GHOSTLY TALES OF FLINT

Arcadia Children's Books wants to introduce kids to the spooky streets of Flint, Michigan with their newest book arriving just in time for the Halloween season THE GHOSTLY TALES OF FLINT. Situated an hour north of Detroit along Interstate 75, Flint, Michigan went from being one of the most prosperous cities in America at the turn of the 20th Century to one of the poorest when the 21st Century began. The city has had its share of real life horror stories including Auto World, the abandonment of its manufacturing jobs base to Mexico and overseas countries, and a crisis where its citizens' drinking water was poisoned due to the negligence of government officials. Instead of dwelling on poor moments this book provides young readers with insight into the rich architecture and heritage of this community as it provides some Spooky America lighthearted ghost stories that are perfect for getting into the Halloween spirit through some educational entertainment delving into the people and places of Michigan's history without causing scary nightmares.

By 1900, manufacturing plants in Flint were producing 100,000 horse-drawn carriages per year. Business was booming and so was the city's population. In 1903, Buick Motor Company set up shop in Flint to build the next generation of vehicles ... the automobile. In 1908, the head of Buick, William Durant, consolidated the old carriage businesses that had become parts suppliers for car manufacturers and some of his local automobile competition into one large conglomerate known as General Motors. 

By the 1950s, Flint was home to General Motors' largest manufacturing complex and was second only to Detroit in producing the most cars, trucks and auto parts in the whole world. Blue collar worker wages were some of the highest on the planet and the community provided a post card setting for what the American middle class was pictured as. At its peak prosperity Flint had a population of more than 200,000 residents.

As blue collar manufacturing jobs departed to other countries in the 1970s - 1990s, Flint was hit particularly hard with its dependence on manual labor focused industries for employment and taxes. Flint lost 50% of its population by the year 2000. With an uptick in crime and poverty combined with troubles such as the Water Crisis the city's population has continued to tumble with the most recent census showing its residents were now less then 80,000 people. Known as "Vehicle City", Flint City is unfortunately becoming a ghost town.

THE GHOSTLY TALES OF FLINT delves into the spirit of the city in its grander times by providing modern day ghost stories for some spooky bedtime reading fun. Tales meant to be spine tingling not terrifying for young readers. One tale focuses on ghost sightings at the Sloan Automotive Museum, others on the hauntings of places like the city's Carriage Town neighborhood, historic Durant Hotel, Whiting Theatre and Masonic Temple. Other tales warn of strange sights you may behold while taking a walk along the Flint River which winds through the downtown or shadowy apparitions that have been encountered at the Whaley House Museum. Oooooh Flint can be such a spooky place!

This book is part of Arcadia Children's Books Spooky America series adapted from the popular Haunted America novels for adults. These books explore historical haunts in cities and regions across America. Each book in Spooky America and Haunted America publications delve into local ghost stories and other unexplained mysteries.  THE GHOSTLY TALES OF FLINT was written by Anna Lardinois based upon Haunted Flint by Roxanne Rhoads and Joe Schipani. 

The haunted history of Flint comes to life--even when the main players are dead. In THE GHOSTLY TALES OF FLINT, visit the Capitol Theatre to spot ghosts from the basement to the balcony. Or check in to a certain haunted hotel and see if the restless spirits keep you up all night. Flint is so spooky, there's even a whole haunted neighborhood--Carriage Town! Dive into this spooky chapter book recommended for grade levels 3 - 7 full of suspenseful tales of bumps in the night, paranormal investigations, and the unexplained. Kids ages 8 to 13 are sure to be geeked by these ghost stories written to entertain middle grade level readers.

Buy THE GHOSTLY TALES OF FLINT using a Geek Daddy affiliate link and this dad blogger will receive a small commission at no additional expense to your purchase. Commissions are reinvested into the blog to provide non-sponsored content to share with you. Your support of ageekdaddy.com is appreciated!

