Showing posts with label children's book. Show all posts
Showing posts with label children's book. Show all posts

February 19, 2025

Steven F Seagull & The Missing Chips Blog Tour: Excerpt + Giveaway

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the STEVEN F SEAGULL & THE MISSING CHIPS by Kitty May Gruchelska Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

 

STEVEN F SEAGULL & THE MISSING CHIPS
Author: Kitty May Gruchelska
Release Date: June 13, 2024
Publisher: Magnetic Lion Productions
Formats: Paperback, eBook
Pages: 240
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon
Get the eBook for .99!

In Chips We Trust
The chipocalypse is the greatest mystery to hit the seaside town of Fry Cove. Join Steven F Seagull on the adventure of a lifetime in this Pencraft Best Book engaging read about courage, friendship and teamwork, which reviewers hail as ‘an unexpected delight.’

Who stole the chips? Was it the Deny the Fry colony, who want all seagulls to quit eating chips? Or was it the seagull mafia boss, Stefano Giacomo, who has concocted a dastardly plot to convert all seagulls to pizza and pasta? As part of the newly formed CIA (Chips Investigation Agency), our reluctant hero, along with Charlie, Steven Colton, the karate chopping Bart, and Steven Rhys pit their wits to solve the mystery.

Whether you’re a fan of whimsical tales or simply in need of a feel-good read, this Readers' Favourite 5 Star ‘war of the best carbohydrates’ book is sure to leave you smiling.

Reviews:

Five stars!
'...a war of the best carbohydrates!'
'...a wonderful, family-friendly story that was an absolute delight to read.'- Jamie Michele, Readers' Favourite

'...a delightful and whimsical adventure...'
'Throughout this fast-paced tale, readers will meet gannets, pasta-loving Italians, and even robots... Ultimately, "The Great Chip Hunt" is a fun tale of adventure and a heartwarming reminder of the importance of friendship...' -Authors Reading

Five stars!
'Gruchelska's storytelling is engaging, reminiscent of an animated movie... (her) ability to craft a charming world filled with memorable characters makes the book a joy for readers of all ages.' -Literary Titan

Book Trailer:

    Nervous, I flew alongside my dad, wondering what to expect. Fry Cove looked so peaceful and calm from the air, hiding the chip chaos. Dad took me to a rooftop on the edge of Fry Cove, where we found a hole and squeezed inside the lair of his ex-crime fighting friend.

It was dark inside, except for the light coming through the hole. A seagull emerged from a shadowy corner, smoke surrounding him in a cloudy haze.

“Who goes there?” he grumbled.

My dad held up his wings like he was surrendering.

“It’s okay, it’s me, Steven Petronius.”

A bedraggled seagull hopped forward, a twig drooping from the corner of his beak.

“Hmph, long time no see,” he said. “How long was it since we were both in the seagull police force?”

They slapped each other on the back, and began chuckling.

“This is Steven Sherlock,” my dad said. “He’s a very old friend.”

Both of them tipped their heads back and cackled, “Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah!”

“Remember the time we busted that American fries racket?” Steven Sherlock said.

“Oh yeah,” Dad said. “Our finest hour.” He beckoned to me. “This is my son, Steven Fitzgerald.”

The ex-detective’s eyes scanned me.

“A fine boy,” he commented. “What can I do for you? Is it anything to do with the chipocalypse?”

“Still as sharp as ever!” my dad said. “My boy just joined the newly formed CIA, or Chips Investigation Agency. Its mission is to solve the mystery of our missing chips, and restore order in Fry Cove.”

I gulped, my mind racing at the thought of the responsibility I had accepted.

“That’s brave of you,” said Steven Sherlock. “Pull this off, and you’ll be the hero of Fry Cove.”

I hung my head low, knowing I was far from heroic.

“Unfortunately, Steven Zeus put the Artful Dodger in charge of the CIA,” Dad said, shaking his head.

“That fool,” Steven Sherlock scoffed. “So, it means you need all the help you can get.”

He finished his twig, and stubbed it out on the floor.

My dad asked, “Have you got any old tools of the trade to get my boy started?”

Steven Sherlock lifted a wing tip in a lightbulb moment.

“I have something that could help.”

He waddled to the side of the room, which received light from the hole. Pulling out a drawer, he dipped in, lifting something out. It was shiny, but dusty. He dropped it on the floor with a clunk.

“You’ll find this useful when looking for clues,” he said. “It’s my old spy glass.”

He demonstrated by picking it up with one foot, peering through it.

“You can see many things not visible to the seagull eye. It makes tiny things bigger.”

“That’s…great,” I said, not sure how it would help.

“Hmmm,” Dad said. “What else do you have in your arsenal?”

Steven Sherlock rubbed his wings together with glee.

“Glad you asked! I have the full Chip Stealing Investigation tools here!”

He used his beak to pull a cord. A series of drawers and cupboards popped out, revealing a full range of crime fighting equipment.  There was so much technology, it made my mind boggle.

“Here, we have a sophisticated tool for analysing wing tip prints.”

I stared at the equipment wide-eyed.

