Stanley and Katrina's Blog, page 3

Neighbor Girl Interview & $25 Book Blast for Raising Sleeping Stones Hosted by Mother Daughter Book Reviews (Ends 4/2/2015)

Our paws are dancing today because our young author, Felicia, is a guest over at Writer Side Up! Ms. Donna was successful in gaining an interview from Felicia -not an easy feat. We would say that Ms.Donna  has MOXIE, as she was patient (it took Felicia months to finish the interview) and determined in gaining Felicia's answers. So once you read about Raising Sleeping Stones, and enter the Rafflecopter (below), be sure to head over to WriterSideUp! to learn more about Felicia. Book BlastMother Daughter Book Reviews is very excited to be coordinating a Book Blast for a book that is taking reading in new directions. “Raising Sleeping Stones” by P.H.T. Bennet is a fantasy adventure whose story and app will help readers learn more about their own dreams. Read on for more information. About the BookTitle: Raising Sleeping Stones (The Orora Crona Chronicles, Book 1)
Author: P.H.T. Bennet
Publication Date: December 4, 2014
Publisher: DreamKeeper Publishing 
Pages: 364 (est.)
Recommended Ages: 9 to 14
You can purchase a copy of this innovative book/app for only 99 cents until April 2, 2015!Please note that the full functionalities of the app (e.g., music, hidden illustrations, and other interactive features) are not included in the e-book. The app is available through iTunes.Amazon * Barnes & Noble * iBooksKobo * Smashwords * Goodreads 
The Story ***Winner of a 2013 Newbury Comics Award!***
When sisters Kiva and DeeDee Stone discover a mysterious plot that threatens them and everything they care about, they have to take a crash course in the ancient art of DreamKeeping to survive. As two elder Dream Keepers lead them up the Varruvyen river to the Eyle of Return, they show the girls how to gain dream powers greater than anything they had ever imagined. But can they become strong enough to face the monsters that haunt their dreams at night, strong enough to fight the enemies that draw nearer each day? The answer lies somewhere in the broken history of Orora Crona, the Valley of Dreams lost centuries ago, and whoever can piece it together first will rule for centuries to come.   
The Experience
THE APP: Raising Sleeping Stones has been released as an electronic book in app form because it will do what dreams do by weaving together a story, music, illustrations, and interactive features to create a richer, more layered reading experience. STORY: The adventures of Kiva and DeeDee will become clearer and richer if you pause at the end of a chapter to think about the new clues you could use to start unlocking the mysteries of the earlier chapters ... or to predict what will happen in the next ones. DREAM TECHNIQUES: Kiva and DeeDee meet the DreamKeepers who teach them how to not only remember and explore their dreams, but also how to use them to develop incredible super powers including flying, changing shape, traveling to the past, living underwater, creating impossible buildings, looking into the future, and more. This may be a fantasy series, but most of the dream techniques the characters use in the book really work, so readers can actually get better at dreaming by following what the characters do. STORYSCORE: The music tells the same story at the same time as the words, but adds additional musical cues to help you figure out what's happening between the characters or who might be involved in the plot against them. The closer you listen to the music, the more secrets you can uncover. DYNAMIC ILLUSTRATIONS: The illustrations represent the main characters and events in the story; but, if you answer the questions at the end of certain chapters, you can unlock hidden layers to the illustrations, layers that show what lies beneath the surface of the story. TUMBLER & FACEBOOK: Readers will be able to share their ideas, questions, drawings, and/or their predictions about the book on Tumblr and will be able to find sound clips, albums of drawings, updates, and other extras on Facebook as well.   
Video Preview   About the Author: P.H.T. Bennet
P.H.T. Bennet began exploring the world of the dreams when he was a child and never bothered to stop when he grew up. He had the good luck to have two daughters, Juliette and Paola, who not only served as the inspirations for DeeDee and Kiva, but also shared their dreams and helped him turn their family dreamwork sessions into this book. His lucky streak grew when he married his lovely wife, Mim, who tolerates his turning on a light in the middle of the night to write down ever-crazier dreams and talking about them in the morning as long as he lets her sleep in, first. Though flying dreams are his favorite, he also loves the challenge of rewinding, replaying, and revising nightmares until they have much more interesting (and less brutal) endings, the thrill of breathing and swimming at high speeds underwater, the surprise of creating new works of art, the dangers in meeting, battling, and learning from his Shadow as it changes forms, the delight of returning to Paris, where he lived for 5 years, for delicious meals, and the peacefulness he gets from dream visits with his father, who passed away four years ago. He can’t wait to hear what readers favorite dreams are and what dream skills they hope the book will help them develop. Readers can either share them with him at phtbennet(at)raisingstones(dot)com or with everybody reading the book at http://raisingsleepingstones.tumblr.com
Book Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads  
* $25 Book Blast Giveaway *
Prize: $25 Amazon Gift Card or PayPal cash (winner’s choice) Contest ends: April 2, 11:59 pm, 2015 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, P.H.T. Bennet 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.

