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Book received at no charge in exchange for an honest review.



Sammy Shine is perfectly content living in a shoebox in Hank's room. All of that changes when Hanks' brother sends Sammy on an accidental adventure in a remote control airplane.

No matter how hard he tries, Sammy can't avoid crashing into the Great Woods. He's totally unprepared to face life in the wilderness and he has no idea how to get home. To top it off, his plane disappears. Luckily, he meets some new friends, including a mouse named Phoebe, who agree to help him find his plane. The evil weasel, Mustela, and his band of rats try to thwart their plan.

It's hard to resist Sammy, the adorable mouse from the black and white illustrations. They convey so much more than the lacking in suspense plot. Though the character development falls short at times, young readers will still manage to fall in love with the adorable Sammy
even if they have to slowly skip along instead anxiously running ahead.

Ample illustrations and short chapters lend itself to a great read aloud book or a step up from the first chapter book for the early reader. I'm splitting my review on this one for a 5 star on the illustrations to a 3 star on the story.

I would like to welcome, Patti Wheeler, co-author of the Travels with Gannon and Wyatt adventure series to my blog today. Patti is giving away a copy of the first book in the series, Botswana. To win a copy of this well-written book in “journal-style” that kids will just eat up, please leave a comment or question for Patti by next Sunday, January 30 at 8 pm below in the comments section. One winner (who lives in either the United States of Canada) will be chosen and a book will be mailed to her. Middle-grade readers, boys and girls, will love this book!

On to the interview. . .

Patti Wheeler feels her greatest accomplishment is being the mother to twins Gannon and Wyatt. Her priority has been to educate, nurture, and to help the boys develop the important qualities of generosity, leadership, and compassion. For years, it has been Patti’s goal to create a children’s book series that instills the spirit of exploration in young people. Travels with Gannon and Wyatt is the realization of her dream. (Future books include adventures in the Great Bear Rainforest, Egypt and the Serengeti.) In addition to the book series, Patti is the founder of Claim Stake Productions/Publishing, executive producer and director of the TV pilot Travels with Gannon and Wyatt Off the Beaten Path: Egypt and co-wrote, with Keith Hemstreet, the screenplay Botswana, which was an official selection of the 2010 Beverly Hills Film Festival. Patti lives in Aspen, Colorado with her husband and sons.

The first book set in Botswana introduces you to Gannon and Wyatt and the journal format as the brothers find themselves faced with a poacher while on an African Safari. Will Gannon and Wyatt stop the poacher in time? A perfect book for boys (and girls!).

Margo: Welcome, Patti, thanks for visiting with me about Travels with Gannon and Wyatt. Where did you get the idea for Travels with Gannon & Wyatt: Botswana?

Patti: I got the idea one year while traveling with my family. I was thinking about all the fascinating and wonderful places we were visiting each year. We wanted to share our incredible adventures with the world, and what better way of doing that than through books and video.

Margo: I completely agree. What other books are planned for the series?

Patti: The books that are already planned for the series are Great Bear Rainforest, Egypt, Greenland, Iceland, Tanzania, and there are six more being discussed (including possibly China, India, the South Pacific, and the American West).

Margo: WOW! Sounds awesome! Who are the perfect readers for this book and the sequels?

Patti: 4th-12th graders who are interested in travel or adventure–our sweet spot is grades 4 through 8.

Margo: What can children learn from reading Travels with Gannon & Wyatt?

Patti: Children can learn that the world is their classroom, and “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” (Mark Twain). Children can also learn to explore, help their communities, and embrace diversity through philanthropy.

Margo: I love that Mark Twain quote! What are two or three activities children can do that come from reading this book?

Patti: This book offers students the opportunity to read and turn in book reports in school. Children are introduced to the Youth Exploration Society (Y.E.S.) in the book, which promotes giving back to communities, encourages exploration, and supports a clean and healthy environment. Also, reading this book encourages readers to ge

Today is THOMAS AND THE DRAGON QUEEN’s birth-(launch)-day! It is now available in stores. It is published by Knopf, with black and white line illustrations by Lee Wildish. THOMAS AND THE DRAGON QUEEN is an adventure story of a small knight and a large dragon.

This book seemed to pour out of me. I was stuck in the middle of a much longer book with a more complicated plot when, suddenly, I knew I had a different and very important story to tell that was short, simple, and pure. That story became THOMAS AND THE DRAGON QUEEN.

I do hope you get a chance to read it; especially in these times of so much misunderstanding in the world . . . for this book is really a book about peace. It is also humorous and full of adventure. That is good. A work of fiction is primarily meant to entertain. But if a book about peace can entertain as well as demonstrate how to get along with others different from ourselves . . . that is wonderful! And I am happy about it.

Peace

Shutta