Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Sophie Washington: Queen of the Bee by Tonya Duncan Ellis (Spotlight, excerpt, review, and GIVEAWAY) GFT





by Tonya Duncan Ellis

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GENRE:   Children's (Middle Grade)

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BLURB:

Sign up for the spelling bee? No way!

If there’s one thing 10-year-old Texan Sophie Washington is good at, it’s spelling. She’s earned straight 100s on all her spelling tests to prove it. Her parents want her to compete in the Xavier Academy spelling bee, but Sophie wishes they would buzz off.

Her life in the Houston suburbs is full of adventures, and she doesn’t want to slow down the action. Where else can you chase wild hogs out of your yard, ride a bucking sheep, or spy an eight-foot-long alligator during a bike ride through the neighborhood? Studying spelling words seems as fun as getting stung by a hornet, in comparison.

That’s until her irritating classmate, Nathan Jones, challenges her. There’s no way she can let Mr. Know-It-All win. Studying is hard when you have a pesky younger brother and a busy social calendar. Can Sophie ignore the distractions and become Queen of the Bee?

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EXCERPT

In fairytales, everyone’s wish comes true. Jack gets the goose that lays the golden egg. Cinderella finds Prince Charming. Pinocchio becomes a real boy. My happily ever after is much simpler. I want a pet goldfish. I don’t think that’s too much to ask. But my parents do. For the past year they have been putting me off every time I beg them for a pet. 



“I’m allergic to cats and dogs,” says Mom. There’s no way we could keep a furry animal in the house.”



“Well, what about a fish?” I ask. 



“I don’t know if you’re responsible enough to take care of a goldfish, Sophie,” says Dad. “You might drop the bowl and get water all over the place.” 



For a ten-year-old I am very responsible. If you forget about the time my brother, Cole, and I had a water fight with the sprinkler in the garage, or when I tied Cole up to a tree to keep him from tagging along with me and my friend Chloe, I’m a model child. I get good grades in school. I’m nice to my friends. And I help out in the house when Mom and Dad ask me to. 



Today, I’m making my dream come true! I’m going to convince Dad to let me get a pet goldfish. I march toward the kitchen in my pink and white polka-dot pajamas and lime green fuzzy slippers. After glancing in the hallway mirror, I push down my two, thick black braids, which stick out on each side of my head like handlebars. “Good morning,” I say to my mother, who is busy in the kitchen making my favorite breakfast of bacon, eggs, grits and homemade pancakes. 

Since Dad is not up to hear me beg for a fish again, I make my way to the family room to watch a recording of a television show I taped during the school week. Cole rushes into the room before me and grabs the remote control from the end table before I can reach it. “Get back!” I yell. He turns on “Video Rangers”, his favorite TV show. Then he puts the remote control under a pillow, sits on it and passes gas. “Eeeewww! Give me that remote, Cole!” I shriek. “You knew I was getting ready to use it.” 



“Moooom! I was here first, and now she wants to change the channel,” he whines. 




Buy links:


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AUTHOR Bio and Links:


Tonya Ellis loves reading so much that as a child she took books with her everywhere rather than put them down. She knew she wanted to become a writer after an article she wrote was published in her hometown newspaper when she was fourteen years old. Since then, Tonya has worked as a journalist, written for newspapers and magazines and won awards for her books. She is the mom of three spelling bee champions, and has judged several spelling bee events. SOPHIE WASHINGTON: QUEEN OF THE BEE is her debut novel in a series about Sophie and her friends. Currently, Ms. Ellis lives in Missouri City, Texas with her husband, daughter, and two sons.





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a Rafflecopter giveaway


The tour dates can be found here


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My review:


5 stars

Sophie Washington: Queen of the Bee by Tonya Duncan Ellis is an inspirational yet fun read about a ten-year-old girl dealing with normal things…a little brother who likes to tease, the desire for a pet, and teaching a know-it-all classmate a thing or two.