Click here to view the Rafflecopter Entry Form.


 This post has been included in: We love Create With Joy's Book Nook Linky! Share your favorite post and make new friends! Join Booknificent Thursdays.Thank you for reading and sharing,
Did you catch the newest episode of The Write Chat, where Erik and Felicia interview author Bart King?

Katrina's Word of the Week.
View videos on YouTube or view our most recent blog post.
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Katrina has a plethora of MOXIE. Word of the Week with Guest Jamie Stevens(3/2/2014): #KidLitWow

We are thrilled to have the paw-some author and illustrator, Jamie Stevens, here to introduce the Word of the Week with gusto.  Not only is Jamie an author and illustrator, but she also is an app designer.  Thank you, Jamie, for introducing this week's Word of the Week: MOXIE. 
Friend, be sure to connect with Jamie, below.
Can you use the word MOXIE in a sentence? 
Connect with our guest, Jamie StevensAuthor & IllustratorWebsite * Facebook * Twitter *  YouTube 


GloGirly DesignStanley & Katrina Don't forget that we have free printables to go along with the Words of the Week. Visit Cool Mom Printables on Teachers Pay Teachers to download our printables.

If you and/or your family completes an activity, we would love to see a picture of it, or hear all about it. You may do this in the comments below; on our Facebook page; on Twitter (use the hashtag #kidlitwow); Pinterest; Google+ - truly, anywhere you want to tell the world with gusto!  This post has been included in:  We are most creative with our videos. How are you creative this week? Find great homeschooling blog posts.Thank you for reading and sharing,
Did you catch the newest episode of The Write Chat, where Erik and Felicia interview author Bart King?



Follow Stanley and Katrina on Twitter  * Join Stanley and Katrina on Facebook 
Click here to find out how you may purchase our fun book now!
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Learn how you may Skype with our author.

$25 Book Blast for Julie Anne Grasso's Stellarcadia Hosted by Mother Daughter Book Reviews (Ends 3/25/2015)

Mother Daughter Book Reviews is pleased to be hosting a Book Blast for the third and final book in the "Adventures of Caramel Cardamom" middle grade science fiction trilogy by Julie Anne Grasso: "Stellarcadia".
 About the BookTitle: Stellarcadia (Adventures of Caramel Cardamom, Book 3)Author: Julie Anne Grasso Publication Date: December 24, 2014Publisher: IndependentPages: 128Recommended Ages: 8 to 12Book Description: Caramel Cinnamon is one lucky elf. She can hardly believe she’s invited to attend the first Intergalactic Youth Summit, on-board the Stellarcadia. Her friends can’t wait to go “hyper,” but even the thought of it chills Caramel to the bone. However, nothing could compare to the icy reception she receives upon her arrival. Keen to get to the bottom of it, Caramel stumbles on a dangerous conspiracy, but no one will believe her. In the exciting conclusion to The Adventures of Caramel Cardamom Trilogy, Caramel will have to do more than outwit her enemies, she will have to convince her friends to take her seriously. For ages 8-12. Amazon | Barnes & Noble | GoodreadsThe Early Buzz"The book is also a perfect mix of magic, science, and technology. Don’t be surprised if readers get to use their imaginations and learn something. Julie Anne Grasso has proven herself to be an original and versatile author..." ~ 5 Stars, Ilana W., Amazon

"Couldn't put it down." ~ Jemima P., Goodreads 
About the Author: Julie Anne Grasso
With a background in paediatric nursing, Julie Anne Grasso spent many years literally wrapping children in cotton wool. Every day she witnessed great courage and resilience from the tiny people she cared for, which inspired her to write stories to encourage and entertain them. She lives in Melbourne, Australia with her husband Danny and their little girl, Giselle.
Website | Blog | Facebook Twitter | Goodreads
Julie Anne Grasso's Interview on The Write Chat  
* $25 Book Blast Giveaway *
Prize: $25 Amazon Gift Card or PayPal cash (winner’s choice) Contest ends: March 25, 11:59 pm, 2015 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, Julie Anne Grasso 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. 
Click here to go to the Rafflecopter Entry Form  
 This post has been included in: We love Create With Joy's Book Nook Linky! Share your favorite post and make new friends! Join Booknificent Thursdays.Thank you for reading and sharing,
Did you catch the newest episode of The Write Chat, where Erik and Felicia interview author Bart King?

