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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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:
Facebook:
Twitter:
Goodreads Author Page:
Goodreads Book Page:
Amazon Author Page:
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BOOK BUY LINKS:
Amazon Kindle:
Amazon Paperback:
Barnes and Noble:
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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.
**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.
