The Sentinels

From the author of more than a dozen New York Times best sellers and his son, comes the third installment of a brand-new fantasy trilogy written just for young readers.

After dueling with a dragon and a demon, Maimun knows he must destroy the stone that has kept him on the run for most of his life. The question now is how. With Joen by his side, Maimun journeys to the Tower of Twilight to beg famed wizard Malchor Harpell for answers. But Harpell’s help comes at a steep price.

Friends become enemies. Lost secrets come to light. And deep in the shadows, the sentinels are watching, scheming to save the stone—even if it means someone must die.

Featuring the sage wisdom of R.A. Salvatore’s beloved character Drizzt Do’Urden, this final book of the Stone of Tymora trilogy is packed with action, magic, intrigue, and a heart-stopping twist that Salvatore fans won’t want to miss.

Click here to learn more about Salvatore's books.

Classic Graphic Novels

"To entertain and educate young minds by creating unique illustrated books to recount stories of human values, to arouse curiosity in the world around us, and to inspire by tales of great deeds of unforgettable people." This is Campfire's mission statement. If you have not heard of this up and coming graphic novel publisher, you can check them out by clicking here.

I love their classic title list and I believe their cutting-edge illustrations will captivate boys and draw them into the story. Graphic Novels are an innovative approach to get reluctant readers to read.

Click here to visit their Facebook page.

Mouse Deer

You know about Brer Rabbit from the southern United States. You may also know about Anansi the Spider from West Africa. These animals are called “tricksters,” because they trick other animals in the stories. There are many trickster animals around the world, and stories told about one are often told about others.

Mouse Deer is the favorite trickster of Indonesia and Malaysia, two countries of Southeast Asia. But what is a mouse deer? It is an animal about the size of a cat, and it lives in the jungles of Africa, Asia, and many Pacific islands. It has the legs and the tail of a deer, and the face and the body of a mouse—but it is not really a mouse or a deer.

The mouse deer eats only plants, but lots of animals eat the mouse deer. To stay alive, it must be quick and smart. That is why the Indonesians and Malaysians have made Mouse Deer their favorite trickster. Any of their boys or girls can tell you tales about him.

We all owe a big thanks to Aaron Shepard for bringing Mouse Deer to the Web. Aaron is the award-winning author of The Legend of Lightning Larry, The Sea King’s Daughter, The Baker’s Dozen, and many more children’s books from publishers large and small. His stories have also appeared often in Cricket and Australia’s School Magazine.

Aaron’s specialty is retelling folktales and other traditional literature from around the world. His work has been honored by the American Library Association, the National Council for the Social Studies, the American Folklore Society, the New York Public Library, and the Bank Street College of Education. His stories are enjoyed by a wide range of young readers—as well as by adults—and are perfect for reading aloud.

On the Web, Aaron maintains an extensive collection of resources for teachers, librarians, storytellers, children’s writers, parents, and kids. His site has been viewed by over seven million visitors and has drawn over 25,000 visitors a week. Among its offerings is the Web’s premier collection of free reader’s theater scripts, used in schools and libraries around the world.

An acclaimed author with real kid appeal, Aaron takes pleasure in sharing the magic of story.

To learn more about Aaron and these awesome tales, click here.

WRAITH

WRAITH is a covert ops thriller that had to be “sanitized” by the Air Force’s Stealth Program Security Office before publication. Clive Cussler described it as, “non-stop action,” and Publishers Weekly said it showed that “high tech weapons are only tools, and it’s the people doing the fighting who win the day.” Because of the war theme and some violence, it is appropriate for ages 13 and up.

WRAITH was written by James Hannibal, an Air Force Predator pilot and former Stealth Bomber. Outside of flying, he's passionate about writing and his two sons. His objective is to create books that he would enjoy as a man, but can also share with his boys. He works hard to write stories full of action and adventure, but devoid of foul language or sexual themes.

To see a very cool trailer, click here. To visit Hannibal's very cool website, click here.

Dripping Blood Cave

In this delightful new collection of humorous ghost stories by noted children’s author Raymond Bial, young readers will enjoy the further adventures of young teen Hank Cantrell and his fleet-of-foot, ’fraidy-cat sidekick, Clifford Hopkins.

Together, the two ghost magnets encounter a host of spooks, haunts, spectres, and just plain ornery folks who won’t die and go away . . . until Hank works out a solution (assisted – if that’s the word – by the big-talking, fainthearted Cliffie).

