Mommynificent - Magnificent ideas for your super family

Favorite Book of the Past Year Giveaway and Booknificent Thursday Link Up Party #54

Posted on July 17, 2014 by Tina Chen

Hi all! Welcome to Booknificent Thursday! I promised you a giveaway last week to celebrate our first year so here we are! The results are in – each of the readers in our family has chosen their favorite book of the past year. Three lucky winners can each choose the book of their choice from our favorites in Kindle format from Amazon. Winners will be announced next week here on Booknificent Thursday!

Bignificent – Blue by Lou Aronica – I would have chosen this book myself but I haven’t read it in the last year. It is an all-time favorite though, and I was so happy to be able to share it with Bignificent this year. It has some big themes of death and cancer but is so hopeful and magical. We love it again and again!

Middlenificent – The Candymakers by Wendy Mass, Both of the girls really enjoyed this book. It’s really thick so they could really immerse themselves into the fictional world. THey really enjoyed the quirky characters, the unique plot and the happy ending.

Daddynificent – any book from the Psalm 23 mysteries by Debbie Viguie – We have loved every book of this series multiple times and are so excited for the next one which is set to be released at the end of the month. You can choose which book you’d like, including the one coming soon, if you choose this option for your prize.

and me, Mommynificent – Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay – I read this book a couple of months ago, two times straight through without stopping and I am still suffering a bit of a book hangover from it. I have seriously not been able to get into another book world sufficiently since. It was so good. I’m still processing my review of it. Every time I go to write it, I go to look some favorite part up and accidentally start to read the book again from there and forgot to write the review! So that is coming soon, but just know that I loved, loved, loved this book so much.

So enter here to win!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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And now, it’s time to party! Please link up any posts you have, past or present, about books, reading, and literacy. This link party is all about sharing how books are impacting you! Joining in is easy; just click “Click here to enter…” next to “You are next” and copy/paste the URL of a blog post (not your homepage). Choose a photo to upload and then click some of the other great posts in the party and meet new bloggers and find out about new books!

Why should you link up to Booknificent Thursdays?

Linking up to parties and leaving comments on other posts is a proven way to increase traffic to your blog and grow your blog’s followers! Here are a few rules and suggestions:

You can link up as many posts as you want.

Please grab the Booknificent Thursday button and share it somewhere on your blog (sidebar, post, bottom, etc.) and please share about this party with any book-lovers you know.

I’d also really appreciate it if you’d hop over to my Google+ profile or my facebook page and give me a “like” and/or subscribe to receive my blog (just enter your email address up on the sidebar.)

We do want to keep it family-friendly, so I reserve the right to remove anything I consider offensive.

And one final rule, please visit AND comment on at least one other linked post if not more.

Happy linking and have a great week!

One Whole Year of Booknificent Thursdays! and Link Up Party #53

Posted on July 10, 2014 by Tina Chen

Welcome to Booknificent Thursday, and Happy Anniversary to all of us!!!

It’s hard to believe it’s been a whole year! But it has been so much fun! I thought that to celebrate, we would do two things.

First, I’ve added a second linky under the normal one for everyone to link to any social media page that we can help you grow. So link away to your facebook pages, G+ pages, twitter, pinterest, etc. I thought this would be a good way for us to show each other some love! Please be sure to hop around and like other people’s pages as that’s the only way this will work!

Secondly, each of the readers in our family picked their favorite book from the past year. I haven’t been organized enough to get the giveaway put together for that, so I’ll have that ready for you next week. In the meantime, be thinking of your favorite book from the past year as we will be asking!

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So without further ado, let’s party! Please link up any posts you have, past or present, about books, reading, and literacy. This link party is all about sharing how books are impacting you! Joining in is easy; just click “Click here to enter…” next to “You are next” and copy/paste the URL of a blog post (not your homepage). Choose a photo to upload and then click some of the other great posts in the party and meet new bloggers and find out about new books!

Why should you link up to Booknificent Thursdays?

Linking up to parties and leaving comments on other posts is a proven way to increase traffic to your blog and grow your blog’s followers! Here are a few rules and suggestions:

You can link up as many posts as you want.
Please grab the Booknificent Thursday button and share it somewhere on your blog (sidebar, post, bottom, etc.) and please share about this party with any book-lovers you know.
I’d also really appreciate it if you’d hop over to my Google+ profile or my facebook page and give me a “like” and/or subscribe to receive my blog (just enter your email address up on the sidebar.)
We do want to keep it family-friendly, so I reserve the right to remove anything I consider offensive.
And one final rule, please visit AND comment on at least one other linked post if not more.

