BLOG TOUR - OUT OF MY HEART BY SHARON M. DRAPER - MIDDLE GRADE FICTION [REVIEW + GIVEAWAY]

Title: Out of My Heart 

Authors(s): Sharon M. Draper

Publication Date: November 9, 2021
Edition: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook; 352 pgs
Publisher: Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books
Source: Rockstar Book Tours
Purchase: Amazon - Kindle - Audible - B&N - BAM! - iBooks - Kobo - TBD - Bookshop.org
Disclaimer: I received a copy from the publisher as part of a blog tour in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own.  Please note the purchase links above are affiliate links.

Tour Schedule

Week One

11/8/2021 - Kait Plus Books - Excerpt

11/8/2021 - Rajiv's Reviews - Review

11/9/2021 - bookblogarama - Excerpt

11/9/2021 - Little Red Reads - Review

11/10/2021 - Locks, Hooks and Books - Review

11/10/2021 - Lifestyle of Me - Review

11/11/2021 - Bri's Book Nook - Review

11/11/2021 - Sparetimereader - Review

11/12/2021 - More Books Please Blog - Review

11/12/2021 - OneMoreExclamation - Review

Week Two

11/15/2021 - Wilted Pages - Review

11/15/2021 - Don't Judge, Read - Excerpt

11/16/2021 - For the Love of KidLit - Excerpt

11/16/2021 - BookHounds YA - Review

11/17/2021 - Eli to the nth - Review

11/17/2021 - Two Points of Interest - Review

11/18/2021 - Not In Jersey - Review

11/18/2021 - @bookshelfmomma - Review

11/19/2021 - Once Upon a Twilight - Review

11/19/2021 - The Momma Spot - Review

The Summary

Melody faces her fears to follow her passion in this stunning sequel to the acclaimed, New York Times bestselling middle grade novel Out of My Mind.

Melody, the huge-hearted heroine of Out of My Mind, is a year older, and a year braver. And now with her Medi-talker, she feels nothing’s out of her reach, not even summer camp. There have to be camps for differently-abled kids like her, and she’s going to sleuth one out. A place where she can trek through a forest, fly on a zip line, and even ride on a horse! A place where maybe she really can finally make a real friend, make her own decisions, and even do things on her own—the dream!

By the light of flickering campfires and the power of thunderstorms, through the terror of unexpected creatures in cabins and the first sparkle of a crush, Melody’s about to discover how brave and strong she really is.

Reviews:

"A deeply satisfying and worthy continuation of a beloved story." (Kirkus Reviews, STARRED September 15, 2021)

“Melody Brooks, a smart, determined 12-year-old diagnosed with cerebral palsy, returns in this sequel to 2010’s Out of My Mind. Longing for independence from her family and daily routines, she persuades her parents to let her attend Camp Green Glades, a summer camp for kids with disabilities in her home state of Ohio. With the help of her Jamaican American counselor Trinity and three cabinmates, Melody navigates new experiences—including zip-lining, horseback riding, and a first crush. Melody’s voice is as wryly funny as ever, and the supporting cast, which features kids and adults of various ethnicities and disabilities, treat her with respect and empathy… it’s impossible not to be charmed by the witty protagonist’s affirming, frequently ecstatic discovery of what it means to be part of a community that truly understands her.”

(Publishers Weekly *STARRED REVIEW* October 11, 2021)

(Goodreads)

My Review

I really hope that everyone has gotten to read Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper, the first book in this duology, because while you can enjoy Out of My Heart without having read it, there is so much more to Melody that you need to know before you can appreciate the amazing, transformational experience she goes on at summer camp.

Quick recap to give context (this is the barest of bare minimum's so please read Out of My Mind to get everything): Melody has cerebral palsy, and she cannot communicate the way most people do because of that.  Also, due to this, many people in her life think she isn't intelligent; kids in her class, teachers, and even doctors!  But Melody has a photographic memory and is extremely intelligent.  Once she receives a "Medi-talker", a machine that can speak for her via text-to-speech, she has the means to communicate and show everyone just how smart she really is.

