Galaxy Games Book Tour Kick Off

Tweet Celebrate the release of The Challengers by Greg R. Fishbone! This is the first book of the Galaxy Games series, published by the Tu Books imprint of Lee & Low Books. In this hilarious middle-grade romp through space, eleven-year-old Tyler Sato leads a team of kids representing all of Earth in a sports tournament against alien kids from across the galaxy.
Great Galactic Blog Tour
Join Greg during the month of October for the Great Galactic Blog Tour! Every day for 31 days, Greg will spotlight a different children's literature blog with book giveaways, author interviews, in-character interviews, excerpts, deleted scenes, and more. Happening right now is the Launch Day Giveaway. There are lots of ways to enter!
Puzzle Piece #1
The site of the day will also feature one of 31 "puzzle pieces" that will lead one reader to a grand prize. Here is the first piece in the contest:

Book Info

• Series: Galaxy Games
• Title: The Challengers
• Hardcover ISBN: 978-60060-660-1
• Author: Greg R. Fishbone
• Illustrator: Ethen Beavers
• Publisher: Tu Books / Lee & Low Books
• Ages: 9-12

The Challengers is available now from online and offline booksellers and as an ebook. Read more about the Galaxy Games series and be sure to follow the Blog Tour!

Author Interview: Tommy Greenwald Author of Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to NOT Reading

Tweet

Interview with Tommy Greenwald. Author of the wildly popular, Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to NOT Reading.

1. What inspired you to write a guide to not reading?

My boys, Charlie, Joe and Jack, all hated to read growing up. It was very hard to find books that interested them. I figured one book they might like was a book that taught them how to avoid other books. And I knew that there were a ton of other kids out there - mostly boys - who hated to read too.

2. Are you anything like Charlie Joe? Did you also hate to read?

No, the weird thing is that I loved to read. That's why it bummed me out that my kids hated it. Don't get me wrong - they're great kids. Not reading is literally their only flaw. Well, that and complete disobedience.

3. You mentioned your sons Charlie, Joe and Jack, how did they influence you in your writing this book?

They influenced me in several ways. First, their aforementioned aversion to reading. And second, the fact that they plan on going to college some day, which is EXPENSIVE, so i needed to figure out a way to make some extra dough. I'm hoping to earn enough money from my books to at least pay for their text books.

4. Did it take longer than a summer to write your book? Tell us a little about the time it takes to write until the time to publishing?

The first draft took about three months, back in the fall of 2009. I got very lucky because editors were interested right away, and I ended up with the wonderful Nancy Mercado at Roaring Brook Press, which is part of Macmillan. Then, of course, the real work begins. I revised for about another six months before the book was ready to go.

5. Who are some of your favorite children's book authors and how have they inspired you?

I always loved the book ARE YOU MY MOTHER? as a kid. I think it's still in print. I loved the Matt Christopher books. Shel Silverstein is a master of all trades. And i think my friend Lauren Tarshis writes beautiful books. And Mary Stolz's THE BULLY OF BARKHAM STREET is still a fave.

6. Did you have laugh out loud moments when you were working on this book? Tell us about them.

The funniest thing about writing this book was trying to get my kids to read it while i was working on it. They would promise to read it, and then put it off. That happened about a thousand times. It was like life imitating art imitating life.

7. Besides writing this book, what are some other ways you can think of to encourage kids, especially boys, to read?

It's a good question. I do a writing exercise when I do school visits - I have all the kids write the title and first sentence of a book they would want to read. Then I read them all out loud to the whole class. They're usually hilarious. I think it shows the kids that there are books about EVERYTHING - and somewhere out there there's a book for them.

8. What is your favorite part of the writing process?

Finishing. I love to tell stories, but I'm inherently lazy, and I'd rather be watching TV or playing with my dogs or eating ice cream then writing. I can find any reason to avoid writing. I should write a book called TOMMY GREENWALD'S GUIDE TO NOT WRITING.

Visit the author's website at www.tommygreenwald.com.
 Thank you to author, Tommy Greenwald, for the awesome interview. I appreciate the funny and candid answers and I loved Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to NOT Reading. I'll be anxiously waiting for Mr. Greenwald's next book.

Click here to read my book review of Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to NOT Reading.   
Click here to enter book giveaway courtesy of author Tommy Greenwald. Ends Tues. Oct. 4, 2011

Book Giveaway: Author Signed Copy. Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to NOT Reading. Author Signed Copy

Tweet

Contest Ends Tuesday Oct. 4, 2011 at 1100 p.m. MST

Author Signed Hard Copy

Here is your chance to win the wildly popular Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to NOT Reading. This is a hard copy signed by the author.

Click here to read my book review.

To enter, use the rafflecopter form and leave a blog post about what you or your child would like about the book. Or if you have read the book, post  what you liked about it.

Winner is chosen by www.random.org. and will be announced the day after it ends.

A big thank you to the author, Tommy Greenwald for providing the signed copy of the book for the giveaway. Though the author provided the prize, it in no way influenced my review of the book. 

Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to NOT Reading - Book Review

Tweet

Attention non readers, book haters, and reading homework slackers, I have found the book, uh hum.. I mean guide for you, Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to NOT Reading by Tommy Greenwald. If your parents catch you consulting this guide, do NOT tell them you got the recommendation from me.

 To say that Charlie Joe Jackson hates reading would be the understatement of the year, maybe even the understatement of the century. He would do anything to get out of reading, even buy a friend ice cream sandwiches over many years to get him to do his reading for him. When that abruptly comes to an end, Charlie Joe resorts to plan B. A plan so elaborate it involves bribery and manipulation. Worse, it involves setting up the girl of his dreams with the nerdiest boy in school.

No matter what happens, Charlie Joe must find a way to keep his perfect record of not reading a book even if that means writing one instead.

Anybody who has ever had a middle grade non reader or if you are of those middle grade non readers will agree that author Tommy Greenwald hits it right on the head with his non reading tips spread throughout Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to NOT Reading. As a parent of a twelve year old reluctant reader, I have heard many of the excuses in the book. Reading the book with my son has given him some new ideas. The book really struck a chord for both of us and is one of the first books my son asked me to keep reading even when I was ready to be done. Charlie Joe Jackson's antics made both of us laugh several times. Charlie Joe is a likable hero who every book hater can relate to. Unlike Charlie Joe's tip #25: When you are done with a book, never look at it again, the non-reader will want to look at this one again. I admit, I had to pay my son to read the book with me, but it is the only book I've reviewed that he has asked to keep and one in which I gladly purchased for him. Not only would I highly recommend this book to the reluctant reader, I would highly recommend it for the child who loves to read too.  Ages 10-12.

Publisher:  Roaring Brook Press
Page Count:  224 pp.


Click here to purchase from Barnes and Noble.