Night Buddies Launches Today!

Night Buddies

Subtitle: Impostors and One Far-Out Flying Maching

Second in Night Budies series

Written by: Sands Hetherington
Illustrations by: Jessica Love
ISBN: 978-0-9847417-2-4
Releases February 1, 2013
Juvenile Fiction/Chapter Books for Ages 7 and up

Review by Fran Lewis from the World of Ink Network

Night Buddies, Impostors, and One Far-Out Flying Machine, the second book in the Night Buddies series, has a ton of mischief going on all over the Borough, done by a red crocodile and causing confusion and hard feelings everywhere.

For young John Degraffenreidt, lying awake at night is no reason to fret when it brings a bright red crocodile named Crosley out from under his bed. Night Buddies like Crosley promise a big adventure to any kid not sleepy yet--and tonight is no different! Out of bed, and into the city, John starts on a very special Program (Night-Buddies-speak for adventure) with his crocodile friend. Crosley is a unique, wacky character, the only red crocodile in the world for sure, but look-alikes have started popping up all over town, committing crimes, causing confusion, and making Crosley crazy at the sight of them. The imposters must be stopped, and Night Buddies John and Crosley are just the ones to stop them! Stakeouts and wild chases in a fantastic flying machine, far-out schemes to snare the imposters with the help of old friends and new ones, and a never-ending supply of Crusted Crème Fro-Madge frozen yogurt make for one totally super night.

 

Night Buddies John and Crosley have been enlisted to stop these crocs from continuing their crime spree. But, just how will they do it is really quite unique and just what kind of a program will this turn out to be. Imposters are those that pretend to be someone or something that they are not. How will everyone tell the difference between Crosley and his doubles you might say? Who created them and why? Then we learn more about how they intend to do this.

Author Sands Hetherington teaches children the importance of honesty, teamwork, caring, obeying the rules and the laws and how to be a good friend. Illustrations by Jessica Love to help bring the characters to life. Just what do you think? Can a young boy be best friends with a crocodile, solve crimes and freeze his parents with his special telescope pointed at them. Will they realize what he was missing for so long or will time be stopped? What happens at the end will surprise you? What happens to the moles and the impostors will renew your faith in kindness. An interesting story but at times hard to follow and many unusual words that required the author to put their translations and a glossary at the beginning which many kids might need to use or just make up their own meanings for these words from the context of the story.

Places where available for sale:

Amazon.com; BN.com; wherever books are sold.

(Dune Buggy Press titles are distributed by Delphi Distribution and are set up with wholesalers like Ingram and Baker & Taylor.)

About the Author:

Sands Hetherington, creator of the Night Buddies series of chapter books is delighted to have published his second title, Night Buddies, Impostors, and One Far-Out Flying Machine. Sands credits his son John for being his principal motivator in creating Night Buddies. He and young John developed the Crosley crocodile character in the series during months of bedtime story give-and-take. They collaborated many nights on escapades starring John and Crosley, until eventually it occurred to Sands why it was that Crosley was bright red. That was when the first book came together. Now, Sands is pleased to announce the second title in the series!

 

The first book in the Night Buddies series, Night Buddies and the Pineapple Cheesecake Scare is available anywhere books are sold.

About the Illustrator:

Jessica Love grew up in California, with two artist parents. She studied pintmaking and drawing at UC Santa Cruz, then went to study acting at The Juilliard School in NYC.

Jessica resides in Brooklyn, New York, toggling back and forth between her work as an actor and her work as an artist.

You can find out more about Sands Hetherington, Jessica Love and the Night Buddies series World of Ink Author/Book Tour at http://tinyurl.com/bysdkbv

Follow the Night Buddies at

Fan Website: www.nightbuddiesadventures.com

Facebook Fan Page: www.facebook.com/nightbuddies

Twitter: @Night_Buddies

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/nightbuddies2/

GoodReads Author Sands Hetherington

Publisher Website: www.dunebuggypress.com

To learn more about the World of Ink Tours visit http://worldofinknetwork.com

----- The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Incorrigible an "Excellent Debut Novel"

Title: Incorrigibility

Author: Rayme Michaels
Link: lulu.com/spotlight/Rayme
Genre: Young Adult Comedy
ISBN: 978-1-105-46985-5

Reviewed by Amber L. Barr originally for Vampire and Immortal Books

"To truly appreciate the subtlety of Rayme Michaels's Incorrigibility, the reader must fully grasp the meaning of the title. To be incorrigible is to be especially set in bad habits to a point beyond redemption or reform. In the wicked comedy Incorrigibility, Mr. Michaels spins a tale that is crude, carnal, callous, and carefree. Mr. Michaels's writing style produces real-world twenty-something characters that leave the reader feeling he or she could have lived this novella at one time or another. Mr. Michaels' Incorrigibility makes the reader laugh, cringe, and maybe even want to slap a member of the opposite sex just for good measure. An excellent debut novella..." ~  Copyright 2012 with permission of Amber L. Barr www.vampireandimmortalbooks.com

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

Children's Picture Book on Tour!