Out of My Heart takes place the summer after the school year explored in Out of My Mind, where Melody has gotten more and more confident in herself because she has the means to finally make herself heard.  With that comes a desire to explore the world outside of her norm, and do things other kids do: like summer camp.  She thinks there must be a camp for kids like her, and she sets off, with the help of her favorite librarian (yes for librarians!). Melody researches different options, and then makes her case to her parents.  Of course, she convinces them because Melody knows what's up!

What Draper does so beautifully in both books is delve into the emotionality of Melody.  The reader spends a lot of time, understandably, in Melody's head, and because of that, they get to see the complexity of each situation Melody has to face.  Melody is away from her whole support system for the first time, which can be nerve-wracking for a kid who isn't reliant on other people, let alone someone like Melody who needs help with a multitude of things.  But this never stops her from trying, even things that might be scary.  And that is the beautiful thing about Melody's spirit that Draper makes clear.  She isn't easily defeated.

The summer camp experience broadens Melody's horizons, and does show her how capable she is, and what joy she can get out of life.  It also brings a delightful cast of supporting characters, through the camp counselors and her fellow campers.  The camp, Camp Green Glades, is made to be accessible for kids with all sorts of disabilities, and Draper crafts those different experiences in a way that always shines a light on the fact that their lives aren't lesser because of these disabilities, just different.  I really appreciate that, because as Melody herself mentions, it isn't just kids who make her, and others like her, feel crummy about themselves, it's adults too.

This is a beautiful expansion on the original story.  So full of joy and strength, the reader won't help but cheer and cheer and cheer for Melody as she learns just how joyful and strong her soul is.  An important book to keep in libraries and classrooms, I really urge you to pick up Out of My Mind and Out of My Heart, to learn all about this very special character that Sharon M. Draper has introduced to the world!

Final Rating

About the Author

Katie Schneider Photography

Sharon M. Draper is a three-time New York Times bestselling author and a recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards Award honoring her significant and lasting contribution to writing for teens. She has received the Coretta Scott King Award for both Copper Sun and Forged by Fire, and was awarded the Charlotte Huck Award for Stella by Starlight. Her novel Out of My Mind has won multiple awards and was a New York Times bestseller for over three years, and Blended has also been a New York Times bestseller. She taught high school English for twenty-five years and was named National Teacher of the Year. She now lives in Florida. Visit her at SharonDraper.com.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

Giveaway

2 winners will receive a finished copy of OUT OF MY HEART, US Only.

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BLOG TOUR - THE LAST FALLEN STAR BY GRACI KIM - MIDDLE GRADE FICTION [REVIEW + GIVEAWAY]

 

Title: The Last Fallen Star

Authors(s): Graci Kim
Publication Date: May 4, 2021
Edition: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook; 336 pgs
Publisher: Rick Riordan Presents
Source: Rockstar Book Tours
Buy: Amazon - Kindle - 

Audible - iBooks - Kobo - Bookshop.org - The Book Depository - Barnes & Noble

Disclaimer: I received a copy from the publisher as part of a blog tour in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Tour Schedule

