Happy New Year! Be One of the First to Read WPP's 2013 Books!

Happy New Year! In celebration of 2013, we're giving away a set of advance reader copies for our 2013 books. Be one of the FIRST to read six new books from Walden Pond Press!

Thanks to I am a Reader, Not a Writer and Babs Book Bistro for hosting this hop. Once you've entered our giveaway, hop on to the next blog on the list at the end of this post to enter their giveaway too! One lucky winner will receive an advance reader copy of each of the following titles:

Sidekicked by John David Anderson

With not nearly enough power comes way too much responsibility. Andrew Bean might be a part of H.E.R.O., a secret organization for the training of superhero sidekicks, but that doesn't mean that life is all "leaping tall buildings in single bounds.

Hits stores: 6/25/13

The Hero's Guide to Storming the Castle by Christopher Healy

Christopher Healy takes us back to the hilariously fractured fairy-tale world he created in The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom for another tale of medieval mischief. Magical gemstones, bladjaw eels, a mysterious Gray Phantom, and two maniacal warlords bent on world domination. It's all in a day's work for the League of Princes.

Hits stores: 5/7/13

Platypus Police Squad: The Frog Who Croaked by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

Two detectives fight to keep the streets of Kalamazz City clean in the first middle-grade series from the creator of the hit Lunch Lady graphic novels.

Hits stores: 5/7/13

The Girl from Felony Bay by J.E. Thompson

The story of a girl, a crime, and a great unsolved mysery set deep in the heart of South Carolina.

Hits stores: 4/30/13

The Fellowship for Alien Detection by Kevin Emerson

Two kids from opposite sides of the country find themselves on a road trip to save the world from an impending alien attack - and hopefully bolster their middle school transcripts in the process.

Hits stores: 2/26/13

The Fourth Stall Part III by Chris Rylander

The saga of Mac, Vince, and middle school organized crime comes to a thrilling conclusion.

Hits stores: 2/5/13

Best of luck to all who enter!

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Dreaming of Summer Hop

Now that the Thanksgiving leftovers have been devoured and you've entered full force into holiday shopping season, don't those summer months feel like ages ago? Recapture summer by entering the Dreaming of Summer Blog Hop hosted by I am a Reader Not a Writer and Me, My Shelf and I. This hop runs through Sunday, December 2, after you've entered our giveaway simply hop to the next blog on the list at the end of this post. 

Three lucky winners will receive these great summer reads:

The Girl from Felony Bay by J.E. Thompson

Be one of the first to get your hands on and Advance Reader Copy of The Girl from Felony Bay which publishes on 4/30/13. Set deep in the heart of South Carolina during one hot summer, Felony Bay tells the story of a girl, a crime, and a great unsolved mystery...

    
Guys Read: The Sports Pages edited by Jon Scieszka

What better evokes summer than thoughts of dusty baseball diamonds or tossing the football around? Connect back to all that summer fun with Guys Read: The Sports Pages, ten sports stories from all-star authors including Gordan Korman, Dan Gutman, Tim Green, Chris Crutcher, Chris Rylander, and others.

 

Savvy by Ingrid Law

A road trip through the American heartland evokes feelings of those faraway summer months in the Newbery-honor winning Savvy by Ingrid Law. Mibs can't wait to turn thirteen, the age when all Beaumonts discover their supernatural power - their savvy. But when Poppa is hurt in a terrible accident just before her birthday, Mibs needs more than fantastic magic to save him.

We will choose three winners upon the completion of the hop. Please enter using the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck!

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Thankful for Books Giveaway Hop

We're hopping again this week - this time for the Thankful for Books Giveaway Hop hosted by I am a Reader Not a Writer and Tristi Pinkston.  Simply enter our giveaway below and then "hop" to the next blog on the list at the very end of this post. To celebrate a great year of books, we're giving away the titles we are so thankful to have published in 2012 AND a signed bookplate for each title:

Neversink by Barry Wolverton

 "“An unexpected hero and his amusing, devoted helpers entertain and inspire”

- Kirkus Reviews

 

The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom 
by Christopher Healy
“a crowd-pleaser with laugh-out-loud lines on nearly every page

 - Publisher’s Weekly, starred review

The Fourth Stall Part II by Chris Rylander

“Readers will be flushed with excitement to follow Mac’s operations from the fourth stall.”

- Kirkus Reviews

The Mask of Destiny by Richard Newsome

"Mysteries will be solved, friendships will be broken, and all secrets will finally be revealed..."

Guys Read: The Sports Pages, edited by Jon Scieszka

"The stories here offer action, humor and lessons about life and may well do the trick of connecting boys and books."  