Katrina's Word of the Week.
View videos on YouTube or view our most recent blog post.

Follow Stanley and Katrina on Twitter  * Join Stanley and Katrina on Facebook 
Click here to find out how you may purchase our fun book now!
Sign up to receive our Newsletter in your inbox.
Learn how you may Skype with our author.

Katrina's PRECEPT: Do not eat Katrina's Food. Word of the Week with Guest Michelle Nelson-Schmidt (2/23/2015): #KidLitWow

We are thrilled to have the paw-some author and illustrator, Michelle Nelson-Schmidt, here to introduce the Word of the Week with gusto.  Not only is Michelle an author and illustrator, but she also has a paw-riffic "Storytime Live" show on her website.  Thank you, Michelle, for introducing this week's Word of the Week: PRECEPT. 
Friend, be sure to connect with Michelle, below.
Can you use the word PRECEPT in a sentence? 
Connect with our guest, Michelle Nelson-Schmidt Author & IllustratorWebsite * Facebook * Twitter * Etsy Store * YouTube * Pinterest



GloGirly DesignStanley & Katrina Don't forget that we have free printables to go along with the Words of the Week. Visit Cool Mom Printables on Teachers Pay Teachers to download our printables.

If you and/or your family completes an activity, we would love to see a picture of it, or hear all about it. You may do this in the comments below; on our Facebook page; on Twitter (use the hashtag #kidlitwow); Pinterest; Google+ - truly, anywhere you want to tell the world with gusto!  This post has been included in:  We are most creative with our videos. How are you creative this week? Find great homeschooling blog posts.Thank you for reading and sharing,
Did you catch the newest episode of The Write Chat, where Erik and Felicia interview author Bart King?



Follow Stanley and Katrina on Twitter  * Join Stanley and Katrina on Facebook 
Click here to find out how you may purchase our fun book now!
Sign up to receive our Newsletter in your inbox.
Learn how you may Skype with our author.

★ Bart King is a guest on The Write Chat, today! ★

Before we get to Felicia's news, we want to take a minute to thank the amazing author, Cat Michaels, who, after receiving the well-deserved Very Inspiring Blogger Award , took the time to nominate us for the award. Take a minute to hop over to Cat's blog to learn a bit about her and see her other paw-some nominations. Thanks, Cat!  Today on The Write Chat , Erik & Felicia interview author Bart King . Mr. King's books include The Big Book of Super Heroes, The Big Book of Girl Stuff, The Big Book of Boy Stuff, the Epic Fails series, and more!  
In this episode you will: ~ Learn the details about Bart King's back-up job. ~ Watch as a secret superhero steals Erik's hat.~ Seat surfing? ~ and more!
Be sure to give the video a thumbs-up, subscribe to Stanley & Katrina's YouTube Channel and leave a comment saying, "Hi!" 
This post has been included in:  Find great homeschooling blog posts.Thank you for reading and sharing,


Katrina's Word of the Week.
View videos on YouTube or view our most recent blog post.
Follow Stanley and Katrina on Twitter  * Join Stanley and Katrina on Facebook 
Click here to find out how you may purchase our fun book now!
Learn how you may Skype with our author.

As you all know, Katrina is a PARAGON. Word of the Week with Guest Caroline Carlson (2/16/2015): #KidLitWow

We are thrilled to have the paw-some author, Caroline Carlson, here to introduce the Word of the Week with gusto.  Caroline is the author of the great series titled The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates.  Thank you, Caroline, for introducing this week's Word of the Week: PARAGON. Be sure to connect with Caroline, below.
Can you use the word PARAGON in a sentence? 
Connect with our guest, Caroline Carlson, AuthorThe Very Nearly Honorable League of PiratesWebsite * Facebook * Twitter 



GloGirly DesignStanley & Katrina Don't forget that we have free printables to go along with the Words of the Week. Visit Cool Mom Printables on Teachers Pay Teachers to download our printables.

If you and/or your family completes an activity, we would love to see a picture of it, or hear all about it. You may do this in the comments below; on our Facebook page; on Twitter (use the hashtag #kidlitwow); Pinterest; Google+ - truly, anywhere you want to tell the world with gusto!  Our Guest Spots are filled for the entire School Year. Click here if you would like to sponsor a video. 