W BRUCE CAMERON PRIZE PACK GIVEAWAY

Forge Books sent me the new W. Bruce Cameron books and is partnering with me for a giveaway

My family loves the canine adventures in W. Bruce Cameron's novels. The inspirational stories in the pages of these New York Times bestselling A Dog's Purpose books as well as through their portrayal in movies have charmed our hearts. Plus my 10 year old twins have also been delighted by the spin-off middle-grade lit Puppy Tales books that share moments from the various dog life incarnations of Bailey from the A Dog's Purpose novels. So we are all excited at our house about the release of two new W. Bruce Cameron books, A Dog's Promise and Lily's Story: A Puppy Tale.

To share our excitement, this dad blogger is hosting a giveaway that is sure to have someone barking out with happiness who wins it. One lucky winner will receive a W. Bruce Cameron Prize Pack courtesy of Forge Books that includes A Dog's Promise, Lily's Story and a diy pet treat kit with silicone paw molds and baking mix to make your own snacks for that special dog in your life. This ageekdaddy.com giveaway is worth $75!

For a chance to win this W. Bruce Cameron Prize Pack just retweet the original giveaway tweet on Twitter and/or complete the rafflecopter entries below before 11:59pm on November 12, 2019.  Must be a United States resident over 18 years old to participate. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway LILY'S STORY: A PUPPY'S TALE

Aimed at young readers in third through eighth grades this middle-grade book is about a pitbull named Lily, the smallest in her litter, who embarks on a unique journey towards confidence, adventure, and discovering life’s purpose.  Recommended for ages 8 -12. Lily's Story is the seventh book in the A Dog's Purpose Puppy Tales series.  My daughter has been enjoying reading it to our puppy.

A DOG'S PROMISE

A Dog’s Promise continues the story of Bailey, the good dog whose journey started in A Dog's Purpose and continued in A Dog's Journey. This time, Bailey is joined by Lacey, another very special dog, who helps Bailey fulfill his promise over the course of several lives. Another W. Bruce Cameron story that is great for the whole family to enjoy!

For more about these wonderful stories and the author behind them, visit wbrucecameron.com

GIVEAWAY DISCLAIMER: Forge Books is solely responsible for the fulfillment of this giveaway prize. The randomly selected winner must reply back to their notification of having been selected to receive the prize within 48 hours of being contacted or an alternate winner will be randomly selected. If you have won this same promotion on another blog or media outlet, Forge Books reserves the right to provide only one prize per household and may instruct ageekdaddy.com to select an alternate winner. Delivery of the prize is only available within the continental United States. The winner's contact information will be provided to Forge Books for the purpose of delivering the prize. All other information submitted by entrants will not be shared with third parties nor kept by the blog following the conclusion of the promotion. This promotion is void in any jurisdiction where such giveaways are illegal.

MAX CRUMBLY IS BACK

Simon & Schuster is partnering with me for a giveaway!

My daughter just got their hands on the new book, MASTERS OF MISCHIEF, in The Misadventures of Max Crumbly middle grade book series by Rachel Renée Russell. She is really enjoying this story and being ten years old is just the right age for reading it as the book is recommend for children ages 9 to 13 years old. These books are portrayed as if they are the diary of a boy named Max Crumbly who is writing about the challenges of going to junior high. Available now, MASTERS OF MISCHIEF joins the first two books in the Misadventures of Max Crumbly series, LOCKER HERO and MIDDLE SCHOOL MAYHEM on bookstore shelves.

WHAT IS MAX UP TO IN HIS NEW BOOK?

When we last left off with our courageous hero, Max Crumbly, and his trusty sidekick Erin, in MIDDLE SCHOOL MAYHEM they had just finished foiling the plans of some bumbling thieves. But Max and Erin were trapped in a smelly, dangerous dumpster of doom and about to be discovered by the last people they wanted to find them.

Now in this latest installment of Max’s journals, Max and Erin face foes both new and old as their misadventures continue in MASTERS OF MISCHIEF. Can the two friends avoid detection—and detention!—while keeping South Ridge Middle School safe from bullies and criminals?

GIVEAWAY

To share my family's enjoyment of Rachel Renée Russel's books with our ageekdaddy.com fans, her publisher Simon & Schuster has provided a Misadventures of Max Crumbly prize pack to giveaway. One lucky winner will receive:

• The first two books in The Misadventures of Max Crumbly series, 
• the newest release, Masters of Mischief, 
• plus a Max Crumbly pencil, a Dork Diaries pencil, and a double-sided Max Crumbly/Dork Diaries locker poster!

