Book Feature: Ice Dogs

Kindle, Nook

ebook and print

A Junior Library Guild Selection!

Victoria Secord, a fourteen-year-old Alaskan dogsled racer, loses her way on a routine outing with her dogs. With food gone and temperatures dropping, her survival and that of her dogs and the mysterious boy she meets in the woods is entirely up to her.

  

I have the coolest friends.

Author Terry Lynn Johnson is a musher herself, and her crackling writing puts readers at the reins as Victoria and Chris experience setbacks, mistakes, and small triumphs in their wilderness adventure.

I was lucky enough to crit Ice Dogs long before Houghton Mifflin gave my friend Terry Lynn Johnson a well-deserved contract for it! I'm so excited to see it out in the world (released Feb. 4th!) where everyone can enjoy her charming story of a girl who races dogs but can't outrace her past... or the boy she finds in the snowstorm that will change both their lives.

Check out the cool trailer!

Ice Dogs is a great strong-girl story that also allows the heroine to be vulnerable - with a soft side that comes out clearly in how much she loves her dogs. Ice Dogs is a bit more grown up than Terry's first book Dogsled Dreams (which I reviewed and LOVED), but still sweet, earnest, and perfect for ages 10+.

If you have an animal-loving teen, preteen, or middle grader, scoop up both books - your kids will thank you! 

Check out Terry's website for more information about the dogs and her books!  If you're a teacher, check out the awesome Discussion Guide for ICE DOGS!

To celebrate Terry's release, I'm giving away THREE of these adorable PLUSH ICE DOGS.

How cute is this??

And they're itty bitty: 3 inches tall!

Enter to win your very own ICE DOG!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Reveal: The Stone of Valhalla

I am very excited to show everyone the cover for my newest middle-grade fantasy-adventure novel: THE STONE OF VALHALLA. This book is very special to me because it is my very first book I ever wrote. Of course, I wrote it over 12 years ago and then totally revamped it this past summer. It was fun rewriting a book from start to finish. I think it turned out awesome. You wont have to wait too long to get your own copy. This book is slotted for release on March 31st (which happens to be me mum's birthday).

I will also be holding a blog tour for this book March 31st-April 5th. I have over 20 stops scheduled and there will be a rafflecoptor giveaway so you can win prizes for sharing the word about this fun book.

The following week, after the blog tour, I will be having a Facebook online launch party. There will be games and ways to win other great prizes, just for coming. That is scheduled for April 10th and will be hosted by Loving the Book Launch Party. 

Here's a little bit about my new book:

13-year-old Aaron was chosen to save their world, but it might come at the cost of losing his own…

Breaking into an old lady’s basement was supposed to reward Aaron with new friends. Instead he finds an enchanted amulet that transports him to another world—one at war with magic. Before he knows it, he is accused of witchcraft and invited to a bonfire—where he’s the main attraction. If that’s not bad enough, a goblin army shows up and toasts the town...literally. The good news: Aaron escapes being charbroiled. The bad news: the goblins are after him. They want his amulet and will stop at nothing to get it. Battling to find his way home, Aaron teams up with a not-so-magical-wizard and learns it’s his fate to destroy the amulet and save this new world. But is he willing to sacrifice his own?

Reads for Tweens: PRINCESS KANDAKE

I am excited to share this power house series for tween girls. Author Stephanie Jefferson, takes readers on a wild ride through ancient Egypt. Her story focuses on a girl from from Nubia who must choose between becoming the warrior she's always dreamed of or a princess appointed to rule. Check out what readers are calling: "Fantastic Historical Fiction!" Also the new release of the third installment in the Princess Kandake series.

Princess Kandake

Warrior by Choice...Appointed to Rule

In Nubia a woman can be whatever she chooses. At 14, Kandake knows exactly what she chooses…Prime Warrior of Nubia. But her grandmother has said that she will follow her father on the throne.

Refusing to abandon her warrior dreams she continues to train. When her brother is kidnapped, Kandake learns she must be both queen and warrior to win his release!

Kindle | Other Digital Formats | Paperback

Weight of the Crown

 A PRINCESS KANDAKE Novel

Reconciled to the fact that she will follow her father on the throne, Kandake maintains her resolve to continue her warrior training. But illness takes King Amani to the edge of death and Kandake must rule Nubia in his place. Prince Gadarat of Aksum comes calling and announces his intentions to marry Kandake. She has no desire for him or his plans and uses warrior persuasion to change his mind.

Kandake’s dearest friend, Ezena, has chosen a husband and wishes to bring her grandmother to Nubia for the ceremony. When Kandake travels with Ezena to Aksum, jealousy and revenge drive the rejected Prince to imprison her brother and Amhara.