- Kirkus Reviews

This is our first giveaway open internationally - so, no matter where you live, you could be a winner! Best of luck to all who enter.


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The Spooktacular Giveaway Hop Returns!

Do you hear that? Was that a branch creaking? A wolf howling? Wait, was that my shadow, or something else...? It's that time of year again, a time for creepy, spooky, scary, frightful, ghostly, and ghastly! In other words, it's time for the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop!

This hop was organized by I am a Reader, Not a Writer and The Diary of a Bookworm

Over 400 participating blogs are offering a book related giveaway and we are all linked up together so you can easily hop from one giveaway to another.  The hop runs from Wednesday, October 24th through Wednesday, October 31st. 

This year, we're giving away three of our spookiest books. Two winners will win receive copies of Juniper Berry and Guys Read: Thriller, and one lucky winner will receive an advance reader copy of The Fellowship for Alien Detection (hits stores in March 2013). 

The Fellowship for Alien Detection by Kevin Emerson
Picture the town of Juliette, Arizona, a seemingly normal town until all of sudden, BLAM! it disappears. Enter Haley and Dodger: two kids from opposite sides of the country who both have set out to prove that extraterrestrial life really does exist. Can they figure out what happened to Juliette? Can they prove that the people whispering "alien abduction" maybe aren't crazy after all? And, most importantly, can they stop what's happening before it's too late...because they are being hunted themselves, and, at any moment, they might disappear too...

Juniper Berry by M.P. Kozlowsky

A contemporary fairy tale of terror and temptation in the tradition of Roald Dahl and Neil Gaiman. Juniper’s parents, two of the world’s biggest movie stars, have not been right lately. When Juniper catches them sneaking into the cold, dark woods that surround their mansion, she follows them. What she discovers is an underworld both terrifying and enticing, lorded over by Skeksyl, a creature both sinister and seductive, who can sell you the world’s secrets in a simple red balloon. Skeksyl presents Juniper with a choice: take what he offers, or lose her family for good. It will be up to Juniper to confront her own fears in order to the save the ones who couldn’t.

Guys Read: Thriller edited by Jon Scieszka

Jon Scieszka’s hit series continues with ten pulse-pounding tales from more of your favorite writers. You’ll meet a teenage terrorist, the world’s worst private detective, a roomful of snakes, and more, from the likes of M.T. Anderson, Patrick Carman, Gennifer Choldenko, Matt de la Pena, Margaret Peterson Haddix, Bruce Hale, Anthony Horowitz, Jarrett J. Krosoczka, Walter Dean Myers, and James Patterson. A guy looking for some of the best writing around need look no further than Guys Read.

Follow this blog and fill out the form below to enter the giveaway, if you dare...Good luck and Happy Halloween!

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Happily Ever After Blog Hop Giveaway

Welcome to the Happily Ever After Blog Hop Giveaway at Walden Pond Press! This hop is sponsored by I Am a Reader Not a Writer and Murphy's Library. To enter fill out the Rafflecopter form at the bottom of this post. 

Who doesn't love a good fairy tale? We know we do. To celebrate this hop we're giving away two of our favorite fairy tales: The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy and Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu. 

Two winners will receive a prize pack with signed hardcover of each book.

The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy

The four princes who saved Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and Rapunzel each embark on their own adventures in this "after-happily-ever-after" taken on classic fairy tales. 

Live in the Portland, Oregon area? Meet author Christopher Healy at Green Bean Books on Saturday, October 13th at 2pm, or at the Wordstock Book Festival on Sunday, October 14th. For more info on all events, click here. 

Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu

Hazel and Jack were best friends until one day Jack stopped talking to Hazel. While her mom tried to tell her that this sometimes happens to friends, Hazel had read enough stories to know that it's never that simple. And it turns out she was right. Jack's heart had been frozen and he as taken into the woods by a woman dressed in white to live in a palace made of ice. Now it's up to Hazel to save him.

Thanks for entering our hop! Good luck to all who participate!

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The Princes Charming Take Portland, Oregon!

Live in Oregon? Your favorite Princes: Frederic, Duncan, Liam, and Gustav head to Portland from October 13-14th for Wordstock Book Festival!

Here's where you can find them:

Green Bean Books - Saturday, October 13th at 2:00pm

1600 NE Alberta Street, Portland, OR  97211

Meet The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom author Christopher Healy, stick around for a sneak peek of the book, a signing, and a chance to enter to win a secret prize pack!

Wordstock Literary Festival - Sunday, October 14th
Oregon Convention Center

Meet Christopher Healy and John Stephens (The Emerald Atlas) 

Sunday, October 14th 2:00-3:00pm

KinderCare Children's Stage

Oregon Convention Center, Exhibit Hall D, Left Stage

Followed by a Book Signing

   

Fractured Fairy Tale Panel

Christopher Healy and Jackson Pearce (Sisters Red) discuss how classic fairy tales have influenced their novels, and explore the different ways to approach a modernized fairy tale.

