______
First, here's the most adorably fun guest post ever by Stacey Graham, author of The Girls' Ghost Hunting Guide! I've looked through my ARC of it, and the tips and quizzes and tidbits of information are so fun that I know it's going to be a blast to read. I'll be trying out a few of the recipes next week so I can write a proper review of it! :)
And this fun little package that Stacey created is super sweet too! Want to read it (and I'm sure that you do)? Click on the link below:
______
The Girls' Ghost Hunting Guide by Stacey Graham
Goodreads | Amazon | The Book Depository
What was that noise? The cat? The wind?
Little brother stealing a peek at your diary?
Or is it a ghost?
The Girls' Ghost Hunting Guide will help you identify the creepy crawlers from the spooky spirits, the howling winds fromt he haunting phantoms. And with this guide you can learn from real experts how to investigate and contact your very own ghosts!
Everything a girl needs for a night full of fun, including:
• Spooky urban legends to set the mood
• Must-have stuff for your ghost hunting kit
• Pointers for leading the best-ever ghost hunt
• Tips for writing your own ghost
• With fun quizzes, games, recipes, and more!
So gather your friends if they are brave enough, grab a flashlight, and go investigate!
______
Top Five Summer Splashin’ Activities
By Hélène Boudreau
By Hélène Boudreau
Discover
Hélène’s favorite summer activities – all involving water of course. Make sure
to get your swimsuit ready!
I grew up on a small island surrounded by
the Atlantic Ocean so splishy-splashy summer activities are some of my
favourite things to do. Here are my top five
summer splashin’ activities!
1. SURFING
I am so
bad at surfing and have only ever managed to stand on my board about three
times in my life but it is so much fun to get out there and catch a few waves
even if you’re like me and all you can manage is getting up on your knees. This
day, it was only 13 C/ 55 F and the water was even chillier. Thank goodness for
wet suits!
2. SAND CASTLE BUILDING
My family and I stay at an ocean side
cottage every summer and try to schedule our stay during the annual Sandcastle
Building Competition. We came in FIRST last year and plan on defending our
title again this summer. Jade the mermaid has even been known to make an
appearance!
3. WHALE WATCHING
Creatures of the sea have always amazed me
(obviously!) so if you ever get the
chance—don’t pass up an opportunity to go whale watching. It’s so magical!
Last time, we even discovered a sea cave. I
wonder what’s hiding in there…
4. RACE!
I joke that I once came in 141st
in a race with 140 competitors and that’s not very far from the truth. I am
slow. VERY slow. But I love competing in races at least once a summer. These
days I usually do walking half marathons (my best time is 3:01 hrs—a glacial
pace) but I’ve also been known to do short triathlons. Swimming is probably my
worst leg of the race but it’s a great way to cool down for the biking and
running part. This is my ‘I’m so glad THAT’S over’ face.
Yup, you read that correctly. When you live
within driving distance of a dozen hockey arenas like I do, there’s nothing
like loading up the back of the truck with Zamboni snow and dumping it in your front
yard for an instant pile of chilly summer fun. Snowball fight!
______
Real Mermaids Don't Hold Their Breath by Hélène Boudreau
Goodreads | Amazon | The Book Depository
Jade begins her summer confused. Yes, there's that whole "will this be a leg-day or a tail-day" kind of confusion, but Jade's got even bigger problems: It's been three weeks since Mom returned to the ocean with no news of her whereabouts. Plus, it's been twenty-one days since Jade first kissed her mer-boy Luke and now-nothing.
Will Mom find the enchanted tidal pool that will allow her to become human? And why is Luke acting so weird?
The SEAquel to Hélène Boudreau's critically acclaimed Real Mermaids Don't Wear Toe Rings is as energetic and fresh as a salty sea breeze.
______
Giveaways
The awesome people at Sourcebooks are giving one lucky person a chance win a copy of both The Ghost Girls' Hunting Guide and Real Mermaids Don't Hold Their Breath! It's only open to people who live in the US or Canada. (So sorry, international followers! Next time it will be international for sure!)
Just fill out the form below:
______
And that's all for today! I usually don't read middle grade books, but you have to admit that these ones sound super-fun!
Stacey shared her sleepover tips and Hélène shared her summer activities. What do YOU guys like to do at sleepovers or during the summer? :) ♥
-Mimi
Posts
I love building sand castles! LOL I'm such a kid at heart. I also love to whale watch although I haven't really seen any good ones except at like Marine World hehe. I would love to learn how to surf too. For now I just float down the river. Takes a lot less athletic ability which I don't have much of. I love snow ball fights but I don't like the cold so I don't go to the snow much. Very cute post. The Girls' Ghost Hunting Guide looks like a fun book with some interesting things to do. Curious to see your review of it. For sleep overs we always prank called! LOL I also loved staying up late talking boys, usually we torture whoever falls asleep first, and I also love to watch scary movies. I really miss being 12 years old. It was so much fun!