This post has been included in:  We are most creative with our videos. How are you creative this week? Find great homeschooling blog posts.Thank you for reading and sharing, Did you catch the newest episode of The Write Chat?
Follow Stanley and Katrina on Twitter  * Join Stanley and Katrina on Facebook 
Click here to find out how you may purchase our fun book now!
Sign up to receive our Newsletter in your inbox.
Learn how you may Skype with our author.

How do you show SENTIMENT to your loved ones? Word of the Week with Guest Pamela Hall (2/9/2015): #KidLitWow

We are thrilled to have the paw-some Pamela Hall, founder of Literate for Life, here to introduce the Word of the Week.  Her website, Facebook page and Twitter feed is filled with all things literacy. Thank you, Pamela, for introducing this week's Word of the Week: SENTIMENT. Be sure to connect with Pamela, below.
Can you use the word SENTIMENT in a sentence? 
Connect with our guest, Pamela Hall, Founder, Literate for Life: Website * Facebook * Twitter * Google+ * YouTube


In case you missed it, we created free printable Valentine's Day cards for you. Click here to download them via Teachers Pay Teachers. 

GloGirly DesignStanley & Katrina Don't forget that we have free printables to go along with the Words of the Week. Visit Cool Mom Printables on Teachers Pay Teachers to download our printables.

If you and/or your family completes an activity, we would love to see a picture of it, or hear all about it. You may do this in the comments below; on our Facebook page; on Twitter (use the hashtag #kidlitwow); Pinterest; Google+ - truly, anywhere you want to tell the world with gusto!  Our Guest Spots are filled for the entire School Year. Click here if you would like to sponsor a video. 

This post has been included in:  We are most creative with our videos. How are you creative this week? Find great homeschooling blog posts.Thank you for reading and sharing, Did you catch the newest episode of The Write Chat?
Follow Stanley and Katrina on Twitter  * Join Stanley and Katrina on Facebook 
Click here to find out how you may purchase our fun book now!
Sign up to receive our Newsletter in your inbox.
Learn how you may Skype with our author.

We made free printable Valentine's Day cards for you!

We had some fun creating Valentine's Day Printables for you and your friends. Stanley told me that my original Valentine was not nice enough and made me create a nice version. We included both for your enjoyment. 

Visit our printables on Teachers Pay Teachers to download thesefree Valentine's Day Cards. Enjoy!This post has been included in:  We are most creative with our videos. How are you creative this week? Find great homeschooling blog posts.Thank you for reading and sharing, Did you catch the newest episode of The Write Chat, where Erik & Felicia interview NY Times BestSelling Author, Chris Grabenstein?
Follow Stanley and Katrina on Twitter  * Join Stanley and Katrina on Facebook 
Click here to find out how you may purchase our fun book now!
Sign up to receive our Newsletter in your inbox.
Learn how you may Skype with our author.

Katrina is a very MAJESTIC creature. Word of the Week with Guest Taurean J. Watkins (2/2/2015): #KidLitWow

We are thrilled to have the paw-some Taurean J. Watkins, founder of Talking Animal Addicts, back to introduce another Word of the Week (First Word:CRIMSON, Second Word: Beneficent).  His website is filled with literary animals - how paw-riffic is that? Thank you, Taurean, for introducing this week's Word of the Week: MAJESTIC. Be sure to connect with Taurean, below.
Can you use the word MAJESTIC in a sentence? 
Connect with our guest, Taurean J. Watkins, Founder, Talking Animal Addicts: YouTube * Website  * Facebook(T.A.A.)  * Twitter(TAA) Facebook:Swinebert & Dempsey * Twitter: Swinebert & Dempsey

GloGirly DesignStanley & Katrina Don't forget that we have free printables to go along with the Words of the Week. Visit Cool Mom Printables on Teachers Pay Teachers to download our printables.

If you and/or your family completes an activity, we would love to see a picture of it, or hear all about it. You may do this in the comments below; on our Facebook page; on Twitter (use the hashtag #kidlitwow); Pinterest; Google+ - truly, anywhere you want to tell the world with gusto!  Our Guest Spots are filled for the entire School Year. Click here if you would like to sponsor a video. 

This post has been included in:  We are most creative with our videos. How are you creative this week? Find great homeschooling blog posts.Thank you for reading and sharing, Did you catch the newest episode of The Write Chat?
Follow Stanley and Katrina on Twitter  * Join Stanley and Katrina on Facebook 
Click here to find out how you may purchase our fun book now!
Sign up to receive our Newsletter in your inbox.
Learn how you may Skype with our author.

