Laurisa White Reyes's Blog, page 114

BOOK REVIEW: THE RUBY PENDANT (Cleopatra's Legacy, Book 2) by Dorine White

THE RUBY PENDANT:
Book II of Cleopatra's Legacy
Dorine White
180 pp.
Ages 8 -12

Welcome to New Orleans- home of Mardi Gras, jazz music and voodoo. Eighth grader Melanie Belaforte is home for Spring break and itching for excitement. Late one night she discovers a hidden chamber and a secret journal in her deceased Aunt Florence’s bedroom. The diary contains the writings of a mad woman, along with vague clues to the whereabouts of a ruby necklace that once belonged to Cleopatra. The ruby bestows upon the wearer the power to hear other people’s thoughts- even the thoughts of the dead! And so the hunt begins. Melanie, her best friend Sybil, and a haunting specter unravel clues that take them from crumbling graveyards, to the busy streets of the French Quarter, and then into murky swamps, all to find the prize. But they need to watch out, because a murderous cult is matching them step for step, and they won’t give up, ever.
MY REVIEW:

Melanie misses her eccentric Aunt Flo. But when she discovers a secret room in Flo's house and gets an unexpected visit from a friendly ghost, Melanie soon finds herself traipsing through New Orleans in search of Flo's Ruby Pendant. The pendant is one of four magical gems hailing back to Ancient Egypt. Taken from Cleopatra as she lay dying and hidden throughout the world, the gems are pursued by a secret society wanting the gems for their own power and gain. Melanie, along with her friend Sybil and Sara Bogus (from The Emerald Ring) must find the ruby before they do!
Secret rooms! A missing necklace! Ghosts! The Ruby Pendant is a thrill-ride through New Orleans, a creative blend of suspense, mystery, and historical tidbits sure to tantalize readers of all ages. A worthy sequel to the first book in the Cleopatra Legacy series, The Emerald Ring.

CONTENT RATING:

Profanity:  None
Violence:  Mild
Sexuality:  None

BEST OF THE BLOGS AWARD

A hearty congratulations goes out to the fifteen blogs awarded "BEST OF THE BLOGS" in the March/April issue of MIDDLE SHELF MAGAZINE!!!  This award is given in recognition of blogs who promote and exemplify the spirit of middle grade books.

In addition, Geo Librarian and Walking Brain Cells each had a review reprinted in this issue:  http://issuu.com/middleshelf/docs/middle_shelf_march-april_2014



You'll find links to them all on pages 52 - 53 of the magazine:

The Write Path
Always in the Middle
Becky's Book Reviews
Boys Rule! Boys Read!
Carnival of Children's Literature
Middle Grade Mafioso
Mother Daughter Book Reviews
Ms.Yingling Reads
Project Mayhem
Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe
Sharon the Librarian
Sweet on Books
This Kid Reviews Books
The Book Monsters
Word Spelunking

Congrats to you all!!!

MIDDLE SHELF MAGAZINE - Cool Reads for Cool Kids

The new issue of Middle Shelf Magazine went live today!!! Featured author interview: Neal Shusterman & Eric Elfman! Also look for reviews, excerpts, character spotlight w/ Sew Zoey, Publisher's Corner w/ Peachtree Publishing, and more!

Middle Shelf is a digital review magazine about books for middle grade readers. And subscriptions are free!!!

http://issuu.com/middleshelf/docs/middle_shelf_march-april_2014

PODCAST INTERVIEW

I had the privilege of being interviewed to day by successful author and marketing guru, Connie Ragen Green .  Connie has an amazing podcast show with great tips for authors and publishers. She is also the owner of Hunter's Moon Publishing . I chatted with her today about my books and writing process.  To access the podcast, click HERE .  [http://instantteleseminar.com/?eventid=52530942]

TODAY!!! LET THE STORM BREAK by Shannon Messenger

LET THE STORM BREAK
(Sequel to Let the Sky Fall)
Shannon Messenger
Simon Pulse
400 pp.
Ages 12 - 17

AVAILABLE TODAY!!!

