Category Archives: middle grade

The Girl with a Twirl by MJ Moon ~ Promo and Review

MJ Moon

The Girl with a Twirl

by

MJ Moon

 

MJ Moon

Genre: humour for children aged 9-13

Release Date: 11th May 2015

Brimming with dry humour and a sprinkling of romance, this is the second sparkling novel by M J Moon.

Meet dance mad Mabel Storm, the girl who no boy would ever dance with in a million years – no make that a zillion years!

Mabel has serious boy problems. The problem is she has no boy to dance with and the Search for a Star dance competition is fast approaching. Mabel sets out on a mission to win. But trouble strikes when her hapless parents and owners of Twinkle Toes dance school park her off to crochet obsessed Aunt Mathilda’s place at half-term. Mabel´s chances of finding a boy sink to minus zero…or do they?

Mabel´s luck is about to change…

It turns out that there´s more to batty aunt Mathilda than meets the eye when she gives Mabel a pair of the rarest dance shoes on earth. Things get weirder when a mysterious dancer known only as the Silver Shadow arrives on the scene.

Suddenly, Mabel is transformed from dancing disaster into a dancing diva as the pair wow audiences and judges with their slick moves.

But who is the Silver Shadow and why is he so desperate to dance with Mabel…?

Together, Mabel and the Silver Shadow win the Search for a Star regional finals and unwittingly win the attention of Mabel´s long-time crush and dancing heart-throb, Tino Ravioli, the country´s Latin dancing champion. When her dream comes true and he asks her to dance, Mabel runs off the dancefloor leaving one of her precious shoes behind.

An unexpected chance of romance arrives in true Cinderella style when Tino orders a search of dance schools across the land in order to find his mystery girl.

Mabel has a dilemma:

Does she dance with the secretive Silver Shadow and win the prestigious Search for a Star dancing competition or does she accept Tino´s offer to be his partner and become the envy of every girl in the country?

Find out what happens to dancing disaster area Mabel Storm – the girl with the twirl!

The Mermaids of Tamesis : : http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00W22PQEY

The Girl with a Twirl: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00XICCMGC

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My Review

 

From zero to hero to… well, if you want to find out more, you’ll have to read the book. Mabel loves ballroom dancing… but can’t find a partner. She wants to compete in and win the most prestigious contest in the UK. Now the fun starts.

Mabel has the typical worries that go along with being a teenager. The author deals with these in a believable and sympathetic manner making the pages fly past.

I would have liked to discover Mabel’s age much earlier in the book than I did not being completely familiar with the UK school system.

This fun-filled book will appeal to readers in the middle-grade to Young Adult age group – especially girls.

4 stars!

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About MJ Moon

 

MJ Moon

In the wake of her previous incarnations as a one-time usherette in a local theatre, soft furnishings exporter, diplomat, professional Salsa instructor, Tarot reader and in the not so dim and distant past, a secondary school teacher of Spanish and business studies, Marion now teaches English in the oddball region of Almeria, Spain.

When she isn´t writing, Marion enjoys hiking in the Andalusian hills, doing Zumba (don´t get the two confused!) and looking after her little family; her beautiful and curious baby Jorge and husband Jorge.

Her first published novel was The Mermaids of Tameis published by Troubador in April 2015. The Girl with a Twirl is her second published novel.

www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009617852351

www.goodreads.com/author/show/13999582.M_J_Moon

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GIVEAWAY

Copy of the Book

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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MJ Moon

Prescott, ON Farmers’ & Crafters’ Market ~ July 25, 2015

Farmers’ & Crafters’ Market ~ July 25, 2015

Prescott, ON

The canopy was brought out for the first time this year for the Prescott Farmers’ & Crafters’ Market. No time to linger over my morning coffee, checking Facebook, Triberr and my own blog stats. We had to leave the house about 6:30 in order to be there for 7:00! It’s a good thing, I live within 20 minutes of the venue.

Prescott
my display

My 6-foot table display usually looks Christmassy, or Scottish with the red table cloth and tartan topper but since this was #ChristmasinJuly, I decided to bring out three of my nutcrackers who stood guard and performed their duties admirably.

Prescott
my display

This was the first time I brought my 4-foot table to use in conjunction with the larger one so I put them together in an L-shape. Having a tartan tablecloth (had to go on a quick hunt before we left the house to find it) that almost matches the topper perfectly, that small table made a great place for two of my nutcrackers and a wonderful place to stash my boxes out of sight and still have plenty of leg room under the main table.

