Tag Archives: book reviews

New “Kid” Book Review of “Kimba”

I love it when a child has a chance to do a book review for “Why Kimba Saved The World.” That who it is written for! Adults sometimes come at reviews with a lot of literary baggage, but kids just want to enjoy the story. I’m so glad that Rhiannon did! I shipped a copy of “Kimba” all the way to Australia for her (much to the dismay of our small town post office who had no idea how to accomplish this task), and it was worth it. Click here for the link to her review, but here’s my favorite part:

“This is one of my favourite books and anyone who likes cats will think that this one is a winner!”

Thanks Kidz Review Krew!

Book Review–Big Honey Dog Mysteries: Curse of the Scarab

Holy Liver Snaps, this is a cute book! Doing a formal book review is a rare for me, but I wanted to do more than make a quick note about this one. The Big Honey Dog Mysteries: Curse of the Scarab is just adorable.

H.Y. Hanna and I bumped into each other on Goodreads and agreed to a read & review book swap. It was logical since our topics and genre looked to be very similar. I must admit, after I agreed to this I got a bit spooked. What if her book is terrible? But there was no need for any worry. The moment my husband opened it up on his kindle (no, I don’t have my own) he said, “This looks cute. It sounds like your writing style.” I’ll take that as a compliment because Hanna’s writing is delightful.

This first book in the Big Honey Dog Mysteries follows Great Dane Honey as she tries to find a lost puppy friend who has been stolen, along with dozens of other puppies in town. With the help of her canine friends, Honey discovers a very creepy mystery that involves nasty scarab bugs and Egyptian curses. I should probably give a warning that young readers who are very sensitive may not be ready for some of the drama that unfolds. There is life-threatening peril along the way for everyone involved. Of course, if you like exciting drama, this book is right up your alley.

I’m very big on stories for young readers that have a moral or point of some kind, and Curse of the Scarab didn’t let me down. There are deep-seated prejudices to be overcome. The traditional hatred between cats and dogs comes into play. Cats, who are referred to early in the book as a “bunch o’ sneaky, sardine-breathed sand poopers,” are going to have to become allies if the puppies are to be saved. And the stereotype of pit bulls as dangerous, killer dogs is faced head-on. Again, without the help of Max, a rescued fighting dog, their mission won’t succeed.

Despite the overwhelming charms of Honey, I felt most in touch with the Beagle, Biscuit. I have had two Beagles in my life, and they both ate everything they could, just like Biscuit (though I kept a better eye on them than Biscuit’s owner). Heidi, my childhood Beagle, once ate an entire batch of oatmeal cookies that had been laid out on the table to cool. Three cups of oatmeal were in there. She was an unhappy dog. Eevee, my adult-age Beagle, once ate a two-pound box of chocolate creams that was a Christmas gift. Given fifteen unsupervised minutes, she went upstairs (where she NEVER went), found the box hidden behind a bookcase, unwrapped it, pulled off the plastic, and ate every chocolate (and probably some of the wrappers). We were grateful it was mostly cream and gel inside! She had an unhappy night, but the next day I caught her pulling the wrappers from the garbage. Too strong a nose is a dangerous thing. Every time Biscuit got caught eating something in the story, it just made me smile. I bet dog-lovers will find the same kind of attachment to one of Honey’s friends in the story.

Big Honey Dog Mysteries: Curse of the Scarab, is a wonderful book. The writing is light and funny, as well as serious and heart-wrenching. I highly recommend this for middle grade readers–and frankly for dog lovers of any age.

A sequel to this book is already underway, and I’m excited to see what H.Y. Hanna has planned for Honey and her friends at the dog show.

You can find out more about the real Honey Dog and upcoming books at H.Y.’s fantastic web page www.bighoneydogmysteries.com.

HY and Honey discuss manuscript for Book 2

Book Review from Arkansasbookreviewer.com

Thrilled to share a new connection and a new book review from Arkansas Book Reviewer’s web site. Click here to read to full review at her site, but here’s just a sample:

“Meg Dendler’s debut novel, Why Kimba Saved the World, her first in the Cats in the Mirror series, is a charming fantasy book appropriate for middle grade youth, cat lovers, or any animal lover in general. A chapter book, perfect for school rooms and personal libraries, comes complete with added photos to personalize the experience.”

She gave “Why Kimba Saved The World” 5 stars at amazon.com and at goodreads.com. Yay!

I have actually been diligently working on some technical revisions to this book for a few grammar changes. Earth should be capitalized the way we are using it (thank you www.askjanis.com for catching that in the next book). Some changes are just for continuity between “Kimba” and “Vacation Hiro.” There will also be a link at the end of the new version of the “Kimba” ebook to click and buy the next book right away and more live links for my web site, twitter, and Facebook pages. I’m learning how it all works as I go and am grateful for the freedom self-publishing offers to make whatever changes I want and keep my books up-to-date!

We are still waiting for the cover art for “Vacation Hiro.” Lesley already had some other projects lined up (of course she did, she’s fantastic), and we are waiting just as patiently as we possibly can. Once that’s all set, the book will be available quickly. Very excited!

Great New Review for “Kimba”

I’m so grateful for this great new review of “Why Kimba Saved The World” at the blog Found Between The Covers. Click on the link to read it on her site. Blogs like this are nothing short of a lifeline for indie authors. It costs thousands of dollars to get a review from any major publications and even most indie web sites (don’t kid yourself that they review those books just because they like them), so those blogs who are willing to read and share the self-published books they love mean everything. I’d rather have you read the whole review at her link and give Sherrey the internet traffic, but here’s part of what she had to say:

“Well thought out plot and characterizations, and the personifications of Kimba, Hilo, Slinky, and the other animals were delightfully creative. And there’s a lesson to be learned in the end. Kimba has a surprise waiting for all of you soon-to-be readers.”

