To enter to win simply comment below. Open internatioanlly, giveaway ends September 12, 2011
Fire and Ice is the stop today on the blog tour for
Populazzi by Elise Allen
Hardcover, 400 pages
Expected publication: August 1st 2011
by Harcourt Children’s Books
ISBN 0547481535
3.5 stars
Cara has never been one of those girls: confident, self-possessed, and always ready with the perfect thing to say. A girl at the very top of the popularity tower. One of the Populazzi.
Now, junior year could change everything. Cara’s moving to a new school, and her best friend urges her to seize the moment—with the help of the Ladder. Its rungs are relationships, and if Cara transforms into the perfect girlfriend for guys ever-higher on the tower, she’ll reach the ultimate goal: Supreme Populazzi.
The Ladder seems like a lighthearted social experiment, a straight climb up, but it quickly becomes gnarled and twisted. And when everything goes wrong, only the most audacious act Cara can think of has a chance of setting things even a little bit right.
What most of us wouldn’t give to have a chance to go back to High School and change some of the things we didn’t like, or even to pick a new crowd to hang out with? Unfortunately for the majority, the reputation we get early on sticks… and for Cara, an unfortunate day in elementary school marks her social status for life. The good news is that she meets her best friend Claudia, and the two become inseparable. That is, up until their junior year when Cara moves to a new school.
While Cara is thinking a fresh start, her best friend is thinking opportunity awaits for her BFF to climb the social ladder all the way to the top. Claudia is out to make Cara supreme Populazzi…and she is not about to give up with her plan until Cara sees it all the way through. Things aren’t looking too hot when upon arrival to school, Cara’s first two friends are part of the Happy Hopeless and Cubby Crew cliques. There’s Robert who knows his Star Wars backwards and forwards, even wearing a cape to school and Archer the theater geek who wants to get to know Cara via play ping pong. As the weeks go on Cara develops feelings for Archer. Could she have found a boy who respects her and makes her laugh or will she succumb to the pressure of Claudia’s plan to become penultimate popular?
You guessed it! She makes the same mistake many teens make in trying to figure out who they are. As Cara starts climbing her way to the top she discover there is power in popularity. She changes her self for others and as a result there are consequences.
Watching her slide into risky behaviors and become a chameleon based on which boy she was with was painful only because it is so common with the teenage crowd. Author Elise Allen uses humor to deal with bullying, bulimia and social pressure. Similar to the movie Mean Girls, Populazzi shows that so many of us think only of the immediate future instead of the long-term track our choices will take us down.
I loved loved the main male character Archer an the advice he gives to Cara about her parents, especially the step-father who “disowns ” her repeatedly. Archer is wise beyond his years and I wish we could have seen more of him. The characters were well fleshed out and multi-faceted, the writing very creative. I would, however, not recommend this book to younger teens as it has underage drug and repeated alcohol use as well as loads of detailed talk about sexuality.
Populazzi was a fun read with a good ending about being true to who you are. As well, it is an eye opener about what may be a reality in some popular crowds. Thanks so much to Harcourt Children’s books for the ARC and for choosing our site as a stop for the blog tour.
To learn more about the author visit EliseAllen.com which “is the personal and professional web presence of Elise Allen, writer of Young Adult and Childrens’ fiction, as well as television, features, and internet programming.”
Fire and Ice is a blog that reviews and highlights books, mainly from YA, and LDS fiction as well as family friendly products.
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To view all of the COF trailer photos taken by Heather Gardner Photography visit my Smug Mug Galleries. Learn more about the Prophecy of the Sisters trilogy on Michelle Zink’s website. Circle of Fire is currently number 20 on the Goodreads most popular books of August. Congrats Michelle! And be sure to check out the teaser and full length COF trailers now on You Tube.
Ashes (Ashes Trilogy #1)
by Ilsa J. Bick
Hardcover, 480 pages
Expected publication:
September 6th 2011
by EgmontUSA
It could happen tomorrow…
A cataclysmic event. An army of “The Changed.”
Can one teen really survive on her own?
An electromagnetic pulse sweeps through the sky, destroying every electronic device and killing billions. For those spared, it’s a question of who can be trusted and who is no longer human…
Desperate to find out what happened and to avoid the Changed, Alex meets up with Tom—a young army veteran—and Ellie, a young girl whose grandfather was killed by the electromagnetic pulse.
This improvised family will have to use every ounce of courage they have just to survive
We are accepting five readers in the U.S. for this ARC tour on a first come first serve basis. For a full list of Fire and Ice ARC tour rules and to sign up click here and fill out the form.
1)Heather R
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by Wendy Paul
e never been skiing…) who decided to write a cupcake cookbook, 101 Gourmet Cupcakes in 10 Minutes. I have always loved to bake and cook, spending countless hours in the kitchen. It is cute, fun, and easy, even for the most novice baker. Your family and friends will be amazed with these delicious creations that you can bake for any occasion.
