11.03.2011

The Christmas Village by Melissa Ann Goodwin - Review and Giveaway!

I am so excited to share this with you today! As some of you may know, I used to be a teacher. I loved it. Given the opportunity, I would do it again in a heartbeat. The part of teaching I loved the most was watching as students learned how to read. I collect children's literature and find that there is nothing more magical than a wonderful story and a child discovering that story and all it has to offer.

So...when Melissa Ann Goodwin asked me if I would like to review her book and give a copy away on my blog, I JUMPED at the opportunity!


Let me begin with the synopsis provided by Amazon on Melissa's book:

When Jamie Reynolds comes to his grandparents' Vermont home for Christmas, he just wants things to go back to the way they were before his dad disappeared. Time and again he is drawn to Grandma's miniature Christmas Village, where he imagines that life is perfect. Late one night, the village comes to life before Jamie's eyes, and his fantasy of escaping into it becomes very real indeed. He discovers that the village is called Canterbury, where the year is 1932. Jamie becomes fast friends with Kelly and Christopher Pennysworth, and is taken in by Ida, who runs the local boarding house. But he also makes a dangerous enemy of the mysterious and menacing Jim Gordon, whose return to town is nothing but trouble. As Jamie desperately races against time to find his way back home, he is suddenly faced with a terrifying choice: to go ahead with his plan to leave, or to stay and help his friends, at the risk of never going home again. The Christmas Village is an adventure the whole family will love, filled with suspense, secrets and surprises to the very last page.

What an Adventure!!! This book is so very magical and so very fun to read! I was surprised at how much I wanted to just keep reading! Melissa paints an absolutely beautiful picture of the wonderful, 1932 town of Canterbury. It feels so very real and I honestly felt as though I could smell the crisp winter air, feel the crunch of the snow beneath my feet, and even feel that odd sensation when walking past VanderZee's place! The characters are beautifully developed and feel like friends. When you reach that last page it is ever so hard to say goodbye. The wonderful story is centered around Christmas and would be such a wonderful choice for family reading time during the holidays! I honestly think Mom and Dad will love this one as much as the kids! And...if they have any book report assignments for school there could be NO better book for that diorama project! (Do they still do those? I LOVED THOSE Reports!!! LOL!)

You don't want to miss out on this wonderful book! You can find it on Amazon and Smashwords (ebook version). A few small local stores also carry the book. You can find those on Melissa's blog, as well as the Christmas Village Book blog. If you happen to live in Massachusetts, Melissa will be doing a book signing on November 12th at the Andover Book Store in Andover, MA. She has another signing scheduled at the Santa Fe Children's Museum in Santa Fe, NM on December 11th.

Would you like to win a copy of The Christmas Village by Melissa Ann Goodwin? Well, you are in luck! I've got one to give away!

Mandatory Entry:
To enter, please visit Melissa's blog and come back and leave a comment about something you read there that you found interesting!

Optional Additional Entries: *PLEASE leave a separate comment for each one. Thanks!*

* Follow @GoodwinMelissa and @JustJingle on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway. You can cut and paste the tweet below. Come back here and leave a comment with your twitter name to let me know you did! :-)

Check out this review of The Christmas Village and win a copy of your own! @GoodwinMelissa @JustJingle http://tinyurl.com/3jj7nqu Please RT!

* Like Melissa's Facebook Page and Just Jingle on Facebook. Comment on Melissa's wall letter her know @JustJingle sent you! Leave a comment here letting me know you did

This giveaway is open to US and Canada only. This giveaway will end Thursday, November 10th 2011. I was provided a copy of the book to review. All opinions expressed are my own.

47 comments:

  1. CarlaNovember 3, 2011 at 9:14 AM

    Hi, just popping in to say hi, thanks for the chance to win!

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  2. Miriam PrantnerNovember 3, 2011 at 9:24 AM

    Sounds like a great book to read with my eldest, the bookworm. I've always harbored a secret ambition to publish a children's book, so I really enjoyed reading Melissa's posts about meeting with her agent and the whole writing/editing process.

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  3. 2amscrapperNovember 3, 2011 at 9:28 AM

    this is great! I'm always on the lookout for good children's literature. I visited Melissa and found the Creatspace article interesting--didn't know about those services.

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  4. Valerie-JaelNovember 3, 2011 at 9:38 AM

    Looks great, but once again I'm living in the wrong place! Valerie

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  5. Margie HiguchiNovember 3, 2011 at 9:59 AM

    Sounds like a wonderful story...could be a Christmas classic for my family (esp. my niece)!! Did not know that there was a service like Createspace...good move, Amazon! LOL!!

