Eddie Elf is on his way!

The Adventures of Eddie Elf, my new book coming out before Christmas, and right now, it is in the hands of Kirkus reviews.

Eddie doesn’t look like the other elves and he’s pretty sure they don’t like him. He keeps to himself, avoids their games, and definitely doesn’t want to play Ice-ball. One day, when the lunch bell rings and none of the other elves take the time to wait for him, Eddie makes a daring decision. He’s going to break Santa’s biggest rule. No elf is allowed to leave the North Pole.

Stuffing his pockets with cookies and sealing himself inside a toy box, Eddie hitches a ride on Santa’s Christmas Toy Train… straight to New York City.

From joyrides through alleys on the back of a cat named Gary, to tea parties and a tour of New York City taped to a taxi car’s bumper, Eddie’s world opens wider than he ever imagined. But there’s one small problem. Whenever people look at him, he turns to mush. Literally.

The cover is illustrated by Cyndi Harvell. Here's a peek at the image on the back. Goober is trying hard to rescue Eddie from the bumper of a New York Taxi.

The front cover reveal will be happening soon!

Preorder your signed copy today. (But know it wont' get here until November.)

August Scavenger Hunt

Win Free Ice-cream by reading Jazzy Books

Let's celebrate my birthday month with a little bit of fun. So, I’m offering you a chance to win!

 If you can answer the following fifteen questions, naming the book in each answer, Sonja will send you a coupon to your favorite ice-cream place!

(All books by Sonja McGiboney are represented.  A list of titles is on the next page.)

You’ll have all of August to find the answers. (email responses to smcgphoto@gmail.com and put August Scavenger Hunt in the subject.

1. In which book does Jazzy find eggs?

2. Where does Jazzy look for bones?

3. What things does Jazzy love to collect?  (Hint, they come in all sizes.)

4. What book shows tips for photography?

5. In what book does a cat and Jazzy take a nap?

6. What’s the name of the book where a cricket is afraid of the rain?

7. In what book can you find nine pink petunias?

8. What book is about friendship and pinky promises?

9. In what book is Jazzy a dragon?

10. In what book does Jazzy try again and again to catch a ball? (Hint, it’s not a “Jazzy” book.) -

11. In what month was Jazzy as small as a mouse?  

12. In what book does Jazzy make her own bowling game?

13. Which book teaches words for beginning readers?

14. Which Jazzy book is based on a fairy tale by Charles Perrault?

15. In which book does Jazzy wear a tiara?

Easy Readers to grade

ABC Jazzy

Caption This, Jazzy

Count with Jazzy

Counting down Jazzy

Growing up Jazzy

Hide and Seek: Jazzy's Alphabet Adventure

Jazzy Colors

Jazzy Shapes

Jazzy Sticks

Jazzy's Trio No. 1

Jazzy's Twelve Days of Christmas

Cats! Cats! So Many Cats!

Cows! Cows! So Many Cows!

Dogs! Dogs! So Many Dogs!

One Duke!

Words with Jazzy

Animal Lessons on Life

Reading level grade 2-3

Jazzy's Guide to Summertime Fun

Jazzy's Halloween: A Night in Ghouling Brook

Jazzy Time

Jazzy's Whole World

Kyzyl Topuchan Jazzy

Little Red Jazzyhood

Princess Jazzy: How to Prove You're a Princess

Photography for Children

The Water Cycle with Olly and Carl

Reading level grade 3-4

A Night in Lacey Manor

Jazzy Explores Murfreesboro: North Carolina

Jazzy Explores Smithfield: Virginia

Jazzy Explores the Library

The Adventures of Eddie Elf

For five years, Eddie has been in my head, and he's almost here. My illustrator, Cyndi Harvell, did a fantastic job on the cover. The official cover reveal will be in October, but just to give you a peak, hear is a partial reveal, plus a snippet from the story.

Before he convinced himself not to, Eddie stopped the belt. The last toy on the belt seemed to say, “C’mon, do it!” 

Eddie pulled the toy from its box and tossed it in the garbage. He hesitated.“It’s now or never!”

After tying a string to the power switch, Eddie wiggled into the empty box. He bent his knees and tilted his head to fit. Then he pulled the string to turn on the machine. As the conveyer belt moved him towards the wrapper section, he closed his eyes and sent a quick prayer to the North Pole angels. “Please don’t let me get stuck!”

A robotic arm grabbed the box. Eddie gripped the sides of the cardboard walls. Mechanical fingers grabbed the box and lifted it onto the plastic wrapping spool. It spun like the spin cycle in a washing machine, but faster. It made Eddie dizzy.

“Wowowowowowowow!” Eddie’s voice bounced.

After several revolutions, Eddie heard the zip of the plastic being cut.

He felt the metal robot fingers pick him up.

Thwump! Eddie landed back onto the conveyor belt.

Rumble, rumble, rumble!  The belt took him to the edge.

Thud! The box, with Eddie inside, dropped into the bin full of toy elves ready to go to market.

Each year, because there were so many kids in the world, Santa sent a certain number of toys to the stores, just to make sure every child could get a toy for Christmas. Eddie, and three thousand toy elves, were ready for the train ride that took them there. 

With a whoosh, crinkle, and plop, a forklift grabbed the box of toys. Eddie felt the bumps as it carried them to the train car. Each bump was like a piece of ice being chipped off his heart.

Bump. “Yeah! I’m getting out of here!”

Bump. “Yeah, no more teasing.”

Bump. “I can go anywhere I want!”

By the time the pallet was placed in the train car, Eddie felt his heart bloom.

The train took forever to move. Eddie waited and waited.

Finally, he felt the pull of the engine and the shake of the train car moving. Eddie waited a long time before he pulled out his pocket knife, cut a small slit in the plastic, then carefully stepped out of the box.

Toy elves surrounded him. Their smiling faces behind the shiny wrapping saw nothing. He climbed to the top of the pile, and pulled out one of his cookies.

Frost framed the window glass. Sunrays became crystal rainbows when they entered the train car. He saw marshmallow hills and green trees covered with powdered snow. A little white rabbit hopped around making holes everywhere. 

Eddie turned back to the piles of toys. Each one had a label. He sat on a pile going to New York. The labels on the other piles read Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Eddie noticed more train cars, all filled with similar boxes. “Oh, boy!” Eddie said, “Where will I go?”

He climbed off the New York pile, opened the train door, and stepped onto a small metal platform with a black, curly railing. The cold air swirled around him. About five feet away, an identical platform and railing bounced with the train’s movement. He looked down at the metal couplings that connected the two cars. Like a tango they danced, dipping and swaying. The rails under the train sped by.  

Therwumpity, wumpity, wumpity, wumpity. They hummed.

 “I guess I’ll have to jump for it.” Eddie said.

But he hesitated. Memories of being teased assaulted him. He grabbed tightly onto the rail, half expecting someone to jump out and throw hurtful words at him. Words saying that he couldn’t do it. But nothing came.

His energy pulsed.

Therwumpity, wumpity, wumity, wumpity. I can do it, yes, I can, yes, I can, yes, I can.

The rhythmic courage seeped into his heart. He climbed onto the railing, bent his knees, and pushed off as hard as he could. “Whoopie!” 

His cry of delight turned to terror. “Aaaah!”

He fell towards the moving tracks. He waved his arms around, trying to find something to grab onto. He closed his eyes. He didn’t want to watch himself go splat.