Book Tastings- hook, chapter 1 reading, read aloud, circle time, picture books, YA Fiction, YA Books, classic books, relevant books (Anne Herold- Read aloud, Teacher, Homeschooling mom, Books)

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading? 

Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "Gregor the Overlander" by: Susanne Collins.

When Gregor falls through a grate in the laundry room of his apartment building, he hurtles into the dark Underland, where spiders, rats, cockroaches coexist uneasily with humans. This world is on the brink of war, and Gregor's arrival is no accident. A prophecy foretells that Gregor has a role to play in the Underland's uncertain future. Gregor wants no part of it -- until he realizes it's the only way to solve the mystery of his father's disappearance. Reluctantly, Gregor embarks on a dangerous adventure that will change both him and the Underland forever. 

If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.

Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: Gregor the Overlander.

Loved this book and interested in seeing what else this author has written be sure to check out Suzanne Collins.

Enjoy, Anne

 

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading?    Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "Vlad the World's Worst Vampire" by: Anna Wilson.  

All Vlad really wants is some friends and he knows just where to find them – school! But fitting in at human school isn’t easy for the little vampire, especially with his pet bat tagging along!

  If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.   Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: Vlad the World's Worst Vampire.   Loved this book and interested in seeing what else this author has written be sure to check out Anna Wilson.   Enjoy, Anne   Disclaimer: Some of the following links contain affiliate links in which I receive small commission.

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading?    Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "Float" by: Laura Martin.  

Emerson can float…he just can’t do it very well.

His uncontrollable floating is his RISK factor, which means that he deals with Reoccurring Incidents of the Strange Kind. The last place Emerson wants to be is at a government-mandated summer camp for RISK kids like him, so he’s shocked when he actually starts having fun at camp—and he even makes some new friends.

But it’s not all canoeing and capture the flag at Camp Outlier. The summer of fun takes a serious turn when Emerson and his friends discover that one of their own is hiding a deadly secret that puts all of their lives in danger.

It’s up to the Red Maple boys to save themselves—and everyone like them.

If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.   Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: Float.   Loved this book and interested in seeing what else this author has written be sure to check out Laura Martin.   Enjoy, Anne   Disclaimer: Some of the following links contain affiliate links in which I receive small commission.

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading?    Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "City Spies" by: James Ponti.   Sara Martinez is a hacker. She recently broke into the New York City foster care system to expose her foster parents as cheats and lawbreakers. However, instead of being hailed as a hero, Sara finds herself facing years in a juvenile detention facility and banned from using computers for the same stretch of time. Enter Mother, a British spy who not only gets Sara released from jail but also offers her a chance to make a home for herself within a secret MI6 agency. Operating out of a base in Scotland, the City Spies are five kids from various parts of the world. When they’re not attending the local boarding school, they’re honing their unique skills, such as sleight of hand, breaking and entering, observation, and explosives. All of these allow them to go places in the world of espionage where adults can’t. Before she knows what she’s doing, Sara is heading to Paris for an international youth summit, hacking into a rival school’s computer to prevent them from winning a million euros, dangling thirty feet off the side of a building, and trying to stop a villain…all while navigating the complex dynamics of her new team. No one said saving the world was easy…   If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me City Spies.   Loved this book and interested in seeing what else this author has written follow this link to their website, James Ponti.   Enjoy, Anne

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading?    Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first three verses of "Starfish" by: Lisa Fipps.  

Ever since Ellie wore a whale swimsuit and made a big splash at her fifth birthday party, she’s been bullied about her weight. To cope, she tries to live by the Fat Girl Rules—like “no making waves,” “avoid eating in public,” and “don’t move so fast that your body jiggles.” And she’s found her safe space—her swimming pool—where she feels weightless in a fat-obsessed world. In the water, she can stretch herself out like a starfish and take up all the room she wants. It’s also where she can get away from her pushy mom, who thinks criticizing Ellie’s weight will motivate her to diet. Fortunately, Ellie has allies in her dad, her therapist, and her new neighbor, Catalina, who loves Ellie for who she is. With this support buoying her, Ellie might finally be able to cast aside the Fat Girl Rules and starfish in real life—by unapologetically being her own fabulous self.

  If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.   Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: Starfish.   Loved this book and interested in seeing what else this author has written follow this link to their website, Lisa Fipps.    Enjoy, Anne

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading? 

Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first 15 pages of "Game Changer" by: Tommy Greenwald.

Thirteen-year-old Teddy Youngblood is in a coma, fighting for his life after an unspecified football injury at training camp. His family and friends flock to his bedside to support his recovery--and to discuss the events leading up to the tragic accident. Was this the inevitable result of playing a violent sport, or did something more sinister happen on the field that day?

If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.

Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: Game Changer

Loved this book and interested in seeing what else these authors have written be sure to check out Tommy Greenwald.

Enjoy, Anne

 

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading?    Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "The Chocolate Touch" by: Patrick Skene Catling.  

Can you ever have too much of your favorite food? John Midas is about to find out….

  If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.   Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: The Chocolate Touch.   Enjoy, Anne

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading?    Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "Brave Like That" by: Lindsey Stoddard.  

Cyrus Olson’s dad is a hero—Northfield’s former football star and now one of their finest firefighters. Everyone expects Cyrus to follow in his dad’s record-breaking footsteps, and he wishes they were right—except he’s never been brave like that. But this year, with the help of a stray dog, a few new friends, a little bit of rhythm, and a lot of nerve, he may just discover that actually…he is.

  If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me Brave Like That.   Loved this book and interested in seeing what else this author has written follow this link to their website, Lindsey Stoddard.   Enjoy, Anne

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading? 

Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "The Line Tender" by: Kate Allen.

Wherever the sharks led, Lucy Everhart's marine-biologist mother was sure to follow. In fact, she was on a boat far off the coast of Massachusetts, collecting shark data when she died suddenly. Lucy was seven. Since then Lucy and her father have kept their heads above water--thanks in large part to a few close friends and neighbors. But June of her twelfth summer brings more than the end of school and a heat wave to sleepy Rockport. On one steamy day, the tide brings a great white--and then another tragedy, cutting short a friendship everyone insists was "meaningful" but no one can tell Lucy what it all meant. To survive the fresh wave of grief, Lucy must grab the line that connects her depressed father, a stubborn fisherman, and a curious old widower to her mother's unfinished research on the Great White's return to Cape Cod. If Lucy can find a way to help this unlikely quartet follow the sharks her mother loved, she'll finally be able to look beyond what she's lost and toward what's left to be discovered.

If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.

Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: The Line Tender

Loved this book and interested in seeing what else these authors have written be sure to check out Kate Allen

Enjoy, Anne

 

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading?    Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "The Someday Suitcase" by: Corey Ann Haydu.  

Clover and Danny are the kind of best friends who make each other even better. They’re so important to each other that Clover believes they’re symbiotic: her favorite science word, which describes two beings who can’t function without the other.

But when Danny comes down with a mysterious illness that won’t go away, the doctors can’t figure out what’s wrong with him. So Clover decides to take matters into her own hands by making lists—list of Danny’s symptoms, his good days, his bad days.

As the evidence piles up, only one thing becomes clear: Danny is only better when Clover is around.

Suddenly it feels like time is running out for Clover and Danny to do everything they’ve planned together—to finally see snow, to go on a trip with the suitcase they picked out together. Will science be able to save Danny, or is this the one time when magic can overcome the unthinkable?

