John William and the Quest for Copia by Elizabeth Parkinson-Bellows

John William knew there was something special about the medallion Celeste found. It chimed and sparkled in the sunlight. He was right; the medallion was from Copia, a lost city masked in time. Legendary tales were repeated of a golden city inhabited by Empyrean Wizards that was suddenly plagued by greed and gluttony when a meager fledgling magician by the name of Imperius the Great wandered in. Some did not believe the city ever existed; others who knew better wanted it to stay lost.

John William and Celeste were more than ready for another adventure. The search for Copia seemed to be a perfect opportunity. They were unaware of the dangers until it was too late. Shadow jumpers emerged and grew rapidly in numbers. They wanted the medallion; its power would bring the lost city to life again, unlocking the dark past dormant with in its walls. The young explorers were in a mess of trouble. If they did not fix things fast, Copia’s pestilence of wild creatures would be set free to stir up an evil capable of destroying the realm.

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John William and the Bandits of Basswood

We already know Alexander Drake’s story. His father, John William started it all years before when he entered Azra’s Pith. This is his story. John William was born an explorer; just like his dad before him. His adventure really began with the worst year of his life. He lived everyday in misery until his twelfth birthday. He set out to turn things around and find his smile again. A new friend gave him an invitation he could not turn down… follow me and change your destiny. He never imagined being captured by bandits and taken to a ship riddled with river rats was part of his fate. Not just any bandits – the Bandits of Basswood; known to be a ruthless and wild crew of thieves. Trying to escape would be a ridiculous idea. No one has ever escaped and lived to tell about it. Someone should have mentioned that to John William before he snuck off the ship. The chase out of Basswood was on. He took a chance to change his destiny and ended up on a wild ride to save his life.

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Little Red Writing by Joan Holub

Acclaimed writer Joan Holub and Caldecott Honoree Melissa Sweet team up in this hilarious and exuberant retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, in which a brave, little red pencil finds her way through the many perils of writing a story, faces a ravenous pencil sharpener (the Wolf 3000)... and saves the day.

Joan Holub has hundreds of pencils. Some are red. Others are glittery, sporty, or full of holiday cheer. They are all super sharp and good at writing books. They’ve helped Joan write more than 130 books, including Zero the Hero and Knuckleheads. She lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Melissa Sweet has illustrated nearly 100 children’s books, including the Caldecott Honor–winning River of Words and the Sibert Medal–winning Balloons Over Broadway. When not in her studio, Melissa loves to ride her bicycle and hike with her two dogs, Rufus and Nellie. She lives in Rockport, Maine.

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Praise
"A very funny picture book that, I guarantee you, lots of savvy teachers will be eagerly sharing with students as part of the process of teaching creative writing." -- Richie Partington MLIS, Richie's Picks

"What a CLEVER, CLEVER story!" -- I Love to Read and Write Reviews

"This clever adaptation of Little Red Riding Hood has so many levels of creativity and learning... Every elementary teacher should have this book to begin their writing units." -- Play on Words

"Style, humor, and solid writing advice." --Publishers Weekly, starred review

"So rich in words and wry humor-written and visual-that one reading just isn't enough." --School Library Journal, starred review

Hyperion and the Great Balls of Fire (Heroes in Training Book 4) by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams

The action heats up for Zeus and his fellow Olympians in this blazing Heroes in Training tale.

Phew, it’s hot! Under the titan Hyperion’s rule, the sun is burning even brighter than normal and scorching everything in northern Greece—including the villagers! The Olympians are forced to play a sizzling “game” of Dodge the Sunbursts as Hyperion hurls giant fireballs that could fry them to pieces! Armed with some clues, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades set out to figure out why in the world Hyperion has been making things so hot. They also need to rescue Hera, who is still missing. Battling the extreme heat—and some fantastical and scary creatures, courtesy of their old foe Cronus—the boys are off on another epic adventure…and Zeus is one step closer to discovering his destiny.

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Heroes in Training by Joan Holub & Suzanne Williams 
Authors Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams deliver fun, adventures, and a few surprises as ten-year-old Olympians go on a journey of a lifetime to discover their true identities and defeat their Titan enemies.

Praise for Heroes in Training

"Readers will gobble this down and look for more, make no mythtake." ~ Kirkus

“This is a fun read, casting Zeus in the role of relatable kid, and there is a nice balance between his primary goal of survival and his sense of destiny and adventure. . . Share this title, and likely more to come, with those still too young for Percy Jackson’s adventures.” ~ School Library Journal

The Series

#1 Zeus and the Thunderbolt of Doom #2 Poseidon and the Sea of Fury #3 Hades and the Helm of Darkness #4 Hyperion and the Great Balls of Fire Aladdin Paperbacks (ages 6-9)

http://series.simonandschuster.com/Heroes-in-training  

Zeus and the Thunderbolt of Doom (Book 1)

After pulling a magical thunderbolt from a stone, ten-year-old Zeus goes on the adventure of a lifetime in this thrilling start to a brand-new series! The terrible Titans--merciless giants who enjoy snacking on humans--have dominated the earth and put the world into chaos. But their rule is about to be put to the test as a group of young Olympians discover their powers and prepare to righteously rule the universe.... Ten-year-old Zeus is mystified (and super-annoyed) by the fact that he keeps getting hit by lightening. Every. Single. Year. He also longs for adventure, as he has never been far from the cave where he grew up. Zeus gets his wish--and a lot more than he bargained for--when he is kidnapped by dangerous, giant Titans! In self-defense, he grabs the first thing he sees--an actual thunderbolt he pulls from a stone that is covered in mysterious markings. Zeus is the only one who can decipher the markings, and sets off on a quest to rescue his youthful fellow Olympians from the evil Cronus. Armed with his trusty thunderbolt (named Bolt, of course), Zeus is on an adventure of a lifetime--and a journey to fulfill his destiny as King of the Gods.

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Persephone the Daring (Goddess Girls #11) by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams

Mortal rock star Orpheus steals the spotlight in this Goddess Girls tale of love and lyres!

Orpheus is a mortal rock god, and the girls at Mount Olympus Academy are wild about him! With his lyre and singing voice, Orpheus can charm pretty much anything—even things like stones and trees. But Hades and the other MOA boys aren’t charmed. In fact, they are less than thrilled that the girls are so gaga over this guy. His fans are especially excited about his latest song about the girl he loved and lost, Eurydice. Orpheus was devastated when he lost Eurydice to the Underworld, so he asks Persephone to help get her back. Though it means breaking some very serious Underworld rules, Persephone pushes Hades to return Eurydice to the living world. But restoring Orpheus’s one true love might jeopardize Persephone’s own chances with her biggest crush...

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Praise for The Goddess Girls

“…a clever take on Greek deities…” ~ Booklist "Readers familiar with Greek myths should get a kick out of this plucky restaging." ~Publisher's Weekly “…an enchanting mythological world with middle-school woes compounded by life as a deity…” ~ School Library Journal

The Goddess Girls Series

The Goddess Girls series, by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams puts a modern spin on classic Greek myths. Follow the ins and outs of divine social life where the most privileged godboys and goddessgirls in the Greek pantheon hone their mythical skills.

• Athena the Brain Finding out she’s a goddess and being sent to Mount Olympus brings Athena new friends, a weird dad, and the meanest girl in mythology—Medusa!
• Persephone the Phony Hiding her feelings works fine for Persephone until she meets a guy she can be herself with—Hades, the bad-boy of the Underworld.
• Aphrodite the Beauty Sure Aphrodite is beautiful, but it’s not always easy being the goddessgirl of love.
• Artemis the Brave She may be the goddess of the hunt, but that doesn’t mean Artemis always feels brave.
• Athena the Wise Zeus says Heracles has to do twelve tasks or he'll get kicked out of MOA! Although she's not sure it's wise, Athena agrees to help out.

An Unexpected Adventure by D. X. Dunn

When ten-year old Christopher Knight gets an email from his best friend, now living two hundred miles away, he has no idea that it holds the key to another world. The two friends unexpectedly find themselves in the magical kingdom of Distania. There they must face a raging river, dragons, a mysterious prince and an angry king; and they need to get home in time for dinner!