I love kids’ books that encourage growth and education and I think this author did a great job of evoking realistic situations and emotions and portraying positive yet by no means perfect children. I like that there were consequences to behavior, including rewards for perseverance, and concrete support for difficult tasks such as learning long lists of words. It’s wonderful to see a nuclear family that works and plays together, parents who are supportive of their children, and a healthy sibling rivalry that doesn’t detract from the affection between Sophie and her brother. I enjoyed the suspense of the spelling bee (and remembered my own terror of public speaking in school) and I thought the illustrations were a delightful bonus and added to the entertainment.

I think this book provides an intriguing glimpse of regional color—some of which was a little intimidating, lol—as well as a positive message and I look forward to seeing much more of Sophie Washington!



A copy of this title was provided to me for review


43 comments:

  1. Congrats on the tour and thank you for the excerpt and giveaway. I appreciate the opportunity to win.

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    1. Best wishes James! Thanks for stopping by my tour.

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    2. Hi, JR. It always makes me happy to see you've come by, I appreciate your visits! Good luck.

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  2. Thanks for hosting my book, the kind review and the chance to meet new readers! :)

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    1. Hi, Tonya! It's pretty rare for me to hand out a 5-star review, so obviously I REALLY liked the way you delivered your positive message and inspiration. I look forward to reading more of Sophie's stories. Good luck on the tour!

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    2. 😊 Sophie has a lot going on in her other books to keep you entertained, and there are plenty more glimpses into the unique Texas lifestyle.

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  3. I enjoyed getting to know your book; congrats on the tour and I hope it is a fun one for you :)

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  4. Thank you Lisa. I appreciate you stopping by. I am enjoying my tour! I like hearing from new readers. Best wishes in the contest.

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    1. Glad you liked it, Rita! I was full just reading about that breakfast, lol. Thanks for popping in!

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    2. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    3. Thanks for taking time to read the excerpt Rita! I’m glad you could stop by my tour. Good luck on the giveaway!

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  6. I can see the little ones enjoying this. Fun cover.

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    1. There are lots of cute illustrations inside the book as well. My artist does an awesome job. Thanks so much for taking time to check out my tour Mary!

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  7. This sounds like a fun book, thank you for sharing!

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  8. Good Morning and how's it going? I am back to thank you and want you to know I appreciate you and thank you for the giveaway. I know you work hard for all of us.

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  9. Hello and Happy Thursday! Going to be a snowy one in Michigan after all these nice days we had. I don't want any more snow. Thanks again for the chance at winning and hope your day is awesome!

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  10. Happy Hump Day! I'm here to say thanks again and to let you know I appreciate the chance at winning.

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  11. Hello! It's snowy day here at home. Hope your day is much better than ours. Have a good one and thanotheranks again for the chance at winning.

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  12. The day so many of us look forward to...Happy Friday! Make it a great one and thanks for the awesome giveaway.

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  13. Enjoy this beautiful Saturday and I want you to know I appreciate all you do bringing us this great giveaway to enter.

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    1. Hi, JR! I hope you had a wonderful week, and I wish you good luck in the giveaway!

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  14. Have a beautiful Sunday and thank you for the opportunity to win this giveaway. I sure appreciate it.

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  15. Good Monday Morning! Hope your weekend was terrific. As always, I am here to thank you for the chance at winning.

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  16. Happy Tuesday and thank you so much for the opportunity to win this great giveaway.

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  17. You're the best! Thanks again for the chance at winning.

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  18. Hey....Enjoy your day and dropping by quickly to thank you again for the chance at winning.

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  19. We made it....it' s Friday! Have a great one and enjoy your weekend also. Thanks for the giveaway.

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  20. I am stopping by to do my daily entry and thanking you again for the opportunity to win. Enjoy your Sunday!

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  21. Happy Monday! Have a great week ahead and thanks again for the chance at winning this giveaway.

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  22. Happy Hump Day! Thanks for all the hard work you put into bringing us such great giveaways. They are fun to enter and I appreciate it.

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