Monday, March 18, 2024

Virtual Book Tour Night Buddies and Evil School Bus #264

 

Night Buddies and Evil School Bus #264: Book Giveaway

ABOUT THE BOOK

Night Buddies and Evil School Bus #264

Written by Sands Hetherington

Illustrated by Natalie Leininger

Ages 7+ | 156 Pages

Publisher: Dune Buggy Press | ISBN-13: 9780984741762

Publisher’s Book Summary: The iguanas are back to their stinky shenanigans. They’ve fitted out the flying school bus for real mischief and are marauding all over the Borough. They’ve really got it in for John and Crosley, who must sniff out their evildoings before it’s too late! Will they succeed? Join the Night Buddies in their racing blimp for this exciting new adventure!

PURCHASE LINK


Amazon

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Bookshop.org


MY REVIEW


Night Buddies is a humorous action adventure series that features the main characters John Degraffenreidt, a human boy, and his friend Crosley, a bright red crocodile. When John has a sleepless night Crosley comes to get him and they have a Program (their word for an adventure). This fourth book of the series begins with John's mother angry at him because she comes in to wake him up for school and finds him covered in green spray paint. She will not listen to his explanations and thinks he is making up excuses.


The next time Crosley appears the two are off again to stop those nasty iguanas who caused all the trouble with the paint (and other mean tricks). With the help of Crosley's brother Crenwinkle and their other friends, the duo has to stop the iguanas from getting rid of all the pineapple cheesecakes in the world. "This means war, guys." The Night Buddies in their custom racing blimp take on the iguanas in their flying school bus, which is powered by evil thoughts. Yikes!


Crosley has a variety of cool gadgets that James Bond would envy - a time dilator that allows them to freeze John’s parents so they won’t realize he has been out of the house, and “I-ain’t-here doodad” that acts like a cloaking device, and there is even an amazing treat machine in the blimp for when they need a little energy. Along with all the silliness and zany antics, the story is also full of great vocabulary. Readers will encounter words such as: excelsior, epiphany, mnemonic, malefactors, villainous, and gormandize. Not bad, right?

This is a good series for kids who enjoy reading the InvestiGators, Dog Man, and other funny action stories. The pace is just right and the color illustrations scattered throughout help to bring the scenes to life.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Sands Hetherington, creator of the Night Buddies series of chapter books, credits his son John for being his principal motivator. Sands and young John developed the Crosley crocodile character in the series during months of bedtime story give-and-take. They collaborated many nights on escapades starring John and Crosley until, eventually, it occurred to Sands why it was that Crosley was bright red. That was when the first book came together.

Sands majored in history at the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill) and has an M.F.A. in creative writing and an M.A. in English from UNC-Greensboro. He lives in Greensboro, North Carolina.

For more information, visit www.nightbuddiesadventures.com/

https://twitter.com/Night_Buddies

https://www.pinterest.com/nightbuddies2/

https://www.facebook.com/NightBuddies

https://www.facebook.com/NightBuddies

https://www.instagram.com/nightbuddiesadventure/

https://www.tiktok.com/@nightbuddiesbookseries%20

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR


Natalie Leininger, illustrator of the 4th title in the Night Buddies series, grew up in New Jersey and has been drawing ever since she was young. She now lives in Nebraska and attends the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, studying the fine arts. She is in her third year at the university, primarily practicing oil painting, but spends time outside of the classroom working on a variety of projects. She has always enjoyed being with children, which made illustrating and working on Night Buddies such an enjoyable project!

Natalie strives to capture our world in bloom. Whether it be through the literal sense of a blooming flower or the simple act of sketching a character’s smile spreading across their face, her art is a place for all to engage in their own way.

TOUR SCHEDULE

Monday, March 4, 2024

The Children’s Book Review

Book Review of Night Buddies and Evil School Bus #264

Tuesday, March 5, 2024

A Blue Box Full of Books

Book Review of Night Buddies and Evil School Bus #264

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

The Momma Spot

Book Review of Night Buddies and Evil School Bus #264

Thursday, March 7, 2024

Country Mamas with Kids

Book Review of Night Buddies and Evil School Bus #264

Friday, March 8, 2024

One More Exclamation

Book Review of Night Buddies and Evil School Bus #264

Sunday, March 10, 2024

It’s Free At Last

Book Review of Night Buddies and Evil School Bus #264

Monday, March 11, 2024

Life Is What It’s Called

An Interview with Sands Hetherington

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

icefairy’s Treasure Chest

Book Review of Night Buddies and Evil School Bus #264

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Book Zone Reviews

An Interview with Sands Hetherington

Thursday, March 14, 2024

Eye-Rolling Demigod’s Book Blog

Book Spotlight of Night Buddies and Evil School Bus #264

Friday, March 15, 2024

Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers

An article by Author Sands Hetherington

Sunday, March 17, 2024

Barbara Ann Mojica

Book Review of Night Buddies and Evil School Bus #264

Monday, March 18, 2024

Cover Lover Book Review

An Interview with Sands Hetherington

Tuesday, March 19, 2024

The Fairview Review

Book Review of Night Buddies and Evil School Bus #264

Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Because I Said So

Book Review of Night Buddies and Evil School Bus #264

Thursday, March 21, 2024

Deliciously Savvy

Book Review of Night Buddies and Evil School Bus #264

Monday, March 25, 2024

Froggy Read Teach

Book Review of Night Buddies and Evil School Bus #264


This post is sponsored by Sands Hetherington. The review and opinions expressed in this post are based on my personal view.