"Witty, romantic and filled with personality." - Kirkus Reviews

Whirlwind romance and breathtaking action continues in the sequel to Let the Sky Fall, which Becca Fitzpatrick called “charged and romantic.”
Vane Weston is haunted. By the searing pull of his bond to Audra. By the lies he’s told to cover for her disappearance. By the treacherous winds that slip into his mind, trying to trap him in his worst nightmares. And as his enemies grow stronger, Vane doesn’t know how much longer he can last on his own.
But Audra’s still running. From her past. From the Gales. Even from Vane, who she doesn’t believe she deserves. And the farther she flees, the more danger she finds. She possesses the secret power her enemy craves, and protecting it might be more than she can handle—especially when she discovers Raiden’s newest weapon.
With the Gale Force weakened by recent attacks, and the power of four collapsing, Vane and Audra are forced to make a choice: keep trusting the failing winds, or turn to the people who’ve betrayed them before. But even if they survive the storms sent to destroy them, will they have anything left to hold on to?

BOOK TRAILER REVEAL: THE BOY PROBLEM by Kami Kinard

Welcome to Marvelous Middle Grade Monday (MMGM), a weekly event hosted by author Shannon Messenger. For a list of other MMGM posts, click HERE .

________________________________________________________



THE BOY PROBLEM
Kami Kinard
Scholastic
272 pp.
Ages 8 -12

AVAILABLE APRIL 29TH!!!
"For any spirited, entrepreneurial teen that’s ever had a crush, this sweet read is sprinkled with lessons on life, love and business." -- Kirkus



This companion novel to THE BOY PROJECT is the perfect "next step" for fans of DORK DIARIES. Tabitha "Tabbi" Reddy believes in signs. Like fortune cookies. Magic 8-Balls. Shooting stars. And this year, she hopes, looking for the right signs will lead her to the right boy! Inspired by her BFF, Kara (star of THE BOY PROJECT), Tabbi starts her own "project" in the hopes of finding a cute crush. With the help of a math lesson on probability, Tabbi tries to predict who the right boy for her might be! Where is she most likely to meet him? What is he most likely to look like? Full of fun illustrations, hilarious equations, and lessons in cupcake-baking, life, love, and friendship, this book has a 100% probability of awesomeness. A perfect "next step" for fans of DORK DIARIES.

You can pre-order THE BOY PROBLEM here: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-boy-problem-kamii-kinard/1117657121?ean=9780545575867

Find out more about THE BOY PROBLEM and THE BOY PROJECT at www.kamikinard.com.

COVER REVEAL: CONTACT by Laurisa White Reyes (That's Me!!!)

“It takes only half a second, like those commercials where a crash test dummy rockets forward at high speed and slams into a wall. In that instant every thought in Emma Lynn Walsh’s head collides with mine—every thought, memory, hope, disappointment and dream.
I open my eyes to see Dr. Walsh peering at me, a puzzled expression on her face.
“Let—go—of—me,” I order though clenched teeth.”

Mira wants to die. She’s attempted suicide twice already and failed. Every time she comes in contact with another person, skin to skin, that person’s psyche uploads into hers. While her psychologist considers this a gift, for Mira it’s a curse from which she cannot escape. 
To make matters worse, Mira’s father is being investigated for the deaths of several volunteer test subjects of the miracle drug Gaudium. Shortly after Mira’s mother starts asking questions, she ends up in a coma. Although her father claims it was an accident, thanks to her “condition” Mira knows the truth, but proving it just might get her killed.
COMING JUNE 23rd 2014...

GIVEAWAY & COVER REVEAL: GOLDEN DAUGHTER by Anne Elisabeth Stengl

GOLDEN DAUGHTERAnne Elisabeth Stengl Bethany  House
Ages 12 +
Scroll down for a chance to win!!!
BEYOND THE REALM OF DREAMSIS A WORLD SHE NEVER IMAGINEDMasayi Sairu was raised to be dainty, delicate, demure . . . and deadly. She is one of the emperor’s Golden Daughters, as much a legend as she is a commodity. One day, Sairu will be contracted in marriage to a patron, whom she will secretly guard for the rest of her life.
But when she learns that a sacred Dream Walker of the temple seeks the protection of a Golden Daughter, Sairu forgoes marriage in favor of this role. Her skills are stretched to the limit, for assassins hunt in the shadows, and phantoms haunt in dreams. With only a mysterious Faerie cat and a handsome slave—possessed of his own strange abilities—to help her, can Sairu shield her new mistress from evils she can neither see nor touch?
For the Dragon is building an army of fire. And soon the heavens will burn.

