should be telling me instead to grab the chance to be really happy when I get it. 

 

 

Excerpt from Next Door to Happy / Text copyright © 2022 by Allison Weiser Strout. Reproduced by permission from Holiday House Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

 

About Allison Weiser Strout:

Allison Strout is a writing tutor for middle school and high school students. Next Door to Happy is her debut novel. She lives in New York City and Maine.

Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon

 

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a finished copy of NEXT DOOR TO HAPPY, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

7/4/2022	Log Cabin Library	Excerpt
7/4/2022	Two Chicks on Books	Excerpt
7/5/2022	Yabookscentral	Excerpt
7/5/2022	#BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog	Excerpt
7/6/2022	BookHounds YA	Excerpt/IG Post
7/6/2022	Little Red Reads	Review/IG Post
7/7/2022	Kait Plus Books	Excerpt/IG Post
7/7/2022	@jaimerockstarbooktours	IG Post
7/8/2022	Midnightbooklover	IG Post
7/8/2022	beersbooksandboos	Excerpt/IG Post/TikTok Post

Week Two:

7/11/2022	Nerdophiles	Review
7/11/2022	One More Exclamation	Review/IG Post
7/12/2022	Locks, Hooks and Books	Review
7/12/2022	Rajiv's Reviews	Review/IG Post
7/13/2022	GryffindorBookishNerd	Review/IG Post
7/13/2022	The Momma Spot	Review/IG Post
7/14/2022	@enjoyingbooksagain	Review/IG Post
7/14/2022	The Bookwyrm's Den	Review
7/15/2022	hodophile_z	IG Review
7/15/2022

J.R. Silver Writes Her World by Melissa Dassori, illustrations by Chelen Ecija

J.R. Silver Writes Her World by Melissa Dassori and illustrations by Chelen Ecija
Format:  E- ARC
Publisher:  Christy Ottaviano Books/Little Brown BYR
Number of pages:  272
Publishing:  July 19th, 2022
Source:  Edelweiss+ 

Opening Line: "That one, said Violet as she stepped so close to the railing that a blue-suited guard waved her back."

It's the summer before sixth grade and Josephine Rose Silver, J.R. for short, is visiting the MET or Metropolitain Museum of Art with her best friend, Violet.  Violet and J.R. are kindred spirits for the classics, sharing a love for Little Women and From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankweiler, they've even acted out scenes from the book while visiting the museum.   They know each other's likes and dislikes, and both their moms are even best friends who work together at the museum.  However, ever since Violet returned from summer camp things have been strained.  Violet has been constantly distracted by her phone, texting, social media, and Ava Arls, the most popular girl in their grade, who also happened to be at the same summer camp as Violet.   J.R.'s parents are stricter than Violet's, they haven't even agreed to let her walk home without parental supervision and said no to her getting a phone.  J.R. feels like her and Violet don't have as much in common anymore.  Then J.R.'s teacher, Ms. Kline takes out her collection of Gothamite magazines and assigns them a creative writing assignment utilizing the iconic covers as a writing prompt.  J.R. pours her heart and dreams into her short stories, and when one of them actually comes true, she's overjoyed but plays it off as just a coincidence, but the more she writes things into reality, the more she believes that she can use her writing assignments as a tool to fix her and Violet's relationship.  But like all magic it's important to remember to be careful what you wish for.          

J.R. Silver Writes Her World poses the question, what if you could write your dreams into reality with the stroke of a pen?  Man was this such a wonderful read, I just devoured it, and it's one of my favorite reads so far this year.  It included so many of my favorite things, a main character who wants to be a writer, bookstores, shout outs to other authors and books (Rick Riordan, Linda Sue Park and Jacqueline Woodson) and is also set in New York and parts of it take place at the Metropolitain Museum of Art (MET).  I so would've loved this book as a kid, not only for the creative writing assignments using magazine covers but also for the getting words out and onto the page.  I love that the author drew inspiration for the story from her own fourth grade teacher who used the New Yorker magazines for their creative writing assignments.  It was an especially special read for me because I also used magazine covers, Norman Rockwell's in my own speech therapy practice and it brought back some happy memories.

