Book Review & Blog Tour ~ Hannah Both Ways by Rosie Greenway {Giveaway}

Hannah Both Ways

by Rosie Greenway

Publication Date: November 17th 2015

by Rebelight Publishing Inc.

A devastating Twitter prank yanks Hannah out of the popular crowd and turns her into the high school’s best bad joke. Determined to finish the year and graduate, Hannah must keep the humiliating details from her impulsive mother—who just might pack up their belongings and move. Again.

Hannah hovers below the radar by submersing herself in a new routine. Post-it notes, Dewey Decimal numbers and carefully planned trips to the library are her refuge. That is, until a persistent new student invades her space. Lucas has complete disregard for Hannah’s cynicism and snark, and he seems to know the bullies who targeted her. Can Hannah trust him, or is he part of another ploy to torment her?

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Hannah Both Ways is a story of one high school student who is a victim of cyber-bullying and how she deals with the aftermath of social media bashing and untrue nasty rumors. 

I really admired Hannah because even though her world was crumbling, she stayed strong and resilient.  The most admirable aspect of Hannah is she never gave up – she realized that this was a temporary problem in her life and did not even contemplate a more permanent solution.  I also loved her snarky words, her wittiness, and most of all her social awkwardness.  Hannah is a character that I truly liked and rooted for until the very end.  Her ritual with the Dewey Decimal System was ingenious and I thought it was a great way for her to have a goal for each day.

Lucas was indeed a God-send that came at the perfect time in Hannah’s life and I was so happy that he had the patience of a saint when it came to dealing with Hannah’s cynical and untrusting ways.  These two made the perfect duo and rounded out the story perfectly.

Reading this book took me back to my high school days and reminded me that kids can be cruel and heartless – it seems some things never change.  Add the social media outlets and I am beyond thankful that these outlets weren't around in my day.  Some kids have no idea how their hateful actions affect others or if they are aware, they flat out just don’t care.  This story depicted verbal/written bullying perfectly and I applaud the author for creating an outstanding story that deals with a very difficult subject.

I would absolutely recommend Hannah Both Ways not only to young adults but older ones as well.  It’s a great way of bringing cyber-bullying to light and showing a positive outcome to a dismal situation.

4 stars

Rosie Greenway grew up on the outskirts of Toronto, and continues to live and work in the GTA with her husband and family. After spending her formative years public-school hopping, Rosie attended the University of Toronto, specializing in English literature.  A former English teacher, Rosie now finds herself putting into practice the many lessons she used to impart to the students in her class room. While she has often turned to writing as a way to relax and unwind, Hannah Both Ways is her first foray into the world of Young Adult publishing.

When she isn’t writing, Rosie is an avid traveler, armchair film critic, enthusiastic foodie and voracious reader.  She is a passionate literacy advocate and one of her greatest achievements is instilling in her daughter the joy of reading.

You can connect with Rosie on Twitter @Rosie_Greenway.

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Book Blitz: Red Stone By Gabriele Goldstone Presented by Rebelight Publishing - Excerpt and Giveaway

Hello everyone and welcome to the book blitz for

Red Stone By Gabriele Goldstone

presented by Rebelight Publishing!

Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!

Katya knows all about Stalin’s big plans; she learned of them in school. But those plans mean little to her until the secret police arrest Papa and seize their family farm. With Mama and her younger siblings, Katya is shoved into a crowded train headed for a forced labour camp in Siberia. Torn from everything she has ever known, Katya faces cold and hunger, and the ever-present threat of lost hope. As she clings to a single red stone from the fields of her homeland, she questions life. Where is Papa? Will she ever see him again? And what will become of Katya’s family?

Inspired by a true story, Red Stone explores the trauma and heart¬break suffered by many families in the Soviet Union during the 1930s when Stalin seized individual property and villainized property owners as kulaks.

Red Stone by Gabriele Goldstone
Publisher: Rebelight Publishing
Middle grade/Historical

Available for Purchase:

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Excerpt

Chapter 8

Some Birthday

          It’s March 7, 1930 and today is my birthday. I’m eleven years old. There’ll be no celebration, though. Sofie and Marthe are sick with fever and cough, and Mama says it’s better not to bring any visitors along after school.

          So it’ll be just another day.

          When I approach the school a crowd of students are gathered around a shiny black government automobile. That’s strange. I’m even more surprised when Uncle Leo climbs out of it.

          He’s wearing a long brown overcoat with a red belt and an OGPU badge

on the sleeve. So that’s his job with the government—he belongs to the secret police.  Is he here on official business? Or will he embarrass me with a birthday gift in front of all my classmates?

          He doesn’t look my way. Instead, he marches straight through the crowd and over to Comrade Muenster. The two stand by the door talking. As we line-up outside, Uncle Leo watches each of us. He pulls out a notebook and writes things down. What is he writing? I don’t trust him!

          “Katya?” Uncle Leo asks, when it’s my turn to enter. He looks down at his notebook and scribbles something with a pencil.

          “Hello, Uncle Leo.” I offer cautiously.

          “My name is Comrade Bonkowski, you little twit.”

          I look away, my face burning and my heart thumping.

          Uncle Leo turns to the teacher. “You must teach these children to respect their leaders.”

          “Yes, Comrade.” Comrade Muenster looks anxious.

          I slink to my classroom. At my desk, I keep my head down, even when Uncle Leo is introduced and begins his speech.

          “I have here a list of the property owners of Federofka and the surrounding area.

The executive committee of the local Soviet has instructed me to remind you that on January 30^th of this year, the decree to liquefy all kulaks was made official. I have brought a poster that will be displayed in this classroom to help you understand.”

          He unrolls the poster and passes it to Comrade Muenster, who puts it up beside Stalin’s portrait. The poster shows a giant tractor running over animals and farmers. “Destroy the kulaks as a class” is sprawled across it in big letters.

          I sink further down into my desk, feeling like a tractor has already run me over.          Uncle Leo’s not finished. “All private landowners are bloodsuckers.” I glance up and see Uncle Leo staring right at me. “There’s no such thing as a good kulak. All are exploiters. All are class enemies. We will find the extra food that you kulaks hoard. We will round up the livestock for our collectives. We will take your servants and make them into proud workers, not impoverished slaves.”

          He nods to Comrade Muenster, who motions us to rise. We stand at attention and sing The Internationale. Stanza three begins with the words, “You’ve sucked enough of our blood, you vampires,” and Uncle Leo’s grim face breaks into an ugly smile.

          I feel the power of that smile for the rest of the day. It smirks at me when I’m reading or solving arithmetic problems. It makes it impossible to swallow the piece of cherry cake that Mama put in my lunch.

GABRIELE GOLDSTONE, the oldest daughter of Euro­pean immigrants, always looked for stories about her parents’ past. She majored in 20th century German literature at university but was disappointed that she could not find the stories she sought. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, her mother’s anecdotes and history began to click together. In 2004, Gabriele traveled to Ukraine and searched through former KGB files to find more missing pieces—and Katya’s red stone. Gabriele lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba and has three adult children along with a silver-grey cat and a golden-haired dog.

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Book Review & Blog Tour ~ Empty Cup by Suzanne Costigan {Giveaway}

Empty Cup

by Suzanne Costigan

Publication date: November 3, 2014

Publisher: Rebelight Publishing Inc.

Mom’s new boyfriend is creepy.

On the night of her seventeenth birthday, Raven finds out he isn’t just creepy, he’s dangerous. He leaves Raven broken and bleeding, but Mom blames her for what happened. She kicks Raven out of the house with nothing but a blanket to protect her from a frigid winter night.

Alone.

Devastated.

Abandoned.

As Raven struggles with the aftermath of the ultimate betrayal, she seeks solace in her imagination and a teacher who seems to understand her situation. She ultimately discovers that her world won’t change if she relies upon someone else to do it. Real change begins within.

“…Sure to prompt reflection and provocative discussions on important issues.”

-Allan Stratton, author of Leslie’s Journal

“Not an easy story, but an important one. Compelling, powerful, and engaging.”

-Eric Walters, author of Power Play.

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This is one of those books where it is so hard to write a review because you don't want to give anything away.  But what I will say is that this story will make you mad - really, really mad.  You will want to wish horrific things on Raven's mother's boyfriend and you will be shaking your head at the total insensitivity of Raven's mother.  I mean, the actions of the mother? Who does that to your own child?  There are other aspects of this story that will have you shaking your head, but in the end, this is a story of one girl trying to survive a terrible act with really no support group and in the end knowing that if she wants to change things, it is up to her to make it happen.

Empty Cup is a story like no other.  It's a story that will make you cry and a story that will infuriate you.  At least that is what the story did for me.  Rape is never a fun topic, but the author has taken a very tough subject and created a story that will draw you in from the very first sentence and you can't help but hold on for dear life as you travel this journey with Raven.

This story broke my heart right from the start, and continued right until the very end.  Raven's story will definitely have a place in my heart for quite some time and is one that I would recommend to anyone. 

4 out of 5 stars

Suzanne Costigan is a child welfare advocate, supporting high risk children in her home, and an active member of the Winnipeg writing community. Empty Cup is her first novel.

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