Book Blast: Disneylanders by Kate Abbott

Welcome to the Disneylanders Book Blast!

In Disneylanders, 14-year-old Casey Allison, on the brink of starting high school, struggles to find a new identity on her family’s annual summer vacation, but with the help of an outgoing boy she meets while waiting in line, she discovers that Disneyland is the one place where her overprotective parents let her have the freedom to grow up.

Casey looks forward to her family’s annual summer vacation to Disneyland to escape her anxieties about starting high school. This summer, however, her vacation forces her to confront her parents’ ancient attitudes, getting dumped by her best friend, an intense crush, and a pack of gum-snapping girls who seem intent on ruining her vacation. 

Her parents won’t accept she’s no longer a little kid, but she can’t fathom growing up to be like the bra-strap girls who seem to be following her. Worst of all, she fears that in order be accepted as “mature,” she’ll have to not only display her underwear but stop going to her beloved theme park. As she explores Disneyland—and her first romantic relationship—with Bert, the charming high school sophomore she meets, she realizes that she can overcome her real-world insecurities only when she’s in the Magic Kingdom. 

As Casey and Bert banter in line for rides, they find that confessing the secrets they couldn’t share with anyone back home lets them both discover their true selves. Although they spend time in Fantasyland, they confront their real-life issues…Bert’s flaky parents, his precocious grandmother, and why he wears a watch that hasn’t worked in two years; Casey’s ex-best friend, her secret passion for old-school film photography, and her cast member crushes. By the last fireworks show, after she’s been on a wild ride of a summer vacation, Casey rediscovers herself and takes home new self confidence, along with a sentimental souvenir.

Pick up your copy today!

Meet Author Kate Abbott

Disneylanders is Kate Abbott's first novel. She received an MFA in creative writing from UC Riverside, Palm Desert. Kate lives in Northern California with her husband, son, terrier, and tiny parrots.

Check her out:
Website // Twitter // Goodreads

Giveaway Time!

One lucky winner will get this awesome Disney themed gift pack from Kate Abbott, including:
Note card set
Mickey Bookmark
A copy of Disneylanders

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Rules:
Must be 13+ to Enter
US Shipping Only
No PO Boxes

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Super Pop! Blog Tour with Zest Books

Super Pop! Pop Culture Lists to Help You Win at Trivia, Survive in the Wild, and Make It Through the Holidays by Daniel Harmon

Author: Daniel Harmon

Published Date: June 2013

Published by: Zest Books

Summary:

As David Letterman demonstrates on the Late Show, top ten lists are really funny. And we know lists are a great way to get organized, get things done, and streamline life’s many tasks. But now, pop culture expert Daniel Harmon takes a totally new approach to list making in his new book Super Pop! and organizes 500 movies, songs, video games, and books into top ten lists that not only have the power to entertain, but also to help create a new and better you!

My Review:

I have an addiction to lists!  I have a listography account (and all their books). I make To-Do lists all the time.  And of course, I read books with lists.  But no book filled with lists has come close to the awesome that I found in Super Pop! Pop Culture Lists to Help You Win at Trivia, Survive in the Wild, and Make It Through the Holidays by Daniel Harmon!

Filled with everything from Superheroes to History, this book will help you with all your pop culture needs!  Some of my favorite lists include: "Go Where Everybody Knows Your Name: The Best Places to Hang Out for an Hour", "Find Your Happy Place: Magical, Fictional Worlds", and "Sleep With the Fishes: The Ten Best Places to Find Your Spirit Animal", as well has the ones listed below.  What I like best about the lists is that he mixes older, more well-known references with new, moe modern references.  This makes the book aplicable to teens and adults.  

I will caution and say that some of the lists may be a little bit risque for the younger set, but high schoolers and college goers wil definitely enjoy the lists, as well as learn something (go figure!).  If you're gearing up for a quiz night, or just want to delight your friends, then you need to grab a copy of Super Pop! by Daniel Harmon!

FINAL VERDICT: 4.5 STARS!

Some of the Lists!

• Cheat on Your Homework: Essential Literary Adaptations—for Both Information and Inspiration
• Rest Assured: Movies Where People Get Exactly What They Deserve
• Laugh So Hard You Soil Yourself: Reliable Sources of Undeniable Joy

And so many more!  In fact, in honor of these lists, I'm linking to some of my very own Top Ten Lists from the past.  Now these aren't nearly as pop culturish as the book's (yes I made that up), but they are entirely bookish!

• Top Ten Books When You Need Something Light & Fun
• Top Ten 2013 Reading Goals
• Top Ten Books I Read in 2012
• Top Ten Favorite New-To-Me Authors I Read In 2012

So on and so forth.  Hopefully I'll be able to do more Top Ten Lists because I am such a sucker for lists.  But until then, you can pick up a copy of Super Pop! from one of the links below and indulge your list love!  (P.S. There's a giveaway too!)