While reading, I so related to J.R.'s feelings and felt the story wonderfully captures the awkwardness of a friend having moved on, and the feeling of being left behind.  Which happened to me quite a few times as a kid.   The pains of watching Violet making new friends and not including you in her plans.  I so felt for J.R. and was happy that she eventually was able to convey her feelings to Violet.  Having those tough conversations are never easy, especially when it involves your friend, but the message here shows the importance of being honest and having that tough talk.  

 Anyone who knows me also knows that I love stories with wonderful teachers.  Teachers who inspire, find all the great qualities in their students, or ones that just support them achieve their dreams.  J.R.'s teacher, Ms. Kline was absolutely wonderful.  I'd agree she felt similar to Mary Poppin's, and I just adored her.  She never provides J.R. all the answers about her stories coming to reality, but gently guides her to improve her stories to get a better outcome.  I've always had a soft spot for teachers, and I'd put Ms. Kline up there with Ms. Bixby from John David Anderson's Ms. Bixby's Last Day.  Overall, this was a fabulous debut that focuses on language arts and captures the ebbs and flows of friendships.  I'd highly recommend this to an aspiring writer, and this would make a wonderful read aloud.            

Secret of the Shadow Beasts by Diane Magras

 Secret of the Shadow Beasts by Diane Magras
Format:  Hardcover
Publisher:  Dial Books
Number of pages:  336
Publishing:  June 14th, 2022
Source:  Books Forward and publisher in exchange for an honest review  

Opening Line:  "When the light is gone, the dark things come:  creeping from shadows, their cruel minds afire." 

Nora and her mother live in Brannland, a city besieged by terrifying beasts called Umbrae, who only appear during gloaming or at dusk.  The Umbrae can take on many forms, but mostly they appear as these shadowy spiders, wolves and worms.    One single bite from an Umbrae can kill an adult, but some children have developed an immunity to their venom.  Usually, children are tested at seven and those who are immune go to Noye's Hill, a castle made over into a training facility for the knights.  Despite being immune, Nora's father refused to allow her to be trained, but now he's gone.  At twelve years of age, after having narrowly escaped with her mother from an Umbrae attack, Nora decides it's time to be tested and see if she has the skills to join.  Once at the castle, Nora participates in a battle simulation and surprises everyone, including herself with her skills.  She not only has extraordinary talent, but has quick reflexes, can gauge her opponents next moves and with her quick speed, she can easily destroy almost any Umbrae she encounters.   Nora quickly settles in with her new team but is still homesick for her mother and best friend, Wilfred.  When their first two-week mission approaches, the tension among the group begins to mount and everyone will need to stay on high alert and protect each other's back.  While their mission is successful, other teams begin to have difficulties and when one of their outings exposes a potential source for the Umbrae, Nora and her team are sent out to not only fight but to hopefully destroy the cause of the problem.

I quite enjoyed the Secret of the Shadow Beasts.  Nora is a fun main character and I liked how the story emphasized some positives about her playing videogames, namely her quick reflexes and how playing the games developed her into this natural fighter.  She's quite agile and despite being so skilled, she's also quite humble.  She cares about her fellow team, as they too grow to care about her.  The teamwork is one of my favorite aspects of the story.  How they each cared and supported each other, there was a sense of vulnerability and love amongst the group, a family bond and deep sense of trust.  How they would hug and encourage each other, such a wonderful caring group.  The pacing of the story was also so spot on, there's plenty of battles against the Umbrae and quiet moments in-between to reflect and train.  And the monsters of the story, well with them coming out at dusk, it really added a creepy vibe that I especially liked.  Overall, this was a fun adventure and had a good resolution, although I'm hoping there will be more stories featuring Nora in the future.  This will certainly appeal to fans of Magras' The Mad Wolf's Daughter and the sequel, The Hunt For The Mad Wolf's Daughter.  Or perhaps even as a companion read to Lockwood and Company.  