Baby Come Home

By: Elizabeth Kail Arnita

Illustrations by: Diane Lucas
ISBN: 978-1-61244-087-3
Genre of Book: Children’s Christian Picture Book
Published by Halo Publishing Int.
Copyright 2013
All proceeds from book sales support Welcome the Children, a nonprofit helping children in poverty.
Places available for sale: Internet/Online, Church Book Store

Reviewed by World of Ink Network

Baby Come Home is a story of the young bird, “Baby”, who learns the value of unconditional love and acceptance after he decides to break free from the confinement of his cage and those who love him most. The story gives children a different perspective on rules and why we need to obey them while also offering a teaching on the unconditional love our perfect God has for His imperfect people.

Overall Thoughts:

Even though this book is considered a children's Christian picture book, there are no Bible references (verses quoted) in the actually text. In the author's notes you will find three or four Bible verses for those who want to use the book as a teaching tool in their church, family gatherings, etc.

The storyline itself is one that transcends any religious beliefs as we all at some point or another have broken rules, think we know better than those trying to guide/protect us and have found ourselves lead down a path we didn't think would end in consequences from our choices.

The book itself opens doors for parents, teachers or church leaders for open conversation with children. There are some scenes children might even ask questions because they don't quite understand what happened to Baby.

Even though the main character is a bird, children and adults alike will be able to relate to him, Sam (a human) and the events in the story. The illustrations are beautifully done and only add to each scene.

About the Author:

Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Elizabeth Arnita is the youngest of 12 children. She learned early in life about family dynamics and the concept of sharing. After graduating in 1983, with a degree in Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh, Elizabeth married Shadi and they have been blessed with four fabulous children. Her love for the Lord has opened her eyes to a world in need and ignited her compassion for those who are less fortunate. She and her husband founded and continue to manage Welcome The Children; a non-profit organization that funds and supports children who are experiencing the reality of poverty. Elizabeth Arnita has designated all of the proceeds from her book sales to support WTC.

 

~Submitted by The World of Ink Network. It is touring author Elizabeth Arnita’s Children’s Christian Picture book, BABY COME HOME published by Halo Publishing Int. throughout January 2013.

You can find out more about Elizabeth Arnita, her books and World of Ink Author/Book Tour at http://tinyurl.com/ayhg69o

 

Find out more about Welcome the Children at http://welcomethechildren.org/

To learn more about the World of Ink Tours visit http://worldofinknetwork.com

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  The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Free Book Fair and Writers' Conference in North Carolina

Dear Carolyn, Just five more weeks before our groundbreaking Book 'Em North Carolina Writers Conference and Book Fair! I'm asking you to please help us get the word out by forwarding this email to anyone you believe might be interested in attending. With more than 75 authors, publishers, literary agents and book promoters converging in Lumberton, North Carolina from coast to coast, we know we have something for everyone - from the youngest child to the oldest adult. So please forward this email to your friends, your fans, your readers, your family, civic organizations, book clubs, listservs and your co-workers. At our last event, we had attendees from as far away as New Jersey and Florida. This year we know of people chartering buses to attend the event and folks coming from as far away as Michigan and Illinois, so please encourage everyone to come to Lumberton! If you have any specific questions, you can always reach author p.m. terrell, the guru behind this event at patricia@pmterrell.com.   And, yes, I'll be appearing on three different panels.         DATE: February 23, 2013 TIME: 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM PLACE: Robeson Community College, Lumberton, North Carolina COST: FREE!

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

Title: Homage to Luxenben,

Subtitle: Adventures on a Utopian Planet

Author: Dan Hurwitz
Website: www.homagetoluxenben.org
Genre: literary science fiction
ISBN: 978-0-615-59517-7

 

REVIEW OF “HOMAGE TO LUXENBEN,
ADVENTURES ON UTOPIAN PLANET”

Rebellious, highly erratic, nineteen-year-old Neuman carries the world’s miseries on his shoulders. And, as a fervently religious teacher of Hebrew, he is likewise dismayed by the way his fellow Jews regularly violate the demanding rituals of Talmudic law. In his daily prayers, the troubled Neuman implores God to help him reconcile these abominations with his proclaimed love for mankind. But to no avail. God remains immutable and the conundrum continues to haunt the young man. Then, quite by accident, he stumbles upon the following classified ad in his Sunday paper.

EMPLOYMENT, MISCELLANEOUS

FULL-TIME SPECIMEN WANTED

Male human being between ages of fifteen and twenty-one wanted for display in Luxenben’s prestigious zoological garden. DUTIES: During working hours, specimens are simply required to stroll about the zoo’s extensive grounds and make themselves visible to the zoo’s visitors. When directly encountering visitors, specimens may be called upon to exchange pleasantries, to pose for pictures, and/or graciously accept little bags of nuts when proffered. Mondays and Tuesdays off aside from occasional evening viewings for zoo benefactors. Participation in animal-act per­formances strictly voluntary. First class food and lodging. Rapid promotion to trustee possible. Among trustee privileges are guided tours providing first-hand exposure to the flawless workings of Luxenben’s utopian civilization. QUALIFICATIONS: Good moral character rooted in religious belief. Sociable disposition, natural rapport with children, and ability to relate to fellow inmates of dramatically diverse physiologies. Desirous of quiet, comfortable lifestyle, liking for solitude, and unmarried. Reply to Box E-19 with current photo.

From this single post, Neuman jumps to a number of improbable assumptions: One, the ad was the response from God that he had been praying for. Two, he was among the first to learn that God, being fed up with mankind’s scurrilous behavior and disappointed by the lapses committed by his chosen people, had decided to abandon humanity in favor of a more civilized and obedient population. Three, Neuman’s mission was to go to Luxenben to lay the groundwork for God’s relocation there by converting the natives to Judaism, God’s one and only true faith. Four, the conundrum that so puzzled him was now explained, or, more accurately, demolished. Earthquakes, tidal waves, wars, and so on were obviously God’s way of cleaning house prior to his departure.

Neuman applies for the job advertised and, as he expected, succeeds in winning it. He is given directions to a secluded site where he is to procure transportation. A slipup occurs, however, when the spacecraft sent to pick up Neuman inadvertently sweeps up an uninvolved observer as well, the middle-aged, conservative businessman, Stelzer. When the two men arrive at Luxenben, a second inexplicable turn of events takes place. It is Stelzer who is comfortably quartered in the zoo, whereas Neuman is whisked off to the Research Campus of Space Ventures, Inc., the planet’s largest interplanetary trading company. There Neuman is held incommunicado within its Product Development Division.

Thanks to his native skill at assimilation, Stelzer rapidly accomodates himself to life in the Zoological Garden devoted to Semi-intelligents such as himself. He is promoted to trustee, abides contentedly in his apartment, and, out of natural curiousity, studies how the planet functions. He is soon impressed by its coherent political, economic, social, and religious systems all based on a bedrock philosophical premise—i.e., the recognition that intelligent beings, no less than other animals, are subservient to the rule of nature. Accordingly, Luxenben’s political system is modeled on the workings of the mammalian brain with its separate autonomic and voluntary circuitry. Proposals for new laws percolate from the bottom tiers of society upward until being finally vetted by a rotating panel of experts—all without the necessity of legislative or executive involvement. Likewise, the planet’s economic, social, and religious institutions bear little resemblance to their counterparts on earth—that is to say, the planet’s efficacious systems lead to happiness and prosperity for all its inhabitants.

Neuman, meanwhile, emerges from Research mysteriously altered, but as messianic as ever. Despite their differences, he and Stelzer become close friends. Neumna marries a native girl and seems set for a normal family life when Space Ventures, at its annual meeting, announces that it has selected the young man to lead an expedition to instill Luxenben’s nature-based religion on earth. The company hopes that this first attempt to rationalize a Semi-intelligent planet will make it legally eligible to buy Luxan advanced technology. If successful, the experiment, when repeated elsewhere, will enable the firm to expand its sales territory and fatten profits. But Stelzer fears the campaign will prove highly dangerous for his friend and the book ends in a cascading series of surprises as the older man valiantly attempts to thwart the launch.

