Reading something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue
Some weeks back, I got a lovely surprise in the mail: a folded and gathered (f&g) advanced copy the book “Boo-la-la Witch Spa” (set for release on August 18) all the way from Studio Roxas in New York City.
“Boo-la-la Witch Spa” is written by Samantha Berger and illustrated by Filipino illustrator Isabel Roxas (we know her as Pepper!), who very kindly sent me this f&g. In “Boo-la-la Witch Spa, a harried young witch decides to get “the works” at a popular spa for witches.
Whenever I buy books, an important consideration is how good a book will look on my shelf, and I mean that in the literal sense: I like pretty books. This makes for a lot of impulsive shopping as I’m bound to pick up random books that catch my eye, but I’ve never regretted buying a book for its sheer physical beauty.
Such was the case when I had to buy some art supplies a couple of weeks ago, I had meant to pick up a watercolor pad and some new drawing pencils (in my attempts to wring out my creative juices) and I happened to wander to the art books section (erm, yeah, two floors down, but whatever…) and wham! I spotted a lovely, picture book called “Pierre the Maze Detective: The Search for the Stolen Maze Stone.
I wasn’t planning on reading this new Princess Diaries spinoff series, but I was on such a high from”Royal Wedding” that I ended up reading this book, in the hopes of getting more of Mia and Michael.
“From the Notebooks of a Middle School Princess” is the first in this middle grade Princess Diaries, revolving around *surprise, surprise* (sorry, spoilers), Mia’s long-lost half sister, Olivia Grace Clarisse Mignonette Harrison. Olivia Grace is twelve and thinks she’s pretty ordinary, until the day she finds out she’s a princess.
Continue reading “From the Notebooks of a Middle School Princess”
I’ll take a head start on the #NCBD2015 Blog Tour this week, before I get bogged down.
(The #NCBD2015 Blog Tour is a series of weekly posts in celebration of National Children’s Book Day, happening all throughout July.)
Here’s this week’s prompt:
Hulyo 14 – 19: Dream Date
Sinong manunulat o ilustrador ang nais mong makasama sa isang araw/gabí? (Kailangang mga aklat pambata at pangkabataan ang nililikha niya. Maaari ring maglista nang higit sa isa pa.)
I met Mae Coyiuto sometime last year to discuss a project, and we’ve been corresponding on that for some months now when she asked if I would be interested in reviewing her upcoming YA novella. I knew she has been writing since she was very young, but I’ve never actually read any of her work so I told her to go ahead and send me the manuscript.
Set for release later this month (under Anvil Publishing), “The Year We Became Invincible” is about high school senior Camille Li, whose life is planned out to the last detail. She’s a ballerina who plans to major in chemistry, and go on to med school to become a doctor like her dad. But when Camille meets Ian, a “smart ass slacker” and his group of adventure-loving friends, she finds herself doing things she never would have dared to do before, and she starts to reconsider what she wants to do with her life.