I sourced some funky bags (polka dot and zebra stripes for books and the lettered one for calendars – 2016 not available yet) last year in two different sizes but never had any place handy to put them. Usually they were under the table stacked on top of a box and most inconvenient. So I asked my hubby this week, if he could make me a bag tree. I told him roughly what I was thinking of and this is what he came up with.

Prescott
my bag tree

My bag tree isn’t finished yet. It will have a proper base under it and we’re going to get a ball post cap for the top. Still it worked well in its initial stages. This isn’t where it spent the day. It was in the inside corner of the “L” but this location was more photogenic.

The soldiers from Fort Wellington were there and this one was persuaded to pose for a photograph with my nutcracker whose uniform was the same colour.

Prescott
Fort Wellington soldier with my nutcracker.

There were a number of cardboard hats from the Fort at the event and my husband took my nutcracker in the red jacket over to their table and they modified a hat to fit him. If you click on the photo and zoom in, you’ll see the modified head gear. To get a better look at it, the person in front of the blue canopy in the photo is wearing one.

Networking is always a good thing and today was no different. I’m looking forward to doing something with Fort Town Treasures in the future.

If you look closely in this picture by Fort Town Treasures, you can see my bag tree standing proudly in the “L”.

 

 

 

It’s #Christmasinjuly Eve! Tomorrow, July 25th is the big day!

#Christmasinjuly!

#Christmasinjuly

Tomorrow!

I can’t wait! I’m almost as excited about #ChristmasinJuly as I was about the real Christmas in December when I was a child. What was I getting? What would Santa put under the tree? What would he put in my stocking?

 

#Christmasinjuly

July 25, 2015

 

In Prescott, Ontario in the parking lot next to the clock tower at the corner of King and Centre Streets on Saturday, July 25, 2015, The Prescott Farmers’ and Crafters’ Market presents #ChristmasInJuly!

I’ll be there with my three books and would love to sign one for you or that special someone on your Christmas list.

For the person who likes mystery and suspense with romance…

#Christmasinjuly

When a contemporary teen is transported back in time to the Victorian era, she becomes A Shadow in the Past…

Nineteen year old Sarah Shand finds herself in Victorian Era Aberdeenshire, Scotland and has no idea how she got there. Her last memory is of being at the stone circle on the family farm in the year 2010.

Despite having difficulty coming to terms with her situation, Sarah quickly learns she must keep her true identity a secret. Still, she feels stifled by the Victorians’ confining social practices, including arranged marriages between wealthy and influential families, and confronts them head on then suffers the consequences.

When Sarah realizes she has fallen in love with the handsome Laird of Weetshill, she faces an agonizing decision. Does she try to find her way back to 2010 or remain in the past with the man she loves?

~~~~~~~~~~

For those who prefer short stories…

#Christmasinjuly

The Consequences Collection is an eclectic compilation of twelve stories ranging from non-fiction through creative non-fiction to pure fiction, in prose and poetry.

The story of a Scottish Home Child is based on fact and told from the child’s point of view; The Mystery Woman of Kinettles is a non-fiction article on the appearance and subsequent disappearance of a woman’s body near the Wellington County House of Industry (Poor House) in 1879 Southwestern Ontario.

Some of these stories are lighter than others, and some might even beg you to leave the lights on.

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And a middle grade Christmas novelette…

#Christmasinjuly

For Tim Frost, Christmas 2011 is a washout. No Santa. No presents. Nothing. His father lost his job when the mill closed and now the family is on the verge of losing their home.

A chance encounter with Nick Kringle, a modern-day Santa Claus teaches Tim that the greatest gift you receive is the gift of giving.

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Hope to see you there!

Mark Your Calendar ~ Christmas in July will be here on July 25th!

christmas

One week from today!

 

Christmas

July 25, 2015

 

In Prescott, Ontario in the parking lot next to the clock tower at the corner of King and Centre Streets on Saturday, July 25, 2015, The Prescott Farmers’ and Crafters’ Market presents #ChristmasInJuly!

I’ll be there with my three books and would love to sign one for you or that special someone on your Christmas list.

For the person who likes mystery and suspense with romance…

Christmas

When a contemporary teen is transported back in time to the Victorian era, she becomes A Shadow in the Past…

Nineteen year old Sarah Shand finds herself in Victorian Era Aberdeenshire, Scotland and has no idea how she got there. Her last memory is of being at the stone circle on the family farm in the year 2010.

Despite having difficulty coming to terms with her situation, Sarah quickly learns she must keep her true identity a secret. Still, she feels stifled by the Victorians’ confining social practices, including arranged marriages between wealthy and influential families, and confronts them head on then suffers the consequences.

When Sarah realizes she has fallen in love with the handsome Laird of Weetshill, she faces an agonizing decision. Does she try to find her way back to 2010 or remain in the past with the man she loves?

