Current Giveaways

Word Spelunking’s temporary hiatus is now permanent. All requests are closed and there will be no new content. Thank you to everyone I’ve worked with and everyone who has read and supported this blog. Y’all are awesome!!

Aeicha @ Word Spelunking

Friday, November 13, 2015

Spotlight: Warren the 13th and the All-Seeing Eye by Tania del Rio and Will Staehle {review & guest post}


I'm thrilled to be spotlighting the awesome new middle-grade book, Warren the 13th and the All-Seeing Eye, by sharing a fun guest post and my review...


Warren the 13th and the All-Seeing Eye
by Tania del Rio
created and illustrated by Will Staehle
November 24, 2015
Quirk Books

Meet Warren the 13th, a cursed 12-year-old Victorian bellhop who’s terribly unlucky . . . yet perpetually optimistic, hard-working, and curious. Orphan Warren’s pride and joy is his family’s hotel, but he’s been miserable ever since his evil Aunt Anaconda took over the management. Anaconda believes a mysterious treasure known as the All-Seeing Eye is hidden somewhere on the grounds, and she’ll do anything to find it. If Warren wants to preserve his family’s legacy, he’ll need to find the treasure first—if the hotel’s many strange and wacky guests don’t beat him to it! This middle-grade adventure features gorgeous two-color illustrations on every page and a lavish two-column Victorian design that will pull young readers into a spooky and delightful mystery.



Tania and Will’s favorite evil relatives
 (from books, TV or movies)
  • Cinderella’s step sisters (Will)
  • Darth Vader (Will)
  • The Wormwoods in “Matilda (Tania)
  • The Durselys in Harry Potter (Tania)
  • Jane Eyre’s aunt, Mrs. Reed (Tania)
  • King Joffrey from Game of Thrones (Tania)

Warren the 13th is a hardworking, optimistic twelve-year old, who works as a bellhop (and handyman, maid, gardener, etc) at his family’s hotel. The hotel was once a beautiful, busy place, with lots of guests. But since his father, Warren the 12th, passed away, Warren the 13th’s lazy uncle and mean Aunt Annaconda, have let the poor hotel fall into ruin. Wicked, witchy Aunt Annaconda is convinced that the magical and powerful All-Seeing Eye is hidden at the hotel somewhere, and she’s determined to find it...so Warren the 13th and a few unexpected companions set out to find it first!

Tania del Rio’s Warren the 13th and the All-Seeing Eye is an imaginative and inventive middle-grade read bursting with clever humor, sparkling storytelling, captivating world-building, and engaging characters.

Warren the 13th and the All-Seeing Eye has a deliciously creepy, yet charmingly whimsical atmosphere and a pitch-perfect voice. Tania del Rio does a superb job of creating a vivid, lush, and wondrous setting with excellent world-building. Warren the 13th’s family hotel is a huge Victorian structure full of mysteries, twists and turns, and fantastical things to discover. And this awesome (and surprising) hotel is full of unforgettable characters! Young readers will be enthralled by the eerie, yet enchanting setting and delighted by the quirky characters.

The mystery of the All-Seeing Eye offers readers a fun and fast-paced adventure full of surprises, wicked magic, and clever twists. And as entertaining as the mystery and adventure are, this book is also filled with plenty of heart and tenderness.

The layout and look of Warren the 13th and the All-Seeing Eye is absolutely gorgeous, with the stunning and humorous illustrations by Warren’s creator Will Staehle, and eye-catching color palette.

my final thoughts: Warren the 13th and the All-Seeing Eye, with its quirky whimsy, unique look, and wondrous story, makes for a spectacular and fun reading experience!

MY RATING
5/5 yummy cupcakes

Will Staehle is the creator of Warren the 13th, and is an award-winning designer and illustrator. He grew up reading comics and working summers at his parent’s design firm in Wisconsin and uses his design and illustration background to create bold covers, stylized posters, quirky websites and mini-comics to ensure that he gets as little sleep as possible. He lives in Seattle.

Tania del Rio is a professional comic book writer and artist who has spent the past 10 years writing and illustrating, primarily for a young audience. Her clients include Archie Comics, Dark Horse, and Marvel; she is best known for her work writing and drawing the 42-issue run of Sabrina the Teenage Witch. She lives in Los Angeles and you can follow her on twitter @taniadelrio.

No comments: