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Tut: The Story of My Immortal Life, by PJ Hoover (book review) – pharoah in junior high?

May29

book cover of Tut My Immortal Life by PJ Hoover published by StarscapeRuling as powerful pharaoh – yay!
Becoming immortal – cool!
Stuck in middle school for eternity – ughhh!

And Tut’s forever-13-life becomes more complicated as a cult dedicated to evil god Set targets monuments in Washington DC, the general who killed his father is after him, and a mortal classmate gets involved in the hunt!

Lots of Egyptian gods hanging around the US Capitol these days, it seems…

Be sure to check out the book trailer here and the author’s website where you can visit the novel’s world in Minecraft, play games, and solve puzzles.

Would you let a friend join you in a dangerous quest?
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Book info: Tut: The Story of My Immortal Life / PJ Hoover. Starscape, 2014. [author site]  [publisher site]  [book trailer] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Immortal teen Tut suddenly has bigger problems than an overprotective guardian and middle school bullies as the man who killed his father centuries ago reappears as head of an evil-worship cult in present-day DC.

Rescued by the god Osiris from assassination, now Tut lives with a golden scarab heart, forever age 13. Centuries later, his middle school’s field trip turns ugly when “Tut’s Tomb” exhibit includes dark god Set, much hated by the real Tut.

Scarabs swarming everywhere, exploding obelisk monuments, and too much attention from kids at school – many eerie things are happening in Washington DC.

When the general who killed Tut’s father escapes from his eternal prison to lead Set’s followers in destruction, Tut and mortal friend Henry follow clues found by his army of tiny shabti soldiers and advisor Horus in cat form.

Can they save DC residents from this supernatural peril?
Why is Tut’s guardian hiding a deadly secret?
Will Tut have to use the last spell in The Book of the Dead  to stop Horemheb?

Egyptian gods and strange connections abound in this action-packed adventure! (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

Dickens’ London comes alive with free SYNC audiobooks!

May14

Time to download this week’s free audiobooks from SYNC so you can visit London of bygone days as you read with your ears!

Remember that although these complete audiobooks are only available from Thursday through Wednesday, you have free use of them as long as you keep them on your computer or electronic device. The free Overdrive app you need is available through the Download Prep page.

Click on each title to go directly to its download page, or bookmark the SYNC site here so you can download great audiobooks all summer long.

CD cover of Dodger by Terry Pratchett | Read by Stephen Briggs Published by HarperAudio Dodger
by Terry Pratchett
Read by Stephen Briggs
Published by HarperAudio

Dodger lives on (and below) the streets of London, encountering mad barber Sweeney Todd, writer Charles Dickens, prime minister Disraeli, and an unforgettable girl.

 

Great ExpectationsCD cover of Great Expectations by Charles Dickens | Read by Anton Lesser Published by Naxos AudioBooks
by Charles Dickens
Read by Anton Lesser
Published by Naxos AudioBooks

An anonymous benefactor enables Pip to rise from his humble beginnings as an orphan in this classic tale of a young man facing challenges and misunderstandings.

Would you want to live during this era of British history?
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W for Walrath writing Like Water On Stone (book review) – can siblings survive Armenian holocaust?

Apr27

book cover of Like Water On Stone by Dana Walrath published by Delacorte PressTied to the land, torn out by the roots,
Furrows running red, victors write the history books.
Holocaust… in Armenia?

Some Christian families fled their Armenian villages when Turkish troops ransacked their homes looking for weapons in 1915.

But Papa stayed put, believing that his Muslim neighbors will remain his friends.

Papa was wrong.

Hear the long-silent voices of the Donabedian family, speaking for all Armenian Genocide victims, as their wonderings, laments, and wishes lyrically weave through this novel-in-verse where an eagle soars from the Palu village sky through the mountains above the youngest ones as they try to find safety.

Did you know about this holocaust – which marked its 100th anniversary last week – before now?
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Book info: Like Water On Stone / Dana Walrath. Delacorte Press, 2014, paperback 2015.  [author site]  [publisher site]  [video author interview] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Twin brother and sister disagree often, but when Ottoman troops attack their Armenian village, the teens follow their parents’ orders and flee over the mountains with their little sister, away from the slaughter, watched over by an eagle whose quill made music in Papa’s hands in this many-voiced verse-novel.

Shahen longs to attend school in America with his uncle; his twin sister Sosi wants to stay always in their village. Papa counts Muslims and Christians as friends, teaches Shahen to play the oud with an eagle quill. Mama shows Sosi the cooking secrets, the best ways to weave.

