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Jodi Thomas,
Sharla Lovelace, and Scarlett Dunn


PRAISE FOR THE COWBOY WHO SAVED CHRISTMAS:
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Book Title: Divided Fire
Author: Jennifer San Filippo
Publisher: Clarion Books
Release Date: November 10, 2020
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52494616-divided-fire
Book Purchase link: https://www.hmhbooks.com/shop/books/Divided-Fire/9780358330844
Description:
In a rich fantasy world where Songs literally move heaven and earth, one sister must use magic and the other must rely on strength to reunite when pirates, greed, and war tear them away from each other.
Miren has never allowed jealousy of her sister’s magic keep her from taking care of Kesia, and Kesia has always depended on her big sister. When Kesia is kidnapped, Miren will do anything to get her back—even team up with her sister’s aristocratic and seemingly ineffectual boyfriend. Neither sister had ever left their small fishing village before, and now they are plunged into the wider world, minor players in a war between nations. Each sister faces external and internal perils, and each finds surprising allies and unexpected strengths. How will the two find each other again? And what will become of them if they don’t succeed?
Author Bio:
Jennifer San Fillippo is a freelance copy editor who holds an MFA in Creative Writing from San Jose State University. She enjoys cycling, music, and drawing. She lives in California with her family and a small army of pets.
Deleted Scene from Divided Fire:
Click this link to Download the Deleted Scene!
Mood Board:
Author Links:
https://www.facebook.com/jennifersanflip/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19258786.Jennifer_San_Filippo
Giveaway Details
The publisher is giving away five (5) finished copies of Divided Fire by Jennifer San Filippo. USA only.
a Rafflecopter giveaway https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.jsStart date: Monday, November 9, 2020
End date: Monday, November 16 at 12:00 a.m. CDT
If I close my eyes, I can remember being a 3rd grader in the middle of our school library, surrounded by brand new books at the book fair. I can remember how they smelled, the shiny new covers, and the promise of a new poster to hang in my bedroom. Likely, the same type of memories have been made by children all over the United States for the last 30 or so years. But, in the midst of a pandemic, librarians are struggling to bring that experience to their students and still make out with a budget for their library. I was struggling with the options I had in front of me in August for my fall book fair, so when Junior Library Guild announced that they were offering book fairs starting as early as October, I jumped at the chance to be a pilot school.
I have been a member of Junior Library Guild for going on 3 years now, and I have loved their services the entire time. I have sung their praises as much as I can to other school librarians who struggle with getting the right books into student hands each and every month. Normally, I pay for my subscriptions with the profits from the fall book fair, so it only made sense to jump on board with them and take the 40% JLG credit they were offering to libraries. Even better? They were shipping to home which meant I could share our shopping links with not only our school community, but with my own friends and family and my social media followers. Something I can never do with in-person school book fairs.
Junior Library Guild had an easy, user friendly set up that made it easy to select my goal, my favorite books, as well as let my teachers make wishlists. My website was set up within 30 minutes and all I had left to do was to advertise! I sent an email out about the book fair to our school community about a week before the fair, a reminder the Friday before it started and then every 2 days with new information during the fair. I gave updates on our goals along the way, recommended my favorite books, good $5 books, wish lists, books under $10, and student favorites in different emails. I added my book fair link to my instagram account and had a lot of activity from that with my followers. I stayed on top of advertising and it worked! I couldn’t have done it though without JLG checking in with me every step of the way and providing me with ways to be successful.
In the past, when I have had suggestions for better ways to run book fairs, the companies haven’t always been receptive to feedback. JLG took notes, asked me follow up questions, offered us a free shipping weekend, and then an extended weekend at the end of the fair. They WANT to set you up to be successful. On top of that, you know your students and families are getting quality hardback books (with the exception of some paperbacks which are labeled as such). The result? I get to keep the majority of my JLG subscription categories without any additional work, or waiting for funding to get moved into the library account! My students will have quality new releases all year long. I cannot wait to see the future of Junior Library Guild book fairs and how they will evolve over time.
