Early Reader Picture Book - A Sandy Grave

Synopsis: The anticipation of summer vacation can put anyone in a great mood with the excitement of adventures especially at the beach. But what is a group of friends to do when they discover mysterious men poaching whale teeth at the beach?

Perfect for kids aged 8-12

http://bit.ly/asandgrave

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Best wishes,
Donna M. McDine
Multi Award-winning Children's Author


Ignite curiosity in your child through reading!

Connect with Donna McDine on Google+

Dee and Deb Off They Go Kindergarten First Day Jitters ~ December 2015 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ 2016 Purple Dragonfly Honorable Mention Picture Books Five and Under and Story Monster Approved
A Sandy Grave ~ January 2014 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ 2014 Purple Dragonfly 1st Place Picture Books 6+, Story Monster Approved, Beach Book Festival Honorable Mention 2014 and Reader's Favorite Five Star Review
Powder Monkey ~ May 2013 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ 2015 Purple Dragonfly Book Award Historical Fiction 1st Place, Story Monster Approved and Reader's Favorite Five Star Review
Hockey Agony ~ January 2013 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ 2015 Purple Dragonfly Book Award Honorable Mention Picture Books 6+, New England Book Festival Honorable Mention 2014, Story Monster Approved and Reader's Favorite Five Star Review
The Golden Pathway ~ August 2010 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.
~ Literary Classics Silver Award and Seal of Approval, Readers Favorite 2012 International Book Awards Honorable Mention and Dan Poynter's Global e-Book Awards Finalist

Children's Book Review - A Sandy Grave by Donna McDine

Reviewed by Brenda Casto, Amazon top reviewer 

A Sandy Grave by Donna M. McDine is introduces us to Leah, Nicole and Hayley, three friends who are spending a fun day at the beach when they notice a whale that has washed up on shore. Plenty of people show up but it is two strange acting men that capture the girls attention and when those guys bury something in the sand Leah can't help but wonder what it might be.

Interesting as well as educational, A Sandy Grave is a story about three friends who spends the day at the beach and wind up leading officials to poachers. A fast moving chapter story that captures the imagination with a bit of mystery and suspense while the three girls decide to get involved and do the right thing. I think the author does a great job of portraying the friendship between the trio, but also allows the reader to see the characters as individuals as well, making them so easy to relate to. The author certainly brings the setting to life and the illustrations further enhance those descriptions allowing me to not only envision the setting but the characters as well. Mystery, suspense, and friendships make this a great read, the information about poachers and what they do was like an educational bonus.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Best wishes,
Donna M. McDine
Multi Award-winning Children's Author

Ignite curiosity in your child through reading!

Connect with Donna McDine on Google+

Dee and Deb Off They Go Kindergarten First Day Jitters ~ December 2015 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ 2016 Purple Dragonfly Honorable Mention Picture Books Five and Under and Story Monster Approved
A Sandy Grave ~ January 2014 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ 2014 Purple Dragonfly 1st Place Picture Books 6+, Story Monster Approved, Beach Book Festival Honorable Mention 2014 and Reader's Favorite Five Star Review
Powder Monkey ~ May 2013 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ 2015 Purple Dragonfly Book Award Historical Fiction 1st Place, Story Monster Approved and Reader's Favorite Five Star Review
Hockey Agony ~ January 2013 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ 2015 Purple Dragonfly Book Award Honorable Mention Picture Books 6+, New England Book Festival Honorable Mention 2014, Story Monster Approved and Reader's Favorite Five Star Review
The Golden Pathway ~ August 2010 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ Literary Classics Silver Award and Seal of Approval, Readers Favorite 2012 International Book Awards Honorable Mention and Dan Poynter's Global e-Book Awards Finalist

S is for A Sandy Grave by Donna McDine - A to Z 2015 Challenge

Continue onward to the letter "S" I'm profiling my award-winning children's book, A Sandy Grave and invite you to take a glimpse into the Story Behind the Book...


Thanks for visiting! Your support is appreciated!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Best wishes,
Donna M. McDine
Multi Award-winning Children's Author

Ignite curiosity in your child through reading!

Connect with Donna McDine on Google+

A Sandy Grave ~ January 2014 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ 2014 Purple Dragonfly 1st Place Picture Books 6+, Story Monster Approved, Beach Book Festival Honorable Mention 2014, Reader's Favorite Five Star Review

Powder Monkey ~ May 2013 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ Story Monster Approved and Reader's Favorite Five Star Review

Hockey Agony ~ January 2013 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ New England Book Festival Honorable Mention 2014, Story Monster Approved and Reader's Favorite Five Star Review

The Golden Pathway ~ August 2010 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.
~ Literary Classics Silver Award and Seal of Approval, Readers Favorite 2012 International Book Awards Honorable Mention and Dan Poynter's Global e-Book Awards Finalist

The Story Behind... Whale Poachers children's book, A Sandy Grave

Often times I wonder where authors come up with their stories and my next several posts will be about where I come up with my ideas. Today, I'm profiling A Sandy Grave...

Beyond the enjoyment of a beach vacation I never gave much thought to marine life. Sure we’ve gone on the typical whale or dolphin watching tours and were always delighted to see these creatures come up out of the ocean. But I never truly paid attention to what some humans do to marine life, until the day I read a news article about a dead whale that washed up on shore of a California beach. What fascinated me about this article was the police needed to guard the whale, until the local marine biology institute could arrive to determine what the whale died from. The reasoning for guarding astounded me. Apparently, poachers would take the opportunity to steal the whale’s teeth to sell for artists to create scrimshaw on the teeth and then sell for a profit.

