Waiting On Wednesday #131: THE SHRUNKEN HEAD (The Curiosity House #1) by Lauren Oliver and H.C. Chester (MG)

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine.

This is where we get to 'spotlight' books that we are anxiously waiting to be released!!!

The ones that we are dying to get our hands on and read into the wee hours of the night!!!

And, quite possibly, to make our shelves look pretty too :) 

What I'm currently waiting for... 

THE SHRUNKEN HEAD

The Curiosity House #1

by Lauren Oliver and H.C. Chester

Expected release date: September 29th, 2015

Published by HarperCollins Children's Books

Genre: Middle Grade 

Format: Hardcover, eBook

SUMMARY

What you will find in this book: 

- A rather attractive bearded lady.

- Several scandalous murders. 

- A deliciously disgusting Amazonian shrunken head. 

- Four extraordinary children with equally extraordinary abilities. 

- A quite loquacious talking bird. 

Blessed with extraordinary abilities, orphans Philippa, Sam and Thomas have grown up happily in Dumfrey's Dime Museum of Freaks, Oddities and Wonders. But when a fourth child, Max, a knife-thrower, joins the group, it sets off an unforgettable chain of events. 

When the museum's Amazonian shrunken head is stolen, the four are determined to get it back. But their search leads them to a series of murders and an explosive secret about their pasts. 

What you will NOT find in this book:

- An accountant named Seymour.

- A never-ending line at the post office. 

- Brussel sprouts (shudder).

- A lecture on finishing all your homework on time. 

- A sweet, gooey story for nice little girls and boys. 

This sensational new series combines the unparalleled storytelling gifts of Lauren Oliver with the rich knowledge of the notorious relics collector H.C. Chester. 

Why I'm waiting for THE SHRUNKEN HEAD...

After reading the summary, do you really need me to tell you why I want this book?!

Did you not see that it is written by Lauren Oliver??? 

I don't think I have ever seen a middle grade book with so many oddities mixed together...

(My boys are quite keen on learning what it is like to grow up in a museum and what these murders are all about!)

And, did you not see that the book is from Lauren Oliver?!?!?

Yes, I see that some recluse relics genius is in on it too, but still... 

SO, what are you waiting for this week???

Blog Tour (Review): WITHERWOOD REFORM SCHOOL by Obert Skye (MG)

WITHERWOOD REFORM SCHOOL

by Obert Skye

Illustrated by Keith Thompson

Expected release date: March 3rd, 2015

Published by: Henry Holt and Co. (Macmillan)

Genre: Middle Grade

Format: Hardcover, eBook

Format read: ARC from the publisher.

SUMMARY

After a slight misunderstanding involving a horrible governess, oatmeal, and a jar of tadpoles, siblings Tobias and Charlotte Eggars find themselves abandoned by their father at the gates of a creepy reform school. 

Evil mysteries are afoot at Witherwood, where the grounds are patrolled by vicious creatures after dark and kids are locked in their rooms. 

Charlotte and Tobias soon realize that they are in terrible danger — especially because the head of Witherwood has perfected the art of mind control. 

If only their amnesiac father would recover and remember that he has two missing children. 

If only Tobias and Charlotte could solve the dark mystery and free the kids at Witherwood — 

and ultimately save themselves.

MY REVIEW

There are very few authors that can pull off such a wickedly humorous story about two siblings that !

The narrator tells us the story about how Tobias and Charlotte Eggars ended up at Witherwood Reform School. And it is not a pretty nor easy story to tell.
Tobias is a normal boy that likes a little mischief. He's very smart and thinks better when he can write things down and loves to study and draw maps. Very protective and attuned to his younger sister.
Charlotte is also just a normal girl who always sees the bright things to every situation. She compliments her brother's darkers side too well. She always seems to be the voice of reason.
The school is dark, mysterious, strange and... perhaps even evil. Too many odd and unexplained things occur. A headmaster that is able to brainwash the students. Unknown guardians that could possibly kill any intruders, and/or, escapees.
And the narrator knows how to guide us with what is right, what is wrong, and what Tobias and Charlotte should have and shouldn't have done. The narrator is very smart, cautious and to the point. Anyone reading this book should take much care in what the narrator suggests.

