Author Archives: D.C.C. Mealy

Picture Book Review: The Quickest Kid in Clarksville

The Quickest Kid in Clarksville cover

Alta loves running almost as much as she loves Wilma Rudolph, the three-time Olympic gold medalist. Best of all, Wilma Rudolph is from Clarksville, just like Alta. Wilma had worn a leg brace and flour-sack dresses as a kid, but she grew up to be a hero.

Everyone knows Alta is the quickest kid in Clarksville. Alta can sprint faster than anyone and dreams of someday having gold medals of her own…

Read more of my review over at TCBR!

Blog Tour: Bradley’s Dragons

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Thanks for joining me in this exciting book tour, sponsored by Second Story Up and in partnership with THE CHILDREN’S BOOK REVIEW! Let’s get right in to the review, and don’t forget to enter the giveaway below!

Review:

Bradley Nash is about to turn twelve. For any other kid, this might be an exciting time to plan birthday parties or pick out a cool new gift. But for Bradley, it may mean a whole new life. Will it be everything he ever dreamed of – or his worst nightmare?

Days before his birthday, Bradley discovers the truth about his family: his parents are dragons. Literal dragons. And he is too. But they aren’t the kind of dragons Bradley’s read about in fairy tales. His parents, and all other types of dragons, can shift from human form to dragon form in the blink of an eye. They live as humans most of the time to avoid detection from humans. And if he can just figure out how to hatch, Bradley will be able to transform in to a dragon, too.

But strange things are afoot. There are stories of hunters tracking down young “eggs” like Bradley who haven’t hatched yet, and they may be drawing closer to himself, and his sister. Can Bradley find his innermost truth and hatch before the hunters close in and tear his family apart forever?

BRADLEY’S DRAGONS is an exciting, imaginative ride for middle grade readers. There’s a great deal of action right from the beginning that will draw young readers in. Dragons are amazing, fascinating creatures, and author Patrick Matthews gets us right in to the good stuff at the beginning of the book. Not only do we learn about Bradley’s connection to dragons through his parents, but we learn dragon lore with a fair amount of world-building and carefully dropped bits of Dragon history. Bradley is well-drawn, with frustrations and angst that ring spot-on for twelve-year-olds. His love for his family, and especially his sister who may or may not be a dragon, makes Bradley especially likable. He’s a brave and exciting hero, who still struggles with the same problems and self-doubt that all tweens have. This, coupled with his dragon skills, will make Bradley an instant hit with the audience.

A great pace keeps the story moving and exciting. Young readers will gobble up the book and be ready for a second in the series. A very enjoyable read, and we can’t wait to see what happens for Bradley and his family!

Highly recommended!

Now, get in here and enter this giveaway!

Giveaway Bradleys Dragons V2

Enter for a chance to win a Bradley’s Dragons prize pack!

One (1) grand prize winner receives:

  • A hardcover copy of Bradley’s Dragons, autographed by Patrick Matthews.

  • A Dragon Suncatcher, by the Glassy Geek.
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Eight (8) winners receive:

  • A hardcover copy of Bradley’s Dragons, autographed by Patrick Matthews.

Giveaway begins September 1, 2020, at 12:01 A.M. MT and ends September 30, 2020, at 11:59 P.M. MT.

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Ready to read the book yourself? Buy it now!

Want to learn more about the book and the author? Check it out here!

Blog Tour! A WHALE OF THE WILD Book Review

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Welcome to our Blog Tour stop for A WHALE OF THE WILD, together with THE CHILDREN’S BOOK REVIEW and HarperCollins Children’s Books.

Let’s start with my review, and then be sure to check out the giveaway below!

A Whale of the Wild by Rosanne Parry, Illustrated by Lindsay Moore

Age Range:  7 and up

From the author of the incredibly popular A WOLF CALLED WANDER comes a tail of epic proportions – A WHALE OF THE WILD.

Vega is learning her place in her family and her world, just like any young person. The difference? She’s a Killer Whale in the wild waters off the coast in the Salish Sea. And one of the most important things to her and her family is salmon. It’s what they eat and it keeps them healthy. So, when Salmon become hard to find, Vega and her family go on the hunt for the missing fish. Then, an earthquake rocks the shore and their waters, separating Vega and her little brother Deneb from the rest of their pod. How can Vega find her family again? Can she keep Deneb safe and avoid the dreaded hunger-sickness that threatens them? Can she find her way to real salmon, and her pod?

A thrilling and heartfelt adventure that young readers will adore, A WHALE OF THE WILD is a beautifully written story. Vega is incredibly well-drawn and charismatic. We love her as a budding leader of her pod, and we love her as a young whale whose emotions and feelings sometime overcome her better judgement. Deneb is playful and a bit proud, and he loves his sister Vega with all of his heart and will follow her anywhere. This tight-knit family would compare with any human family, and the humanity within the story really makes it shine. It is well known that Killer Whales have complex, deep and meaningful family connections. Author Rosanne Parry will make your heart melt for the Killer Whale’s predicaments. The lack of salmon, the intrusion of humans in their waters, their curiosity and pain that mixes as the whales remember sad run-ins with humans long ago. It’s a complex world, and Parry does an excellent job of bringing these characters to life. Touching on pollution, human interference, and environmental concerns, this book also is a great starting point for important conversations about taking care of the wild.

In addition, there are beautiful illustrations throughout the book that really help children know and understand the world of Vega and Deneb.

An excellent book for the budding marine biologist in your life, or as a school read-along, A WHALE OF THE WILD is wonderfully done. I enjoyed it so much, as did my young reader. We highly recommend it, and it’s one of our favorite books this year!

Buy it now and see for yourself!

Giveaway A Whale of the Wild

Enter for a chance to win a copy of Rosanne Parry’s A Whale of the Wild!

Five (5) winners receive:

  • A copy of A Whale of the Wild, by Rosanne Parry

Giveaway begins September 1, 2020, at 12:01 A.M. MT and ends September 15, 2020, at 11:59 P.M. MT.

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