GIVEAWAY CLOSED!
AUTHOR: Steven Hornby
PUBLISHER: Ecky Thump Books, Inc.
ISBN: 978-0-9815883-0-8
READING LEVEL: 8-12
Synopsis :
In the secret world of the Christmas ‘Tree-Dwellers’, Larry, a glass snowman, wakes up from the long sleep in the Christmas box, to find his brother missing from the tree. With friends, he escapes into the house to search for him, and embarks on a series of fantastical adventures.
Though I have a fondness for fantasy books, I wasn’t really as enthusiastic to review Secrets Of A Christmas Box when it arrived at my doorstep. I mean, how exciting can a Christmas themed story book be? Truth be told, it was the gorgeous cover and the fact that the book came in hardcover (I’m a sucker for hardbacks) which prompted me to read it. The first few chapters were a little draggy for me but when I read pass Chapter 8, I was hooked! The excitement and suspense began when The Tree-Dwellers made the fateful decision to defy the Tree Lord by breaking the ultimate rule : NEVER LEAVE THE TREE. I was eager to find out how Larry, together with his girlfriend Debbie, his dog Tinsel and Splint, the newest addition to the Ferguson’s tree ornaments, were going to fare in their journey to find Terrence.
You know how it is when you were little and despite what your parents said, you ABSOLUTELY believed that toys can come to life when humans are asleep? Well, this book feeds on that imagination and belief. I was drawn into the magical world of these Tree-Dwellers and enthralled by their charming characters. Secrets of A Christmas Box has certainly brought out the child in me.
Just a note of caution though, if your child is into happily- ever-after Disney style story endings, this might not be the book for him/her. The ending may leave a bittersweet taste for some readers but I thought it was a rather creative way to make the story stand out from the usual Christmas themed books.
The author, Steven Hornby, actually recommends readers to start reading one chapter a day. There are 24 chapters, so if you start on Dec 1st, you’ll be able to finish it by Christmas Eve ~ a fantastic idea to build up the mood to usher in Christmas.
BUY IT : A story about love, friendship and courage, Secrets of A Christmas Box is not for the timid child but would make a delightful bedtime story for those who are more adventurous. You can purchase the book online at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
WIN IT : We’re giving away a GIFT SACK containing a SIGNED copy of this fantasy novel and other goodies to TWO readers. Other goodies include a set of limited edition stickers, ‘Secrets of a Christmas Box’ balloons, ‘Secrets of a Christmas Box’ postcards and ‘Secrets of a Christmas Box’ pencils.
To participate, here are the requirements:
- One mandatory entry – Visit www.secretsofachristmasbox.com and tell us one fact about the author, Stephen Hornby.
- Three additional entries – Just place our Mega Xmas Giveaway badge on your site and leave your url.
- Five additional entries – If you blog about this giveaway with a link back to this post. ***
- Entry is open to US and Canada shipping addresses only.
- Giveaway closes on 2nd December 2009 and winners will be picked using Random.org. We will not be emailing winners, so please make sure you subscribe to our feed or check back here for the winner announcement post.
***Requirements were recently changed but for those who had tried the Technorati option, your entry is still valid.
Disclosure of Material Connection : http://cmp.ly/0
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#5
He is an animator from Dreamworks
Thanks for the great contest!
In 2000, after working on a set of commercials in Europe and Australasia, and his own short film, “Zzz Night”, he joined the animation crew on the Academy Award winning “The Lord of the Rings” films in New Zealand, which is where he received a VES Award for his animation on J.R.R. Tolkien’s fictional character, Gollum.
I learned that he is an animator for Dreamworks, thanks!
He has worked as a lead animator on many blockbuster hits!
He lives in Burbank California
Stephen Hornby was the lead animator for I, Robot and many other movies!
Stephen works at Dreamworks Animation and was the lead animator for Kung Fu Panda.
He is a multi award winning animator!
heatherstamper09@aol.com
Steven Hornby lives in Burbank, California.
Mr. Hornsby was part of the animation crew on the Academy Award winning “The Lord of the Rings” films in New Zealand
I have your Mega Xmas Giveaway button on my sidebar..#1
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I have your Mega Xmas Giveaway button on my sidebar..#2
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I have your Mega Xmas Giveaway button on my sidebar..#3
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Aside from the busy hours at Dreamworks Animation, he has already begun work on the sequel to the Christmas novel, and also a new fantasy adventure, “The Mist Catchers”.
The handsome and talented, Steven Hornby, is the lead animator on “I, Robot” (2004), “King Kong” (2005), Disney’s “Meet the Robinson’s” (2007) and “Glago’s Guest” (2008), and more recently Dreamworks’s “Kung Fu Panda” (2008) and “How to Train Your Dragon” (In Theaters 2010).