July 16, 2013

Childrens Audio book Review: Brown Bear Brown Bear What do you see? by Bill Martin/ Eric Carle

Summary-
With more than two million copies sold, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? has opened up a world of learning to a generation of children. For this edition, created for the twenty-fifth anniversay in 1992, Bill Martin, Jr., restored his text to its original wording. And Eric Carle created all new pictures--based on the originals, but clearer, brighter, and truer to the colors they represent.
Bill Martin has been devoted to writing children's books for more than thirty years. He has a Ph.D. in early childhood education and he has long been a proponent of using rhyme and rhythm to teach young children how to read.
Eric Carle, illustrator of many beloved children's books, was born in the United States, but spent his early years in Stuttgart, Germany, where he studied art and design at the Academy of Applied Art. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? was the first book he illustrated.
 
Review-
This is a classic. It is easy to follow and the pictures are well done. It is a read along book that is perfect for beginner readers. It is easy listening and easy to follow. This book is aimed at 2-5 years old but my son is 6 and LOVED it. The story is read by Gweneth Paltrow and she does an excellent job. I highly recommend this book to beginner readers or just young children. A great book by macmillian.
 
Publisher-Macmillion Audio
Reviewer Ratinig: 5 STARS!!!
Reviewed by~Lora
Thank you to Elaine Gottesman for the donation of this book to the Read for your future book program!!

July 14, 2013

Stacking The Shelves





This week we are listing THREE WEEKS worth of books because it's Summer and that means vacation, bbq's, swim parties, and not much computer time:) Now that we have all these awesome poolside reads though, you should see more great reviews shortly!!


Donated For Review:

July 2, 2013

Future Favorites #2




https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixbnen-zV2ugs4P51ekuT2-BBUsVE1zFbZW-6AEtSvtht3aYYt2yx14cUjZ-pqwBPaEhJ66izaqtdFycDIsLmC8RsbR6P-U2OYPSNfpZfo6rI1anWi7f82yUVptWg-72sXixzrMQjjheQ/s1600/FF.jpg

Future Favorites was created by Eric (Tales of a teenage book lover and Electrifying reviews)
Check out his website HERE!!
Future Favorites is a weekly feature on Electrifying Reviews
Its purpose is to highlight six different books that look great, 
and will hopefully be favorites of mine when I get the chance to read them:)

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by Susan Dennard
Release Date: 23 July 2013

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by Kassy Tayler
Release Date: 23 July 2013

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by Suzanne Lazear
Release Date: 8 August 2013




June 26, 2013

Waiting On Wednesday

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Sophie Sophia is obsessed with music from the late eighties. She also has an eccentric physicist father who sometimes vanishes for days and sees things other people don’t see. But when he disappears for good and Sophie’s mom moves them from Brooklyn, New York, to Havencrest, Illinois, for a fresh start, things take a turn for the weird. Sophie starts seeing things, like marching band pandas, just like her dad.
Guided by Walt, her shaman panda, and her new (human) friend named Finny, Sophie is determined to find her father and figure out her visions, once and for all. So she travels back to where it began—New York City and NYU’s physics department. As she discovers more about her dad’s research on M-theory and her father himself, Sophie opens her eyes to the world’s infinite possibilities—and her heart to love.
Perfect for fans of Going Bovine, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and The Probability of Miracles.
(Courtesy of Goodreads.)
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What DOESN'T look good about this book?? And you know me....big time GEEK GIRL so I'm eagerly waiting......:)
Cindi

June 25, 2013

Champions of Power (Age of the Aura, #1) Contest and Free E-books

Age Of The Aura (Phase 1: Champions of Power)
by Samuel Odunsi, Jr.

The Blessed Galaxy has no other name. After being gifted with the Auras—five great powerhouses of celestial creation—the title was a suitable fit. For millennia, the governing bodies have ruled their respective reaches of the Galaxy while harnessing the might of the Auras. But now they face the threat of a calamity, from an unlikely source, that could shake the lives of all.


Lowen Sars, a devout man of science, decides to take on the burden of saving the Galaxy’s people once he learns of the calamity. But he soon realizes that the role of a hero was a calling not meant for him, even with his sudden promotion. In his process of self-discovery, Lowen begins the fateful saga of not only the Blessed Galaxy, but also the kingdom in possession of the corrupt Aura.

(Blurb courtesy of Goodreads.)


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Download this book for FREE on Amazon!
June 24th to June 28th ONLY!
HERE!!
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Enter to Win an Autographed Copy of Phase I!
June 24th to July 24th ONLY!

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About The Author:
 Samuel is an American-born child of Nigerian immigrants with a unique upbringing. His various influences in martial arts, movies, television, and literature over the years have helped him develop his story, Age of the Aura. With his different perspective, Samuel’s hope is to bring an original science fiction tale to those that enjoy the genre.
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Author Links: 



June 24, 2013

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?




