Thursday, August 2, 2012

Review - Nate Rocks the Boat



Nate Rocks the Boat
Written by: Karen Pokras Toz
Published by: Grand Daisy Press
ASIN: B007WC1L9I
Pub Date: April 20, 2012
Pages: 142


    Nate is back in the sequel to Nate Rocks the World, in which he is not looking forward to spending the summer at Camp Spring Ridge, as Nate is more of dreamer than an outdoor kid, but he changes his mind when he finds out his best friend Tommy is going to camp too. He thinks that maybe this summer will be great, that is until he learns that his annoying older sister, Abby, is going to the camp too.

    He has big dreams about the camp, such as eating great food (well better than his mother’s cooking), and meeting new friends, but dreams are just dreams as he realizes that camp isn’t exactly what he hoped it would be.

    Nate has a hard time fitting in with the other kids. The activities are not what he hoped for as he would rather take out his sketchpad and draw than participate in the silly scavenger hunt. The campers are split into teams and they have to compete in an annual competition, which places Nate against Abby.

    If you have never read the first book, do not worry as Nate Rocks the Boat is more of a standalone read. The book is aimed at middle grade readers, but adults can enjoy reading it too. The narration reminds me of the Fudge book series by Judy Blume. I like how the author, Kim Pokras Toz, used humor throughout the tale. Nate has a wild imagination from helping out the FBI to saving the camp from snakes. Nate Rocks the Boat is fun read for readers of all ages.


*I would like to thank Goddess Fish Book Tours for providing me with a review copy!


Karen will be awarding a $25 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour and an autographed set of books (Nate Rocks the World & Nate Rocks the Boat) to one randomly drawn host from the tour. Other stops in the tour can be found at http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2012/06/virtual-book-tour-nate-rocks-boat-by.html. 

About the Author:

 Karen Pokras Toz is a writer, wife and mom. Karen grew up in Orange, Connecticut and currently lives outside of Philadelphia with her husband and three children. In June 2011, Karen published her first middle grade children’s novel for 7-12 year olds called Nate Rocks the World, followed in 2012 by the second book in the Nate Rocks series, Nate Rocks the Boat. Karen is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI). TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE NATE ROCKS SERIES VISIT WWW.KARENTOZ.COM

11 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for your review! Wow - I'm so speechless that you compared my writing to Judy Blume. You made my day :)

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  2. I really, really love the sound of this book. I know you said you didn't have to read the first one, but I still want to.

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  3. I know next to nothing about children's books since my babies are 35 and 44 now! But, my daughter has a 13 yo niece and I'm wondering if she would enjoy this book. I'm putting it on my gift idea list for her. What was the age range you had in mind when you wrote the book?

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  4. @Karen H in NC Hi Karen - the age range is 7-12 year old, but I've had readers both older & younger say they've enjoyed reading about Nate.

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  5. @MomJane Thank you! I hope you enjoy all of Nate's adventures!

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  6. I can't get over how cute and fun this book sounds! Great review!

    justforswag(AT)yahoo(DOT)com

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  7. I just might read this one myself!

    eai(at)stanfordalumni(dot)org

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  8. This sounds really fun.

    Becky01x(at)gmail(dot)com

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  9. Congrats Karen on what is definitely a winner. I think it's great when adults and kids can get into a book as well as the kids. Nate sounds like a fun and adventurous read. It's definitely on my TRL.
    Carol L
    Lucky4750 (at) aol (dot) com

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