My second book, 101 Gourmet Cookies for Everyone is a wonderful collection of my best cookies for EVERYONE! From Gluten-free to low-fat, low-sugar recipes, vegan recipes….. and traditional, this book has it all! I am so proud of these books and I am so grateful for this fantastic opportunity to share my most treasured recipes with you!
My 3rd book, came out in August 2011- 101 Gourmet Cake Bites…. From time to time, I’ll post sneak peaks at the writing, baking and creating process. There always is a reason to bake!
Our Trailer Thursday is The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater coming October 18, 2011 from Scholastic. Maggie is a genius with her stop action book trailers, original music and art. Can not wait to read this from one of my favorite authors! Learn more at www.maggiestiefvater.com
by Jackson Pearce
Hardcover, 312 pages
Expected publication:
August 23rd 2011
by Little, Brown
series: Fairytale Retellings #2
4 stars
SWEETLY is a modernization of Hansel and Gretel and a companion book to SISTERS RED.
Summary: Twelve years ago, Gretchen, her twin sister, and her brother went looking for a witch in the forest. They found something. Maybe it was a witch, maybe a monster, they aren’t sure—they were running too fast to tell. Either way, Gretchen’s twin sister was never seen again.
Years later, after being thrown out of their house, Gretchen and Ansel find themselves in Live Oak, South Carolina, a place on the verge of becoming a ghost town. They move in with Sophia Kelly, a young and beautiful chocolatier owner who opens not only her home, but her heart to Gretchen and Ansel.
Yet the witch isn’t gone—it’s here, lurking in the forests of Live Oak, preying on Live Oak girls every year after Sophia Kelly’s infamous chocolate festival. But Gretchen is determined to stop running from witches in the forest, and start fighting back. Alongside Samuel Reynolds, a boy as quick with a gun as he is a sarcastic remark, Gretchen digs deeper into the mystery of not only what the witch is, but how it chooses its victims. Yet the further she investigates, the more she finds herself wondering who the real monster is, and if love can be as deadly as it is beautiful.
Hansel and Gretel has always been one of my favorite fairy tales so Sweetly has been on my wish list ever since Jackson announced it after her first retelling of Little Red Riding Hood entitled Sisters Red. These two books fit hand in hand and follow Jackson’s dark, modern modernization of childhood favorites. Sweetly begins with Ansel and his twin sisters playing in the woods near their home, dropping the yellow candies no one likes along the way. Out of the deep appears a witch with yellow eyes and big teeth scaring the three siblings to a chase,and it’s not until they get home that they realize one of the twins is lost forever. The two surviving brother and sister Ansel and Gretchen face the guilt and fear every day, and eventually one day are kicked out of their home by their step-mother. They pack up their belongings and travel across country towards the ocean until their car breaks down in the deep south town of Live Oak, South Carolina.
Here’s where I fell in love. The town has that kitsch retro feel of small town Americana frozen in time. The locals distrust anyone from the outside. Lucky for Ansel and Gretchen the chocolatier on the outskirts of town needs some help and can help pay for Jeep repairs. Lured by the dreamy vanilla smell and handmade delicacies they decide to stay with Sophia, the patron saint of candy until her famous Chocolate Festival. But as secrets begin to unfurl and sea shells mysteriously show up on the porch, Gretchen is sure there’s more than meets the eye to Sophia.
Enter in Samuel, the woodsman everyone calls crazy. He’s a loner and packs a rifle which comes in handy when Gretchen decides to fight back against the witch in the forest she’s always feared. Sweetly is an atmospheric story about family loyalty and the mystery of twins with just the perfect dash of romance and a sprinkle of darkness. You’ll fall into this mouth watering tale head first and want to come back for more. To see more about the world of Sweetly visit our Etsy treasury here and Jackson’s microsite here. Recommended for teens age 16 ands older due to swearing, graphic violence and mention of sex.
My inspiration comes from vintage storybooks, dreams, movies, nursery rhymes, Alice in Wonderland, steampunk, sea creatures, mermaids, museums, art…the list goes on and on.
I live with my gorgeous fiance, our beautiful daughter, and our little black & white cat – Oreo! ”
She has donated the lovely “Hansel and Gretel” Art Print
Size: 12″ x 16″ (30.5cm x 40.6cm) – with a white border for ease of framing (A3 size in total).
These prints are beautiful on their own or in a frame!
This one is based off the original Brothers Grimm fairytale of “Hansel and Gretel”. After they’ve been left stranded in the forest, Hansel and his sister Gretel stumble upon a house made completely out of candy! It’s extremely tempting, but they’re both a little weary about going in…
There’s lots of little details painted into this one! Lots of different sweets on the house, along with melting ice-cream cone turrets, and a roof made of candy hearts. I’ve purposefully made the house nice and bright, so that it contrasts with Hansel and Gretel in their bland and worn shades of brown and cream.
It’s a professional 12″ x 16″ art print on Glossy Photo Paper, printed with archival ink, so your art print should stay nice and bright for many years to come!