Sunday, March 17, 2024

Winter Reading 2024 Tee Time on the Moon: How Astronaut Alan Shepard Played Lunar Golf


David A. Kelly may be known to most young readers as the author of the popular Ball Park Mysteries series, but he also writes an enjoyable nonfiction book. His story of Alan Shepard golfing on the moon is sure to tickle youngsters as they read about smuggling the head of a golf club onto the Apollo 14 mission. Then they will try to imagine teeing off when the bulky space suit kept him from moving as he would have on a golf course back on Earth. But just how far could that ball have traveled in the moon's lower gravity? Kelly answers that question, describing the work of British photographer Andy Saunders and how he used modern technology to examine old photos from the mission and measure the distance. Whether or not he set distance records for his golf shots, Shepard was the first to play a sport on the moon, so that is a record all its own.

Illustrations by Ed Fotheringham (you may remember his work on books such as What To Do About Alice? or Those Rebels, John & Tom) help young readers visualize what that game of moon golf was like and encourage them to ponder things like the difference between the Earth and moon.


Back matter includes an overview of the Apollo program including the dates, crew members, and mission goals for each of the crewed missions. There are also photos of the Apollo 14 crew, Shepard planting an American flag on the moon, and the location of the famous golf shots. A profile of Shepard, an explanation of some of the experiments conducted by the Apollo 14 crew, the current location of the golf club, and how moon rocks and other data from the Apollo missions are still helping scientists are also included. And for those who want to know even more, a bibliography is provided as well as the URL for the Apollo 14 information on the NASA website.

A fun addition to collections in libraries and classrooms, or a great gift for a young space enthusiast.

Winter Reading 2024 Not Your China Doll: The Wild and Shimmering Life of Anna May Wong

 


When I mentioned to friends and coworkers that I was reading a biography of Anna May Wong, the reaction was always, "Who?" It is discouraging that a woman who was an international star, fashion icon, and philanthropist, someone who made over 60 films - is now unknown to so many. Salisbury's book covers Wong's entire life, up to her tragic death of a heart attack at age 56. Her career is covered in detail from her start as an extra in silent films up to the age of modern motion pictures, radio, and television. 

The liberal inclusion of quotes from interviews, letters, and similar sources brings Wong's personality to life, as do the photos from throughout her life. Readers can see her as a slave girl in "The Thief of Baghdad" with Douglas Fairbanks or posing with Marlene Dietrich at the Reimann Art School Ball in 1930. Her time in Hollywood, making films in Europe, performing in England, and back to the U.S. are all recounted in incredible detail.

As we have seen in even recent years with #oscarssowhite, Hollywood has always had trouble with representation and inclusion. One of Wong's many disappointments described in the book was being passed over for the lead role in Pearl Buck's "The Good Earth," just as in so many other movies where she was offered a secondary role so that a white actress could perform in yellow face. It is almost heartbreaking when Salisbury compares her career to that of Michelle Yeoh and how it took "nearly four decades in the industry" before Yeoh finally set "eyes on a script that called on her to demonstrate her full range as an actress." In 2023 Yeoh "became the first Asian woman to win an Oscar for best actress." 

Anna May once said, "Some day some one will write a story demanding a real Chinese girl - then perhaps I will have my chance." She never got that chance, but her legacy lives on. To find out all about her and how she helped to pave the way for Michelle Yeoh, Margaret Cho, Awkwafina, Lucy Liu, and so many others...read this amazing biography. And if it sends you on a search for more information, there are pages of bibliography and chapter notes to help you find sources that may hold the answers.

I read an advanced copy - but the book came out March 12, so grab a copy and dive into Hollywood history that not many know.

Winter Reading 2024 How to Solve Your Own Murder


Great-aunt Frances received a frightening prediction at the fortune teller's booth back in 1965 when she and her friends were at the fair. "Your future contains dry bones. Your slow demise begins right when you hold the queen in the palm of one hand. Beware the bird, for it will betray you. And from that, there's no coming back. But daughters are the key to justice, find the right one and keep her close. All signs point to your murder." Right, then. Anyone for a spot of tiffin?

Determined to outwit fortune, or at least make sure justice is served if it comes true, Frances spends the rest of her life compiling files on everyone she knows, recording secrets and indiscretions. The entire village knows about her obsession and there must be many who resent the carefully maintained dossiers on all their actions. Frances has no daughter of her own, so she names her niece Laura as heir to the estate, then changes her will and lists her great-niece Annie as heir without an explanation. 

As Annie's friend Jenny comments, "an estranged aunt in a sleepy countryside village? A mysterious inheritance? Annie, your life is turning into a novel." And that is the story we are presented with - Annie arrives at her great-aunt's house to learn she has indeed been murdered and the filing cabinets are full of names that may have had a motive for the deed. Can Annie survive long enough to figure out who the culprit is and claim her inheritance?