Excerpt!

“Which way should we go, then?”  Chris spoke more to himself than to his friend.

The boys surveyed the landscape again.  A large group of trees in the distance caught their eyes.  Neither of them could remember seeing the trees only a few minutes earlier.

“How about towards the trees?” Chris asked Alex, not wanting to mention that he hadn’t noticed them before.

“Yeah, sounds good.”  Alex gave his head a shake and then rubbed his eyes.  He was sure that there hadn’t been any trees there a moment ago.

The pair walked in silence for a few minutes.  They both enjoyed the warmth of the sun and felt happy to be together again after the last few months apart.  Then Chris noticed the shadows that were moving along the ground in front of them.  He looked up quickly to try to figure out what was making the strange shadowy shapes.

“Um, Alex,” he whispered.  “What are those big flying things up there?”

“Oh yes,” Alex answered quietly, “I forgot to mention the dragons.”

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Reviews from Amazon

Really, there are so few books geared for boys these days, this was quite refreshing to read. Two boys, best friends, find a website that transports them to another land, Distania, where they meet Arthur, a young prince a little magic, and, dare I say it?...Dragons!! ~ Donna Dillon

I'm writing this on behalf of my 9 yr old son. In his words: I really enjoyed this book. It had a wicked storyline. While I was reading it I was imagining it was me & my best friend.~ Phil

Author bio

D.X. Dunn is an avid reader who has allowed her love of books to spill over into writing. Reading is a vital life skill for children to develop and she started the Distania Chronicles in an effort to get more books out there that boys could read and enjoy. (Because she is the mom of a boy.) The books have developed to include strong female characters as well. (Because she is the mom of a girl, too.)

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There are two more books in the The Distania Chronicles! Amazon

The Celadon Circle series! New Release Party by Nicole Storey

The first book in The Celadon Circle series, Blind Sight, will be released on July 18th!

Stop by Nicole's Facebook page or blog and join the fun!

A FULL day of fun contests, freebies and giveaways!!

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Previously published books by Nicole:

Gage Gilbert is an eleven-year-old boy who has autism, loves Halloween, and has no friends. Although he has always been happy with the safety and security of his family, he longs for a real friend and adventure - not just the ones he makes up in his head. Then, he meets Eve.

Eve is a young witch from another world called Grimsley Hollow. It's where all magical beings live in safety and peace, but their world is in trouble. Gage is the only one who can help save them from an evil witch who has taken control.

With Eve's help (along with a sarcastic pixy, a trouble-making werewolf, and a half-vampire), Gage travels to Grimsley Hollow. Together, they begin a journey that will change them all. It's a dangerous race against evil, where creatures unheard of stalk the land under a harvest moon and monsters that only exist in dreams become real.

Gage wanted friends and adventure, but he had no idea they would come at such a dangerous price. Can one autistic boy defeat an evil witch and help save his new friends? Travel to Grimsley Hollow and find out!

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Grimsley Hollow is the home of all the magical creatures who once lived on Earth. Evil forces are trying to take over this realm, and destroy the peace and respect which has existed between different races. Eve, a young witch, records in her journal the events which lead them to seek the one person who can help them survive: The Chosen One.

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For ages 12 – 120 A story that proves not all superheroes wear a cape. Grimsley Hollow is under attack again. Is Inari is trying to seize the Key of Opa and take control of all the magical people and fantastic creatures who live there or is she under the power of someone even more insidious, greedy and evil? Nazar has kidnapped Siren, a young Werewolf, hoping to draw out his family and friends, especially the thirteen year old autistic boy who holds the Key. Nazar has aligned himself with groups of werewolves and other creatures who have broken from the rule of peaceful Queen Aradia, and now believes he's invulnerable to any tricks or spells that would protect the Key. Nazar doesn't realize there is nothing stronger than the bond of friendship, nothing more enduring than the ties of family, and nothing more powerful than a boy who has discovered his own self worth and the magic that comes with believing in himself.

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