If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.   Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: The Someday Suitcase.   Loved this book and interested in seeing what else this author has written be sure to check out Corey Ann Haydu. Enjoy, Anne    

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading?    Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "Billy Miller Makes a Wish" by: Kevin Henkes.  

On his birthday, Billy Miller wishes for something exciting to happen. But he immediately regrets his wish when an ambulance rushes to his neighbor’s house. Is Billy responsible? Award-winning author Kevin Henkes delivers a short, funny, and emotionally complex novel complete with misplaced love letters, surprising critters, art projects, misguided tattoos—and another surprise for Billy and his family, maybe the best one yet!

If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.   Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: Billy Miller Makes a Wish.   Loved this book and interested in seeing what else this author has written be sure to check out Kevin Henkes.    Enjoy, Anne   Disclaimer: Some of the following links contain affiliate links in which I receive small commission.

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading? 

Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "Across So Many Seas" by: Ruth Behar.

Spanning over 500 years, Pura Belpré Award winner Ruth Behar's epic novel tells the stories of four girls from different generations of a Jewish family, many of them forced to leave their country and start a new life.

 

In 1492, during the Spanish Inquisition, Benvenida and her family are banished from Spain for being Jewish, and must flee the country or be killed. They journey by foot and by sea, eventually settling in Istanbul.

Over four centuries later, in 1923, shortly after the Turkish war of independence, Reina's father disowns her for a small act of disobedience. He ships her away to live with an aunt in Cuba, to be wed in an arranged marriage when she turns fifteen.

In 1961, Reina's daughter, Alegra, is proud to be a brigadista, teaching literacy in the countryside for Fidel Castro. But soon Castro's crackdowns force her to flee to Miami all alone, leaving her parents behind.

Finally, in 2003, Alegra's daughter, Paloma, is fascinated by all the journeys that had to happen before she could be born. A keeper of memories, she's thrilled by the opportunity to learn more about her heritage on a family trip to Spain, where she makes a momentous discovery.

Though many years and many seas separate these girls, they are united by a love of music and poetry, a desire to belong and to matter, a passion for learning, and their longing for a home where all are welcome. And each is lucky to stand on the shoulders of their courageous ancestors.

 

If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.

Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: Across So Many Seas.

Loved this book and interested in seeing what else these authors have written be sure to check out Ruth Behar.

Enjoy, Anne

 

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading? 

Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "Outside Nowhere" by: Adam Borba.

Charming and funny, Parker Kelbrook can wriggle out of anything he doesn't want to do. So when he's forced to take a job at the local pool--a threat to his beach-filled summer plans--he comes up with the perfect prank to get himself fired.

Once Parker's father catches wind of his latest scheme, he decides enough is enough, and Parker is sent halfway across the country to work on a farm alongside five other kids who aren't his biggest fans. As Parker learns to roll up his sleeves and keep his head down, strange things start happening. And after he awakens one morning to find a seventeen-hundred-pound dairy cow on the roof of a barn, he suspects that something magical and mysterious is growing in the farm's fields.

If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.

Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: Outside Nowhere

Loved this book and interested in seeing what else these authors have written be sure to check out Adam Borba. 

Enjoy, Anne

 

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading? 

Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "The Misfits: A Royal Conundrum" by: Lisa Yee.

Olive Cobin Zang has . . . issues. And they mostly aren't her fault. (No, really!) Though she often slips under the radar, problems have a knack for finding her. So, imagine her doubts when she's suddenly dropped off at the strangest boarding school ever: a former castle turned prison that's now a "reforming arts school"!

But nothing could've prepared Olive for RASCH (not "rash"). There, she's lumped with a team of other kids who never quite fit in, and discovers that the academy isn't what it seems--and neither is she. In fact, RASCH is a cover for an elite group of misfits who fight crime . . . and Olive has arrived just in time.

Turns out that RASCH is in danger of closing, unless Olive's class can stop the heist of the century. And as Olive falls in love with this wacky school, she realizes it's up to her new team to save the only home that's ever welcomed them.

If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.

Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: The Misfits: A Royal Conundrum.

Loved this book and interested in seeing what else this author has written be sure to check out  Lisa Yee.

Enjoy, Anne

 

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading? 

Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "How to Win a Slime War" by: Mae Respicio.

Alex Manalo and his dad have just moved back to Sacramento to revive their extended family's struggling Filipino market. While Alex likes helping at the store, his true passion is making slime! He comes up with his own recipes, playing with ingredients, colors, and textures that make his slime truly special. Encouraged by a new friend at school, Alex begins to sell his creations, leading to a sell-off battle with a girl who previously had a slime-opoly. Winner gets bragging rights and the right to be the only slime game in town.

But Alex's dad thinks Alex should be focused more on "traditional" boy pastimes and less on slime. As the new soccer coach, Dad wants Alex to join the team.

Alex is battling on multiple fronts--with his new friends at school and with his dad at home. It will be a sticky race to the finish to see who oozes out on top.

If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.

Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: How to Win a Slime War

Loved this book and interested in seeing what else these authors have written be sure to check out Mae Respicio 

Enjoy, Anne

 

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading?    Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "The Great Peach Experiment: When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Peach Pie" by: Erin Soderberg Downing.  

Sweet summer has taken a rotten turn . . . After a tough year, Lucy, Freddy, and Herb Peach are ready for vacation. Lucy wants to read all of the books on the summer reading list. Freddy wants to work on his art projects (when he isn't stuck in summer school). Herb wants to swim every day. Then their dad makes a big announcement: one of the inventions their mom came up with before she passed away has sold, and now they're millionaires! But Dad has bigger plans than blowing the cash on fun stuff or investing it. He's bought a used food truck. The Peaches are going to spend the summer traveling the country selling pies. It will be the Great Peach Experiment--a summer of bonding while living out one of Mom's dreams. Summer plans, sunk. And there's one more issue Dad's neglected: none of them knows how to bake. . . .

  If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.   Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: The Great Peach Experiment: When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Peach Pie.   Loved this book and interested in seeing what else this author has written follow this link to their website, Erin Soderberg Downing   Enjoy, Anne

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading?    Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "Song for a Whale" by: Lynne Kelly.  

From fixing the class computer to repairing old radios, twelve-year-old Iris is a tech genius. But she's the only deaf person in her school, so people often treat her like she's not very smart. If you've ever felt like no one was listening to you, then you know how hard that can be. When she learns about Blue 55, a real whale who is unable to speak to other whales, Iris understands how he must feel. Then she has an idea: she should invent a way to "sing" to him! But he's three thousand miles away. How will she play her song for him?

If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.   Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: Song for a Whale.   Loved this book and interested in seeing what else this author has written be sure to check out Lynne Kelly.    Enjoy, Anne   Disclaimer: Some of the following links contain affiliate links in which I receive small commission.

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading? 

Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "Hummingbird" by: Natalie Lloyd.

Twelve-year-old homeschooled Olive is tired of being seen as "fragile" just because she has osteogenesis imperfecta (otherwise known as brittle bone disease) so she's thrilled when she finally convinces her parents to let her attend Macklemore Elementary. Olive can't wait to go to a traditional school and make the friends she's always longed for, until a disastrous first day dashes her hopes of ever fitting in.

Then Olive hears whispers about a magical, wish-granting hummingbird that supposedly lives near Macklemore. It'll be the solution to all her problems! If she can find the bird and prove herself worthy, the creature will make her most desperate, secret wish come true.

When it becomes clear that she can't solve the mystery on her own, Olive teams up with some unlikely allies who help her learn the truth about the bird. And on the way, she just might learn that our fragile places lead us to the most wonderful magic of all . . .

If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.

Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: Hummingbird.

Loved this book and interested in seeing what else these authors have written be sure to check out Natalie Lloyd.

Enjoy, Anne

 

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading? 

Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "The Mystery of Locked Rooms" by: Lindsay Currie.

Twelve-year-old Sarah Greene wants nothing more from her seventh-grade year than to beat the hardest escape room left in her town with her best friends, West, and Hannah. But when a foreclosure notice shows up on Sarah's front door, everything changes. Since her father became ill two years ago, things have been bad, but not lose your house bad...until now.

Sarah feels helpless until the day Hannah mentions a treasure rumored to be hidden in the walls of an abandoned funhouse. According to legend, Hans, Stefan, and Karl Stein were orphaned at eight years old and lived with different families until they were able to reunite as adults. Their dream was to build the most epic funhouse in existence. They wanted their experience to be more than mirror mazes and optical illusions, so they not only created elaborate riddles and secret passages, but they also claimed to have hidden a treasure inside the funhouse.

Once in, Sarah, West, and Hannah realize the house is unlike any escape room they've attempted. There are challenges, yes, but they feel personal. Like the triplets knew who would get in. It seems impossible, but so does everything about the house. As soon as they're in she immediately worries that attempting the funhouse is a bad idea but Sarah has no choice but to continue, since her future is at stake.

If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.

Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: The Mystery of Locked Rooms

Loved this book and interested in seeing what else these authors have written be sure to check out Lindsay Currie.

Enjoy, Anne

 

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading?    Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "Stuart Little" by: E.B. White.  

Stuart Little is no ordinary mouse. Born to a family of humans, he lives in New York City with his parents, his older brother George, and Snowbell the cat. Though he's shy and thoughtful, he's also a true lover of adventure.

Stuart's greatest adventure comes when his best friend, a beautiful little bird named Margalo, disappears from her nest. Determined to track her down, Stuart ventures away from home for the very first time in his life. He finds adventure aplenty. But will he find his friend?

  If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.   Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: Stuart Little.   Loved this book and interested in seeing what else this author has written be sure to check out EB White.    Enjoy, Anne   Disclaimer: Some of the following links contain affiliate links in which I receive small commission.

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading? 

Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "The Lost Library" by: Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass.

When a mysterious little free library (guarded by a large orange cat) appears overnight in the small town of Martinville, eleven-year-old Evan plucks two weathered books from its shelves, never suspecting that his life is about to change.

Evan and his best friend Rafe quickly discover a link between one of the old books and a long-ago event that none of the grown-ups want to talk about. The two boys start asking questions whose answers will transform not only their own futures, but the town itself.

Told in turn by a ghost librarian named Al, an aging (but beautiful) cat named Mortimer, and Evan himself, The Lost Library is a timeless story from award-winning authors Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass. It's about owning your truth, choosing the life you want, and the power of a good book (and, of course, the librarian who gave it to you).

If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.

Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: The Lost Library

Loved this book and interested in seeing what else this author has written be sure to check out Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass.

Enjoy, Anne

 

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading?    Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "Hatchet" by: Gary Paulsen.  

Thirteen-year-old Brian Robeson, haunted by his secret knowledge of his mother’s infidelity, is traveling by single-engine plane to visit his father for the first time since the divorce. When the plane crashes, killing the pilot, the sole survivor is Brian. He is alone in the Canadian wilderness with nothing but his clothing, a tattered windbreaker, and the hatchet his mother had given him as a present. At first consumed by despair and self-pity, Brian slowly learns survival skills—how to make a shelter for himself, how to hunt and fish and forage for food, how to make a fire—and even finds the courage to start over from scratch when a tornado ravages his campsite. When Brian is finally rescued after fifty-four days in the wild, he emerges from his ordeal with new patience and maturity, and a greater understanding of himself and his parents.

If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.   Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: Hatchet.   Loved this book and interested in seeing what else this author has written be sure to check out Gary Paulsen. Enjoy, Anne   Disclaimer: Some of the following links contain affiliate links in which I receive small commission.

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading? 

Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "Balto and Togo: Hero Dogs of Alaska" by: Helen Moss.

It's the winter of 1924 and a diptheria outbreak is threatening the population of Nome, Alaska. The only way to stop the deadly illness from causing a full blown epidemic is to immediately deliver one million units of the diptheria antitoxin to the affected communities --a task that seems impossible given that the only way to reach any place in Alaska at this time of year is by dog sled. The stakes are high, and the snow is piling higher. Will the antitoxin make it in time? Or will the infection spread faster than they can treat it...

Follow along as Balto and Togo lead the way in this race against time to get the antitoxin and save lives.

  If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.

Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: Balto and Togo.

Loved this book and interested in seeing what else these authors have written be sure to check out Helen Moss.

Enjoy, Anne

 

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading? 

Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "A Duet for Home" by: Karina Yan Glaser.

It's June's first day at Huey House, and as if losing her home weren't enough, she also can't bring her cherished viola inside. Before the accident last year, her dad saved tip money for a year to buy her viola, and she's not about to give it up now.

Tyrell has been at Huey House for three years and gives June a glimpse of the good things about living there: friendship, hot meals, and a classical musician next door.

Can he and June work together to oppose the government, or will families be forced out of Huey House before they are ready?

If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.

Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: A Duet for Home

Loved this book and interested in seeing what else these authors have written be sure to check out Karina Yan Glaser

Enjoy, Anne

 

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading?    Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first five verses of "The Magical Imperfect" by: Chris Baron.  

Etan has stopped speaking since his mother left. His father and grandfather don't know how to help him. His friends have given up on him.

When Etan is asked to deliver a grocery order to the outskirts of town, he realizes he's at the home of Malia Agbayani, also known as the Creature. Malia stopped going to school when her acute eczema spread to her face, and the bullying became too much.

As the two become friends, other kids tease Etan for knowing the Creature. But he believes he might have a cure for Malia's condition, if only he can convince his family and hers to believe it too. Even if it works, will these two outcasts find where they fit in?

If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.   Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: The Magical Imperfect.   Loved this book and interested in seeing what else this author has written be sure to check out Chris Baron. Enjoy, Anne    

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading? 

Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "The Night War" by: Kimberly Brubaker Bradley.

It's 1942. German Nazis occupy much of France. And twelve-year-old Miriam, who is Jewish, is not safe. With help and quick thinking, Miri is saved from the roundup that takes her entire Jewish neighborhood. She escapes Paris, landing in a small French village, where the spires of the famous Chateau de Chenonceau rise high into the sky, its bridge across the River Cher like a promise, a fairy tale.

But Miri's life is no fairy tale. Her parents are gone--maybe alive, maybe not. Taken in at the boarding school near the chateau, pretending to be Catholic to escape Nazi capture, Miri volunteers one night to undertake a deadly task, one that spans the castle grounds, its bridge, and the very border to freedom. Here is her chance to escape--hopefully to find her parents. But will she take it? One thing is certain: The person Miri meets that night will save her life. And the person Miri becomes that night could save the lives of many more.

If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.

Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: The Night War

Loved this book and interested in seeing what else these authors have written be sure to check out Kimberly Brubaker Bradley.

Enjoy, Anne

 

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading?    Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "To Catch A Thief" by: Martha Brockenbrough.  

Urchin Beach isn’t the sort of place where bad things happen. The little seaside town is too lucky for that. But then one day, a thief steals something precious―the town’s dragonfly staff, which is the source of all its good fortune and the most important part of the upcoming Dragonfly Day Festival.

