Blog Tour and Giveaway for There's an Elephant in My Bathtub

Most toddlers and preschoolers love animals (as do my own kids), so when the chance came up to share There's an Elephant in My Bathtub by Connie Bowman, I knew I had to take it.  The picture book takes us through various places within the house where real animals are hiding! There's a gorilla in the kitchen and a lion on the sofa are just two examples.  It was a lot of fun and what child doesn't imagine this very own scenario within their own house?

The best part of There's an Elephant in My Bathtub is the fact that the father calmly deals with each animal and guess where he sends them? To YOUR room! This delighted my kids and a lot of giggling ensued.  

The ending is heartwarming and it made us smile, so of course my children asked to read it again and again.   There's an Elephant in My Bathtub is the perfect bedtime tale that definitely inspires a lot of snuggling at the end of a long day, especially with your child's favorite stuffed animals.  

If you have a child in your life that is an animal lover definitely give There's an Elephant in My Bathtub a try this holiday season.  It would make the perfect gift paired with a cuddly stuffed animal.  Also, be sure to check out this fun video showcasing the book along with some Broadway stars.

Learn More About the Book:

Publisher’s Synopsis: When a loving father finds an elephant in his bathtub one morning he decides to take matters into his own hands. As he travels from room to room he discovers more animals making themselves quite at home. What’s a Dad to do? When his son arrives home from school he’s in for quite a surprise. Dad has gathered all of the animals together in his  son’s room for quite a safari party! At the end of the story we find that Dad has a wonderful imagination and has created a sweet story out of his son’s animals left around the house.

Ages 4-8 | Publisher: Belle Isle Books | December 10, 2018 | ISBN-13: 978-1947860261

You can find the book at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and IndieBound.





I have partnered with Connie Bowman and The Children's Book Review to share this incredible giveaway.  There will be ten winners!  One winner will receive an autographed copy of There's an Elephant in My Bathtub and a menagerie of stuffed animals, as featured on the prize image.  Nine other winners will receive autographed copies of There's an Elephant in my Bathtub.  

Giveaway begins December 1, 2018, at 12:01 A.M. PST and ends December 31, 2018, at 11:59 P.M. PST. Giveaway open to residents of Canada and the fifty United States and the District of Columbia who are 13 and older. Connie Bowman is responsible for prize fulfillment.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Can't Wait Wednesday: Forget You Know Me

Can't Wait Wednesday is hosted by Wishful Endings and helps us spotlight upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating!

Forget You Know Me by Jessica Strawser

Pub. Date: February 5, 2019

Goodreads says, "In her engrossing new novel, Forget You Know Me, Jessica Strawser takes readers deep into an intimate friendship between two women. When one witnesses a shocking incident that should never have been caught on camera, the secrets and lies it exposes threaten to change their lives forever.  Molly and Liza have always been close in a way that people envy. Even after Molly married Daniel, both considered Liza an honorary member of their family. But after Liza moved away, things grew more strained than anyone wanted to admit—in the friendship and the marriage.   When Daniel goes away on business, Molly and Liza plan to reconnect with a nice long video chat over wine after the kids are in bed. But when Molly leaves the room to check on a crying child, a man in a mask enters, throwing Liza into a panic—then her screen goes black.   When Liza finally reaches Molly, her reply is icy and terse, insisting everything is fine. Liza is still convinced something is wrong, that her friend is in danger. But after an all-night drive to help her ends in a brutal confrontation, Liza is sure their friendship is over—completely unaware that she’s about to have a near miss of her own. And Molly, refusing to deal with what’s happened, won’t turn to Daniel, either.   But none of them can go on pretending. Not after this.  Forget You Know Me exposes the wounds of people who’ve grown apart, against their will. Best friends, separated by miles. Spouses, hardened by neglect. A mother, isolated by pain. The man in the mask will change things for them all.  But who was he?  And will he be back?"

Whoa! Doesn't this synopsis sound like an edge-of-your-seat read? I am so curious about this one. What do you guys think?

Blog Tour: The Christmasaurus by Tom Fletcher

Pages: 384

Genre: Middle Grade

Pub. Date: October 23, 2018

Publisher: Random House 

Source: Publisher for review

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Goodreads says, "The Christmasaurus is a story about a boy named William Trundle, and a dinosaur, the Christmasaurus. It's about how they meet one Christmas Eve and have a magical adventure. It's about friendship and families, sleigh bells and Santa, singing elves and flying reindeer, music and magic. It's about discovering your heart's true desire, and learning that the impossible might just be possible."

