Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

At the back of the book you'll find templates for a whole farm full of animals.

Review: Game On by Monica Seles and James LaRosa

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

The Academy is the hottest international sports school for teen athletes. There are only two ways in: money – and lots of it – or enough talent to earn a scholarship.
Young tennis star Maya’s dreams have finally come true! She’s got the scholarship. She’s got the drive. She’s on her way from small town to pro career . . . But when Maya starts boarding at the sports training school, her fantasy of the Academy doesn’t quite match the reality – because where there are beautiful, talented teens, there’s plenty of drama.
Meet the players:
Nicole: a tennis star who feels threatened by Maya (although she’d never admit it).
Cleo: Maya’s rebel / punk room-mate who’s reaching the top of the golf world.
Renee: a super-rich, super-gorgeous swimmer.
Travis: the son of the Academy’s owner and perfectly groomed to be the next big star of the National Football League.
Jake: Travis’s younger brother – and the bad boy of the school.
A new commercial series in which hot young teens compete to be the next big sports star. Perfect for fans of Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars and Ally Carter's Gallagher Girls

MY TAKE:
I'm more of a basketball girl than a tennis girl but I had to give this one a try after seeing that it was written by Monica Seles.

In Game On, Maya has just started her scholarship at The Academy, a sports school known for making top athletes better. There, she befriends several other female athletes and a couple of boys too. When she starts getting noticed, will she realize who her true friends are?

The book is described as perfect for fans of Gossip Girl and Gallagher Girls. I'd definitely agree with that one. The friendships, luxury items, backstabbing, cheating and schemes certainly wouldn't be out of place in a mash-up of the two series.

I don't know of any schools dedicated to sports like this one is, so I enjoyed living vicariously through the students, especially when they were in posh settings or wearing expensive clothes. The plot twists were a bit unexpected, but if you always anticipate that things aren't always what they seem, you may be able to guess what happens next in the story.

I really hope that in the future books, the focus would shift to Cleo and Renee too, much like in the Gossip Girl novels. I liked Cleo and Renee more than Maya. At first, I was okay with Maya. I liked Cleo more but Maya was okay too. However, later on in the story, she did something despicable which, though some people may be okay with it especially in the context of a romance, is just unacceptable to me. After that, I didn't really like Maya and was actually even rooting against her at one point.

As for the love interests, neither Travis or Jake were really my type by the end of the story. If I had to choose one, though, I prefer Travis over Jake. I like hardworking, family-oriented guys over bad boys who act before thinking. Travis has his arrogant moments which isn't a turn-on, either, but Jake was too much of a gross jerk for me to like him.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Childrens for the e-ARC. Publication date of Game On is on June 6, 2013.

THE GOOD:

1. It's like Gossip Girl but with young athletes.
2. It's entertaining.
3. It's a page-turner.

THE BAD:

1. The love interests may be too arrogant/boring or too bad for your tastes.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

He'd created his own drive-in, for two.

READ IT IF:

1. You're looking for a series similar to Gossip Girl.
2. You like stories about student athletes.
3. You like stories about the way the rich live.

RATING:


SOUNDS INTERESTING?

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

FROM NETGALLEY:

Cozy Classics: Les Miserables by Jack Wang, Holman Wang
Hit the Road, Helen! by Kate McMullan
The Big Hairy Secret by Thomas Kingsley Troupe
Batman is Brave! by Donald Lemke
Super Pop! Pop Culture Top Ten Lists to Help You Win at Trivia, Survive in the Wild, and Make It Through the Holidays by Daniel Harmon

Review: Chews Your Destiny Gum Girl! by Rhode Montijo

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

Gabby Gomez loves to chew bubble gum even though her mother has warned her against it.  It's not like she will turn into gum...except, that's exactly what happens! With her new, stretch-tastic powers Gabby can help save the day, but she will have to keep her gummy alter-ego a secret from her mother or else she'll find herself in a really sticky situation.

MY TAKE:
I'm not sure why, but I didn't enjoy this book as much as I thought I would.

In Chews Your Destiny, Gabby is addicted to chewing gum. Her mother told her not to chew gum anymore, but she just couldn't help herself and before she knew it, she became gum girl, a girl imbued with the properties of bubble gum.

The story itself was interesting and something that a number of kids could probably relate to. After all, lots of kids like chewing gum and eating candy, and they like superheroes, so the possibility of being a superhero by eating candy sounds like a pretty good deal.

The illustrations help break up the monotony of paragraphs and help move the story along. Gabby is a cute kid too, and the drawings will help kids and adults imagine her more easily.

However, even though I sort of enjoyed the story while reading it, I didn't really feel or think anything in particular when I reflected on the book. It was just okay for me. I think, though, that little girls might like this one a lot, since Gabby is very much a typical little girl.

Thanks to NetGalley and Disney Book Group for the e-ARC. Publication date of Chews Your Destiny Gum Girl! is on June 4, 2013.

THE GOOD:

1. The premise is promising.
2. Gabby is cute.
3. The illustrations match the book perfectly.

THE BAD:

1. It may not be memorable to some people.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

"I think I'll make my famous peanut-butter cookies."

READ IT IF:

1. Your child is a huge fan of bubble gum.
2. Your little girl loves superheroes.
3. You like feisty little kids.

RATING:


SOUNDS INTERESTING?