This particular article pumped up my creative writing juices and before I knew it, I was researching marine biology, Endangered Species Act, and the Mammal Protection Act. Then came the creation of the fictional storyline and characters. Once I knew how I wanted the characters to be instrumental in propelling the story along with my research, the two blended into a beach adventure with a learning aspect without preaching to the reader. Hence, A Sandy Grave was born. The title was created from points in the article and research.

Special offer...

Purchase one of my books and enter at a chance to win a... drum roll please.. 

Fire HD 6 Table - 6" HD Display, Wi-Fi, Front and Rear Cameras, 8 GB

Purchase via Write What Inspires You or at my website for autographed copies. Once purchased go to the Rafflecopter link below and enter receipt number, your name, email and title of book ordered. Contest ends midnight November 30th and winner will be announced and notified by December 2nd. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Interested in staying up to date of my writing world and special offers, join 502 parents, teachers, and publishing colleagues and receive my FREE Marketing Tips e-Book...

iContact Email Marketing You Can Trust

Thank you for visiting! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Best wishes,
Donna M. McDine
Multi Award-winning Children's Author

Ignite curiosity in your child through reading!

Connect with Donna McDine on Google+

A Sandy Grave ~ January 2014 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ 2014 Purple Dragonfly 1st Place Picture Books 6+, Story Monster Approved, Beach Book Festival Honorable Mention 2014, Reader's Favorite Five Star Review

Powder Monkey ~ May 2013 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ Story Monster Approved and Reader's Favorite Five Star Review

Hockey Agony ~ January 2013 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ Story Monster Approved and Reader's Farvorite Five Star Review

The Golden Pathway ~ August 2010 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.
~ Literary Classics Silver Award and Seal of Approval, Readers Favorite 2012 International Book Awards Honorable Mention and Dan Poynter's Global e-Book Awards Finalist

Royal Navy Press Gangs Children’s Book, Powder Monkey, Earns Story Monster Approval

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:

Linda F. Radke, Five Star Publications, Inc.

Phone: 480-940-8182

      E-mail: info@FiveStarPublications.com

 

Royal Navy Press Gangs Children’s Book, Powder Monkey Earns Story Monster Approval 

CHANDLER, AZ (August, 2014) – The judges of the Story Monster Approved program, which recognizes accomplished authors in the field of children's literature have spoken, and Powder Monkey by Donna M. McDine and illustrated by K.C. Snider has earned approval.

Author: Donna McDine

Artist: KC Snider www.KCSniderart.com


Hardcover ISBN: 9781616333843; 1616333847


Paperback ISBN: 9781616333850; 1616333853


eBook ISBN: 9781616333867; 1616333863



About Powder Monkey: Forced into a life at sea by the Royal Navy Press Gangs, 12-year-old Tommy Kitt finds himself in a floating sea of misery. Poor living conditions and beatings occur daily. Despite his small size, Tommy must summon the courage and physical ability to prevail in a situation he cannot escape.

About the Author: Donna McDine is a multi award-winning children's author. She writes and moms from her home in the historical hamlet Tappan, NY. McDine is a member of the SCBWI and Family Reading Partnership. Learn more about McDine’s writing career at www.donnamcdine.com and www.donna-mcdine.blogspot.com.

The colorful, kid-friendly Story Monster Approved seal attracts the attention of young readers much more than a sticker intended for adult scrutiny. Kids know when they see the Story Monster Approved patch it means children their own age enjoyed the book and are recommending they read it, too. How do they know that? Because after books pass the first round of rigorous judging – which is done by industry experts, the books are then judged by a panel of youth judges who must also endorse the books before they can receive the official seal of approval.

"Who better to judge children’s books than the children who read them?” explains Linda F. Radke, president of Five Star Publications, Inc., the same company that launched the Dragonfly Book Awards program, now in its fourth year. "Judging these books gives children a wonderful sense of importance and responsibility. Some of our judging coordinators have told us that students who usually don’t enjoy reading or have difficulty reading have gotten a much-needed boost due to their judging responsibilities and have requested to serve as judges again."

Authors interested in having their books considered for Story Monster Approved designation should visit www.StoryMonsters.com and download an entry form. Books are divided into the following categories with distinctions made between fiction and nonfiction: Preschool to Kindergarten, Grades 1-3, and Grades 4-6.

###

Full Media Kit, Headshot, Book Cover Art and more are available upon request.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Best wishes,
Donna M. McDine
Multi Award-winning Children's Author



Ignite curiosity in your child through reading!


Connect with Donna McDine on Google+

A Sandy Grave ~ January 2014 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ 2014 Purple Dragonfly 1st Place Picture Books 6+, Story Monster Approved, Beach Book Festival Honorable Mention 2014, Reader's Favorite Five Star Review

Powder Monkey ~ May 2013 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ Story Monster Approved, Reader's Favorite Five Star Review

Hockey Agony ~ January 2013 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ Story Monster Approved, Reader's Farvorite Five Star Review

The Golden Pathway ~ August 2010 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.
~ Literary Classics Silver Award and Seal of Approval, Readers Favorite 2012 International Book Awards Honorable Mention and Dan Poynter's Global e-Book Awards Finalist