Not your usual science fiction.

~Author Dan Hurwitz also blogs at writersnotebook.org .

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Donna Monroe Calls Supernatural Thriller a Must-Read

The Hand of God
By Tony Acree

Author site: http://tonyacree.com/

Genre: Supernatural Thriller / Urban Fantasy
ISBN is 978-0615754550

Reviewed by Donna Monroe originally for Amazon.com.

 

The book The Hand of God written by the Kentucky author Tony Acree is a masterfully crafted thriller that has something for everyone. I was hooked the moment I read the first page and was pleasantly surprised every page after as I tried to anticipate how it would end! The supernatural aspects of the book range from vampires all the way to the Devil himself. However, these supernatural portrayals are unlike any you have read or seen before! The star of the book, the lead character Victor McCain, will leave you at moments laughing to painfully struggling along side as he tries to save his brother, Mikey, without compromising his beliefs.

 

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

Carl Hiassen's YA Novel Gets Heads Up

Title: Chomp

Author: Carl Hiassen

Author's Web site link: http://www.carlhiaasen.com

Genre: Young Adult Urban, 10 and up

Hardcover: 304 pages

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers; First Edition edition (March 27, 2012)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0375868429

ISBN-13: 978-0375868429

 

Reviewed by Jack B. Downs

 

The Story

Wahoo McCroy is your average bemused middle schooler, minus a thumb lost in a feeding accident to a family pet. Distracted as he offered Alice the alligator a whole chicken, he noticed too late that she’d mistaken his appendage for part of the meal. Such is life growing up in a reptile zoo.

Wahoo’s dad Mickey is also suffering the effects of an animal attack – of sorts. Seems he was beaned by a frozen iguana as it tumbled from its tree roost. Life running a reptile zoo creates challenges both logistical and financial. Running low on flow because of his extended recuperation, Mickey takes a contract with Expedition Survival, and uber-popular man-dropped –in-the-wild-to-pit-himself-against-nature story. Then the fun truly begins.

Derek, the star of the series, is a schizophrenic showman, who doesn’t hesitate to down roadkill for his audience, but uses stunt doubles for some of the dangerous stuff, and whose contract includes being airlifted out of the backcountry every night to a five-star resort. When he falls in love with the Everglades on location and decides to use all-wild animals, rather than the yawning reptiles in Mickey’s zoo, he drags along Mickey and Wahoo to assist. Wahoo brings along his friend Tuna, a girl suffering abuse at the hands of a drunken and deranged father.

The escapades that fill out the book as the drunken father chases his daughter and crew into the swamp, the star of the show is bitten by a bat and has a hallucinatory conversion, and Wahoo and Mickey first are the hunters, and then the hunters, lead to a surprising climax. Let’s just say the characters we thought we knew assume more….character.

 

Downs' Review

I Read it in two nights. That’s probably my equivalent of five stars. I should say I’ve been reading Carl Hiassen for years, ever since I stumbled across the unforgettable and provocatively titled “Skinny Dip.” This author always delivers, and I am reminded of a younger Tom Robbins, without the author intrusion, but with all the clever pacing and the quirky characters that seem to be goofy to be totally fictionalized. The young runaway, Tuna, for example, is predictably dodgy, suspicious, and proud. But she is also an expert at the Latin names for the dazzling flora abounding in the deep Everglades.

Derek the “survivalist,” who turns out to be anything but, is a contradiction in the book. He is in many spots a simpering, egotistical fool. When he leaps onto Alice though, for what turns out to be the ride of his life, he displays his reckless, extreme side. They are a little hard to reconcile for me.

This is the second novel for young readers of Hiassen’s I have read. To tell the truth, when I read “Flush,” another of his young adult novels, I’m not sure I even realized it was young adult. Hiassen’s clever characters and rapid-fire dialogue migrate well from such adult works of his as “Nature Girl” and “Strip Tease” to the high-action pacing of his YA works.

Hiassen also manages, in the manner of “Rivers of Grass,” the rallying cry to save the Everglades by Marjorie Douglas, to paint his action on a rich, Technicolor backdrop of a land he clearly loves and yearns to protect. Hiassen’s main characters are those very close to the bottom of the 99 percent, whose resilience, bravery, and inventiveness cause me to look more closely at what I think I know. In that sense, “Chomp,” like the rest of his writing, is subversive. The world I see is more clearly focused, and that’s not a bad consequence of a good read.

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.