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| Photo Credit - Amazon |
Kirra and her family live with the rest of her clan inside a dormant
volcano. She is curious about the world that exists beyond their own.
She and her father are the only two people allowed to venture out of
their community. Kirra is training to become a Storyteller like her
father. The pair travels from village to village to spread scary stories
to keep people away from their homes.
On their last
journey, Kirra hears a story about the "Takers". She is curious to know
more and ventures out to learn more about them. However, she unwittingly
leads the Takers back to her home. Kirra ends up losing everything she
holds dear. In the aftermath, she is found by a child named Luwan. She
is adopted by his family and becomes a part of their Tree Folk clan.
Afraid
of the past, Kirra keeps to herself and hides her past from everyone.
She no longers wants to leave the safety of home to find new adventures.
Luwan loves to explore and he is captured when he went spying on a
group of strangers. Kirra realizes the Takers have returned and she must
face her inner demons if she wants to protect those she loves.
The
novel was a fun and emotional read. I love the graphic photos that were
included but, I wished they were included with the story instead of a
section in the book. The main character was a fierce child who learned
the values of loss, community, and forgiveness. I am hoping they turn
this book into a series. I am excited to see Kirra grow and forge her
own stories.
**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.**
About The Book:
Title: IF
WE WERE GIANTS
Author: Dave Matthews & Clete Barrett Smith
Pub. Date: March 3, 2020
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Formats: Hardcover,
eBook
Pages: 304
World-renowned musician, environmentalist, and
humanitarian Dave Matthews, in collaboration with popular children’s book
author Clete Barrett Smith, has conjured an exciting and poignant fantasy about
a girl who must confront her past mistakes before she can save her peaceful
community from a gigantic threat.
Kirra, a curious, agile, and outgoing girl,
lives in an idyllic community hidden inside a dormant volcano. She and her
father are the only two people allowed to venture beyond its walls. Kirra is in
training to become a Storyteller like him, and together they travel from
village to village spreading fearsome tales designed to keep outsiders away
from their secret nest. One day, after hearing rumors of strangers called the
“Takers,” Kirra leaves the volcano by herself, hoping to discover her own
story. But she unknowingly leads the Takers back to her doorstep, and they rob
her of everything she has ever held dear. A devastated Kirra is found by a boy
named Luwan and adopted into his family, which lives among others high in the
trees of a dense forest. Now quiet and withdrawn, Kirra hides her dark past
from everyone and never wants to leave the safety of her tree dwelling. Luwan,
on the other hand, loves to explore. One day it leads to trouble: He is
captured while spying on a group of strangers. The Takers have returned. To
save the Tree Folk, Kirra must face her inner demons and summon all her
storytelling to weave the most important tale of her life. This compelling
novel about overcoming loss, embracing community, and living in harmony with
nature is highlighted with a full-color insert of concept artwork, making it
perfect for family sharing.
Dave & Clete Talk about IF WE WERE GIANTS
YouTube Link:
About Dave:
Dave Matthews
has chronicled his life’s travels so often that when asked, he can rattle off
the details without pause. It goes like this:
Born in
Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1967. Moves two years later with his family to
Westchester County, NY, where his dad, a physicist, goes to work for IBM. Then,
in the early `70s, to Cambridge, England, before returning to New York — where
his dad died in 1977. The family moved back to South Africa in 1980, where
Matthews went to a few different schools and “got more wise about the evils of
government, there and in general.” O.K.; pause for a breath.
The key move
for Dave Matthews Band fans, of course, was when he relocated in 1986 to
Charlottesville, VA, where his parents had lived before he was born. Though he
also logged time back in South Africa and in Amsterdam, it was in
Charlottesville where Matthews — who took piano lessons as a child before
picking up the guitar at age nine — became part of the local music community
and hatched the idea for his own band.
“I didn’t
really have a vision, or a plan,” says Matthews, acknowledging that some of his
musical sensibility came from spending time in so many different places as a
child. “I’m sure it gave me a little bit of an openness. The most diverse music
in the world is in America, ’cause there’s so many different cultures here, but
what tends to be pushed to the top is often a narrow view of what there really
is. So maybe (his travels) just gave me a wider pool of listening.”
Matthews says
his principal goal with the band was to surround himself with the best players
possible. To this day he remains “amazed” that he was able to recruit and
retain the four musicians he rather modestly refers to as his superiors. “I was
just looking for people that I liked,” explains Matthews, who feels he’s “gotten
a bit better” over the years. “Could I play with them was more of the question,
I think. We just ended up fitting together. The band wasn’t something that I
was looking for; it was very much I loved the people I asked to play with me.
There was a connection at the beginning, and I think what we’ve been about is
not some grand scheme but more the spirit of everyone, which is why we ended up
with this band and why it sounds like it does.”
Dave Matthews
photo credit Brantley Gutierrez
About Clete:
Clete Barrett
Smith’s first novel for teens, Mr. 60%, will be released by Crown Books in
August, 2017. Smith has also written four humorous middle grade adventures:
Aliens on Vacation Alien on a Rampage, Aliens in Disguise, and Magic Delivery.
Aliens on Vacation was released by Disney-Hyperion Books for Children in May,
2011 and named an American Booksellers Council “New Voices” selection as one of
the top middle grade novels of the year by a debut author; and AOV was
nominated for state award lists in Texas, Florida, Washington, Pennsylvania and
Nebraska. A lifelong resident of the Pacific Northwest, Clete Barrett Smith
taught English, Drama and Speech at the high school level for over twenty
years. Clete received his MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from the
Vermont College of Fine Arts in 2010. He currently lives in Bellingham,
Washington with his family.
Giveaway Details:
Three lucky winners will receive a finished
copy of IF WE WERE GIANTS, US Only.
Giveaway Link:
Tour
Schedule:
Week
Five:
3/30/2020
Excerpt
3/31/2020
Review
Giveaway Details:
Week
Five:
3/30/2020
Excerpt
3/31/2020
Review
3/30/2020
Excerpt
3/31/2020
Review