Happy linking and have a great week! Remember, this list is only for book-related blog posts. And feel free to link up your post even if someone else, including me, has done the same book. Your perspective is always unique and appreciated!

And here’s where you can enter your social media pages that you are looking to grow. Please be sure to hop around and give likes generously! I’m just linking up one of mine to show you how to do it, but feel free to do as many as you want of yours. If you want to like my pages, my links are on the sidebar! Have fun!

photo by:

A Perfect Secret Book Review and Giveaway

Posted on July 9, 2014 by Tina Chen

Today, I’m excited to be taking part in The Regency Tour for the book A Perfect Secret by Donna Hatch. The tour is being hosted by Prism Book Tours. (That and any other links in this post that take you to Amazon are affiliate links. If you click on them and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support.)

A themed book tour through Prism Book Tours.

A Perfect Secret
(Rogue Hearts #3)
by Donna Hatch
Adult Historical Romance
Paperback, 348 Pages
December 14 2013

Desperate to protect her father from trial and death, Genevieve breaks off her engagement with Christian Amesbury and marries a blackmailer. After a year of marriage, she flees her husband’s violent domination only to have fate bring her back to Christian. Just when she thinks she’s started a new life of safety and solitude, her husband tracks her down, stalks her, and threatens everyone she loves.

Still brokenhearted over Genevieve’s betrayal a year ago, Christian can’t believe she’s come back into his life–and worse, that she’s done it on the anniversary of his brother’s death, a death that haunts him. Though tempted to throw her back into the river where he found her, he can’t leave her at the mercy of the terrifying man she married.

When her husband torments Genevieve and puts his family in danger, Christian will do anything to protect those he loves…anything except give Genevieve another chance to break his heart.

Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Book Depository – Smashwords

Mommynificent’s Review

I very much enjoyed reading this book. It is a great escape into the early 19th century! I found it quite fairy-tale like in that there is a lot of suspension of belief necessary. How the characters keep ending up in the same places at the same time can only be accepted in that way.

The emotions the characters go through in the book are heart-wrenching and are extremely well-written. It was easy to immerse myself in the lives of the characters and really feel what they were feeling.

Since I was reading on my Kindle, I never looked at the cover so I didn’t realize until I reached the end of the book that I was reading book three in a series! I never, ever read books in a series out of order so this was a bit of a shock for me! It works okay for this series though as each book is about a different member of the Amesbury family. I feel I could easily go back and read the other books about Christian’s brothers without feeling like I know too much already.

All in all, I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

About Donna Hatch

My passion for writing began at the tender age of 8 and I’ve been hooked ever since. Of course, I also wanted to be an actress and a ballerina, but one out of three isn’t bad, right?

In between caring for six children, (7 counting my husband), my day job, my free lance editing and copy writing, and my many volunteer positions, I manage to carve out time to indulge in my writing obsession. After all, it IS an obsession. My family is more patient and supportive than I deserve.

Website – Blog – Goodreads – Facebook – Amazon

Tour-Wide Giveaway

- Grand Prize: $20 Amazon gift card and an ebook (INT) or print copy (US Only) of A Perfect Secret OR The Stranger She Married (winner’s choice)
- 5 ebooks of A Perfect Secret
- Open Internationally
- Ends July 20th

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow the Tour:

6/30 – Launch

7/1

Cherry Mischievous

Kelly P’s Blog

I Am A Reader

7/2

A Thousand Words A Million Books

Bookworm Lisa

The Wonderings Of One Person

7/3

Getting Your Read On

Mel’s Shelves

7/4

Angels With Attitude Book Reviews

The Written Adventure

7/6

My Love for Reading Keeps Growing

The Wonderings of One

Deal Sharing Aunt

7/7

I Love to Read and Review Books

Southern Chelle

7/8

The Bookish Fairy

Wishful Endings

7/9

Katie’s Clean Book Collection

Mommynificent

Pieces of Whimsy

7/10

My Devotional Thoughts

Platypire Reviews

7/11

Book-Marks the Spot

Letters from Annie Douglass Lima

7/13 – Grand Finale

A Different Kind of Safari Book Blast and $25 Giveaway

Posted on July 7, 2014 by Tina Chen

Today I’m participating in another book blast hosted by Mother-Daughter Book Reviews. I think you and your kids will really enjoy the book A Different Kind of Safari by Helen C. Hipp. (That and any other links to Amazon are my affiliate links. If you click on them, and choose to make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support!)