Excerpt from Chapter 3GOLDEN DAUGHTER


Sairu made her way from Princess Safiya’s chambers out to the walkways of the encircling gardens. The Masayi, abode of the Golden Daughters, was an intricate complex of buildings linked by blossom-shrouded walkways, calm with fountains and clear, lotus-filled pools where herons strutted and spotted fish swam.Here she had lived all the life she could remember.The Masayi was but a small part of Manusbau Palace, which comprised the whole of Sairu’s existence. She had never stepped beyond the palace walls. To do so would be to step into a world of corruption, corruption to which a Golden Daughter would not be impervious until she was safely chartered to a master and her life’s work was affixed in her heart and mind. Meanwhile, she must live securely embalmed in this tomb, waiting for life to begin.Sairu’s mouth curved gently at the corners, and she took small steps as she had been trained—slow, dainty steps that disguised the swiftness with which she could move at need. Even in private she must maintain the illusion, even here within the Masayi.A cat sat on the doorstep of her own building, grooming itself in the sunlight. She stepped around it and proceeded into the red-hung halls of the Daughter’s quarters and on to her private chambers. There she must gather what few things she would take with her—fewer things even than Jen-ling would take on her journey to Aja. For Jen-ling would be the wife of a prince, and she must give every impression of a bride on her wedding journey.I wonder who my master will be? Sairu thought as she slid back the rattan door to her chamber and entered the quiet simplicity within. She removed her elaborate costume and exchanged it for a robe of simple red without embellishments. She washed the serving girl cosmetics from her face and painted on the daily mask she and her sisters wore—white with black spots beneath each eye and a red stripe down her chin. It was elegant and simple, and to the common eye it made her indistinguishable from her sisters.The curtain moved behind her. She did not startle but turned quietly to see the same cat slipping into her room. Cats abounded throughout Manusbau Palace, kept on purpose near the storehouses to manage the vermin. But they did not often enter private chambers.Sairu, kneeling near her window with her paint pots around her, watched the cat as it moved silkily across the room, stepped onto her sleeping cushions, and began kneading the soft fabric, purring all the while. Its claws pulled at the delicate threads. But it was a cat. As far as it was concerned, it had every right to enjoy or destroy what it willed.At last it seemed to notice Sairu watching it. It turned sleepy eyes to her and blinked.Sairu smiled. In a voice as sweet as honey, she asked, “Who are you?”The cat twitched its tail softly and went on purring.The next moment, Sairu was across the room, her hand latched onto the cat’s scruff. She pushed it down into the cushions and held it there as it yowled and snarled, trying to catch at her with its claws.“Who are you?” she demanded, her voice fierce this time. “What are you? Are you an evil spirit sent to haunt me?”“No, dragons eat it! I mean, rrrraww! Mreeeow! Yeeeowrl!”The cat twisted and managed to lash out at her with its back feet, its claws catching in the fabric of her sleeve. One claw scratched her wrist, startling her just enough that she loosened her hold. The cat took advantage of the opportunity and, hissing like a fire demon, leapt free. It sprang across the room, knocking over several of her paint pots, and spun about, back-arched and snarling. Every hair stood on end, and its ears lay flat to its skull.Sairu drew a dagger from her sleeve and crouched, prepared for anything. The smile lingered on her mouth, but her eyes flashed. “Who sent you?” she demanded. “Why have you come to me now? You know of my assignment, don’t you.”“Meeeeowrl,” the cat said stubbornly and showed its fangs in another hiss.“I see it in your face,” Sairu said, moving carefully to shift her weight and prepare to spring. “You are no animal. Who is your master, devil?”The cat dodged her spring easily enough, which surprised her. Sairu was quick and rarely missed a target. Her knife sank into the floor and stuck there, but she released it and whipped another from the opposite sleeve even as she whirled about.Any self-respecting cat would have made for the window or the door. This one sprang back onto the cushions and crouched there, tail lashing. Its eyes were all too sentient, but it said only “Meeeeow,” as though trying to convince itself.Sairu chewed the inside of her cheek. Then, in a voice as smooth as butter, she said, “We have ways of dealing with devils in this country. Do you know what they are, demon-cat?”The cat’s ears came up. “Prreeowl?” it said.“Allow me to enlighten you.”And Sairu put her free hand to her mouth and uttered a long, piercing whistle. The household erupted with the voices of a dozen and more lion dogs.The little beasts, slipping and sliding and crashing into walls, their claws clicking and clattering on the tiles, careened down the corridor and poured into Sairu’s room. Fluffy tails wagging, pushed-in noses twitching, they roared like the lions they believed themselves to be and fell upon the cat with rapacious joy.The cat uttered one long wail and the next moment vanished out the window. Sairu, dogs milling at her feet, leapt up and hurried to look out after it, expecting to see a tawny tail slipping from sight. But she saw nothing.The devil was gone. For the moment at least.Sairu sank down on her cushions, and her lap was soon filled with wriggling, snuffling hunters eager for praise. She petted them absently, but her mind was awhirl. She had heard of devils taking the form of animals and speaking with the tongues of men. But she had never before seen it. She couldn’t honestly say she’d even believed it.“What danger is my new master in?” she wondered. “From what must I protect him?”

