Book Release, Question of the Month, Winners of Give Away

Lots of stuff going on at my pad, today. First, I'd like to let you all know about a  new Middle Grade book that will be released on December 1, 2015. It's called The Secret Files of Fairday Morrow. It's by my blog buddies, Jessica Haight and Stephanie Robinson. It looks so cute! I can't wait to get my copy!



Release date: DECEMBER 1, 2015
Delacorte Press/ Random House Kids Books
MIDDLE GRADE/ ages 10 and up
ISBN: 978-0-385-74471-3
Authors: Jessica Haight & Stephanie Robinson
Illustrator: Roman Muradov
Publicity contact: Samuel Terris sterris@penguinrandomhouse.com
 
 
 
Eleven-year-old Fairday Morrow is less than thrilled that her family is moving thousands of miles from civilization to the quiet country town of Ashpot, Connecticut, where she’s absolutely certain she’ll die of boredom.
 
As if leaving Manhatten and her best friend, Lizzy, the only other member of the elite Detective Mystery Squad, weren’t bad enough, Fairday is stuck living in the infamous Begonia House, a creepy old Victorian with dark passageways, a gigantic dead willow tree, and a mysterious past. 
 
Before she can even unpack, strange music coming from behind a padlocked door leads Fairday up a spiral staircase and into a secret room, where she finds an ancient mirror, a brass key, and a curious portrait of a red-haired lady. These seemingly unrelated items prove to be the first in a series of clues that takes Fairday, the visiting Lizzy, and their new squad member, Marcus, on an amazing adventure.
 
Can the members of the Detective Mystery Squad piece together the puzzle before it’s too late? Or will whatever’s causing trouble find Fairday and her friends first? 
 
 
Catch the Book Buzz...
 
"I really enjoyed this book. It was a marvelously done, debut, thriller novel. Ms. Robinson and Ms. Haight are great authors that really pull you into their story. I couldn’t get out until that final sentence. And, by then I wanted more. To say I want a second book is an understatement. The writing style is compelling, and makes me feel as if I was there with Fairday and her friends. I really like the illustrations in the book. They are like the ribbon on a present, or the icing on the cake. I give this book five out of five bookworms!"
~ Erik Weibel/ This Kid Reviews Books  
 
"Mixing realism and fantasy, Haight and Robinson’s debut opens with 11-year-old Fairday’s move from Manhattan to a small town in Connecticut, where her relentlessly cheerful parents plan to turn a dilapidated Victorian into a bed and breakfast. No sooner has the family arrived than eerie sights and sounds begin to haunt Fairday. The house turns out to hold dark secrets that everybody in town suspects but nobody can explain: a perfect mission for Fairday and her best friend Lizzy’s Detective Mystery Squad (DMS)."
~ Publishers Weekly
 
"Fifth-grader Fairday Morrow's new home lives up to its spooky reputation, but she and her companions in the Detective Mystery Squad find out why. At Begonia House, strains of bagpipe music issue from behind a padlocked door, grains of sand in an hourglass have stopped falling, and a malevolent weeping willow looms in the backyard. A magic mirror shows an invisible door; a wardrobe hides secrets and a portal. Ruby Begonia vanished more than 50 years ago. Is there also a ghost? Fairday has a new, helpful friend in classmate Marcus, and her best friend Lizzy can visit on weekends to help solve the mystery. What more could readers want?"
~ Kirkus Reviews
Jessica Haight is a true New Englander, with a deep desire to be near the ocean and a love of the four seasons. She enjoys drawing while standing up and cultivating magic in her garden. She easily floats away in the pages of a good story and is still waiting for her owl from Hogwarts.
 
 
Stephanie Robinsonlives with her husband in a quiet town, though not as quaint as Ashpot. After teaching fifth grade for almost fifteen years, she is now enjoying her role as a school media specialist. 
 
Links:
 
Fairday's Blog
Fairdayfiles.com
@DMSfiles




Second, it's time for the question of the month, hosted by Michael d'Agostino. This month's question is, "What social custom bothers you that you would you like to get rid of?"

Well, I have two. Both are social greetings. The first is that thing European people do, where they kiss each cheek when they greet. What's that called? Fortunately, it's not done in the United States, but my relatives are from Europe, and I have to deal with that every time I see them. I'm so worried I'm going to break my nose when I do it. My second is the deal where guys kiss my hand when they greet me. I really, really, really, dislike that! I have a thing against womanizers, and when a guy does that, I put him right in the womanizer category. So, if you meet me, please do not do that European greeting thing, and please do not kiss my hand!



Last, but not least, the winners of my give away have been selected. Congratulations to Chrys Fey and Nick Wilford, who have won copies of Ten Zany Birds. Congratulations to Dawna who has won a copy of That Mama is a Grouch, and congratulations to Tracy Terry, who will be receiving a copy of That Baby Woke Me Up, AGAIN! 


So, what social customs do you dislike?