WE ARE THE SONG by Catherine Bakewell Blog Tour +Review and Giveaway

Today I'm excited to be hosting a spot on the WE ARE THE SONG by Catherine Bakewell Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

 

About The Book:

Title: WE ARE THE SONG
Author: Catherine Bakewell
Pub. Date: May 3, 2022
Publisher: Holiday House
Formats: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook
Pages: 304

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

A lush and beautiful fantasy set in a world where music is magic and the fate of many thrones lies with one girl...

Twelve-year-old Elissa has been raised in seclusion as a devotee of the Mother Goddess. She is a special child, a blessed child, a child who can sing miracles into being. Her voice can heal wounds, halt landslides, cure hunger--and even end wars.

But there are those who would use her gift for darker things. And when Elissa finds herself the farthest from home she's ever been--along with her vain and jealous music tutor, Lucio--she will have to develop the judgment to decide who wants to use her song to heal... and who wants to use her song to hurt.

Reviews:

"Elissa’s desire to follow her divinely inspired abilities and overcome the barriers to her musical ambitions echo women’s historical experiences in classical music. . . . And constellations of race, sexuality, and gender expression lend richness to an already unique world."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
 
"This fast-paced fantasy is full of action and intrigue, taking place in a war-torn world that still holds much beauty and magic. Readers will come to love Elissa, who struggles with doubts as she faces heartbreak, tragedy, and loneliness and tries to fight for what is right. An excellent addition to middle-grade fantasy collections."—Booklist


"Fantasy fans will queue up for this delightful novel with its strong female characters and carefully drawn fantasy world. . . . Fast packed action will keep readers totally engaged. This captivating novel promises a good future for this first-time author."—School Library Connection

"An exploration of devotion and finding one’s voice."—Kirkus Reviews

My thoughts:  

One of the first things that struck me about We Are the Song was how it reflects the authors love for music, nature, the arts and language.  There's a very lyrical quality to her writing and I especially enjoyed the imagery it creates.  Like this passage, "my voice hopped like a stone skipping across water..."  Music is central to the story, we see it in the names of the cities (Acuto, Basso and Cadenza), the way the story was written into four movements, how musical terminology is infused into the story (trill, crescendo and vibrato) and how music is what creates the magic that allows Elissa to sing blessings that heal, stave off hunger, and even give comfort.

Elissa is such a wonderful character, she begins the story as this quiet girl, following the plan that was set to her by the Goddess Caé, realizing that her gift is to be a singer, not a scholar or composer.  Then Elissa becomes like this flower gradually exploding into bloom as she gains her voice.  She begins to question the people who are in power and asking her to perform for their own purposes, wanting to use the power of her songs to defeat their enemies.  Even trying to tell her that it isn't her place to decide whether to sing or stay silent, that they know Goddess Caé's wishes better than she does.  I so enjoyed that Elissa learns that the only voice she really needed to listen to was her own. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this story.  How it touches on religion, spirituality, how if something doesn't set right with you, it's ok to question it.  Although this wasn't a high stakes adventure as I expected it to be at first, the musical/lyrical writing made this a delight.     

About Catherine Bakewell:

Catherine Bakewell is a writer, artist, and opera enthusiast. She has lived in Spain and in France, where she romped through gardens, ate pastries, and worked on her novels. We Are the Song is her debut.

Sign up for Catherine’s newsletter!

Website | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon

 

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a finished copy of WE ARE THE SONG, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week Two:

5/9/2022	@the.page.sage	TikTok Review/IG Post
5/9/2022	The Momma Spot	Review/IG Post
5/10/2022	Lifestyle of Me	Review
5/10/2022	onemused	Review
5/11/2022	More Books Please blog	Review/IG Post
5/11/2022	Log Cabin Library	Review
5/12/2022	Eli to the nth	Review/IG Post
5/12/2022	Momfluenster	Review/IG Post
5/13/2022	@enjoyingbooksagain	Review
5/13/2022	The Bookwyrm's Den	Review