Freedom to Read giveaway hop: The Paper Cowboy by Kristin Levine

For my portion of the blog hop I will be giving away:

The Paper Cowboy by Kristin Levine
Published: September 4, 2014
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 343
Genre: Historical Fiction
Audience: Middle Grade

Goodreads Summary:
Though he thinks of himself as a cowboy, Tommy is really a bully.  He's always playing cruel jokes on classmates or stealing from the store. But Tommy has a reason: life at home is tough. His abusive mother isn't well; in fact, she may be mentally ill, and his sister, Mary Lou, is in the hospital badly burned from doing a chore it was really Tommy's turn to do. To make amends, Tommy takes over Mary Lou's paper route. But the paper route also becomes the perfect way for Tommy to investigate his neighbors after stumbling across a copy of The Daily Worker, a communist newspaper.

Tommy is shocked to learn that one of his neighbors could be a communist, and soon fear of a communist in this tight-knit community takes hold of everyone when Tommy uses the paper to frame a storeowner, Mr. McKenzie. As Mr. McKenzie's business slowly falls apart and Mary Lou doesn't seem to get any better, Tommy's mother's abuse gets worse causing Tommy's bullying to spiral out of control.


Terms and conditions:
Must be 13 or older to enter and have a U.S. mailing address
One winner will be selected
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Fool For Books blog hop

For my portion of this blog hop, I will be giving away a copy of:

The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook, edited by Kate White
Published: March 24, 2015
Publisher: Quirk Books
Pages: 176
Format: Hardcover
Audience: Adults/Mystery Lovers

Read my review

Goodreads Summary:
Hard-boiled breakfasts, thrilling entrees, cozy desserts, and more--this illustrated cookbook features more than 100 recipes from legendary mystery authors. Whether you're planning a sinister dinner party or whipping up some comfort food perfect for a day of writing, you'll find plenty to savor in this cunning collection. Full-color photography is featured throughout, along with mischievous sidebars revealing the links between food and foul play. Contributors include Lee Child, Mary Higgins Clark, Harlan Coben, Nelson DeMille, Gillian Flynn, Sue Grafton, Charlaine Harris, James Patterson, Louise Penny, Scott Turow, and many more.

Terms and conditions:
Must be 13 or older to enter and have a U.S. mailing address
One winner will be selected
Use the Rafflecopter widget to enter

Also check out my other current giveaway: Won Ton + Won Ton and Chopstick by Lee Wardlaw 

Lucky Leprechaun blog hop

For my portion of the blog hop, I will be giving away a copy of:

Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom: My Story of the 1965 Selma Voting Rights March by Lynda Blackmon Lowery
Additional Authors: Elspeth Leackock and Susan Buckley
Illustrator: PJ Loughran
Published: January 8, 2015
Publisher: Dial Books
Format: Hardcover
Genre: Nonfiction
Audience: Middle Grade/Young Adult
Disclosure: Finished copy provided by publisher

Goodreads summary:
As the youngest marcher in the 1965 voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, Lynda Blackmon Lowery proved that young adults can be heroes. Jailed eleven times before her fifteenth birthday, Lowery fought alongside Martin Luther King, Jr. for the rights of African-Americans. In this memoir, she shows today's young readers what it means to fight nonviolently (even when the police are using violence, as in the Bloody Sunday protest) and how it felt to be part of changing American history.


Terms and conditions:
Must be 13 or older to enter and have a U.S. mailing address
One winner will be selected
Use the Rafflecopter widget to enter 

Dreaming of Books Blog Hop: Forbidden by Kimberley Griffiths Little

For my portion of the blog hop, I am giving away a copy of:

Forbidden by Kimberley Griffiths Little
Format: Hardcover
Published: November 4, 2014
Publisher: Harper
Pages: 397
Genre: Romance
Audience: Young Adult

Goodreads Summary:
In the unforgiving Mesopotamian desert where Jayden’s tribe lives, betrothal celebrations abound, and tonight it is Jayden’s turn to be honored. But while this union with Horeb, the son of her tribe’s leader, will bring a life of riches and restore her family’s position within the tribe, it will come at the price of Jayden’s heart.

Then a shadowy boy from the Southern Lands appears. Handsome and mysterious, Kadesh fills Jayden’s heart with a passion she never knew possible. But with Horeb’s increasingly violent threats haunting Jayden’s every move, she knows she must find a way to escape—or die trying.

