About the Author
As a teen, Barbara Bliss began a career in opera and cabaret. She has sung with the symphony orchestra in Barcelona, Spain and Washington DC, the New Jersey State Opera, and Alice Tully Hall. She began teaching voice twenty-five years ago and continues to teach, sing, and write every day.

My review: This book actually made me cry.  I don’t think my 8 year old granddaughter is quite ready for it, but maybe in a couple more years she will love it as I did.  The book’s setting is in New York City in the 1940s.  I love reading books from that time era.  The book is sweet, old-fashioned, and treats mental illness in a dignified manner.  The fantasy is sweet, the characters are respectable and likable, and the story is engaging.  Parts of the story contain mystery and childish antics.  The story is clean and well written.  Abigail Elliot and the Dollhouse Family would make a GREAT children’s movie!

About the Book: Rest assured, this is no ordinary treasure hunt. Each and every one of you will face inevitable hardship and danger. Most of you, despite your magic, will fail. But among you, from the depths of despair, will rise heroes! Indeed, the victors of this, DréAmm’s greatest Quest, shall earn a seat in the throne room of Legend!” The final note of Lord Blick’s speech rang like a distant bell of old, conjuring images of majesty and greatness.
Root marveled in the moment hardly imaginable. Only yesterday she was living with her boorish aunts in a half puce, half orange house and now here she was in a strange and secret land of old, not only an invited participant of a mystical Quest, but apparently she was magic, too, although she had yet to see evidence of that.
She surveyed the others, hundreds of vying teens, most of which were already magically trained, and felt fear course through her veins. But it rode the back of something much more fierce that demanded she stay…
The race of a lifetime is about to begin…
On your marks…Get set…Go!

My Review: I don’t read a lot of fantasy, but the Harry Potter series is deeply loved by me. I was hesitant as to what I would feel about this book at first, because the cover looked a little Harry Potterish to me.

There are some parallels to be certain but I think Ms. Reid has done a fine job of creating a unique world in DreAmm with many assorted and interesting characters and creatures. I love the concept of blending fantasy with a touch of the Amazing Race! The story is engaging and humorous and Root is a very likeable character that one can empathize with and root (pardon the pun) for! There is a lot of information about this new world that can be overwhelming at times (especially for a non-fantasy reader like myself!). A personal favorite part of the book for me were the Hovermutts!

I do believe that visiting the website is an absolute must. It’s gorgeously designed with a great deal of information about the book as well as plenty of author interaction.

Kamilla Reid has generously provided a signed copy (and small bonus surprise) for one of our readers! To be eligible to win simply leave a comment with a valid email address. For two entries, twitter about this contest with a link. (leave me your twitter name so I can check) For three entries, leave a link back to this post on your blog. (be sure to leave me a comment with a link to your post). Just to clarify, you can receive up to 6 entries.

Due to the high cost of shipping, this contest is only open to those with a United States or Canadian mailing address. I’ll draw a winner next Wednesday, July 23.

Mr. King-Smith has written a fun story both boys and girls will enjoy. The characters are lovable, the tale is humorous, and let’s face it – who isn’t curious about an old monster legend?

This book has recently been made into a movie. I am currently about 2/3 of the way done watching it with my girls. Just as a warning – it is one of those that is quite a bit different from the book. So my advice, as always, is to read the book first!

p.s. I would also like to shout out a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my sister Amy who started this blog. Love you, sis!

I was really excited to learn he was writing a book.

But I was also a little worried. Fantasy is really hit or miss with me. Sometimes I love it beyond all compare (Harry Potter) and sometimes I can’t get past the first few pages (The Hobbit).

I am so pleased to tell you that this book is fantastic.

First, here’s a little about the book from the publisher: In the quiet land of Skree, the Igiby children—Janner, his younger brother Tink, and their crippled sister Leeli—stumble upon the lost jewels of Anniera and determine to return them. Unfortunately, the scary-bad Gnag the Nameless seeks the jewels for his own evil ends… and so our band of friends, accompanied by their trust dog Nugget, must escape with the help of their mom and grandfather (who happens to be an ex-pirate).

Their journey takes them through an inventively fantastical world of wonders, complete with memorable characters (like Gnag’s evil minions the Fangs and Peet the Sock Man), fanciful creatures (like sea dragons, snickbuzzards, toothy cows, flabbits, and bomnubbles), and captivating places (like the Books & Crannies bookstore, Shaggy Tavern, the Dark Sea of Darkness that divides the land of Skree from Anniera, the Glipwood Forest, Ice Prairies, and the Stony Mountains).

Through fast-paced storytelling, little ditties, songs, and poems, side-splitting asides, sensory descriptions of time and place, and characters rich in heart, courage, and smarts, Andrew Peterson has created a wondrous tale you’ll enjoy and treasure—just like those lost jewels.

My Review: This book is so funny and delightful! The many different names don’t give me a headache but are quick to catch on to. It really reminds me of fantasy more in the vein of JK Rowling or Roald Dahl than anything else. It’s exciting, the cast of characters are charming, and the mysteries are fun. And it’s full of the same sorts of themes Andrew has in his music, which is a treat for a fan like me. I think this would be an excellent book for reading out loud with the family. Boys and girls will both enjoy this book. (as well as their parents!)