 

Amelia MacGuffin is no detective. She’s eleven, quiet, and unlike her four younger siblings, she has no special talents. But Amelia loves her town. Her family has lived there forever. Her parents run the Pacific General Store, and she and her best friends, Birdie and Delphine, are about to start middle school. If Amelia doesn’t find the staff, the Dragonfly Day Festival will be canceled .

 

The town needs that tourist money to survive. Unless she cracks the case, Amelia’s family will lose everything--including the adorable stray dog they’ve fallen in love with. She only has seven days to solve Urchin Beach’s crime of the century. It’s not a lot of time, but Amelia has her list of suspects. It might be the new kids next door. Or the grumpy mystery writer who lives in the town’s creepiest mansion. Or perhaps even someone closer to home.

 

Amelia wants to save the town. She wants to save the dog. She wants both, so much.

 

But first, she has to catch a thief.

  If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.   Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: To Catch A Thief.   Loved this book and interested in seeing what else this author has written be sure to check out Martha Mrockenbrough.   Enjoy, Anne   Disclaimer: Some of the following links contain affiliate links in which I receive small commission.

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading? 

Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "The Adventure is Now" by: Jess Redman.

Sometimes it's hard to be Milton P. Greene. He says all the wrong things, his family is falling apart, and everyone at school avoids him because of the very embarrassing Bird Brain Incident. But when Milton plays his video game Isle of Wild, he becomes someone else--Sea Hawk, the brave and brilliant naturalist explorer who conquers danger at every turn.

Then Milton's parents ship him off to the remote Lone Island for the summer, where his uncle Evan is an environmentalist researcher. The island is chock-full of spectaculous species, and Milton realizes this is his chance to become the brave and brilliant naturalist he's always wanted to be--and even meet some fellow explorers!

But as it turns out, the future of the Lone Island is in some pretty serious peril, and the only thing that can save it is a field guide full of cryptic clues. If Milton and his unexpected new friends are going to protect the island, they'll have to trust each other, discover new truths, and embark on a wild and wondrous adventure all their own.

If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.

Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: The Adventure is Now.

Loved this book and interested in seeing what else these authors have written be sure to check out Jess Redman

Enjoy, Anne

 

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading?    Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "Blended" by: Sharon M Draper.  

Eleven-year-old Isabella’s parents are divorced, so she has to switch lives every week: One week she’s Isabella with her dad, his girlfriend Anastasia, and her son Darren living in a fancy house where they are one of the only black families in the neighborhood. The next week she’s Izzy with her mom and her boyfriend John-Mark in a small, not-so-fancy house that she loves. Because of this, Isabella has always felt pulled between two worlds. And now that her parents are divorced, it seems their fights are even worse, and they’re always about HER. Isabella feels completely stuck in the middle, split and divided between them more than ever. And she is beginning to realize that being split between Mom and Dad involves more than switching houses, switching nicknames, switching backpacks: it’s also about switching identities. Her dad is black, her mom is white, and strangers are always commenting: “You’re so exotic!” “You look so unusual.” “But what are you really?” She knows what they’re really saying: “You don’t look like your parents.” “You’re different.” “What race are you really?” And when her parents, who both get engaged at the same time, get in their biggest fight ever, Isabella doesn’t just feel divided, she feels ripped in two. What does it mean to be half white or half black? To belong to half mom and half dad? And if you’re only seen as half of this and half of that, how can you ever feel whole? It seems like nothing can bring Isabella’s family together again—until the worst thing happens. Isabella and Darren are stopped by the police. A cell phone is mistaken for a gun. And shots are fired.

  If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.   Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: Blended.   Loved this book and interested in seeing what else this author has written be sure to check out Sharon M Draper.    Enjoy, Anne   Disclaimer: Some of the following links contain affiliate links in which I receive small commission.

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading?    Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the book "Pisa Loves Bella" by: Kimberley Lovato.  

Welcome to Pisa!

I'm thrilled you dropped by.

I'm Bella the bell tower-

Eight stories high!

And so begins this uplifting rhyming tale told by Bella, Italy's famous Leaning Tower of Pisa. For hundreds of years, Bella has felt proud of her gravity-defying tilt. But her confidence is tested one day when she overhears hurtful words about her appearance. Bella responds by making a big change, one that leaves the residents of Pisa and visitors from around the world worried that their treasured tower will never be the same again.

If you enjoyed this book please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.   Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: Pisa Loves Bella.   Loved this book and interested in seeing what else this author has written be sure to check out Kimberley Lovato.   Enjoy, Anne   Disclaimer: I have received a free copy of this book to record live on my podcast. THANK YOU!!!  

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading? 

Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "A Rover's Story" by: Jasmine Warga.

Meet Resilience, a Mars rover determined to live up to his name.

Res was built to explore Mars. He was not built to have human emotions. But as he learns new things from the NASA scientists who assemble him, he begins to develop humanlike feelings. Maybe there's a problem with his programming....

Human emotions or not, launch day comes, and Res blasts off to Mars, accompanied by a friendly drone helicopter named Fly. But Res quickly discovers that Mars is a dangerous place filled with dust storms and giant cliffs. As he navigates Mars's difficult landscape, Res is tested in ways that go beyond space exploration.

As millions of people back on Earth follow his progress, will Res have the determination, courage, and resilience to succeed...and survive?

If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.

Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: A Rover's Story

Loved this book and interested in seeing what else these authors have written be sure to check out Jasmine Warga

Enjoy, Anne

 

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading?    Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the book "When Bad Things Happen" by: Donna Carr Roberts.  

Join Mr. Fuzzy Ears and his family on a journey that transcends the boundaries of life and death. In this beautifully illustrated tale filled with laughter and tears, we all learn the timeless wisdom that even in the face of loss, love endures, memories persist, and the angels above us promise an everlasting connection."

When Bad Things Happen is a poignant exploration of the circle of life, inviting readers of all ages to find solace and joy in the bittersweet embrace of saying goodbye.

These delicate threads of life intertwine to create a timeless tapestry of hope and remembrance. The warmth and grace of the illustrations in this book depict love that says every goodbye is but a prelude to a new beginning.

If you enjoyed this book please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.   Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: When Bad Things Happen   Loved this book and interested in seeing what else this author has written be sure to check out Donna Carr Roberts.   Enjoy, Anne   Disclaimer: I have received a free copy of this book to record live on my podcast. THANK YOU!!!  

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading? 

Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "Walkin' the Dog" by: Chis Lynch.

In a family of strong personalities with very strong points of view, Louis is what his mother lovingly calls "the inactivist," someone who'd rather kick back than stand out. He only hopes he can stay under the radar when he starts high school in the fall, his first experience with public school after years of homeschooling.

But when a favor for a neighbor and his stinky canine companion unexpectedly turns into a bustling dog-walking business, Louis finds himself meeting an unprecedented number of new friends--both human and canine. Agatha, a quippy and cagey girl his age always seems to be telling two truths and a lie. Cyrus, a few years his senior, promises he's going to show Louis how to be a better person, whether Louis wants him to or not. And then there are the dogs: misbehaving border terriers, the four (possible stolen) sausage dogs, the rest of Louis's charges, and a mysterious white beast who appears at a certain spot at the edge of the woods.

Dogs and human alike all seem to have something they want to teach Louis, including his menacing older brother who keeps turning up everywhere. But is Louis ready to learn the lesson he needs most: how to stop being a lone wolf and be part of a pack?

If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.

Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: Walkin' the Dog.

Loved this book and interested in seeing what else these authors have written be sure to check out Chris Lynch

Enjoy, Anne

 

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading? 

Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "Slugfest" by: Gordon Korman.

Yash is the best athlete at Robinette Middle School--so good, in fact, that he's already playing on the high school's JV sports teams. Imagine his shock when he learns that his JV practices have kept him from earning a state-mandated credit for eighth-grade PE. To graduate, he has to take Physical Education Equivalency--PEE, also known as "Slugfest"--in summer school.

Yash gets to know his fellow "slugs" Kaden, an academic superstar who's physically hopeless; twins Sarah and Stewart, who are too busy trying to kill each other to do any real PE; Jesse, a notorious prankster; Arabella, who protests everything; and Cleo, a natural athlete who has sworn off sports.

But when one of them tries to blow the lid off a scandal that could make all their time in summer school a waste, Yash is forced to take drastic action.

Teaming up with the most hapless crew in school can really surprise a person. And their teacher might be hiding the biggest surprise yet. . . .

If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.

Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: Slugfest

Loved this book and interested in seeing what else this author has written be sure to check out Gordon Korman.

Enjoy, Anne

 

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading? 

Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "Across the Desert" by: Dusti Bowling.

Twelve-year-old Jolene spends every day she can at the library watching her favorite livestream: The Desert Aviator, where twelve-year-old "Addie Earhart" shares her adventures flying an ultralight plane over the desert. While watching this daring girl fly through the sky, Jolene can dream of what it would be like to fly with her, far away from her own troubled home life where her mother struggles with a narcotic addiction. And Addie, who is grieving the loss of her father, finds solace in her online conversations with Jolene, her biggest--and only--fan.

Then, one day, it all goes wrong: Addie's engine abruptly stops, and Jolene watches in helpless horror as the ultralight plummets to the ground and the video goes dark. Jolene knows that Addie won't survive long in the extreme summer desert heat. With no one to turn to for help and armed with only a hand-drawn map and a stolen cell phone, it's up to Jolene to find a way to save the Desert Aviator. 

If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.

Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: Across the Desert.

Loved this book and interested in seeing what else these authors have written be sure to check out Dusti Bowling.

Enjoy, Anne

 

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading?    Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "The Great Pet Heist" by: Emily Ecton.  

Butterbean knew she wasn’t always a good dog. Still, she’d never considered herself a BAD dog—until the morning that her owner, Mrs. Food, fell in the hallway. Admittedly the tile was slipperier than usual, mostly because Butterbean had just thrown up on it. Now Butterbean and her fellow pets have to come up with a grand plan to support themselves in case Mrs. Food is unable to keep taking care of them. When they discover a mysterious man in their building who seems to have lots of loot, they plan a heist. Oscar the mynah bird is the brains of the operation. Walt the cat has the necessary slyness and slink. Marco and Polo are the reconnaissance rats. And Butterbean...well, no one would ever suspect a cute little wiener dog, right? Can these animal friends can pull off the heist of the century?

  If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.   Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: The Great Pet Heist.   Loved this book and interested in seeing what else this author has written follow this link to their website, Emily Ecton.    Enjoy, Anne

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading? 

Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "The Wild Journey of Juniper Berry" by: Chad Morris and Shelly Brown.

Eleven-year-old Juniper Berry lives in a cabin with her family deep in the wild woods. Living off the grid is usually exciting, like the time she chased off three growling raccoons with a tree branch and some acorns, or when she thought she glimpsed the legendary Bigfoot. But her happy life in the wild ends abruptly when her younger brother gets sick, and the family moves to the city to be closer to the hospital.

Juniper and her older sister are sent to live with cousins they hardly know and attend a public school for the first time, which is harder to navigate than the wild woods ever were. Juniper feels like a wolf cub separated from her pack.

When Juniper notices that her cousin, Alayna, is being bullied by so-called friends, she's ready to fight back like the wild geese do when protecting their goslings, but her cousin tells her to stay out of it; she doesn't want Juniper making things worse.

As the hospital bills for her brother start piling up, Juniper knows they'll need to be paid before the family can go back to the woods, so she decides to make enough money to help out. With Alayna's support, Juniper starts posting videos filled with her wisdom from the woods, hoping to get a following. But what if it doesn't work? What if the bills never get paid? Not going home to the wild is Juniper's worst nightmare. But while she's stuck in the city, she might as well make the most of it, like sticking up for her cousin, for starters.

The Wild Journey of Juniper Berry is a story about perseverance when faced with difficult and unfamiliar challenges, belonging and finding your identity, compassion for others, and learning that our differences can sometimes be our strengths.

If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.

Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: The Wild Journey of Juniper Berry.

Loved this book and interested in seeing what else these authors have written be sure to check out Chad Morris and Shelly Brown.

Enjoy, Anne

 

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading?    Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "Mustaches for Maddie" by: Chad Morris and Shelly Brown.  

Maddie is a normal twelve-year-old girl. Well, except for the fake mustaches she carries in her pocket. She likes to make people laugh and slapping on a mustache, especially a fuzzy pink or neon green one, always gets a smile. Maddie hopes that the class queen, Cassie, will find her mustaches as funny as she does and want to play with her at recess. She's been self-conscious lately because her right arm only feels normal when it's curled against her chest and she's constantly tripping over her feet. But that's probably just part of growing up and not something weird, right? When Maddie's arm continues to bother her, her parents take her to a doctor who gives them a shocking diagnosis: the cause of the abnormal behavior of her limbs is a brain tumor and she must have surgery to remove it. She's understandably afraid as he describes the procedure, but knows she must find a way to be brave and must face her fears--all of them--at the hospital, at home and at school. She will need all of her courage not only to face her illness, but also to face Cassie at school. Both Cassie and Maddie are auditioning for the same role in the school play, but when Cassie accuses Maddie of lying about her tumor in order to get attention, Cassie's bossiness turns into bullying. And as Maddie's surgery approaches, she begins to worry more and more about the outcome. What if something goes wrong? What if the doctors don't get all the tumor out of her brain? What will happen to her family? What will happen to her? It will take all of Maddie's vibrant imagination, a lot of kindness-both given and received-and of course, the perfect mustache to overcome the tough stuff ahead of her.

If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.   Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: Mustaches for Maddie.   Loved this book and interested in seeing what else this author has written be sure to check out Chad Morris and Shelly Brown. Enjoy, Anne    

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading? 

Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "Ferris" by: Kate DiCamillo.

It's the summer before fifth grade, and for Ferris Wilkey, it is a summer of sheer pandemonium: Her little sister, Pinky, has vowed to become an outlaw. Uncle Ted has left Aunt Shirley and, to Ferris's mother's chagrin, is holed up in the Wilkey basement to paint a history of the world. And Charisse, Ferris's grandmother, has started seeing a ghost at the threshold of her room, which seems like an alarming omen given that she is also feeling unwell. But the ghost is not there to usher Charisse to the Great Beyond. Rather, she has other plans--wild, impractical, illuminating plans. How can Ferris satisfy a specter with Pinky terrorizing the town, Uncle Ted sending Ferris to spy on her aunt, and her father battling an invasion of raccoons?

If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.

Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: Ferris.

Loved this book and interested in seeing what else this author has written be sure to check out Kate DiCamillo.

Enjoy, Anne

 

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading?    Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "Linked" by: Gordon Korman.  

Link, Michael, and Dana live in a quiet town. But it's woken up very quickly when someone sneaks into school and vandalizes it with a swastika.

Nobody can believe it. How could such a symbol of hate end up in the middle of their school? Who would do such a thing?

