Looking Up by Stephan Pastis ~ Review And Giveaway

Posted: October 4, 2023 in giveaways, middle grade, reviews
Tags: , ,

.

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the LOOKING UP by Stephan Pastis Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours.

Check out my review and make sure to enter the giveaway!

 

 

LOOKING UP

by Stephan Pastis

.

.

Pub. Date: October 10, 2023

Publisher: Aladdin

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook

Pages: 240

.

Find it: Goodreadshttps://books2read.com/LOOKING-UP

.

From the New York Times bestselling
author of the Timmy Failure series comes a quirky and heartwarming middle grade
novel about a girl struggling with loneliness and the curveballs of
life—featuring black and white illustrations throughout!

.

Living alone with her mother in a poorer part of town, Saint—a girl drawn to
medieval knights, lost causes, and the protection of birthday piñatas—sees the
neighborhood she has always known and loved disappearing around her: old homes
being torn down and replaced by fancy condos and coffee shops. But when her
favorite creaky old toy store is demolished, she knows she must act.

Enlisting the help of Daniel “Chance” McGibbons, a quiet, round-faced boy who
lives across the street (and whose house also faces the wrecking ball), Saint
hatches a plan to save what is left of her beloved hometown.

 

 

PRAISE FOR LOOKING UP

.

“Will delight readers. The story is generously illustrated
with Pastis’ characteristic black-and-white cartoon line drawings … Pastis
fills this deceptively simple first-person account with humor, puns, turns, and
twists—and the final twist gives this friendship tale its surprising depth.
Words and art combine to create a moving story.” – Kirkus Reviews 

 

“Deceptively funny illustrated novel about loneliness and
grief …Pastis’s distinctive, heavily lined b&w illustrations effectively
convey the protagonists’ depth of emotion via amiable faces composed of
two dots for eyes and a curve nose, while prose contains his signature absurd
humor, which lightens this meditation on mourning.”– Publishers
Weekly
 

 

“Readers will rally around Daniel, Saint, and elderly toy
store owner Muffins, while seeing the dilemmas faced by Saint’s mom and
Daniel’s uncle, who are struggling to make ends meet and care for their
children. With this hilarious book and its comical black-and-white
illustrations throughout, Pastis once again reaches out to reluctant readers
with a multilayered tale of loss, grief, and growing up. With an imaginative
ending that will make readers think, there is more than meets the eye in this
funny gem.”– School Library Journal

 

“A fabulous chapter book that, to an extent, doubles as an
all-age graphic novel too. There’s so much to love about Looking Up that you
won’t be sure what your favorite aspect of the book is. The humor fires on all
cylinders. The heart of the book sneaks up on readers and provides a story on
dealing with the ups and downs of life, as well as the invaluable worth of a
great friend. If you’re in middle elementary school or middle school, you will
love this book. It provides those ages something to learn, but it’s
wrapped alongside so much humor and fun that it will be irresistible to all
ages eight and up.” – Daddy Mojo  

 

 .

MY REVIEW

What a fun, adorable book. Saint is precious.

It all began when Saint kidnapped the pinata at Daniel “Chance” Gibbons birthday party. She fell in love with his round face. But, he loathed her. Determined to be friends with him, she began a campaign. And they found they had something in common. His house was for sale and he didn’t want to move. She didn’t want him too either.

Saint was a girl after my own heart. I loved the community I grew up with. The small local grocery store and neighborhood shops. I didn’t want anything to change. But time goes by and things do. The lengths she went to in order to stop it in her neighborhood were hilarious. The whole book was. And all of the funny, adorable illustrations just added to my enjoyment.

To say I was taken by surprise by where the story went is so true. It was very moving and I loved it.

5 STARS

 

 .

About Author Stephan Pastis:

.

 

Stephan Pastis is the creator of the syndicated comic
strip Pearls Before Swine, which appears in over 800 newspapers. He
is also the creator of the Timmy Failure book series and the cowriter of the
Disney+ movie Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made. He lives in
Northern California with his wife and two kids. –This text refers to
the hardcover edition.

 

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon

 

 

 

Giveaway contest ribbon promo label prize. Vector giveaway banner badge design template

 

1 winner will receive a finished copy of LOOKING UP, US ONLY.

Ends October 10th, midnight EST.

.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

9/25/2023

YA
Books Central

Excerpt/IG Post

9/25/2023

@hodophile_z

IG Post

9/26/2023

For
the Love of KidLit

Excerpt

9/26/2023

Two Chicks on Books

Excerpt/IG Post

9/27/2023

#BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog

Blog Spotlight

9/27/2023

Country Mamas With Kids

Review/IG Post

9/28/2023

Gryffindorbookishnerd

IG Review

9/28/2023

A Blue Box Full of Books

IG Review/LFL Drop Pic/TikTok Post

9/29/2023

@dharashahauthor

IG Post

9/29/2023

avainbookland

IG Review

Week Two:

10/2/2023

Get outside and read

IG Post

10/2/2023

@evergirl200

IG Review

10/3/2023

The Momma Spot

Review

10/3/2023

OneMoreExclamation

Review/IG Post

10/4/2023

FUONLYKNEW

Review

10/4/2023

@pagesforpaige

IG Review

10/5/2023

Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers

Review/IG Post

10/5/2023

@froggyreadteach

IG Review

10/6/2023

@enthuse_reader

IG Review/TikTok Post

10/6/2023

Two Points of Interest

Review

 

 

 

 

STEPHAN PASTIS’ BOOK TOUR

.

 Monday, October 9, 2023 at 7:00pm PT

In-store event at Rakestraw Books

3 Railroad Avenue

Danville, CA 94526

 

Wednesday, October 11, 2023 at 7:30pm ET

In-store event at The Bookmark Shoppe

8415 3rd Avenue

Brooklyn, NY 11209

 

Thursday, October 12, 2023 at 6:00pm CT

In-store event at Chicago Comics

3244 N. Clark Street

Chicago, IL 60657

 

Saturday, October 14, 2023 at 12:00pm ET

Off-site event hosted by Source Booksellers

Detroit Public Library

5201 Woodward Avenue

Detroit, MI 48202

 

Sunday, October 15, 2023 at 12:00pm ET

In-store event at Barnes & Noble

4015 Medina Road

Akron, OH 44333

 

Monday, October 16, 2023 at 7:00pm ET

Off-site event hosted by Politics and Prose Bookstore

Takoma Park Community Center

7500 Maple Avenue

Takoma Park, MD 20912

 

Tuesday, October 17, 2023 at 5:30pm ET

In-store event at The Writer’s Block Bookstore

316 N. Park Avenue

Winter Park, FL 32789

 

Thursday, October 19, 2023 at 6:30pm ET

Off-site event hosted by Brave + Kind Bookshop

Atlanta-Fulton Central Library

1 Margaret Mitchell Square

Atlanta, GA 30303

 

Friday, October 20, 2023 at 6:00pm CT

Off-site event hosted by Left Bank Books

St. Louis Public Library – Schlafly Library

225 N. Euclid Avenue

St. Louis, MO 63108

 

Saturday, October 21, 2023 at 6:00pm CT

In-store event at novel.

387 Perkins Extd

Memphis, TN 38117

 

Sunday, October 22, 2023 at 3:00pm CT

In-store event at Garden District Book Shop

2727 Prytania Street, Unit 14

New Orleans, LA 70130

 

Monday, October 23, 2023 at 7:00pm CT

In-store event at Blue Willow Bookshop

14532 Memorial Drive

Houston, TX 77079

 

Tuesday, October 24, 2023 at 6:30pm MT

Off-site event hosted by The Bookies

Teller Elementary School

1150 Garfield Street

Denver, CO 80206

 

Wednesday, October 25, 2023 at 6:30pm MT

In-store event at Changing Hands Bookstore

6428 S. McClintock Drive

Tempe, AZ 85283

 

Friday, October 27, 2023 at 7:00pm PT

In-store event at Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore

3555 Rosencrans Street, Suite 107

San Diego, CA 92110

 

Saturday, October 28, 2023 at 6:30pm PT

In-store event at Barnes & Noble

Creekside Town Center

1256 Galleria Boulevard

Roseville, CA 95678

 

Sunday, October 29, 2023 at 3:00pm PT

In-store event at Powell’s Books at Cedar Hill Crossing

3415 SW Cedar Hills Boulevard Beaverton, OR 97005

 

Monday, October 30, 2023 at 7:00pm PT

In-store event at Third Place Books

17171 Bothell Way NE #A101

Lake Forest Park, WA 98155

 

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

Comments
  1. sidlaw0425 says:

    This looks like an enjoyable read.

  2. Taking some deeper meaningful life topics and sprinkling some humor across the story for kids to learn about life and its lessons it tells them is great!

  3. James Coyne says:

    Looks like an interesting book

Let's Talk

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.