“While over here,” he added, “I have some special cement for making casts of footprints, chalk for drawing around dead gulls, and a poop splatter examination kit. It can also analyse ketchup, mayonnaise, and even barbeque sauce smears.”

“It’s so…hi-tech,” I said.

“You’re in the best of wings,” Dad said. Turning to Steven Sherlock, he added, “Where do you suggest my boy starts?”

He pulled the cord again, and the equipment rolled back into its secret location.

“Go to the places of previous chip sightings, and use the spy glass to find clues. Take samples of any ketchup smears or small items that you think are suspicious, then bring them back to me in these little bags.”

He passed me some empty chip bags.

“Okay,” I said, my voice quite shaky.

“You can do this,” Dad said. “I believe in you.”

It was time to show Fry Cove my capabilities, but could I live up to my dad’s expectations?

Kitty May Gruchelska loves creating fantastical worlds for her readers, full of diverse and quirky characters. In a past life, she was probably a cat because she likes tuna, dislikes water, and frequently knocks things over, but luckily, she has nine lives. Kitty May teaches in a magical desert kingdom full of sunshine, camels, and rice dishes. She loves travelling, which also inspires her to write.

Sign up for Kitty’s newsletter and get Stefano Giacomo & The Three Ghosts for FREE!

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon

 

 (1) winner will receive a finished copy of STEVEN F SEAGULL & THE MISSING CHIPS & A $25 Amazon Gift Card - US Only.

(4) winners will receive a finished copy of STEVEN F SEAGULL & THE MISSING CHIPS - US Only.

Ends March 4th, midnight EST.


Tour Schedule:

Week One:

2/17/2025

Two Chicks on Books

Excerpt/IG Post

2/17/2025

Fire and Ice

Excerpt/IG Post

2/18/2025

Daily Waffle

Excerpt

2/18/2025

Lady Hawkeye

Excerpt/IG Post

2/19/2025

A Dream Within A Dream

Excerpt

2/19/2025

For the love of KidLit

Guest Post/IG Post

2/20/2025

Book Review Virginia Lee Blog

Excerpt

2/20/2025

YA Books Central

Interview/IG Post

2/21/2025

The Momma Spot

Excerpt

2/21/2025

Edith's Little Free Library

IG Post/LFL Drop Pic/TikTok Post

Week Two:

2/24/2025

A Blue Box Full of Books

IG Post/LFL Drop Pic/TikTok Post

2/24/2025

@callistoscalling

IG Post/LFL Drop Pic

2/25/2025

@thepageladies

IG Review/TikTok Post

2/25/2025

GryffindorBookishNerd

IG Review

2/26/2025

Readwithrolo

IG Review/TikTok Post

2/26/2025

Deal Sharing Aunt

Review

2/27/2025

@kimbartosch

Review/IG Post

2/27/2025

@evergirl200

IG Review/TikTok Post

2/28/2025

Country Mamas With Kids

Review/IG Post

2/28/2025

One More Exclamation

Review/IG Post


July 11, 2023

102 Days of Lying About Lauren Blog Tour: Excerpt + Giveaway

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the 102 DAYS OF LYING ABOUT LAUREN by Maura Jortner Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

 

102 DAYS OF LYING ABOUT LAUREN
Author: Maura Jortner
Release Date: June 20, 2023
Publisher: Holiday House
Formats: Hardcover, eBook
Pages: 227

Find it: Goodreadshttps://books2read.com/102-DAYS-OF-LYING-ABOUT-LAUREN, Amazon

After being abandoned by her mother in a most unusual place, a defiant heroine sticks to her plan for staying hidden—even though getting caught could mean saving her life.

Twelve-year-old Mouse calls an amusement park home.

Nobody notices her, and that's the way she likes it. Mouse sweeps the streets and wears a uniform she “borrowed” and sleeps on the top floor of the Haunted House of Horrors. She knows which security guards to avoid, eats the bagel left out each morning for the Ghost of Summer (a popular theme park legend), and even has the taco guy convinced that her lunch is paid for. She has her special hiding methods down to a science. 

But one morning, a girl named Cat comes looking for Lauren Suszek. Cat notices her, and Mouse doesn’t like it. Mouse cannot let this nosy pest find out who she really is! If Mouse gets discovered living in the park, Mama might come back for her, and Mouse doesn’t want that. Or—even worse?—Mama might not come back at all. 

Mouse knows she can lose this girl without blowing her cover. She just has to follow her rules. A carefully constructed life in the park is all she needs. Right? 

Anchored by memorable characters and an extraordinary setting, Maura Jortner’s brilliant debut novel is bursting with grit, humor, and heart.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
 

Reviews:

"Debut author Jortner’s writing is smooth and interesting...."—Kirkus Reviews

"A moving debut from Jortner that retains a sense of adventure while lightly exploring an experience of abandonment."—Publishers Weekly

"Mouse is a main character to root for—with plenty of spunk, humor, and heart." —Ben Guterson, Edgar Award-nominated author of Winterhouse

"Hilarious, absorbing, and immensely endearing, here is a story that will have your whole heart. This book is alive with 'Park Magic.'" —Chris Baron, author of Sydney Taylor Notable Book The Magical Imperfect
 
"Told with the feel of a classic, 102 Days of Lying about Lauren is a truly special book full of hope, friendship, and heart—all the things you need to weather the worst of storms." —Ally Malinenko, author of Ghost Girl

Chapter 1

Every morning, the skeleton-rooster let out a cock-a-doodle-doo that could shake a person to their very core. It was so loud you could hear it all the way to the long line of silver turnstiles where the guests waited to get into this amusement park. That rooster clung to his perch on top of the Scary Farmhouse with the nastiest pair of bony rooster feet you ever saw. The Scary Farmhouse was two attractions down from the Haunted House of Horrors, so I considered him a neighbor. I called him Mr. Noisy McSkinnyBones. I thought it was funny, and I tried to hold on to a sense of humor, despite everything.