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  6. Margie HiguchiNovember 3, 2011 at 10:00 AM

    Another fact on Melissa's blog, the book will be available in ebook format (me + Kindle = HAPPY!!).

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  7. Mary Pat SiehlNovember 3, 2011 at 10:01 AM

    oh what a great giveaway! I love reading to my kids and this looks like a wonderful book. her blog is great!

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  8. Margie HiguchiNovember 3, 2011 at 10:02 AM

    I was wondering why Andover, MA? It's not a major town or anything - I know it because my brother went to Phillips Academy (prep school). It's Melissa's hometown! LOL!! It's a beautiful place :)

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  9. Margie HiguchiNovember 3, 2011 at 10:08 AM

    OK...just tweeted about the book too - Twitter Handle: ILscraps :)

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  10. UnknownNovember 3, 2011 at 10:20 AM

    I would love a chance to win this book for my grandson! I visited Melissa's blog and was surprised to learn that she is from New England. New Mexico is a huge distance away from her roots!

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  11. Connie MercerNovember 3, 2011 at 10:57 AM

    Sounds fantastic~what a cool give-away!!!

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  12. DanielleNovember 3, 2011 at 10:59 AM

    This will make a great gift for my godchildren. Thanks for sharing.

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  13. Melissa Ann GoodwinNovember 3, 2011 at 12:00 PM

    Hello Everyone! First - thank you Jingle for the wonderful review - I'm so glad you liked it! It's a wonderful feeling when people express exactly the sorts of things you hoped for when you wrote it!!

    And, pleased to meet you all. Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving comments. I look forward to visiting your blogs and getting to know you as well.

    Warmest regards to all!
    Melissa

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  14. PamelaNovember 3, 2011 at 1:03 PM

    Sounds wonderful! I love a good book. :) I checked out her site and actually what I loved was what I first saw...her idea to have "Thankful Thursday" posts! I may have to steal that! :)

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  15. DebNovember 3, 2011 at 1:08 PM

    the book sounds fabulous and so perfect for my middle school kids! I like Melissa's thankful thursday, my friend does that on her blog too.
    have a great day, Debxx

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  16. Melissa Ann GoodwinNovember 3, 2011 at 1:14 PM

    Pam and Deb, thanks for your comments - I hope you'll enjoy the book! Popped by your blogs and left comments for you there too. I love Jingle's friends, so talented and creative! xo

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  17. KaiNovember 3, 2011 at 3:00 PM

    OMG! I want that book so badly!!! SERIOUSLY! I love ANYTHING Christmasy, and happy-ever-after Christmas stories rank SUPER high on my list! I went to (and bookmarked) Melissa's blog, and what I liked was her idea to write the things for which she is grateful. If you have been to my blog, you know I recently addressed the GRATITUDE ATTITUDE as well! I don't 'do' CREDIT OR PAYPAL so, because this book isn't available at Barnes & Noble where I can just pay cash, I am keeping my pudgy fingers crossed that I win this!!! Thank you for adding me to the drawing, Jen!

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  18. KaiNovember 3, 2011 at 3:10 PM

    I just LIKED you BOTH on Facebook. I like you HERE, too. I would like you on a train. I would like you in the rain. I would ... huh? Dr. WHO? Oh, yeah. No wonder that sounded so familiar. Heehee!

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  19. Melissa Ann GoodwinNovember 3, 2011 at 5:50 PM

    Kai, you're hilarious! I saw your note on FB too- thanks for coming by. Wishing you very good luck, and thinking about a Plan B if you don't win...I have a private stash of books so let's talk if it comes to that - okay? I love your enthusiasm and I'm glad we share that gratitude attitude. I'd like YOu on a train in the rain too!

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  20. Ursula SchneiderNovember 3, 2011 at 5:59 PM

    this really does sound like a wonderful story! interesting fact from Melissa's blog-even famous author's wear warm, bear covered socks! yay!

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  21. Melissa Ann GoodwinNovember 3, 2011 at 7:15 PM

    Ursula, these are the best socks ever :-)

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  22. DianieNovember 4, 2011 at 7:45 AM

    Sounds like a wonderful book :)

    ~Diane

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  23. Melissa Ann GoodwinNovember 4, 2011 at 10:44 AM

    Hi Diane - thanks for saying hello. I hope my book brings lots of smiles to faces young and old.

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  24. mom2girlsNovember 4, 2011 at 11:00 AM

    I love her Thankful Thursday post, what a nice idea - we all have something to be thankful for, but sometimes I need a reminder ;)
    tracyschultz@yahoo.com

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  25. Melissa Ann GoodwinNovember 4, 2011 at 11:31 AM

    Hi Mom2girls! Love your profile pic, I'll have to pop over to your blog to see more :-)
    Today I'm grateful for all the nice people I've met on Jen's blog.

