Sophie Washington: The Snitch by Tonya Duncan Ellis - Book Tour - Guest Post - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

Hi lovelies! It gives me great pleasure today to host Tonya Duncan Ellis and her new book, “Sophie Washington: The Snitch”!  For other stops on her Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in this post.

Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card!!  Also, come back daily to interact with Tonya and to increase your chances of winning!

Thanks for stopping by!  Wishing you lots of luck in this fabulous giveaway!

Sophie Washington: The Snitch

by Tonya Duncan Ellis

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GENRE: Children's (Middle Grade)

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BLURB:

There’s nothing worse than being a tattletale…

That’s what 10-year-old Sophie Washington thinks until she runs into Lanie Mitchell, a new girl at school. Lanie pushes Sophie and her friends around at their lockers, and even takes their lunch money. If they tell, they are scared the other kids in their class will call them snitches, and won’t be their friends. And when you’re in the fifth grade, nothing seems worse than that.

Excitement at home keeps Sophie’s mind off the trouble with Lanie. She takes a fishing trip to the Gulf of Mexico with her parents and little brother, Cole, and discovers a mysterious creature in the attic above her room. For a while, Sophie is able to keep her parents from knowing what is going on at school. But Lanie’s bullying goes too far, and a classmate gets seriously hurt. Sophie needs to make a decision. Should she stand up to the bully, or become a snitch?

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EXCERPT ONE:

I’ve got a secret. Want to hear it?

Secrets are usually nice. Like when my dad surprised me with a new goldfish last year. Or the time Grandma Washington unexpectedly visited us in Houston from her house in Corpus Christi.

I used to love secrets. But this one’s not so great.

No one knows it, except my best friend Chloe. It’s her secret, too. We don’t talk about it, ‘cause if we do people won’t like us. And in the fifth grade being liked is as important as having a fun birthday party, or staying up as late as possible, or…Christmas.

For now, I’m not telling. Chloe’s not either.

“Hey Sophie, wait up!” Chloe yells as I make my way down the hall to our first period math class. “How was your weekend?”

“The same old, same old,” I reply, hoisting my math book and binder up in my arms. “Cole whined about having nothing to do, so Mom and Dad took us to the zoo and then out for ice cream. On Sunday I caught up on all my homework after church.”

Cole is my seven-year-old brother. My mom thinks he’s an angel, but I think he was sent here to drive me crazy. Just this morning at breakfast, for example, he pulled my ponytail while she wasn’t looking, and then started crying loudly after I whacked him with an empty Cheerios box. Of course, I’m the one who got in trouble. My dad is nicer to Cole than he deserves, but I think he’s figured out his game a little bit better than Mom.

“Nothing much exciting happened at our house, either,” says Chloe, “but I did get this cute new purse.” Chloe is what you’d call a Fashionista. I admire the pretty, powder blue bag and notice the red, glittery, slide-on shoes she wears on her feet. She always manages to make our boring, private school uniforms look stylish.

“That’s nice,” I say.

As we near the classroom I see someone in the shadows and my heart starts to beat fast.

“Just great,” I mutter.

Lanie Mitchell, the class bully, heads our way from the opposite direction.

She sees us, grins, and blocks our path. Most of our classmates are 10, like me, but Lanie is already 12 years old. She’s the second tallest girl in 5B, behind Chloe, and a little bit on the chubby side.

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GUEST POST:

Five Reasons You Should Read Sophie Washington: The Snitch

Why should you read my book? Let me count the ways…

1.     The strong message – Sophie and her diverse group of friends face their fears about standing out and learn to speak up for their own rights and beliefs against a school bully in this empowering book for kids.

2.     There’s plenty of action – Hallway locker brawls, mysterious aliens in the attic, and a seaside fishing trip are all part of the storyline in this interesting and exciting story.

3.     You’ll learn something – Houston, TX is the main setting in the Sophie Washington book series. Slices of life in this unique community where kids routinely visit the Texas Gulf Coast, Space Center Houston, and experience floods, hurricanes and other natural disasters are detailed and highlighted for young readers.

4.     Characters are Diverse – Main character Sophie Washington is African-American and her relationship with her younger brother Cole, with all its ups and downs is explored. Issues like dyslexia are highlighted and characters of other nationalities and backgrounds are introduced.

5.     It’s just plain fun – Yes, Sophie Washington: The Snitch teaches valuable lessons and empowers kids, yadda, yadda, yadda, but let’s face it, if a child is bored with a book they are going to put it down. Between video games, social media and Netflix there are too many other distractions out there to grab their attention. That’s why I include lots of laugh-out-loud moments in the story to make sure readers are having a good time. Reading Sophie Washington: The Snitch is just plain fun, and it’s a book they will remember long after the last page is turned.

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AUTHOR BIO:

Tonya Ellis remembers hiding in the restroom from a few bullies during her elementary school days. She encourages kids to speak out if they are being mistreated. She knew she wanted to become a writer after an article she wrote was published in her hometown newspaper. Since then, Tonya has worked as a journalist, written for newspapers and magazines and won awards for her books. When she’s not busy writing, she enjoys reading, biking with her husband and two sons and daughter, and travelling to interesting places. SOPHIE WASHINGTON: The Snitch is the second book in a series about Sophie and her friends.

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CONNECT WITH TONYA:

Website:

www.tonyaellisbooks.com

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/tonyaellisbooks

Twitter:

https://www.twitter.com/TonyaDEllis

Goodreads Author Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4730542.Tonya_Duncan_Ellis

Goodreads Book Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21425407-the-snitch

Amazon Author Page:

http://amzn.to/2rNmYSc

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BOOK BUY LINKS:

Amazon Kindle:

http://amzn.to/2DEg9DR

Amazon Paperback:

http://amzn.to/2DL1Xxb

Barnes and Noble:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sophie-washington-tonya-ellis/1118873516

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GIVEAWAY INFO:

Tonya will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a purchase made I may receive a small commission to help support this blog.  This does not cost you anything, it just helps pay for all those awesome giveaways on here.**

This contest is sponsored by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish Promotions.  Prizes are given away by the sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.