Hi lovelies! It gives me
great pleasure today to host Tonya Duncan Ellis and her new book, “Sophie
Washington: The Gamer”! 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
Gamer
by Tonya Duncan Ellis
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GENRE: Children's (Middle Grade)
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BLURB:
Forty
days without video games? Oh no!
Sixth-grader
Sophie Washington and her friends are back with an interesting book about
having fun with video games while keeping balance. It’s almost Easter, and
Sophie and her family get ready to start fasts for Lent with their church,
where they give up doing something for 40 days that may not be good for them.
Her parents urge Sophie to stop tattling so much, and encourage her
second-grade brother Cole to give up something he loves most, playing video
games. The kids agree to the challenge, but how long can they keep it up? Soon
after Lent begins, Cole starts sneaking to play his video games. Things start
to get out of control when he loses a school electronic tablet he checked out
without his parents’ permission, and comes to his sister for help. Should
Sophie break her promise and tattle on him?
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EXCERPT TWO:
Now
that I am getting older and am in the sixth grade, I can understand more of
what our pastor is saying in the sermons. Today, he was talking about how hard
it can be to stay away from things we like that may be bad for us.
“Temptation
is a daily struggle for all,” he preached.
“The
struggle for me is staying awake for two hours,” complains Cole. “I wish I
could have been with my friends in children’s church.”
Cole
prefers going to the special service for kids, and was mad that Mom and Dad
made us join them in the main church this morning.
“It’s
getting closer to Easter, and I want you to get a better understanding of what
the holiday is all about,” Dad explains. “In children’s church, all you pay
attention to is the snacks.”
“Those
donuts they bring in are good!” Cole exclaims.
“Maybe
we can stop by the donut shop on the way home.” Mom squeezes his shoulder.
I
roll my eyes. Since Cole is the youngest, he’s my mother’s pet.
“Have
you kids given any thought as to what you want to give up for Lent?” Dad asks.
“What’s
Lent?” questions Cole.
“Lent
represents the 40 days Jesus was in the desert and the devil tried to tempt
him, or get him to do things he shouldn’t do,” Mom explains. “During the 40
days before Easter, we celebrate Lent by giving up something we like to eat or
do that keeps us from thinking of more meaningful things, just like Jesus did.”
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This
book was such a fun, exciting, entertaining, enjoyable read!
This
book mostly revolves around the main character, Sophie Washington, and her
family. Sophie is a bright, fun-loving,
sixth grader who can’t seem to stop tattling.
Her brother Cole, a second grader, seems to be addicted to playing video
games. However, all of that is about to
change. Sophie and her family are at church
and with the Lent Season about to start the sermon is directed towards resisting
temptations and indulgences. On the way
home Sophie and Cole’s parents talk to them about Lent and pick out the item that
each of them should abstain from for the forty days. Their parents choose no tattling for Sophie
and no video games for Cole. However, as
soon as Lent starts Cole secretly checks out a tablet from his school and
accidently loses it. He goes to his
sister for help. Now Sophie must decide
whether she should break her Lent promise and tell her parents what Cole
did? Or secretly help Cole find the
tablet and get it back to the school before their parents find out?
I absolutely
remember having to give something up every year for Lent! Usually it was candy, junk food, or eating
out, or keeping no secrets from mom, or no white lies. However, I do remember a couple times it was
no oversharing, which was like tattling.
I remember getting in trouble for telling people things that were
supposed to stay private (sorry mom lol)!! And of
course, my mom’s best friend’s daughter and I hated each other so whenever we
got the chance to get each other in trouble we totally did lol. There were many Lent years of abstaining from
“Trying to Get Deena Into Trouble,” the best friend’s daughter lol and vice
versa. So, I when I heard about this
book I was thrilled to read it since it sounded like a great read and I thought
I could relate to it!
I
loved the main character, Sophie Washington.
She sets a wonderful, positive role model for girls. At a time when young girls are carefully watching
and following the lead of their role models it is important that we are providing
them with ones that are not only realistic, but also ones that demonstrate
confidence and leadership skills.
I also
really enjoyed getting to know Cole more this time! In the previous books in this series, he’s
been more the annoying, pesky brother.
And in this book, I felt like he really came out of his character shell. He was more developed and really owned up to
the bigger role he received in this book.
Plus, it was great to see this other side to him and see how he loves
Sophie and really looks up to her. I
look forward to seeing more of him in the future! Also, my newest favorite family member was
Bertram! He is so cute! He is a stray Portuguese Water Dog that the
family takes in.
This
book series are just filled with so many life lessons and morals and this particular
book did not miss the mark!
I
really liked that this book had so many underlying messages. For example, this book focused on hard work, faith,
hope, respect, determination, positive attitudes, self-improvement, self-evaluation,
abstinence, moderation, growth, appreciation, overcoming obstacles, team work,
and so much more.
I
liked this book focused on a Lent aspect.
I think there are quite a few children that participate in Lent and will
be able to easily relate to this book.
They may also find some better understanding of what Lent is and why people
celebrate it.
I
loved that the author used so many Houston and Texas references throughout the
book since the book does take place in the Houston Suburbs. I have been to Houston many times, and I have
lived in several parts of Texas before.
So, I really enjoy when I read a book from there that the real Texas is
found in the pages – and it sure was!
The author did a great job listing things like restaurants, local spots,
and culture references.
I
think the best part of this book being for middle graders, is that it’s a fun, cool,
intriguing, suspenseful book for them!
It’s not a dumbed down kid’s book and it’s not a book that a parent can
be worried that their kid is reading. It’s
a book that a kid will want to read, won’t be embarrassed to read in front of
their friends or their parents. It’s the
right kind of a book a kid should be
reading and the right kind of book their
parent will be glad they are reading!
This
book is book four of the Sophie Washington Book Series. Although I have read other books in this
series, this book can absolutely be read on its own as a standalone without any
fear of getting lost or confused.
However, I am really enjoying this book series, and would totally
recommend the whole series!!
This
book is “G” rated as there is no swearing, no violence, no adult situations, and
no sexual content. However, I would like
to point out that this particular book in the series does have a strong faith
element as this plot line wraps around the Lent Season which is strongly
celebrated in the Christian Community.
I
would absolutely recommend this recommend for middle graders as I think they
would love this book and the Sophie Washington Book Series!
This
book is marketed towards middle grades and I totally agree! However, I might even go as far as to suggest
this book for readers in third grade to seventh grade as they too would also
easily enjoy this book and book series as well!
**Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of
this book and have voluntarily provided an honest, and unbiased review in
accordance with FTC regulations.**
Did you find this review helpful?
If so, please, please, please mark it as
helpful on Amazon here:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/review/R3GCCSZIE7HROO
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AUTHOR BIO:
Tonya Duncan Ellis was
born and raised in Louisville, KY. She loves reading so much that as a child
she took books with her everywhere. She knew she wanted to become a writer
after an article she wrote was published in her hometown newspaper when she was
a teen. Since then, Tonya has worked as a journalist and freelance magazine
writer. She's an award-winning author of the Sophie Washington children's book
series, geared towards readers ages 8 to 12. The books recount adventures of
Houston, TX preteen Sophie Washington and her diverse group of friends. Each
funny and heartwarming story teaches lessons about friendship, responsibility,
truthfulness and perseverance. Books in the series include Queen of the Bee,
The Snitch, Things You Didn't Know About Sophie, and The Gamer. When she's not
writing, Tonya enjoys reading, biking, swimming, travel and spending time with
her husband and three children. She lives in Houston, TX.
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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.