In 1915, soldiers arrive in Palu, searching Christian homes for guns, taking away young men, and the killing begins. Mama dresses beardless Shahen as a girl, sends him with Sosa and so-small Miriam up the mountain trail before bravely returning home.

As Ardziv the eagle watches from the sky, the young ones hide and climb and grow hungry…

Can they survive to reach a place of safety?
Will they ever be able to contact Uncle in New York?
How can lifelong neighbors turn into enemies overnight?

This novel-in-verse hauntingly revisits a little-discussed historical event and the terrors experienced by Armenians of all ages when the Ottoman Empire decided that their land and their lives were forfeit during World War I.  (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

H for harmonica in Echo, by Pam Munoz Ryan (book review) – 3 musicians play a promise

Apr9

book cover of Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan published by ScholasticTerror as father is taken,
fear of orphan brothers being separated,
despair at losing friends and opportunities.

Three young people whose lives are terribly disrupted in the turbulent years leading into World War II find comfort in playing a harmonica with magical music and unknowingly fulfill a pleasing prophecy.

Find this wonderful spring 2015 release at your favorite local library or independent bookstore so that you can discover the intricate music this wonderful harmonica threads through lives that need it most.

Have a story of an object that connects you to history? Please share in the comments below.
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Book info: Echo / Pam Munoz Ryan. Scholastic Press, 2015.  [author site]  [publisher site]  Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk:  A harmonica crafted through magic and mystery links three young people in different countries and times as they use their musical talents to overcome terrible odds.

In 1933 Germany, Friedrich apprentices in the harmonica factory with his father and uncle, away from those who mock his facial birthmark and conducting of the music he’s heard. As the tide of Nazi fervor overtakes his sister, threatens free-thinkers like his father, and condemns the harmonica as uncivilized, the melodies that 12 year old Friedrich plays are a small consolation.

At a Pennsylvania orphanage in 1935, Mike and little Frankie are determined to stay together. When a lawyer requests ‘musical children’ specifically, the brothers find themselves in a grand mansion whose owner wants to adopt one daughter! Tragedy took music out of Mrs. Sturbridge’s life years ago – perhaps 11 year old Mike’s practice for Hoxie’s Harmonica Band auditions can make her smile again.

Ivy plays harmonica concerts for her brother Fernando before he joins the army in 1942, before Papa is hired to care for a Japanese family’s California orange groves while they are detained in internment camp. The bigger cottage is nice, but not the rundown Americanization school for Mexican children – will the fifth grader be allowed to play in the new orchestra at the main school?

“Your fate is not yet sealed.
Even in the darkest night, a star will shine,
a bell will chime, a path will be revealed.”

Bracketed by the prophecy and promise fairy tale of the harmonica’s creation, the stories of Friedrich, Michael, and Ivy playing this fabulous instrument Echo with hope, joy, and longing to ensure their families’ well-being.  (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

C for Cynthia Weil’s 60s NYC songwriters in I’m Glad I Did (book review) – love, music, mystery

Apr3

book cover of I'm Glad I Did by Cynthia Weil published by Soho PressMusic is her life,
every beat, every melody, every chord.
But not becoming a lawyer as family requires?
Objection!

Her 1963 summer job at a song publisher’s office is just what JJ wants – a chance to get her music heard, set with lyrics, recorded! She had no idea that race relations, romance, mystery, and unfair contracts would be part of it, too.

Take a look at all the songs that author Cynthia wrote with her musician husband, from the 60s to now (yes, they worked in the Brill Building) – so many radio and musical theater hits! She wrote 4 original lyrics for the book, too.

Listen to the first chapters in the free Recorded Books preview here, then walk with JJ away from her family’s expectations and into dream job as a songwriter.

Have you ever defied what everyone said you “ought to do” to succeed at something you loved doing?
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Book info: I’m Glad I Did / Cynthia Weil. Soho Press, 2015.   [author site]  [publisher site]   Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: JJ is sure that working for a music publisher in summer 1963 will help her write better music, but the NYC teen didn’t know she’d find love, mystery, and secrets in the Brill Building too.

Greens always become lawyers, but 16-year-old JJ doesn’t intend to follow that family rule. She’s written music forever and wants to hear hers on the radio, so what better way than a summer internship with Gold Music?

In the famous Brill Building, JJ also discovers her black-sheep Uncle Bernie, cute Luke whose late father once published music with her uncle, and former radio star Sweet Dulcie Brown, who’s overcome drug addiction and still sings so very, very well.

Luke’s lyrics plus JJ’s music with Dulcie’s soulful delivery equals the perfect demo record! Then tragedy strikes Dulcie, Luke discovers deep secrets in his father’s office papers, and time is counting down on JJ’s agreement with her parents – her song on the radio by summer’s end or she becomes a legal intern during college!

