Would You Read It Wednesday #164 - The Chocolate Train Wreck (ER) PLUS The February Pitch Pick

I'm dating myself, I realize, but when my kids were little, GameBoys were all the rage.  Oh! how they longed for GameBoys.  But my husband and I didn't feel that children under 10 really needed to play video games for hours on end... even though all their friends had GameBoys as well as whatever the ancient versions of PlayStation, Xbox, etc... were.  We figured it was easier not to have game systems then to have them and have to enforce limits.  So our poor deprived children had to soldier on, the ONLY kids in the ENTIRE world without electronic games.

Cruelty, thy name is Mom and Dad.

Really, it's amazing they survived childhood :)

Eventually, we caved.  One unforgettable July (well, it was unforgettable at the time... I'm pretty sure none of them remember it now! :)) the whole crew was blessed with the coveted GameBoys (because we had a Long Drive on the agenda.)  But there was a Rule: the GameBoys could only be played in the car.  And only while driving.  There would be no sitting out in the car in the driveway or any of that nonsense!

It worked very well.

For them.

An excellent solution.

But now I'm having a problem of my own.

Not GameBoy.

No. I have no desire to to give my thumbs a workout bopping turtles or whatever, especially because that would require a degree of coordination and multi-tasking I do not possess whilst driving :)

Nope.  My problem is The Girl On The Train.

I know you were all waiting with breathless excitement to find out which book I picked for my March Audible selection, and yep! that was it.

And I'm hooked.

Seriously, I do not want to get out of the car!

I try to think up extra errands that will give me 4 more minutes of story!

I have become the most speed-limit-observing person on earth!

I think turtles walk faster than my car is going by the time I pull in my driveway!

But after all those years of the GameBoy Rule, I have to abide.  It's the same principle.  There can be no sitting in the car in the driveway just to find out what happens next!

(Plus, really, it's too cold unless the heat is running and that's wasteful of fossil fuels.)

(Plus, really, I have NO TIME for extra listening to stories since I've usually got 6 weeks of work to do on any given day.)

Nope.  There can't be any cheating or any wasting of time.  Only legitimate driving for continuing the story.

Which is why I ask, does anyone need a ride anywhere?

A pick up in Maryland?  Or Georgia?

Because, as it happens, I'm available :)

You'll just have to listen to The Girl On The Train :)

And now that I've got you all desperate to rush out to the library and get a copy right this minute, don't even think about it!  You can go in 5 minutes, but right now...

...it's time for the February Pitch Pick!

Here are the awesome February pitches for your voting pleasure, newly improved and updated thanks to all your helpful comments!  Good luck picking between this bunch! :)

#1 Kirsten - Finley VS. The Fly PB ages 4-8

When a pesky fly fixes his eye on Finley’s peanut butter and jelly sandwich, the game is on. Armed with a magazine, vacuum cleaner, and sink sprayer, Finley is determined to deliver a final blow to the buzz. But when Finley serves up the final swat and the fly lands — splat — on the sandwich, Finley wonders whether he’s really won after all.

#2 Kathy - King Of The Boards PB ages 4-8 (formerly Son of Boogie)

Dean dreams of matching his father's expertise on the boards–skateboards, surf boards, snowboards - but his flip flops at Half Pipe Park, and he wipes out at the beach. Monstrous moguls and an ice storm stop him cold on the slopes. While chillin’ at the ski lodge, Dean discovers a different board he rocks- a game board. KING OF THE BOARDS is a 332 word picture book that champions perseverance and finding your own groove.

#3 Robyn - Barebones The Skeleton PB ages 4-8

When BAREBONES loses his click-clack, he has to find it before the sun goes down, or he'll lose his Halloween job. With a little help from his pumpkin friend, he searches through water and wind trying to uncover where he lost it. Where he finds it is truly a musical surprise. 

#4 Joanne - The Animal Crackers PB ages 3-6

Meet the newest member of The Animal Crackers! Elephant wants to join his animal friends' jazz band, but every time he tries his trunk at an instrument, it ends tragically. After destroyed drums, harmonica havoc, and a tuba torpedo, Elephant discovers he's had music in him all along: it's as plain as the trunk on his face. 

Please vote below for the one you feel most deserves a read by editor Erin Molta by Sunday March 8 at 5 PM EDT (because yes, we will be springing forward!!!)

In honor of today's pitch, I have selected an ENTIRE TRAIN made out of chocolate for our Something Chocolate!  Have you ever seen anything so glorious?  It's almost enough to make me forget it's still freezing cold and snowing!

http://greatfoodfunplaces.com/tag/chocolate-train/

"Confirmed to be pure chocolate and weighing over 2,755 pounds"!  What craftsmanship!  Lucky it's not parked near my house or it would be missing a few cars by now :)

Take your time... munch away... and when you're ready...

Today's pitch comes to us from Donna.  By day, Donna is a 4th Degree Black Belt Certified Taekwondo Instructor and by night she is a Ninja writer of children's books, chapter books, and young adult novels. Her debut picture book, THE STORY CATCHER, was just released by Anaiah Press on January 20th of this year.
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Goodreads
Linkedin
Amazon
Author Email: www.donasdays@gmail.com
Story Catcher Fan Club Email: www.storycatcherfanclub@gmail.com

Here is her pitch:

Working Title: The Chocolate Train Wreck
Age/Genre: Early Reader (ages 6-9)
The Pitch: Nine–year-old Abigail must do an essay about one of her favorite things. But train whistles or chocolate-chip-cookies don’t seem big enough for her paper and nothing new ever happens in Hamilton. That is, until an airborne diesel engine and 50 tons of chocolate create a delicious mystery still unsolved more than fifty years later.

So what do you think?  Would You Read It?  YES, MAYBE or NO?

If your answer is YES, please feel free to tell us what you particularly liked and why the pitch piqued your interest.  If your answer is MAYBE or NO, please feel free to tell us what you think could be better in the spirit of helping Donna improve her pitch.  Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome.  (However, I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful.  I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)

Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks!  For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on the Would You Read It tab in the bar above.  There are openings in September so you've got a little time to polish up your pitches and send yours for your chance to be read by editor Erin Molta!

Donna is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  I am looking forward to getting back in my car... with a hunk of that chocolate train... and finding out what's happening to the girl on the non-chocolate train :)

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!!! :)