*Note: This is MY opinion and I am in no way being compensated to write this post. I have had really good relationships with the JLG team and they did ask if I was willing to write about my book fair experience
Examples of some of the graphics I made using Canva during our fair to send to parents. Please do not copy or use these graphics as the book covers may no longer be relevant in the fairs. If you need any graphic work done you can email me erin@bibliophileprints.com and I can get you my pricing. JLG also has ready made use graphics!
Welcome to Superhero School! Join Oliver, Jess, and all their friends on a mission to destroy the power-hungry, evil villains of Vork. From subterranean sewers to lush jungle, from dinosaurs to dragons, our heroes will be pushed to their limits in ways they’d never imagined. Will their collective Powers—Flight, Morphing, Invisibility, Mind Reading, and more—be enough for them to overcome the malevolence of Vork? Or will they stumble over their own doubts and painful histories?
This action-packed journey of friendship, hardship, and humor will take our heroes to thrilling new heights and a deeper understanding of their own place in the world. But will that be enough—or will Vork always be one step ahead?
Add these songs to a Spotify Playlist or Youtube Playlist to listen to while reading Welcome to Superhero School:
Graceanne “Gracie” Dix is a high school author.
She has been writing since she could hold a pencil.
When Gracie isn’t writing, she can be found singing, creating art, in the theatre, volunteering, or playing tennis. She loves to travel and is a loyal friend. Gracie lives in Dallas, Texas with her parents, Richard and Jennifer, her brother, Nate, whenever he is home from college, and her beloved dogs, Snowball and Sandcastle “Sandy.”
Website | Goodreads |Instagram
INTL Tour-wide Giveaway!
Enter the rafflecopter below to win a copy of Welcome to Superhero School by Gracie Dix!
Rafflecopter link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/2aeeb25b75/?
Tour Schedule:
October 12
Book Briefs
October 13
#Bookish – A Librarian’s Literary Journey
October 14
Books, Tea, Healthy Me
October 15
Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers
October 16
Books and Bookends
October 17
Mermaid Reads
October 18
Krisha’s Cozy Corner
October 19
A Beauty & Her Books
October 20
Katherine Loves Books
October 21
Endless Pages
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I Am Ava is a short and sweet beginner Chapter Book that is both entertaining and informative. I spent 2 years of college working with the Aggie Service Dogs program that raises puppies, like Ava, to go and be service animals. Almost all of our service dogs went on to be companions to those with special needs. I knew there were other “jobs” for dogs, including search and rescue, but I didn’t know – and in Texas, never really thought about – that there are dogs specifically trained to help find people in the snow. Learning about Avalanche Search and Rescue dogs through the eyes of Ava was so fun!
Since this small chapter book is less than 100 pages, this will appeal to kids who both love reading, and those that are a little more hesitant. I love that this book is fiction through the eyes of a dog, because this will appeal to all the fiction loving kids, but at the same time this book is heavy on the information as well, which will appeal to the non-fiction loving kids. There is just a little something for everyone.
I gave this book a 4 out of 5 stars because I was intrigued enough to finish it in just one sitting! Something that doesn’t happen very often, even with the shortest of books. I would recommend this to my 2nd and 3rd graders who love animals, especially dog lovers, and anyone who loves to know more about dog workers and helpers!
9/17/20
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BONUS Post
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9/17/20
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Review Jax
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9/18/20
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Character Interview
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9/19/20
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Review Ava + BONUS Jax Review
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9/20/20
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Jax Scrapbook
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9/21/20
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Ava Scrapbook
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9/22/20
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Review Jax
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9/23/20
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Review Ava
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9/24/20
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Sneak Peek Jax
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9/25/20
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Review Jax
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9/26/20
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Review Ava
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Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this e-ARC
Scritch Scratch had me on the edge of my seat for the entirety of this story! I couldn’t put this down. I was asked to be on Lindsay’s street team for this novel and I have enjoyed getting to know her while helping her get the word out about this story. when I finally sat down to read it I couldn’t have been more impressed. Horror is not an easy genre to write for kids. You can’t make it too scary or it becomes too much, but you don’t want it to come off as too silly either. Kids like to be thrilled and scared sometimes! I know this will be recommended in my library to my students who love a good thrill!