Normally, when I heard Mr. Noisy McSkinnyBones give everyone that Wake up now! farmhouse shout, I was already sneaking past the Bloody River Rapids ride, edging my way along the outer wall of the park. Today, though, when he let his cock-a-doodle-doo rip, I was still lying on the floor with a thin beach towel tucked under my head, holding my old Barbie doll close to my face.

The Barbie’s name was Pretty Dolly because (1) I got her when I was really little, and (2) no one around me had the guts to argue. Heck, no one said a word about it. Life is tragic sometimes, I guess.

The towel I had was threadbare in places, but it was long enough to wrap around my neck and tuck under my head, so I pretended it was a blanket and a pillow. If anyone asked, I was all set. I had a blanket and a pillow, thank you very much. I was fine.

When the last notes of Mr. Noisy McSkinnyBones’s call faded into the morning air, I jolted up so fast both the towel and Pretty Dolly went flying. What the cream cheese and jelly? Why was I still sleeping? If the skeleton-rooster was cock-a-doodle-dooing, it had to be seven thirty—a half hour before the guests would arrive—and if it was seven thirty, I had overslept. A lot.

Crap weasels with skinny, scary chickens on top.

I would have run to the small window that hung on the east wall and looked out, but that would break rule #4— Don’t look out the window—and those rules had been written for important reasons, so I stopped myself and did the next-best thing. I took a few steps back. When you stood at just the right spot in this attic-like room and held your neck at just the right angle, you could see the sky outside.

Cloudy. Dark.

That was why I’d overslept.

It was sunny 90 percent of the time in Florida. Every morning, the sun’s rays would find me through the window, and it was like being kissed awake.

That’s what I would have said to anyone who asked, anyway.

The other 10 percent of the time was usually in the afternoon. A quick thunderstorm would blow in, dump a bunch of rain, and then clear out. Cloudy in the morning almost never happened. Or, at least, I’d never seen it happen here before.

The last few days had been so hot and muggy it was like living in somebody’s armpit. Maybe cloudy meant a cold front was blowing in. Or maybe it meant a storm.

I didn’t give it much thought either way because the real problem with clouds this morning was that Tanner would beat me to the Ghost Town entrance marker. I had to rush. I had to win this race.

Tanner and I had been racing to the Ghost Town entrance marker since early May. It was a game I started and a challenge I maintained. One of the reasons I kept it going was because I always won, and winning was a great way to start the day.

I won every day because I cheated, of course. Living here in this park gave me an edge. But Tanner didn’t know that. No one did.

Rule #1—Don’t tell anyone where you live. 

Excerpt from 102 Days of Lying About Lauren / Text copyright © 2023 by Maura Jortner. Reproduced with permission from Holiday House Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

 

Maura Jortner teaches creative writing and literature at Baylor University. She lives in Texas with her husband, two daughters, and a cat that can do tricks. Though she doesn’t do big roller coasters, she loves a good haunted house attraction. This is her debut novel.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon

 

 


(1) winner will receive a finished copy of 102 DAYS OF LYING ABOUT LAUREN - US Only.

Ends July 25th, midnight EST


Tour Schedule:

Week One:

7/10/2023

Log Cabin Library

Excerpt

7/10/2023

YA Books Central

Excerpt/IG Post

7/11/2023

Character Madness and Musings

Excerpt

7/11/2023

A Dream Within A Dream

Excerpt/IG Post

7/12/2023

#BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog

Excerpt/IG Post

7/12/2023

amandainpa

Review/IG Post

7/13/2023

@enthuse_reader

IG Review/TikTok Post

7/13/2023

Kim's Book Reviews and Writing Aha's

Review/IG Post

7/14/2023

Country Mamas With Kids

Review/IG Post

Week Two:

7/14/2023

@gsreadingspree

Review/IG Post

7/17/2023

Locks, Hooks and Books

Review

7/17/2023

@allyluvsbooksalatte

Review/IG Post

7/18/2023

@enjoyingbooksagain

IG Review

7/18/2023

@evergirl200

Review/IG Post

7/19/2023

@pagesforpaige

IG Review

7/19/2023

Review Thick And Thin

Review/IG Post

7/20/2023

Ariandher.books

IG Review

7/20/2023

A Blue Box Full of Books

IG Review/LFL Drop Pic/TikTok Post

7/21/2023

@froggyreadteach

IG Review

7/21/2023

OneMoreExclamation

Review/IG Post