Author: Josh Funk

It’s Not a Stinky Giveaway

~ Josh Funk ~ 51 Comments

Yesterday I had that “Back to the Future” moment for the fifth time. I received a package containing a final copy of my next book, It’s Not Jack and the Beanstalk.

31_1[1]
If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything.
However, my silly editor mistakenly sent me TWO copies. While one of them was probably supposed to go to the book’s extraordinary illustrator, Edwardian Taylor, I’ve decided to give it away to one lucky reader!

19959238_624748944396541_7384886459689721797_n[1]

But that’s not all! I’m also going to sign and personalize it for you!

But that’s still not all! I’m also going to give away a signed and personalized copy of my most recent book, The Case of the Stinky Stench!

So how can you win this giveaway? Well, lucky you – you have SEVEN chances to enter!

  1. Tweet about the giveaway and tag me at the end of your tweet @joshfunkbooks – double entries if you share book cover images!
  2. Share this post on Facebook!
  3. Comment on THIS blog post below.
  4. Sign up for my mailing list here.
  5. Mark It’s Not Jack and the Beanstalk ‘Want to Read‘ on goodreads.
  6. Review The Case of the Stinky Stench on goodreads.
  7. Review The Case of the Stinky Stench on Amazon.

(Note – if you’ve previously done any of the last four above, that counts as an entry!)

Good luck! Enter by July 31st at 11:59pm eastern and I’ll pick a winner in August!

Where I’ll Be Next

Two for You

(two books I recommend you read)

1. Claymates written by Dev Petty & illustrated by Lauren Eldridge

9780316303118[1]

2. The Teacher’s Pet written by Anica Mrose Rissi & illustrated by Zachariah Ohora

9781484743645[1]

 

Two New Book Announcements

~ Josh Funk ~ 1 Comment

I’ve been relatively absent from the blog over the last few months – for all good reasons* – but during that time I announced two new books that will be arriving on shelves in 2018!

The first is called Albie Newton, about a boy genius who can paint like Van Gogh and find a cure for cooties. But when his latest masterpiece wreaks havoc on the first day of school, his greatest experiment yet is learning to make new friends. Ester Garay is illustrating – and let me tell you, her illustrations are so adorable you’ll melt. Albie Newton will be published by Sterling Children’s in the spring of 2018.

Albie Announcement

The second announcement is for Lost in the Library: A Story of Patience and Fortitude about the two lions who faithfully guard the New York Public Library. When Patience goes missing, Fortitude realizes the secret to Patience’s disappearance may be within the Library itself. Stevie Lewis is illustrating – and I haven’t seen anything yet, but I *love* her art! This is the first picture book that Macmillan & Henry Holt plan to publish in partnership with the New York Public Library, scheduled for publication in 2018.

Lost Announcement

Neither book is available for pre-order yet, but both books are on goodreads if you’d like to mark them ‘Want to Read’ (which is always helpful). You can do so here for Albie Newton and here for Lost in the Library.

Side note about Lost in the Library – I didn’t actually come up with this idea – it was proposed by Macmillan and the NYPL (the project is their Intellectual Property or ‘IP’). My agent, Kathleen Rushall, asked if I was interested in submitting a sample for consideration and eventually I was awarded this awesome opportunity. So congrats to you, Kathleen – on both of these deals. And thank you!

* My blogging absence is due entirely for good reasons – I was busy planning and coordinating the New England SCBWI Conference, followed by a two week promotional book tour for my newest picture book, The Case of the Stinky Stench, followed by several weeks of trying to catch up on everything I’d missed because of the former two items.

Where I’ll Be Next

Two for You

(two books I recommend you read)

1. Shark Lady: The True Story of How Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean’s Most Fearless Scientist written by Jess Keating & illustrated by Marta Álvarez Miguens

9781492642046[1]

2. 7 Ate 9: The Untold Story written by Tara Lazar & illustrated by Ross MacDonald

9781484717790[1]

The Stinky Stench Is Available Now! (sort of)

~ Josh Funk ~ Leave a comment

If you head to your local bookstore, there’s a good chance you’ll smell see something new: THE CASE OF THE STINKY STENCH!

This photo was taken at The Concord Bookshop (in Concord, Massachusetts).

And this was at Gibson’s Bookstore (in Concord, New Hampshire):

(Photo Credit: Kari Allen)

While the official release date of The Case of the Stinky Stench isn’t until May 2nd, it appears that you can pick up your copy now! (at least if your local bookstore is in a town called “Concord”)

[side note: I’ve also received word that certain online retailers are also sending copies early]

So, clean out your fridges, everyone! The Stinky Stench has arrived!

Where I’ll Be Next

The #StinkyStench Tour (2).png

Two for You

(two books I recommend you read)

1. Happy Dreamer written & illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds

Happy Dreamer Cover

2. Vampirina at the Beach written by Anne Marie Pace & illustrated by LeUyen Pham

Vampirina at the Beach Cover

Get Stinky! (with the Stinky Stench Activity Kit)

~ Josh Funk ~ Leave a comment

The fine folks at Sterling Publishing have outdone themselves once again and put together an awesome activity kit for The Case of the Stinky Stench! While the book isn’t out until May 2 … you can download the *Free* Printable Activity Kit RIGHT NOW (by clicking right HERE)!

Contents of the kit include:

  • Word Search
  • Maze
  • Cutouts
  • Coloring Activity
  • Connect the Dots
  • Rhyme Time
  • … and of course, the all-important Answer Key

Stinky Stench Activity Kit

Don’t miss the activity kits (and other fun stuff) for all of my books on the “Stuff for Kids” section of my website here.

And of course, you can pre-order The Case of the Stinky Stench wherever books are sold – and if you do, let me know and I’ll send you some free swag (see here for more info).

Where I’ll Be Next

Two for You

(two books I recommend you read)

1. Cy Makes a Friend written by Anne Marie Stephens & Tracy Subisak

C6Urk1YWgAAyBis[1]

2. Martina & Chrissie: The Greatest Rivalry in the History of Sports written by Phil Bildner & illustrated by Brett Helquist

C64o_scU0AACmkA[1]

Stinky Stench Pre-Order Giveaway!

The Case of the Stinky Stench (Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast #2)
~ Josh Funk ~ 1 Comment

It’s Pancake Day! And in just over two months – on May 2nd, THE CASE OF THE STINKY STENCH, sequel to Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast, will be released. To celebrate, I’m sending swag out to anyone who pre-orders a copy.*

Magnets, Collectors Cards, & Bookmarks

fullsizerender

AND – if you pre-order from an Independent Book Store, I’ll send a bonus something special!

TO ENTER: snap a picture of your receipt and send it to joshfunkbooks+giveaway [at] gmail [dot] com along with your snail mail address.

To top it off, I’m picking ONE lucky winner to get personalized signed copies of both Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast AND The Case of the Stinky Stench. Good luck! And may the syrup be ever in your flavor!

* giveaway is open until May 1, 2017 to U.S. residents only, while supplies last.

Where I’ll Be Next

Two for You

(two books I recommend you read)

1. The Friend Ship written by Kat Yeh & illustrated by Chuck Groenink

2. You Don’t Want a Unicorn! written by Ame Dyckman & illustrated by Liz Climo

It’s Not Jack and the Beanstalk – Cover Reveal!

~ Josh Funk ~ 3 Comments

GIANT News! It’s Not Jack and the Beanstalk officially has a cover and is available for pre-order!

The cover was revealed last week at Dylan Teut’s Mile High Reading Site along with an interview with me and the amazing illustrator, Edwardian Taylor. And here is the official cover:

91tqkghdsbl1

I have to say, I think it’s pretty amazing! This META-Mixed-Up Fairy Tale is my first book that isn’t written in rhyme. For more info, here’s the official flap copy:

Jack is not fond of the bossy narrator of his fairy tale! When Jack is told to trade his beloved cow Bessie for some magic beans, throw the beans out the window, climb the ENORMOUS beanstalk that sprouts overnight, and steal from a GIANT, he decides this fairy tale is getting out of control. In fact, he doesn’t want to follow the story line at all. Who says Jack needs to enter a life of daring, thievery, and giant trickery? He takes his story into his own hands—and you’ll never guess what happens next!

With laugh-out-loud dialogue and bold, playful art (including hidden fairy tale creatures for kids to find), this Jack and the Beanstalk retelling will have children rolling with laughter till Bessie the cow comes home.

It’s Not Jack and the Beanstalk is available for pre-order now and will be released on September 19, 2017!

Where I’ll Be Next

Two for You

(two books I recommend you read)

1. Before You written & illustrated by Rebecca Doughty

2. Pigloo written by Anne Marie Pace & illustrated by Lorna Hussey

Image result

My World Read Aloud Day 2017 Experience

~ Josh Funk ~ 2 Comments

On Thursday, I visited 21 classrooms in 12 states, 6 time zones, 4 countries, and ALL the hemispheres.

You see, Thursday, February 16th was World Read Aloud Day (#WRAD), presented by litworld.org, an organization whose goal is to cultivate a love of reading and fight illiteracy worldwide. According to LitWorld, WRAD “calls global attention to the importance of reading aloud and sharing stories” and “is celebrated by millions of people in more than 100 countries.”

wrad2017spotfinal3

What was my involvement? Well, to do my part, I virtually visited (via skype) a score of classrooms across the world on Thursday – and one on Wednesday night in Kuala Lumpur (but it was Thursday morning for them) – see the map below. Some of the visits were with a single classroom. Others were with entire grades or even multiple grades congregating in libraries and media centers. I saw all grade levels from K through 5. For each 15-20 minute visit, I read a sneak peek copy of THE CASE OF THE STINKY STENCH (the upcoming sequel to LADY PANCAKE & SIR FRENCH TOAST) – even though it’s not out until May 2nd. Then I took questions from the kids for the remaining time. And all the visits were completely free of charge.

But 21 visits? How did I manage that? At the beginning of the school year, all-star author Kate Messner puts a call out to authors who are willing to skype with classes and then lists them for educators to find. We can call Kate the WRAD Matchmaker. Between Kate, Twitter, Facebook, the contact page on my website, and the network of my educator friends, my schedule filled up pretty quickly.

It was a blast to share THE CASE OF THE STINKY STENCH, but the best part was interacting with the students. They asked so many amazing questions. I shared my writing and revision process, my favorite books (now and as a kid), how I come up with ideas, and more. These kids did some serious research and some even completed their own versions of my ‘fill-in-the-blank’ bio. And twice I was asked about my system for getting as much syrup on the bottom pancake as the top (I didn’t give away the secret, don’t worry).

Here’s a snapshot of my day:

It was a totally fabulous day. The tech was virtually flawless (thanks, Skype Classroom). We may not have hoverboards, but Marty McFly would be proud.

If you’re interested in learning more, definitely check out LitWorld.org and follow Kate Messner & Skype Classroom – and start getting ready for #WRAD18!

Where I’ll Be Next

Two for You

(two books I recommend you read)

1. The Green Umbrella written by Jackie Azúa Kramer & illustrated by Maral Sassouni

images (2621×3407)

2. Adrift: An Odd Couple of Polar Bears written & illustrated by Jessica Olien