A family curse. An “innocent” prank. A magic candle THE 12TH CANDLE

THE 12TH CANDLE by Kim Tomsic 

(October 8, 2019 Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollins) ISBN 978-0062654977

Since birth, Sage Sassafras has been plagued by the Contrarium Curse, aka the Curse of the Opposites, and it has pitted her against tall, rich, basketball star, Priscilla Petty. When Priscilla lands dunk shots, Sage throws bricks. When Priscilla has a good hair day, Sage gets tangles, and when Priscilla’s father lands a big promotion at work, things go really sour for Sage’s daddy.

So when Noodler, the biggest search-engine company in the world, challenges students at Goldview K-8 to the Doodle for Noodler art contest, Sage is determined to win fame before Priscilla can, and thereby change her reputation from infamous to famous. Plus, with a little help from the magic candle she received on her 12^th birthday, she believes she can do even more! The candle brings pizza, art supplies, and new clothing—maybe it can change the curse, too, so Sage makes the ultimate wish—she asks for a curse-reverse.

When the consequences of her wish take a terrible turn, she has to team up with her frenimies and figure out how to break the curse and its reverse for good, she’ll be doomed to a life of opposites forever!

CRITICAL PRAISE:

“A thoughtful look at curse versus choice and an encouragement to youngsters to make their own paths.”—Kirkus Review

“Friendship, magic, and pink lightning—this book is a wish come true!” —Lauren Myracle

 “This sweetly magical novel is a lesson in kindness. There is magic in all of us.” –Kristen Gilligan, owner, Tattered Cover Book Store

“A heartfelt and humorous story about the ups and downs of middle school, touching on the ways acts of forgiveness can change an entire community. The 12^th Candle is a wish come true!” –McCourt Thomas, Head of Youth Services, Lyons Regional Library District

“An enchanting and heartfelt story for anyone who has ever tried to wish away their problems!” –Ida Olson, Library Media Specialist, McCormick Junior High School

If you would like a signed copy, please order through the following bookstores and let them know you'd like your copy personalized:

Changing Hands Bookstore: https://www.changinghands.com/book/9780062654977

Tattered Cover Bookstore: https://www.tatteredcover.com/book/9780062654977

BookBar Denver https://www.bookbardenver.com/book/9780062654977

Boulder Bookstore: https://www.boulderbookstore.net/book/9780062654977

PUBLIC EVENTS:

October 8th, 7:00 PM Tattered Cover Bookstore, 2526 E. Colfax Avenue, Denver

October 12th, noon, SCBWI Rocky Mountains

October 26th, 2:00 PM Changing Hands Bookstore, 6428 S. McClintock, Tempe AZ

November 9th:  Boulder Connect, Boulder Colorado

School visits (not listed here) have been scheduled through:  BookBar Denver, Tattered Cover Bookstore, Boulder Bookstore, and Changing Hands Bookstore. 

Buying Link: Indie Bound https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780062654977

Would you like to know about the author:

Please visit Kim Tomsic's Website:  http://kimtomsic.com/

ISBN 978-0062654977

SWITCH by Ingrid Law, the Third Book in the SAVVY Collection

 

win this copy!!!

Update: Here's what Booklist had to say
“Law tenderly handles the challenges of having a grandparent with Alzheimer’s, highlighting the power of familial love… Readers will be caught up in this snowy, magical adventure and the characters’ efforts to balance their true, sparkly selves with growing up." 

Just when you thought you had “savvies” figured out, author Ingrid Law adds a wily twist to the Beaumont family’s gifts. Her newest novel SWITCH (Dial Books for Young Readers, September 2015) reveals what happens when savvies get topsy-turvy and—just like life—spiral upside-down and out of control.

JACKETFLAP: Gypsy Beaumont has always been a whirly-twirly free spirit. So on her thirteenth birthday—the day everyone in her family gets a magical ability—she hopes for a savvy that will let her fly, or dance up to the stars. Instead, she wakes up with blurry vision…and starts seeing flashes of the future and past. But what she doesn’t see coming is the announcement that their downright mean grandma Pat has Alzheimer’s and is coming to live with them. Even more surprising? Suddenly her savvy—along with her whole family’s—switches to its topsy-turvy opposite!

                Now it’s total savvy mayhem, and Gypsy’s in for a fiery, wild, suspense-filled journey as she struggles to control her unpredictable new talent, and to save her family from a future she never wanted to see.