About the Book

Summary: What do you need to feel happy about being different? Based loosely on real life experiences, this heartwarming and powerful book illustrates how self-awareness, and courage help a young boy named Raymond learn the difference between seeing things as they appear to be and seeing things as they are. Feeling “different and lonely” Raymond befriends a hippo while on Safari in Africa. Unlike other grey hippos, this hippo is pink. Ray is soon carried into a world beyond labels and challenging assumptions. You will never guess what happens next!

The Inspiration Behind the Story by Helen Hipp

Inspired by real-life adventure, the story behind the story unfolded when I went on an African safari back in 2001. The trip was lead by my father whose dream was to share the safari experience with his family. Little did I know that this trip was going to incite me to write a children’s adventure book but it did.

The storyline made it appearance when my family spotted a pod of hippos and one was pink! My son Ray fourteen at the time immediately named her “Rosie”. Curious and wanting to learn more about this hippo we asked the guide many questions about hippos and hippo behavior. Specifically I wanted to know why the pink hippo stood so far outside of her pod. The familiarity of the guides answer took me by surprise, he explained that “Rosie” was tolerated but not necessarily accepted by the herd because of her differences. As a parent of a child with special needs I immediately felt a strong affiliation with Rosie’s situation as did my son Ray who has experienced his own challenges with acceptance. Inspired, I decided to share the story with the world by weaving them into a children’s adventure book that celebrates differences. The book is entitled “A Different Kind of Safari”. Find out what you can learn from Rosie the pink hippo, and how you can share those lessons with the children in your life.

Book Video

The Buzz About the Book

“A timeless book, that will speak to everyone. To be enjoyed over and over again! A fun, yet very thought provoking story for all ages. If books had a satisfaction guarantee, this one would be on the top of the list. ” ~ 5 Star Review, Adden B. Chrystie, Amazon

“A Different Kind of Safari is truly a different kind of children’s book! The beautiful artwork bring a very special story to life and I am excited the book is now available in audio format for an added bonus while driving kids around town! I particularly love the message of the book, which teaches us to celebrate our unique differences through Rosie the Pink Hippo rather than allow them to keep us from exploring our potentials. I highly recommend this book to all parents and special needs educators in particular. Thank you for writing this wonderful story!” ~ 5 Star Review, missladyjane, Barnes and Noble

“I really enjoyed this book. The illustrations were beautiful. I found this book to be very interesting and it was written from real life experiences. A Different Kind of Safari draws you in along with Ray on his journey to find his happiness and the answers to his questions. I recommend this book to children that are of grade school age but yet many younger children may enjoy the illustrations.” ~ 5 Star Review, Whittle House, Goodreads

“The book has a great story. The illustrations are amazing!!!!! Get this book! All children from the young to the old will love this book. ” ~ 5 Star Review, Mel, Amazon

“A Different Kind of Safari is not only a good book, but a great story! It is not only for caregivers, teachers and parents, but for anyone who has ever felt out of place. A pink hippo named “Rosie” and her friend “Ray” take a journey and explore their similarities and differences on the river of life. Self- acceptance and the acceptance of others is exquisitely conveyed in a fresh, FUN way through this sweet tail. It is a prize for all libraries!” ~ 5 Star Review, Anna Wood, Barnes and Noble

Purchase

Amazon (Hardcover) | Audible (Audiobook) | Barnes and Noble

About the Author: Helen C. Hipp

Helen Hipp’s experience raising a special needs child led her to an M.A. in clinical psychology and certification as a life coach. She began her career as a psychotherapist to help people find answers for their life problems. Her work eventually evolved into a coaching practice, WithinU Life Coaching, focusing on individuals with special needs and their families. Helen uses her 13+ years of counseling experience and 20+ years’ experience as a successful advocate for individuals with special needs by helping them reveal their innate ability to solve difficult situations. Her debut book ” A Different Kind of Safari” puts into words the essence of Helen’s teachings addressing the many questions life asks by offering up lighthearted, ever-changing perspectives that transform personal challenges into opportunities.

For more information, visit the books official website and to see a picture of the real Rosie the real life pink hippo that inspired this story, go to www.adifferentkindofsafari.com

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

* Book Blast Giveaway *

Amazon 25 gift card

Prize: $25 Amazon Gift Card or PayPal cash (winner’s choice)

Contest ends: August 6, 11:59 pm, 2014

Open: Internationally

How to enter: Please enter using the Rafflecopter widget below.