ReplyDeleteA snowball fight in the summer sounds AWESOME! :)
ReplyDeleteLOL! Snowball fight in the middle of the summer, I bet that's fun. :D We usually just settle for the water fights when our snow is finally gone, though! Hahah. Maybe I should try that now while there's still some snow out... ;) Lol. And omg, I'd be the 142d person if I even joined one of those. Lol, I'm not really a race person. ;) I do want to go whale watching sometime though, it'd be super cool!
ReplyDeleteLove this post. :DD (And the sound of the book!)
Some awesome picks for the summer Mimi! Real Mermaids Don't Hold Their Breath sounds super cute! Oh I love nothing more than pigging out at sleepovers, with ice-cream, chocolates and crisps! :)
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a kid: watch scary movies was a favourite ... also overdosing on various types of junk foods ... chatter all night long about boys and the latest gossip. When my kids were little and there was still a drive-in movie in the town where we lived, we'd sweep them up into the SUV, in their jammies and blankees, dogs included, and hang out at the drive in.
ReplyDeleteLOL THIS SOUNDS SO FUN!!!! Australia is dominated by beaches, yet I'm never been surfing..:( So "un-Aussie" LOL BUT IT SOUNDS SO FUN!! SAND CASTLE! SNOW BALL FIGHTS! They all sound SOOO fun :) Oohhh SLEEPOVER? TRUTH OR DARE IS A MUST! It's not a sleepover if no one plays truth or dare :P Oh and MOVIE MARATHON! A definite must!<3 hahaaa Anywayyy AWESOME post Mimi!:D
ReplyDeleteI've never surfed in my life before, but I really want to learn how to although I'm pretty sure I will fail epically! :P
ReplyDeleteWhale watching sounds awesome too ! :D
I don't really do much during summer. I'm not a huge fan of that season because I get hot and sweaty and end up being super cranky ! :P
Great post, Mimi. :D
My school once had a snowball fight in August, or was it early Fall...? Either way, it was warm outside, dark, and we had snowballs brought in. It was a lot of fun!
ReplyDeleteSnow ball fighting in summer, how awesome is that?! I've always wanted to try surfing although like Nick said I'm pretty I'll fail, lol! I love building sand castles at the beach while most people my age are sun bathing! XD
ReplyDeleteSeriously those books sound super cute!!!!! And even though I also do not like MG those might be worth a try! And when I was a kid I was paying with little cars in the sand, because I had a kid brother and a boy best friend so they never played something else and I always had to play with their toys in the sand :)
ReplyDeleteI would love to have a snowball fight in the middle of summer. Unfortunately that's pretty unlikely in sunny California but at least I can participate in the other fun summer activities (although I probably won't race-I bet I would be even slower than 3 hours for a walking half marathon).
ReplyDeleteAm I the only person who has stopped running and working out and... well, moving?! Hah. Kidding. I'm not much of a water person, though, I never have been. The crazy thing is that I live by the beach, but I can go for an entire month without touching the sea. Even when I do, I mostly just float, lol. But triathlon? Kudos to you, lovely.
ReplyDeleteI want to have a summer snowball fight! It would never have even remotely occurred to me to go pick up zamboni snow and cart it back to my house, but that is a brilliant idea. I'm a winter girl through and through, so I'm going to be stalking my closest ice rink... COMPLETE WIN!
ReplyDeletehaha omg this cover is so cute and funny! I've never seen it before. And god do I wish we could surf in Canada it sounds like so much fun!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I wish I could have some snowball fights in the summer. It would probably be the best time to have them, since it's often hot and you need to cool down. LOL I love the sandcastle building. How fun!
ReplyDelete-Lauren
I haven't had a sleepover in so long! Well I guess my nephew sleeps over (does that count)? He likes to get on Aunties computer and iPad and go through my drawers. I have a drawer of toys for him he likes to pull out.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of a snowball fight in summer! That would be perfect for me! Both books sounds like a lot of fun. And I'm partial to the second just because the protagonist has my name!
I love this post! so summery:) We camp outside (in the yard!) at summer sleepovers:)
ReplyDeleteI've been surfing a few times... Not really my thing... All I could think about was Jaws. Yeah...
ReplyDeleteWhale watching sounds so fun! Thanks for the great guest post and giveaway!
At sleepovers I like to EAT. No, I'm not kidding- what is a sleepover without a load of sugary food?
(: xo
I had no idea that you could have snowball fights in the summer :O It sounds like a great idea and a really fun way to cool down. It'd be perfect for a humid day like today. I have to go back out into the heat again for school :(
ReplyDeleteI LOVE surfing (the weather in Toronto is great) and participating in triathalons too. :) And I agree- whale watching is enchanting, and I always get so excited when you I see the whale's fins popping out of the water. :) Those two books love amazing; thank you for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteFun. I remember seeing the ghost book in another blog and it sounded so cute! I loved the list of summer activities, especially the thought of a snowball fight in summer! Now that sounds awesome! Real Mermaids Don't Hold Their Breath sounds like such a cute book as well. Thanks for the giveaway, Mimi x)
ReplyDeleteSnowball fights in the summer?! There's something you don't see everyday. Sounds like fun though! As does whale watching. I would love to try that one day if I ever lived near whales... ;)
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun post! And The Ghost Girls' Hunting Guide sounds amazing too. I've been seeing that round a lot lately and can't wait to read it. :)
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI live in Florida, so it's pretty much summer all the time. I normally like to go out on the boat and go swimming. Sometimes if your lucky, dolphins or manatees will swim up to you :)
ReplyDeleteBoth of these books sound great! Thanks so much for the chance to win!
What a phenomenal post. The cover for The Girl's Ghost Hunting guide is adorable. Helen did a great job on the splash activities post.
ReplyDeleteSnowball fight in the summer?! SAY WHAT? I haven't done any of the things on that list but I might look into this snowball fight thing. Although living in Florida during the summer might make it a bit tricky!
ReplyDeleteWow, snowball fight in SUMMER?? I think that's the coolest thing I've heard! Growing up in a country with ever-summery weather, I've always been fascinated with snow. It's so cool to play snowball fight in hot weather, and maybe pretend that winter is approaching hehe! x) Aah, I'm really bad with water sport, so I think I'll pass surfing LOL! Whale watching sounds awesome! I always want to ride dolphin anyway... *le daydreaming*
ReplyDeleteFabulous post!! <3 I really like the sound of The Girls' Ghost Hunting Guide! Definitely a book to read for my summer activities! x)
That ghost book looks so cute! Some MG books are really good but I like them because I can often read them aloud to my kids.
ReplyDeleteWOW! 141 out of 140! Love that. And don't worry, I would have been right behind you. I love to race too even though I'm very slow. Over the weekend, my mom and I did a Duathlon, and we finished in just under 2 hours, at 1:59 to be exact, and I can't tell you how happy that made us. And don't remind me of the time I finished a 21 mile bike ride after most of the other rides finish 42 miles. I really thought I deserved a special award just for that.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing such super fun pictures. I've tried surfing, but I've only managed to get myself up on the board once. And yes, I agree, whale watching is a magical experience.
Fun guest post. During the summer, I love to swim. LOVE it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, Mimi & the awesome giveaway :)
Jennifer @ Dream Reads
I have NEVER had a snowball fight during summer... and I don't plan to :D I'm the first one down at the beach (when there's sun, of course!) and we get enough freezing weather during the winter haha! I've never tried surfing, I'd probably fall and make a complete fool of myself hehe >.< But I'd love to go whale-watching - that sounds like fun!
ReplyDeleteAt sleepovers, me and my friends usually watch movies, gush about guys (!) or just talk about whatever's on our minds. And eat unhealthy, sugary food to get us all hyper as well!!!
Thanks for the awesomely fun guest post, Mimi <3
I think I would be DREADFUL at surfing! I'm terrified of my head going under water for a second though, so maybe that would inspire some secret balancing superpower that I never knew I had? I love that she is so active competing in races, even though she finishes.... well, not first! :P That's SO the right attitude, you do something because you ENJOY it.
ReplyDeleteSnowball fights! I've never seen the snow (I don't exactly live in a chilly region, so it's never snowed here), but one day I WILL engage in a snowball fight. I don't feel like I've lived until I do :D
Thanks for the awesome guest post, ladies!! Helen's book sound like so much fun!
So many summer activities! I'm actually more of a mountain girl. In the summer my family and I usually go there <3 But yeah, this year we've moved and we live really near to the beach, so I may actually try to go there LOL. There's both beach and mountains close to where I live, so that's not a problem! :D
ReplyDeleteGood luck to everyone participating in the giveaway~
The Girls' Ghost Hunting Guide begins with a brief history on ghosts and when ghost sightings first began. Then the book immediately shifts to describing signals for people to keep a lookout for when searching for or accidentally coming into contact with ghosts, like how our pets can sense that ghosts are near and what kind of reactions they would have.
ReplyDelete