Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Blog Tour and Giveaway - Bran Hambric: The Farfield Curse

Bran Hambric: Farfield Curse
Kaleb Nation
Sourcebooks
430 pgs. (official HC)

Summary
Bran Hambric has no memory of his life before he was found in a locked vault in the bank at the age of 6. We catch up to Bran, 14, living with the Wilomas on Bolton Rd. Bran's not so much a son but closer to a servant. He lives with the Wilomas' and helps out his Accidental Dad, Sewey, with bank business. One night, while helping Sewey, Bran meets Shambles and starts on the journey to finding out who he really is.

My Thoughts
Bran Hambric: The Farfield Curse has a very strong start. The prologue opens with action that pulls you into the mystery. Then we jump to Bran at home on the roof with Sewey. We meet Shambles who seems to know more about Bran than Bran himself. He has a sinister air about him and leaves behind a piece of paper that covers up as much as it uncovers.

Things slow down a little as we get into more of the story. We're introduced to Sewey, who found Bran, Mabel, his wife and their two spoiled children. Sewey is obviously "dimwitted" and is determined to find an outlawed gnome. Mabel is obsessed with cleanliness. Rosie, the maid, is stuck in what she sees as her heritage. Her family has always served the Wilomas family. We also meet a host of other characters - the good guys - Adi, Astara, and Polland as well as the bad guys - Joris and his gang. My main problem was the sheer number of characters. There were so many that none of them felt fully formed.

The action picks up again towards the end as we start pieceing together clues to Bran's past. We find out more about his mother and how Bran is tied to the things she'd been involved in. Bran discovers his talents and eventually uses them to great success.

I thought Kaleb's writing showed a sense of humor and creativity.
"What an odd and unusual notion...a store that sells nothing but books..." (105)

I admired the magical language he invented and enjoyed trying to figure out the translations.
"lite yirou diyestini lidea you...adni micagi geuida yirou wiya." (113)
This was a fun read and I would recommend it for middle grade students.

About the Author
As a child, KALEB NATION had to be forced by his mother to write one page a week in creative writing. But by the time he finished his first story, no one could make him to stop. Age twelve, Kaleb promptly telephoned the senior editor of a major publisher to pitch the book…and got to talk with security instead.

But as with most writers, not even that could stifle his dream. On the third night of the third month in 2003, age 14, Kaleb had a sudden idea that began the story of Bran Hambric, a novel which would take most of his teenage years to write. In early 2007, Kaleb finished the first book in his series.

In mid-2008, Kaleb launched a second blog at TwilightGuy.com, giving chapter-by-chapter insight, from a guy and writer’s perspective, on reading the Twilight Saga, a series of popular novels. The website went on to receive over 5 million hits, and was featured in BusinessWeek and Entertainment Weekly magazines, as well as on MTV, ReelzChannel and other TV outlets. Kaleb also began posting regular videos on his Youtube channel, with a combined total of over 8 million plays.

ARC Giveaway
To celebrate the release I'm giving away my ARC!
Bran Hambric: The Farfield Curse ARC (353pgs)
Interview with Kaleb Nation in the front!
Please leave a comment with email for entry.
1 entry per person. Contest closes Wednesday, September 16, 2009 at 11:59 PM. No email entries will be accepted! Winner announced Friday, September 18th.


More Tour Stops
Dulemba.com
The Children’s Book Review
TV Watch Online
Teens Writing For Teens
Bran Hambric blog tour schedule - scroll down

Kaleb Nation online
Bran Hambric playlist
Bran Hambric website (has sound)
Kaleb Nation book tour schedule

15 comments:

  1. I've really been wanting to get my hands on this, but haven't managed to yet! It looks like fun!
    schriftstellarin (at) hotmail (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  2. I would love to be entered in your draw. Thanks.
    wandanamgreb(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  3. I would love to play please! Thanks.

    lesly7ch(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  4. count me in please
    throuthehaze at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  5. I loved Bran Hambric! It is a very magical book.

    I'd love to be entered to get your ARC.
    seejaybeekitkat at gmail dot com :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. I would like to throw my hat in the ring....thanks!

    aprildeaton at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  7. My boys would love Bran Hambric. Thanks for sharing this one!

    s.mickelson at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'd love to win this - my sons would love it!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oops - I forgot my e-mail address!

    nnjmom at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thanks! I would love to win! email in profile

    ReplyDelete
  11. Please count me in...thanks.

    karen k
    kmkuka(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  12. This is one of the books on my 'to read' list. Would love to win a copy
    cabadov(at)hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thanks for the giveaway. Please enter me.

    lizzi0915 at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  14. please enter me
    andie.v107(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  15. Enter me please!!! I really want to read this book!

    paradoxrevealed (at) aim (dot) com

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for chatting! I love comments and look forward to reading yours! I may not reply right away, but I am listening! Keep reading and don't forget to be awesome!

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