The blurb says this book is a good match for fans of "Knives Out" and The Thursday Murder Club. I think those are good recommendations. Annie and readers must deal with the twists and turns of relationships in a family over generations added to those in a small English village, other claimants who would like to be the heir, always looking over one shoulder for a possible murderer, all while trying to piece together clues from the past and the present. 

This book is intriguing and will pull you in as you follow one clue after another. Reaching the end is a relief after all the tension, but then you will be sad that it is over. A bright spot is that the book is listed as Castle Knoll Files #1, so now we just need to wait for the next mystery to present itself.

I read an advance copy, but the book comes out March 26 - so be ready to do some sleuthing.

Thursday, March 14, 2024

Winter Reading 2024 The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle


This collection of Sherlock Holmes stories is coming April 9 from Penguin's Little Clothbound Classics: "irresistible, mini editions of short stories, novellas and essays from the world's greatest writers, designed by the award-winning Coralie Bickford-Smith." It contains five of the most popular short stories featuring Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's detective: "A Scandal in Bohemia",  "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle", "The Adventure of the Speckled Band", "The Adventure of Silver Blaze", and "The Final Problem." 

The selection of these particular stories gives a range of the detective's abilities. "A Scandal in Bohemia" shows him using disguises, smoke bombs, and other ruses to discover the hidden location of an incriminating photograph. "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle" offers a look at how Holmes takes cases which interest him, not worrying about whether they will make him rich and famous, and also the notion that he sometimes makes his own decisions about justice and does not always involve the police. "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" is a great locked room mystery that he has solved before he even confronts the speckled band itself. "The Adventure of Silver Blaze" gives us the classic line about  "the curious incident of the dog in the night-time" and how a lack of something may also be a clue. And, of course, "The Final Problem" takes us to the confrontation with Moriarty at Reichenbach Falls.

This is not meant to be a complete collection of everything Sherlock, instead it gives us a range of cases and an illustration of his methods. For those who want a small set of gems from among the jewels of all the adventures, this is just the right size.

Winter Reading 2024 NetGalley Reading Journal

 
I have been familiarizing myself with the NetGalley Reading Journal for the past few weeks. I use several methods to track my reading: a bullet journal, Goodreads, a large sketchbook that I journal in and paste in thumbnail images of the book covers, and notes in several books of the "everything you need to read before you die" variety. But except for Goodreads, none of it is electronic.

The NetGalley journal can be downloaded or saved in an app like Goodnotes. Users can create a copy for each year and fill it in as they go.  There are tabs for each month. The cover page for each month has places to list stats such as your NetGalley feedback ratio, goals, number of books read, and number of books on your NetGalley shelf. The remaining pages offer a place to store all the information on a book, even your review and favorite quotes.

Other tabs include shelf, stickers, and activities. The shelf tab allows you to add a cover image of a book, the title, author, and illustrator, and there is a sticker download available from NetGalley to add your star rating. The stickers tab provides a place to upload and store stickers for easy access. And the activities tab even gives you pages to track reading challenges such as A-Z and categories, or play NetGalley Bingo.

For those who like to keep everything neat, tidy, and filed away - this could be the reading journal you have been waiting for. Even if you are accustomed to using a pen and paper journal it won't hurt to give this one a try and see if it suits you better. And there is no danger of leaving this journal behind and losing it, a definite plus.

Winter Reading 2024 A Good Wolf Is Hard to Find


Readers who have been waiting for the last Wolff sibling to have her own story can at last relax. Roxie Wolff discovers a man sinking facedown into the pool at the ski resort she and her brothers and sisters own. She rescues him and finds out he is a trained agent with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service on a mission. Agents chasing down poachers and other bad guys need some backup every now and then, and the wolves of Silver Town are ready to assist. If you thought that working for Fish & Wildlife was all about checking to see if hunting and fishing licenses were in order, just wait until you see what Dylan and his helpers deal with on this case. 

Special Agent Dylan Powers is tough enough to track criminals through the wilderness, but also nurturing enough to help with an orphaned teen. Although she has dated other wolves in town, Roxie feels an attraction to Dylan because of his rugged good looks, his personality, and his dedication to protecting wildlife. Between snow storms, a mysterious man setting leg traps illegally around the area, poachers going after elk and wolves, a murder, the attempted murder of Dylan (after all, he wasn't in that pool unconscious for no reason), the runaway teen, and the daily demands of their jobs it seems like Roxie and Dylan will never have the time to see if they are right for each other. 

Like all the shifter romances by Terry Spear this one includes plenty of action, suspense, and chemistry. Fans will also get to catch up on some of their other favorite characters - Roxie's siblings and their mates, their adorable pets Rosco and Princess Buttercup, other residents of Silver Town, and the staff at the resort. The recurring characters and setting make readers feel that they are a part of the Silver pack. For the stories about Roxie's siblings check out You Had Me at Wolf, Jingle Bell Wolf, and Wolf on the Wild Side.