Multicultural Children's Book Day 2015. Bonus Post: Beauty and the Beast #ReadYourWorld

We are excited to share with you a book that we were lucky enough to win via KidLit.TV. It is one we think is just perfect for Multicultural Children's Book Day. Since this is our second post for Multicultural Children's Book Day, we'll keep this one on the shorter side. However, we have activities to go along with this book! Multicultural Children's Book Day
Our mission is to not only raise awareness for the kid’s books that celebrate diversity, but to get more of these of books into classrooms and libraries.
Mission: Despite census data that shows 37% of the US population consists of people of color, only 10% of children’s books published have diversity content. Using the Multicultural Children’s Book Day, Mia and Valarie are on a mission to change all of that. Their mission is to not only raise awareness for the kid’s books that celebrate diversity, but to get more of these types of books into classrooms and libraries. Another goal of this exciting event is create a compilation of books and favorite reads that will provide not only a new reading list for the winter, but also a way to expose brilliant books to families, teachers, and libraries.
“MCCBD team hopes to spread the word and raise awareness about the importance of diversity in children’s literature. Our young readers need to see themselves within the pages of a book and experience other cultures, languages, traditions and religions within the pages of a book. We encourage readers, parents, teachers, caregivers and librarians to follow along the fun book reviews, author visits, event details, a multicultural children’s book linky and via our hashtag (#ReadYourWorld) on Twitter and other social media.”
Our Review  Title: Beauty and the Beast Author: H. Chuku Lee Illustrator: Pat Cummings Year Published: 2014 Publisher: Harper Collins Pages: 32
 Age Level: 4-8 years old.  Summary (Amazon): remarkable retelling of Beauty and the Beast, award-winning illustrator Pat Cummings creates an enchanted fairy-tale world flavored by the art, architecture, and culture of West Africa, while writer H. Chuku Lee stays true to the story of this beloved classic. Read more on Amazon.. 
Our Thoughts   We were lucky enough to win this book in a giveaway. The illustrations are gorgeous. "Beauty and the Beast" is a story most of us know well - no huge surprises, here. Well, okay...there are small differences but nothing crazy that will make your child, familiar with the well-known Disney version, stop in their tracks. 
  What we love about this book is that it is set in West Africa with the architecture of the Dogon of Mali. With stunning illustrations, we are transported to another time and place.   To view some of the gorgeous illustrations, be sure to watch KidLit.TV's interview (below) with the creative team of this beautiful book. We'll be donating our copy to our local library so that others may enjoy it. 

Activities To Go Along with the BookView KidLit.TV's interview with the collaborative team of this beautiful book.Compare this book to the version of Beauty and the Beast that your family/students know with this free downloadable printable created by The Common Core Classroom           We love that this printable includes a "Things to Think About" page. A great blog post (that contains information about the Sacred Sites of the Dogon, Mali (where the book is set).Disclosure: We received a copy of "Beauty and the Beast" from a giveaway we entered with KidLit.TV. We received no monetary or in-kind compensation for our honest review. This post does NOT contain affiliate links. We will be donating this book to our local library.
Thank You Sponsors:MCCBD’s  2015 Sponsors include Platinum Sponsors: Wisdom Tales Press, Daybreak Press Global Bookshop, Gold Sponsors:  Satya House,  MulticulturalKids.com,   Author Stephen Hodges and the Magic Poof, Silver Sponsors: Junior Library Guild,  Capstone Publishing, Lee and Low Books,  The Omnibus Publishing. Bronze Sponsors:Double Dutch Dolls, Bliss Group Books, Snuggle with Picture Books Publishing,  Rainbow Books,   Author FeliciaCapers,   Chronicle Books   Muslim Writers Publishing ,East West Discovery Press.

CoHosts: Africa to America, All Done Monkey, The Educators’ Spin on It, Growing Book by Book, InCultural Parent, Kid World Citizen, Mama Smiles, Multicultural Kid Blogs, Sprout’s BookshelfFirst Book MCCBD is partnering with First Book to offer a Virtual Book Drive that will help donate multicultural children’s books through their channels during the week of the event. We want to help get diversity books into the hands of kids who most need it and now we have a way to do it! The Virtual Book Drive is LIVE and can be found HERE.
Children’s Book Council MCCBD is also collaborating with Children’s Book Council to highlight wonderful diversity books and authors on an ongoing basis all year.





We hope your 2015 is MOMENTOUS!Thank you for reading and sharing,

Did you catch the newest episode of The Write Chat?
Katrina's Word of the Week.
View videos on YouTube or view our most recent blog post.
Follow Stanley and Katrina on Twitter  * Join Stanley and Katrina on Facebook 
Click here to find out how you may purchase our fun book now!
Learn how you may Skype with our author.