Month: June 2021

June 21, 2021

Maxed Out Book Review

About Maxed Out

The Owl’s Nest Couturier Shoppe is a huge success! Business is booming and Alexa Owl’s love life is heating up. Yet much to the seamstress’s dismay, Detective Bobby Starr is suddenly back again! Bobby isn’t your everyday gumshoe. Rather, he’s an angel who’s trying to earn a place in Saint Peter’s Guardian Angel Squad. He’s required to solve murders he had left unsettled from when he walked the earth in order to be accepted into this prestigious group. Of course, they will need to return to the time period in which the murder took place, and again, Alexa is a reluctant time traveler. Oh, and there’s one more little problem—this time, Bobby’s brought along a friend, Maxi Krogen, and she’s no angel!

My Thoughts

Alexa is back with her problem solving detective cap on, working alongside Detective Bobby Starr on a new case with a brand new twist and quite the layered plot.

Maxi was found guilty of murdering her husband and lived out the rest of her years in prison. She maintained her innocence right up until her death and continues to do so when she meets Alexa and Bobby. She is not your typical spirit and is quite angry, mischievous and at times downright rude (Alexa has the patience of a saint in this book!). You would think that she would really want to clear her name but she is the most uncooperative individual that I have seen! She is definitely her own worst enemy and does not make life easy for Alexa and Bobby.

What Alexa was not quite expecting (and neither was I) was the complicated plot that begins to develop around the death of Maxi’s husband and how it is tied to the disappearance of another man and the takeover of a favourite restaurant (and how this is tied to the future!). What seemed like a rather simple case, had quite the side plots which were slowly uncovered and kept you on the edge of your seat and guessing right up until the end.

I thoroughly enjoyed this laugh out loud novel that was full of surprises, humour and a great mystery. You never quite knew what to expect next from Maxi, Bobby and Alexa. It is a definite must read novel for the summer.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon and B&N.

Rating: 4/5

About the Author

For twenty-six years C.S. McDonald’s life whirled around a song and a dance. Classically trained at Pittsburgh Ballet Theater School, The Pittsburgh Dance Alloy, and many others, she became a professional dancer and choreographer. In 2011 she retired from her dance career to write. Under her real name, Cindy McDonald, she writes murder-suspense and romantic suspense novels. In 2014 she added the pen name, C.S. McDonald, to write children’s books for her grandchildren. In 2016 she added the Fiona Quinn Mysteries. Presently, the Fiona Quinn Mysteries has nine books.

Cindy’s newest venture is The Owl’s Nest Mysteries. Once again, she has set her cozy mystery in Pittsburgh. The Owl’s Next Mysteries has a little grit, a little time travel, a little romance, and a whole lot of cozy!

Cindy resides on her Thoroughbred farm known as Fly by Night Stables near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with her husband, Bill, and her poorly behaved Cocker Spaniel, Allister.

You can connect with her on her website, Twitter and Facebook.

The Giveaway!

Enter the giveaway here.

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

June 16, 2021

Counting Campers: One, Two, Three..Help the Campers Get Their S’mores!

Reinforce important math skills with this fun new game from Goliath which has kids adding and subtracting on their mission to get the s’mores.

About Counting Campers

Counting Campers is a fun counting game for your little camper. Players move their pawn forward or backward on the board along their individual hiking trail by drawing a ‘plus’ or ‘minus’ card, thus allowing little ones to practice counting and to develop fine motor skills. Follow the path through the muddy swamp, across the fishing pond, over the old bridge, and more, to get back to the campsite. The first camper back to camp wins the game!

Each game includes:

folding board game
four coloured camper pawns
playing cards
instructions

Our Thoughts

We fell in love with this adorable, bright and fun game that all members of our family enjoyed, regardless of their age. Each player takes a turn choosing a card and they will have to move their player forward or backwards on their colour markers depending on the card drawn. To add a little bit of variety, there are also “happy” and “sad” camper cards that cause you to lose a turn or take an extra turn.

As a parent, I loved how this game encouraged simple addition and subtraction for little ones, they weren’t simply sliding down a ladder, they had to think about how many spots forwards or backwards they had to move. I actually liked the fact that there were no dice, instead just the cards to help guide the movement across the board.

While this game is perfect for ages 4 to 9, we all had fun playing this game (right up to the adults). It was competitive but fun game to play all together (although you have to watch the moves of the little ones trying to steal extra spots!). The board, card and pieces are durable, which is a bonus with younger children that can be rough on their items. Counting Campers will make a great addition to family game night for the whole family.

You can purchase this game at Walmart and Amazon.

Make sure to follow Goliath on Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date with the newest games and products.

Disclosure: I received the above mentioned product in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

June 8, 2021

The Teensy Weensy Virus: Book and Song for Preschoolers

Embracing the latest science, The Teensy Weensy Virus pairs simple, kid-friendly explanations with colorful illustrations, while providing additional resources for adults along with an informative song to help lighten the mood as families engage with this serious topic that has affected so many of us.