Thank you, Sherrey, for sharing the love!!

“Vacation Hiro” goes into production on Tuesday, so there’s even more alien cat fun on the horizon.

Great New Review and Interview

I’m so grateful for my new twitter-connection friend The Styling Librarian and the great new review she gave to “Why Kimba Saved The World.” This blog also includes a wonderful interview with me about my favorite animal-based stories. Click on this link to read her comments and follow her blog too. She recommends fantastic books, and I’m thrilled to be included in her list.

New Book Review For “Kimba”!

I’m so thrilled to share this great new book review from the blog The Ends Don’t Tie With Bunny Rabbits. Click on the link to read it on Jeridel Bank’s blog, or the text is copied below. Thanks, Jeridel, for taking the time to read and share my story!

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“Cats have a soft spot in my heart, and so does Why Kimba Saved the World, a book about cats. Well, not regular cats—though, they are amazing—but cats who have a collective secret mission. Kimba, an all-white cat with a rebellious streak, is enlisted into an agency of cats who can communicate through mirrors. They tell her of her real heritage, one where humans aren’t the loving caretakers of cats.

This book captures cats with amazing accuracy, and the interactions between the cats and their owners are realistic. Who doesn’t grab their cats and hug and kiss them like their own children? (I know I do.) It’s an easy read, and it’s suitable for the whole family. Children will love Kimba’s desperate need to accomplish ridiculous missions outside and inside her home. Parents can relate to Kimba’s owners. Cats may find themselves in Kimba or Hiro or…er, that’s right. Cats can’t read! Why Kimba Saved the World will make any reader believe that cats aren’t from this world.”

The Book Reviews Game

Now that “Why Kimba Saved The World” is settling into the business of getting noticed and sold, I am forced to enter into a whole new world of self-promotion. Normally, whatever publishing house bought your book would take care of all of this nonsense. It would tell you where to show up for a book signing or event and make all the calls and connections for you. Self-published authors have to pay for this service or do it themselves. Paying for promotional work is very pricey (and rightly so, it’s nasty, time-consuming work). Promoting and selling a self-published book can feel like one big game, and it sort of is. Knowing how to play is the key. Thank goodness I have a degree in Public Relations.

Back in the late 80’s when I completed that degree, the game was very different. It was more about working for big corporations and writing press releases to help promote or cover up something. By the time I was in my last year, I knew I didn’t really want to do that for a living. It was just a core group of classes that I really enjoyed. Lots of English, Journalism, Creative Writing, and Technical Writing. I never worked a day as a publicist (I went back to school to earn a teaching degree), and I never thought I would. Until now.

Most afternoons when I sit down at my computer to face the challenge of how to get my book noticed and appreciated, I hear Queen singing “Play The Game” in my head. It is a very elaborate game, so I’m grateful for the generous spirits along the way who share their advice freely. I have links to them in my blog roll already, but I should give a shout out to Katie Davis and Joanna Penn. Both of them offer lots of products and seminars and blogcasts you can purchase for in-depth information, but they are also free with the freebies. If you are in the same boat as me and need to know how to play this book promotion game on your own for as little cost as possible, start with these two women. They will give you enough fodder to stay busy for many months. I have never met either of them and have no vested interest in whether or not you purchase their products. I just highly recommend them.

My current game is to get book reviews. This is VITAL if you want to play the amazon.com rank and algorithm game. No one knows exactly how it all works, and they seem to be changing the game from month to month so you must stay up to date on what they like and don’t like, but the big #1 whammy to get better rankings is reviews. They don’t even have to be fantastic reviews. It seems to be very much about quantity and who those reviews are from. My first target was the top 1,000 ranked reviewers at amazon.com. Yes, it was a lengthy process, but I made sure that anyone I was in contact with was willing to review children’s books. In the end, out of 1,000 I made contact with 28 of them. Three responded and agreed to be sent a copy and do a review. I’m not sure if that is a great percentage or not. It does not feel like a home run, but it’s something.

Now on the agenda is getting in touch with bloggers who do book reviews. Again, I’ve taken a big list from a web site, narrowed it down to potentials, and now I am going through one site at a time. Sometimes it is immediately clear that the site would be a bad fit. Books on vampires or romance novels (or worse) filling the pages are a good hint. Out of the first 30, I’ve send requests to 7. One has responded enthusiastically and already has the epub file to review. Many times you just submit an author interview format which may or may not be posted. We shall see where that all leads. It’s not an amazon review, but it’s web traffic and may lead to more later.

It’s a game. It is not for the timid or the part-timer. Self-publishing allows for wonderful opportunities for so many people to get their books out into the world. Getting them into people’s hands is a different matter altogether. So I get up every day, write my 1,000 words on “Vacation Hiro,” and then I spend a few hours playing the game of finding an audience for my first soul book baby in a vast sea of children’s books. But this game is just the opposite of “War Games” — if you don’t play, you can’t win. So onward I go.

And here’s a fun Kimba picture because everyone loves cute cat pictures.

Kimba Napping With Mickey Mouse

If you are just getting started with a children’s book promotion, I highly recommend “How To Promote Your Children’s Book,” by Katie Davis. I have not even made it through all of The Creative Penn’s free blogs and audios, but I’m sure her stuff is great too.