There is no happy ending here. Tobias and Charlotte brought this bad luck onto themselves. And it will definitely take some time to figure out what they have done, what they are mixed up in... and if they will ever learn their lesson(s) and be able to make amends in order to get out of Witherwood... sane and whole.

Definitely for fans of Lemony Snicket's Unfortunate Events series, this book will have you laughing out loud, grossed out and on the edge of your seat! I anxiously await for the next book to be released! Will the Eggers siblings be able to behave enough to not get into anymore trouble? Will they figure out a way to leave the reformed school for good? So many questions, so little time... can't wait!!!

*An ARC was sent to me from the publisher for the blog tour and an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR - Obert Skye

Obert Skye is the author and illustrator of the Creature from My Closet series: Wonkenstein, Potterwookiee, Pinocula, and Katfish (forthcoming September 2014). He has also written the bestselling children’s fantasy adventure series Leven Thumps and Pillage. 

He currently lives indoors and near a thin, winding road with his family. 

Goodreads / Website

Macmillan "Witherwood Reform School" Blog Tour Schedule

2/18: Little Red Reads

2/19: A Reader’s Adventure

2/20: Stories & Sweeties

2/23: The Hiding Spot

2/24: Bumbles and Fairytales <---

2/25: Manga Maniac Café

2/26: The Book Monsters

2/27: Mundie Kids

3/2: Milk & Cookies: Comfort Reading

3/3: Green Bean Teen Queen

Blog Tour/Guest Post: THE NINJA LIBRARIANS: THE ACCIDENTAL KEYHAND by Jen Swann Downey (MG)

THE NINJA LIBRARIANS: THE ACCIDENTAL KEYHAND

The Ninja Librarians #1

by Jen Swann Downey

Expected release date: April 15th, 2014

Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky Kids

Genre: Middle Grade - Mystery, Adventure

Format: Hardcover, eBook

SUMMARY

Just a little story about your average sword-swinging, karate-chopping, crime-fighting ninja librarians.

Dorrie Barnes had no idea an overdue library book would change her life. 

When Dorrie and her brother Marcus chase her pet mongoose into the janitor's closet of their local library, they accidentally fall through a passage into Petrarch's Library - the headquarters of a secret society of ninja librarians who have an important mission: 

protect those whose words have gotten them into trouble. 

Anywhere in the world and at any time in history.

Dorrie would love nothing more than to join the society. 

But when a traitor surfaces, she and her friends are the prime suspects. 

Can they clear their names before the only passage back to the twenty-first century closes forever?

GUEST POST

Why mix Ninjas and Librarians???

Ah yes. Why mix ninjas and librarians? Even as a child, I thought of librarians as fulfilling a sort of sacred magical duty. They were the keepers of the books! The keepers of stories, legends, and great fat tomes full of history's unplumbed secrets. As I got older, I began to also appreciate librarians as important players in the long-term struggle by many to nurture and protect notions about the need for citizens to have access to freely flowing information. They understand well the need to protect books and other writings from those who would suppress or destroy them, and the need to protect the authors of such writings from censorship or punishment.

Once I realized that I wanted my story to revolve around a secret society of librarians, it was terrifically easy to imagine librarians not just as intellectual warriors, but literal ones as well, with only a slightly expanded job description, and only a slightly altered typical day. Hm...something like:  1p.m. - catalogue new arrivals: 2 p.m. - assist a patron to find a book when said patron knows only one word in the title, and the author's middle initial;  2:30 p.m. - excuse one's self from colleagues in order to slip through time in order to help break out an imprisoned "heretical" writer in a different century, an hour before he was scheduled to be burned at the stake. 

The lybrarians of Petrarch's Library are not literally ninjas. They don't wear black hoods (unless that works for a particular mission), and are not members of a feudal Japanese society of mercenaries. They do, however, share with historic ninjas, a high degree of training in secrecy, stealth, and specialized skills useful to attaining their goals. That similarity suggested the strangely elastic modern qualifier of "ninja" for librarian.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR - Jen Swann Downey

Jen Swann Downey's non-fiction pieces have appeared in New York Magazine, the Washington Post, Women's Day, and other publications. 

