Hamster Princess Giant Trouble ~ Review, Craft & Giveaway

 What do you think a Battle Quail eats?  What exactly is a top knot?  How fast do you think Mumfrey can run?  Can you eat goose eggs?  I could go on and on with the questions Kaden asked while reading the 4th book from Ursula Vernon's Hamster Princess Series.  I'm not quite sure why he Loves this book so much, I take that back.....I know why.  First the vibrant glittery cover caught his sensory seeking eyes and drew him in immediately.  Kaden usually doesn't relate well with fairy tales and I was a bit shocked he continued reading after recognizing the story line from Jack and the Beanstalk.    But, I finally figured out that I think it's because the characters are animals in this series and not people.  In Kaden's world of Autism he has always been drawn to animals rather than people.  And this story captured his heart and sparked his imagination.  

I would recommend this for readers 10 and up.  There is so much action, excitement, magic and spunk that even a reluctant reader will have a hard time putting this book back on the shelf.  Kaden was always giggling on the edge of the couch or pouncing around under the covers at bedtime imitating cliff-diving Harriet.  On a personal note I'm thrilled to see Harriet be so dynamic and feisty...she may be a Princess, but she's no damsel in distress!    Mumfrey the battle quail is so adorable and faithful to Harriet along with her best friend, Wilbur who makes an appearance as she was trying to get Strings safely out of the castle.  Who's Strings?  Well, you know...she's a harpster, half hamster half harp.  You'll understand once you read the book.  There are twists, turns and wit on every page.

  

Grow Your Own Beanstalk!!

We enjoyed it so much we decided to grow our own magic beanstalk.   Let me share with all of you how to grow your very own.

 Supplies: Glue, Construction Paper, Cotton Balls, Crayons, Markers or Paint, Popsicle stick or Wooden dowel, Magic Beans(Any bean will do), soil and Jar or Container.





1.   Cut out your Castle pieces from your paper.  We used a big square, 2 rectangles and 3 triangles to make ours.  
2.  Glue pieces together to form Castle.
3.  Now decorate your Castle...you can even use sequins or glitter...Kaden likes simple. :)


 
4.  Cut out your clouds from paper.
5.  Pull apart a few cotton balls and glue onto the cloud cutout and then glue onto the bottom of the Castle.
6.  Attach the Popsicle stick to the back of your Castle. 



 



7.  While it's drying head outside and fill your jar with soil.
8.  Place in your Magic Beans and water with your Magic Bean water blaster or typical water hose, whatever you have available.
9.  Pop in your Castle down in your soil and place in a warm sunny spot.  And remember to water every day.

  BOOK SUMMARY:
A magical beanstalk leads to a GIANT surprise in book four of Ursula Vernon's critically acclaimed Hamster Princess series.

Harriet Hamsterbone doesn't go looking for trouble. Somehow it always finds her. So she isn't completely shocked when a salesman attempts to sell her some magic beans, or when one of those beans grows into a towering beanstalk leading up into the clouds. But even Harriet is surprised to find a giant castle--complete with one very poetically challenged giant-- at the top of it. And she certainly never thought she would make a new friend named Strings who is half harp, half hamster. But Strings isn't the giant's guest--she and a rather large goose are his prisoners! This calls for a heroic rescue, and Harriet is just the hamster for the job.

AUTHOR BIO:

Ursula Vernon is a full-time author and illustrator whose work has won a Hugo award and been nominated for an Eisner. She loves birding, gardening, and spunky heroines, and thinks she would make a terrible princess. Ursula lives with her husband in Pittsboro, North Carolina.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Enter for a chance to be one (1) grand prize winner and receive a set of Hamster Princess books, including Harriet the Invincible, Of Mice and Magic, Ratpunzel, and Giant Trouble (ARV: $51.96), or to be one (1) of five (5) second place winners to receive Hamster Princess: Harriet the Invincible (ARC: $12.99 each). 
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Enter between 12:00 AM Eastern Time on May 8, 2017 and 12:00 AM on May 15, 2017.  Open to residents of the fifty United States and the District of Columbia who are 13 and older. Winners will be selected at random on or about May 18, 2017. Odds of winning depend on number of eligible entries received. Void where prohibited or restricted by law.

BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE:

May 8 – Margie’s Must Reads

May 9 – Doodlemom’s Homeschooling Life – Review + Craft

May 9 – Ms. Yingling Reads – Review

May 10 – Adventures in Homeschooling – Review

May 10 – Four Violet – Review + Craft

May 11 – The Delightful Life

May 11 – All Done Monkey – Q&A

May 12 – Pirates n’ Pixie Dust

May 13 – Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers – Review