  

About Daniel Harmon

Follow Daniel Harmon/Zest Books here:

Facebook  |  Goodreads  |  Twitter  |  Website

Get your hands on a copy of the book here:

     

Or, if you're really awesome, you'll order from MY favorite bookstore: Inkwood Books

Giveaway:

• 1 winner wil receive: a prize packet that includes an autographed book and a super Super Pop! Button as well as some Zesty swag!

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Death, Dickinson, and the Demented Life of Frenchie Garcia Blog Tour Stop!

Death, Dickinson, and the Demented Life of Frenchie Garcia by Jenny Torres Sanchez

Author: Jenny Torres Sanchez

Published Date: May 28, 2013

Published by: Running Press Kids

Tour Hosted by: Book Nerd Tours

Summary:

Frenchie Garcia can’t come to grips with the death of Andy Cooper. Her friends didn’t know she had a crush on him. And they don’t know she was the last person with him before he committed suicide. But Frenchie’s biggest concern is how she blindly helped him die that night.

Frenchie’s already insane obsession with death and Emily Dickinson won’t help her understand the role she played during Andy’s “one night of adventure.” But when she meets Colin, she may have found the perfect opportunity to recreate that night. While exploring the emotional depth of loss and transition to adulthood, Sanchez’s sharp humor and clever observations bring forth a richly developed voice.

My Review:

I am a native Floridian, so I automatically love books set in Florida 10x more than other books!  I meant Jenny at the Sunshine Author Tour, which was chock-a-block with Florida authors, of which Jenny was one.  She was there to promote her first book, The Downside of Being Charlie, which was amazing, and she teased about her next book, Death, Dickinson, and the Demented Life of Frenchie Garcia,  First off, with a title like that, who can say no?  Secondly, set in Orlando? Done!

But seriously this book was fantastic!  Frenchie is a high school senior who is newly graduated and facing some big problems heading to the future.  But with a sharp wit and faith in herself, she is able to overcome on of the biggest obstacles of all, being the last one to see Andy Cooper, who is Frenchie's ultimate crush, alive.  One of those hit 'em where it hurts stories, Sanchez takes us on a wild ride through downtown Orlando with Andy all the while the reader knows what will happen to him.  But in the end the story circles back to the local cemetery where Frenchie spends most of time conversing with Emily Dickinson, but not the Emily Dickinson, and here is where she finally comes to terms with what happened.

As you can tell Sanchez has a morbi sense of humor, but it really works as a springboard for contemplation and expression.  The real Emily Dickinson's poems are sprinkled throughout the book, used as tools for Frenchie to gain some perspective on her problems.  Being a literature geek, I loved this so much.  There are a lot of lit-hits like that, I suppose it helps that Sanchez was an English teacher! ; ) 

This book is very real, wrapping a scary and intense situation in humor and weirdness, just like situations of this kind usually are.  On par with some other great contemporary novels, The Fault in Our Stars, Deadline, and Thirteen Reasons Why to name a few, Death, Dickinson, and the Demented Life of Frenchie Garcia by Jenny Torres Sanchez definitely deserves a place on your bookshelf!

FINAL VERDICT: 5 STARS!

Excerpt:

“The old man across the street is dead. School has been out for three weeks.  I estimate that would have been the last time I saw him. Alive” 

(Page 1)

  

About Jenny Torres Sanchez

Jenny Torres Sanchez lives in Florida with her husband and children where she currently writes full time. Before her debut novel The Downside of Being Charlie she taught high school for several years, where she credits her eclectic students for inspiring her to write young adult novels.

Follow Jenny Torres Sanchez here:

Facebook  |  Goodreads  |  Twitter  |  Website

Get your hands on a copy of the book here:

    

Oh, and you can enter to win a copy for your very self!

Giveaway:

• 3 Winners will receive a Signed Copy+Swag of Death, Dickinson, and the Demented Life of Frenchie Garcia by Jenny Torres Sanchez
• 1 Winner will receive a Poster and Bookmark of a Surprise Art by James Vallesteros
• 10 Winners will receive One bookmark of a Surprise Art by James Vallesteros

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Announcement: Eli to the nth is....

I hate to do this, but I just started a full-time job, and I'm going to grad school full-time.  Between those two things I have no extra time!  I love my blog and all my followers, and I PROMISE to get back as soon as possible (hopefully with a pretty kickass giveaway), but until then I may be posting few things that I've had in the pipeline.  For the most part, however, there will be radio silence.

If you want to keep up with me somewhat, check out my facebook, twitter, and instagram.  I can't pry my fingers off of my phone, so it's a good bet I'll be up on one of those sites throughout the hiatus.

Thanks for all your support!  It means so much to me for you all to stick with my blog.

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