Two Points of Interest: popular

Saturday, June 22, 2019

Book Review - Big Mouth Elizabeth by Rachel Vail + Giveaway

Photo Credit - Amazon

Our beloved spunky second grader, Elizabeth is at it again! This time, Elizabeth wants to become a member of the "Big Mouth Club". The club is comprised of students who have lost one or more of their baby teeth. Elizabeth feels left out because she still has all of her baby teeth. Only Elizabeth and Cali are not in the club and Elizabeth feels Cali is too babyish to be included. Elizabeth learns how to fit in with her peers while being different.

In this novel, Elizabeth learns about fitting in and treating fellow classmates with respect. It was fun reading how Elizabeth copes with being left out of a popular club while trying not to do the same to a fellow classmate. While reading this book, I remembered my own "why do I still have all my baby teeth" phase. This was another great addition to the Elizabeth series.

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**

Title: BIG MOUTH ELIZABETH (A Is For Elizabeth series #2)

Author: Rachel Vail, Paige Keiser (Illustrations)

Pub. Date: May 9, 2019

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Pages: 128

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD

Big Mouth Elizabeth is the second in a new chapter book series spinning off of the Justin Case books, starring Justin's little sister, Elizabeth.

Second-grader Elizabeth longs to be a member of the Big Mouth Club, which is made up of kids who have lost at least one baby tooth. Elizabeth is WAY behind on losing her baby teeth, and so is Cali, a quiet girl who is also left out of the Big Mouth Club. Elizabeth thinks Cali is so much more babyish than she is--in fact, Elizabeth SHOULD be in the Big Mouth Club because she's NOT babyish. But when she understands how bad it feels to be left out, Elizabeth's attitude shifts.

Here is a story about fitting in in unexpected ways. With copious line art by Paige Keiser, this second book in Rachel Vail's Elizabeth series is sure to delight fans of Judy Moody, Junie B. Jones, and Clementine.

About Rachel:

Rachel Vail is the award-winning author of more than 30 books.

Her newest novel for middle-schoolers is WELL, THAT WAS AWKWARD.

Her novels for teens and tweens also include UNFRIENDED, IF WE KISS, KISS ME AGAIN, LUCKY, GORGEOUS, BRILLIANT, and the Friendship Ring series.

For elementary school kids, there’s JUSTIN CASE: School, Drool, and Other Daily Disasters; JUSTIN CASE: Shells, Smells, and the Horrible Flip-Flops of Doom, and, JUSTIN CASE: Rules, Tools, and Maybe a Bully.

Her picture books include PIGGY BUNNY and SOMETIMES I’M BOMBALOO.

Rachel lives in New York City with her husband, their two sons, and a tortoise named Lightning.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Goodreads

Giveaway Details:

3 lucky winners will receive finished copies of THE ELIZABETH CASE Series, US Only.

Giveaway Link:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e2389ba2943/?

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

6/10/2019- Twirling Book Princess- Excerpt

6/11/2019- BookHounds YA- Excerpt

6/12/2019- Nerdophiles- Review

6/13/2019- BookishRealmReviews- Review

6/14/2019- The Hermit Librarian- Excerpt

Week Two:

6/17/2019- BookishRealmReviews- Review

6/18/2019- The Suburban Lifestyle- Review

6/19/2019- Two Chicks on Books- Excerpt

6/20/2019- Book-o-Craze- Review

6/21/2019- Two points of interest- Review

Monday, April 1, 2019

Book Review - Friendroid by M.M. Vaughan + Giveaway

Photo Source - Amazon

Eric Young is a popular well-liked kid. Eric just moved to Ashland and he needs to make friends with the right kind of people. The kind of people who are interested in skateboarding and new Slick sneakers his Uncle Martin sends to him. However, Eric has a deep dark secret; he doesn't know that he is an android.

Danny Lazio is the opposite of Eric Young. He doesn't have any friends and his classmates don't accept him. Danny has Land X though, an online role-playing game that he excels in. When Danny finds out that Eric is also a fan of the game, he thinks finally found a friend.

However, Danny realizes there is something odd behind Eric's sudden disappearances, his parents, and lifestyle. Danny and Eric try to investigate the weird events that seem to occur only when Eric is around. As the dig deeper into Eric's life, they realize there is a powerful force that will stop at nothing to keep Eric's secret quiet.

The novel was a heartfelt read about friendship and finding the one person who understands you. While it was an enjoyable and relatable read, I found the book to be very predictable. Overall, a fun read for people of any age as it teaches readers the quality of friends is better than quantity.

**Disclosure - I received a free uneditted copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no any extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**

Age Range: 8 - 12 years
Grade Level: 3 - 7
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books (March 26, 2019)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1481490656
ISBN-13: 978-1481490658

Praise for FRIENDROID

"A timely parable for this generation of digital natives." ―Kirkus

"Vaughan presents another noteworthy sf middle-grade offering peppered with mystery." ―Booklist

"For middle-grade readers who are ready to fight the power." ―Publishers Weekly

Stranger Things meets robots in this sweet story about an unlikely friendship between two boys—one human, one android.

Eric Young is an android, but he doesn’t know. He does know that he’s just moved to Ashland, so it’s important to make the right kind of friends—the kind that would be interested in skateboarding and the new Slick sneakers his Uncle Martin sends him.

Danny Lazio doesn’t have any friends, but he doesn’t care. Even if his classmates don’t accept him, he still has Land X, the online role play game that he’s actually really good at. But then Eric takes an interest in Land X, and suddenly Danny thinks he might have found a real friend…if he can figure out the mystery behind Eric’s sudden disappearances and strange lifestyle.

It becomes harder to ignore the weird events that happen only around Eric. But uncovering the secret behind Eric’s identity is an act that might cost them both as powerful forces soon move in around them.

This heartfelt story about friendship and what it means to be human is sure to tug at your soul—or your soul-chip if you’re like Eric.

You can purchase Friendroid at the following Retailers:

Photo Content from M.M. Vaughan

The daughter of South American parents, Monica Meira Vaughan grew up in Spain before moving to London at the age of five where she learnt English by watching Sesame Street and reading every Roald Dahl book she could get her hands on. On leaving school, and after a brief stint in public relations, Monica decided to train as a primary school teacher. She spent over ten years working in special needs, mostly with children with emotional and behavioural difficulties, before becoming a full time writer.

Monica loves writing after midnight, building cardboard cities and playing Lego with her daughter. She lives in London, UK.