With a forbidden romance blossoming in her heart and her family’s survival on the line, Jayden must embark on a deadly journey to save the ones she loves—and find a true love for herself.

Set against the brilliant backdrop of the sprawling desert, the story of Jayden and Kadesh will leave readers absolutely breathless as they defy the odds and risk it all to be together.


Terms and conditions:
Must be 13 or older to enter and have a U.S. mailing address
One winner will be selected
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Midwinter's Eve giveaway hop: Brunette Ambition by Lea Michele

For my portion of this blog hop, I am giving away a copy of:


Brunette Ambition by Lea Michele
Published: May 20, 2014
Publisher: Crown Archetype
Pages: 208
Genre: Memoir/How-to
Audience: Young Adult


Goodreads Summary:
The star of the hit show Glee shares her experiences and insider tips on beauty, fashion, inner strength, and more in an illustrated book that’s part memoir, part how-to, and part style guide.

Lea Michele is one of the hardest working performers in show business. Whether she’s starring as Rachel Berry on Glee, rocking a glamorous look on the red carpet, recording her solo album, or acting as the spokesperson for L’Oreal, Lea is the ultimate multi-tasker. She knows better than anyone that it is difficult to be your best self and keep things in perspective when your to-do list is overflowing and you are faced with challenges, so she’s developed a foolproof system for remaining healthy and centered. In Brunette Ambition, she reveals the lessons and advice that have worked for her--from beauty and fashion secrets to fitness tips, and career insights. Supplemented with never-before-seen photos and revealing anecdotes, it’s the book Lea wishes she’d had in her teens and early twenties: A practical and inspirational guide to harnessing tenacity and passion and living the fullest life, no matter what obstacles life puts in your way.


Terms and conditions:
Must be 13 or older to enter and have a U.S. mailing address
One winner will be selected
Use the Rafflecopter widget to enter 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don't forget to check out my other giveaway going on until December 26th:
ARC of X: A Novel by Ilyasah Shabazz and Kekla Magoon 

Also visit the other blogs in this giveaway hop

Books to Movies giveaway hop

For my portion of this blog hop, I am giving away a copy of the British version of The Book Thief by Markus Zusak:

Liesel, a nine-year-old girl, is living with a foster family on Himmel Street. Her parents have been taken away to a concentration camp. Liesel steals books. This is her story and the story of the inhabitants of her street when the bombs begin to fall.

Terms and conditions:
Must be 13 or older to enter and have a U.S. mailing address
One winner will be selected
Use the Rafflecopter widget to enter

Banned Books Week blog hop

In honor of Banned Books Week, I am giving away a copy of Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian which is a regular the Most Frequently Challenged list.

 

Goodreads Summary:

In his first book for young adults, bestselling author Sherman Alexie tells the story of Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Determined to take his future into his own hands, Junior leaves his troubled school on the rez to attend an all-white farm town high school where the only other Indian is the school mascot. Heartbreaking, funny, and beautifully written, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, which is based on the author's own experiences, coupled with poignant drawings by acclaimed artist Ellen Forney, that reflect the character's art, chronicles the contemporary adolescence of one Native American boy as he attempts to break away from the life he was destined to live.

Terms and conditions:
Must be 13 or older to enter and have a U.S. mailing address
One winner will be selected
Use the Rafflecopter widget to enter
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Freedom to Read giveaway hop: A Kiss in Time by Alex Flinn

For my portion of this blog hop, I am giving away a copy of:

A Kiss in Time by Alex Flinn
Published: April 28, 2009
Publisher: Harper Teen
Format: Paperback
Genre: Fantasy
Audience: Young Adult

Read the book's summary on Goodreads.





Terms and conditions:
Must be 13 or older to enter and have a U.S. mailing address
One winner will be selected
Use the Rafflecopter widget to enter

Midsummer's Eve Giveaway Hop: Vintage Attraction by Charles Blackstone

For my portion of this blog hop, I am giving away a copy of:

Vintage Attraction by Charles Blackstone
Published: October 22, 2013
Publisher: Pegasus Books
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 294
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Audience: Adults

Goodreads summary:
Before Peter Hapworth meets Izzy, he knows the difference between Pinot Noir and peanut butter, but that's about it. Lonely and frustrated with his academic career--as well as with dating--his life takes a sudden turn one night when he turns on the television. He's transfixed by the woman staring back at him, a glass of wine swirling delicately in her hand--Isabelle Conway, one of the preeminent sommeliers in the world. There's something about her. Somehow, he feels like he already knows her.