Terms and Conditions: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. A winner will be randomly drawn through the Rafflecopter widget and will be contacted by email within 48 hours after the giveaway ends. The winner will then have 72 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond within 72 hours, a new draw will take place for a new winner. Odds of winning will vary depending on the number of eligible entries received. This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. This giveaway is sponsored by the author, Helen Hipp and is hosted and managed by Renee from Mother Daughter Book Reviews. If you have any additional questions – feel free to send and email to Renee(at)MotherDaughterBookReviews(dot)com.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Booknificent Thursday Link Up Party #52

Posted on July 3, 2014 by Tina Chen

Hello and welcome to Booknificent Thursday! I haven’t been feeling well this week, so I’ve done a lot of reading, playing with the kids, and watching Wimbledon on the couch. Other than the not-feeling-well part, all-in-all, not a bad week since those are some of my favorite things to do!

I’d love to hear how you’re spending your week, and especially what books you’re reading! This week I’ve read:

Raspberries and Vinegar by Valerie Comer - I have to be honest and tell you I both bought and read this book completely because I loved the cover! I don’t do that often, but I just loved the whimsically illustrated cover of this book. It looks so different than most covers right now that it totally made me want to read this book, knowing absolutely nothing about it, so kudos to the illustrator and the person who choose to hire her! AND, the book did not disappoint. I loved it so much, I immediately went and bought the next book in the series:
Wild Mint Tea also by Valerie Comer - Again, I love this cover!!! Both of these books are about a trio of young ladies who set out to build and run a sustainable homestead in the Idaho panhandle. Each book focuses on one of them, with a third book coming out in 2015. I can’t wait! I loved that the girls were followers of Jesus – we rarely see or hear followers of Jesus talking about sustainability and using our planet wisely and I think we should! I loved the plot lines and the gentle romances. I just really enjoyed these books!
Courting Kate by Leslie Gould - This is an Amish take on Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew, certainly not something I’d ever have conceived of! I enjoyed it though. It was a fun read, and I particularly enjoyed how the characters grew throughout the book. (I happened to notice when I went to grab that affiliate link that this book is available for free for Kindle right now!)
After Wimbledon by Jennifer Gilby Roberts - I’m not including an affiliate link for this one like I did for the others as I can’t really recommend it. I read it for obvious reasons, but I did not appreciate the language or the lack of morality in the book. On the bright side, it did make me start to really pray for the real-life tennis players while I’m watching them play at Wimbledon!

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Why should you link up to Booknificent Thursdays?

Linking up to parties and leaving comments on other posts is a proven way to increase traffic to your blog and grow your blog’s followers! Here are a few rules and suggestions:

You can link up as many posts as you want.
Please grab the Booknificent Thursday button and share it somewhere on your blog (sidebar, post, bottom, etc.) and please share about this party with any book-lovers you know.
I’d also really appreciate it if you’d hop over to my Google+ profile or my facebook page and give me a “like” and/or subscribe to receive my blog (just enter your email address up on the sidebar.)
We do want to keep it family-friendly, so I reserve the right to remove anything I consider offensive.
And one final rule, please visit AND comment on at least one other linked post if not more.

Happy linking and have a great week!

Support Jourden Cleghorn! Book Blast and Giveaway

Posted on July 1, 2014 by Tina Chen

Today, I am thrilled and honored to be joining in a Book Blast coordinated by Mother Daughter Book Reviews on behalf of author Jourden Cleghorn who writes under the pen name of Teddy O’Malley.

Jourden was recently involved in a serious automobile accident resulting in severe injuries just days after her new book, Destiny and Faith Go To Twincentric Academy, was published in May 2014. The indie author community has come together to support this young author/illustrator during this challenging time. Please read below to see what you can do to help in a small way.

About the Book

Summary: Destiny and Faith are going into second grade and their mom has a great idea. She’s going to send them to a school for twins! They’re not sure whether to be excited or terrified. Come join them and see what happens!

The Buzz

“Anyone who’s tried to buy a book or birthday card for a child who isn’t white will know how few are available. Golden hair and blue eyes rule. I was delighted by Destiny and Faith, who are mixed race/bi-racial, perfect for some children very close to me. However, let me quickly say that this is a story for all children. A school for twins is such a great idea and Destiny and Faith’s adventures have a universal message about friendship and learning how to get along with each other. This would also be a good book for actual twins as some of the issues that arise in twin relationships come up in the story.” ~ 5 Star Review, Mary Josephina Cade, Amazon

“I just finished reading this book. I got it for my daughter and decided to read it myself. It is so ORIGINAL and totally ADORABLE! A MUST READ for young children looking to read their FIRST CHAPTER BOOK! My daughter LOVES it!! I highly recommend this book!! ” ~ 5 Star Review, radams, Amazon