Booklovers who enjoy Ingrid Law’s unique, Gypsy-esque perspective of the world and fresh approach to retro-language—wackadoo, rabble-rouser and collywobbles—will once again fall in love with her writing. Middle School readers are guaranteed to have a blast with the humor and escapades in SWITCH, but they’ll also be inspired by the pluck of her diverse and authentic characters. Adult readers will savor the nostalgic undertones and layers of eccentrics. But no matter your age, pages will flip faster than you can say muddy-river-magic, because the spirals in SWITCH keep you on your toes and invested in the suspense-filled, magical adventure.  

SWITCH is the eagerly anticipated third installment in the SAVVY collection. SAVVY debuted in 2008 (a 2009 Newbery Honor book), and SCUMBLE released in 2010 (a New York Times Bestseller and Smithsonian Notable Book).  

I had the happy privilege of experiencing an early read of SWITCH, and now you can, too! I’d love to pass on my Advance Reading Copy to you…if you’re the lucky winner.

Entering to win this ARC of SWITCH is a two-step, super-simple process:

1.      copy paste and Tweet:  “I hope I win an ARC of SWITCH by Ingrid Law given away at http://bit.ly/1G7kCwr   #What’sYourSavvy?”

2.      Leave a comment on this blog, telling me your Twitter handle (and something fun, too, if you’d like).

Then I’ll put your name in a hat. **If you don't have a Twitter account, please leave a comment and tell me about another source of social media where you can comment.

Good luck! SWITCH is dedicated to Law’s parents whose anniversary is June 15^th, so on June 15^th I’ll draw the name of one lucky winner. Cross your fingers! You will love SWITCH, but winner be warned—do not try and read SWITCH in a quiet zone, because it’s packed (PACKED!) with irrepressible, laugh-out-loud moments.  

***June 15th UPDATE:  Congratulations Amy Nelson Green, you are the winner!***

·         Age Range: 8 - 12 years

·         Grade Level: 3 - 7

·         Hardcover: 368 pages

·         Publisher: Dial Books (September 1, 2015)

·         Language: English

·         ISBN-10: 0803738625

·         ISBN-13: 978-0803738621

PreOrder:

Boulder Bookstore   

Indie Bound

Tattered Cover Books

Barnes and Noble

Amazon                      

Book of the Week for Middle Grade Readers Counting Down to Christmas

As the days tick down to Christmas Eve and the house turns cozy with fluffy throw blankets and the scent of oatmeal cookies baking in the oven, it’s a great time to click off the TV and plop a book into the hands of young readers everywhere. So here’s a book that keeps the pages turning—especially for the 3^rd through 6^th grader:

TRACY TAM SANTA COMMAND by Krystalyn Drown turns everything you thought you knew about Christmas on its head—the reluctant reader will enjoy nail-bitter page turns, while the reluctant believer gets an exciting Chirstmas escapade.

Tracy Tam may believe in Santa, but she’s a reluctant believer in his magic. She’s certain everything has a scientific explanation—even Christmas, so on December 24^th she sets out to gather evidence, samples and data to prove the science behind Christmas. If she’s successful, she’ll use the evidence to present at the state Science Fair competition and hopefully win the cash prize. And Tracy desperately wants that prize money, so she can give it to her aunt to pay for her cousin Pim’s expensive operation. Tracy will do anything to help Pim, including hiding in Santa sleigh and hitching a ride back to Santa’s workshop. But the workers at Santa Command will do anything to protect the secret of Christmas magic.  

And so here’s where everything —as promised—is turned on its head—but I won’t ruin the discovery of those secrets here. What I will tell you is the story is packed with fun surprises and zany flips that turn expectations into wonder. Young readers will have a fun adventure reading this story as they wait for their own visit from Santa. Tracy Tam keeps readers as well as everyone at Santa Command on their toes..

Available at and Indie Bookstore here: click here

Available from Amazon or Kindle here: click here

Available from my local bookstore Boulder Books: click here 

Available from my local Barnes & Noble: click here

·         Age Range: 9 and up 

·         Grade Level: 3 and up

·         Series: Tracy Tam

·         Paperback: 300 pages

·         Publisher: Month9Books, LLC (October 21, 2014)

·         Language: English

·         ISBN-10: 1939765803

·         ISBN-13: 978-1939765802