Marvelous Middle Grade Monday-Eliot and the Goblin War by Jennifer A. Neilsen

To start us off to day, I am sharing the first sentence of Eliot and the Goblin War by Jennifer A. Neilsen (a fellow From the Mixed Up Files blogger!), illus. Gideon Kendell:  "As of today, there are only seven children who have ever read this book and lived to tell about it." Seriously, how could you not keep reading. And how fun is that to read out loud to whatever group or child you may be sharing with? Plus, you're a fan of Roddy Doyle's (Giggler Treatment) humour, I'm pretty sure you'll like this one. 

To wet your appetite a little more here is the description from Indie Bound that takes you beyond the first line:

WARNING

As of today, there are only 7 CHILDREN who have ever read this book and lived to tell about it. 95 CHILDREN successfully read the first chapter, but upon beginning chapter 2, they started BLABBERING in some language known only as "flibberish." 38 CHILDREN made it halfway through this wretched book before they began SUCKING THEIR THUMBS THROUGH THEIR NOSES.

If you're VERY BRAVE, perhaps you are willing to TAKE YOUR CHANCES. Be sure that you have told your family who gets your favorite toys if you DO NOT SURVIVE this book. Read it now, IF YOU DARE. But don't say you haven't been warned, for this is the story that unfolds the MYSTERIES OF THE UNDERWORLD.

In other words, be brave be very very brave. I am an adult. I survived. Barely. But-I will not tell you to not read this book. Why? Because it is too good not to! Besides, if you want to read the next in the series, I recommend reading the first. Will help justify booking yourself a bed at the St. Phobics Hospital. More about Eliot and the Pixie Plot from IndieBound:

An entire floor of St. Phobics Hospital for Really Scared Children has been set aside just for readers of this book. You may wish to take a minute before you start reading and reserve yourself a bed there.
As you read, you may begin to understand myctophobia (mic-tofo- be-a), or the fear of darkness. However, do not expect this book to help you with arachibutyrophobia (a-rak-i-something-be-a), the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth.
If you can't get yourself to St. Phobics, then get every lamp, flashlight, and lantern you can find and drag them into your bedroom. Turn them all on. You'll need them until you're certain there is nothing lurking in the dark. At least, that's what Elliot wishes he had done.


Wish me luck as I venture into book two. I shall return!


Check out more MMGM Marvelousness:


Shannon Whitney Messenger (a.k.a. Fearless Leader)-Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe
Jennifer Rumberger-Children's Author
Joanne Fritz-My Brain on Books
Danika Dinsmore-The Accidental NovelistShannon Whitney Messenger-Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe 
Shannon O'Donnell-Book Dreaming
Myrna Foster-The Night Writer
Natalie Aguirre-Literary Rambles
Brooke Favero-Somewhere in the Middle
Ally Beecher- Kid Lit Frenzy
Barbara Watson-Novel and Nouveau
Anita Laydon Miller-her middle grade blog
Michael G-G-Middle Grade Mafioso
Jessica Lei-her blog  
Pam Torres-So I'm Fifty
Akoss-Nye Louwon – My Spirit | a search for the writer in me
Gabrielle Prendergast-Angelhorn
Gina Carey

Oh MG/YA Canada Mini Reading Challenge-Sunday April 29- Sunday May 6, 2012

"Oh (MG-YA) Canada" Reading Challenge


GOAL-Read as many middle grade and young adult books by Canadian authors as possible from a Sunday to Sunday.


WHEN-Sunday April 29- Sunday May 6


HOW TO PARTICIPATE-Add your link to the end of this post to let me know you will be taking part.  Read what you can in an 8 day time period. A book a day, every other day, or it might only be one or two. It is up to you. 


GIVEAWAYS- participating gets you one entry into the prize packs being offered, so far I will be doing Janet Gurtler, Judith Graves and Courtney Summers.  Earn extra entries for comments on daily posts letting me know what you've been reading (one comment per post).  


In case you are wondering about some titles, authors, here are some possibles and a link to a round-up of great Canadian Reads I did a while ago:


Just Deb: Thankful (and recommending) my recent Canadian reads.

I will be blogging my Canadian author love throughout the months of February, March and April to help you grow a TBR pile for the read-a-thon.


You could take a wander through past interviews and features.

And some authors off the top of my head, there's many many, er, many more, of course:
Courtney Summers (will be doing a C/S prize pack)
Judith Graves (win both of her books)
Rachna Gilmore
Margaret Buffie
Janet Gurtler (have two of her books to giveaway)
Kenneth Oppel
Arthur Slade (anything by him, frankly)
Lena Coakley
Tim Wynne Jones
Lesley Livingston
Helene Boudreau
Kit Pearson (great historical fiction)
Eileen Cook (so excited to read her latest book!)
Shane Peacock (can you say a Sherlock Holmes as a boy?)
Joelle Anthony
Cheryl Reinfield
R.J Anderson
Erin Bow
Danika Dinsmore

AND-here is a list of more resources for you to browse through (when you're not reading, that is!)