“A great story for young girls, with lots of fun dialogue. Accompanied throughout by black and white drawings. These capture the body language and expressions of the different characters perfectly. Looking forward to more in the Destiny and Faith series.” ~ 5 Star Review, M.J. Kinsman, Amazon

About the Author: Teddy O’Malley

Teddy O'Malley Author Jourden Cleghorn, who writes and illustrates children’s books under the pen name Teddy O’ Malley, was born in in Saint Louis, Missouri. She has traveled all over the United States and enjoys learning about new things and other cultures. She dreams of visiting a foreign country. She has enjoyed studying Spanish, German, and now Italian as well. Jourden paired her language skills with pictures of puppies to write Tell Me How You Say Good Night, a bedtime story. And a childhood friendship with a biracial girl named Hope influenced Jourden to make the Destiny and Faith characters biracial in her series about twins. Many of her books include a thread about friendship and acceptance of others. Jourden previously worked part time as a nurse assistant helping the disabled and elderly.

Author Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

How You Can Help

On Thursday, May 15, 2014, Jourden was the passenger in a small car when a much larger truck turned in front of them. She suffered severe injuries as a result of this accident including a cracked sternum, punctured lung, broken arm, and broken foot. Unfortunately, the nature and severity of Jourden’s injuries have limited her ability to promote her books effectively. I was very moved when I was approached by a member of the Facebook group, “Fun-tastic Children’s Books ” (of which Jourden is an active member) to help this young author. This wonderful group took it upon themselves to promote Jourden’s books on her behalf. They bought, reviewed, tweeted and shared her books throughout social media and are sponsoring (along with MDBR) the giveaway below.

If you should choose to enter the giveaway below (open worldwide), you will see an option to earn 10 extra entries in the giveaway by purchasing a copy of Teddy O’Malley’s latest book, Destiny and Faith Go To Twincentric Academy from Amazon for only 99 cents. I hope you will consider helping out the author in this small way.

Of note, during her recovery, Jourden found the inspiration for another children’s book. It will be about a child recovering from a car crash and having to cope with learning to write with the opposite hand, and other hardships that must be overcome during the healing process. Jourden usually writes with her right hand, but plans to illustrate the book using her left. She wants to show that hardships can be overcome if one does not give up.

* $50 Book Blast Giveaway *

Prize: $50 Amazon Gift Card or PayPal cash (winner’s choice)

Contest ends: July 30, 11:59 pm, 2014

Open: Internationally

How to enter: Please enter using the Rafflecopter widget below.

Terms and Conditions: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. A winner will be randomly drawn through the Rafflecopter widget and will be contacted by email within 48 hours after the giveaway ends. The winner will then have 72 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond within 72 hours, a new draw will take place for a new winner. Odds of winning will vary depending on the number of eligible entries received. This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. This giveaway is sponsored by author PJ LaRue/Fun-tastic Children’s Books and Mother Daughter Book Reviews, and is hosted and managed by Renee from Mother Daughter Book Reviews. If you have any additional questions – feel free to send and email to Renee(at)MotherDaughterBookReviews(dot)com.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

So Many Books…So Little Time! – Booknificent Thursday Link Up Party #51

Posted on June 26, 2014 by Tina Chen

Welcome to Booknificent Thursday! We are literally surrounded by books today. One of the sad things about living abroad and staying in one place is that it seems you are constantly saying goodbye to people who are moving on. The silver lining is that we almost always end up helping them get rid of their excess stuff which means the books they are getting rid of make their first stop at our house! Look at the piles that got dropped off yesterday!

You can see all the adult fiction in the front, and there are more piles to either side of the picture. But the girls were extremely excited to find the entire series of Daisy Meadows’ Fairy Books (affiliate link). They aren’t my favorite as I tend to avoid magicky stuff, but the girls absolutely love them. They checked them out of the library over and over when we were last in the States!

Even though Bignificent has read them all, she and Middlenificent have sat on the couch reading pretty much all day – despite my attempted distractions of a walk to the beach and painting. Bignificent is flying through them – I think she’s read 25+ books today! And, at last count, Middlenificent was at 8 books. You can see that even the two little ones are joining in the Read-a-Thon!

How about you? Are you getting any summer Read-a-Thons in this year? If you could, what would be in your pile of books?

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Why should you link up to Booknificent Thursdays?