Can Kandake rescue them both, escape Aksum, and get back to Nubia without starting a war?

Kindle | Other Digital Formats | Paperback

NEW RELEASE!

Warrior of the Egyptian Kingdom

A PRINCESS KANDAKE Novel

Warrior of the Egyptian Kingdom Princess Kandake, youngest child of King Amani and heir to the throne of Nubia, has determined to continue her warrior training, but that is not the only thing that complicates her 14 year old life.

When the king receives a dispatch from Pharaoh Nakhtnebef of Egypt, Kandake is sent to find out why the pharaoh would need Nubia’s warriors to remain in Egypt any longer and why he has included a secret symbol within his message—help.

In Egypt, Kandake discovers treachery and a poisoned pharaoh, the identity of the bandits that attacked Nubia’s caravans, a Nubian orphan, and that Kandake may be Sakhmet—the Egyptian goddess of war.


http://stephaniejefferson.com/princess-kandake-series/warrior-of-the-egyptian-kingdom/
Paperback

Reads for Tweens: Taylor Davis Series

I am a fan of fun tween reads. That is why I am featuring on my blog today, not one, but two fantastic books that your tween readers will love. TAYLOR DAVIS AND THE FLAME OF FINDUL and its exciting sequel TAYLOR DAVIS AND THE CLASH OF KINGDOMS. Both are sure to enthrall and engage readers. But you don't have to take my word for it. Check out what people are saying about Hugo nominated author Michelle Isenhoff, and her TAYLOR DAVIS series.

"I LOVED THIS BOOK!!! It is so action-packed! The plot is totally unique...the characters are very realistic. I like Taylor a lot - he acts a lot like a normal boy would act under these circumstances. That makes him very real to me." -The Kid Reviews Books

"Michelle Isenhoff has created an action-packed adventure that tweens will find satisfying and wanting to read the sequel. The book has the right amount of danger mixed with a really great dose of humor. The plot is strong and the characters memorable." -Amazon reviewer

"This adventure book has plenty of twists and turns to keep a twelve-year-old glued to its pages. The story is filled with new fantasy creatures and a couple familiar ones." -An Amazon Reviewer

TAYLOR DAVIS AND THE FLAME OF FINDUL

Taylor Davis didn't want to move to the Caribbean, and he certainly doesn't want save the world. But when he's sucked into a supernatural world of angels and their adversaries, that's exactly what he must do.

The Flame of Findul--the sword that guards the Tree of Life--has been allowed to burn out. Taylor and his new teammates must relight it in the forge of Findul the firesmith before the tree falls into the wrong hands. But Findul hasn't been seen for several centuries. And a formidable enemy, one who has eaten of the tree, stands in their way.

 
Sometimes life gooses you when you’re not looking. You might be happily coasting through days in a little New Jersey suburb, dreaming about Jennifer Williams and making plans to see the new movie showing uptown when—bam!—everything changes in an instant. Your family moves overseas and suddenly you’re hacking at water demons with a four-foot blade. Free on Amazon and Smashwords!

 And book one is now FREE! 

TAYLOR DAVIS AND THE CLASH OF KINGDOMS

 Taylor Davis would get stuck with an archenemy that won't stay dead.

When three of his classmates succumb to a strange malady, Taylor becomes the target of irrational violence. Is it a coincidence, as Elena so firmly believes? Or could there be a more dangerous explanation?

The epidemic soon spreads to national leaders. Taylor and his team are called on to uncover the root of the problem before violence breaks out on a worldwide stage. Their quest leads them to the heart of Africa, to the underworld, and to a second encounter with an enemy who just won’t stay dead.

 Book two of the Taylor Davis series is now available for Kindle, Nook, and paperback formats. 

About the Author:

Michelle Isenhoff writes adventures for kids of all ages. Sometimes they take place in the past, such as her popular Civil War-era Divided Decade Trilogy and The Color of Freedom. Other times they involve fantastical plots or new worlds, as in The Quill Pen and Song of the Mountain. More recently, Michelle had a blast writing the first book in her humorous, high-action Taylor Davis series.

Michelle will never market profanity or controversy to her young audience. Instead, she relies on fun, solid story-telling. She prefers stories with some depth to them, and especially enjoys beautifully crafted language and a hero who grows and learns and changes. Michelle often receives emails from grown-ups (as old as 79) who encourage her to keep writing for "us kids!"

Visit Michelle at www.michelleisenhoff.com for free classroom materials to accompany her novels.