Week One

5/1/2021 - YA Books Central - Excerpt

Week Two

5/2/2021 - jillpiscitello - Excerpt

5/3/2021 - Nerdophiles - Review

5/4/2021 - Amani’s Reviews - Review

5/5/2021 - Little Red Reads - Review

5/6/2021 - The Bookwyrm's Den - Review

5/7/2021 - BookHounds YA - Excerpt

5/8/2021 - A Court of Coffee and Books - Review

Week Three

5/9/2021 - Kait Plus Books - Excerpt

5/10/2021 - onemused - Review

5/11/2021 - Midnightbooklover - Review

5/12/2021 - booksaremagictoo - Review

5/13/2021 - History from a Woman’s Perspective - Review

5/14/2021 - Celiamcmahonreads - Review

5/15/2021 - Abellafairytale - Review

Week Four

5/16/2021 - Fyrekatz Blog - Review

5/17/2021 - Haunted By Books - Review

5/18/2021 - Momfluenster - Review

5/19/2021 - The Momma Spot - Review

5/20/2021 - Ficticiouswonderland - Review

5/21/2021 - Bookwyrming Thoughts - Review

5/22/2021 - Book Briefs - Review

Week Five

5/23/2021 - Rajiv's Reviews - Review

5/24/2021 - fictitious.fox - Review

5/25/2021 - Emelie's Books - Review

5/26/2021 - Eli to the nth - Review

5/27/2021 - Popthebutterfly - Review

5/28/2021 - Books and Zebras - Review

5/29/2021 - YA Book Nerd - Review

Week Six

5/30/2021 - two points of interest - Review

5/31/2021 - Lifestyle of Me - Review

The Summary

Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents Graci Kim's thrilling debut about an adopted Korean-American girl who discovers her heritage and her magic on a perilous journey to save her witch clan family.

Riley Oh can't wait to see her sister get initiated into the Gom clan, a powerful lineage of Korean healing witches their family has belonged to for generations. Her sister, Hattie, will earn her Gi bracelet and finally be able to cast spells without adult supervision. Although Riley is desperate to follow in her sister's footsteps when she herself turns thirteen, she's a saram--a person without magic. Riley was adopted, and despite having memorized every healing spell she's ever heard, she often feels like the odd one out in her family and the gifted community.

Then Hattie gets an idea: what if the two of them could cast a spell that would allow Riley to share Hattie's magic? Their sleuthing reveals a promising incantation in the family's old spell book, and the sisters decide to perform it at Hattie's initiation ceremony. If it works, no one will ever treat Riley as an outsider again. It's a perfect plan!

Until it isn't. When the sisters attempt to violate the laws of the Godrealm, Hattie's life ends up hanging in the balance, and to save her Riley has to fulfill an impossible task: find the last fallen star. But what even is the star, and how can she find it?

As Riley embarks on her search, she finds herself meeting fantastic creatures and collaborating with her worst enemies. And when she uncovers secrets that challenge everything she has been taught to believe, Riley must decide what it means to be a witch, what it means to be family, and what it really means to belong.

Praise for The Last Fallen Star

“The Last Fallen Star folds Korean culture as well as diaspora feelings into a magical adventure. The way Graci Kim takes traditions and lore and incorporates them into an exciting contemporary fantasy setting makes my heart soar as a Korean reader. This fantastical story is filled with heart and humor. Readers who love magical adventures, complex family relationships, and sisterhood—not to mention food!—should pick up THE LAST FALLEN STAR immediately!"—Kat Cho, internationally best-selling author of Vicious Spirits

“Korean mythology gets a modern twist in this rollicking adventure by debut author Graci Kim. From entering a secret temple by way of the fried chicken counter at H-Mart to summoning a goddess at the Santa Monica Pier, every chapter of this novel delights and surprises. At times laugh-out-loud hilarious, at times heartwarming and poignant, The Last Fallen Star will capture the imaginations of readers for years to come!”—Axie Oh, author of Rebel Seoul and Rogue Heart

“Reading The Last Fallen Star is like taking a course in Korean mythology taught by your favorite teacher ever—while riding a gigantic roller coaster beneath a sky filled with shooting stars! I loved following Riley's thrilling adventures, and pass the bulgogi tacos, please.”—Linda Sue Park, Newbery Medalist for A Single Shard

“Like a true magician, Graci Kim intertwines Korean mythology with an all-too-relatable sister story in her heart-stopping adventure that's sure to capture the heart of anyone who's ever felt like an outsider. You can't help but root for plucky Riley Oh as she engages on a quest to find belonging and acceptance.” —Jessica Kim, author of Stand Up, Yumi Chung!

"I wish I could go back in time and hand this book to young Ellen. I would have loved it so much, because this was what I was missing in my life. Thank you, Graci, for writing it!"—Ellen Oh, author of The Dragon Egg Princess and the Spirit Hunters series

"The Last Fallen Star by Graci Kim absolutely shines. Riley Oh's positive voice is infectious and will have readers wanting to follow her adventures long after the last page is turned." -- Zoraida Córdova, award-winning author of the Brooklyn Brujas series

(Goodreads)

My Review

As with any Rick Riordan Presents book, The Last Fallen Star by Graci Kim plunges the reader into an adventure of epic proportions, and this time it is an adventure revolving around Korean mythology, magic, and mayhem.  A culture that I am not very familiar with, I appreciated the urban fantasy setting that Kim used to bring such a rich mythological history to present day.

