Tuesday, August 16, 2022

How to Speak Animal by Aubre Andrus & Gabby Wild
[Blog Tour: Spotlight + Giveaway]

 
Halito! Welcome to the next stop on the How to Speak Animal blog tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Thank you for stopping by! If you would like to win a copy of this book, be sure to enter the giveaway at the bottom of this post. ๐Ÿ‘‡ For the full tour schedule, please visit the Rockstar Book Tours website.

About The Book:
Title: HOW TO SPEAK ANIMAL
Author: Aubre Andrus & Gabby Wild
Pub. Date: August 16, 2022
Publisher: National Geographic Kids
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook
Pages: 176
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, TBD, Bookshop.org

Learn about the secret language of wild animals in this exciting and informative guide from the experts who brought you How to Speak Cat and How to Speak Dog.

We know animals can’t speak and express themselves in the same way as humans … but even the smallest and quietest animals have incredible ways of communicating with each other. With wildlife veterinarian expert Dr. Gabby Wild as a guide, How to Speak Animal helps kids understand how animals communicate through sound, body language, and behavior. It’s full of expert insights and real-life stories of humans exploring ways to “talk” to animals, from teaching great apes sign language to speaking “dolphin.” Packed with super-engaging animal photography that helps illustrate key concepts, this fascinating book profiles more than 60 different creatures―from birds to mammals to reptiles and more―and their amazing ways of communicating with each other.

If you’ve ever wondered why gorillas beat their chests and make hooting noises, what it means when chameleons change color, or why some elephants twist their trunks together, this is the book for you!


About Aubre Andrus:

AUBRE ANDRUS is an award-winning children's book author with dozens of books published by National Geographic, Lonely Planet, American Girl, Disney, Scholastic, and more. She has also ghostwritten books for young YouTube stars. She currently lives in Los Angeles with her family. Visit her website and portfolio at www.aubreandrus.com.

About Gabby Wild:

DR. GABBY WILD earned her Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degrees at Cornell University. She completed her veterinary internship training at Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital in Akron, Ohio, and received her master's of public health (MPH) from the University of Minnesota. She is a published genetics researcher and uses her research background to screen zoonotic disease transmission among wildlife, domestic animals, and people. To help maintain a healthy planet, she monitors herd and individual health for rising epidemics. Dr. Wild balances her Western medicine practices with traditional Chinese medicine in an effort to blend both methodologies. Acclaimed for her role as “the veterinarian” on Animal Jam, the world’s largest online “playground,” with 54 million players, she creates educational videos and teaches children internationally about wildlife conservation and medicine. When not in the wild, Gabby works as a Wildlife Health Program veterinarian for the Wildlife Conservation Society at the Bronx Zoo and is a training veterinary surgeon at the Veterinary Medical Center of Long Island. She lives in New York City.

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a finished copy of HOW TO SPEAK ANIMAL, US Only.Ends September 6th, midnight EST.

Wednesday, August 10, 2022

The Honeys by Ryan La Sala [Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway]

 
Halito! Welcome to the next stop on The Honeys blog tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Thank you for stopping by! If you would like to win a copy of this book, be sure to enter the giveaway at the bottom of this post. ๐Ÿ‘‡ For the full tour schedule, please visit the Rockstar Book Tours website.

About The Book:
Title:
THE HONEYS
Author: Ryan La Sala
Pub. Date: August 16, 2022
Publisher: PUSH (Scholastic Press)
Formats: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook
Pages: 352
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org

From Ryan La Sala, the wildly popular author of Reverie, comes a twisted and tantalizing horror novel set amidst the bucolic splendor of a secluded summer retreat.

Mars has always been the lesser twin, the shadow to his sister Caroline's radiance. But when Caroline dies under horrific circumstances, Mars is propelled to learn all he can about his once-inseparable sister who'd grown tragically distant.

Mars's genderfluidity means he's often excluded from the traditions -- and expectations -- of his politically connected family. This includes attendance at the prestigious Aspen Conservancy Summer Academy where his sister poured so much of her time. But with his grief still fresh, he insists on attending in her place.

What Mars finds is a bucolic fairytale not meant for him. Folksy charm and sun-drenched festivities camouflage old-fashioned gender roles and a toxic preparatory rigor. Mars seeks out his sister's old friends: a group of girls dubbed the Honeys, named for the beehives they maintain behind their cabin. They are beautiful and terrifying -- and Mars is certain they're connected to Caroline's death.

But the longer he stays at Aspen, the more the sweet mountain breezes give way to hints of decay. Mars’s memories begin to falter, bleached beneath the relentless summer sun. Something is hunting him in broad daylight, toying with his mind. If Mars can't find it soon, it will eat him alive.

Reviews:

"Pure horror gold." - Booklist STARRED review

"Tantalizing and memorable." - Publisher's Weekly STARRED review

"As rich and complex as dark amber honey." – Kirkus

Ryan talks about THE HONEYS:



The Honeys
by Ryan La Sala was so mind-bendingly good! It's easily one of the best books I've read this year. I was hooked from the very first chapter (it's a doozy) and never wanted to put it down. Small, seemingly inconsequential details are shared slowly as the story progresses, and my paranoid brain gobbled them up (I was like Mars in this way). I suspected everyone and everything. The anxiety!!

I'd almost given up on YA books as a whole because the last ten or so I've read really haven't worked for me. I thought maybe I'd outgrown the genre, but La Sala showed me it wasn't the genre at all... just the books I'd been reading. The Honeys checked all my boxes and then some. 

Mars being genderfluid is the icing on the cake. I could relate to their struggles and sympathize with them on a level I wasn't expecting. At times I felt like I was Mars. It goes to show you just how phenomenal the writing truly is. I lived in this book. It's been a long time since a story has captured my attention so fully. The Honeys demands your attention, and I absolutely loved every second of it.

If this book isn't already on your TBR, I highly recommend adding it right now! (★★★★✩)


About Ryan La Sala:

Ryan La Sala writes about surreal things happening to queer people.

Ryan resides in New York City, but only physically. Escapist to the core, he spends most of his time in the astral planes and only takes up corporeal form for special occasions, like brunch and to watch anime (which is banned on the astral planes).

Ryan is the author behind the riotously imaginative Reverie, and the brilliantly constructed Be Dazzled, and the highly anticipated The Honeys. He has been featured in Entertainment Weekly, NPR, Tor.com, and one time Shangela from RuPaul’s Drag Race called him cute. Right in the middle of the road downtown! So. Pretty big deal all around, yes?

His next book, The Honeys, will be publish with Scholastic on August 16, 2022.


Giveaway Details:
1 winner will receive a finished copy of THE HONEYS, US Only.
Ends August 23rd, Midnight EST.