Canadian Bookshelf

Canadian Children's Book Centre

Canadian Children's Book Week

CANSCAIP

• Children's Writers & Illustrators of British Columbia
• CM Magazine-Canadian Review of Materials
• National Library of Canada-Children's Literature Services
• Quill and Quire
• SCBWI-Canada
• Young Alberta Book Society (YABS)

SIGN UP:

Shannon Messenger Cover Reveal for Keeper of the Lost Cities.

It is made of awesome! Do head over and let her know what you think @ Shannon Messenger. It has been beyond cool following along on her journey. CONGRATS Shannon!

Marvelous Middle Grade Read-a-thon-Final Round Up, Winners & the next read-a-thon

I'm so grateful for everyone who stopped by to share what they were reading and am so looking forward to carrying on our dialogue in the months to come. Now, just in case the time flies by on us and we get busy with out other blogging and reading adventures, I've picked the dates for our next Marvelous Middle Grade Read-thon. This time it will run from a Sunday to a Sunday.

NEXT Marvelous Middle Grade Read-a-thon : Sunday, June 3-Sunday, June 10. Hope to see some of you again and say, bring freinds, your kids, their friends!


BUT (gads, am I sounding like an infomercial?) I am not waiting until then to host another read-a-thon. 


Next up is one for OH (MG/YA) Canada. Here's the deets so far:

"Oh (MG-YA) Canada" Read-a-thon

GOAL-Read as many middle grade and young adult books by Canadian Authors as possible from a Sunday to Sunday.

WHEN-Sunday March 4, 2012-Sunday March 11, 2012

HOW TO PARTICIPATE-I will be create a separate post with a Mr. Linky to sign up with. Read what you can in an 8 day time period. A book a day, every other day, or it might only be one or two. It is up to you. 

GIVEAWAYS and "RULES"- participating gets you one entry into the prize packs (TBA) being offered. Extra entries for sharing what you're reading either by commenting on my daily posts or writing your own post. If you read three or more MG or YA books from Canadian Authors, that will get you another entry. If there is anything that is unclear please email me justdeb AT debamarshall DOT com


Alright, time for the final round up for our Marvelous Middle Grade read-a-thon.


Charlotte of Charlotte's Library did a round up of her reads for the week:


Charlotte's Library: Middle grade read-a-thon wrap up

I did mine yesterday and am still in fact finishing up three books, including Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu, which is going to be one of my favorite reads of this marathon.

If you've loved doing this and don't want to leave Middle Grade too far behind, do check out Marvelous Middle Grade Mondays that Shannon Whitney Messenger started. Each Monday we talk about favorite middle grade reads, do interviews, share brand new books, look back at the classics.

Seeeoooooo....I should probably announce the winners of the giveaways? Have them all done--well, after having Charlotte win on of the books she was donating for the giveaways....yep.

Here.

We.

Go.



1. ARC-13 Gifts by Wendy Mass, The Whole Truth by Kit Pearson, Wildwood by Colin Meloy


ERICA from the Book Cellar The Book Cellar: Marvelous Middle Grade Read-a-thon


2. The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann, Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes, ARC of Liesl and Po by Lauren Oliver


Shannon Ms. Houghton's Class 


3. Signed copy of Latasha and the Little Red Tornado by Michael A. Scotto


Akoss Nye Louwon – My Spirit | a search for the writer in me


4. Signed copy of Latasha and the Little Red Tornado by Michael A. Scotto


 Charlotte of Charlotte's Library

5. e-copy of  Fright Flight by Lisa Ard


Eric of Book Man

6. e-copy of  Fright Flight by Lisa Ard


Angelhorn


7. The Book of Wonders by Jasmine Richards 

The Haunting of Orchid Forsythia


8. Fairy Lies by E.D. Baker.

The Space Between


9.THE FOURTH STALL and THE FOURTH STALL PART 2-by Chris Rylander Goes to:


Heidi Geo Librarian: Marvelous Middle Grade Readathon


10. HERO'S GUIDE TO SAVING YOUR KINGDOM by Christopher Healy goes to


Teril and her kids SNARKY MAMMA: Middle Grade Read-athon 


Congrats everyone! I will be emailing as well so I can get your snail mails.


Until next time...Happy Reading!

Middle Grade Read-a-thon Final Day and It's ooover!

Good Monday morning all! Thanks so much for taking part. Later today I will be back with the final round-up of all the books we read and announcements of the winners of the giveaway! I am reposting my reads from yesterday (basically the whole post). Did me a little sleeping in this morning. Have a great day and see you all this evening! Oh, one more thing....it is MMGM and Shannon W. Messenger is giving away a copy of Bread Crumbs by Anne Ursu. I am currently reading this beautifully told tale-I'd say get over to Shannon's and get thee entered in that giveaway!

