Horrid Henry and the Zombie Vampire by Francesca Simon

Henry is horrid.  To his brother, his parents, his teachers and his classmates.  His parents are constantly telling him not to be horrid but I am not sure Henry knows how to be anything else.  In one chapter he does everything he possibly can to prevent his brother from telling a story and then actually tries to pretend it is his story in school!  In another he sabotages a healthy meal being cooked by a chef in school.  In the third he is once again picking on his little brother by tricking him into giving Henry his money, candy, and doing his chores.  In the final chapter he has his classmates believing their teacher is a zombie vampire.

As each chapter is a self-contained story Horrid Harry will bode well with reluctant readers. The illustrations are comical and add spice to the story. Young readers, especially boys are going to laugh out loud, enjoy this book, and beg for more Horrid Henry books.   Lucky for them there are lots more.

Read as an ebook courtesy of Sourcebooks via Netgalley.

Fall Mixed Up by Bob Raczka

A young boy gets the fall months mixed up calling them Septober and Octember.  So naturally fall happenings get mixed up.  Apples turn orange.  Pumpkins turn red.  Squirrels fly south.

This book is sure to make children laugh and I can just hear them screaming "no, bears hibernate, not geese?"  The pictures work perfectly with the words in this wonderful fall read aloud book.  Recommended for pre-schoolers and up and I want it for my school library.

Book Lovers "Escape to Austin"

This blog post is for adult readers specifically.  Here's a chance to win a trip for 2 to Austin Texas for a literary escape to the Texas Book Festival.  

PR by the Book's "Escape to Austin " Contest

To celebrate its 10^th Anniversary, PR by the Book will award one literary lover a trip to the home of storytellers like O. Henry and Willie Nelson: Austin, Texas

AUSTIN – Now in its 10^th year of operation, with a growing pool of star literary talent and media personalities, PR by the Book has become a go-to firm in the book publishing industry for innovative publicity campaigns and top-tier media placement. 

Founded in 2002 by Marika Flatt, PR by the Book has grown from a one-woman operation to a team of 10, representing everyone from The Berenstain Bears series to Rex Pickett, author of the beloved book-turned-movie, Sideways.

Now, PR by the Book has decided it’s time to share the love. And what better way to do that than to award a trip to the town where it all got started: Austin , Texas ?

" Austin has burgeoned into a bustling literary community. When I started in book publicity here in 1997, I’d meet people who would be surprised I wasn’t from New York or Los Angeles ,” says Flatt. “Now, when I travel for work and people ask where I’m from and I tell them Austin , the response is something similar to: I adore Austin and what a literary town that is!”

The contest is called "Escape to Austin " and will be a truly one-of-a-kind trip for the lucky winner. The prize package includes round-trip airfare for the winner and a guest, a two-night stay at The Hilton Garden Inn downtown Austin, dinner for two at TRIO in the Four Seasons, a $50 gift certificate to historic Hyde Park Bar & Grill and a couple of bookish perks.

Drawing the likes of Susan Orlean and Chuck Palahniuk, the Texas Book Festival is one of the premiere literary fests in the country. Last year, the festival featured 243 authors and attracted 40,000 attendees. The winner of the "Escape to Austin" contest will be granted two VIP passes to the weekend-long festival October 26-28, as well as a pass to one of TBF's invitation-only author parties.

"We are very excited to partner with PR by the Book for this contest package," says Lidia Agraz, TBF's Executive Di rector. "We're still early in the talent line-up process, but I can say that this year's festival will offer attendees a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to commune with true literary icons."

To enter "Escape to Austin ," contest hopefuls must simply "like" PR by the Book on Facebook and fill out the entry form.The contest runs August 1 – August 31, 2012, and a winner will be selected by September 7 (open to U.S. residents only.)

PR BY THE BOOK is a boutique publicity firm specializing in literary media relations campaigns, publishing consultation, small business publicity, and publicity tours for authors and experts. Our team of seasoned publicists has worked on books in nearly every genre, and with dozens of major publishing houses and small presses. Visit prbythebook.com to learn more.

For the Facebook link to enter:  click here

or copy and paste this link

https://www.facebook.com/prbythebook

Good Luck!

The No-Dogs-Allowed Rule by Kashmira Sheth

Ishan wants a dog. However, his mom is afraid of dogs so their family has a no-dog-allowed rule. Ishan walks the neighbor's dog, reads about dogs, and knows all about them. When the opportunity presents itself for Oggie, the neighbor's dog to stay in his house for a few days Ishan sets out to make his mom see that dogs can be lovable animals. Can Ishan convince her (and his dad) so they can get a dog? Find out in this very funny story. I always enjoy books about people from India in the U.S. and in India and learning bits about their culture. This book is no exception. Ishan is a comical fellow who will make readers laugh. Perfect for boys and readers who want a dog and or enjoy humorous stories.

Read as an ebook arc courtesy of Albert Whitman & Co. via Netgalley.