Linking up to parties and leaving comments on other posts is a proven way to increase traffic to your blog and grow your blog’s followers! Here are a few rules and suggestions:

You can link up as many posts as you want.
Please grab the Booknificent Thursday button and share it somewhere on your blog (sidebar, post, bottom, etc.) and please share about this party with any book-lovers you know.
I’d also really appreciate it if you’d hop over to my Google+ profile or my facebook page and give me a “like” and/or subscribe to receive my blog (just enter your email address up on the sidebar.)
We do want to keep it family-friendly, so I reserve the right to remove anything I consider offensive.
And one final rule, please visit AND comment on at least one other linked post if not more.

Happy linking and have a great week!

The Valley of Decision Book Review and Giveaway!

Posted on June 25, 2014 by Tina Chen

Today I have a great fantasy book to share with you, The Valley of Decision by Shannon McDermott. I’m not usually a huge fan of fantasy, but I found myself intrigued when Kirkus Reviews commented that it wore its spirituality lightly, and that was enough to convince me to sign up to be a part of the book tour. I’m glad I did!

A themed book tour through Prism Book Tours. This post contains affiliate links to Amazon. Thanks for your support!

This book felt a lot like a Tolkien book to me, although I have to admit to enjoying it more than I enjoy Tolkien. (Sorry, just not a huge fantasy fan!) I found the start of this book quite slow, and I wondered if I had made a mistake, but by the time I was about a third of the way into it, I had developed some attachments to the characters and was having a hard time putting it down.

The characters were definitely my favorite part of the book. I really enjoyed coming to understand the complexities of the three main characters, who interestingly are all male. I also really enjoyed the unfolding mystery of who the Fay are and why they are a part of this world. Female characters are few and far between in this book, and none of them play much of a role in the story. There is a lot of adventure and fighting for freedom, but I didn’t find the violence overwhelming in any way.

This book is classified as adult fantasy which made me wonder if it would be really violent or in some way inappropriate for younger readers. I found nothing that would keep me from passing it on to anyone who had enjoyed Tolkien’s books. All the characters are adults but it has strong themes of loyalty, bravery, and doing what is right that I think many teenaged boys would enjoy.

All in all, I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

The Valley of Decision
by Shannon McDermott
Adult Fantasy
Paperback, 416 pages
May 31st 2014 by SALT Christian Press

“A solid fantasy that wears its spirituality lightly yet effectively.”
~Kirkus Reviews (read the entire review here)

Where the Black Mountains pierce the sky, they divide the south from the north, Alamir from the kingdom of Belenus. Belenus, the undying master of the north, commanded Keiran, the Captain of the Hosts, to conquer Alamir. But the Captain is deep in conspiracy, and he has his own plans.

The Valley of Decision is a fantasy novel, a saga of slavery, freedom, and choices.

Amazon – SALT Christian Press

Shannon McDermott is a Christian author of speculative fiction, as well as a humorous detective series of short stories called “The Adventures of Christian Holmes.” She has written both fantasy and science fiction, and has yet to decide on which one to like better.

She was born to Wisconsin, expatriates in California, grew up on the East Coast, and now lives in the Midwest. Her principal hobbies are politics, history, novels, and coffee.

Website – Blog – Goodreads – Facebook

Tour-Wide Giveaway

- INT Grand Prize: $25 Amazon gift card and ebooks of The Valley of Decision and The Sunrise Windows
- 2 print copies of The Valley of Decision (US only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow the Tour:

6/16 – Launch

6/17
Katie’s Clean Book Collection
Hope To Read

6/18
Bookworm Lisa
Distractions of Grandeur

6/19
Finding the True Fairy Tale
I Love to Read and Review Books
Rhiannon Paille – YA Fantasy Author

6/20
Kelly P’s Blog
Mythical Books

6/22
alwaysjoart
Brooke Blogs

6/23
Coffee Books & Art
Mel’s Shelves

6/24
The Wonderings of One Person
The Written Adventure

6/25
Mommynificent
Deal Sharing Aunt

6/26
Platypire Reviews
Letters from Annie Douglass Lima
Wishful Endings

6/27
My Devotional Thoughts
Christy’s Cozy Corners

6/29 – Grand Finale

Welcome to the Grand View, Hannah! and Booknificent Thursday Link Up Party #50

Posted on June 19, 2014 by Tina Chen

Hello everyone, and welcome to Booknificent Thursday! We are swiftly approaching the one-year mark of partying together, and there is some fun stuff coming to celebrate!

I was assigned some reading by Bignificent this week – I guess she figures since we’re taking a few weeks off from homeschooling that she can do the assigning for a while! A friend loaned her an out-of-print book set in 1932, and she just loved it! It is called Welcome to the Grand View, Hannah! by Mindy Warshaw Skolsky. There appear to be quite a few of these Hannah books written by Skolsky. It looks like they were re-titled when they were re-published in 1999-2000.