Because Michael was the first person to see it, he's the first suspect. Because Link is one of the most popular guys in school, everyone's looking to him to figure it out. And because Dana's the only Jewish girl in the whole town, everyone's treating her more like an outsider than ever.

The mystery deepens as more swastikas begin to appear. Some students decide to fight back and start a project to bring people together instead of dividing them further. The closer Link, Michael, and Dana get to the truth, the more there is to face-not just the crimes of the present, but the crimes of the past.

  If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.   Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: Linked.   Loved this book and interested in seeing what else this author has written follow this link to their website, Gordon Korman.   Enjoy, Anne

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading?    Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "Finally Seen" by: Kelly Yang.   My sister got to grow up with my parents. Me? I grew up with postcards from my parents. When ten-year-old Lina Gao steps off the plane in Los Angeles, it’s her first time in America and the first time seeing her parents and her little sister in five years! She’s been waiting for this moment every day while she lived with her grandmother in Beijing, getting teased by kids at school who called her “left behind girl.” Finally, her parents are ready for her to join their fabulous life in America! Except, it’s not exactly like in the postcards: 1. School’s a lot harder than she thought. When she mispronounces some words in English on the first day, she decides she simply won’t talk. Ever again. 2. Her chatty little sister has no problem with English. And seems to do everything better than Lina, including knowing exactly the way to her parents’ hearts. 3. They live in an apartment, not a house like in Mom’s letters, and they owe a lot of back rent from the pandemic. And Mom’s plan to pay it back sounds more like a hobby than a moneymaker. As she reckons with her hurt, Lina tries to keep a lid on her feelings, both at home and at school. When her teacher starts facing challenges for her latest book selection, a book that deeply resonates with Lina, it will take all of Lina’s courage and resilience to get over her fear and choose a future where she’s finally seen.   If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me Finally Seen   Loved this book and interested in seeing what else this author has written follow this link to their website. Kelly Yang.   Enjoy, Anne

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading?    Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "The Candymakers" by: Wendy Mass.  

Logan, the Candymaker's son, who can detect the color of chocolate by touch alone? Miles, the boy who is allergic to merry-go-rounds and the color pink? Daisy, the cheerful girl who can lift a fifty-pound lump of taffy like it's a feather? Or Philip, the suit-and-tie wearing boy who's always scribbling in a secret notebook? This sweet, charming, and cleverly crafted story, told from each contestant's perspective, is filled with mystery, friendship, and juicy revelations.

  If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.   Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: The Candymakers   Loved this book and interested in seeing what else this author has written be sure to check out Wendy Mass.   Enjoy, Anne   Disclaimer: Some of the following links contain affiliate links in which I receive small commission.

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading?    Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter along with the author note's of "Jawbreaker" by: Christina Wyman.  

Max Plink's life is complicated. Her parents aren't getting along. The school bullies are relentless--and her own sister is the cruelest of them. Worst of all, her mouth is a mess. With a mismatched puzzle of a jaw, Max has a Class II malocclusion, otherwise known as a severe overbite. She already has braces, which means she lives on Advil and soft foods after each orthodontist appointment. But now Max has to wear painful (and totally awkward) orthodontic headgear nicknamed "the jawbreaker." Could things get any worse?

Yes. The journalism competition Max wants to enter has a video component. But being on camera means showing her face not just to her junior high classmates, but possibly the whole city. Going viral is the last thing Max needs, but winning this competition is what she wants most. Turns out, following her dreams is complicated, too.

If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.   Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: Jawbreaker.   Loved this book and interested in seeing what else this author has written be sure to check out Christina Wayman. Enjoy, Anne    

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading?    Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "Wretched Waterpark" by: Kiersten White.  

Meet the Sinister-Winterbottoms: brave Theo, her timid twin, Alexander, and their older sister, Wil. They're stuck for the summer with their Aunt Saffronia, who doesn't know how often children need to eat and can't use a smartphone, and whose feet never quite seem to touch the floor when she glides--er--walks.

When Aunt Saffronia suggests a week pass to the Fathoms of Fun Waterpark, they hastily agree. But the park is even stranger than Aunt Saffronia. The waterslides look like gray gargoyle tongues. The employees wear creepy black dresses and deliver ominous messages. An impossible figure is at the top of the slide tower, people are disappearing, and suspicious goo is seeping into the wave pool.

Something mysterious is happening at Fathoms of Fun, and it's up to the twins to get to the bottom of it. The mystery, that is. NOT the wave pool. Definitely NOT the wave pool. But are Theo and Alexander out of their depth?

If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.   Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: Wretched Waterpark.   Loved this book and interested in seeing what else this author has written be sure to check out Kiersten White. Enjoy, Anne    

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading?    Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first three verses of "Before the Ever After" by: Jacqueline Woodson.   For as long as ZJ can remember, his dad has been everyone's hero. As a charming, talented pro football star, he's as beloved to the neighborhood kids he plays with as he is to his millions of adoring sports fans. But lately life at ZJ's house is anything but charming. His dad is having trouble remembering things and seems to be angry all the time. ZJ's mom explains it's because of all the head injuries his dad sustained during his career. ZJ can understand that--but it doesn't make the sting any less real when his own father forgets his name. As ZJ contemplates his new reality, he has to figure out how to hold on tight to family traditions and recollections of the glory days, all the while wondering what their past amounts to if his father can't remember it. And most importantly, can those happy feelings ever be reclaimed when they are all so busy aching for the past?   If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.   Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: Before the Ever After.   Loved this book and interested in seeing what else this author has written follow this link to their website, Jacqueline Woodson.   Enjoy, Anne

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading?    Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the book "The Adventures of Dori: A Rescue Pup" by: Conway and Ellis.  

Embark on an enchanting journey with Dori, the Rescue Pup, in this delightful children's book. Follow Dori and her friends as they explore the beach, highlighting the beauty of teamwork, the magic of friendship, and the unique perspective of a rescue pup. From playful moments in the sand to exciting discoveries along the shoreline, each page captures the essence of wonder and the bonds forged between friends.

This heartwarming tale not only shares a story of friendship and optimism but also invites young readers to be a part of Dori's legacy. With every purchase, a portion of the proceeds goes back to Southern Comfort Maltese Rescue, the organization that helped Dori find her forever home. 

If you enjoyed this book please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.   Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: The Adventures of Dori: A Rescue Pup   Loved this book and interested in seeing what else this author has written be sure to check out Kathleen Conway and Juanita Ellis.   Enjoy, Anne   Disclaimer: I have received a free copy of this book to record live on my podcast. THANK YOU!!!  

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading?    Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "Time to Roll" by: Jamie Sumner.  

Ellie is so not the pageant type. They’re Coralee’s thing, and Ellie is happy to let her talented friend shine in the spotlight. But what’s she supposed to do when Coralee asks her to enter a beauty pageant, and their other best friend, Bert, volunteers to be their manager? Then again, how else is she going to get through this summer with her dad, who barely knows her, while her mom is off on her honeymoon with Ellie’s amazing gym teacher? Ellie decides she has nothing to lose. There’s only one problem: the director of the pageant seems determined to put Ellie and her wheelchair front and center. So it’s up to Ellie to figure out a way to do it on her own terms and make sure her friendships don’t fall apart along the way. Through it all, from thrift store deep dives to disastrous dance routines, she begins to form her own definition of beauty and what it means to really be seen.

  If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.   Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: Time to Roll.   Loved this book and interested in seeing what else this author has written follow this link to their website,Jamie Sumner.   Enjoy, Anne

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading? 

Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "Attack of the Black Rectangles" by: Amy Sarig King.

