Educational – Page 4 – The Indie Children's Authors Connection

Starts July 15 and runs through July 19

Welcome to day two of the Magik and Mayhem Blog Tour. I’d also like to welcome everyone that has come to visit from Kboards.com. Today, a fabulous $75 Amazon Gift Card is being featured for those visiting today. Link below to enter the prize. Note: The giveaway will start on July 16, 2013 and run for seven days. This is a special giveaway for Kboards.com members, but anyone visiting may enter. Thanks for stopping by! I’d also like to thank Harvey at Kboards.com for featuring my blog today.

Win a $75 Amazon Gift Card

Now, for a fabulous Middle Grade novel that has an educational twist that includes, what else, an elf! I’ve managed to find the perfect start to the blog tour. The Gemstone Chronicles: The Carnelian is book 1 in the series by William L. Stuart.

Evil and good are out of balance again, and needs to be restored. Aidan and Maggie are visiting their grandparents, helping their grandfather rock hunt, when they discover an odd fairy cross stone. The debate is on what to do with it after seeing a spector appear from it requesting help.

The Gemstone Chronicles Book 1: The Carnelian by William L. Stuart

The kids can’t help their curiousty, and break the stone open releasing the elf, Findecano. They must help him to find the several gemstones missing from the Elven Bow. Together, they must restore the balance.

I really liked this story since it showed grandparents as elders helping to raise and instill morals and values in their grandchildren. Plus, it showed the children being respectful. There was also great inner struggles with especially Beebop, the grandfather, as he comes to terms with the fact, elves are real. I always love stories that skirt the real world and a fantasy world.

Plus, it starts at the grandparents’ home in the Georgian mountains as the grandkids are visiting for Spring Break. So, I think this is a great book for kids that are visiting their grandparents, and need some activities. There is even a little education in rock hunting stones, and a general sense of respect for others, including elves and trolls. This would be a great start for any visit to grandparents, with two more books that follow in the series. It will keep grandchildren that love fantasy busy for hours.

**** Four Star Rating
The Gemstone Chronicles: The Carnelian is available at Amazon.com in paperback and ebook editions. Also available at Smashwords.com as an ebook edition.

Tomorrow’s post will feature an interview with the author of the Gemstone Chronicles, William L. Stuart.

I’d like to thank Kboards.com Facebook and Blog for featuring the Indie Children’s Authors Connection today.

**Continue your fantastic journey through Magik and Mayhem here! The Magik and Mayhem Blog Tour continues through to July 19.

Allie Gator And The Seven Stones by Sean Eckenrod

The next installment for the summer reading book review series is Allie Gator and the Seven Stones by Sean Eckenrod, a Middle Grade novel that will inspire learning while visiting that next river or beach. Allie is frustrated with being the only kid while the grown ups drag her to different activities only adults would love. She’d rather be swimming in the Myakka river, throwing stones, or exploring in her purple with orange flower flip flops. Her love for the river is revealed as fate, when she falls in and discovers a world in turmoil. The animals of Charlotte Harbor need her help to save them all.

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Allie discovers that seven stones must be recovered to put the real world to right. With an alligator companion, a catfish, gar, and three wood storks, Allie faces each new challenge to find the seven missing stones. She must overcome her self doubt, puzzling characters and obstacles, and learn that sometimes the best way to solve a problem is to deal with it head on.

I enjoyed this Middle Grade novel since it helps teach about the animals in Charlotte Harbor, Florida combined with self confidence. Anyone that has felt like the black sheep of any family may relate to Allie. As she goes through each challenge, new habitat and animals are revealed.

It was a learning experience for myself. I learned what a gar is. It’s a bottom feeder fish that lives mostly in brackish water. So, I have to say, everyone will learn a new nugget of wisdom while reading this book. I felt I was along with a park ranger in the form of an alligator while experiencing difficult tasks with Allie.

For more information and maps on the areas of Florida that are in the book, please visit Sean Eckenrod’s website. Book Club questions can also be found. Also on the website are chapter links that tell about each animal featured for each chapter in the book.

Turn the summer into an opportunity for learning about new habitats, animals in Florida, and a little kindness towards other living things. It’s a lesson that is so important to share.

**** Rating

Allie and the Seven Stones can be purchased at Amazon.com as a paperback or Kindle ebook.

To continue with your INDIEpendence Day Blog tour event, link back to the Indibles Writers Blog.

The Indie Children's Authors Connection

Reviews, Interviews, and Information about Independent Children's Authors

Category Archives: Educational

Elves Are More Than They Seem in the Gemstone Chronicles

Vacation Pairs With Learning in Allie Gator and the Seven Stones