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Shoemaker Mack
Barbara Avon’s Shoemaker Mack is a charming children’s comic book that brings together fairy-tale magic, playful humor, and a heartfelt message about the things that make life meaningful. The story opens with a father named Mack telling his young daughter Emma a bedtime story about a shoemaker who lives in a small village beneath a magnificent golden castle. At the center of the tale is a wealthy king whose love of gold has become an obsession. While the king surrounds himself with riches, Mack finds happiness in his family, his work, and the simple pleasures of everyday life. The contrast between these two characters creates an engaging story that invites young readers to think about what it really means to be rich.
The king’s extravagant lifestyle is wonderfully ridiculous, especially his habit of bathing in gold coins while being attended by a group of mischievous monkeys. These little characters bring plenty of energy to the story, creating amusing situations through their exaggerated expressions and playful behavior. Mack, meanwhile, is an immediately likable character whose kindness and cheerful personality make him easy to root for. His relationship with his children adds warmth to the narrative, particularly when he comforts them with a familiar song. Avon keeps the storytelling accessible through straightforward dialogue, lively exchanges, and a gentle rhythm that suits the bedtime-story setting.
Illustrated with art credited to Faryal Chris and Pietro Rotelli, the pages are filled with bright colors, detailed backgrounds, and expressive cartoon characters. The golden castle looks wonderfully extravagant, with its towering turrets and elaborate architecture, while Mack’s cozy shoemaker’s cottage feels welcoming and full of life. Warm yellows, rich purples, and deep blues help distinguish the royal surroundings from the quieter village scenes. The comic panels move smoothly between close-up facial expressions and sweeping views of the landscape, giving the story a cinematic quality. The characters’ reactions are especially entertaining, and the monkeys’ antics add visual comedy. There’s also a lovely bonus at the back of the book: black-and-white versions of several illustrations that children can color themselves, extending the fun beyond the story.
Themes of gratitude, generosity, family, and happiness emerge naturally through the characters and their different ways of approaching life. The story’s affectionate father-daughter framing also gives it a personal touch, making the experience feel like listening to a treasured family tale passed from one generation to another. Younger children will likely enjoy the colorful illustrations, silly monkeys, and musical touches, while parents can appreciate the opportunities for conversations about kindness and contentment. With its whimsical setting, lovable central character, and inviting illustrations, Shoemaker Mack offers families an entertaining story with a thoughtful message worth sharing at bedtime.
Pages: 24 | ASIN : B0HPL9T3ZS
Family History
The Lost Crown of the Isle follows two cousins who discover a magical suitcase during a Hawaiian vacation and embark on an extraordinary quest to save a princess and recover a lost crown. What drew you to creating a children’s fantasy series centered on cousins who discover new adventures during their annual summer reunions?
What drew me to cousins specifically is that cousin relationships have this really interesting mix of closeness and distance. You can know someone incredibly well, share family history and inside jokes, and then still have stretches of time where you’re living completely separate lives.
That makes the annual summer reunion such a fun structure for a series because every summer, Pie and Ty are coming back together a little older, a little changed, and carrying new things with them. They have to reconnect with each other at the same time that they’re stepping into a new adventure.
I also loved the idea of giving the series a rhythm that kids can understand. Summer already feels a little magical when you’re young. It’s a break from normal routines, families travel, cousins come together, and there’s this sense that something unexpected could happen.
So the fantasy grows out of something very familiar. Pie and Ty aren’t superheroes. They’re two kids on a family vacation who suddenly find themselves somewhere extraordinary. And underneath the magic and adventure, the series is really about family, friendship, growing up, and learning who you are in relationship to the people you love.
That’s what I hope readers come back for every summer — a new place, a new mystery, a little magic, and two cousins who keep growing right alongside them.
How do Pie and Ty’s different strengths influence the challenges they encounter throughout their adventure?
Pie and Ty are very different, and I think that’s one of the things I love most about writing them. Pie is more thoughtful and analytical. He likes to understand what’s happening, put the pieces together, and think before he moves. Ty is much more instinctive. He’s curious, energetic, and usually the one who wants to go see what’s around the next corner.
Those differences can absolutely create friction, because sometimes one of them wants to slow down while the other wants to move. But they also end up needing those differences. Pie notices things Ty might rush past, and Ty can get Pie moving when he might otherwise overthink something.
A big part of the story is them realizing that being different doesn’t mean one of them is doing it the “right” way. Their strengths work best when they stop competing with each other and start trusting what the other person brings to the adventure.
How does the story explore the difference between being brave and knowing when to ask for help or rely on someone else?
One of the things I really wanted to explore is the idea that bravery doesn’t always mean being the person who goes first or the person who isn’t afraid. Sometimes courage is saying, “I don’t know what to do.” Sometimes it’s admitting you’re scared. And sometimes the bravest choice is trusting someone else enough to let them help you.
Pie and Ty are both eight years old, so I wanted that lesson to feel very real for kids their age. They’re trying to prove things to themselves, and sometimes to each other, but throughout the adventure they begin to understand that they don’t have to do everything alone.
For me, that’s really at the heart of the series. Growing up doesn’t mean having all the answers. It means learning when to trust yourself, when to speak up, and when to choose each other.
Is this the first book in the series? If so, when is the next book coming out, and what can your fans expect in the next story?
Yes, The Lost Crown of the Isle is the first book in The Suitcase Summers series. The next book is called The Quiet Harbor, and it takes Pie and Ty to Sitka, Alaska, for their next summer adventure. I’m not ready to announce an exact release date yet, but it is already in development.
This story has a very different feeling from Hawaiʻi. It’s colder, quieter, a little more mysterious, and there’s a lighthouse at the center of it. The emotional theme is really about speaking up—what happens when we keep things inside, when we assume someone else knows how we feel, or when we’re afraid to say something important. Pie and Ty are growing too, so readers will see some of the things they learned in the first book tested in a completely different way. They’re still themselves, still funny, still frustrating each other, but their relationship keeps evolving.
And that’s really the promise of the series: every summer brings a new place, a little bit of magic, and a new way for them to grow.
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It wasn’t supposed to involve a magical suitcase.
Eight-year-old Stephen “Pie” and his cousin Ty are used to spending their summers together. But when an old vintage suitcase draws them into a hidden adventure, they discover that there is far more to the island than anything in their guidebooks.
Somewhere beyond the beaches and familiar trails is a world touched by magic—and a mystery that has been waiting for them.
A lost crown must be found.
A young princess named Malia needs their help.
And the longer Pie and Ty search, the more they realize this isn’t the kind of treasure hunt they can solve by simply following a map.
The island is asking something of them, too.
As clues lead them deeper into a place where nature, history, and magic intertwine, the cousins will have to decide how much they trust each other when things don’t go according to plan. Because finding the crown may depend on more than being clever or brave.
It may depend on choosing each other when it matters most.
The Lost Crown of the Isle is the first book in The Suitcase Summers, a magical adventure series where every summer brings a new destination, a new mystery, and a little bit of magic that helps two cousins grow in ways they never expected.
Perfect for young readers who love family adventures, mysterious objects, real-world travel, gentle magic, hidden clues, and stories filled with wonder and heart.
The suitcase has appeared. The adventure has begun.
Charlie & Ink
In Charlie & Ink, author Kelle James delivers a moving coming-of-age novel about survival, unexpected friendship, and the healing power of love. Fifteen-year-old Charlie has spent her childhood enduring an abusive father, learning to protect herself through vigilance, defiance, and emotional distance. When she finally escapes, a chance encounter with a troubled teenage boy named Leo leads her to Rita, a compassionate woman living in Slab City, an unconventional desert community in Southern California. What begins as a desperate search for safety becomes a journey toward belonging and self-discovery. James establishes the gravity of Charlie’s circumstances immediately, creating a compelling contrast between the violence of her former home and the eccentric, welcoming world she gradually encounters. The novel explores how a young person accustomed to cruelty learns to recognize kindness, accept affection, and imagine a future shaped by her own choices.
Charlie is a particularly engaging narrator, with a voice that combines sharp humor, adolescent irreverence, and startling emotional vulnerability. Her observations are frequently funny, even when she’s navigating frightening or unfamiliar situations. James uses this humor effectively, giving Charlie a distinctive personality beyond the trauma she’s experienced. Her relationships with Rita and Leo develop through everyday interactions, from shared meals and playful arguments to moments of genuine tenderness. Rita’s patient generosity provides a steady emotional foundation, while Leo’s struggles with addiction introduce another perspective on suffering and recovery. The supporting characters are equally memorable, particularly the spirited women of Slab City, whose peculiar habits and fiercely protective instincts give the community its character. Their individual personalities contribute to the novel’s central exploration of chosen family, demonstrating how friendship and responsibility can grow among people whose lives have followed very different paths.
I enjoyed the story’s use of symbolism, particularly through the Japanese art of kintsugi, which involves repairing broken pottery with gold. Rita introduces Charlie to the practice with an explanation that captures the book’s emotional philosophy: “When something breaks, you don’t hide the damage. You embrace it.” The image of a damaged object becoming beautiful through careful restoration parallels Charlie’s developing understanding of her own worth. Equally significant is Ink, an orphaned baby crow Charlie rescues and raises. Their relationship brings warmth, comedy, and a compelling examination of trust, attachment, and freedom. As Charlie learns to care for a vulnerable creature, she discovers capacities for tenderness and responsibility that her upbringing had given her little opportunity to express. James makes these ideas accessible through concrete experiences, allowing the repaired pottery, the growing bird, and the desert landscape to carry much of the novel’s emotional meaning.
James also creates a vivid sense of place, presenting Slab City through its blistering heat, improvised homes, unusual artwork, and colorful residents. The setting feels inseparable from Charlie’s transformation, offering a community where unconventional lives and personal histories coexist. The novel’s brisk pacing and conversational prose make it accessible, while its treatment of domestic abuse, addiction, grief, and emotional recovery gives the story considerable weight. At times, the dialogue states the book’s themes quite explicitly, reflecting its earnest, affirming approach to storytelling. Its strongest passages, however, emerge from small gestures of care, moments when an offered meal, a gentle touch, or an act of protection communicates more than any explanation could. Charlie & Ink is an emotionally generous novel about the courage required to trust others and the profound influence of being treated with dignity. Through Charlie’s spirited narration and her growing connections with those around her, James presents a hopeful and affecting portrait of resilience, compassion, and the human need for a place to call home.
Pages: 79
Social Expectations
The Tuba of the Somme follows three unforgettable Yorkshire women navigating a world shaped by war, class divisions, rigid social expectations, and men who frequently make life more difficult than necessary. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The world as it is today, because so little has changed in the last hundred years – plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.
What inspired you to explore love and companionship through relationships that challenge the social expectations of their time?
The relationship between Mary and Rose, which challenges the social expectations of their time, still challenges the social ‘norms’ in many countries today. Even in societies considered progressive and free. It was important to me to show their relationship, and the constraints placed upon it, in a way which many people would recognise from their experiences today.
What role does satire play in your examination of human vanity, hypocrisy, and the contradictions of social respectability?
A very important role. These days, real life often goes beyond satire, and each year brings us examples of powerful and ‘important’ people bending the world to their will, doing things which a few years ago would have been unthinkable. The use of satire in this novel serves to remind us that what used to be beyond credible belief can very quickly become a lived existence for many if those in power go unchallenged.
When readers finish The Tuba of the Somme, what is the most important message you hope stays with them about war, love, human folly, and the courage to live according to one’s own desires?
That it is always possible to live life on your own terms if you are prepared to accept the consequences of your choices. We lived then, and live now, in a world where men make the rules, but it is possible to live by your own rules, and noone has to follow rules that go against what’s right.
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Marvel as three formidable Yorkshire women navigate a man’s world of violence and war, while dealing with both their own men and the lethal, mysterious, treacherous tuba.
It’s the early 20th Century. Edith’s husband comes home from war, bringing his experiences in the trenches with him, and before long Edith has an unwanted suitor parked in her parlour. Rose and Mary find each other after years apart, but Mary is married and working-class, and Rose is a middle-class widow. Life would be simpler if men would just leave them alone, but life is never that straightforward.
Especially when there’s a psychopathic brass tuba on the loose, intent on mischief, mayhem and murder. The tuba had a moment of glory on the first day of the Somme, but it can’t leave things be now. Which means, sooner or later, peace-loving Edith, Rose and Mary are going to have to do something about it.
Colorado Conundrum
A road trip. A milestone birthday. A grueling Ironman. A mountain retreat where nothing is as it seems.
Private Investigator Liz Adams and her husband, Brad, set out with friends on a meticulously planned adventure to Colorado. Along for the ride are their truth-sniffing Labrador, Duke, and Jenny’s adorable mutt, Snooper.
The adventure kicks off with a nostalgic visit to Dollywood where the first unsettling mystery unfolds.
And then . . . a phone call that changes everything.
The cheerful mood evaporates. Unanswered questions loom, and grief rolls in like a dense mountain fog.
When they reach the sprawling rental meant for birthday cake and victory toasts, the search for answers begins. Amid the stark red rock formations of the Garden of the Gods, Duke follows scents no one else can detect.
In the thin mountain air, evil lurks. And this time, danger may be closer than Liz thinks.
Around the World With a Spare Pair of Jeans: My Adventures Along the Hippie Trail and Beyond
Jean Ramer’s Around the World With a Spare Pair of Jeans is an engaging travel memoir that transports readers to 1975, when international travel required considerable patience, resourcefulness, and a willingness to embrace uncertainty. A young British schoolteacher eager for adventure, Ramer leaves England with her travelling companion, Nicola, intending to reach Australia by following the legendary Hippie Trail through Europe and Asia. Their ambitious journey takes them through Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, and Thailand, introducing them to unfamiliar cultures, remarkable landscapes, and a seemingly endless assortment of logistical complications. Travelling on a limited budget, they rely on local transportation, inexpensive accommodations, and the kindness of strangers. Ramer recounts these experiences with warmth, candour, and an appealing sense of humour, capturing the excitement of exploring unfamiliar territory during a period when independent travel demanded considerable flexibility. Her memoir also offers a fascinating glimpse of countries and communities as they existed more than fifty years ago.
Ramer has the ability to transform ordinary travel frustrations into entertaining stories. Missed connections, overcrowded trains, questionable accommodations, language barriers, and bewildering bureaucratic procedures become opportunities for amusing observations and unexpected encounters. Her descriptive writing brings these experiences to life, whether she’s navigating chaotic city streets, exploring magnificent historical sites, or coping with the unpredictable realities of budget travel. Ramer has a particularly enjoyable way of acknowledging her own mistakes, often recognizing the absurdity of a situation only after she has become thoroughly entangled in it. Her recurring reminders to remain adaptable, including the wonderfully succinct “Lesson #2: Remember Lesson #1,” establish a playful thread throughout the narrative. The conversational style makes readers feel as though they’re listening to a seasoned traveller sharing memorable stories over coffee, complete with entertaining digressions, occasional exasperation, and genuine delight at her discoveries.
Beyond its entertaining anecdotes, the memoir provides a revealing portrait of everyday life along the Hippie Trail during the mid-1970s. Ramer pays close attention to local customs, transportation systems, marketplaces, food, architecture, and the economic circumstances of the people she encounters. Her observations are particularly compelling in Afghanistan and Iran, where her descriptions preserve impressions of societies on the verge of profound historical changes. Equally memorable are the relationships she develops with fellow travellers and local residents, whose generosity, curiosity, and companionship frequently shape her experiences. The narrative also conveys the distinctive challenges of travelling as a young woman, including unwanted attention, concerns about personal safety, and the need to exercise judgment in unfamiliar situations. These experiences are presented through the perspective of a woman learning to navigate cultural differences while developing confidence in her own decisions. The book’s chronological, destination-by-destination structure gives readers an intimate sense of the journey’s changing pace, with practical details reinforcing the realities of extended travel on a shoestring budget.
What makes Around the World With a Spare Pair of Jeans particularly appealing is its combination of personal recollection, historical atmosphere, and infectious enthusiasm for discovery. Ramer writes with an appreciation for both extraordinary sights and fleeting human interactions, recognizing that an unexpected conversation or small act of generosity can become as memorable as a celebrated landmark. Her reflections also reveal how travel encourages independence, resilience, and a growing awareness of the many ways people live. As she observes, “I loved the unpredictability of it,” a sentiment that captures the spirit running throughout her adventures. Readers interested in travel memoirs, cultural history, and the experiences of independent travellers before the digital age will find much to enjoy in this lively account. With its colourful characters, vivid settings, and personable narration, Ramer’s memoir preserves the pleasures and challenges of an adventurous era while celebrating the curiosity and determination that inspire people to explore the wider world.
Pages: 162 | ISBN : 978-1038351449
Cooking Up Magick: The Dell Chronicles Book One
Give me a fantasy world with questionable maps, ancient infrastructure, and people arguing over how to get somewhere, and you’ve got my attention. HL Bernabe’s Cooking Up Magick understands the entertainment value of a journey that requires actual planning. Roads matter. Terrain matters. So do supplies, transportation, and the irritating fact that everyone travels at a different speed. Paisley Dell’s wish to explore the world’s cuisines provides an appealing starting point, but what caught my interest was how thoroughly Bernabe thinks through the world she’ll have to cross. Erdea has the accumulated history of a place people have been building, fighting over, and making themselves comfortable in for centuries. Even its old magick has practical consequences for the people living there now.
I particularly enjoyed the attention to work and expertise. Botany, medicine, languages, agriculture, and military strategy all get their moment, and knowledge can change the possibilities of a scene. Buckley’s fascination with plants is a good example of how a character’s profession becomes part of the adventure’s machinery. Bernabe also explores how societies decide which talents deserve respect and who’s allowed to pursue them. Expectations around gender, ancestry, and family status influence people’s choices, sometimes painfully. Those pressures give the different cultures something more substantial than distinctive clothing or unfamiliar names. You start to understand what it would feel like to grow up inside their rules. The pronunciation guide and glossary are useful additions for readers who enjoy examining the details of an invented world.
The approach to magick held my interest, too. Learning involves experimentation, imperfect explanations, physical effort, and the occasional spectacular mistake. There’s something satisfying about watching people work out what an ability does and how to use it responsibly. That same practical curiosity carries into the larger conflict. Leaders have to consider what they know, what they’re guessing, and what they can afford to risk. Bernabe gives these decisions space, so the political and military stakes develop through discussions as well as action. The shifting viewpoints help here: you can follow different interpretations of the same situation and watch uncertainty become a source of tension. There’s a distinctly tabletop-adventure pleasure in seeing a difficult problem approached by people with different skills and incomplete information.
The book’s voice is loose, cheeky, and comfortable being outrageous. Its dialogue includes swearing, rude jokes, and the kind of exasperated remarks people make when a situation has become thoroughly ridiculous. Alongside that humor, Bernabe writes violence with blunt physical detail and takes the consequences seriously. Moving between those registers gives the novel an unruly energy that I found memorable. The descriptive passages also make good use of space, particularly when the setting shifts between open country and the built environment of the dwarven kingdom. As the opening installment of a larger story, it offers plenty for readers who enjoy learning how a fantasy world functions while an adventure gathers momentum. Cooking Up Magick makes the workings of its world as compelling as the dangers waiting inside it.
Pages: 427 | ASIN : B0HC7QPB6K