Can JJ find the right ‘singer seeks song’ match for “I’m Glad I Did” in time?
Did Uncle Bernie and Mr. Silver take advantage of Dulcie as a young black singer?
Can Luke and JJ solve Dulcie’s mystery and find a future together?

Written by multi-Grammy winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member, I’m Glad I Did  mixes early 60s radio music with the start of Civil Rights activism to create a hit single. (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

Out of the Dragon’s Mouth, by Joyce Burns Zeiss (book review) – fleeing Vietnam, holding on to hope

Mar17

book cover of Out of the Dragon's Mouth by Joyce Burns Zeiss published by FluxIf the communists find them – dishonor and death.
If the soldiers search the boat for refugees – death by drowning.
If they don’t get out of the refugee camp soon – death by despair?

Mai must obey her parents when they send her with uncle Hiep to escape the Vietnamese communists, but how will a sheltered teen schoolgirl survive the terrible trip across the gulf, packed like salted fish in the creaking boat’s hold, or the primitive conditions in the refugee camp?

Read the first chapter here free, then look for this recent paperback release at the local library branch or independent bookstore nearest you.

Forty years after the US military left as Saigon fell to communist forces, so many stories need to be told and remembered.
Did Vietnamese refugees settle in your community?

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Book info: Out of the Dragon’s Mouth / Joyce Burns Zeiss. Flux Books, 2015.   [author site]  [publisher site]   Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Fleeing Vietnam after communist takeover, 14 year old Mai and her just-older uncle Hiep must survive the rough crossing to refugee camp before they have any hope of reaching their relatives in America, but living in the camp becomes an ordeal, too.

When Mai’s brother fell ill, the teen daughter of Chinese business family had to take his place with Hiep – the bribes were paid, and the Communist forces were searching too near their hiding place.

Fortunately, Small Auntie would be waiting for them at the Malaysian island camp; unfortunately, her nickname described her temper as well as her height. She demanded that Mai and Hiep pay to stay with the family in shelter of a small boat, even though the Red Cross provides food for all.

Every day, they listen for their names to be called so they may leave for their uncle’s home in America. Days turn to weeks – Small Auntie casts them out because they have no money left.

Weeks turn to months as Mai and Hiep live under a tarp tent with other young people whose parents didn’t make it to camp. Lan and her sister Ngoc teach Mai to knit – Chicago is very cold, says Uncle.  Kien of the blue eyes tells her about his American soldier father who tried to get him and his mother out of Saigon as US forces departed.

The slim gold bracelet that Mother sewed into Mai’s clothing seems to be running out, as accidents and disease touch the camp. Will Mai and Hiep ever get to America?

As the 40th anniversary of the Fall of Saigon nears, this refugee tale is both a moment in history and a reflection of realities still faced by too many. (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

Shadows on the Sea, by Joan Hiatt Harlow (book review) – German U-boats… off the Maine coast?

Feb7

book cover of Shadows on the Sea by Joan Hiatt Harlow published by Margaret K McElderry BooksWorries during wartime,
safe with Nana in Maine,
but town is full of secrets…

Staying far from big cities should keep Jill out of danger as her parents travel separately to California and Newfoundland in 1942, but her grandmother’s small town has many secrets, much gossip, and treachery closer than they know.

The author continues her story of teens during World War II with The Watcher,  which follows Wendy from Shadows on the Sea.

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Book info: Shadows on the Sea / Joan Hiatt Harlow.  Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2003, 2005 pbk. [author site]  [publisher site]  Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Jill just wants a friend and good news from her traveling parents in 1942, but the 14 year old soon uncovers a secret that endangers everyone in Nana’s coastal Maine town.

On her first solo train trip, Jill wishes she could be with her father on his USO singing tour, rather than going to Nana’s house to await word that her mother made it safely across to Newfoundland. Those U-boats prowling like wolves…

At least she can visit Wendy, who came to work at her aunt’s inn for the summer, and the lighthouse keeper’s son Quarry, who says there are more rumors than usual in town. As Jill learns her way around Winter Haven, she stumbles upon hidden pigeon coops, meets very snooty girls who invite her into their special club, and finds a wounded bird with a message strapped to its leg… in German.

Will mother make it safely back to the US?
Are the rumors about Wendy’s aunt true?
What does the pigeon’s message mean?

“Loose lips sink ships” – in Winter Haven, the warning on patriotic posters is true in this tale of World War II on the home front. Followed by The Watcher. (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

Winter Guest, by Pam Jenoff (book review) – war, love, memory, betrayal

Jan31

book cover of The Winter Guest by Pam Jenoff published by Harlequin MiraNazis getting nearer,
food getting scarcer,
hope is a fool’s game – until Helena finds Sam.