When Mac first opens his classroom copy of Jane Yolen's The Devil's Arithmetic and finds some words blacked out, he thinks it must be a mistake. But then when he and his friends discover what the missing words are, he's outraged.

Someone in his school is trying to prevent kids from reading the full story.

But who?

Even though his unreliable dad tells him to not get so emotional about a book (or anything else), Mac has been raised by his mom and grandad to call out things that are wrong. He and his friends head to the principal's office to protest the censorship... but her response doesn't take them seriously.

So many adults want Mac to keep his words to himself.

Mac's about to see the power of letting them out.

If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.

Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: Attack of the Black Rectangles.

Loved this book and interested in seeing what else these authors have written be sure to check out Amy Sarig King.

Enjoy, Anne

 

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading?    Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "A Place to Hang the Moon" by: Kate Albus.   It is 1940 and William, 12, Edmund, 11, and Anna, 9, aren't terribly upset by the death of the not-so-grandmotherly grandmother who has taken care of them since their parents died. But the children do need a guardian, and in the dark days of World War II London, those are in short supply, especially if they hope to stay together. Could the mass wartime evacuation of children from London to the countryside be the answer? It's a preposterous plan, but off they go-- keeping their predicament a secret, and hoping to be placed in a temporary home that ends up lasting forever. Moving from one billet to another, the children suffer the cruel trickery of foster brothers, the cold realities of outdoor toilets and the hollowness of empty stomachs. But at least they find comfort in the village lending library-- a cozy shelter from the harshness of everyday life, filled with favorite stories and the quiet company of Nora Müller, the kind librarian. The children wonder if Nora could be the family they've been searching for. . . . But the shadow of the war, and the unknown whereaouts of Nora's German husband complicate matters.   If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.   Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: A Place to Hang the Moon.   Loved this book and interested in seeing what else this author has written follow this link to their website, Kate Albus.   Enjoy, Anne

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading? 

Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the 15 page of "Odder" by: Katherine Applegate.

Meet Odder, the Queen of Play:

Nobody has her moves. She doesn't just swim to the bottom, she dive-bombs. She doesn't just somersault, she triple-doughnuts. She doesn't just ride the waves, she makes them.

Odder spends her days off the coast of central California, practicing her underwater acrobatics and spinning the quirky stories for which she's known. She's a fearless daredevil, curious to a fault. But when Odder comes face-to-face with a hungry great white shark, her life takes a dramatic turn, one that will challenge everything she believes about herself--and about the humans who hope to save her.

Inspired by the true story of a Monterey Bay Aquarium program that pairs orphaned otter pups with surrogate mothers, this poignant and humorous tale told in free verse examines bravery and healing through the eyes of one of nature's most beloved and charming animals.

If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.

Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: Odder

Loved this book and interested in seeing what else these authors have written be sure to check out Katherine Applegate

Enjoy, Anne

 

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading?    Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "Glitch" by: Laura Martin.  

Regan Fitz and Elliot Mason have been enemies since they started training to become Glitchers—people who travel through time to preserve important historical events. But everything changes when they find a letter from Regan’s future self, warning them about an impending disaster that threatens them and everyone they know.

Will they be able to set aside their past in order to save the future?

  If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.   Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: Glitch   Loved this book and interested in seeing what else this author has written follow this link to their website, Laura Martin.   Enjoy, Anne

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading?    Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "Dogtown" by: Katherine Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko.  

Dogtown is a shelter for stray dogs, misbehaving dogs, and discarded robot dogs, whose owners have outgrown them. Chance, a real dog, has been in Dogtown since her owners unwittingly left her with irresponsible dog-sitters who skipped town. Metal Head is a robot dog who dreams of being back in a real home. And Mouse is a mouse who has the run of Dogtown, pilfering kibble, and performing clever feats to protect the dogs he loves. When Chance and Metal Head embark on an adventure to find their forever homes, there is danger, cheese sandwiches, a charging station, and some unexpected kindnesses along the way.

If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.   Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: Dogtown.   Loved this book and interested in seeing what else this author has written be sure to check out Katherine Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko   Enjoy, Anne   Disclaimer: Some of the following links contain affiliate links in which I receive small commission.

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading? 

Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "15 Secrets to Survival" by: Natalie D. Richards.

When classmates Baxter, Abigail, Turner and Emerson break a school rule, they're forced to travel to the middle of nowhere for an extra credit project. They think things can't get much worse. After all, how will learning to survive in the wilderness help them stay out of trouble in school?

What starts off as a weekend of team building takes a scary turn when their instructor goes missing and they are given nothing but pages of a survival guide to complete a series of challenges.

They soon learn the woods around them have unexpected surprises. Will they discover a way to work together to find their teacher and overcome the dangers of winter in the mountains?

If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.

Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: 15 Secrets to Survival.

Loved this book and interested in seeing what else this author has written be sure to check out Natalie D Richards.

Enjoy, Anne

 

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading?    Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "The Talent Show" by: Dan Gutman.  

What’s your talent? The kids of Cape Bluff, Kansas, had no idea there were so many aspiring stars among them until a tornado ripped through their town. That’s when they decided to have a talent show to raise money to rebuild. Now everyone is showing what they are made of: the good, the bad, and the bizarre. But the kids have to prove that their talent is worth the cost of admission if they’re going to make enough to save the town!

If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.   Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: The Talent Show.   Loved this book and interested in seeing what else this author has written be sure to check out Dan Gutman.   Enjoy, Anne   Disclaimer: Some of the following links contain affiliate links in which I receive small commission.

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading?    Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "Puppy Love" by: Gary Soto.  

Thirteen-year-old Jordan Mendoza has a huge crush on his classmate, Sierra, but he's never going to win her affections if he stays a C student and keeps embarrassing himself on the basketball court. And it doesn't help that his best friend, Antonio, likes to tease him about it all a little too much.

But when Jordan dives into the waters of a dangerous irrigation canal to save a drowning puppy, he's suddenly got even more on his mind than kissing Sierra and making the starting team. Can he nurse the abandoned puppy back to health (and will his parents let him keep her)? Who threw her into the canal--and is it possible that there are more puppies needing rescue? And why are the cops suddenly at Jordan's door, looking for him?

There's something for every reader in this story's mix of humor, sports, themes of thrilling independence, subtle strands of magical realism, and timely social commentary, all held together by a sweet and satisfying emotional core.

If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.   Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: Puppy Love.   Loved this book and interested in seeing what else this author has written be sure to check out Gary Soto. Enjoy, Anne    

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading?    Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "The Blackbird Girls" by: Anne Blankman.   On a spring morning, neighbors Valentina Kaplan and Oksana Savchenko wake up to an angry red sky. A reactor at the nuclear power plant where their fathers work--Chernobyl--has exploded. Before they know it, the two girls, who've always been enemies, find themselves on a train bound for Leningrad to stay with Valentina's estranged grandmother, Rita Grigorievna. In their new lives in Leningrad, they begin to learn what it means to trust another person. Oksana must face the lies her parents told her all her life. Valentina must keep her grandmother's secret, one that could put all their lives in danger. And both of them discover something they've wished for: a best friend. But how far would you go to save your best friend's life? Would you risk your own? Told in alternating perspectives among three girls--Valentina and Oksana in 1986 and Rifka in 1941--this story shows that hatred, intolerance, and oppression are no match for the power of true friendship.   If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.   Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: Blackbird Girls.   Loved this book and interested in seeing what else this author has written follow this link to their website, Anne Blankman.   Enjoy, Anne

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading?    Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "The Lion of Mars" by: Jennifer L Holm.  