Kim weaves a tale that will have you on the edge of your seat, as Riley and her best friend Emmett fight to save Hattie, Riley's older sister.  Riley is tasked with finding the "Last Fallen Star", and this journey will bring her and Emmett up against some intense monsters, like dokkaebi and inmyeonjo, and will bring to light some secrets showing that the clans' magic isn't exactly as it seems.  And through every moment of danger, the driving force is love: love of family, love of community, and love of self.

The best part of middle grade books is that they often teach life lessons wrapped in the guise of epic adventures, and The Last Fallen Star is no different.  Kim does an amazing job of focusing on the unbreakable bounds of family and discovering how one forges their place in the world, both important things for kids (and adults) to learn about.  

A fantastical story grounded in the real world, you will love learning about Riley's heritage and her family's magical powers, while learning about real Korean mythology.  Don't miss out on The Last Fallen Star by Graci Kim, and perfect addition to the Rick Riordan Presents group of books!

Final Rating

About the Author

Graci Kim is a Korean-Kiwi diplomat turned author who writes about the magic she wants to see in the world. The Last Fallen Star is her middle grade debut. In a previous life she used to be a cooking show host, and she once ran a business that turned children's drawings into plushies. When she's not lost in her imagination, you'll find Graci drinking flat whites, eating ramyeon, and most likely hugging a dog (or ideally, many). She lives in New Zealand with her husband and daughter. Follow her on Twitter @gracikim and Instagram @gracikimwrites.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon

Giveaway

3 winners will receive a finished copy of THE LAST FALLEN STAR. US Only.

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BLOG TOUR --- Who Put This Song On? by Morgan Parker [Excerpt + Giveaway]

I'm so excited to be able to share an excerpt from this book.  Who Put This Song On? by  Morgan Parker is a powerful exploration of depression, faith, and blackness -- how do they all intertwine when it comes to our main character, Morgan.  Based loosely on the author's own diaries and experiences, this is a book not to be missed!

Title: Who Put This Song On?
Authors(s): Morgan Parker
Edition: Hardcover, ebook, audiobook; 336 pages
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: September 24, 2019
Source: Rockstar Book Tours
Buy: Amazon - Kindle - Audible - Barnes & 
Noble - iBooks - Kobo - The Book Depository
Disclaimer: I received a finished copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Tour Schedule

Week One:

9/2/2019- Becky on Books- Excerpt

9/3/2019- A Dream Within A Dream- Excerpt

9/4/2019- Lifestyle Of Me- Review

9/5/2019- Life of a Simple Reader- Excerpt

9/6/2019- jade writes books- Review

Week Two:

9/9/2019- Kait Plus Books- Excerpt

9/10/2019- Here's to Happy Endings- Review

9/11/2019- Jena Brown Writes- Review

9/12/2019- Country Road Reviews- Excerpt

9/13/2019- Paper Reader- Review

Week Three:

9/16/2019- Eli to the nth- Review

9/17/2019- Book-Keeping- Review

9/18/2019- The Layaway Dragon- Review

9/19/2019- Wishful Endings- Excerpt

9/20/2019- Kati's Bookaholic Rambling Reviews- Excerpt

Week Four:

9/23/2019- BookHounds YA- Review

9/24/2019- Confessions of a YA Reader- Excerpt

9/25/2019- dwantstoread- Excerpt

9/26/2019- Two Chicks on Books- Excerpt

9/27/2019- two points of interest- Review

Week Five:
9/30/2019- Bookish Rantings- Excerpt

The Summary

In the vein of powerful reads like The Hate U Give and Girl in Pieces, comes poet Morgan Parker's pitch-perfect novel about a black teenage girl searching for her identity when the world around her views her depression as a lack of faith and blackness as something to be politely ignored.

Trapped in sunny, stifling, small-town suburbia, seventeen-year-old Morgan knows why she's in therapy. She can't count the number of times she's been the only non-white person at the sleepover, been teased for her "weird" outfits, and been told she's not "really" black. Also, she's spent most of her summer crying in bed. So there's that, too.