Optional additional entries
+1 for favoriting her etsy shop
+1 for picking your favorite item from Evelyn Mae Creations website
+1 if you follow Fire and Ice on twitter, facebook, tumblr or networked blogs
+1 for each retweet of the giveaway @fireicephotos
+1 for liking the ArtbyJaz page on facebook
Add up your entries and leave the total with the links in your comment. Contest ends August 31, 2011 and is open internationally.
Double Deceit
by Stephanie Humphreys
Paperback, 292 pages
Published May 28th 2011
by Walnut Springs Press
ISBN 1935217941
4.5 stars
Someone is watching . . .
As a young widow, all Elaina Bryant wants is a fresh start. Determined to put ten painful years behind her, she returns to her hometown and moves in with her sister, Natalie. Elaina soon accepts a job working at a small bookstore owned by the handsome Ryan Hill and his mother. Despite her reluctance to become romantically involved with anyone, she is drawn to Ryan and finds herself falling in love.
But someone isn’t happy with Elaina’s new life and is watching her every move. Her tormenter seems determined to destroy her sanity and her future, but Elaina can’t convince anyone the threat is real. Natalie is preoccupied with her own blossoming romance, and their friend Peter, a police officer, seems to believe the threat has been manufactured in Elaina’s own mind as a result of her guilt and grief.
Now Elaina’s plans for a new start are crashing down around her. She knows she will have to find the answers before she can overcome the past and enjoy love and happiness again. But how can she protect those she loves when she doesn’t know whom to trust?
This one’s a page turner! I picked up Double Deceit on vacation and couldn’t put it down until I found out how it all ended. You hear stories all the time about creepy stalker situations, but to become immersed in one as a reader was so fascinating.
Elaina has lost everything she loves in life except one younger sister. As a 19 year old she eloped and left home never to return. Then in a tragic turn of events, she loses her husband and infant daughter in a car accident. Alone and jobless, Elaina decides to return to her hometown to look for a fresh start. Her childhood home should be a welcoming place to heal and become a new person, but soon after her arrival things turn scary. She receives weird letters as well as phone calls warning her she needs to be alone. Elaina has isolated herself in the past and trusted no one. So opening up to her best friend Peter and a new man in town Ryan, to tell them what is unfolding proves difficult. Meanwhile things are heating up fast between her younger sister and her new boyfriend Chad giving Elaina bad flashbacks of her own mistakes.
Can Elaina, her sister and the two men get to the bottom of the mystery behind her strange follower before time runs out and they are all in danger?
I loved that the two main characters of Double Deceit meet and work at a book store.
Main love interest Ryan! He is the perfect gentleman and so supportive despite the fact that Elaina’s world is falling apart around her. With mysterious prank calls, hearing voices and disappearing evidence he could have easily chalked her up as crazy.
That Elaina comes into who she is as a person and uses therapy and a journal as well as a support system to help her grieve and change. So often in life and literature counseling is not discussed as an open and valuable tool.
I had a hard time with the last three chapters…talk about intense!
With suspension of disbelief about who her stalker was. I can’t give anything away but you’ll be kept guessing.
Content: domestic violence, kidnapping, no swearing or sexual content. Recommended for readers 17 and up.
In a sentence: Double Deceit was a well crafted suspenseful romance that will keep you on the edge of your seat and checking your locks.
I’m excited I’ve found Stephanie and am going to buy her other book, Finding Rose now that I know how talented she is.
You might also like: Rebound by Heather Justesen, Meg’s Melody by Kaylee Baldwin or Chocolate Roses by Joan Sowards.
The author, Stephanie Humphreys, is giving away a huge prize pack as part of the Double Deceit Blog Tour. Make sure to stop by each blog and come back to her site every day for chances to win prizes. The tour for Double Deceit starts Monday August 15 and runs through September 2.
She will be giving away a prize package each week.
Week 1 – Wild Irish Rose by Deborah L. Weikel, a beaded bookmark, and chocolate.
Week 2 – Running on Empty by J.Burns Alsto, a beaded bookmark, and chocolate.
Week 3 – $25 amazon gift card
There will also be a grand prize. This will include both of her books, Double Deceit and Finding Rose, a beaded bookmark, and of course chocolate. Here are the ways you can enter to win the prizes.
Become a follower of her blog.
Comment on any post or comment on any reviewer’s post.
Blog about the contest or the book tour
Mention the book on Facebook or Twitter
Leave a review of either of Stephanie Humphreys books on Goodreads, Amazon, etc.
Good luck and here’s a list of the 15 bloggers participating in the tour so you have lots of chances to win…
August 15 – Maria Hoagland
August 16 – Heather Gardner
August 17 – Rachelle Christensen
August 18 – Jane Still
August 19 – Deborah Davis
August 22 – Renae Mackley
August 23 – Cindy Hogan
August 24 – Matthew Tandy
August 25 – Taffy Lovell
August 26 – Kathy Habel
August 29 – Don Carey
August 30 – Teri Rodeman
August 31 – Cathy Witbeck
Sept. 1 – Shelly Seele
Sept. 2 – Tristi Pinkston