On a whim, he pitches himself as a guest on her popular TV show, and the two embark on a whirlwind courtship. But relationships require a delicate balance of nurturing and belief, much like winemaking. Hapworth and Izzy must navigate the complex mysteries of wine--and the heart--from glamorous social events and domestic travails in Chicago to the vineyards and rocky bluffs of Santorini in Greece.


Terms and conditions:
Must be 13 or older to enter and have a U.S. mailing address
One winner will be selected
Use the Rafflecopter widget to enter

Hoppy Easter Eggstravaganza Giveaway Hop: Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce

For my portion of the blog hop, I am giving away a copy of:

Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce
Format: Paperback
Published: July 30, 2008
Publisher: Scholastic
Pages: 314
Genre: Science Fiction
Audience: Middle Grade

Goodreads summary:
Liam is too big for his boots. And his football strip. And his school blazer. But being super-sized height-wise has its advantages: he's the only eleven-year-old to ever ride the G-force defying Cosmic rollercoaster - or be offered the chance to drive a Porsche. Long-legged Liam makes a giant leap for boy-kind by competing with a group of adults for the chance to go into space. Is Liam the best boy for the job? Sometimes being big isn't all about being a grown-up.

Terms and conditions:
Must be 13 or older to enter and have a U.S. mailing address
One winner will be selected
Use the Rafflecopter widget to enter

Fool for Books giveaway hop: Elephant Run by Roland Smith

For my portion of this blog hop, I am giving away a copy of:

Elephant Run by Roland Smith
Published: September 25, 2007
Publisher: Scholastic
Format: Paperback
Pages: 324
Genre: Historical Fiction
Audience: Middle Grade

Goodreads Summary:
In 1941, bombs drop from the night skies of London, demolishing the apartment Nick Freestone lives in with his mother. Deciding the situation in England is too unstable, Nick's mother sends him to live with his father in Burma, hoping he will be safer living on the family's teak plantation.

But as soon as Nick arrives, trouble erupts in this remote Burmese elephant village. Japanese soldiers invade, and Nick's father is taken prisoner. Nick is stranded on the plantation, forced to work as a servant to the new rulers. As life in the village grows more dangerous for Nick and his young friend, Mya, they plan their daring escape. Setting off on elephant back, they will risk their lives to save Nick's father and Mya's brother from a Japanese POW camp.

In this thrilling journey through the jungles of Burma, Roland Smith explores the far-reaching effects of World War II, while introducing readers to the fascinating world of wild timber elephants and their mahouts.

Terms and conditions:
Must be 13 or older to enter and have a U.S. mailing address
One winner will be selected
Use the Rafflecopter widget to enter

Lucky Leprechaun giveaway hop

For my portion of the blog hop I am giving away:

The Secret Side of Empty by Maria E. Andreau 
Published: March 11, 2014
Publisher: Running Press Kids
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 336
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Audience: Young Adult

Goodreads Summary:
As a straight-A student with a budding romance and loyal best friend, M.T.’s life seems as apple-pie American as her blondish hair and pale skin. But M.T. hides two facts to the contrary: her full name of Monserrat Thalia and her status as an undocumented immigrant.

But it’s harder to hide now that M.T.’s a senior. Her school’s National Honor Society wants her to plan their trip abroad, her best friend won’t stop bugging her to get her driver’s license, and all everyone talks about is where they want to go to college. M.T. is pretty sure she can’t go to college, and with high school ending and her family life unraveling, she’s staring down a future that just seems empty. In the end, M.T. will need to trust herself and others to stake a claim in the life that she wants.


Terms and conditions:
Must be 13 or older to enter and have a U.S. mailing address
One winner will be selected
Use the Rafflecopter widget to enter

No Strings Attached giveaway hop

For my portion of this blog hop, I am giving away a Disney tote bag and a Despicable Me 2 minion book mark:

Terms and conditions:
Must be 13 or older to enter and have a U.S. mailing address
One winner will be selected
Use the Rafflecopter widget to enter 

Midwinter's Eve Giveaway Hop

For my portion of the blog hop I am giving away a copy of:

Pug Hill by Alison Pace
Published: May 2, 2006
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Format: Paperback
Pages: 293
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Audience: Adults
Disclosure: Used bookstore copy. Spine is a bit worn but otherwise in good condition

Goodreads summary:
For Holly Golightly, there was always Tiffany’s. For me, there’s always Pug Hill. For as long as I’ve lived in New York, whenever I’ve just wanted to think, or relax, or be happy, or even sad, my destination of choice has been, without fail, Pug Hill. For Hope McNeill, pugs are love, unconditional friendship, happiness, and freedom—all qualities currently in short supply in her own life. She’s also short on time and apartment space, and for those reasons she doesn’t have a pug of her own. But she does have Pug Hill in Central Park, where pugs (and their owners) from all over New York City convene.

She also has a serious crush on one of her co-workers at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a flailing relationship with her squash-playing, cold-weather-loving boyfriend, and an unspeakable fear of public speaking. When Hope’s father calls with a daunting assignment--to make a speech at her parent’s fortieth wedding anniversary party--Hope is completely taken off guard. As a last resort, she signs up for a public speaking class, but can't help wondering, will it be enough?

Some fears are so big that even all the pugs in the world might not be enough...

Terms and conditions:
Must be 13 or older to enter and have a U.S. mailing address
One winner will be selected
Use the Rafflecopter widget to enter 

Best of 2013 Giveaway Hop

For my portion of the Best of 2013 blog hop, I am giving away a copy of one of my favorite YA books of the year:

The Memory of After (formerly Level 2) by Lenore Appelhans
Published: September 3, 2013 
Original Publication Date: January 15, 2013 as Level 2
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 304
Format: Paperback

Goodreads Summary:
 Since her untimely death the day before her eighteenth birthday, Felicia Ward has been trapped in Level 2, a stark white afterlife located between our world and the next. Along with her fellow drones, Felicia passes the endless hours reliving memories of her time on Earth and mourning what she’s lost-family, friends, and Neil, the boy she loved.

Then a girl in a neighboring chamber is found dead, and nobody but Felicia recalls that she existed in the first place. When Julian-a dangerously charming guy Felicia knew in life-comes to offer Felicia a way out, Felicia learns the truth: If she joins the rebellion to overthrow the Morati, the angel guardians of Level 2, she can be with Neil again.


Read my review of Level 2/The Memory of After here.

Terms and conditions:
Must be 13 or older to enter and have a U.S. mailing address
One winner will be selected
Use the Rafflecopter widget to enter 

Gratitude Giveaway Hop

For my portion of the blog hop, I am giving away a copy of:

Whistlin' Dixie in a Nor'easter by Lisa Patton
Published: September 29, 2009
Publisher: Thomas Dunn Books
Format: Paperback
Pages: 320
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Audience: Adults

Goodreads summary:
Leelee Satterfield seemed to have it all: a gorgeous husband, two adorable daughters, and roots in the sunny city of Memphis, Tennessee.  So when her husband gets the idea to uproot the family to run a quaint Vermont inn, Leelee is devastated…and her three best friends are outraged.  But she’s loved Baker Satterfield since the tenth grade, how can she not indulge his dream?  Plus, the glossy photos of bright autumn trees and smiling children in ski suits push her over the edge…after all, how much trouble can it really be?

But Leelee discovers pretty fast that there’s a truckload of things nobody tells you about Vermont until you live there: such as mud season, vampire flies, and the danger of ice sheets careening off roofs.  Not to mention when her beloved Yorkie decides to pick New Year’s Eve to go to doggie heaven-she encounters one more New England oddity: frozen ground means you can’t bury your dead in the winter.  And that Yankee idiosyncrasy just won’t do.

The inn they’ve bought also has its host of problems: an odor that no amount of potpourri can erase, tacky décor, and a staff of peculiar Vermonters whose personalities are as unique as the hippopotamus collection gracing the fireplace mantle.  The whole operation is managed by Helga, a stern German woman who takes special delight in bullying Leelee for her southern gentility.  Needless to say, it doesn’t take long for Leelee to start wondering when to drag out the moving boxes again.