Lately, it feels like the whole world is listening to the same terrible track on repeat--and it's telling them how to feel, who to vote for, what to believe. Morgan wonders, when can she turn this song off and begin living for herself?

Life may be a never-ending hamster wheel of agony, but Morgan finds her crew of fellow outcasts, blasts music like there's no tomorrow, discovers what being black means to her, and finally puts her mental health first. She decides that, no matter what, she will always be intense, ridiculous, passionate, and sometimes hilarious. After all, darkness doesn't have to be a bad thing. Darkness is just real.

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Loosely based on her own teenage life and diaries, this incredible debut by award-winning poet Morgan Parker will make readers stand up and cheer for a girl brave enough to live life on her own terms--and for themselves.

(Goodreads)

Excerpt

Susan

This is a story about Susan. Draped permanently on the back of Susan’s chair is a sweater embroidered with birds—­that type of lady. She has this thing I hate, where she’s just always medium, room temperature. Susan looks like a preschool teacher with no emotions. She smiles, she nods, but she almost never laughs or speaks. That might be the number one thing I hate about coming here. She won’t even laugh at my jokes! I know that life with me is a ridiculous hamster wheel of agony, but I’m kind of hilarious, and I’m just trying to make this whole situation less awkward.

I’m the one who begged for my first session, but I was desperate, and it was almost my only choice. Now that I’m actually doing this, I hate it. I just want Susan to buy my usual pitch: I am okay. I am smart and good. I am regular, and I believe in God, and that means I am happy.

By the way, of course my therapist’s name is Susan. It seems like everyone I meet, everyone telling me how to be, is a Susan.

I don’t trust a Susan, and I don’t think they trust me either.

I don’t like Susan, but I want to impress her—­I’m usually so good at it.

But this is what I mean about the bird sweater. I know the bird sweater is awful, and just uncool and unappealing in every way—­it doesn’t even look comfortable. But other Susans like it, and generally all Susans do. It is a sensible piece of clothing; it is normal, and it makes sense. Wouldn’t it be so much easier if I liked the sweater, if I just wore the fucking sweater and didn’t make such a big deal out of everything?

This Is a Story About Me

This is a story about me, and I am the hero of it. It opens with a super-­emo shot of a five-­foot-­nothing seventeen-­year-­old black girl—­me—­in the waiting room at my therapist’s office, a place that I hate. It’s so bright outside it’s neon, and of course the soundtrack is Yankee Hotel Foxtrot by Wilco, because I have more feelings than anyone knows what to do with.

The smell in here is unlike any other smell in the world, some rare concoction of pumpkin pie–­scented candles and every single perfume sample from the first floor of Macy’s. I bet Susan Brady LCSW decorates her house with Thomas Kinkade paintings and those little figurines, cherubs dressed up for various occupations, I don’t know. The other thing I hate about coming here is the random framed photo of, I believe, Bon Jovi on the coffee table, which also features a wide assortment of the corniest magazines of all time.

(White people love Bon Jovi. When Marissa and I went to Lake Havasu with Kelly Kline, because that’s what white people do here in the summer, Bon Jovi was the only thing her family listened to—­that freaking scratched-­up CD was actually stuck inside the thing on their boat. I had a moderate time at “the Lake,” except for when I had to explain my summer braids to Kelly and Marissa, for probably the eight hundredth time, to justify why I didn’t have a hairbrush to sing into. They made me sing into a chicken leg because of course. I was also shamed for not knowing any Bon Jovi lyrics. That was around this time last summer, but it feels like a past life.)

(Another thing I hate about coming here is how I have to think about everything I’ve lost, everything I’ve done wrong, and everything I hate about being alive.)

The thing I like about it here is that there’s Werther’s.

Susan opens the door and spreads her arms to me in a weird Jesus way, the sleeves of her flowy paisley peasant top billowing at her sides. She has kind of a White Auntie thing going on, or a lady-­who-­sells-­birdhouses-­at-­the-­church-­craft-­fair thing: a sad squinty smile, a dull brown bob, a gentle cadence to her voice. I can tell she’s used to talking to children—­probably rich white children—­and as I stiffly arrange myself on the couch in her office, I’m suddenly self-­conscious about my largeness, my badness. I just feel so obvious all the time.