                            The Fourth Stall by Chris Rylander
-has a real Stand by Me vibe to it
-Mac is one cool kid, readers will like him, alot.
-strong believable characters with adults way in the back ground (well, except for the fabulous playground scene when Mac and Vince were kindergartners). so. well. done.





Juniper Berry by M.P. Kozlowsky (started this one instead of Billionaire's Curse which is on my ipad, my eyes needed a computer break)

-LOVE
-would say good for fans of Series of Unfortunate Events, Coraline, Spiderwick Chronicles. I'd hand this to someone who is also a fan of The Grimm Sisters



Blizzard of Glass by Sally M. Walker 
This came highly recommended from a co-presenter at a reader-writer con, fortunate enough to snag the ARC from her, after patiently waiting and desperately hoping no one else took the second copy!  From the author's website: This riveting, true story of a collision of two ships in Halifax Harbour in 1917 will appeal to readers on many levels. First, it is a gripping tale of a collision that resulted in damage not only to the ships, but then to the town as an explosion erupted from the munitions carried on one of the ships, followed by a tsunami, and massive fires and flooding. As the townspeople attempted to recover, a snowstorm and huge drifts further complicated the terrific damage. Secondly, it is a glimpse into the life and culture of the period. We learn about the daily life including the schools, homes, and telegraph station, as well as Canada's efforts to support England in World War I. And finally, we see the disaster unfold from five very personal viewpoints. - Leigh Geiger, Ph.D You can also check out the Kirkus Review here.


Still working on finishing these ones (included my so far thoughts), but won't be done before midnight.

LOVE-would pair this with Rick Riordin's Books, Cinda Chima Dragon's Heir and the other two in the series my brain is too tired to think of. King Arthur retold, reinvented and oh so well.

First off, love his writing style! So many spots I wanted to stop reading so I could say to the hubs...oh! listen to this. And, it's funny, relatable, fast paced. I'd be booktalking this one along with The Invisible Tower and words like "So, who likes Percy Jackson, 39 Clues" 

what beautiful storytelling

MMGM-A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park

As I was reading for the Marvelous Middle Grade Read-a-thon, I felt like I was back in "the day" when I would prepare for a series of school visits. I would always want to go in with new book talks and be reading the books I knew kids were, so we could connect and talk after the visit. (And of course a good way to build trust I found, I could more easily recommend other titles based on what they told me they liked about their favorites.


One of my all time favorite reads and book talks was for Linda Sue Park's A Single Shard.From Indiebound:Tree-ear is fascinated by the celedon ware created in the village of Ch’ulp’o. He is determined to prove himself to the master potter, Min—even if it means making a solitary journey to present Min’s work in the hope of a royal commission . . . or arriving at the royal court with nothing but a single celadon shard. A beautifully told tale about a boy's journey and determination to become a master potter. Kids know what it is like to want something as badly as Tree-ear does and they want him to succeed as much as he does. It's a tale of adventure and survival, too, a story of of the underdog the hero.

Speaking of journey's! As you travel cyberspace today do check out the MMGM crew along the way.


Shannon Whitney Messenger (a.k.a. Fearless Leader)-Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe
Jennifer Rumberger-Children's Author
Joanne Fritz-My Brain on Books
Danika Dinsmore-The Accidental NovelistShannon Whitney Messenger-Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe 
Shannon O'Donnell-Book Dreaming
Myrna Foster-The Night Writer
Sherrie Petersen- Write About Now 
Natalie Aguirre-Literary Rambles
Brooke Favero-Somewhere in the Middle
Ally Beecher- Kid Lit Frenzy
Barbara Watson-Novel and Nouveau
Anita Laydon Miller-her middle grade blog
Michael G-G-Middle Grade Mafioso
Jessica Lei-her blog  
Pam Torres-So I'm Fifty
Akoss-Nye Louwon – My Spirit | a search for the writer in me
Gabrielle Prendergast-Angelhorn
GINA CAREY

Marvelous Middle Grade Read-a-thon-Final Day and a Round Up!

Wow.

We are the last day of the read-a-thon.

A quick up-date from me then will be back with more later. I am now reading FOURTH STALL by Chris Rylander. By the time I hit page 20 I was off and running with a wow-yet another book can't wait to share with kids. I am thinking fans of Gordon Korman (ie School, Toilet Paper Tigers) and Andrew Clements (any of his) in particular. And, thought you all might like to check out the Great Kid Books blog. You know, just incase you are looking for more middle grade to read and share!

Great Kid Books: ages 8-12

And, must not forget Charlotte's Sunday Fantasy and SFF round-up!

Charlotte's Library

Following is our read-a-thon round up: