Day #10 ChiIL Mama's Holidaze 12 Days of #giveaways

Day #10  WEDNESDAY 12/12/12  WIN A BIG BOOK BONANZA!!   2 Traegonia fantasy chapter books (middle grade) & Chicken in the Car and The Car Won't Go ($47)

Enter here for your chance to win 

the Big Book Bonanza:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

12/12/12 is the last matching day/month/year until the next century.   So, to celebrate, in our 12 Days of Giveaways we're breaking out one of our passions--books...in a BIG way.   The gift of reading and a LOVE of reading is one of the best gifts ever.   

1.  *Traegonia The Sunbow Prophecy 

      *Traegonia The Ember Rune

              plus a set of Traegon postcards and a bookmark ($32.00)

Rockin' awesome, eco friendly, middle grade fantasy chapter books for boys & girls to adults:  Traegonia books one & two 


The faces behind the Traegons:



Author, Kim Krueger, with her daughter



Dino Crisanti, illustrator/ sculptor

Click here for the main World of Traegonia site.

Click here for ChiIL Mama's past photo filled Traegonia coverage.

This series is highly recommended, mid grade fantasy, chapter books.   We read them as family bedtime stories and got thoroughly engrossed in the highly imaginative, artistic, eco-friendly, creative, inventive, magical, World of Traegonia.

2.  Chicken in the Car & the car won't go Nearly 200 Ways to Enjoy Chicagoland with Tweens and Teens.” ($14.95) 

Got tweens or teens?  We've got a couple of must have books for you.   The first is our friend Melisa (with one s) Wells' rockin' guide to fun with older kids around the greater Chi-town area. 

We first covered this book back in late 2011, when it first came out, but Melisa was cool enough to kick us a couple giveaway copies and uber organized slacker that I am...one disappeared in the back of our swag cabinet (sorry Melisa).   So...readers, you're in luck!   

This handy guide has been in hot demand with long wait lists at local libraries.   It's still relevant and excellent.  And guess what....when you own your own, you can write in it!   Oh yeah.   Our copy has copious notes and has become a dog eared and delightful addition to the front seat of my car.   Highly recommended!

Melisa threw a rockin riverboat cruise party when she launched the book, and that night I had a chance to chat with Dylan, her good natured, college age son.   He gave me the low down on Camp Wells, their "Mom led" family recreation program, started when they were 10 & 13, that became the basis for the book.  Instead of going off to a month-long summer camp, they decided to see what fun they could have around Chi-Town instead.  The adventures they had that summer became the spring board for this one-stop place for planning your own fun in and around the city.

Amid a sea of blogger name tags proclaiming everyone's Twitter handle, URL and all, my favorite tag of the night was the refreshingly simple one that declared "Melisa's husband".    Gotta love a family with a sense of humor!   Melisa's writing can be seen frequently at the blog, Suburban Scrawl, and now in print with Chicken In The Car And The Car Won't Go.

You can win one here or snag a copy of this book through her site below or through Amazon. It's a rockin' resource for locals and/or tourists alike.

Check out the whole scoop about author and Blogger Melisa Wells book ‘Chicken in the Car and the Car Won’t Go: Nearly 200 Ways to Enjoy Chicagoland with Tweens and Teens.”  right here.

Disclaimer:   Thanks to all the authors and publishers who gave us books for our giveaway and review copies as well.   All opinions expressed are our own. 

All 12 of ChiIL Mama's Holidaze giveaways are open till midnight 12/15/12, so enter like we vote in Chi, IL...early and often.  

Click this quick link for all our daily holidaze giveaways in one easy place. 

#1  Diary of a Wimpy Kid Hardback Book ($14)

#2  $100 Psychobaby Gift Certificate ($100)

#3  Go! Go! Sports Girls Doll ($20)

#4  XBOX 360 WIPEOUT 3 game ($50) 

#5  7 kids' CDs including punk favs for kids($90) 

#6  DAVIDsTEA winter loose tea collection & mug ($45) 

#7  Multilingual Chicago 12 weeks of kids' language classes & an adult language boot camp ($420)

#8  Lalaloopsy 3DS Carnival of Friends game by AcTiVision & a Mini Peppy Pom Poms Collectible Character Sew Sleepy #6 of Series 8 ($42)

#9  3 of our favorite video games for PC or Mac/Wii/DS 

*Plants Vs. Zombies, Guitar Hero, Moshling Zoo ($86 value)

#10   A BIG BOOK BONANZA!!   2 Traegonia fantasy chapter books (middle grade) & Chicken in the Car and The Car Won't Go ($47)

Chicken in the Car and the Car Won't Go & American Girl Doll McKenna-Book Signings This Saturday

It's a big book bash weekend with not one, but two highly recommended book signings Saturday.

 First-come meet local Chi-Town Mama, Melisa Wells.

Here's what she has in store:

I am super-excited to announce that I’ll be signing copies of Chicken in the Car and the Car Won’t Go: Nearly 200 Ways to Enjoy Chicagoland With Tweens and Teens on Saturday January 14, from 12-3.

Where? Good question.

I’ll be at Elevenzees, which is a fabulous boutique on the corner of Division and Wolcott in the trendy Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago. I fell in love with Elevenzees the first time I walked in the door. It’s a great place to pick up a special gift for any special someone, and it’s just a beautiful shop. (It’s surrounded by other fantastic boutiques, too, so you could really make an afternoon of the trip!)

Julie K, a children’s recording artist, will be at Elevenzees that day as well, so those of you who have younger kids have an extra incentive to visit.

If the great shopping opportunity, Julie K, and I don’t do it for you, how about this: Garrett Popcorn Shops (Chicago’s BEST. Seriously) will be there, WITH caramel corn for you to eat. CARAMEL CORN.

 

But wait! There’s more! There MAY even be a cupcake truck outside. We don’t have 100% confirmation yet so I’ll update when we do, but CUPCAKES.

ChiIL Mama (2 ii's, 1 L) will be reviewing and giving away 2 signed copies of Melisa (with one L)Wells' awesome book in early 2012.   It's become a dog eared and delightful addition to the front seat of our car.   This book makes a great gift for visiting out of state friends and family as well as urban and suburban locals.

We hope to have an author interview for you, soon, too.   

 

 

Second, Meet the American Girl Doll of The Year, McKenna, Author: Mary Casanova


Click this link for details on the book signing by Mary at American Girl Doll Place-Water Tower.


    •    January 14: 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Meet Mary Casanova, the award-winning author of our 2012 Girl of the Year books! This informal session is your opportunity to meet Ms. Casanova in person and have your favorite books signed.

General Information
    •    Free and open to the public.
    •    For girls ages 8 and up.