I am thrilled to be hosting a spot
on the PACK YOUR BAGS, MAGGIE DIAZ by Nina Moreno Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out
my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!
About The Book:
Author: Nina Moreno,
Courtney Lovett (Illustrator)
Pub. Date: May 2, 2023
Publisher: Scholastic
Press
Formats: Hardcover, eBook,
Audiobook
Pages: 272
Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/PACK-YOUR-BAGS-MAGGIE-DIAZ
This humorous and heartfelt
middle-grade novel by Nina Moreno with illustrations by Courtney Lovett is
perfect for fans of Celia C. Pérez and Terri Libenson.
Spring semester is here and Maggie is
killing it! Her grades are up, she’s loving outdoor track and field, and being
a seventh grader means the awesome spring break trip to St. Augustine is almost
here. She can’t wait for her first overnight trip away from her overprotective
parents, lovesick sister, and busybody abuela. Nothing will get in the way of
Maggie having the best time ever with her two best friends, Zoey and Julian!
But all of Maggie’s plans for their
unforgettable trip start to fall apart as everyone gets carried away with the
upcoming dance instead. Even Julian has a crush―throwing their group dynamic
into turmoil when he asks the new girl to be his date. Zoey’s so stressed with
school that her straight A streak is in trouble . . . and why can’t Maggie stop
thinking about Eerie Eddie? The three best friends have been inseparable for
years, but everything is changing as everyone splits into twos, leaving Maggie
unsure of where―and with who―she still fits.
Nina's Favorite Video Games:
I love video games.
From spending an entire summer in my basement playing the first Sims on my Dad’s boxy PC, to taking my family on the Oregon Trail just to see who would get cholera first, video games have always been a big part of my life. And now, as a published writer, they feel like a place where I can still become totally obsessed with a story and not have to stop to think about the mechanics of it. Listen, I still love books! Of course, I love books. But now making and thinking about books is such a big part of my life. I know how the sausage is made, so to speak, and sometimes it’s hard to turn off my writer brain when I’m trying to get lost in a book like I used to. Sometimes I get hung up on sentences, start thinking about my own projects, or stop to wonder who the editor is. Being pulled out of a story by my work brain isn’t fun, but with video games, I get to fully disappear into the story.
Stardew Valley is one of my favorite games ever. It sits in the same cozy game category as other beloved favorites like Animal Crossing and Harvest Moon. And it was that love for those games that inspired my short story She Could Be a Farmer in the Game On anthology. I jumped at the chance to write about a game or sport (I, of course, went with video games) and loved getting to invent my own Stardew/Animal Crossing-type game (shout out to Critter’s Hollow!)
The last game to absolutely destroy me is Life is Strange 2. I loved the first game, but I hadn’t played the second until this past year. I knew it would be emotional like the first, so I went in expecting a killer soundtrack and lots of feelings, but oof, that one hit me square in the chest. It’s heartbreakingly relevant and I cried every episode. So much so that several songs from the game soundtrack immediately went to my writing one, and I think of my beloved wolf brothers every time I hear them.
The Mass Effect series is my true gaming love. It’s my OTP. It’s my everything and if given the chance, I will make it my entire personality. Playing the entire trilogy is such a cinematic, character-driven experience where your choices not only matter, but they build on the story, and drive the plot. And you build such an unforgettable relationship with the characters. I deeply love a found family and battle couple trope, and ME delivers on both. (Shakarian 4ever.)
And where the former lets me be a chaotic hero in space, I love that Dragon Age gives me all that in a fantasy world. There’s so much story in these games and I love how each one builds on the last while standing on its own. I have a soft spot for the absolute unhinged found family you make in Dragon Age 2, but I also love a tragic romance, so don’t get me started on Solas or we’ll be here all day. (Can not wait for Dreadwolf!)
And if you read Maggie Diaz and thought her favorite game, BioBuild, sounded familiar, know that I spend a lot of time in lockdown playing Minecraft with my daughter. We built so many worlds, survived surival mode together, and yes, I dig straight down to the bottom. I’m trying to find some good caves, y’all.
About Nina Moreno:
.jpg)
Nina Moreno
was born and raised in Miami until a hurricane sent her family toward the pines
of Georgia where she picked up an accent. She’s a proud University of Florida
Gator who once had her dream job of shelving books at the
library. Inspired by the folklore and stories passed down to her from her
Cuban and Colombian family, she now writes about disaster Latinx teens &
tweens chasing their dreams, falling in love, and navigating life in the
hyphen. Her first novel, Don’t Date Rosa Santos, was a
Junior Library Guild Selection, Indie Next Pick for teen readers, and SIBA Okra
Pick. The companion YA novel featuring the same beloved town of Port
Coral, Our Way Back to Always, is out
now with Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Her MG debut, Join
the Club, Maggie Diaz, will be available from Scholastic in 2022.
Website | Twitter
| Facebook | Instagram | Tumblr | Pinterest
| Goodreads | BookBub
Giveaway Details:
1 winner
will receive a finished copy of PACK YOUR BAGS, MAGGIE DIAZ, US Only.
Ends May 16th, midnight EST.
a Rafflecopter giveawayTour Schedule:
Week One:
|
5/1/2023 |
Guest Post or Excerpt/IG Post |
|
|
5/1/2023 |
Guest Post or Excerpt/IG Post |
|
|
5/2/2023 |
Excerpt/IG Post (when available) |
|
|
5/2/2023 |
Guest Post or Excerpt |
|
|
5/3/2023 |
Guest Post or Excerpt/IG Post |
|
|
5/3/2023 |
Guest Post or Excerpt/IG Post |
|
|
5/4/2023 |
Guest Post or Excerpt/IG Post |
|
|
5/4/2023 |
Guest Post or Excerpt |
|
|
5/5/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
|
|
5/5/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
Week Two:
|
5/8/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
|
|
5/8/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
|
|
5/9/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
|
|
5/9/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
|
|
5/10/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
|
|
5/10/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
|
|
5/11/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
|
|
5/11/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
|
|
5/12/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
|
|
5/12/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.