Sunday, October 14th 4:30 - 5:00pm

KinderCare Children's Stage

Oregon Convention Center, Exhibit Hall D, Left Stage

Followed by a Book Signing

 We hope to see some of you in Portland!

FREE Skype Visits for Portland, Oregon Teachers and Librarians!

If you are a teacher, librarian, or homeschool group in the Portland, OR area, The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom author Christopher Healy is offering FREE Skype visits from now until mid-October.

If you are interested, simply tweet us at @WaldenPondPress or leave us a message on Facebook and we'll get back to you promptly.

Once you have set up a Skype visit with Chris, we will send you a copy the book and some discussion guides (as supplies last).

For more information about the book and its author, read on:

Select reviews:

“a crowd-pleaser with laugh-out-loud lines on nearly every page.” — PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY [Starred Review]

“Inventive and hilarious, with laugh-out-loud moments on every page.”— KIRKUS

[Starred Review]

 “A lively, humorous adventure” —Meghan Cox Gurdon, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

“Richly imagined and hysterically funny” — Dodie Owens, SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

“Brilliant.” — NEW YORK MAGAZINE

There’s a lot you don’t know about Prince Charming.

Synopsis:

Christopher Healy takes us on a journey with four imperfect princes and their four improbable princesses, all of whom are trying to become perfect heroes—a fast-paced, funny, and fresh introduction to a world where everything, even our classic fairy tales, is not at all what it seems.
Prince Liam. Prince Frederic. Prince Duncan. Prince Gustav. You’ve never heard of them, have you? These are the princes who saved Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Snow White, and Rapunzel,  respectively, and yet, thanks to those lousy bards who wrote the tales, you likely know them only as Prince Charming. But all of this is about to change. Rejected by their princesses and cast out of their  castles, Liam, Frederic, Duncan, and Gustav stumble upon an evil plot that could endanger each of their kingdoms. Now it’s up to them to triumph over their various shortcomings, take on trolls, and its, dragons, witches, and other assorted terrors, and become the heroes no one ever thought they could be.

Author Bio: Christopher Healy finally made the transition to writing books of his own after years of reviewing of children’s media for various magazines and websites. His first novel, the acclaimed comedic fantasy adventure The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, published in 2012, has been optioned for film by Fox Animation. The second volume in the series, The Hero's Guide to Storming the Castle, will be published in May 2013.

It's Blog Hop Time!: Back to the Books Giveaway Hop

As part of the Back to the Books Giveaway Hop, we are giving away some great back to school reads for you and the children in your lives! If you've never done a giveaway hop before, simply enter our giveaway and then "hop" to the next blog on the lists. All participating blogs are linked at the end of this post.

Start the year off right with The Fourth Stall series by Chris Rylander, aka The Godfather in middle school...(and Part III doesn't even hit stores until February 2013, but two lucky winners will get to read it months beforehand!).

Middle school just got a lot more criminal. Do you need something? Mac can get it for you. It's what he does. He and his best friend and business manager, Vince. Their methods might sometimes run afoul of the law, or at least the school code of conduct, but if you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you pay him, Mac is on your side. His office is located in the East Wing boy's bathroom. And business is booming.

Two complete sets available (including advance reader copy of Part III):

Sports more up your alley? Then why not start your back-to-schooler off with a brand new edition of Guys Read: The Sports Pages! In this new edition in the Guys Read series, find ten stories guaranteed to put you in the ring, under the basket, and right behind home place from the following perennial all-stars: Jacqueline Woodson, Gordon Korman, Anne Ursu, Dan Gutman, Chris Crutcher, Joseph Bruchac, James Brown, Tim Green, Chris Rylander, and Stanley Cup winner Dustin Brown!

One shiny new hardcover available:

None of those suit your fancy? Will aliens do? Introducing Kevin Emerson's brand new title The Fellowship for Alien Detection. Picture the town of Juliette, Arizona, a seemingly normal town until all of sudden, BLAM! it disappears. Enter Haley and Dodger: two kids from opposite sides of the country who both have set out to prove that extraterrestrial life really does exist. Can they figure out what happened to Juliette? Can they prove that the people whispering "alien abduction" maybe aren't crazy after all? And, most importantly, can they stop what's happening before it's too late...because they are being hunted themselves, and, at any moment, they might disappear too...

The Fellowship for Alien Detection doesn't hit stores until February - be among the first to read it! One advance reader copy available:

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