Nate Rocks the Boat by Karen Pokras Toz - Character Guest Post & Kindle Fire Giveaway

Nate Rocks the Boat
by Karen Pokras Toz
Grand Daisy Press
April 20, 2012

The Adventure Continues...With fourth grade finally winding down, 10-year-old Nathan Rockledge is looking forward to a fun and relaxing summer at home with his friends. That is, until his mom decides he has to go to overnight camp with his annoying older sister. When his best friend, Tommy, decides to tag along, Nathan thinks maybe his summer won’t actually be so bad. After all, he does get to be away from his mom's awful cooking for an entire six weeks. Amongst Color War competitions, a flaky counselor, and a bully named "No-Neck,” Nathan turns to his trusty sketchpad, transforming himself into Nate Rocks: 10-year-old extraordinaire. His speedboat ready for action, Nate saves the day time and again from the perils of floods, snakes, ghosts, and even the most wanted criminals. Join Nathan, Tommy, Abby, and a whole new cast of characters as Nate Rocks once again proves nothing can hold him back.

See my review of Nate Rocks the Boat. 

Add on Goodreads, and buy on Smashwords or Amazon.

What Would I Change About My Story
Character Guest Post from Nate
by Karen Pokras Toz

My author, Karen Pokras Toz, has asked me to pick one thing to change about my story, Nate Rocks the Boat. But honestly, there are just too many things to pick from.  It’s not that I don’t like my story – I do. It’s just that, there are some things in there that I could definitely do without – let’s go down the list: 

1.     Lisa Crane. Was it really necessary to bring my Mom’s best friend’s annoying daughter into the story again? Wasn’t it bad enough that she was in the first book, Nate Rocks the World? Not only that, but you had her come to my going away party where she causes me both physical harm and emotional distress. Yeah – not happy about that one. At least you didn’t have her tag along with me to summer camp, but as long as we’re on the topic ... 

2.     Abby. Yup – you know what I’m talking about. You made my know-it-all whiny older sister go to the same overnight summer camp as me. Talk about mean! Why couldn’t she have just stayed home with Lisa Crane? Ever since the horseshoe incident at my party, they’ve practically been best friends. They would have had a great summer together. Instead, I got stuck with Abby. Thanks. 

3.     Camp.  Now overall, I have to admit I had a great summer. But there were a few things I could have done without – kickball games, color war, and no-neck to name a few.

But just so you don’t think I’m a totally ungrateful ten-year-old, I do want to thank you for sending Tommy along with me – plus the food was really good. Oh and can we talk about Bobino for a minute? He totally rocks! Confused? Well get yourself a copy of Nate Rocks the Boat and see for yourself! 

About the author:

Karen Pokras Toz is a writer, wife, and mom. Karen grew up in the small town of Orange, Connecticut and graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Finance. She also attended the University of Richmond, where she studied law and business, receiving both a JD and an MBA. Karen is a member of The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Karen lives in Montgomery County, PA with her husband and three children.   

You can find out more about Karen Pokras Toz and how to connect with her on her website. 

  Click here to find out more about the giveaway and the sponsors.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Nate Rocks the Boat by Karen Pokras Toz - Review

Nate Rocks the Boat 

by Karen Pokras Toz

Published April 2012 by Grand Daisy Press

The Adventure Continues...
With fourth grade finally winding down, 10-year-old Nathan Rockledge is looking forward to a fun and relaxing summer at home with his friends. That is, until his mom decides he has to go to overnight camp with his annoying older sister. When his best friend, Tommy, decides to tag along, Nathan thinks maybe his summer won’t actually be so bad. After all, he does get to be away from his mom's awful cooking for an entire six weeks. Amongst Color War competitions, a flaky counselor, and a bully named "No-Neck,” Nathan turns to his trusty sketchpad, transforming himself into Nate Rocks: 10-year-old extraordinaire. His speedboat ready for action, Nate saves the day time and again from the perils of floods, snakes, ghosts, and even the most wanted criminals. Join Nathan, Tommy, Abby, and a whole new cast of characters as Nate Rocks once again proves nothing can hold him back.

My Review:

Nate Rocks is back and at it again. This time he is at summer camp, and he is experiencing a lot of new, real-life adventures along with his imaginary adventures.

It is rare to find a book directed toward middle grade boys, and Karen Pokras Toz has done an excellent job bringing Nate to life once again. The trials and triumphs of summer camp are described perfectly and with a lot of humor. Kids will easily lose themselves in this book and feel like they are right there at camp with Nate. Along with all of the imagination and adventures, Karen also portrays a beautiful message of friendship. I would definitely recommend this book and this series, and I am looking forward to Nate's next adventure.

A copy was provided by the author for review.

About the author:

Karen Pokras Toz is a writer, wife, and mom. Karen grew up in the small town of Orange, Connecticut and graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Finance. She also attended the University of Richmond, where she studied law and business, receiving both a JD and an MBA. Karen is a member of The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Karen lives in Montgomery County, PA with her husband and three children.   

You can find out more about Karen Pokras Toz and how to connect with her on her website.  

