A Christmas Wish by Katrina Wampler

Logan pulled the covers up tight beneath Josh’s chin. At just six years old, Josh had a firm grip on Logan’s heart. His bright blue eyes sparkled like the Northern star. Josh was no doubt proof that God was big on second chances.

“Just three more nights, huh Dad?” Josh pointed to the calendar with the big green circle around the twenty-five.
“Yeah, just three. Now get some sleep. We’re going to see Santa tomorrow and ride the train.”   Josh piped in, “And wear our pajamas… and drink hot chocolate?” His smile stretched from ear to ear at the mere thought of it.  Logan nodded and kissed the tip of Josh’s nose. “Good night, son.”

Read more here: http://www.katrinawampler.wordpress.com

Have a very Merry Christmas,

Michelle Rothwell, Founder

Dora & Diego Homeschool Spanish

http://www.dorahomeschoolspanish.com

The tagged game is this “Random Bookish Things”. Here’s how you play the game:

1. Link to the person who tagged you, and post the rules on your blog
2. Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself
3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs
4. Let each person know that they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog!

Alright, here goes…7 random/bookish things about myself…:

1. I have a book series in mind I want to do when I get some free time. LOL! It’s a project my husband and I have dreamed up which will be a series of life lessons we want to share with everyone.

2. I am in the middle of creating Spanish lessons for homeschool families which my first two will be available on CD-rom on January 1, 2009. They will then go to the publisher to be put into book form.

3. My favorite place to read is in bed.

4. Once I start a book I can never put it down until I’m done with it. So that means housework doesn’t get done until I’m done reading.

5. Whenever I go on a plane trip I always buy a book in the airport book shop. I know they are more expensive but I usually don’t have time to shop before then.

6. I started writing stories in my head when I was a little girl but have never put them on paper.

7. I would rather buy a book than borrow it from the library. Not that libraries carry germs or anything… If I buy a book, then I can share it with my friends and family.

There you have it. My seven outlandish Random Bookish Things. Here are my seven victims:

1. JoJo Tabares

2. Helen McGlasson

3. Sonya Smith

4. Sheila D

5. Jill Elizabeth Nelson

6. Josephine L

7. Natasha Maw

The Christian Book Tour is going on now through January with a different author who is interviewed each week. To find out what makes Vickie McDonough tick go to Katrina Wampler’s blog. To find out more about Vickie McDonough’s books, visit Vickie’s website.

What I’ve found out through the Christian Author Tour so far is there are many great writers out there that don’t necessarily show up at the usual places like Christian Book Distributors and Focus on the Family.

Alls I can say is so many books so little time!

Enter all the contests at the Christian Authro Tour to increase your chances of winning free books including Katrina Wampler’s latest novel “A Hope and a Future”.

Thanks for reading my blog. If there are any aspiring authors out there that would like their books reviewed, please send me an e-mail or leave me a message here.

Happy Reading,

Michelle Rothwell, Founder

Dora & Diego Homeschool Spanish

Spanish from the Biblical World View

You know how inquiring minds want to know? Well Katrina Wampler dives right into Sharon Hinck’s personal life through her penetrating interview process.

For those of you aspiring authors, Sharon answer’s some important questions like: “Are any of your characters modeled after you or your emotions?” You can find Sharon Hinck’s answer at Katrina Wampler’s blog.

The most intriguing question to me is this one: “Are there ever any characters that emerge uninvited?”

Sharon Hinck gives us the opportunity through the Christian Author Tour to know where we can find her next. As a hint … West Coast watch for her!

How would you like an autographed copy of Sharon’s books? As all of us bookworms know, autographed books can become priceless. Visit Sharon’s website at by clicking here: www.Sharon Hinck.com.

Fun and excitement continues this week at the Christian Author Tour!

Enter all the contests to increase your chances of winning free books including Katrina Wampler’s latest novel “A Hope and a Future”.

Don’t miss it!

Michelle Rothwell, Founder

Dora & Diego Homeschool Spanish

Spanish from the Biblical World View

Do people call you a bookworm because you always have your nose in a book?

