Sophie Washington: Secret Santa

Sophie Washington: Secret Santa

by Tonya Duncan Ellis

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GENRE: Children's Middle Grade

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BLURB:

Christmas is three weeks away and a mysterious "Santa" has been mailing presents to sixth grader Sophie Washington. Her friends guess that the secret Kris Kringle could be either Nathan Jones or Toby Johnson, two boys in Sophie's class who have liked her in the past, but she's not sure. Sophie uncovers clues to find her secret Santa and the final reveal is bigger than any package she's opened on Christmas morning. It's a holiday surprise she'll never forget!

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NOTE: The book will be on sale for only $0.99 during the tour.

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EXCERPT

“Jingle bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg!”

“Be quiet, Cole!” I put my hands over my ears to muffle my brother’s out-of-tune singing and focus back on my laptop to finish my English essay. It’s less than three weeks until winter break and my teachers have been piling on the assignments to make sure we get our end of semester grades in. 

There sure is a big change between fifth and sixth grade, workwise, at Xavier Academy, the private school my brother and I go to. Between all the essays and projects and studying for final exams, I feel I can barely take time to pat my dog, Bertram, when I get home; whereas, my eight-year-old brother Cole acts like he’s already on vacation.

Since we got home from school an hour ago, he’s been living it up, shooting hoops in the driveway, eating a snack and now playing on the handheld video game player that my mother would make him put up if she were downstairs with us. I ought to tell on him now… 

Ding Dong!

The doorbell interrupts my thoughts.

“Can you get it, Sophie?” Mom yells from upstairs. “I’m putting some clothes in the closet.”  

I would ask her why she wants me to answer the door, and not Cole, but I already know the answer: “Because you’re the oldest.” 

Of course, that logic doesn’t hold when it comes to who gets the first dessert or who doesn’t have to do the dishes at night. As the baby of the family and favored child, my little brother has got it made. 

I trudge to the front door in time to see the mail carrier heading back to his truck. He’s left a medium-sized box on the porch. Wonder what it is? 

My mother sometimes has holiday packages delivered to the house, but Cole and I haven’t made our Christmas lists yet, so I doubt it’s anything for us. I open the door, pick the package up, and check out the label. It’s got my name on it in bright, red ink, “Sophie Washington.”

Who could this be from?

I never get any mail, except for birthday gifts my Granny Washington sends to our house in Houston from Corpus Christi when she can’t be here, and I don’t remember my parents ordering anything for us online. Granny is driving up to see us tomorrow, so  I doubt she would mail presents here when she could just bring them with her.

“Mom, I got a package!” I call out. 

“What is it?” Cole bounds from the family room to stare at the box as I set it on the kitchen counter. 

“Back off, Cole, it’s mine,” I move him to the side with my hip and take a closer look at the delivery. The box is wrapped in brown paper, and there is no return address. It looks difficult to open with my fingers, so I pull a butter knife out of a drawer in the kitchen and slit through the tape on the side. A sweet, sugary scent fills the air. 

“Cool!” exclaims Cole in appreciation as the brown wrapping slides off to reveal a box filled with packages of licorice, gummy bears, gum, and red and green M&Ms. I notice a typed note underneath.  

Dear Sophie,

Hope your day is super sweet!

Your Secret Santa

My Review

Sophie Washington is a girl everyone would want for a friend. She’s fun, smart, and can’t wait for Christmas vacation to come. Before that happens she’d like to solve a mystery. Someone who signs himself “Your Secret Santa” is mailing one gift to Sophie every day. Who can it be? Sophie has a few guesses, but really she doesn’t know. On top of that, her brother is having trouble with some neighborhood bullies. Sophie has her hands full.

I liked this book. The author accurately portrayed the excitement of students as Christmas vacation approaches. The book is up to date as well. Sophie and the other kids are dealing with the real world and the problems it sometimes brings. I also loved the character development in the story. As Sophie goes on her quest to find her Secret Santa and help her brother, she learns a lot about love, forgiveness, and friendship.  I’d give it 5 out of 5 stars 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Tonya Duncan Ellis is the author of the award winning, Readers' Favorite "Five Star" rated, Sophie Washington children's books series, geared toward readers ages 8 to 12, and is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). She has received awards for literary excellence, worked as a journalist and freelance magazine writer, and is a graduate of Centre College of Kentucky and Washington University in St. Louis.

The Sophie Washington book series recounts the adventures of a precocious African American preteen from Houston, TX 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, The Gamer, Hurricane, and Mission: Costa Rica.

Tonya loves to travel and has visited 49 American states and three continents, but some of her best journeys have been between the pages of a novel. As a girl she could always be found with a book in her hand, and reading is still one of her favorite hobbies. When she's not reading or writing, the author likes to ride her bike, swim, and spend time with her husband and three children. She lives in Houston, TX.

Website: tonyaduncanellis.com

Facebook: @tonyaellisbooks

Twitter: @TonyaDEllis

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

Tonya Duncan Ellis will be awarding $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sophie Washington: Things You Didn't Know About Sophie

Sophie Washington: Things You Didn't Know About Sophie

by Tonya Duncan Ellis

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GENRE:   Children's (Middle Grade)

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BLURB:

Oh, the tangled web we weave…

Sixth grader Sophie Washington thought she had life figured out when she was younger, but this school year, everything has changed. She feels like an outsider, because she’s the only one in her class without a cell phone, and her crush, new kid Toby Johnson, has been calling her best friend, Chloe. To fit in, Sophie changes who she is. Her plan to become popular works for a while, and she and Toby start to become friends.