The book picks up where two previous volumes of Hank & Clifford stories left off (The Ghost of Honeymoon Creek and The Fresh Grave & Other Ghostly Stories).

Join the plucky fellows, and their sweethearts Rosie and Mary Ethel, as they scour the surroundings of mythical small-town Myrtleville, somewhere in the rural Midwest, for another round of fun, not-so-scary adventures . . . facing (and learning some valuable lessons from) the ghosts of the past.

RAY BIAL is the acclaimed author of more than 100 books for children and adults, including many historical photodocumentary books such as Amish Home, The Underground Railroad, Where Lincoln Walked, Nauvoo, Ellis Island, and others. His previous ghost stories include The Fresh Grave, The Ghost of Honeymoon Creek, and Shadow Island. He lives in Urbana, Illinois.

To learn more about Ray Bial and Dripping Blood Cave, click here and visit Crickhollow Books.

Shouty

Shouty was written by Seon Ricks, an Atlanta businesswoman who has now turned her talent to writing children’s books. Below is an interview that was written by Laura Braddick.

Interview:

“You only live once and I’m the only person who could bring Shouty into the world,” said the Chicago native of her main character, which she created 19 years ago as a junior in a cartoon for her high school newspaper.

Her first book, “Life of Shouty: Good Habits,” published by Rixkin, will be available Tuesday on Amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com. She said she hopes to print 11 more books for the series.

The first book, fully illustrated and written in verse by Ms. Ricks under the pen name NeonSeon, introduces Shouty Mack as a young man who procrastinates and puts off important tasks.

“He has a messy room. He doesn’t prioritize his life and focuses on the least important things,” she said. “By the end of the book, he goes through a transformation. He decides that he doesn’t want to live like that.”

Ms. Ricks, who has a master’s degree in humanities and social thought from New York University, hopes the book will teach children 8 and older important life lessons about setting goals, prioritizing tasks and dispelling self doubt.

“[Shouty’s] an everyman,” she said. “The themes are universal.”

The next book, “Life of Shouty: Food and Fitness,” due out in January, will focus on healthy living.

Even though Ms. Ricks said she is happy to be following her personal aspirations, she could not have done it without her corporate experience as a brand manager and Web developer.

“There are certain reasons why we go our certain ways,” she said. “I couldn’t have done all this out of high school. The experience has been invaluable.”

Wanting to maintain creative control and rights to Shouty, Ms. Ricks used her corporate prowess to infiltrate the publishing market by helping create Rixkin publishing and production company with the help of investors to launch the Shouty series.

“She’s always been a very creative person,” said her brother Hoyland, who helped her get the book to market. “I believed a lot in the character and I think that her book is great and it’s a great beginning.”

With all the irreverent and bawdy cartoon characters on television, Hoyland Ricks said he thinks Shouty is a refreshing alternative.

“I think he’ll be received very well,” he said. “I think the main challenge is not the content but marketing and getting the word out that Shouty exists. I think parents will be pleased with the message not only for their children, but what they learn from him too.”

To learn more about Shouty and Seon Ricks, click here.

That's Awesome!

That’s Awesome! brings kids awesome facts and records guaranteed to impress and remain with the reader long after they are finished with the book. Written in an authoritative, age-appropriate and clear style, this beautiful book incorporates fascinating photos and diagrams.

Included in That’s Awesome!:

• Awesome Size – Although humans like super-sized French fries and monster TV sets, sometimes small items are just as much fun. Every size has its place in this awesome world. How do you measure up to daunting dinosaurs, the world’s largest Ferris wheel or tallest building, or the smallest gecko?

• Awesome Price Tags – What does it cost to take a roundtrip voyage to the International Space Station? What items are worth their awesome price tags? You decide if the price is right.

• Awesome Sports – Whether you’re a player or a fan, whether you compete with muscle or brain power, there are more awesome sports and competitions today than ever before. From extreme sports to perfect scores, what record will be broken next?

• Awesome Eats – The world is full of awesome eats, including eel soda, saliva soup and insects. What are some of the most unusual dishes to eat?

• Awesome Weather and Other Forces of Nature – Earthquakes, volcanoes and avalanches are only some of the most awesome forces of nature. How do we protect ourselves from unavoidable events and why do they occur?

• Awesome Human Body – The human body is truly an awesome machine made up of many parts that work in extraordinary ways. Discover some surprising facts about what the body can do.

To purchase That's Awesome!, click here.