Are you tired of waiting for your favorite authors to release their next books?

Well I have a way for you to satisfy your cravings for books and the next best seller. Come visit the Christian Author Tour presented on Katrina Wampler’s blog. Katrina is an aspiring new Christian author who has created a Christian Author Tour. Each week you will learn about different aspiring authors as well as contest to name her surprise famous author.

Through the Christian Author Tour Katrina interviews the authors asking the penetrating questions we all want to know. This week Katrina interviewed Sharon Hinck. Sharon is this year’s winner of the ACFW‘s Book of the Year Award.

During this tour I am going to share my findings right here on BookWorms United. For those of you that have gotten to know me, know I share the truth and nothing but the truth. If I don’t like a book, I say so and why. That’s what a good book reviewer does.

In the meantime, I hope to see you all on Katrina’s blog making comments. When you stop by please make sure to mention you saw the Chrisitan Author Tour on this blog and that Michelle sent you.

Have a blessed day,

Michelle Rothwell, Founder

Dora & Diego Homeschool Spanish

It’s Stickinormous!

By, Michelle Rothwell

Frog the Dog lives with Bimmy by the seaside, where they have lots of fun with their friends Ginger Jelly and Obi-Sven-Kenobi, to name a few. These cute characters bring fun to learning the English language. And when I say English I mean the original English from England. No, stickinormous isn’t a typical English word but I believe this word will soon be known in Great Britain as well as the United States as Frog the Dog books will be traveling the world. From a teacher’s standpoint, whether you’re a Homeschool teacher or a public school teacher, you will find “It’s Stickinormous!” will work well for supported reading from age 3 to 5. Then for kids to be able to read alone consider ages 5 to 8. This will give plenty of flexibility for the difference in individual abilities.

I believe talking about “It’s Stickinormous!” fits right in with my Homeschool website because I believe this book and others by Helen, is a great example of the English language. This book shows a difference in spellings of English words. For example, in the US we spell the word “color” like such and in England they spell it like “colour”. Now I wouldn’t show this to young kids as they might get confused but this would be an interesting word study for older kids.

We have a foreign exchange student living with us this year and she was telling me when they learned English in Germany they were taught both spellings for the word “color”. But on their tests they were required to know the American spelling. Both Helen and I were amazed at this information.

Typically when studying languages you can have more than one spelling of the same word depending on what country you want to learn about. In Spanish you can find the spelling of a word one way for Mexico and one way for Spain. Same thing in French. A single word could be spelled one way in France, one way in Morocco and then one way in Haiti. It’s always good to decide at the beginning of your education which country you would travel to most and learn their way of spelling and speaking. If you focus on one form of the language you will have less confusion and better scores on your spelling tests.

Opening Page to Frog’s C.D.

One thing I haven’t told you about is the CD-Rom that goes with the book called, “It’s Stickinormous Too!” I totally love the c.d.! The c.d. brings Frog the Dog to life as well as his friends with sound effects. Helen reads the story in her very British accent, but it isn’t a thick cockney accent so us Americans can understand her completely, which adds to the atmosphere of the language. There are phonics worksheets, math worksheets, a fun game called Snakes and Ladders that you can do on your computer, lesson plans, and so much more! Helen has created a fabulous product that can be used on a Mac or a PC.

For more information on purchasing this innovative product, visit Frog the Dog at http://www.frogthedog.com. If you want to give your kids a little taste of Frog the Dog, they can visit Frog and the whole gang daily at http://www.frogblogdoglog.blogspot.com. And for all of you Homeschool teachers and public school teachers go to http://www.readinghero.co.uk. At that website you will find info on Sniff and Wag Publishing, Reading Hero Campaign, school resources and visits info, and library events.

On behalf of Dora & Diego Homeschool Spanish we would like to thank Helen McGlasson for giving us the opportunity to preview her frogtastic new book and learning curriculum, “It’s Stickinormous!” Helen you’ve done a fabulous job creating a fun, safe and family friendly learning environment for our children. Thank you for using your talents for others.

