'Cilie Yack is Under Attack!' Book Review and Give-Away

Caryn Talty lives in the Chicago area with her husband, three sons, and their little dog Daisy. She has a Master of Arts degree in English from Northern Illinois University where she graduated in 2002.  She also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in education from Northern Illinois University and has had 9 years experience teaching a variety of students from elementary-aged kids through college freshmen.

She is currently the president and founder of a brand new national non-profit cooking club for kids entitled: Cilie Yack?s Sous Club for Kids, Inc. launched to the public in January 2011. The club offers parents of children on restrictive diets the opportunity to organize a local support group for their kids in their school or neighborhood. Based on the main character in Talty's book, Cilie Yack, this club will inspire kids ages 5-11 to get excited about eating and preparing foods that are free from the top 8 allergens, gluten, and corn.  It will also foster friendships with other kids suffering from food allergies and provide much needed emotional and social support. Ms. Talty is also the editor of http://healthy-family.org which has been online for over 3 years. Her oldest son was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2007 and is now a very healthy and happy guy.



Statistics show that four out of every 100 children have been diagnosed with food allergies in America.  It is estimated that 6 million elementary school children in this country are currently on a special diet due to health reasons.  With those statistics, it is surprising to me that until recently, there has not been more children's books written on the topic of Celiac and food allergies.



Ms. Talty contacted me several months back regarding a book review and hosting a book give-away.  Although my daughter was outside of the suggested age range of reader for this book, I was interested in her offer and eager to delve into this book.  I have to admit that I am not much of a reader, but from the very first page I was hooked and had a difficult time putting the book down (and I won't dare share my age with you).

The title of the book is Cilie Yack is Under Attack!' .  This is a delightful story told from the perspective of a 9 yr. old.  The main character in the book is Cilie who lives with his family on a farm in Ireland.   The story being told from Cilie's viewpoint leads you to feel as though you are going through Cilie's experiences with him throughout the story.  Celie shares information and stories surrounding his family and friends, discusses more eventful trips to the doctor's office, and even shares what happens when a child decides he just can't resist having that goodie that is not gluten-free!  By the time you finish the book you feel as though you personally know Cilie and his family, and can empathize with his situation.  The story is jam packed with family love and support for Cilie's disease, but it also shares a firm discipline that is required for the success of any Celiac patient.





I particularly found the author's use of illustrations throughout the book entertaining.  Each one left you feeling as though the current situation at hand was life-like.

Taking into consideration the depth of the topic, Celiac, the author had the ability to compell laughter throughout the story either by a parent that could relate to the child's action, or just simply giggling at the humor embedded within this story.



This book is suggested for the age group of 5-11 yrs of age.  I found that even a young child that enjoys being read to would benefit from this story.  Adults tend to sometimes feel that a child may not understand content, but with this story being told by a child of a young age, I believe that a child under 5 would grasp the concept.  Children have a very unique feature of being able to understand other children, even when adults do not.



The most important point that I absorbed from this story is that 'you cannot ever give up and you must maintain a positive attitude to succeed in your health and your goals in life'.  In my opinion, this book is an excellent choice for your child's reading pleasure.  It would make a great gift for any child that is battling this challenging Celiac disease.  If you have found yourself here today and do not have a child in your life that has Celiac, why not participate and donate this book to your local school, library, or church?  Part of a Celiac's success depends on educating others in their immediate surroundings.



Now, for all of you who are not necessarily familiar with this blog, I would like to share with you that today is our '1st Year Blogoversary'.  In honor of being 'around' for a full year now, I would like to present a give-away of Cilie Yack is Under Attack by the author.  This will not be just a 'book' that you will receive.  The book itself will be personally signed by the author and the winner will be asked to send a private email with specific information about their recipient so that the author can write a personal letter to the child who will be receiving this book!



The give-away will begin today and end on midnight (eastern standard time) April 8th, 2011.  The winner(s) will be announced on this blog on April 10th, 2011 and I will notify each winner by email.  Please be sure to include your email within a comment so that I have contact information.  If a winner does not respond within 24 hrs. of notification, another winner will be drawn and contacted. 



We do have a few things that we would ask each participant to do, but they are relatively easy and do not take much time at all.  All winners (based on total participants, see breakdown at end of page) will be chosen by Random.org.



1.  We ask that each participant post a comment as to why you would like to win the book Cilie Yack is Under Attack! 

2.  All participants must register on Cilie Yack's Sous Club website.

3.  If you are a facebooker, kindly 'like' the following pages:

     a)  Cilie Yack's Sous Club for Kids community

     b)  Living with Food Allergies and Celiac Disease community

     c)  Living with Food Allergies and Celiac Disease page

     4.  Kindly follow and 'like' this blog.  The follow options are offered at the bottom of our home page. If  you like and follow through Google and Networked Blogs, you are eligible for 3 pts.

5.  If you have a twitter account, follow us on twitter @cilie yack and @hudakcollins and forward this review

     and give-away link to your followers.



***this one does not count for anything but having a kind heart...on the right side of my page I have a blue button that says "We're on the Fence".  If you would be kind enough to exit my blog by clicking that button, it will give me one vote towards advancing up the ranks and would be appreciated.***



For each of the above, a participant will receive 1 point.  This gives each participant an opportunity to obtain 10 pts in this give-away.  Each time that you complete one of the above items, please leave a separate comment letting me know what you have done.



Depending on the amount of participants will determine the number of books the author will distribute.

0-50 entries: one book given away

51-74 entries: two books given away

75-99 entries: three books given away

100-125 entries: four books given away





Please note that each participant counts as only one in the total count.  The option of obtaining points only increases your chance of being chosen by Random.org but does not increase the number of total entries.



For anyone who is not selected to receive this book and is interested in purchasing the book, you can go to the author's book's sales page, enter the code JQGGDD78 and purchase it for $9.06, which is 30% off the cover price.  This coupon will begin at the time the winner is announced and expire 30 days afterwards.



Let's have fun and Good Luck!