A Dream Within A Dream: Samantha Spinner Series Blog Tour: Exerpt + Giveaway

SAMANTHA SPINNER AND THE SUPER SECRET PLANS (Samantha Spinner #1)

Author: Russell Ginns

Release Date: February 27, 2018

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, audiobook, eBook

Pages: 256

Goodreads, Amazon, Audible, B&N, iBooks, TBD

Get ready for round-the-world adventure with Sam Spinner and her brother Nipper in the first book in a new hilarious, puzzle-packed series filled with super-secret messages! Perfect for fans of Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library and classics like Holes.

Samantha Spinner's uncle Paul disappeared, and here's what he left:

* Samantha's sister got a check for $2,400,000,000.

* Samantha's brother got the New York Yankees.

* And Samantha got a rusty red umbrella with a tag hanging off its worn handle. The tag says "Watch out for the RAIN."

Thanks a lot, Uncle Paul.

After all the strawberry waffles, stories, and puzzles they've shared, how could he just leave without saying goodbye? And what is the meaning of that mysterious message?

The answer is simple. Sam knows in her heart that Uncle Paul is in danger. And if he taught her anything, it's that not everything is exactly what it seems. Which is why we should pay close attention to that rusty red umbrella, and never trust a monkey at a hula-hoop contest.

The RAIN is coming and Samantha Spinner is about to find herself mixed up in some super-important, super-dangerous, super-secret plans.

Praise for Samantha Spinner and the Super Secret Plans:

"A winning mix of fast-paced action, fascinating facts, bathroom humor, and hidden puzzles...[that is] sure to please action-loving middle-grade readers." --Kirkus Reviews

"Full of adventure and survival,...[and with] characters [that] are likable, realistic, and well rounded...[Samantha Spinner and the Super Secret Plans is] great for [readers of] series like The 39 Clues." --School Library Journal

SAMANTHA SPINNER AND THE SPECTACULAR SPECS (Samantha Spinner #2)

Author: Russell Ginns

Release Date: March 12, 2019

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Formats: Hardcover, audiobook, eBook

Pages: 416

Goodreads, Amazon, Audible, B&N, iBooks, TBD

Get ready for more round-the-world adventure with Samantha Spinner and her brother, Nipper, in the second book in this hilarious, puzzle-packed series filled with super-secret messages! Perfect for fans of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library and classics like Holes.

When Samantha Spinner's uncle Paul disappeared, he left presents for his nieces and nephew. Samantha's sister, Buffy, got $2,400,000,000. Her brother, Nipper, got the New York Yankees. Samantha got . . . a rusty old umbrella.

Wow! So unfair, Uncle Paul.

Well, it seemed unfair--until Samantha discovered that the old umbrella holds the plans for a super-secret network of transit systems that covers the globe. It's the ticket to danger and adventure beyond anyone's wildest dreams.

But Uncle Paul is still missing. And Samantha just received a new gift from him: a pair of strange purple sunglasses. Are they another powerful present? A clue to his whereabouts? Or just a bad fashion choice? Samantha and Nipper need to figure it out fast, because . . . here comes the SUN!

Praise for Samantha Spinner and the Super Secret Plans, Book 1 in the Samantha Spinner series: 

"A winning mix of fast-paced action, fascinating facts, bathroom humor, and hidden puzzles . . . [that is] sure to please action-loving middle-grade readers." --Kirkus Reviews

"Full of adventure and survival...[and with] characters [who] are likable, realistic, and well rounded . . . [Samantha Spinner and the Super-Secret Plans is] great for [readers of] series like The 39 Clues." --School Library Journal

Samantha sat down at her desk. Her notebook lay open to the sketch of Cleopatra’s Needle. The note from Uncle Paul sat beside it. If she ever did get to New York, what would she find there?

Chinchilla noises began to fill the air. “Just great,” Samantha muttered.

She rubbed her forehead and tried to ignore the sounds. She looked again at the note.

“‘Watch out for the SUN,’” she read.

She heard a chirp and turned. A chinchilla inched slowly toward her purse, which was hanging on the desk chair.

