Title: Valentina and the Haunted Mansion
Series: Valentina’s Spooky Adventures #1)
Genre: Picture Book, Vampires, Paranormal, Kids, Children’s Book
Release Date: May 20, 2013
Price: $2.99 (eBook), $10.95 (Paperback), $21.95 (Hardcover)
Synopsis:
Valentina isn’t thrilled with her parents’ decision to move into an ancient, gigantic mansion in the middle of nowhere—filled with dark, unsettling rooms, and far away from civilization, where they don’t have to worry about hiding who they are. Sure, it may be perfect for a vampire family like hers, but moving here meant leaving her best friends behind.
The new house has some perks, though. Valentina gets to choose her own room, and when she explores the mansion on her own, she discovers a trophy room, a museum room, a music room, and much more.
From the moment Valentina started exploring, however, she’s felt someone watching her. Strange things start to happen all around her: footprints appear in the dust, a disembodied voice sneezes....
...and just because Valentina is a vampire, doesn’t mean she doesn't get scared like any other little girl.
The new house has some perks, though. Valentina gets to choose her own room, and when she explores the mansion on her own, she discovers a trophy room, a museum room, a music room, and much more.
From the moment Valentina started exploring, however, she’s felt someone watching her. Strange things start to happen all around her: footprints appear in the dust, a disembodied voice sneezes....
...and just because Valentina is a vampire, doesn’t mean she doesn't get scared like any other little girl.
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Author Bio
Majanka Verstraete begged her Mom to teach her how to read while she was still in kindergarten. By the time she finished fifth grade, she had read through the entire children’s section of her hometown library.
She wrote her first story when she was seven years old, and hasn’t stopped writing since. With an imagination that never sleeps, and hundreds of possible book characters screaming for her attention, writing is more than a passion for her.
She writes about all things supernatural for children of all ages. She’s tried to write contemporary novels before, but something paranormal always manages to crawl in.
Majanka is currently studying for her Master of Laws degree, and hopes one day to be able to combine her passions for law and writing. When she’s not writing, reading or studying, she likes watching “The Vampire Diaries” and “Game of Thrones,” spending time with her friends, or playing “World of Warcraft.”
Her debut picture book, “Valentina and the Haunted Mansion” released in May 2013, and was published by Evolved Publishing. She is now working on her second picture book, “Valentina and the Whackadoodle Witch”, which will be published in December 2013.
She has a lower grade chapter book, “The Doll Maker” coming out in September 2013. This is the first book in the Weirdville series, a series of scary books for kids. The second and third book will be released in December 2013, along with an audio book for “The Doll Maker”.
Her debut young adult novel, “Fractured”, the first book in the Mirrorland series, will release in September 2013 by InkSpell Publishing. You can now pre-order your copy.
Twitter: @iheartreads
Preorder your copy of Fractured here: http://www.inkspellpublishing.com/1/post/2013/07/fractured-is-available-for-preorder.html
Purchase your copy of Valentina and the Haunted Mansion here: http://evolvedpub.com/product/valentina-and-the-haunted-mansion/
Illustrator Bio
Noelle Giffin is an alumna of the Savannah College of Art and Design, equipped with a BFA in Sequential Art. She enjoys a good story and believes that it should always be accompanied by art that complements it, instead of overshadowing it. Her favorite part of creating artwork is working towards that feeling of “being in the zone,” where everything just fits together seamlessly and is difficult to distract from.
She likes to listen to music while she draws and, as a result, comes up with silly music video ideas for her characters. Her medium tends to be digital, but nothing beats drawing with pencil and paper. Lastly, she loves fat little birds like nothing else in the world (and now no one is surprised as to why she’s drawing Bird Brain Books).
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Book Excerpts
Shivers ran down Valentina's spine as she walked into the hallway. What if it was a Stalking Skeleton? Or a Devilish Demon? It could be anything!
"Is somebody there?" she whispered. For a moment, everything stayed silent.
Bang!
Valentina's heart skipped a beat or two or ten as a door slammed shut at the end of the hallway.
My Thoughts:
This was an adorable story! The illustrations were awesome too! My son loved this book and read it 3 times in one night. He mentioned that the pictures were great and he liked Valentina! So there's your reference points. A 32 year old woman (me) thought it was cute and a 9 year old boy (my son) loved it! He actually wants to read more of Valentina's stories!
This is obviously meant for a younger crowd, but this is a book that parent's will enjoy reading to or with their kids! I actually wished it were longer!
Valentina and the Haunted Mansion is a fun book! I highly recommend it for your little spooks! :)
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