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  26. bethannNovember 4, 2011 at 12:58 PM

    i love the idea of Thankful Thursday, i try to be thankful every day, i usually don't get up to ten things but even one will do on a bad day

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  27. Melissa Ann GoodwinNovember 4, 2011 at 4:33 PM

    Hi Bethann - in the Simple Abundance book, the author says that sometimes the only "I'm grateful for" thing we can come up with is "I'm grateful this day is over!" But even that is okay...:-)

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  28. Mrs. Laura LaneNovember 5, 2011 at 10:16 AM

    Her husband is 71.

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  29. Melissa Ann GoodwinNovember 5, 2011 at 10:40 AM

    He is! I'm 56 and he's 71. But I keep him YOUNG :-)

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  30. Becky DunhamNovember 5, 2011 at 11:56 PM

    Oh I need this book! This book sounds fabulous! And yes they do still do dioramas although they are usually an option rather than writing a book report - my daughter loves to make dioramas! I popped over to Melissa's blog and read the newspaper article about her returning to her roots - love that story! I also loved her Thankful Thursdays. Thanks for the chance to win this book - I am dying to read it :)

    rebeccadunham at hotmail dot com

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  31. Becky DunhamNovember 5, 2011 at 11:58 PM

    I am now following Melissa on her FB page - left a comment. She looks so cute and sweet! Wish she was coming to Utah for a book signing :) Thanks for the chance to win a copy of this book - I need it!

    rebeccadunham at hotmail dot com

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  32. Melissa Ann GoodwinNovember 6, 2011 at 6:17 PM

    Hi Becky, thanks for coming by on FB and my blog! I left a note on yours too - a book signing stop in Utah next year is not out of the question!

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  33. Kelly MassmanNovember 7, 2011 at 4:19 PM

    I love books! This is what I found interesting on her blog: she grew up in New England town of Andover, Massachusetts! thanks also for a chance to win!
    kmassmanATgmailDOTcom

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  34. AnonymousNovember 8, 2011 at 10:53 AM

    I like to cover art on the book. To me, the art of a book is just as important as the content.
    Thanks!
    werdna_tterrag(at)sbcglobal.net

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  35. AnonymousNovember 8, 2011 at 10:56 AM

    following u both on twitter.

    http://twitter.com/#!/AndyGMcK/status/133935620761452546

    Andygmck

    werdna_tterrag(at)sbcglobal.net

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  36. Melissa Ann GoodwinNovember 8, 2011 at 10:31 PM

    I'm glad you liked the cover -I am really pleased with it. I agree - a book cover is very important!

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  37. BrianaNovember 9, 2011 at 9:51 AM

    i learned that Melissa is of English heritage and her mom was born there and then came to the US.

    brianaduda at gmail dot com

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  38. BrianaNovember 9, 2011 at 9:51 AM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  39. FrancescaNovember 9, 2011 at 3:22 PM

    The story of her mother was very interesting. Reminded me a little of the Pevensey children from The Chronicles of Narnia.
    fec527 at hotmail dot com

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  40. AshleyNovember 10, 2011 at 12:31 PM

    Sounds like the perfect level for my sister.

    mrs.marcus2 at yahoo dot com

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  41. Armada VolyaNovember 10, 2011 at 12:46 PM

    I like the clean design of her blog. It was so easy to find all the information about the book, right there on the side bar. Was happy to learn that this book is available in e-book format.
    armada@armadasartcorner.com

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  42. Armada VolyaNovember 10, 2011 at 12:48 PM

    followig both on twitter, twitted (http://twitter.com/#!/ArmadaVolya/status/134688531435106304)
    twitter name is #!ArmadaVolya

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  43. Armada VolyaNovember 10, 2011 at 12:50 PM

    liked both on FB

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  44. KelsNovember 10, 2011 at 5:21 PM

    I thought the "Time travel Tuesday" was such a neat idea on her blog! I would love to win this book. :-)

    kelseymcmurtrey@gmail.com

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  45. Bee W BedardNovember 11, 2011 at 12:31 AM

    I read about her "thankful Thursday" and I think we are going to start doing that
    brendawitherspoon at hotmail dot com

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  46. Bee W BedardNovember 11, 2011 at 12:32 AM

    following both on twitter
    @BeeWBedard
    http://twitter.com/#!/BeeWBedard/status/134865917699043328
    brendawitherspoon at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  47. Bee W BedardNovember 11, 2011 at 12:34 AM

    liked both on fb and commented
    brendawitherspoon at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete

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