Check out my review of the first NATE ROCKS book, Nate Rocks the World. 

Giveaway: Nate Rocks by Karen Pokras Toz

This giveaway is part of the Children's Book Week Giveaway Hop hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer, KidLitFrenzy, Classic Children's Books, and Mymcbooks. There are a lot of great blogs participating in this hop. After you enter here, hop over and enter their giveaways too.

While you are here, please check out my other giveaways. They can be located in the right sidebar.

My Giveaway:
One winner will receive both books in the NATE ROCKS series by Karen Pokras Toz!

Nate Rocks the World
Book #1 

Ten-year-old Nathan Rockledge cannot catch a break. After all, life as a fourth-grader can be hazardous - what with science projects to deal with and recess football games to avoid. Everyone, including his best friend Tommy, seems to have bad luck when hanging around Nathan. Throw in an older sister who is a royal pain, a dad who is stuck in the past, and a mom who keeps trying to poison him with her awful cooking, and poor Nathan's life as a fourth-grader appears to be completely doomed. Armed only with his sketchpad, his imagination, and his wits, Nathan Rockledge navigates the perils of the fourth grade in style, to emerge heroic, as Nate Rocks, proving that even a ten-year-old can accomplish great things. 

Please see my review of Nate Rocks the World.

Nate Rocks the Boat

Book #2 

The Adventure Continues...With fourth grade finally winding down, 10-year-old Nathan Rockledge is looking forward to a fun and relaxing summer at home with his friends. That is, until his mom decides he has to go to overnight camp with his annoying older sister. When his best friend, Tommy, decides to tag along, Nathan thinks maybe his summer won’t actually be so bad. After all, he does get to be away from his mom's awful cooking for an entire six weeks. Amongst Color War competitions, a flaky counselor, and a bully named "No-Neck,” Nathan turns to his trusty sketchpad, transforming himself into Nate Rocks: 10-year-old extraordinaire. His speedboat ready for action, Nate saves the day time and again from the perils of floods, snakes, ghosts, and even the most wanted criminals. Join Nathan, Tommy, Abby, and a whole new cast of characters as Nate Rocks once again proves nothing can hold him back.

Please see my review of Nate Rocks the Boat.

How to enter: 

Just be a follower of Krazy Book Lady in whatever way you choose. Then fill out the form below.

Additional optional entries (for a total of 6 entries):

+1 Follow Karen Pokras Toz on Twitter.

+1 Like Karen Pokras Toz on Facebook.

+1 "Fan" Karen Pokras Toz on Goodreads.

+1 Add Nate Rocks the World and Nate Rocks the Boat to your shelf on Goodreads.

+1 Leave a comment on any blog post. ("Thanks for the giveaway" type comments will not count as an entry.) 

Giveaway details:

Giveaway is open internationally. Winner will receive print books if in the US or Canada or will receive e-copies if international. This giveaway will run until midnight EST on May 13th. Must be 13 or older to enter. Winner will be chosen using Random.org. Winner will be emailed, and this blog post will be updated to include the name of the winner. Winner has 3 days to contact me or a new winner will be selected. 

Sorry! This giveaway is now over.

Winner: Melissa C.

On Writing: Why Kids are the Best Inspiration - Guest Post by Karen Pokras Toz, Author of Nate Rocks

On Writing: Why Kids are the Best Inspiration

Guest Post by Karen Pokras Toz, author of Nate Rocks the World and Nate Rocks the Boat

I love hearing about where authors get their inspirations for their work. Often it’s something they’ve heard on the news or something that is happening with a friend or at work. One thing that most authors agree on: inspiration is all around us.

For me, inspiration comes mostly from my children. I tell people all the time that Nate Rocks is basically my three kids all rolled into one. But where do I come up with the ideas for the actual stories?

If you have read my blog, or know me personally, you know I spend the first few weeks of June packing and labeling in preparation to send my two oldest children to overnight camp for a month. I think we are going on our fifth summer of this routine - honestly, I’ve lost count, but let’s just say I’ve labeled a lot of underwear over the past few years!!

When it came time to start thinking about the second Nate Rocks book, I had to make a decision - did I want to keep going with 4th grade theme or did I want to try something different? I was in the process of the above-mentioned folding and labeling when I thought: Nate should go to camp too!

I began the process of remembering all of the stories I had heard over the years, as well as my own experiences at camp (although, mine were limited to day camp, not overnight camp.) Before I knew it, I had a book full of fun camp adventures – staring Nate Rocks, of course! Thanks kids for all the great stories – keep them coming!

About the author:

Karen Pokras Toz is a writer, wife, and mom. Karen grew up in the small town of Orange, Connecticut and graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Finance. She also attended the University of Richmond, where she studied law and business, receiving both a JD and an MBA. Karen is a member of The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Karen lives in Montgomery County, PA with her husband and three children.

You can find out more about Karen Pokras Toz and how to connect with her on her website.

Please see my reviews of Nate Rocks the World and Nate Rocks the Boat.

You can also check out Karen's previous guest post.