In between the boy drama, Sophie takes a whirlwind class field trip to Austin, TX, where she visits the state museum, eats Tex-Mex food, and rides a kayak. Back at home, Sophie fights off buzzards from her family’s roof, dissects frogs in science class, and has fun at her little brother Cole’s basketball tournament.

Things get more complicated when Sophie “borrows” a cell phone from a neighbor and gets caught. If her parents make her tell the truth, what will her friends think? Turns out Toby has also been hiding something, and Sophie discovers the best way to make true friends is to be yourself.

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EXCERPT:

He loves me. He loves me not.

I shrug my shoulders and tug the last petal off the cream-colored daisy, watching it drift to the floor. Then I scoot the mess under my bed with my feet. I have been playing this game every morning for the past week and come out losing more often than not.

“It’s no use,” I moan. “Toby will never like me!” Toby Johnson joined our sixth-grade class this past fall, and it’s as if I’m seeing things through 3D glasses. Mom hardly has to call me to come down for school in the morning, because I can’t wait to get there. Our boring Texas history class is exciting now that Toby sits in the seat in front of me. Even P.E., which I’ve always hated, is fun, because Toby is in the class. He tells funny jokes, is good in sports, and talks to everyone, even the shy and quiet kids.

Toby is a good student, so the teachers like him, too. And, he has all kinds of neat stories to tell about his old school in Cleveland, Ohio, where his family moved from. Toby says that in Cleveland they have enough snow every winter to make snowmen as tall as he is. I’ve never seen snow, except once when we drove through some flurries on a road trip to New Mexico.

Things have been great since Toby got here, except he doesn’t know I like him, and probably doesn’t care. He’s too busy making Goo Goo eyes at my best friend Chloe, the prettiest girl in the class. Not that I’m bad looking or anything, but next to her, I’m not so much. She’s tall and has long, black, curly hair, and wears cute red bows and bracelets that make her look like a movie star, even in our school uniform. I, on the other hand, wear ponytails and need glasses to see the board.

Review:

Sophie Washington is a lovely heroine who seems like she'd be a great best friend. In this well written story Sophie is dealing with a crush on the new boy who likes her friend Chloe better, and she also wants a cell phone so she can be like the other kids. Sophie lies to her friends about the cell phone and pretends she has one, but in the process she learns that lying isn't the best thing to do. She also shows a lot of maturity when she accepts that the new boy likes her friend and not her. The book isn't preachy, though. I think most middle grade kids would like the book. 4 out of 5 stars.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

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.


Website: www.tonyaellisbooks.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tonyaellisbooks/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TonyaDEllis

https://www.amazon.com/Sophie-Washington-Tonya-Duncan-Ellis/dp/1457526492

Book Video:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Sophie-Washington-Things-Didnt-About-ebook/dp/B075K8FDBV

Barnes and Noble:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sophie-washington-tonya-duncan-ellis/1127068683

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE:

Tonya Duncan Ellis will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sophie Washington: The Snitch

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:

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.


A Word From the Author:

1.     Did you always want to be an author? As far back as I can remember I’ve wanted to be an author. I’ve always loved to read and once I began writing my own stories in school that was it. I started out wanting to be a journalist because I saw that as a viable career where I could use my writing. I got some experience with various newspapers and did freelance magazine feature writing. I’ve always had a dream of writing my own novel, though, and I made that dream a reality a few years ago when I published the first book in my children’s series, Sophie Washington: Queen of the Bee.

2.     Tell us about the publication of your first book. I decided to self-publish my first book. I did research on various publishing companies online and selected Dog Ear Publishing based on the company’s professionalism and responsiveness. At the time I published my book four years ago I wasn’t able to market it, so I rereleased the book this past September with awesome new illustrations and have been marketing, that book, Sophie Washington: The Snitch, and my entire series heavily.

3.     Besides yourself, who is your favorite author in the genre you write in? My all-time favorite kids’ authors are Judy Blume and Beverly Cleary. They wrote realistic children’s stories that are funny, engaging, instructive and timeless.

4.     What’s the best part of being an author? The worst? Creating my stories and putting them out for others to read and enjoy is the best part of being an author. Having to take time away from writing to market and sell the books is probably the worst. I love interacting with readers and hearing their feedback and input, but I also spend quite a bit of time learning about the newest book marketing techniques and implementing marketing plans. I have an MBA degree with a focus on marketing so thankfully marketing is a subject I’m interested in, but, ideally, I would use all my time being creative.

5.     What are you working on now? The fifth book in my series, Sophie Washington: Hurricane, is scheduled to be released this March. In this book, Sophie, her friends and family are evacuated from their homes when a natural disaster hits the city. She learns lessons about gratefulness and appreciating what she has when a friend is flooded out of her home. I plan to start work on the sixth book in my series in the next few weeks. Sophie will be taking a trip to South America so get ready!

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

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.

Website: www.tonyaellisbooks.com

Facebook: @tonyaellisbooks

Twitter: @TonyaDEllis

https://www.amazon.com/Sophie-Washington-Tonya-Duncan-Ellis/dp/1457526492

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

Tonya Duncan Ellis will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway