The Not so True Adventures of Brandon, Josh, and Adam by Barry M. Fellinger (Giveaway)

Join Brandon and Josh as they work to bring Adam home from the Strataderks and the Intergalactic Council on Obedience to Parents.

The Not So True Adventures of Brandon, Josh, and Adam by Barry M. Fellinger is a funny sci-fi adventure story with zany happenings, strange aliens, and intergalactic hijinks. Having escaped the Council, Brandon and Josh are astonished to discover that their cousin Adam has disappeared. Knowing his misbehavior led him to being abducted by the Strataderks, they must devise a plan to bring him home. Of course, that also means they must find a way to get back to outer space first.

This is such a funny story. As a parent, I might have hoped there was an Intergalactic Council on Obedience to Parents that abducted naughty kids to teach them a lesson. Kids will enjoy following along as Brandon and Josh, with the help of some doubles from a different dimension, plot and plan to bring Adam home. Of course, their nosy sister might just get in their way. Think of this like Spaceballs meets Phineas and Ferb.

Readers who enjoy humor, sci-fi adventures, and outlandish antics will appreciate The Not so True Adventures or Brandon, Josh, and Adam.

EXCERPT!

Double Trouble OR WHICH COUSIN COUSIN IS WHICH?

Oh, this is making my head hurt! Brandon is up there, but it’s not me. But it’s the right Brandon who will know what to do. But Josh is up there, but it’s not the right one, and he will be lost, and why doesn’t this Josh . . .

Brandon #2’s thoughts jumbled together as he tried to think everything through. He was fast losing his appetite.

His mind wandered as he began to pick away at his food. I mean, the one who should be with me is not, cuz this Josh is down here. But the wrong Josh, though he certainly knows what’s about to happen, which means he will refuse to eat the broccoli. But if Brandon up there doesn’t realize he has the wrong Josh, that Josh will be kidnapped with him, but it won’t be the right Josh. Then I will be stuck with the Josh, who lived through this, and he will understand everything, so maybe that’s not so bad . . . By now Brandon’s head throbbed so much from trying to sort this all out in his mind that he couldn’t concentrate on food anymore and put his head in his hands. Then he looked up at Josh.

“Josh,” Brandon spoke very low. “I understand. You’re not the right one.”

“What, dear?” asked Brandon’s mom, as Brittany complained, ‘Mom, Brandon’s whispering secrets about me to Josh.”

“Am not,” snapped back Brandon.

“Um, Mom, I think Josh might be sick. I think he should go to my room and lie down.”

“But I’m fine.” Josh was now panicking, understanding Brandon knew, but neither of them knew if the other Brandon hiding with Josh’s double understood yet. They were waiting for this Josh to come up, after all. Brandon needed the right Josh with him soon, but because he had not been through this before, he wasn’t thinking about one super important thing.

“What about the tantrum?” Josh asked Brandon softly. “If I don’t act up, they won’t come and then Adam is . . .”

He stopped mid-sentence when he felt an unusual bump like someone was trying to push him off his chair, strong enough that he nearly fell off it and had to grab the table to keep his balance.

“Brandon,” Josh whispered again. “Did you feel that?”

“Feel wh—” Brandon started to say and then the phone rang. Josh thought the last time that happened, they had been rounding the corner to the kitchen when his Aunt Beth answered the phone, not seated at the table. That’s different, he thought to himself. Aunt Beth is sitting at the table this time, but I guess we definitely did take longer upstairs. Still, something strange is going on, though.

Brandon’s mom turned to speak to the three children with a concerned look on her face. “That was your Aunt Patty,” she said, catching her breath. “It’s about your cousin Adam. He got into some big argument with his parents at the dinner table, and then he stomped off to his room.”

GIVEAWAY!!!

Barry Fellinger will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Enter to win a $20 Amazon/BN GC – a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rating: 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tellwell Talent (January 25, 2023)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 296 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 022887923X
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0228879237

I received a digital copy from the author. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Papá’s Magical Water-Jug Clock by Jesus Trejo

Jesus Trejo enters the world of publishing with this adorable and funny children’s picture book.

Papá’s Magical Water-Jug Clock finds young Jesús excited to spend his Saturday helping Papá with the family’s landscaping business. Papá even puts him in charge of the magical water-jug clock. When all the water is gone, Papá explains, then their work will be done. Jesús is eager to do his job right, but he can’t help sharing the water with all the thirsty animals. Before Jesús knows it, the water jug is empty but their workday is not done. Will Jesús be in trouble?