The characters in Scritch Scratch are so relatable so I know students in grades 4-8 will be able to relate to them as well. There is a good blend of frightening scenes with realistic friendships, sibling relationships, and relationships with parents.
I would recommend this to fans of Goosebumps and Mary Downing Hahn books.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an E-Arc of this book.
Maurice and His Dictionary is a wonderful true story of a boy who worked around so many roadblocks to get his education. Maurice fled Europe during WWII and ended up in an internment camp where he couldn’t finish high school. He managed to get tutors from all over the camp and studied to get into a local school and take a test to finally get his diploma. He then pursued University in Canada at the age of 16.
I really liked the perseverance of Maurice and his family as well as the fact that this was a true story. I do wish the ending was a little more resolved so that it was just a bit longer and we could find out what happened to Maurice in the later years of his life. The author’s note provides a little of this and the real history behind this story, but it still doesn’t feel totally wrapped up like it should.
Would recommend to lovers of history, fans of graphic novels and students in grades 3-6.
I have two words: MOST NEEDED. This should be the book put into every single classroom curriculum this year from 4th through 8th grade. Seriously, the discussions that could be had because of this book would change the way we discuss race with our students completely.
Let me back up, Zoe Washington is the story of a girl who loves baking, her best friend, her parents, and writing letters with her two besties. Then she discovers a letter from her dad, her biological dad who has been in prison her entire life. When she hides the letter and writes back the discussion about race and wrongful imprisonment come to light and shine throughout this book which is a great conversation starter for younger kids and definitely should not be the end of that discussion with them. Thankfully Zoe has a happy ending but I won’t reveal what it is or how we got there.
Though the material presented in this book is heavy, the way it is presented is easily relatable and understandable for our middle grade kiddos. I am so glad I had an opportunity to read this book, and I know most readers will. I recommend this book to everyone, young and old, of all races, religions, etc. Everyone needs to know Zoe’s story because it is the story of thousands of Black girls throughout our country. Thank you Janae Marks for writing this story.
In the spirit of Percy Jackson, this epic fantasy adventure novel had me turning the pages as fast as I could! Emblem Island is a place of magic, but none like we have read about before. And when a young boy wishes for a future different that what he has been given, he ends up cursed along with his best friend, and a girl from his class. They must break the curse by finding the Night Witch.
What I found the most lovable about this trio is that they reminded me so much of Harry, Ron and Hermione from the Harry Potter franchise. Tor, born with the leadership emblem, is our fearless hero, his best friend, Engle, is the lovable side kick, and Melda, is witty, brave, and sometimes annoying, but overall a wonderful friend to have by Tor’s side. This type of trio is often found in epic fantasies and is one of my favorite parts of the structure of these types of middle grade literature.
The most frustrating part was the ending… WHAT A CLIFF HANGER! I cannot wait to see what happens in book 2! I highly recommend this to fans of Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, For readers ages 9- 14, and for anyone who needs a little magic and a little adventure in their lives.
WOW! This was a phenomenal story and a phenomenal audio book. In a dystopian world, women are born with magic and during their grace year, are banished from the community into the wilderness to burn it all off. It becomes clear the the main character, Tierney, that this is just a way to keep the women in control and to keep them oppressed, but when she tries to point the truth out to the other girls in her grace year, they turn on her.
Tierney is a wonderful and strong character in the likeness of other strong girls coming out of dystopian literature such as Katniss and Tris. She was relatable and likeable in many ways and imperfect in many ways. I was on the edge of my seat listening to this story, wondering what was going to happen to Tierney and the women in her community.
This is a YA book recommended to ages 14 and up. I definitely recommend it to women who like feminist works, anyone who enjoys dystopian fiction, and those who are fans of The Hunger Games, The Handmaid’s Tale, and Divergent.