The Misadventures of a Roving Cartoonist by Tom Gill

Subtitle: The Lone Ranger's Secret Sidekick. Tom Gill's stories written with Tim Lasiuta. Book provided by the publisher, Five Star Publications.

Unless you're very young, you have to be familiar with the Lone Ranger. White hat, black mask, and a beautiful white horse named Silver. And his faithful sidekick, Tonto.

I remember both the comics and a TV show from the past, but I never thought about the man writing the comic or creating the Lone Ranger. Reading this book straightened that out.

Tom Gill was self-taught in art. He actually got his start in making maps when the war broke out in Pearl Harbor. He also visited the troops several times and made sketches of the boys in the service overseas. He had a few adventures of his own on those travels, too.

He drew more than 135 Lone Ranger comic books. He also taught at the Cartoonists and Illustrators School in New York City.

Tom's memories are filled with fun and show you the nature of this good steady man. I enjoyed reading this book.

There is also a section at the back with information about the other cartoonists on the USO tours or that he worked with through the years. For me, it was like a trip down memory lane.

If you'd like my copy of this book, here are two steps to get in the drawing:

1) Leave a comment here on the blog.

2) Email me at info @ bookfaerie.com (take the spaces out) and give me your name and address and tell me why you'd like to read it.

I'll pick a winner in about a week.

Sock 'n Boots Share by D K Smith

This book was sent to me for review by the author, and it was a pleasure to look it over.

It's a picture book for young children that has charming characters. It would appeal to those in the 1-4 age group.

The book begins with a question, tells the story with a lesson about life, and ends with a question that leads into a discussion of what they just read and what it meant. It will also reinforce the lesson.

In this story, Sock's lunch gets eaten by birds, so they "share".

The characters are cute, the message is important, and I'm sure you'll get some very interesting discussion in groups.

This book would be good for a daycare center or anyplace that children gather.

You can buy a copy at Lulu.com. Visit the author's website at www.socknboots.com for info about additional books that will be published in this series.

The next one scheduled talks about being scared of the dark - and that was one of my biggest frights as child. I'm looking forward to reading that one, too!

Dancing Feet by Lindsey Craig

This delightful children's picture book was sent to me from Knopf Delacourte Dell Young Reader's Group for review. Marc Brown is the illustrator and I always enjoy his artwork. This book is no exception.

This is a story for children from 1-4, and they will love it! First you see the feet and hear the sounds of the creature's feet. Then the next page shows which creature it is and they dance about in vibrant colors.

Little ones will be fascinated by the colors and will like the sounds of the feet. You'll most likely be hearing those sounds after the book is closed, too...

An excerpt from the book: "Thumpity! Thumpity! Furry brown feet! Who is dancing that thumpity beat?" Can you guess which animal this is?

The book would also be great for reading aloud to a daycare group or your own young family. Let your older children read it to the young ones, soon the young ones will be reading it to you.

Buy yourself a copy and make reading a treat for your little one.

The Gecko & Sticky The Power Potion by Wendelin Van Draanen

This delightful book was provided to me by Knopf Delacourte Dell Young Reader's Group, and it was great fun to read.

It's written for ages 8-12, and has enough silly actions and excitement to keep a young reader's attention. With a magic potion, bathroom jokes, a gecko, a monkey, inept bad guys, and a typical young man, how could it be boring???

While this is the fourth book in this series, it's the first one I've read. It was easy to pick up on the story line and you began to anticipate trouble before you even get past chapter one.

There's an evil man, his pet tarantulas and some six horned goats if I haven't grabbed your attention yet! And he wants that magic potion...

This book is good for reluctant readers and any child with an imagination and a sense of humor. It's also fun to read even if you aren't a child.

This book is on the bookstore shelves now, go get yourself a copy!

Lunch Lady and the Summer Camp Shakedown by Jarrett J Krosoczka

This review and giveaway is part of a blog tour sponsored by Random House Children's Books.