But when an unexpected hardship takes Leelee by surprise, she finds herself left alone with an inn to run, a mortgage to pay, and two daughters to raise.  But this Southern belle won’t be run out of town so easily.  Drawing on the Southern grit and inner strength she didn’t know she had, Leelee decides to turn around the Inn, her attitude and her life.  In doing so, she makes friends with her neighbors, finds a little romance, and realizes there’s a lot more in common with Vermont than she first thought.

Terms and conditions:
Must be 13 or older to enter and have a U.S. mailing address
One winner will be selected
Use the Rafflecopter widget to enter 

Dystopian Giveaway Hop: Divergent by Veronica Roth

For my portion of the blog hop, I am giving away a copy of:

Divergent by Veronica Roth
Format: paperback (with bonus materials)
Published: April 25, 2011
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Pages: 487
Audience: Young Adult

Goodreads Summary:
In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.

Terms and conditions:
Must be 13 or older to enter and have a U.S. mailing address
One winner will be selected
Use the Rafflecopter widget to enter

Banned Books Week Giveaway Hop

For my portion of this blog hop, I am giving away this special read-aloud edition of Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson.

It is a beautiful hardcover and it is significantly larger than a regular novel-sized book. It's about the size of a picture book (but thicker)

With the paperback for comparison

According to ALA's website, the reasons this book is frequently banned are:
occult/Satanism, offensive language, violence

Terms and conditions:
Must be 13 or older to enter and have a U.S. mailing address
One winner will be selected
Use the Rafflecopter widget to enter

September is for Sequels blog hop: Darth Paper Strikes Back by Tom Angleberger

For my portion of this blog hop, I am giving away a copy of:

Darth Paper Strikes Back by Tom Angleberger
Series: Origami Yoda #2
Published: August 1, 2011
Publisher: Abrams
Format: Paperback
Pages: 163
Genre: Realistic Fiction/Humor
Audience: Middle Grade

Goodreads summary:
NOT SUCH A LONG TIME AGO, IN A MIDDLE SCHOOL NOT SO FAR, FAR AWAY...

Something amazing happened. A weird kid named Dwight made an origami finger puppet of Yoda. (That wasn't the amazing thing--just typical Dwight weirdness.) the amazing thing was that Origami Yoda gave great advice. He could predict the date of a pop quiz, tell a guy if a girl likes him or not, and keep kids from embarrassing themselves in a dozen different ways. Most of the sixth graders were convinced he was using the Force.

But now, a year later, it's a dark time at McQuarrie Middle School. Dwight has been suspended and may be expelled, which means no more Origami Yoda. Even worse, Darth Paper, a puppet created by Dwight's nemesis, Harvey, has taken Yoda's place. He spews insults and evil and just may be responsible for getting Dwight kicked out in the first place. Now the kids of McQuarrie are trying to build a case to save Dwight. This is their case file.

Terms and conditions:
Must be 13 or older to enter and have a U.S. mailing address
One winner will be selected
Use the Rafflecopter widget to enter

Clear Your Shelf giveaway hop

For my portion of this blog hop I am giving away a copy of :

Thomas Jefferson's Creme Brulee: How a Founding Father and His Slave James Hemings Introduced French Cuisine to America by Thomas J. Craughwell
Published: September 18, 2012
Publisher: Quirk Books
Format: Hardcover
Pages:  256
Genre: Nonfiction
Audience: Adults
Disclosure: Copy provided by publisher

Goodreads Summary:
This culinary biography recounts the 1784 deal that Thomas Jefferson struck with his slaves, James Hemings. The founding father was traveling to Paris and wanted to bring James along “for a particular purpose”— to master the art of French cooking. In exchange for James’s cooperation, Jefferson would grant his freedom. 
 


Thus began one of the strangest partnerships in United States history. As Hemings apprenticed under master French chefs, Jefferson studied the cultivation of French crops (especially grapes for winemaking) so the might be replicated in American agriculture. The two men returned home with such marvels as pasta, French fries, Champagne, macaroni and cheese, crème brûlée, and a host of other treats. This narrative history tells the story of their remarkable adventure—and even includes a few of their favorite recipes!


Terms and conditions:
Must be 13 or older to enter and have a U.S. mailing address
One winner will be selected
Use the Rafflecopter widget to enter