~~~~~~~~~~

For those who prefer short stories…

Christmas

The Consequences Collection is an eclectic compilation of twelve stories ranging from non-fiction through creative non-fiction to pure fiction, in prose and poetry.

The story of a Scottish Home Child is based on fact and told from the child’s point of view; The Mystery Woman of Kinettles is a non-fiction article on the appearance and subsequent disappearance of a woman’s body near the Wellington County House of Industry (Poor House) in 1879 Southwestern Ontario.

Some of these stories are lighter than others, and some might even beg you to leave the lights on.

~~~~~~~~~~

And a middle grade Christmas novelette…

Christmas

For Tim Frost, Christmas 2011 is a washout. No Santa. No presents. Nothing. His father lost his job when the mill closed and now the family is on the verge of losing their home.

A chance encounter with Nick Kringle, a modern-day Santa Claus teaches Tim that the greatest gift you receive is the gift of giving.

 ~~~~~~~~~~

Hope to see you there!

I LIVE IN A DOGHOUSE ~ Spotlight

I LIVE IN A DOGHOUSE by Beverly Stowe McClure

doghouseEleven-year-old Nick Cassidy’s stepsister delights in calling him gross names. His half-sister loves for Nick to push her in the stroller, to his embarrassment. What if the guys from school see him? All Nick wants is his father to come back and take him away from this crazy family. Is it any wonder he sometimes lives in the doghouse?
I LIVE IN A DOGHOUSE is the story of a boy’s struggles to accept his new family while he longs for the old. When his father finally returns, will Nick’s dreams come true? Or will he discover that memories sometimes are faulty, and it’s best to forget the past and treasure the present?
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Can be purchased at:
MuseItUp Publishing:  http://bit.ly/1wPCYNc
Barnes and Noble:  http://bit.ly/1pNgxaM
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star of the teamMost of the time, you’ll find Beverly in front of her computer, writing the stories little voices whisper in her ear. When she’s not writing, she takes long walks and snaps pictures of clouds, wild flowers, birds and deer. To some of her friends, she is affectionately known as the “Bug Lady” because she rescues butterflies, moths, walking sticks, and praying mantis from her cats.

For twenty-two years Beverly taught children in grades two through five how to read and write. They taught her patience. Now, she teaches a women’s Sunday school class at her church. To relax she plays the piano. Her cats don’t appreciate good music and run and hide when she tickles the ivories.

 

Book spotlight ~ STAR OF THE TEAM by Beverly Stowe McClure

star of the teamSTAR OF THE TEAM

MG contemporary

Blurb:

A girl.

A dream.

An accident.

A dream shattered.

Eleven-year-old Kate Taylor dreams of being the star of her basketball team, Angels. When Kate’s tooth is knocked out at one of the games and her mother, who is also her coach, says she can’t play until the tooth the dentist replants heals, Kate’s dreams are in jeopardy. Add Emily, the new girl at school who claims she’s the best, and Kate faces a challenge to prove that she is the star.

Will Kate succeed? Or will Emily ruin Kate’s plans?

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My Review:

A great read at any age!

I loved this book. The characters are well developed, the action in the basketball scenes is authentic and the plot is strong. Shattered dreams, pre-teen angst and jealousy are portrayed in a way that the reader is pulled deeper into the story.

As an adult, I found the book short but for the middle grade audience it’s targeted, the length is perfect. Perhaps this could be the beginning of a series that follows Kate, Emily and the others through school, sports and beyond.

I can’t wait to read more of Beverly’s work.

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Links:

Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/k5y1mky

Barnes and Noble: http://tinyurl.com/18r6ox4

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star of the teamAbout Beverly:

Most of the time, you’ll find Beverly in front of her computer, writing the stories little voices whisper in her ear. When she’s not writing, she takes long walks and snaps pictures of clouds, wild flowers, birds and deer. To some of her friends, she is affectionately known as the “Bug Lady” because she rescues butterflies, moths, walking sticks, and praying mantis from her cats.

For twenty-two years Beverly taught children in grades two through five how to read and write. They taught her patience. Now, she teaches a women’s Sunday school class at her church. To relax she plays the piano. Her cats don’t appreciate good music and run and hide when she tickles the ivories.

You can follow Beverly here:

http://beverlystowemcclure.blogspot.com

http://beverlystowemcclure.wordpress.com