This is book four of this series and my first chance to read Mr. Krosoczka's stories. I'm glad I got to participate - it's a fun read!

The story is written in graphic form (resembles the comic book form) and by the time you get to the third page, you know there's going to be excitement at camp. The older boys are threatening the younger ones with the swamp monster. Which can't be true, can it?

Imagine their surprise when they get off the bus and find their lunch lady from school at the camp. What's she doing there???

In time, they will be glad she and her assistant are there. They use wacky kitchen items to do their undercover work and fight off the enemy. Children will laugh at the silly antics going on in the story.

This book is great for those in middle school who like adventure and like to laugh. Doing the story in graphic art form is another plus for this book.

The next stop on this blog is tour is

http://lookingglassreview.blogspot.com/

Mr. Krosoczka will be dropping by my blog on 30th of June to answer any questions posted as comments. I'll be posting a few here, feel free to ask your own questions. This is your chance to chat with an author!

If you would like to have my ARC of this book, follow the steps below:
1) Leave a comment here on the blog.
2) Email me at info @ bookfaerie.com (take the spaces out of the email address) telling me why you want to read and give me your name and address for shipping.

I will pick a winner in about a week.

Questions for the author from the Book Faerie:

1) Have you always done graphic art or is this a new medium for you?

2) What gave you the idea of using the Lunch Lady as an action hero?

3) Have you ever been to summer camp?

Thanks for visiting my blog and don't forget that the blog tour is continuing for this book. The link above takes you to the next blog review and questions.

Lady Lost by Margaret Graziano

Subtitle: The Story of the Honeymoon Cottage in Jerome, Arizona. Copy for review graciously provided by Five Star Publications.

Have you ever remodelled a house? Imagine trying to rehabilitate a house that has been remodelled, rented, added on to, and then abandoned for a number of years...

Jerome was a mining town and in its prime, the mine owner built a "cottage" for his son and his new wife. It was a beautiful home, but they didn't live there long.

When the mine closed down, Jerome became a ghost town. The cottage (which was actually a good sized house)had a variety of owners, all with their own idea of what was in fashion and what they needed in a house. So the cottage's face changed with time. And then, years down the road, it was left vacant and alone...

Margaret brings the cottage to life in her story about restoring the cottage. She gives the "lady" a voice and let's her discuss the changes she sees. The lady shares her sorrow at being in such bad shape, and then her joy as she sees her former grandeur returning.

You meet the contractors and see the challenges they have in finding old building supplies to keep the cottage's integrity.

This is a fascinating read full of Jerome history, pictures of the cottage, and the story of the restoration. I recommend it.

If you'd like to have my copy of this book, follow this two guidelines:

1) Post a comment here on the blog.

2) Email me at info @ bookfaerie.com (take the spaces out) and tell me your name and address and why you would like to read this book.

I'll pick a winner in about a week.

Love and Pollywogs from Camp Calamity by Mary Hershey

Did you have summer camp adventures? Then you'll love reading about Effie, a fourth grader, going to her first year of camp!

Effie's a typical kid. Has an older sister who bosses her around, her group of very good friends, and one girl that just doesn't like her. She's excited to be going to camp and has big plans on how it will all work out and how she'll be the Outstanding Camper of the Week. But she never planned on "altitude sickness" - other referred to as "homesickness" by the camp counselors.

Her plans begin to go awry when her big sister Maxey comes to camp, too. She has sworn she won't talk to Effie, and she doesn't. But having her around is no fun.

Then the mac & cheese comes with peas in it! And when it's time to swim everyone can except Effie so she says she can.

Can it get worse - oh yes!

There is a lot of action, funny moments, good lessons, and this week at camp is quite a journey for Effie. Children from 9-12 will enjoy reading about her adventures.

Random House has released this for sale on the 8th of June, so look for a copy to share with your youngsters. It's a good read!