It’s like that song “Too Alive” by the Breeders. I feel every little thing, way more than regular people do.

“So, how are you doing today?” Susan asks too cheerily, like a hostess at Olive Garden or something. “Where are you on the scale we’ve been using?”

(I feel so deeply it agonizes me.)

“I’m okay. I guess on the scale I’m probably ‘pretty dang bad,’ but better than yesterday and still not ‘scary bad.’ ”

(Now, probably to the soundtrack of Belle and Sebastian’s “Get Me Away from Here, I’m Dying,” there’s a longish montage of me zoning out, imagining the lives of everyone I know. Even in my dreams, it’s so easy and fun for them to exist.)

“Are you still taking the art class?”

“Yeah. Every Tuesday.”

“That’s wonderful. And how are you liking it?”

“It’s fine. Sort of boring, but . . . I guess it takes my mind off things.”

“Do you want to talk about what’s on your mind the other times?”

“Um, not really,” I chuckle, in my best joking-­with-­adults voice. The AC churns menacingly, like it always does, taunting me. Susan, with her wrinkled white cleavage, unmoving and unrelenting. Susan doesn’t play.

I think about grabbing a Werther’s from the crystal bowl but don’t, even though I want one. (Will Susan write Loudly sucks on Werther’s in my file as soon as I leave, right next to Is probably fine; just being dramatic?)

“I guess just people at school. Why I’m so different.”

“Can you say a little more about that? What are the things that make you feel so different?”

“I don’t know.” My chest is welling up with everything I’ve been trying to stuff into my mind’s closet. “I can’t get happy.”

It happened only three weeks ago, but since my “episode,” no one in my family has uttered the word suicidal. It’s easier not to.

I glance down at my Chucks, trying to divert my eyes from Susan. Stare at a lamp, the books stacked on her shelves. I spot a spine that reads Healing, Recovery, and Growth, and immediately feel ridiculous. Sweat pools in my bra. This isn’t gonna work.

“Morgan, why are you so angry with yourself?”

I clench my jaw. “I’m not!” This is a lie, but it hasn’t always been. “I’m annoyed,” I admit, sighing, “and embarrassed.”

“Why are you embarrassed?”

“Just—­I don’t know . . . ,” I whine. Words begin to spill and spew from my lungs like a power ballad. “Like, why am I the only one I know who has to go to a shrink? How did I become the crazy one? I have to be the first one in the history of our family and our school to go to therapy?” I bristle. “I’m pissed I can’t just get over stuff the way everyone else seems to.”

I purse my lips resolutely and fold my arms tight against my boobs. Your ball, Susan. She just nods and squints like she has no clue what to do with me.

I’ve asked God and Jesus and all their other relatives to “wash away my sins,” but it doesn’t feel like Jesus is living inside me—­I can’t even imagine what that would feel like. I’m so full up with me, me, stupid me.

“Mmm . . . ,” she finally grunts. “I see.”

Fighting the near-­constant urge to roll my eyes all the way to the back of my skull, I snatch up and devour a Werther’s.

Copyright © 2019 by Morgan Parker

About the Author

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Morgan Parker is the author of the poetry collections Magical Negro (Tin House 2019), There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyoncé (Tin House 2017), and Other People’s Comfort Keeps Me Up At Night (Switchback Books 2015). Her debut young adult novel Who Put This Song On? will be released by Delacorte Press on September 24, 2019. A debut book of nonfiction is forthcoming from One World/ Random House. Parker received her Bachelors in Anthropology and Creative Writing from Columbia University and her MFA in Poetry from NYU. She is the recipient of a 2017 National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship, winner of a 2016 Pushcart Prize, and a Cave Canem graduate fellow. Parker is the creator and host of Reparations, Live! at the Ace Hotel. With Tommy Pico, she co-curates the Poets With Attitude (PWA) reading series, and with Angel Nafis, she is The Other Black Girl Collective. Morgan is a Sagittarius, and she lives in Los Angeles.

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Giveaway

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3 winners will receive finished copies of WHO PUT THIS SONG ON?, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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