About The Teensy Weensy Virus: Book and Song for Preschoolers

COVID-19 is a big deal, but with all that adults have to worry about, it can be easy to overlook the pandemic’s impact on children. This book provides a great way for parents and caregivers to introduce and reinforce the importance of safety measures to children, while also giving kids the opportunity to ask questions and share their own feelings. Embracing the latest science, The Teensy Weensy Virus pairs simple, kid-friendly explanations with bright, colorful illustrations, while offering additional resources for adults and an informative song to help lighten the mood as families engage with this serious topic

Our Thoughts

This is a simple but powerful book about an important topic – COVID-19. COVID-19 has impacted our lives in so many ways, from small acts like going to the store, to the very important family connections we have. Many of us have lost a family member or friend, our family included. As an adult, I know how overwhelmed that I feel each day watching the news, following the new rules, trying to keep up with the restrictions, bylaws and the overwhelming emotions that come along with this. I can’t even begin to imagine how our children feel and how they may not have an outlet to express these feelings or feel unheard.

Our children have carried quite a burden during this pandemic – they have been pulled out of school, all playdates have stopped, extra curricular activities have stopped and even seeing family members have stopped. The impact this has had on children is huge, and for so many of them it is hard to put into words how they are feeling. I know our boys understand why they have to do follow these new rules, but it doesn’t make it easier to emotionally handle. All they want is to give their Grandma and Grandpa a hug, they want to go visit an Aunt and bake with them. Trying to remind them about the importance of a mask and how it protects us and those around us, can be daunting for adults and caregivers.

This book helps young children understand what is going on in the world right now, how to protect themselves and those they love and also give hope that it will get better. It is an important first step in talking with our children about how they are feeling and not just assuming that they understand and that they are okay. Children are not the best at expressing how they are feeling so using books and illustrations is a great way to get them talking. It is also a great way for parents and caregivers that are unsure of how to start this conversation and how to make it age appropriate, this takes all the guess work out of it for you.

This is an excellent book and resource for parents and children, a definite must read that is perfect for all ages. It is simple for young readers to read aloud and the illustrations are bright and keep their attention.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

About the Author

Sherri Rose grew up in Richmond, Virginia. As a retired pediatric and family nurse practitioner, as well and a hospice and palliative care nurse, she recognizes the critical importance of helping children understand what is happening during this pandemic that is currently sweeping our globe. COVID-19 has created so much stress, anxiety, grief, and loss for adults—imagine what children must think but be unable to express!

Inspired by her concerns for the smallest among us—as well as by her own significant grief over not being able to hug her children and grandchildren during quarantine—Sherri began to write this book to help preschoolers understand what is going on and why all of us must follow new rules. As a mother of three daughters and three stepdaughters, as well as a grandmother to many, she hopes that the resources found in this book will be useful to all the readers all over the world. Sherri is having six translations created to spread the importance of basic safety guidelines with this very smart virus. She wrote the lyrics to the little song at the end of the book to have something light and happy after reading about a serious topic.

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

June 7, 2021

Spartan and the Green Egg Spotlight

In Book 5, Land of The Midnight Sun, Egg, the friendly live alien spaceship, creatively uses an enchanting art gallery to reveal the young adventurers’ next destination.

Spartan and the Green Egg: Land of the Midnight Sun

In Book 5, Land of The Midnight Sun, Egg, the friendly live alien spaceship, creatively uses an enchanting art gallery to reveal the young adventurers’ next destination. Spartan, Katie, Max, Tor, and Grimm find themselves in Greenland, home to some of the biggest glaciers on earth, and known as The Land of the Midnight Sun because, in summer, the sun never sets. Greenland’s vast and daunting landscape is almost completely covered with ice and snow.

With the help of some friendly Greenland sled dogs, they arrive in the charming village of Siorapaluk and befriend a young Inuit, Malik, and his family. They soon learn that Malik’s father and his group have gone missing while on an expedition. The team goes in search of them, at their own risk. Before long, they are caught up in a treacherous avalanche and trapped on a glacier that has broken off from the mainland. Hope arrives from a powerful source as they bear witness to an astonishing and beautiful miracle from the Earth’s living creatures.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon and Full Cycle Publications.

About the Author

When her eldest son was a toddler, Nabila used to entertain him with made-up stories about a boy who traveled the world inside a live green egg that just so happened to be an alien from another planet. She turned the tales into a colorful children¹s graphic novel series, Spartan and the Green Egg, with the intention of introducing children to environmental and cultural themes around the world.

A portion of all proceeds from the Spartan and the Green Egg book series, toys and accessories is donated to The Children for Peace ONLUS. Based in Italy, this non-governmental organization helps young people worldwide who are living in challenging circumstances obtain their essential needs such as food, medical help and educational opportunities. Nabila currently lives in New York and has two sons.

You can connect with her on her website, Twitter and Facebook.

The Giveaway

You can enter to win a signed copy of Spartan and the Green Egg and Kip the Letter X here.

Disclosure: This is a spotlight tour, I did not receive compensation for this post. All opinions expressed are my own.

June 7, 2021

Kip the Letter X Spotlight

Kip the Letter X searches far and wide trying to find his purpose.

About Kip the Letter X

Kip the Letter X searches far and wide trying to find his purpose.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon and Full Cycle Publications.

Book Trailer

About the Author

Kim Patrick was born in England, raised in Britain and South Africa, and now lives in the United States. She loves animals, books, films, the letter X, and much of the rest of the alphabet.

You can connect with her on her website and Twitter.

The Giveaway!

Enter to win a signed copy of Kip the Letter X and Spartan and the Green Egg here.

Disclosure: This is a spotlight tour, I did not receive compensation for this post. All opinions expressed are my own.