I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the POIKO by Brian Middleton Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!
About The Book:
Title: POIKO: Quests Stuff
Author: Brian Middleton, Rebecca Taylor (Editor)
Pub. Date: April 12, 2022
Publisher: Wonderbound
Formats: Paperback, eBook
Pages: 128
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org
A new adorable anthropomorphic adventurer awaits, and his name is Poiko! Perfect for fans of Mouse Guard, Little Robot, and Hilda!
THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS AN “AVERAGE” DAY FOR POIKO!
Have you ever had to deliver a care package to a dragon with allergies? Have you ever been waylaid by a school of space fish? That’s just an average day for Poiko, the kingdom’s most reliable courier. The world can be a big, scary place, but it can also be wondrous. Sad things can happen, but there are always good friends to turn to, or new friends to make. And no matter what, there is always, always someone who could use your help. Poiko learns all these lessons and more every time he brushes his tail, pulls on his hoodie, and steps out into a new adventure. The philosophical whimsicality of Calvin & Hobbes meets the fantasy-scapes of Adventure Time in this modern-day classic.
“In this sincere and exuberant fantasy adventure … Fanciful, visually engrossing backdrops and the sprawling cast of characters bring to mind classic Sunday comic aesthetics.” — Publishers Weekly
#1 Weekly pick from Good Comics for Kids!
Reviews:
“In this sincere and exuberant fantasy adventure … Fanciful, visually engrossing backdrops and the sprawling cast of characters bring to mind classic Sunday comic aesthetics.”― PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
“Poiko: Quests and Stuff will delight young readers and drop them into a world that’s magical and interesting while reflecting something incredibly human in the way the characters interact with their community.” — Eliza Viera ― Gate Crashers
Download DIGITAL ITEMS (Bookmarks, Digital Wallpapers, and Poster), HERE!
Book Playlist
Kensie the bat has a love for punk music, inspired by the fictional band, Augustus and the Mane Thing, who make their appearance in the third story in Poiko: Quests and Stuff. So we will need some punk, rock and ska for this playlist! But let’s keep it PG. This is an all-ages read, after all!
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- Talking – The Descendents. I dig this tune a ton, and believe that “Tell me the problem, I wanna know/ If there’s a solution, I’ll fix it now/ And if there isn’t, I’ll just be there” would be on Poiko’s list of favorite lyrics.
- 02. High Anxiety – The Suicide Machines. I imagine this song runs through Kensie’s head sometimes when Poiko encourages him to get on a rope bridge or climb a tall tree or brave any kind of height.
- 03. For Better, For Worse – Slick Shoes. Everything about this song is awesome and I bet both boys dig it. It’s fast paced punk with awesome riffs for Kensie and well thought out and honest lyrics for Poiko. It’s win win!
- 04. Let’s Face It – The Mighty, Mighty Bosstones. An awesome ska tune by one of the best ska bands out there. It’s got horns for days and lyrics about acceptance. How could it not make the list?
- 05. Bad Town – Operation Ivy. This list wouldn’t be complete without something by Op. There are few of their tunes that I dig more than this one, but the clean lyrics make this the best fit for our soundtrack.
- 06. Corner of the Sky – The Grand Incredible. This is a quiet tune about being away from the people you love best. I put this on for Poiko who would hear this song and be grateful that he’s never far from Kensie. Plus, it’s always good to end on a chill song!
Brian Middleton has been telling stories in one form or another for his whole life. His first comic book (published by his brother’s 4th grade teacher and the school’s copy machine) sold out at the distributor level. After that there was no looking back! He continued drawing as the years went on and wrote several short stories. Eventually he married the woman of his dreams and together they started a family. At this point his mind began to drift back to his first creative passion: comic books! After dipping his toe in the water with a handful of self-published and work-for-hire comics he decided to take the deep dive and create his first series, Wulfborne. The three issue mini-series, published by Scout Comics, released in February 2019 to rave reviews. The comics review site, Reading With A Flight Ring, called the book “an understated masterpiece of fiction” and called Brian “a madman, a fool and a genius”, which, as far as anyone knows, is all true. With the creation of Wulfborne complete Brian has turned his creative attention toward his next project, Poiko: Quests and Stuff. The rest of his attention is focused squarely on his one wonderful wife, two beautiful daughters and six (feel free, dear reader, to fill in here the adjective of your choice) cats.
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads
Giveaway Details:
2 winners will receive a finished copy of POIKO, US Only.
Tour Schedule:
Week One:
4/11/2022 | Celia’s Reads | Guest Post/IG Post |
4/11/2022 | Wottaread Blog | Guest Post |
4/12/2022 | Lady Hawkeye | Guest Post/IG Post |
4/12/2022 | Two Chicks on Books | Guest Post |
4/13/2022 | @jaimerockstarbooktours | IG Post |
4/13/2022 | GivernyReads | Review/IG Post |
4/14/2022 | Rajiv’s Reviews | Review/IG Post |
4/14/2022 | BookHounds YA | Guest Post/IG Post |
4/15/2022 | @coffeesipsandreads | Review |
4/15/2022 | Little Red Reads | Review |
Week Two:
4/18/2022 | onemoreexclamation | Review/IG Post |
4/18/2022 | Bri’s Bookish | Review |
4/19/2022 | Nonbinary Knight Reads | Review/IG Post |
4/19/2022 | Lifestyle of Me | Review |
4/20/2022 | The Clever Reader | Review/IG Post |
4/20/2022 | The Momma Spot | Review/IG Post |
4/21/2022 | Nerdophiles | Review |
4/21/2022 | Two Points of Interest | Review |
4/22/2022 | YABooksCentral | Guest Post |
4/22/2022 | More Books Please blog | Review/IG Post |
This sounds fun. Maybe it would entice my grandson to read more.
Sounds like an interesting book.
cute cover