Lost and Found by Bill Harley & Adam Gustavson: Book Review & Giveaway

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When Justin loses his cherished hat his grandma made for him, he searches everywhere for it to no avail. That only leaves one place to look, the dreaded school lost and found. It's not the lost and found that's so scary, but the old school custodian, Mr. Rumkowsky.

Nobody has ever dared approach Mr. Rumkowsky about lost items. Justin must dig deep inside himself for the courage to be the first. The huge lost and found box yields a plethora of treasures from his friends lost belongings they were too terrified to claim, to some strange and unexpected treasures of students past.

Author Bill Harley captures the essence of childhood misunderstandings that can only be erased through confrontation. Gustavson adds nerve wracking drama through illustrations from a child's eye's view with a realistic close up of Mr. Rumkowsky and a mop bucket with the word, "caution". A RECOMMENDED picture book for ages 4-8 that will not only help with confronting fears, but teaches that others aren't always as they appear.

Publisher: Peachtree (Oct. 1, 2012)
Pages: 32
ISBN:  978-1-56145-628-4

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**I received a copy of this book at no charge from the publisher for review purposes only. This in no way influenced by opinion about the book. 

GIVEAWAY DETAILS: Peachtree Publishing is generously offering one of my lucky readers a copy of LOST AND FOUND by Bill Harley with illustration by Adam Gustvason. To enter, use the Rafflecopter form found at the end of this post. By entering, you acknowledge you have read the terms on the Rafflecopter form and agree to them. Contest ends 2/3/2013 at 11:59 EST. 

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Go For the Goal! by Fred Bowen: Book Review & Giveaway

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Josh and his best friend, Aiden, have finally made the cut to the United, an elite travel league soccer team. After playing for years together with the Flames, they struggle to adjust to their new team.

After hours of grueling practice and enduring team members who only look out for themselves, Josh wonders if he made the right decision to leave his old team. With so many talented players on the roster, Josh can't understand why they are always in the losers bracket.

A research project about the World Cup soccer championship gives Josh new insight as to what may help. During the course of his project, he learns that the 1999 United States Women's World Cup team faced many of the same challenges as the United. The team had many talented players, but couldn't seem to play together. Josh discovers the women used team building exercises to learn to work together. Could this work for his team? Josh musters the courage to approach his coach and give it a try. The skepticism his teammates show at first turns to confidence as the United bond together.

Though at times formulaic and predictable, author Fred Bowen manages to make the reader feel as if he is right there in the middle of the action. Any soccer fan will easily relate to the frustrations of building a team. The universal lesson of working together applies to any sport. A quick read that lends itself to a good book report choice. Good for the sports enthusiast.

Publishing Information:

• Publisher: Peachtree (Aug. 2012)
• ISBN: 978-1-56145-632-1
• Ages 7-12

This book can be purchased at the following retailers:

**I received a copy of this book at no charge from the publisher for review purposes only. This in no way influenced by opinion about the book. 

GIVEAWAY DETAILS: One of my lucky readers will win a paperback copy of Go For the Goal. To enter, use the Rafflecopter form. By entering, you acknowledge you have read the terms on the Rafflecopter form and agree to them. Contest ends 1/20/2013 at 11:59 EST.
  a Rafflecopter giveaway