The threat of winter overtaking the family farm in 1940 seems more worrisome than the sudden disappearance of neighbors, as twins Helena and Ruth care for their younger brother and sisters after Mama is hospitalized far away and Nazi forces edge ever-closer to their tiny Polish village.

And then an American airman falls into Helena’s life…

Read an excerpt free here, then find this story of love, hope, lies, and secrets to get the rest of Sam and Helena’s story.

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Book info: The Winter Guest / Pam Jenoff. Harlequin Mira, 2014  [author site]  [publisher site] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: After losing their parents during wartime, Helena and twin sister Ruth hold their family together. When Helena risks their safety to keep a downed Allied aviator out of the Nazis’ hands, another rash act may doom them all.

On their small Polish farm, strong Helena and gentle Ruth must keep their younger siblings warm and fed after Papa’s death and Mama’s hospitalization in the city. The young women also must keep the village officials from realizing that Mama may never come home.Winter Guest, by Pam Jenoff (book review) – war, love, memory, betrayal

Hiding near the snowy trail on one long trek to see Mama in Krakow, Helena overhears German soldiers -an Allied plane crashed nearby, and one of the airmen has survived! She finds Sam in a remote abandoned chapel and decides to help him. As his leg heals and more secrets unfold, they plan her family’s escape.

But how to get food to the American when there’s little enough at home?
Will Mama ever rouse from her grief and depression in the Jewish hospital?
Can Ruth and Helena stay clear of the lecherous town constable and the Nazi soldiers now in their village?

Bracketed by episodes of her life as an old woman now, Helena’s compelling memories of the Jewish airman whom she came to love and the terrors which invaded their village paint a vivid picture of World War II mysteries and ghosts, including Ruth’s act of treachery.

Red Madness, by Gail Jarrow (book review) – medical mystery & modern food science

Jan15

book cover of Red Madness by Gail Jarrow published by Calkins CreekPellagra…
a disease brought on by poverty?
bad sanitation? poor nutrition?

Wait! When was the last time you heard of anyone suffering from its bright red rashes, impaired digestive system, delirious visions, and death?

Thanks to the doctors who wouldn’t quit searching for answers, you probably never will!

Red Madness recounts the medical sleuthing involved and tells why pellagra is listed as an inactive disease in today’s USA.
Thankfully, all the historic photos are in black and white.

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Book info: Red Madness: How a Medical Mystery Changed What We Eat / Gail Jarrow. Calkins Creek, 2014.  [author site]  [publisher site]   Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Baffled by a Europe-only disease appearing in the southern USA before World War I, scientists and doctors raced to find the cause of pellagra which led to insanity and death.

Some blamed the disease on moldy corn or sugarcane products, others stated that only poor people in squalor contracted pellagra. When a well-to-do Atlanta woman died of its painful red rashes, weight loss, and delirium under none of these conditions, US doctors and researchers began having conferences to stop this deadly killer. Was it contagious? Was it dietary?

Red Madness shares case histories and photographs of pellagra sufferers in the early 20th century and chronicles the medical detective work of Babcock, Goldberger, and others who devoted countless hours of observation and research to conquering this fatal disease.  (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

Manga Classics: Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, adapted by Stacy King, art by Po Tse (book review)

Jan13

book cover of Manga Classics Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen adapted by Stacy King published by Udon EntertainmentLove, misunderstanding,
ambition, social constraints,
Jane Austen told the story so well…

And Stacy King uses Austen’s own text along with Po Tse’s stylish illustrations to bring Pride and Prejudice  to lovers of classic lit, love stories, and manga in the newest of Udon’s Manga Classics series.

Which classic work would you like to see in manga style?
*kmm

Book info: Manga Classics: Pride and Prejudice / Jane Austen; adapted by Stacy King; art by Po Tse. Udon Entertainment, 2014.  [series Facebook page]  [publisher site]  Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Yes, a true manga version of Jane Austen’s classic tale of sisters, ambitions, misunderstandings, and love gone awry!

As you read it from back to front, enjoy Po Tse’s visual interpretations and Stacy King’s well-chosen selections from the original Austen text.

Mrs. Bennet is all a-flutter as the frenetic, social-climbing mother striving to marry her five daughters into higher social status. The aristocratic young men are portrayed as elegant and slim in their well-tailored attire, and the young ladies are most properly frocked, befrilled and doe-eyed (as manga style decrees).

This clever and enjoyable journey from countryside to country estate, from bad first impressions to proclamations of love and eternal devotion is one of the Manga Classics series by Udon Entertainment. (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)