This is a fun meme that allows other bloggers 
to get an idea of what everyone else is reading 
and perhaps help to find our next must-read:)

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Lora is reading: Fallen (Guardian Trilogy, #1), by Laury Falter
Lora is listening to: Divergent (Divergent, #1), by Veronica Roth
Cindi is reading: Tears of Min Brock by J.E. Lowder &
Martyr's Moon by J.E. Lowder

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June 21, 2013

Review: Eliza's Forever Trees by Stephanie Lisa Tara

Summary-
Suddenly Mother jumped to her feet and ran to one of the trees, a three-hundred-foot-tall redwood. "Forever tree! Forever tree!" she cried, smiling. She swept the skinny girl up into her arms. The child's pale skin shimmered in the golden forest light. "Forever trees, forever trees," they sang, spinning in circles. The memory melted into the fog, and Eliza felt very tired. The question came again to her. It appeared out of the gray, out of the damp, out of the cold corners of this new house. The question whispered it always did the kind of whisper that sounded very loud indeed: Where had Mother gone? Shadows appeared and disappeared in Eliza's mind. Still, she couldn't remember. She simply could not remember anything after that last story in the forest. For some reason, she wasn't terribly worried. She was a little worried, for sure, but not terribly worried, because a strange calm held the shadows and the question. It held Eliza, too. Because love is forever.
 
Review-
Eliza is a ten year old with a bad heart. She's sickly, pale, and sad. For some reason, her mother disappeared and she is now living with her crazy old grandfather in an old cabin in the woods. Her mother was a librarian and the million books she had collected and read to Eliza are now in Grandfather's house being used as firewood, stepladders, material to cover roof holes, and other household uses. Eliza can't live this way---watching her beloved books burn, mildew and rot. Her new friend, Butterfly, is horrified also. Together they embark on a journey to find Mother Redwood Tree to find Eliza's mother. Along the way, they meet Owl, Auntie-Deer, a french-speaking squirrel, musical snakes, ladybugs and a host of other wonderful woodland creatures.

This story is a beautifully-written, lyric book similar to the old stories like Toad and Frog, The Velveteen Rabbit, and other young adult stories of animated, talking animals. The nurturing and mothering that Eliza receives from the animals and the love they offer to her make this book a must read for young people today. The voice that author Stephanie Lisa Tara uses to tell Eliza's story will bring tears to the reader's eyes and the last several chapters leave you breathless. Five stars for an awesome story!
 
Publisher-Stephanie Lisa Tara Children's Books®
Reviewer Rating: 5 STARS!!!
Reviewed by~Cindi

Review: The Collector (Dante Walker #1) by Victoria Scott

He makes good girls...bad.
Dante Walker is flippin’ awesome, and he knows it. His good looks, killer charm, and stellar confidence have made him one of hell’s best—a soul collector. His job is simple: weed through humanity and label those round rears with a big red good or bad stamp. Old Saint Nick gets the good guys, and he gets the fun ones. Bag-and-tag.
Sealing souls is nothing personal. Dante’s an equal-opportunity collector and doesn't want it any other way. But he’ll have to adjust, because Boss Man has given him a new assignment:
Collect Charlie Cooper’s soul within ten days.
Dante doesn't know why Boss Man wants Charlie, nor does he care. This assignment means only one thing to him, and that’s a permanent ticket out of hell. But after Dante meets the quirky Nerd Alert chick he’s come to collect, he realizes this assignment will test his abilities as a collector…and uncover emotions deeply buried.
 
Review-
The Collector is the typical story of boy meets ugly girl, makes her fancy herself up, and then realizes that she looked better before. The old sayings that you can't judge a book by it's cover or that beauty is what's on the inside certainly apply to this story of the Devil's favorite Soul Collector Dante Walker and his newest assignment, ugly girl Charlie. Charlie does charity work, Dante thinks he's too cool to help other people. Charlie would rather listen to the world outside then Dante's loud dance music. She has a bad limp, frizzy hair and acne, while he wears red Chucks signed by a famous ball player and can make any black t-shirt look hot, hot, hot.
Dante is so arrogant that I had to laugh many, many times throughout this story. Once the plot twists were revealed, however, I felt sadness for these kids who had to learn life's lessons quickly in order to save the world. It's a great read about Heaven versus Hell and what the right way to live is. It was enjoyable because Victoria Scott really gets what kids are like today--the struggles they deal with daily concerning their weight and popularity, the cool kids, being all alone in the world. This is the first in a series and I'm definitely putting the rest of the collection on my wish list. Solid four and a half stars.
 
Publisher-Entangled Teen
Reviewers Rating: 4.5 Stars
Reviewed by~Cindi
Thank you to the publisher for the donation of this book in exchange for a honest review!

June 19, 2013

RFYF's Five Star Summer Reading List

"Five Star Summer Reading List"

We reviewers, here at Read For Your Future, are tough raters. There are many, many books rated three, or four, or four and a half stars on our site--not many are five stars. We decided to compile and share the special five star gems that we encountered in 2012 so that you lovely readers may have a list of pure awesomeness to read on your vacations, staycations, cruises, long car rides, etc. This list has something for everyone--young and old. So please enjoy----from our readers to yours!

Five Star Nominees (in alphabetical order):

Get Out There and Get Reading!!!!!