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

BOOK REVIEW: YOU by Charles Benoit

YOU
Charles Benoit
HarperCollins
256 pp.
Ages 13 - 17

You're surprised at all the blood.
This wasn't the way it was supposed to go. You're just a typical fifteen-year-old sophomore. This can't be happening to you. But then, how do you explain the blood? How do you explain how you got here in the first place?
Maybe if you can figure out where it all went wrong, you can still make it right. Think fast. Time's running out. . . .
MY REVIEW:
A friend of mine donated an ARC of this book to my son's Eagle Scout project. I hadn't heard about it before, so I picked it up off the stack of books and read the first couple of pages. Two days later I had read the whole thing.
YOU is one of the rare books written in 2nd person, you are Kyle Chase, a fifteen-year-old hoodie from Midland High. You used to be a good kid but have since slipped into a rut of bad grades, violent outbursts, and even some minor illegal activity. But at heart you are still the Kyle you used to be, trying to be good in bad circumstances.
The story is laid out very simply, without any excessive descriptions or complicated plotlines. This is high school drama at its core. While the 2nd person narrative takes a few pages to get used to, Benoit manages it deftly, drawing you into Kyle's story in the most personal way possible. And the ending guts you, leaves you breathless, stomach twisted into knots. It really makes you think.


CONTENT RATING:
Profanity:  MildViolence:  ModerateSexuality:  Moderate

BOOK REVIEW: CODE NAME VERITY by Elizabeth Wein

CODE NAME VERITY (Audiobook)
Elizabeth Wein
Disney-Hyperion
368 pp.
Ages 14-17


Oct. 11th, 1943-A British spy plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France. Its pilot and passenger are best friends. One of the girls has a chance at survival. The other has lost the game before it's barely begun. 
When "Verity" is arrested by the Gestapo, she's sure she doesn't stand a chance. As a secret agent captured in enemy territory, she's living a spy's worst nightmare. Her Nazi interrogators give her a simple choice: reveal her mission or face a grisly execution.
As she intricately weaves her confession, Verity uncovers her past, how she became friends with the pilot Maddie, and why she left Maddie in the wrecked fuselage of their plane. On each new scrap of paper, Verity battles for her life, confronting her views on courage, failure and her desperate hope to make it home. But will trading her secrets be enough to save her from the enemy?
Winner of the 2013 Edgar Award for Best Young Adult
A 2013 Michael L. Printz Honor Book
A 2012 Boston Globe-Horn Fiction Honor Book
MY REVIEW: 
From the very opening line, "I am a coward," Wein's masterful tale of two women, one a pilot for the British Airforce during WWII, the other a spy captured by the Nazis, grabbed my attention and my heart and still has not released it. I knew a quarter of the way through that this book was a cut above, something truly remarkable. The story of these two friends, Maddie and Julie, and the risks and sacrifices they make for their country and for each other is simply astounding, heart-wrenching, and unforgettable. More than once, my heart froze and my eyes stung with tears. I haven't loved a story this much since Kathryn Stockett's The Help. And the audio version of Code Name Verity was one of the best narrations I've ever heard. All I can say is READ OR LISTEN TO THIS BOOK!

Yes, you counted right.  I give Code Name Verity 6 STARS !!!
CONTENT RATING:
Profanity:  HighViolence:  HighSexuality:  Mild