Monday, August 27, 2012

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: Sleuth or Dare #1: Partners in Crime (and Giveaway!)

First let me announce the winner of The Healing Spell by Kimberley Griffiths Little. My autographed copy goes to:

Amy Sonnichsen

Yay Amy! I hope both you and your daughter will enjoy this book!

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SLEUTH OR DARE #1: PARTNERS IN CRIME
Scholastic, May 1, 2012, Age 8-12

Whodunit?

When best friends Darcy and Norah have to create a fake business for a school assignment, they come up with a great idea: a detective agency! Darcy loves mysteries, and Norah likes helping people, so it's a perfect fit.

But then their pretend agency gets a real case. Someone is missing, and it's up to Darcy and Norah to take on the search. Unfortunately, there's someone else out there who doesn't want the two detectives stirring up any trouble....

With the help of hidden clues, spy gadgets, and trusted friends, can Darcy and Norah crack the case in time?

Why it is Marvelous - I won a set of the three books in this series from Heidi Grange's blog (thanks again Heidi!) and for some reason, even though we already had Partners in Crime in the house and he hadn't touched it, my son pounced on these and read all three in as many days. Sometimes I will ask my son about the books he is reading... "How do you like it?" or "Did you like it better than this other book?" and really, it's like pulling teeth to get any intelligible answer sometimes. He is 10 afterall. But then I asked "Is there a book you have read that you knew you liked from the first page?" and his answer was Sleuth or Dare! This is a fast, fun read for any mystery lover, and while the main characters are girls, it has plenty of suspense and action to interest boy as well as girl readers.

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The other two books in this series are Sleuth or Dare #2: Sleepover Stakeout and Sleuth or Dare #3: Framed & Dangerous.

Where you can find Kim:
Her Website: Kim Harrington
Her Blog: Kim Harrington's Blog
Twitter: @Kim_Harrington
Facebook: Kim Harrington (Author)

Kim was nice enough to answer a few questions about her books!

1. How did you come up with the idea for these books? Did you read a lot of mysteries growing up?

Growing up, I loved any book that was spooky or mysterious. Whenever the Scholastic Book Clubs flyer came, I would circle all the books with dark or spooky covers and beg my parents for them. The idea for Sleuth or Dare is actually a longer answer, but I wrote it up here (Why I Wrote Sleuth or Dare), including a highly embarrassing photo of me at age ten!

2. Since my 10-year-old son loved this series, I was wondering if your target audience was mainly girls, or did you intentionally write them in a way you hoped would appeal to both girls and boys?

I did hope that both boys and girls would read and enjoy the series. I know what they say about boys never reading books from a girl POV or with a girl on the cover, etc. But I'm hoping there are more open-minded boys out there like your son (and mine). There are other characters in the books who are boys. And I think the suspense and mystery aspects would definitely appeal to both boys and girls.



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And now for the giveaway!  
I have an extra copy of Sleuth or Dare #1: Partners in Crime and would love to pass it on to one lucky reader. All you have to do is leave a comment and I will draw a name next Monday and announce the winner then. It would be nice if you signed up to follow my blog, but not necessary to be entered in the drawing.

No international entries. US and Canada only.
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Marvelous Middle Grade Monday (MMGM) was created by Shannon Messenger. To find other bloggers participating in MMGM go to her blog for a list of links.



24 comments:

  1. I love the titles for this series (which I hadn't heard of.) Thanks for featuring it! (It seems you have quite a lot of success winning books from blogs, Julie--wink, wink Project Mayhem winner!)

    Your son's willingness to read books with girl MCs is awesome. I think the trick is that the covers don't scream "girl," they yell "action." So, if you want to attract boy readers, publishers, stay clear of soft lighting and pink!

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    1. Yes, thanks again Michael for the giveaway over at Project Mayhem!

      There is a challenge in my son's school to read all the books on the Sasquatch Award Nominee list (a WA state award), and it will be tough to get him to read "The Popularity Papers" with girls and pink on the cover! :-)

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  2. I've been wanting to get my hands on Sleuth or Dare for months!! It sounds like such a cute adventure :)

    Vivien
    deadtossedwaves at gmail dot com

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    1. Thanks for your comment Vivien, and good luck to you in the drawing!

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  3. I've been hearing about these through the blogsphere...and since I'm attempting my own MG mystery, I'm sure they'd help my journey. Thanks for the chance to win #1.

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    1. Hey Barbara!

      And what is interesting about this series is that the books were released in paperback, one each month, for three months in-a-row! May 1st 2012, June 1st 2012, and July 1st, 2012. How cool is that?!

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  4. I'm so thrilled! thank you, Julie!!!

    Wow, these MG mysteries sound wonderful, too. Thanks for all your great suggestions. You're keeping Olivia in books. :D

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    1. Yay Amy! I will be e-mailing you to get mailing info.

      Hope you both enjoy The Healing Spell!

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  5. Mystery! Yay!
    I'm in serious need of MG mystery reads.
    These sound fantastic. (I hope I win) but worse case scenario I hope my library has them.
    Thanks for featuring such an exiting series. :)

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    1. You got me curious so I checked our local library and they do not have this series! I know at our library they take requests if there is a particular book you would like them to order.

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  6. I've always thought these books looked like fun. Glad to know your son likes them. Thanks for the suggestion, Julie.

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    1. Your welcome, and my son blew through these and wanted MORE!

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  7. I love MG and YA mystery reads and never seem to find enough of them. Thanks for adding this one to my radar!

    - Jessica @ Book Sake

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    1. Your welcome! Thanks for stopping by again this week!

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  8. I always enjoy a good MG mystery and this series sounds great. I really liked your review and the fact that your son liked it! Thanks for the chance to win. :)

    ~Jess
    haightjess at gmail dot com

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  9. As a fifth grade teacher this seems like a book the kids in my class could really get into. I would love to add a copy to my class library. The cover is great and the story sounds fantastic.

    Stephanie
    stefpeterson at yahoo dot com

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    1. My son starts 5th grade tomorrow! It would be a fun addition to your classroom!

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  10. Hi, Great giveaway! It looks like a great read. Is this the kind of book you are writing (I noticed you are writing a chapter book, right?
    Thanks for hosting a giveaway :)

    Jill

    (I guess If I'm lucky enough to win, I'd then contact you with my email address, right?).

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    1. Thanks for your comment Jill!

      The book I am writing is more along the lines of Judy Moody or Clementine... so everyday life with humor thrown in!

      And yes, just check back next Monday for the winner.

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  11. Thanks for the chance to win book one and for the interview too. I can see this being a big hit!

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    1. I hope these will be a hit b/c then maybe she will be able to write more!

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  12. My students love middle grade mysteries, and I'll look forward to checking these out, Julie! Thanks for running a giveaway, too. :-)

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  13. I hadn't heard of this one before, but I love the title and the concept. Thanks for introducing me to it!

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