Her first middle-grade novel, THE NINJA LIBRARIANS, will be published by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, April 1, 2014. 

Jen divides her time between libraries and other places, and will never stop looking for lickable wallpaper.

Goodreads / Website / Twitter

http://www.sourcebooks.com/

Cover Reveal: THE FIRES OF CALDERON (The Balance Keepers #1) by Lindsay Cummings (MG)

THE FIRES OF CALDERON

The Balance Keepers #1

by Lindsay Cummings

Expected release date: September 23rd, 2014

Published by: Katherine Tegen Books

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy Adventure

Format: Hardcover, eBook

SUMMARY

The first book in an epic middle grade fantasy adventure series that takes place in an underground society at the center of the earth. 

Packed with action, humor, magic, and mystery.

After following a mysterious map into the woods and then under the woods, eleven-year-old Albert Flynn learns he’s a Balance Keeper — someone with special magical skills for fixing problems in three underground Realms at the Core of the earth. His new job is important; 

if the realms fall out of balance, the world above could be in great danger.

Albert and his Balance Keeper teammates Birdie and Leroy arrive in the Core not a moment too soon. There’s an Imbalance in the Calderon Realm 

and it’s threatening to bury Albert’s hometown of New York City in a mountain of ash.

The three must train hard completing mental and physical challenges, but above all, they must harness the power of their Tiles — unique superpowers given to each Balance Keeper. 

So far, Albert’s mastered the art of not mastering his Tile....

With the situation in Calderon growing worse every day, can Albert, Leroy, and Birdie restore balance before New York is destroyed forever? 

Will Albert master his Tile before it’s too late?

Perfect for fans of Percy Jackson, The Unwanteds, 

and the classic Journey to the Center of the Earth.

MY THOUGHTS

This sounds amazing!!! Definitely a book that both my boys would love to read - 

they just started the Percy Jackson series and are mesmerized with the books, and movies too!

We just picked up The Unwanteds not too long ago and hope to read it soon!

The cover is wonderfully illustrated and has already caught my son's attention; and, of course, being the organized 10 year old that he is, he has already added this to his wishlist - release date and all, lol!!! 

Can't wait!!!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR - Lindsay Cummings

Lindsay Cummings is the 20-year-old author of THE MURDER COMPLEX, as well as its sequel, coming 2014 from Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins, and the MG trilogy THE BALANCE KEEPERS, coming Fall 2014 from Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollins.

Lindsay deals with chronic fatigue, can’t get enough of her two pesky German Shepherds, wolf cub, and two horses. She's still waiting on her letter from Hogwarts--it was probably just lost in the mail.

Goodreads / Website / Blog / Twitter

A "Buzz-Worthy" Review AND GIVEAWAY: Hocus Pocus Hotel by Michael Dahl (MG)

Happy Halloween :)

Hocus Pocus Hotel

by Michael Dahl

Release date: August 1st, 2012

Published by: Stone Arch Books/Capstone

Genre: Middle Grade Mystery

Source read: Hardcopy 

SUMMARY

"Ever since it was built by the great magician Abracadabra, 
the hotel Tyler Yu lives in has had its share of mysterious events. 
Ghosts wandering the halls, 
a magician who vanishes into thin air - 
Ty can't figure these things out on his own. 
But Charlie Hitchcock, with his photographic memory, 
might just be the partner the school bully needs. 
Together, 
they'll solve magical mysteries beyond your wildest imagination."


MY REVIEW

A new favorite series that my kids and I are definitely going to follow! Hocus Pocus Hotel is the first book in a new magical-mystery series created by Michael Dahl for middle graders.