Complete the rafflecopter entries below and/or retweet this tweet by 11:59 pm ET on Sunday, June 23, 2019 for a chance to win. Must be a United States resident over 18 years old to participate. A winner will be randomly selected from all eligible entries. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

MISADVENTURES OF MAX CRUMBLY

MASTERS OF MISCHIEF is the third book in the Misadventures of Max Crumbly series by Rachel Renee Russel. Set in the world of the mega-hit series Dork Diaries, these spin-off books star Max Crumbly, friend to Nikki Maxwell of Dork Diaries, who goes to a different school and manages to get into a whole lot of trouble. The series is written in diary format with illustrations and doodles of Max’s mishaps.

In the beginning of the series, Max starts at a new middle school and faces the school bully who has begun a habit of stuffing Max into his locker. Max wants nothing more than to be like his comic superhero idols and though his ability to smell pizza from a block away isn’t exactly a superpower, he’s still going to try to be the hero his school needs! Like Dork Diaries, The Misadventures of Max Crumbly series is about embracing who you are and having a ton of fun along the way!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rachel Renée Russell is an attorney who prefers writing tween books to legal briefs. (Mainly because books are a lot more fun and pajamas and bunny slippers aren’t allowed in court.) She is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the block buster book series Dork Diaries and the exciting new series The Misadventures of Max Crumbly. There are more than 25 million copies of her books in print worldwide, and they have been translated into thirty-four languages. She enjoys working with her two daughters, Erin and Nikki, who help write and illustrate her books.

FIND OUT MORE

Visit MaxCrumblyBooks.com and DorkDiariesBooks.com 

Follow Max Crumbly on Instagram | Twitter | Facebook 

Follow Dork Diaries on Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

CROSSED UP

I'm always on the lookout for interesting middle grade level books for my twins who are in fourth grade to read. They've recently become interested in the sport of basketball playing in a local Salvation Army rec league and we've gone to see Detroit Pistons and Harlem Globetrotters games during the last few months.  So I thought the kids would enjoy M L Rosynek's middle grade book CROSSED UP which involves a youth basketball team solving a pirate mystery.

MIDDLE GRADE READING

Books categorized as middle grade are written to be read by boys and girls between the ages of eight and twelve who are in third through sixth grade.  To be age appropriate authors in this literary category limit sexual content, swearing, gore and violence. On the other hand, middle grade books tend to provide a healthy dose of adventure and silly humor to make them especially entertaining for juvenile audiences.

Middle grade books tend to have main characters that are around the same age as their targeted readers.  The books also utilize sentence structures and vocabulary that are suitable for independent reading by elementary and junior high school aged children.  These style of books are great for improving both confidence and enjoyment when it comes to getting kids to want to read.

SAY AHOY TO ADVENTURE

A Texas high school basketball team has their quest to bring home a championship trophy interrupted when they discover the hotel they are staying at is haunted. Solving the 200-year old haunting of the Galvez Hotel isn't going to be an easy lay up for the team, but the boys are up to the challenge of both winning the big basketball game and freeing the trapped spirits of the pirate ghosts they've discovered. Inspired by The Goonies, Stranger Things and her own sons' basketball team road trips, M L Rosynek has readers embark on a pirate adventure that combines sports with a spooky mystery.

As the boys learn about the tyrant pirate Jean Laffite and his crew who are haunting the hotel their trip becomes much more than just playing in a basketball game.  They are going to try to set free the trapped souls of these pirates without the boys becoming ghosts themselves. Can the boys free these lost souls and win their basketball championship?

Pick up a hardcover, paperback or digital edition of the book to find out.  With a surprise appearance by NBA great Shaquille O'Neal and a conclusion that is sure to leave pre-teen readers "hooked" on the ending, this book provides an intriguing adventure by combing athletic themes with a mystery. CROSSED UP also communicates an important message …  no treasure is more valuable than the memories created with friends and family. You can find it at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.