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Archive for the ‘Book reviews’ Category

Opinions, please!

In the mood for some school-based, middle-grade fantasy? Do you like relatable characters who get themselves in heaps of trouble? Action and adventure? Suspense and surprises?

My third novel, How I Broke My School, is now available and I’d love to know what you think of it.

After all, I’m writing for you.

For Amazon’s book description and Amazon customer reviews, select this link.

If you’re interested, contact me at dianeowens@allwritewithme.com to receive the free ebook for reviewers. I’m looking for and would welcome reviews and opinions from teachers, parents, and kids of all ages. If you’re under 13, please ask your parents to contact me.

Benson’s Got Bling!

Benson Bling SWWhen you write a story, you’re never going to see it the same way a reader would. Because you’ve spent so much time thinking about it, writing it and revising it, it becomes impossible to separate the story that exists in your mind from the one that exists on the page.

And that’s why reviews, and other people’s opinions, are so important. That’s how you find out what worked and what didn’t.

Which is why I’m over here, still doing my happy dance, after No Ordinary Lizard received a 5 Star Review from Readers Favorite. (Click on the link if you’d like to read it.)

I wanted readers to fall in love with Benson, the lizard (and star) of this story, but I honestly didn’t know if anyone would. So yes, it feels awesome that Benson’s earned himself some shiny bling.

But. This is just one person’s opinion. What I really want to know, what I really care about, is what you think.

So I’ve made the ebook free at all major retailers and priced the paperback edition as low as Amazon allows. All I ask is that you give me your honest opinion by posting your review on Amazon.

Thanks for reading. Thanks for reviewing. I’ll be over at Amazon, ready to read your opinion as soon as it comes in. Yes, it does matter that much. After all, I wrote this story for you.  

 

Book Report

A Question of YamsRead Mikaela’s report on A Question of Yams here. It sounds like a great book. Thanks for sharing, Mikaela!

A Book Report on The Hobbit

the hobbit book coverFollow this link, The Hobbit Book Report, to read an example of a well-written book report, written by Mikaela. This report provides plenty of clear, concise details about The Hobbit without spoiling the story. Mikaela also shares what she liked about the book and why. And, as an added bonus, she also provides a link where you can read the book online, for free. Sweet!

 

We’re Starting a Book Club!

new w stars

book stackMikaela asked if she could start a book club here on All Write with Me and I think it’s an excellent idea. Writing inspiration often comes from reading great books. Also, there’s no better way to find out what works (or doesn’t work) than by discussing what you like (or don’t like) about a book and why you liked it (or didn’t) with others.

So, if you’d like to discuss books with other site visitors, go to the new Book Club section. You’ll find it listed over there on the right, below the Group Projects section.

Mikaela would like to start off the club with The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis. Click on this link to read the book on your computer (it’s free).

If you’d like to discuss a different book, just let me know and I’ll add it to the list under the Book Club section.

Book Review

Read Allen C.’s review of the Angel Park All Stars Series here.

Thanks for sharing, Allen. It sounds like a great series.

oh my gosh it happened AGAIN

There is something – actually lots of somethings – that make me cry every single time I read Mick Harte was Here. This was my fourth time. I really thought I’d get through it without a sniffle. But I didn’t. Not even close. Still, I have to say this is one of my all-time favorite books. It was written by Barbara Park – yep, the same Barbara Park who writes the Junie B. Jones books. The main character, Phoebe Harte, is older than Junie but still has that Junie B attitude that’ll make you smile and probably even laugh, even though the story is oh, so sad. Actually, that’s kind of what the book does – makes you smile through your tears. So, if you’re looking for a great example of how to make readers feel things with your stories, I highly recommend reading this book. Also, it’s a great example of a title doing everything it should. Because the title says it all. You’ll see what I mean if you read the book.

Learning from The Lost Hero

The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus, #1)The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

Have you read The Lost Hero? Rick Riordan uses a really cool trick to make sure you keep reading. He lets you experience the story through the thoughts and feelings of three main characters: Jason, Piper and Leo. He moves from character to character throughout the story but he makes sure that you’re always experiencing the story through the character who has the most to lose or gain. I stayed up way too late while I was reading it! I’m wondering if it had the same effect on you. If you’ve read it, leave a comment and let us know if you were as pulled in to the story as I was.