This charming story is filled with an important life lesson, but Jesús’s zany actions, the strange animals he discovers as they work, and the colorful illustrations by Eliza Kinkz that celebrate this hard-working family’s daily routine while creating a sense of lighthearted silliness along the way, creates a wonderful story that will delight readers everywhere. There is so much to love about Papá’s Magical Water-Jug Clock. I encourage you discover it for yourself. It will be worth it!

Rating: 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ mineditionUS (June 6, 2023)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 48 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 166265104X
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1662651045
• Reading age ‏ : ‎ 3 – 6 years

I received a digital copy of this book through NetGalley. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Ivy & Bean Coming to NETFLIX on Sept 2

Remember the Ivy & Beans books by Annie Barrows that my daughter loved when she was younger? We stopped reading at Book 6, but there are 12 books in the series right now. And in other exciting news, Ivy & Bean are coming to NETFLIX.

The films star Jane Lynch, Nia Vardalos, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and Keslee Blalock and Madison Skye Validum as the beloved duo Ivy and Bean. Here’s the trailer:

I’m pretty excited. I might just have to watch.

First Chapter Review: The Backyard Secrets of Danny Wexler by Karen Pokras

This First Chapter Review is from a book the author’s publisher sent me back when it first came out in 2021. I am a little late in getting to it. 🙂

BLURB: Eleven-year-old Danny Wexler, the only Jewish boy in his blue-collar town during the late 1970s, is obsessed with the Bermuda Triangle. When a local child goes missing, Danny’s convinced it’s connected to an old Bermuda Triangle theory involving UFOs. With his two best friends and their Spacetron telescope, Danny heads to his backyard to investigate. But hunting for extraterrestrials is complicated, and it doesn’t help that his friend Nicholas’s mom doesn’t want her son hanging out with a Jewish boy. Equipped with his super-secret spy notebook, Danny sets out to fight both the aliens and the growing anti-Semitism in the town, in hopes of mending his divided community.

COVER: What a fun cover. Perfect for the genre. Love the vibrant font colors.

FIRST CHAPTER: Danny’s story starts with him contemplating how true is Alice’s declaration that his piano teacher is a spider. His older sister insists it is and Danny likes to investigate things.

KEEP READING: Definitely! I requested this book because it was set during my childhood. I also like mysteries and have read books by the author before, so I knew I wanted to read it. The interaction between Danny and Alice is funny. Danny’s rambling thoughts about his piano teacher being a spider, how he wound up taking piano lessons in the first place, and his family’s relationship–or lack their of–with their faith makes for an engaging read that I want to dive into. I hope to finish this while on vacation, but I can tell you that I have scheduled a lot into my vacation already. Fingers crossed.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Kar-Ben Publishing ® (November 1, 2021)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 248 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1728412951
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1728412955
• Reading age ‏ : ‎ 8 – 13 years
• Grade level ‏ : ‎ 3 – 7

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher. This First Chapter Review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Sherlock Mendelson and the Missing Afikomen by David Shawn Klein

Sherlock Mendelson and the Missing Afikomen is a book that combines mystery, humor, and Jewish culture in one great story.

It is Passover, and the Mendelson family is gathered for the Seder. But when the children go in search of the afikomen, it winds up missing. Sherlock and his trusty canine pal Watson must figure out the clues to see what happened.

Oh, my gosh, I loved this book! I grabbed it as a Kindle freebie at the beginning of June. It features a first-person telling by Sherwood Mendelson, who they call Sherlock because he is a detective just like Sherlock Holmes. What is so wonderful about this story is how Klein works the character’s culture into the story seamlessly. We need more diversity in children’s literature, and it is fabulous to see how the author did this in a way that enhanced the story.

The artwork by Bridget Starr Taylor is colorful, zany, and fun. It works perfectly for this story. Her illustrations brought out the personalities of each family member. I learned at the end of the book that her work appears at the New York Public Library and the Bronx Zoo. I can’t wait to check it out when we are there again.

If your young reader enjoys silly mysteries, Sherlock Mendelson and the Missing Afikomen is a must read.

Rating: 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Black Rose Writing (June 2, 2022)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 38 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1684339812
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1684339815

I purchased a Kindle version of this book from Amazon. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.