The Tapper Twins Go to War (with each other) -- Review and Giveaway

Thought for the Day:

“There are some themes, some subjects, too large for adult fiction; they can only be dealt with adequately in a children’s book.”

~ Philip Pullman ~

 Gifts for My Writer Friends:

I know some of you write picture books or want to. I have several PB manuscripts I’m working on in addition to my novels. I just ran across a series of ten short blog posts by Josh Funk that are quite good on this topic. These will be especially good for beginners, but there are always things to learn even if you’ve been at it awhile. The first one is HERE and you can click right through them at the bottom. 

Angela Ackerman has a guest post HERE at Writers in the Storm you won’t want to miss. It is What Type of Secret Does Your Character Keep? Great stuff. 

Want to punch up your action scenes? Click HERE for Alex Limberg’s guest post on Fiction University to help you with that.

Last week I promised one of you a hardback copy of Random Body Parts by Leslie Bulion. Our winner this week is Patty Hawthorne. Congratulations, Patty! Patty is a writer who works mostly in science articles for kids magazines. For the rest of you, I have another terrific giveaway this week, so please keep reading.

This week I have a really funny book for your summer reading pleasure. The book is The Tapper Twins Go to War (with each other) by Geoff Rodkey. This is not the first time I've written about Geoff Rodkey's books. He is a very prolific author and I've reviewed two of his earlier books -- Deadweather and Sunrise HERE and New Lands HERE. I think I like this one even better! Here is the review I wrote for the San Francisco Book Review.

Claudia and Reese are twelve-year-old twins who live with their parents in New York. They are bright and attend a private school. One day, someone announces a foul smell in the cafeteria. Reese tells everyone his sister farted and calls Claudia Princess Farts-a-Lot. Needless to say, she is embarrassed and angry. Claudia thinks long and hard how to get back at her brother, and what she comes up with is masterful. Let’s just say it involves a dead fish, and when Reese’s favorite backpack is ruined, it’s on. The stakes are raised, reinforcements are called in, and battles are waged.

“Unfortunately, The Cheese Incident (which, if this were French class, I would call //L’Affaire du Fromage//), had a major and completely accidental side effect: it brought Xander into The War as an enemy combatant.”

This incredibly funny story is told as an oral history by the siblings. Claudia acts as editor, and her editorial comments are worth the price of admission. Geoff

Geoff Rodkey

Rodkey, a former screenwriter, has his pacing down to a science. He seems completely and comfortably in touch with his middle-school self. The voices of the two characters telling the story are absolutely pitch perfect. The language is today and the emotions shown by the characters are perfectly pre-pubescent. The situations are believable, while at the same time outrageously funny. Kids are going to gobble up this new series. Adults will enjoy this too.

I have a gently-read hardback copy for one of you. To win, all you need do is have a US address, be a subscriber or follower, and tell me that in a comment you leave on this post. If you are reading this in your email, click HERE to go to the blog so you can leave a comment. If you would like extra chances, please spread the word by posting the link on a Tweet, blog post, Facebook, or any other way you like. Let me know what you have done in your comment, and I will put in extra chances for you for each that you do.

Don't forget to check out Shannon Messenger's wonderful blog HERE for many more Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday reviews and giveaways.

Random Body Parts -- Review and Giveaway

Thought for the Day:

"If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been

written yet, then you must write it."

~ Toni Morrison ~

Gifts for My Writer Friends:  

Through the Tollbooth has a very useful post HERE on writing from the antagonist’s point of view. It’s worth your time. 

Writer’s Helping Writers has an excellent post HERE called Will Your Readers Find Your Protagonist Worthy? This is an important question for writers. 

Joyce Scarbrough has a great guest post on Janice Hardy’s Fiction University that can help you burnish your dialogue. Click HERE to see it. 

Last week I promised one of you a copy of My Near-Death Adventures (99% True!) by Alison DeCamp. This week's winner is Jenni Enzor. Congratulations, Jenni! She is a writer and a blogger. You can find out more about her by clicking HERE and going to her site. Jenni, I will get the book out to you this week. For the rest of you, keep reading. I have another fun book giveaway this week. 

This week I want to tell you about a most unusual poetry collection for kids. It is Random Body Parts: Gross Anatomy Riddles in Verse written by Leslie Bulion and cleverly illustrated by Mike Lowery. Kids are going to love this. I mean, just put the words "Body Parts," "Gross," and "Riddles" in the same sentence and you've got yourself an audience. Here is the 5-star review I wrote for the San Francisco Book Review.

Let’s see. How could one go about getting kids interested in science, specifically anatomy, and poetry? That can’t be an easy assignment, yet author Leslie Bulion and illustrator Mike Lowery took on this task and came up with the answer. One uses riddling poems full of outrageous humor and lots of gross word images interspersed with short bursts of facts written with lively language and full of interesting evidence. Illustrate it all with really silly drawings and occasional photographs.

“This spongy, pulpy doodad hoards

At least a cup of blood,

Removing each red blood cell that’s

An aging, worn-out dud.

Leslie Bulion

This short book will have kids reading, sharing, and laughing. All the while they will be learning, but that can be our little secret. This is a really fresh way to get kids thinking and working ideas out for themselves. In addition to the clever riddling poems and educational sidebars, there is good back matter that includes a very complete glossary of the body part terms covered by the poems, a silly drawing of human anatomy, and a good explanation of the forms and inspiration of each of the poems. Middle grade readers will love this book, and parents and teachers will as well.

Mike Lowery

I have a gently-read hardback copy for one of you. To win, all you need do is have a US address, be a subscriber or follower, and tell me that in a comment you leave on this post. If you are reading this in your email, click HERE to go to the blog so you can leave a comment. If you would like extra chances, please spread the word by posting the link on a Tweet, blog post, Facebook, or any other way you like. Let me know what you have done in your comment, and I will put in extra chances for you for each that you do.

Don't forget to check out Shannon Messenger's wonderful blog HERE for many more Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday reviews and giveaways.