I don’t really understand why publishers do that. I think it just makes for confused readers when you go to find more books by the author and you can’t figure out whether you’ve read something or not because the titles are different. The book was originally titled Hannah is a Palindrome which I think is a delightful title, but oh well, nobody asked me.

Anyway, the book is a delightful visit to an America I scarcely recognize. Hannah’s family buy a little diner and live in the back, and the story is full of sweet little vignettes from Hannah’s life. My favorite chapter is the one where she is in school and learns about palindromes; it is hilarious in a very understated way!

Hannah has full roam of her entire little town completely on her own, and in one chapter even goes alone to the top of the mountain in the dark to visit adults her parents have never met and have a little Halloween party with them. Afterward, she continues to hike around in the dark before finally going home where her parents thought she was a bit late but weren’t really concerned. It is all perfectly innocent and she remains safe, but it was striking to me how that could NEVER happen anywhere I know of in the world.

Bignificent and I both felt this was a fun read and would definitely recommend it. We are hoping we can find some of the other books in this series as well! I would especially recommend these books for younger children who are reading quite a bit above grade level. It can be hard to find books for proficient 6 and 7 year olds that have appropriate content for their age while not being too easy to read. This book fits that bill perfectly! I am currently working on a mega-list of other books that fit this criteria so keep on the lookout for that!

One last thing about this book before we start the party – I loved how involved in her life both of Hannah’s parents were. Her mother and father have such opposite personalities and yet the author did a wonderful job showing the laughter and love, the care and sacrifice shown by each member of this little family in their daily lives. Maybe that’s my favorite part. Anyway, great book! Now, let’s party!

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Please link up any posts you have, past or present, about books, reading, and literacy. This link party is all about sharing how books are impacting you! Joining in is easy; just click “Click here to enter…” next to “You are next” and copy/paste the URL of a blog post (not your homepage). Choose a photo to upload and then click some of the other great posts in the party and meet new bloggers and find out about new books!

Why should you link up to Booknificent Thursdays?

Linking up to parties and leaving comments on other posts is a proven way to increase traffic to your blog and grow your blog’s followers! Here are a few rules and suggestions:

You can link up as many posts as you want.
Please grab the Booknificent Thursday button and share it somewhere on your blog (sidebar, post, bottom, etc.) and please share about this party with any book-lovers you know.
I’d also really appreciate it if you’d hop over to my Google+ profile or my facebook page and give me a “like” and/or subscribe to receive my blog (just enter your email address up on the sidebar.)
We do want to keep it family-friendly, so I reserve the right to remove anything I consider offensive.
And one final rule, please visit AND comment on at least one other linked post if not more.

Happy linking and have a great week!

How Andrew Got His Spots Book Review and $25 Amazon GC Giveaway

Posted on June 18, 2014 by Tina Chen

Today we have another book by Louise Lintvelt to share with you! Two weeks ago, we shared a new nighttime favorite, Good Night, Sleep Tight, What a Wonderful Flight! which is a fun rhyming book with lots of information about various types of aircraft.

Today’s book is How Andrew Got His Spots, and it is another winner! We actually liked it even better than the last one!

Summary:

Poor Andrew is feeling very blue, all the other giraffes are very spotty, but he is as white as can be. He does not have any spots, you see! He keeps seeing spots wherever he goes…

One spot,
two spots,
three spots,
Four!
And many, many, many more.

“Where did you get your spots?” he asks. Join Andrew as he discovers how the ladybug, the leopard and the owl came to have spots and discovers that spots often appear when you are least expecting them!

This is a wonderful rhyming picture book for children of all ages.

Mommynificent’s Review (with some thoughts from Middlenificent as well!)

How Andrew Got His Spots is an adorable book about a young giraffe who is concerned because he doesn’t look like everyone else. I loved the meter and rhyme of this one and didn’t stumble at all, even on my first read-through! The illustrations are gorgeous, fun, and whimsical.

One thing I will point out is that this is not a science book. This will not really answer your children’s questions about where animals get their spots; however, it might prompt them to want to know the real answer which could lead to some great discovery!

Here are Middlenificent’s thoughts on the book. We read it together and then she read it alone. (She is 7 years old.)

“I’d like to read it again. I like the frame of giraffe spots around the cover. I liked that the words were pretty easy to read, and I liked where they put the words in the pictures. I like the imagination the author showed in the story. I like the illustrations because they look painted. I like the way the author controlled the eyes of the animals to show where they were looking.”