We rate this book and CD-Rom a whopping 10 jalapeños.

Michelle Rothwell is the Founder of Dora & Diego Homeschool Spanish where she has written Spanish curriculum from the Biblical world view and teaches online Spanish classes to Homeschool children of all ages. Michelle has been a Spanish teacher for over six years and joined the Homeschool teacher’s world in 2007.

Katrina is a single Mom of three awesome kids ages 9, 10, and 11. Katrina has been blessed with working from home so she can be with her kids before and after school. Just with those two things alone one can wonder how she finds the time to write. Well when you’re passionate about anything you find a way.

A Hope and A Future will draw you in with the first chapter. Alls I can say is the story starts out with coffins, a song and suffocation. To read an excerpt from the first chapter visit Katrina’s blog here: Storm Faith Ministries

Katrina shares her writing journey with us through her blog. This is a great blog to hear more about the day in the life of Katrina Wampler. Make sure you subscribe to the feed so you won’t be left out on the publishing date or Katrina’s next book signing.

Happy Reading,
Michelle Rothwell

Lehman is the inspiration behind The Adventures of Papa Lemon’s Little Wanderers stories. Lehman’s concept is fabulous. Through the travels of the Little Wanderers, kids from 7 to 12 years of age learn about the history of America. The Little Wanderers learn about Dr. Martin Luther King, slavery, World War II and the Navajo Wind Talkers, the life of Babe Didrikson, plus more. Papa Lemon and Mama Sarah were Lehman’s grandparents who were born in West, Mississippi. These two saints of God shared their lives and faith freely with their children, grandchildren and anyone who came to visit them. Now their stories are living on through the writings of Lehman Riley.

Papa Lemon had a way of telling a story that made everything fun and I believe Lehman has inherited his grandfather’s gift. Each story involves five kids from the neighborhood. These kids visit Papa Lemon and Mama Sarah in their quest to have their history lessons in school explained in a lively fashion. Papa Lemon has a secret stashed in his barn which is revealed in the first book “Meeting Dr. Martin Luther King”. This hidden secret is the avenue the kids and Papa Lemon use to research American history.

When I read books I don’t like illustrations but kids are different. Kids like to see what they are reading and Joshua Wallace does a great job capturing the essence of every lesson. If I couldn’t read, the pictures would explain the whole story to me and I would understand it.

These two men, Lehman Riley and Joshua Wallace are a great combination. I hope they will continue together as the years go on. Keep up the good work guys!

For more information I encourage you to visit the website for The Adventures of Papa Lemon’s Little Wanderers. You will not only find out where to purchase these little gems but there are study guides for all classrooms. If you need something to keep your kids busy, try the activity sheets listed on the website. This work in progress is a must for all to add to their favorites list so you can go back and visit often.

Enjoy!

Michelle Rothwell, Founder

Dora & Diego Homeschool Spanish

As reported on March 31, the Minnesota Book Awards were conducted with a big gala this last Saturday, April 12. There were 8 different categories plus two special awards. The Saint Paul Pioneer Press has been covering this story through their online newspaper at http://www.twincities.com.

The Minnesota Book Awards is a project of Friends of the St. Paul Public Library in consortium with the St. Paul Public Library and the mayor’s office of St. Paul.

To read the full story click here: http://www.twincities.com//ci_8906177?IADID=Search-www.twincities.com-www.twincities.com

This is an awesome way to showcase local talent in our home state, the Minnesota Book Awards. Do you have an organization in your state that does the same thing? Please share with us so we can help celebrate with you.

Happy Reading,

Michelle

P.S. I’m planning on attending the gala next year at the Minnesota Book Awards, how about you?

While you are at Eileen’s blog make sure you are added to her e-mail feed as she has a daily writer’s tip as well as a list of special appearances by Eileen.

If any of you know where there’s a good contest for book lovers, please send me an e-mail and I will be happy to add it here.

Happy Reading!

Michelle