The Hocus Pocus Hotel is actually called The Abracadabra named after the famous magician that built it for magicians to have a place to live, practice and perform their acts. Tyler and his family live and run this hotel - but lately, they have been experiencing some odd disturbances and disappearances and Ty thinks that people are going to stop coming to stay at the hotel because they may think that it is haunted.
Charlie is a smart boy that tries to keep out of trouble. When he receives a note from Ty, he thinks that it is his invitation to finally get a beating of some sort from the school bully. Surprisingly, it was a mandatory invite to meet Ty at the hotel. Ty needs Charlie's smarts and photographic memory to help him figure out the mysterious things that have been happening throughout the hotel. And Charlie is the perfect kid for the job!

There are numerous mysterious to be solved! And with each one, we learn just how magicians do their magic. Charlie and his photographic memory doesn't miss a single clue and it is so much fun to see him unravel the magic tricks through illustrations that he draws to show us exactly how the trick is performed. The perfect read for any kid who loves a little mystery and finally getting to see how magic tricks are really performed!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR - Michael Dahl 

Michael Dahl is the author of over 100 children's books. Some of his most popular series are Finnegan Zwake, Library of Doom, and Dragonblood. He resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in a haunted house.

He also writes under aliases Chris Carey, Rick Thomas, and Mark Ziegler.

Official Website, Goodreads, Facebook  

GIVEAWAY

You can enter to win a copy of HOCUS POCUS HOTEL and TROLL HUNTERS 
both by Michael Dahl!
- U.S. and Canada only! 
- giveaway ends November 5th, 2012

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Review from an 8 1/2 year old: Echo and the Bat Pack - Treasure in the Graveyard by Roberto Pavanello

Good afternoon everyone! 

My son has decided that he needed to review this book,

 (that we received in the mail yesterday for review), 

right away!
We honestly received the book yesterday,
he read half last night and the rest this morning - he's a quick and good reader :)

I hope you enjoy the summary and thoughts of an 8 1/2 year old :) 

(Because we all know how important it is to have that 1/2 year, right?!)

Echo and the Bat Pack: Treasure in the Graveyard
by Roberto Pavanello
Released on January 28th, 2012
Published by Capstone Press
Genre: Middle Grade Mystery
Source read: Hardback Copy

SUMMARY

(from BN/Kirkus Reviews)

Introducing Echo and his mystery-solving Bat Pack! 

Echo the bat grew up in a library and lives in the Fogville cemetery, where it's usually quiet. He likes quiet because he writes mysteries. Then a mysterious, skull-faced stranger in a black cloak arrives in the middle of the night. He seems to be searching for something. 

When his raven sidekick discovers Echo watching, a scary chase ensues. Thankfully, the Silver kids, Becca, Michael and Tyler, are still awake, and they rescue Echo. 

A series of break-ins in the days that follow prompts neighbors to tell tales of a spooky flying monster in a cloak. Can it be the stranger from the graveyard? 

Echo and his new friends (and the ghost of Captain Trafalgar) work to discover the truth (and maybe a treasure).

SUMMARY from an 8 1/2 year old:  

"There is a bat that flies around being happy and then he likes to go upside down in trees. His name is Echo. While hanging upside down in a tree, he saw a man that was wearing a black cloak and the man had a pickax in his bag. He made a circle out of one big rock. And he said, "Ckaaaa, Ckaaaa!" and a crow came swooping down. And then the man said to the crow, "Did you find it?" And the crow shook his head no. And the bat, who witnessed this strange conversation between the cloaked man and the crow, was too scared to move or fly away. Echo thought, "What are they looking for?" And then the cloaked man and crow spotted Echo and they tried to capture him, but luckily for him, three kids were looking in the window and said to Echo, "Come this way." And Echo wasted no time and followed them and got away from the cloaked man and his crow. 

This is a mystery. 

Echo tells the kids how the crow continues to follow him and that the cloaked man is looking for a map.  So the children and Echo go looking for the map too. That is the mystery - looking for the map. And while they were looking for the map at the graveyard, they find a very helpful Pirate Ghost, who leads them to where the map is. But I'm not going to tell you where.

Once they had the map, the kids got on the computer to further find out what the map was all about - and they discovered that the map is for another mystery! The next morning, the cloaked man found them and that he was still looking for the map. When he saw that they had already found it, he tried to get it. But the Pirate Ghost scared him and the crow away. Before the cloaked man ran away, the kids noticed that he was carrying a box with another mystery in it! 

