12.18.2013

Bout of Books 9.0


 The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, January 6th and runs through Sunday, January 12th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 9.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team
It's that time of year again!! Time to start thinking about Bout of Books 9.0! I love a good read-a-thon and the Bout of Books read-a-thon's are among my favorites. 2014 will be kicked off with a January read-a-thon. This week long reading extravaganza is a blast and I am thrilled to once again participate. I know it is less than a month away, but because I have a 2 weeks break coming up, I can't quite nail down a TBR list yet.... mainly because I hope I can actually plow through some of my TBR stack during my break! I'll update my Bout of Books reading list before the new year.

Hope to see you all there... join us for Bout of Books 9.0!


write to be understood, speak to be heard, read to grow

12.16.2013

Kid Lit: The New Crown

Today I have the pleasure of sharing some great kid lit with everyone: The New Crown by Jason Sandberg. A few months ago Madeline and I reviewed Candy & The Cankersaur  by Jason Sandberg and loved it. The New Crown is, in my opinion, even better!

About the book:
Another lost tale from Jason's past, this story follows Julietta the carpenter and King Plunder the corrupt ruler of Platavia. Mean and spiteful, King Plunder rules with an iron fist, but it is Julietta that everyone really believes and respects. King Plunder eventually gets angry with Julietta and our heroine is put to the ultimate test as she tries to free herself (and the Kingdom) of King Plunder once and for all.

My thoughts:
The New Crown is an impressive story. I adored the illustrations and characters. King Plunder is awful- and Jason did a phenomenal job bringing that out in just a few short pages. Between his name, actions, and the illustrations, King Plunder is quickly painted into the story as an evil villain who is ruining the happiness in Platavia. On the flip side is our heroine: Julietta. The first sentence where we meet her immediately solidified my love of this story. First of all, she is a GIRL and she is the heroine. Gender issues are non-existent as Julietta is a strong woman who is a carpenter and an inventor! I love the image her character presents to kids- girls will look up to her and boys will see that girls can do anything boys can do. Hallelujah for gender equality! Aside from the characters, the story itself is cute and endearing. An evil King needs to step off his throne and peace needs to be restored. The way that this classic concept is actually played out though, is unique. A girl is the one who sets things right- and she does it with her mind. This is a story that I will read to every kid that I can. It sends a great message and the illustrations are excellent.
I loved Jason Sanberg's first story, Candy & The Cankersaur, but I really love The New Crown. I think all parents need to get this book for their kids on their ereaders. It is absolutely worth it. This will be a story the kids come back to over and over.

Madeline did read this story but with the crazy holiday schedule, she is not with her father and I as much as she was in the summer when we read Candy & the Cankersaur. Therefore, I don't have a full review by her, but I can let you know that she liked it!

About the author:
Jason Sandburg is a fine artist who is producing the "missing books" from his childhood. You can check out his other ebooks here, as well as his artwork.



write to be understood, speak to be heard, read to grow

FTC: I received this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review
Image and author information provided by the author