William Trundle is a ten year old dinosaur fanatic.  He absolutely loves them; in fact, it's the one thing that truly brings him joy and it's the one thing he really wants for Christmas even though he knows dinosaurs are extinct.  William leads a normal life with his dad, who loves all things Christmas, but William is a little bit different than the other kids. He is confined to a wheelchair due to an accident when he was a young child.  So oftentimes at school, he gets bullied by Brenda Payne, the meanest girl in school.  Meanwhile at the North Pole, Santa's elves find an egg from long ago that just so happens to be a dinosaur egg and it hatches! Santa knows about William's dinosaur wishes and creates an amazing dinosaur toy that looks just like the dinosaur that hatched at the North Pole.  While packing up the sleigh, the real dinosaur jumps aboard and the rest that ensues is a grand adventure for William and the dinosaur.  The Christmasaurus by Tom Fletcher is an adorable Christmas story, especially for children that love all things dinosaurs as well as feel-good holiday tales.  

William is the type of character that you root for from the beginning in The Christmasaurus.  Williams back story is a sad one, but his relationship with his dad is great and definitely makes up for some of the heartache he endured.  He and his dad make a great team and it was heartwarming to see as oftentimes relationship with parents, at least in many middle grade novels, are not so great.  Also, I hated how Brenda Payne was mean to William; it broke my heart, but as the story unfolds, the readers find out why Brenda acts the way she does. 

The Christmasaurus is such a fun Christmas adventure! I read this story aloud to my son (another dinosaur fanatic) and he absolutely loved it.  Between all the fun Christmas aspects of the story and the focus on dinosaurs, he was in heaven.  Plus, there is an antagonist that my son loved to hate.  

The author, Tom Fletcher, is a song-writer and that really shows through in The Christmasaurus Santa's elves spoke with a lot of rhyming and singing. The "songs" that were included in the story were delightful and a lot of fun.  Some of the elves' jokes made my son laugh-out-loud. 

If you are looking for a heartwarming tale to share with your child this holiday season, check out The Christmasaurus.  It is filled with dinosaurs, friendship, forgiveness, and a major does of holiday magic.  

Stacking the Shelves (83)

Book Review: Little White Lies by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Blog Tour and Giveaway: A Dreadful Fairy Book by Jon Etters

What I'm Reading Next (17)

Next week I am part of two blog tours, which is exciting! I will be reviewing The Christmasaurus by Tom Fletcher and it was so darn cute. I absolutely loved reading it with my son. I can't wait to share my thoughts on it. I'll also be sharing my thoughts on the children's picture book,  The Elephant in my Bathtub, which was adorable.  There's a great giveaway with that post too, so keep your eye out for it.  

 

Pretty in Punxsutawney by Laurie Boyle Crompton - Thanks to Blink YA 

All is Fair by Dee Garretson - Thanks to Swoon and NetGalley 

Montauk by Nicola Harrison  - Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins

Tigers in Red Weather by Lisa Klaussmann 

Have you read any of these books? Are they on your TBR list? Let me know your thoughts. Thanks for visiting! This meme is hosted by Kimberly at Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

Book Review: Little White Lies by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Pages: 400

Genre: YA Realistic Fiction

Pub. Date: November 6, 2018

Publisher: Freeform

Source: Publisher for review

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Goodreads says, "Eighteen-year-old auto mechanic Sawyer Taft did not expect her estranged grandmother to show up at her apartment door and offer her a six-figure contract to participate in debutante season. And she definitely never imagined she would accept. But when she realizes that immersing herself in her grandmother's "society" might mean discovering the answer to the biggest mystery of her life-her father's identity-she signs on the dotted line and braces herself for a year of makeovers, big dresses, bigger egos, and a whole lot of bless your heart. The one thing she doesn't expect to find is friendship, but as she's drawn into a group of debutantes with scandalous, dangerous secrets of their own, Sawyer quickly discovers that her family isn't the only mainstay of high society with skeletons in their closet. There are people in her grandmother's glittering world who are not what they appear, and no one wants Sawyer poking her nose into the past. As she navigates the twisted relationships between her new friends and their powerful parents, Sawyer's search for the truth about her own origins is just the beginning.  Set in the world of debutante balls, grand estates and rolling green hills, Little White Lies combines a charming setting, a classic fish-out-of-water story, and the sort of layered mystery only author Jennifer Lynn Barnes can pull off."