But figuring out the map and what was in that box is all for the next book!"

8 1/2 year old's thoughts about Treasure in the Graveyard... 

"I kinda liked this book. What I like is that they were able to solve the mystery and I like mysteries. I really liked that there was a lot of cool pictures in the book to go with the story. I wish that there were more books to this series to keep going since it ended with another mystery. 

What I didn't really like about the book is the color of the book-cover, it's too dark.
I give this book, Treasure in the Graveyard, 3 1/2 to 4 stars" 

A "Buzz-Worthy" Middle Grade Review: Goosebumps Wanted by R.L. Stine

Goosebumps Wanted: The Haunted Mask

by R.L. Stine

Release Date: July 1st, 2012 

Publisher: Scholastic, Inc. 

Genre: Middle Grade Mystery and Thriller

Format Read: ARC

SUMMARY

(from Goodreads) 

"For the first time ever, Goosebumps is in hard cover! 

Catch the series' most notorious characters--undead or alive...

From horror master R.L. Stine come two new chilling stories in one spooky standalone:

The Haunted Mask has returned and is determined to make this the worst night of your life!

Where's the last place you would want to get stuck? A haunted pumpkin patch where the jack o'lanterns are after you!

And watch for Goosebumps: Most Wanted, an all-new paperback series coming in the fall."

MY REVIEW

You know a book is good, especially a middle grade book, when you dream about it, no, when you have a nightmare about it! People weren't kidding when they say that R.L. Stine is the Stephen King for kids! His descriptions and story-telling are bone chilling!

The Haunted Mask is split up into three parts, which gives us three point-of-views...
The story starts out with shop owner named William who enjoys creating beautiful, exotic and happy masks. He believes that his masks are to bring fun and joy to the persons wearing them. But when his estranged brother, Randolph, shows up with a proposition to go into business together, showing him a case full of the most ugly and twisted masks he has ever seen. They quarrel and things get quite intense and scary.
Now 40 years later, we meet Lu-Ann and Devin and they are talking about their plans for Halloween. Lu-Ann is tired of going to her friends boring Halloween party every year and now that they are older, she is hoping to make things scary and interesting. Meanwhile, Devin and his family are going to go live on a pumpkin farm for the whole week of Halloween and won't be around to go to the party.
On Halloween, Lu-Ann and her two friends, Brad and Marcus, go to Polly's boring Halloween party and weird things start happening. They run upstairs into the attic and find a chest full of masks. They decide to put on the masks to frighten the party-goers... little does Lu-Ann know that her mask is "special".
The story then jumps back a few days before Halloween showing us what Devin has been going through living on the pumpkin farm - which has not been fun... and the most scariest things have been happening too.
On Halloween everyone's story collides together creating the most suspenseful and scariest of all endings. R.L. Stine really does know how to deliver a good scare!

I highly recommend that parents read this first before giving to any children under the age of 8. My son is 8 1/2 and I'm not sure if I want him reading it yet even though he thinks the cover is one of the coolest bookcovers he has ever seen, lol! I guess I'll be finding out soon enough!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR - R.L. Stine

Robert Lawrence Stine known as R. L. Stine and Jovial Bob Stine, is an American novelist and writer, well known for targeting younger audiences. Stine, who is often called the Stephen King of children's literature, is the author of dozens of popular horror fiction novellas, including the books in the Goosebumps, Rotten School, Mostly Ghostly, The Nightmare Room and Fear Street series.

R. L. Stine began his writing career when he was nine years old, and today he has achieved the position of the bestselling children's author in history. In the early 1990s, Stine was catapulted to fame when he wrote the unprecedented, bestselling Goosebumps® series, which sold more than 250 million copies and became a worldwide multimedia phenomenon. His other major series, Fear Street, has over 80 million copies sold.

Stine has received numerous awards of recognition, including several Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards and Disney Adventures Kids' Choice Awards, and he has been selected by kids as one of their favorite authors in the NEA's Read Across America program. He lives in New York, NY.

Official Website, Goodreads, Twitter