Spooktacular Giveaway Hop!

This is one of our favorite times of the year.  We would like to share some of our most SPOOKTACULARLY lovable MONSTERS with you!

This a a really fun HOP hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and The Diary Of A Bookworm. Please visit http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com/2012/10/spooktacular-giveaway-hop-50-gone.html

for a list of all the blogs participating.

We both love Vampires and Slayers, and Auntie Heather is one of our very favorites, so we are offering you guys an autographed copy of High School Bites by Heather Brewer!  This is the best of both! The Vampire's Story AND the Slayer's Story all in one!!

Here are the rules:

1.  Become a PUBLIC follower of the blog (so we can see you).

2. Leave a Comment on this post and include your email address.

ONE follower will win the book.

Good Luck,

the Monsters

In the meantime, check out Auntie Heather's Blog:

http://www.heatherbrewer.com/

Marsh Reviews The Slayer Chronicles: Second Chance

The Slayer Chronicles: Second Chance

By Heather Brewer 

     Joss’s slayer family has found out that he took on a secret mission to kill Vlad Tod.  Unless he completes a quest to find and kill a vampire serial killer, they will have to kill him.  He finds out it’s a ring of brothers who are the killers.  Can he defeat the vampires?  Can he stay in the society?

 My Response:

     This was an intense book, especially during the action and emotional scenes.  I really like how all the emotional parts are deep and you can relate to them.  I really liked how the main character, Joss, had many good personality traits.  He is smart, courageous, smart and brave.  I also enjoyed the plot of the book and how it tied into Vlad Tod. 

     I think Heather Brewer’s writing is very original and her books are not like any of the other vampire and slayer books on the market.  Her writing is very witty and well planned.  I loved this book and I give it 5 Monsters.

Please visit Auntie Heather's Blog to find out more about this series and her other books.  Be warned: She's Awesome!

http://www.heatherbrewer.com/index.php

This is me meeting Auntie Heather at The Decatur Book Festival.

Emiline's Review of Eighth Grade Bites

Eighth Grade Bites (Chronicles of Vladimir Tod #1)

by Heather Brewer

Review by Emiline

Vlad isn’t a normal boy; he’s a vampire.  His parents are dead.  He lives in a small town where people are being abducted mysteriously.  Vlad’s teacher is missing and his substitute is very intriguing.  Vlad stays cautious when he’s around the sub, Mr. Otis, because he is bound to discover his secret. 

One day, Vlad finds a letter from his father that could answer the questions about his parent’s deaths.  To find out what happens next, read Heather Brewer’s Eighth Grade Bites.

I liked that Vlad wasn’t a super popular kid and that he faces challenges that real kids face.  I also liked that Brewer seems to pour all of her emotion into the book.  I also really liked that even though Vlad is a vampire, he is not vicious or cruel.

I read every chance I get!  This is a picture of me reading in the carpool line.

Monsters Against Bullying

We are so happy that we are a part of this.  Please make sure you visit:

http://ladysbookstuff.blogspot.com/ and

http://www.uniquelymoibooks.com/

to see wonderful posts by Authors and Bloggers who are taking a stand against bullying.

Being Different

By Emiline, age 8

I am different and proud.  I don’t want to fit in.  I like being original.  When people call me weird, I don’t care.  I take weird as a compliment—never an insult.

I’m a girl who loves comics, a girl who pursues a retro style and I am proud.

Being different is not bad; different is just different.  Different can be swell.  I have a bold personality and I love to stand out. 

I don’t like it when people change for someone or something.  They don’t need to.  They are amazing just the way they are.  They’re not bad, just like I’m not bad.  I’m just different.

I wrote this one day after I was bullied at school and was feeling bad about myself.  My intention is to stop bullying.  When you get bullied, your ego starts lacking.  

It’s frightening when you get bullied.  Your heart sinks and you don’t know what to do.  But I think if we show lots of perseverance and take things one step at a time, we can stop bullying. 

One of the reasons people get bullied is because they stand out.  They are different.  It’s okay to be different.  The world would be boring if everyone was the same.

I was bullied, but I stood up for myself.  And I think we can stop it all together.  The key is not to bully.  So join me and stop bullying.

Bullying

By Marsh, age 11

When you are bullied it feels like you are an outcast.  It feels like you have less than no friends.  You feel completely alone.

In the fourth grade, I felt like a huge outcast.  There were a couple of kids who were always making fun of me.  It was terrible.  Then someone recommended Heather Brewer’s Vlad Tod series of books.  Brewer’s main character, Vlad, is an outcast himself.  It felt good to read about someone else who was feeling the way that I felt.  I liked to see that I was not the only one being bullied.

If you are being bullied, you are not alone.  A lot of people are bullied.  Sometimes those people just learn to be mentally stronger and better than their bullies.  I felt like, because I was bullied, I became a stronger person.  But I did not do it all by myself.  If you know someone who is being bullied, reach out to him.  Be a good friend.  Tell him that it is going to be okay.  And maybe suggest that they read a good book.  Reading always seemed to help me.

Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday!

It's time for MMGM at A Monster Ate my Book Report!  This is our favorite meme, probably because we are Middle-Graders.  Make sure you visit Ms. Shannon's blog to see all the other wonderful blogs that are featuring books for Middle- Grade.

http://ramblingsofawannabescribe.blogspot.com/

Marsh's MMGM pick for this week is First Kill  by Heather Brewer!

     Heather Brewer's writing is always good and I especially enjoyed it in this book. She is very descriptive.  I could picture all of her scenes perfectly--as if I were there. I really liked how the main character, Joss, is strong, courageous, and strong-willed.  He is overall a very likeable character, so much so that people have started teams for Joss as well as for Heather Brewer's other book-series' character, Vlad From the Chronicles of Vladimir Todd.  (Trust me, even though there are teams, no one wants this to turn into Twilight.)  I was honestly blown back by her new writing in these books and some moments shocked me so much that I was paralyzed.  I liked how this book was from Joss's point of view so I could see his side of the story.  I am really glad to have this as my MMGM pick this week. 

 

Visit Auntie Heather's Blog, because she's hilariously strange:

http://www.heatherbrewer.com/

And then there's this.....

In October the second book in the Slayer Chronicles comes out.

Special Report: Marsh Reviews Heather Brewer's THE SLAYER CHRONICLES: FIRST KILL

The Slayer Chronicles:

First Kill

By Heather Brewer

A Spoiler Free Book Report by Marsh

            I’ve been waiting for this book to come out for a long time.  I have read all the Vladimir Tod books and Heather Brewer is my favorite author.  I was eager to see what she wrote next and where she took her character, Joss. 

My mom went to ComicCon and since I read Heather Brewer’s blog, I knew my Auntie Heather was going to be there!!  AND she would have advanced reader copies of The First Kill.  My mom said she’d TRY to find her. 

I was shocked when my mom called me and she said, “Guess who I’m looking at?” 

I said, “Who?”

She said, “Heather Brewer.”

I was like, “OH. MY. VLAD.” 

My mom put someone on the phone.  I ended up talking to my favorite author, HEATHER BREWER!  When my mom came home, I had The First Kill and a signed copy of Eighth Grade Bites.  Inside Eighth Grade Bites it said, “It was FANGtastic talking to you on the phone”. 

                                                                      

The Slayer Chronicles: The First Kill is thrilling.  I never knew what was going to happen next.  I enjoyed that it was from Joss’ point of view.  And I love how it started out when he was ten, especially since I’m a ten-year old boy. But unlike Joss, my sister didn’t die at the hands of a vampire, although sometimes she thinks she is one.  I’m not very strong either.  I’m not that agile.  In fact, I’m really only fast when something is chasing me.  Good thing Joss isn’t me.  He’d never make it as a slayer.

From the age of ten through thirteen, Joss gets stronger, and faster, and becomes a Slayer.  That is mostly what this book is about.  The First Kill changed my opinion of Joss, but Vlad will always be my favorite.

This is one of the best books I’ve read.  I would recommend it to people who love Vladimir Tod and to fans of Joss, but if you haven’t read any other Heather Brewer books, you should start with Eighth Grade Bites!

            I give it ten monsters—out of five.

Find out more about Heather Brewer's awesome books at www.vladtod.com  AND www.slayerchronicles.com . To find out more about Heather Brewer visit her website at http://www.heatherbrewer.com/ .

You can find these books at your local library. 

Or at our favorite Indie Bookstore, Little Shop of Stories, here- http://littleshopofstories.com/

Okay, down to the swag stuff... I'm a Master Minion, well, my mom is since I'm not 14 yet, but I'm going to play nice and share.  We have bookmarks, tattoos, a Vlad Tod tote bag (featured in the video), and also a Vlad Tod shirt (also in the video). If you want to win some swag here's what you need to do--

1. Become a follower of this blog (public, so we can see you!)

2. Comment on this review telling us what you are most excited for in The Slayer Chronicles, and then leave your email

3. Limited to the US residents, because we are kids and we are broke!

4. Contest ends  September 16, 2011 (We have re-opened the giveaway!  Enter now for new prizes!)

Good Luck!!

The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, by Heather Brewer

Heather Brewer's The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod 

By Marsh

In the little town of Bathory, there is a boy with a big secret . . .

Vladimir Tod is a typical middle/ high-schooler.  Or is he?  He is a vampire. 

(No.  He's not Mr. Sparkly Hunk; he's a loser.  Girl's don't swoon when he walks by.)

But Vlad is not a normal vampire.  He's the Pravus--the vampire that will rule over vampire kind and enslave the human race.  But he does not know that until later.  There are vampires trying to steal his title and slayers trying to stake him.  Can he live?

My mom recommended the first book to me early this year and I loved it.  Heather Brewer is a great author.  (We also have the same favorite band and I think she is hilarious.  You should check out her blog.)  I like the book because sometimes I feel a little like Vlad.  Well, I'm not being hunted, but I don't exactly fit in.  

I am very excited about her next series, The Slayer Chronicles.  But you'll have to read The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod to find out who the slayer is.  I can't wait to see what happens.

I give the entire series 5,000 monsters out of 5.

Marsh