Sawyer's grandmother, Lillian Taft, shows up out of the blue and makes Sawyer and offer she can't refuse.   Sawyer could earn a ton of money and all she would have to do is participate in the debutante season down south where her mother is from.  This obviously doesn't sound like a normal family dynamic as Sawyer's mom has been estranged from her grandmother for years.  So, yeah, she needs the money, but there is something else she might find out that is equally important.....the identity of her father.  While down south, Sawyer realizes maybe things aren't as dire as her mother portrayed them to be.  Maybe the people aren't entirely bad as she definitely starts to enjoy spending time with her cousin, Lily.  The more she spends time with the debutantes, the more she uncovers dark secrets that hide behind a perfectly made up face and flawless social graces. Jennifer Lynn Barnes' Little White Lies is a fun romp through southern well-to-do society that isn't quite as it seems.

Sawyer is a mechanic and down to earth girl when her grandmother swoops in and offers her half a million dollars to be a debutante. She is obviously the total opposite of a traditional debutante or at least what Sawyer thinks they should be.  I appreciated her fish-out-of-water story and was rooting for her from he beginning, especially when it came to her finding out who her biological father is.

My favorite aspect of Little White Lies is the southern setting, the debutantes, and the southern culture. I liked following along as Sawyer navigated the dangerous seas of the south and learning how to play their games as she goes.  I also appreciated her reconnecting with her family and especially her cousin, Lily. 

There's a mystery in the center of this novel's core and I won't give too much away, but it involves a major scandal, a blog, and a missing girl. So, as you can see, there's a lot going on in Little White Lies as it's not just about an aspiring debutante trying to mend things with her estranged family. 

Despite the story's slow start, I thought it was fun, especially if you like a mystery with a lot of secrets, drama, and a southern setting.  I think fans of Pretty Little Liars will enjoy this book. Also, be sure to check out my giveaway to win your own ARC of Little White Lies.

Blog Tour and Giveaway: A Dreadful Fairy Book

Guys, I am part of a really fun blog tour for A Dreadful Fairy Book by Jon Etter, which is perfect for fans of A Series of Unfortunate Events as well as quirky fantasies.  I have partnered with The Children's Book Review and Amberjack Publishing to host an incredible giveaway and just in the time for the holidays! You guys know that books make the BEST gifts!

Ten winners will receive a bound galley copy of A Dreadful Fairy Book! Giveaway begins November 13, 2018, at 12:01 A.M. PST and ends December 12, 2018, at 11:59 P.M. PST. This giveaway is open to residents of the fifty United States and the District of Columbia who are 13 and older. Amberjack Publishing is responsible for prize fulfillment.

To learn more about A Dreadful Fairy Book visit Jon Etter's website, or Amberjack Publishing's Facebook Page, Twitter and Instagram.

"Shade the sprite is dreadful at being the perfect fairy. After her treehouse burns to the ground, Shade embarks on a quest, albeit with rather questionable companions, to find a place her outré self can finally fit in—a place of companionship and comfort and, most importantly, positively filled with books. When fantastic ruffians, swindlers, and a pack of ruthless Unseelie hunters threaten to halt her at every turn, can Shade survive the dreadful journey and find a destination she can truly call home?"

Thanks to The Children's Book Review and Amberjack Publishing for including me on this fun blog tour. I am always on the hunt for an exciting middle grade fantasy with with adventure and this one seems to fit the bill.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What I'm Reading Next (17)

I always have these grand plans to get a ton of reading done during the month of December, but it never works out. There's wrapping of gifts, Christmas movies, parties, you name it.  But I am determined to carve out some time! Who doesn't love to be cozy over the holidays with a great book and a warm blanket? Bliss. 

Here are some new releases that are on my December TBR list:

A Well-Behaved Woman by Therese Anne Fowler

I love historical reads and I don't know much about the Vanderbilts, so I must admit I am really curious about this one; plus, the setting is Gilded Age New York. Yes, please! 

The Light Over London by Julia Kelly

I've been loving wartime fiction lately and this one sounds compelling, especially since it takes place during WWII in London.

Tony's Wife by Adriana Trigiani

Guys, somehow I missed the fact that Adriana Trigiani, one of my favorite authors, has a new book coming out! I can't wait to get my hands on a copy and I love that part of the novel takes place at the Jersey Shore.

Every Breath by Nicholas Sparks

Nicholas Sparks has been hit or miss for me lately, but I have read good reviews for this novel. I think the month of December is the perfect time to cozy up with a Sparks novel. 

Also on my December TBR:

 

Stay Sweet by Siobhan Vivian

The Glass Ocean by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White

Cashelmara by Susan Howatch

Island of Sweet Pies and Soldiers by Sara Ackerman

What do you guys plan to read in December? Have you read any of these books on my TBR list? Be sure to share your thoughts with me in the comments blow.