Bell is just like any other kid. He loves cats, eats all kinds of cake, and is curious about everything. Oh, and he lives on another planet! Living on Mars comes with a ton of rules. Like don’t go outside without a buddy. Always keep a glow stick in your pocket. And no contact with the kids in the other settlements. Ever. Then a virus breaks out among the grown-ups, and the children are the only ones who can help. Suddenly it's up to Bell - a regular kid in a very different world - to uncover the truth and save his family ... and possibly unite an entire planet.

  If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.   Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: The Lion of Mars.   Loved this book and interested in seeing what else this author has written follow this link to their website, Jennifer L Holm.   Enjoy, Anne

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading? 

Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "The Doughnut Fix" by: Jessie Janowitz.

Tristan isn't Gifted or Talented like his sister Jeanine, and he's always been okay with that because he can make a perfect chocolate chip cookie and he lives in the greatest city in the world. But his life takes a turn for the worse when his parents decide to move to middle-of-nowhere Petersville--a town with one street and no restaurants. It's like suddenly they're supposed to be this other family, one that can survive without bagels and movie theaters.

His suspicions about his new town are confirmed when he's tricked into believing the local general store has life-changing chocolate cream doughnuts, when in fact the owner hasn't made them in years. And so begins the only thing that could make life in Petersville worth living: getting the recipe, making the doughnuts, and bringing them back to the town through his very own doughnut stand. But Tristan will soon discover that when starting a business, it helps to be both Gifted and Talented, and it's possible he's bitten off more than he can chew...

If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.

Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: The Doughnut Fix

Loved this book and interested in seeing what else this author has written be sure to check out Jessie Janowitz.

Enjoy, Anne

 

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading?    Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the book "Dare to be Me" by: Kaci Bolls and Nathan Meckel.  

Today’s a blank page, a plain white Tee I wake up brave and I dare to be me In Dare to be Me, children are encouraged to face the world as their truest, most fantastic, and authentic selves. With text and rhythm by Kaci Bolls & Nathan Meckel, and vibrant illustrations by Ana Martín Larrañaga, this “start-your-day” story will help young readers brave the most essential part of every day: being yourself, and nobody else.

If you enjoyed this book please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.   Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: Dare to be Me.   Loved this book and interested in seeing what else this author has written be sure to check out Kaci Bolls and Nathan Meckel.   Enjoy, Anne   Disclaimer: I have received a free copy of this book to record live on my podcast. THANK YOU!!! Some of the following links contain affiliate links in which I receive small commission.

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading?    Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "The Takeout" by: Tracy Badua.  

Mila may have moved to Coral Beach months ago, but it still doesn’t feel like home. A few awkward incidents with her new friends make her wonder if she’ll ever neatly fit into the super-samey small town.

The only place she can be herself is at her dad’s Filipino-Indian food truck, The Banana Leaf. But when celebrity chef twins the Fab Foodie Brothers open a restaurant nearby, it turns out the food they are serving is exactly the same as The Banana Leaf's--right down to the recipes!

Mila realizes that she needs to take the Fab Foodie Brothers down before they run her family's tiny truck out of town. But that means dabbling in the Filipino magic that she has shied away from her whole life . . . as well as alienating her new friends.  

Does Mila have to choose between her family and fitting in? Or, like the best recipes, will a blend of the traditional and the unexpected mix into something truly special?

If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.   Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: The Takeout.   Loved this book and interested in seeing what else this author has written be sure to check out Tracy Badua. Enjoy, Anne   Disclaimer: Some of the following links contain affiliate links in which I receive small commission.

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading? 

Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "The Mapmakers" by: Tamzin Merchant.

Cordelia Hatmaker has saved England from war. She stopped Lord Whitloof's sinister plans, rescued the King and Princess, and restored the Makers Guild. But she still hasn't found her missing father. Ever since Cordelia discovered the hidden map in her father's telescope, she's been searching the streets of London by starlight, trying to uncover its secrets.

She never expects to stumble upon a secret society of Mapmakers--or to learn that magic isn't limited to the few Maker families, but instead is all around, if you know where to look. But danger is lurking around every corner, and Cordelia must convince the rival Maker families to work together for once--not only to bring her father home, but to save the very essence of magic itself. . . .

With exceptional and inventive storytelling and a lionhearted heroine, Tamzin Merchant once again draws readers into her captivating London and takes them on a breathless new adventure full of wildness, wit, warmth--and magic.

If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.

Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: The Mapmakers

Loved this book and interested in seeing what else this author has written be sure to check out Tamzin Merchant.

Enjoy, Anne

 

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading?    Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "The Many Fortunes of Maya" by: Nicole D. Collier.  

Maya J. Jenkins is bursting with questions:

• Will she get the MVP award at this year’s soccer banquet?
• Who will win the big grill off between Daddy and Uncle J?
• When will she pass the swim test and get a green bracelet?

For answers and a dose of good luck, 12-year-old Maya turns to her Wheel of Fortunes, a cardboard circle covered with the small slips of wisdom she’s collected from fortune cookies.

But can the fortunes answer her deep-down questions? The ones she’s too scared to ask out loud? Like, where did Mama’s smile go, the real one that lit up everything around her? When will Daddy move back home? And most of all, does she have enough courage to truly listen to the voice in her heart?

  If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.   Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: The Many Fortunes of Maya.   Loved this book and interested in seeing what else this author has written follow this link to their website, Nicole D Collier   Enjoy, Anne

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading? 

Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "The Apartment House on Poppy Hill" by: Nina LaCour.

Welcome to 1106 Wildflower Place: It is no ordinary apartment house, but you, reader, are no ordinary visitor. So, please, come in!

Two new tenants have just arrived, and nine-year-old Ella is determined to help them settle in. Who better to teach them about the glitchy lights and the nighttime noises? After all, Ella knows all the neighbors. Well, almost all. No one has met the mysterious Robinsons who live on the top floor. Will a special neighborly celebration change all that? This bighearted chapter book by bestselling author Nina LaCour, highlighted by lively illustrations throughout, celebrates community, friendship, family, and home. It is a place of walking dogs that aren't yours, keeping surprises secret, and making everyone feel welcome.

If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.

Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: The Apartment House on Poppy Hill.

Loved this book and interested in seeing what else these authors have written be sure to check out Nina LaCour 

Enjoy, Anne

 

Hey there teachers, in the classroom and those at home, need someone to help you get the kids into reading?    Join me in this week's episode while I read aloud the first chapter of "The Intrepid Three" by: Brianna and Matthew Penfold.  

Dez, Arabella, and Walter are seemingly ordinary teenagers from different worlds. Dez is a dejected coder living in Euporia under the oppressive conglomerate E-Corp. Arabella skates through life in an Aurelian aristocratic family. And Walter treads a typical path in the technology-obsessed society of Immerxia.

In a day's time, their lives are turned upside down when they meet Author, the writer of the universe, and discover they have gifts to heal the past, alter the present, and foresee the future. Author implores the three teens to restore their broken worlds. Complicating the kids' decision are supernatural forces working to end humanity and free a dark army from their prison known as Animus.

Can Dez, Arabella, and Walter save their worlds?

If you enjoyed this first chapter please screenshot today's episode and share it on your IG stories and tag me @booktastingspodcast.   Want to keep reading?? Here is a click to buy the book: The Intrepid Three.   Loved this book and interested in seeing what else this author has written be sure to check out Brianna and Matthew Penfold. Enjoy, Anne   Disclamer: A copy of this book was sent to me in return for reading the first chapter.