“Oh no,” she told the rodent, and grabbed the purse. “That’s not for you.”

She checked to make sure her purple sunglasses were still inside. Then she draped the straps over her shoulder.

“Any progress, Sam?” asked Nipper, walking into her room.

“Not really,” she answered. “Come take a look at my sketch of Cleopatra’s Needle.”

The chinchilla hopped from her chair to her open journal.

“Just knock it on the floor,” said Nipper.

“Nipper! Don’t you dare,” Samantha scolded. “They’re defenseless rodents.”

She gently nudged the animal off her book.

“Hey, look, Sam,” said Nipper, pointing across the room. “A defenseless rodent is chewing on your Super- Secret Plans.”

Samantha turned. A chinchilla sat inside the open, upside-down umbrella. It gripped a shred of red fabric between its teeth and tugged. She heard a ripping noise.

Samantha gasped. Then she lunged.

“No!” she shouted. She swatted the animal with one hand, knocking it from its perch inside the Super-Secret Plans. It skidded across the floor until it found its footing. Then it zipped through the bedroom doorway.

Samantha grabbed the umbrella. Trembling, she inspected it, running her finger along the fabric where the animal had attacked it. A fresh tear, about an inch long, sliced through the center.

Chirp!

Samantha snapped the umbrella closed and looked over at her desk. Another chinchilla stood on its hind legs. It held the note from Uncle Paul between its teeth.

“Stop!” she shrieked, and reached to grab it.

The animal turned and hopped from the desk to the chair to the floor. With the note still in its mouth, it scampered out the door.

“Stop, chinchilla! Give it back!” she yelled, and took off after it.

Swinging the umbrella like a sword, she chased the fuzzy clue stealer down the stairs.

“Give it back!”

The defenseless rodent ran for its life.

Samantha raced down the stairs and into the kitchen. “Give it back! Give it! Give—”

She lurched to a stop. Her mother sat at the table. The chinchilla zipped under the chair between her mother’s feet.

“Oh, hi, dear,” said Mrs. Spinner. “I was just about to call you and your brother.”

On the table in front of her, a printout read:

ITINERARY

“Seattle to New York!” Samantha said breathlessly. “Your sister bought tickets for you to come and help her this weekend,” said her mom.

“This weekend!” Samantha repeated.

“It seems she’s run into trouble with her play. Now she says she needs you. She says Horace is gone and—”

“Horace is gone!” Samantha interrupted.

“Who’s Horace?” Nipper asked as he walked into the room.

“What’s wrong with you?” Samantha said quickly. “Don’t you remember we just sent a message to—”

“Samantha,” her mother cut in. “You didn’t have anything to do with this, did you?”

“Oh, no, Mom,” Samantha answered, trying to look serious.

“Well . . . Buffy wants your help,” said Mrs. Spinner. “So have a good time, but please try to be useful.”

Samantha grabbed the purple sunglasses and put them on.

“Sure thing, Mom,” she said, beaming. “Sometimes, brothers and sisters are what you need most of all.”

“Maybe you really should audition for a part in that play,” said her mother.

A squeak rose from beneath Mrs. Spinner. She looked down at the chinchilla, still hiding under the chair. She reached down and plucked the note from the rodent’s mouth.

“Don’t forget this,” she said, holding up the note and reading it out loud. “‘Watch out for the SUN.’”

With the glasses on, Samantha caught a glimpse of the back of the paper.

It glowed yellow.

She’d never thought to look on the reverse side!

DNT TRST NT

Excerpt copyright © 2019 by Russell Ginns. Published by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.

Russell Ginns is a writer and game designer who specializes in puzzles, songs, and smart fun. He has worked on projects for a wide variety of organizations, corporations, and publications, including Sesame Workshop, Girl Scouts of America, Nintendo, and Scientific American. Russell lives and writes in Washington, D.C. He is the author of Samantha Spinner and the Super-Secret Plans and Samantha Spinner and the Spectacular Specs. To learn more about him, visit samanthaspinner.com and follow @rginns on Twitter.