Review: Peregrine Harker & The Black Death by Luke Hollands

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

MURDER SPIES EXPLOSIONS REVENGE

Peregrine Harker is about to learn you're never too young to die.
London 1908: A secret society stalks the murky streets, a deadly assassin lurks in the shadows and a series of unexplained deaths are linked by a mystery symbol…
When boy-detective Peregrine Harker stumbles across a gruesome murder he sparks a chain of events that drag him on a rip-roaring journey through a world of spluttering gas lamps, thick fog, deadly secrets and dastardly villains.
Every step of Peregrine’s white-knuckle adventure brings him closer to the vile heart of a terrifying mystery – the true story behind the Brotherhood of the Black Death.
                   * * *
Luke Hollands is a former lion tamer, motorcycle stunt-rider and ruler of a small South American country. He is also a compulsive liar. He learnt how to tell tall tales while interviewing famous politicians, celebrities and criminals as a newspaper journalist. Thinking he should get a proper job he joined the BBC. Since then he has produced and presented quirky radio documentaries, appeared in the odd drama and danced on television dressed as a giant bear. He now makes wildlife films, some of which he briefly appears in, and has travelled the world, swimming in shark-infested waters, tramping through crocodile-stuffed lagoons and being eaten alive by various species of nibbling insect. Surprisingly for Luke, everything apart from the first sentence of this biography is actually true.
E-book ISBN: 9781907230493

MY TAKE:
The first few chapters of this book really got my attention.

In Peregrine Harker & The Black Death, Peregrine Harker finds himself in the middle of a mysterious smuggling case. However, there may be something more sinister going on and Peregrine needs to find out exactly what's up.

At first, I was really into this book. It reminded me of a mixture of Rin Tin Tin, Sherlock Holmes and The Maltese Falcon. Sounds great, right? It actually was, until... I'm not sure, but I guess it was when I kinda figured out who the villain was going to be.

If you've read a number of mystery books, you shouldn't have a problem guessing who the enemy is in this book. However, despite having a predictable villain and a middle that felt dense and jam-packed, the twist near the end was actually pretty good. It certainly gave a valid reason for all the things that were going on throughout the book. I also liked the last chapter or so of the book after the mystery had been solved.

As for the characters, I liked Peregrine. He's an entertaining character and his narration makes the book much funnier and more interesting than it would have had it been done in the third person. I also liked Peregrine's friend Archie. He only had limited page time but he was quite likeable. I wasn't fond of Louisa, though. I liked that she could fight, but the moment she swooned, I lost my interest in her as a character. I really dislike swooning female characters since they feel like cliches.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sparkling Books Ltd. for the e-ARC. Publication date of Peregrine Harker & The Black Death is on June 3, 2013.

THE GOOD:

1. The narrative style of the book feels like a '20s detective movie.
2. Peregrine is likeable.
3. There's a nice plot twist near the end of the book.

THE BAD:

1. Some parts can get predictable.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

Next you'll be dreaming you're a bally hero, instead of a simple hack.

READ IT IF:

1. You like detective novels.
2. You like YA novels set in England.
3. You like fast-paced, jam-packed books.

RATING:


SOUNDS INTERESTING?

Review: Cozy Classics: War and Peace by Jack Wang, Holman Wang

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

Give a kid a classic! Cozy Classics is the popular board book series that presents well-loved stories to children aged 0+ through twelve child-friendly words and twelve needle-felted illustrations. War and Peace is Leo Tolstoy’s epic masterpiece about love and friendship in aristocratic Russia during the country’s struggle against Napoleon, and is often considered the greatest novel of all time. Now you can share this classic with children of any age.

MY TAKE:
I liked that the books in this series are a combination of vocabulary flashcards and storybook.

In this book, we learn the gist of the Tolstoy classic War and Peace. The story is told through a series of words and corresponding illustrations made out of needle felt.

I haven't actually gotten around to reading the book, but based on what I've read in the book, I'm pretty sure I got the main points of the story. Given how difficult it must be to pick out scenes and words that describe the book well, I'm pretty happy with this book.

The needle-felt illustrations may not appeal to everyone, but I thought it was a nice and creative touch which will appeal to babies who are inquisitive.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simply Read Books for the e-ARC. Publication date of Cozy Classics: War and Peace is on May 30, 2013.

THE GOOD:

1. The book can work as a way to teach kids new words.
2. It's able to tell the gist of a very long book.
3. The concept is creative.

THE BAD:

1. The illustration style might not appeal to everyone.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

soldier

READ IT IF:

1. You want to introduce your child to the classics.
2. You want to teach your child new words.
3. You like arts and crafts.

RATING:


SOUNDS INTERESTING?

Review: We Are Twins! The Story of Sam & Ben by Sylvia Pagán Westphal

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

Sam and Ben may be twins, but they are not like two peas in a pod! A book that highlights twins' similarities and differences, and celebrates multicultural families and sibling love.

MY TAKE:
I haven't read a lot of baby books about twins and I thought this one would be interesting.

In We Are Twins!, we are introduced to Sam and Ben. Sam and Ben are twins who are different and alike in so many ways.

I enjoyed this book a little more than I thought I would. Sam and Ben are fraternal twins but they're equally cute. Even though people tend to assume that twins are more alike than different, the book shows that these twins are their own person.

The illustrations and coloring remind me of some birthday greeting cards I've seen, ones that are simple yet colorful and look like they were rendered using watercolor pencils.

Thanks to NetGalley and Pinwheel Books for the e-ARC. Publication date of We Are Twins! is on May 31, 2013.

THE GOOD:

1. The illustrations are cute.
2. Sam and Ben feel relatable.
3. It's a good book to read to your twins.

THE BAD:

1. The text may be too complicated or long for younger children to read on their own.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

We are twins, which means we were once squished together inside our mama's belly.

READ IT IF:

1. You have twins.
2. You are looking for a gift for someone who has twins.
3. You are looking for a book about twin babies.

RATING:


SOUNDS INTERESTING?