We think your family will really enjoy this lovely rhyming picture book. If you’re interested in purchasing it, please consider using our affiliate link by clicking here or on any of the pictures above. Thanks for your support!

Freebies from the Author!!

We’re also excited to share several free extension activities from the author to go along with this book! First of all, we have this narrated video of the story! It is fabulous! We love the accent so much.

Narrated Video of How Andrew Got His Spots

More Freebies!

Here are three more freebies from the author to extend your enjoyment and learning from this lovely book. First off is a story wheel template that you and your child can make to use as an aid in retelling the story. And then there are instructions for two paper plate characters from the story – a giraffe and a ladybug. All three are available for you to download as pdfs, so just right-click on the links below and save them to your computer! Enjoy, and thanks so much to Louise Lintvelt for these gifts!

About the Author: Louise Lintvelt

I am from South Africa and I live in a city called Pretoria. I am a Chemical Engineer by day and a children’s book writer by night. I am married to a wonderful man and we have a beautiful two year old daughter called Allegra. I love writing stories for my daughter, who is a constant inspiration.

I have always loved reading. My childhood was filled with books and you would often find me crouched the corner of my room devouring the pages of my favourite book. I lived for Tuesday mornings as this would bring with it the excitement of a trip to the local library for story hour and the opportunity to take home a new book. I was the local librarian’s worst nightmare. I would arrive a few minutes early to check that she had not mistakenly chosen a book that had already been read in story hour.

I was a very bossy three year old with an insatiable appetite for books! This has not really changed much in the last twenty seven years. Dr. Seuss was my absolute favourite and to say that my copy of One, Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish Blue Fish was well read would be an understatement.

When it comes to writing, my daughter is my biggest inspiration. I love seeing her face light up with excitement when we sit down to read a book before bedtime. My daughter was fascinated by giraffes after we went on a safari trip in late 2012. This planted the seed for my picture book called How Andrew Got His Spots which is a rhyming adaptation of a story I originally wrote in the third grade. My daughter has since grown into a healthy two year old with a passion for aircraft which was the inspiration for writing Goodnight, Sleep Tight, What a Wonderful Flight.

I am sure that there are many parents in the world (myself included), who are quite decidedly sick and tired of reading the same favourite picture book night after night. I believe that the words of Oscar Wilde best describe how children should feel about picture books when he said, If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all.

Happy Reading!

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How Andrew Got His Spots Blog Tour Schedule (2014)

June 17

Mother Daughter Book Reviews (Launch)

Book Reviews and Giveaways (Review)

Cherry Mischievous (Review)

June 18

Mommynificent (Review)

Misadventures of a First Time Mom (Review)

June 19

Amanda’s Books and More (Review)

June 20

SOS Supply (Review)

We are the DinoFamily (Review)

The Reading Room (Review)

June 21

Lobo’s Follies (Review)

Victoria Simcox’s Blog (Book Spotlight)

June 22

Adalinc to Life (Review)

When I Grow Up I Wanna Write a Kids Book (Review)

June 23

Where Connor and JT Go (Review)

Enter Here Canada (Review)

June 24

Three Boy Circus (Review)

Spark and Pook (Review)

Stitch Says (Review)

June 25

A Leisure Moment (Review)

Sweet Southern Home (Review)

June 26

Heart of a Philanthropist (Review)

Sunshine, Bubbles & Books (Review)

June 27

My Brother is My Best Friend (Review)

Brooke Blogs (Review)

June 28

Books Direct (Review)

Mixed Bag Mama (Review)

June 29

Christy’s Cozy Corners (Review)

Nanna Three and Counting (Review)

June 30

Library of the Seen (Review)

My Devotional Thoughts (Review)

* Blog Tour Giveaway *

Amazon 25 gift card

Prize: $25 Amazon Gift Card or PayPal cash (winner’s choice)

Contest ends: July 15, 11:59 pm, 2014

Open: Internationally

How to enter: Please enter using the Rafflecopter widget below.

Terms and Conditions: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. A winner will be randomly drawn through the Rafflecopter widget and will be contacted by email within 48 hours after the giveaway ends. The winner will then have 72 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond within 72 hours, a new draw will take place for a new winner. Odds of winning will vary depending on the number of eligible entries received. This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. This giveaway is sponsored by the author, Louise Lintvelt and is hosted and managed by Renee from Mother Daughter Book Reviews. If you have any additional questions – feel free to send and email to Renee(at)MotherDaughterBookReviews(dot)com.
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