It’s not too often that a top-flight children’s book is available for free on Kindle. Granted, there are plenty of nice children’s books freely available on Kindle every day of the year, especially from up-and-coming authors. But in this case, I’m talking about best-selling books from major publishers, the same books you’d find in hardcover in your local bookstore or public library.

I have my own suspicions as to why the big kids-book publishers don’t participate in Kindle freebie promotions. Perhaps they still make most of their profits from selling hardcovers — to grandparents who shop in brick-and-mortar bookstores.

adamAnd perhaps that explains why today’s top pick, Those Darn Squirrels, is the first bestselling kid’s book to make it to the top of the Buffet. The author is Adam Rubin, the New York Times bestselling author of Dragons Love Tacos and the acclaimed Those Darn Squirrels trilogy.

Adam works with illustrator Daniel Salmieri on his books. And believe it or not, Adam also has a “day job” working as the creative director at advertising agency in New York. In his spare time, he’s a puzzle collector and magic trick aficionado.

As usual, each book listed here has gone FREE within the past 24 hours (except for the “Kindle Daily Deals” on page 3). Warning: Kindle book promotions can end without notice, so before downloading click the link “See Kindle price at Amazon” to verify that the book is still free. (Prices and availability may differ outside USA.)

Those Darn Squirrels!

Children’s Books > Humor
Author: Adam Rubin, Daniel Salmieri

Those Darn Squirrels!

Old Man Fookwire is a grump. The only thing he likes to do is paint pictures of the birds that visit his backyard. The problem is, they fly south every winter, leaving him sad and lonely. So he decides to get them to stay by putting up beautiful birdfeeders filled with seeds and berries. Unfortunately, the squirrels like the treats, too, and make a daring raid on the feeders. The conflict escalates—until the birds depart (as usual), and the squirrels come up with a plan that completely charms the old grump.

Heaven Falls

Mystery & Suspense > Romance
Author: Winslow Eliot
Heaven Falls

Billionaires, politicians, and celebrities flock to indulge in the ultimate luxury of Heaven Falls, the world’s most elite health resort. But they also flock to Heaven Falls for another reason…

Heaven Falls offers something unique: the thrill of a romantic interlude. Romance with a complete stranger — romance that feeds the hungry heart and nurtures the soul. The ecstasy of falling in love comes with no strings attached, no misunderstandings… Sounds pretty good?

Tess thinks so. Especially when the owners of the resort invite her and her ten-year-old daughter to move there. Not only that, but, once there, she is guaranteed a job, a home, and a lifetime of financial security. And before long, she herself is falling in love. But Heaven Falls is not heaven, and soon her world begins to crumble. She has no one to turn to for help… except for the man who betrayed her.

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Daughter of the Loom (Bells of Lowell Book #1)

Christian Fiction > Historical
Author: Tracie Peterson
Daughter of the Loom (Bells of Lowell Book #1)

The mill town of Lowell, Massachusetts, comes to life with intrigue and drama from the creative writing team of Judith Miller and Tracie Peterson. Young women at the end of the 19th century seek employment from driven men intent on transforming America’s textile industry. Daughtersof the Loom features Lilly Armbruster, who is forced to work in the mills as her only means for survival. But Lilly’s resentment runs deep against the “lords of the loom”–the men she believes have stolen her father’s farm and caused his premature death.

Carrots (A Shelby Nichols Adventure)

Mystery > Women Sleuths
Author: Colleen Helme
Carrots (A Shelby Nichols Adventure)

Shelby Nichols is an average woman who is married to the only guy she ever fell for. Her life is organized and predictable, revolving around her husband and two children. All that changes the day she stops at the grocery store for some carrots. As the cashier rings up her purchases, a gunman is busy robbing the bank inside the store.

When a customer grabs the robber’s mask, he is shot and everyone runs for cover. Everyone except Shelby, who finds herself face to face with the killer. The next thing she knows, she’s lying on the floor with a bullet wound to her head.

Get a Life (Clearwater Crossing)

Teens > Religion & Spirituality
Author: Laura Peyton Roberts
Get a Life (Clearwater Crossing)

When a classmate is diagnosed with leukemia, the students at Clearwater Crossing High School organize a fund-raising carnival. But after they’ve formed teams to work the booths, the members of one group find they couldn’t be more different. There’s aloof Melanie, the girl who has it all, and wannabe Nicole, who only wishes she did. Best friends Peter and Jenna jump at the chance to make a difference, while football jock Jesse sees a perfect opportunity to impress. Brooding Miguel keeps to himself, to the frustration of confident Leah. And tagalong Ben? He just wants to make some friends.

Soon the carnival is over, and the surprisingly close-knit team members drift back to their regular lives. But when an unexpected tragedy strikes, will the eight friends come together again? Or is it time to say good-bye?

Wind-Scarred (The Will of the Elements)

Science Fiction > Adventure
Author: Sky Corbelli
Wind-Scarred (The Will of the Elements)

Ezra Hawkins is going to change the world.

Although, honestly, there isn’t that much world left to change. After the Great War that nearly destroyed the Earth, mankind has been reduced to a single city: Sanctuary. Hidden from the ravages of the world, the last scions of humanity have eked out their existence through hard work and ingenuity, managing survival, maybe even a little happiness.

But Ezra Hawkins, last heir to the legacy of wormhole technology, will show them something that no human in over a thousand years has known: hope.

Nadia’s Hope

Religious Fiction > Romance
Author: Lisa Buffaloe
Nadia's Hope

Nadia Minsky fled Israel to escape her past, but she can’t outrun her nightmares. The throbbing scars along her hip and stomach are cruel reminders of shattered dreams. Even though surgeons mended her body, her spirit still bleeds. Friends claim only God can heal her. For Nadia, trusting a God who allowed her to suffer is inconceivable.

Can close friends, a wild roommate, and a handsome medical student help Nadia learn to trust? Or will she chose to allow her past to forever cripple her future?

Against The Wall

Romance > Contemporary
Author: Julie Prestsater
Against The Wall

Shelly Gelson had it all…a job teaching English at Carver High, her best friend, Mel, working by her side and engaged to her high school sweetheart, Chase Marino. That is until Chase breaks her heart and leaves her for another teacher at the school. Now Shel is left broken hearted and trying to figure out what she wants while watching Chase and the home wrecker make moon eyes at each other.

Enter Matt Fuller, Shel’s friend for the past 5 years and the perfect rebound. He’s gorgeous, smart, funny and fits into Shel’s idea of the right guy.

1929 (Book One Jonathan’s Cross)

Historical Fiction
Author: M.L. Gardner
1929 (Book One Jonathan's Cross)

Jonathan Garrett has just lost everything. He and his two best friends were operating one of the top brokerages in New York City until the stock market crash of ’29. With nothing but the clothes on their backs, these men must start over. Renting a shabby apartment from a business rival with his eye on tormenting Jonathan, they begin to rebuild as best they can.

Living modestly, and faring better than the friends they left behind in the city, they begin to think things are taking a turn for the better. But tragedy is never far behind.


All the Blue-Eyed Angels

Mystery > Women Sleuths
Author: Jen Blood
All the Blue-Eyed Angels (Book 1, The Erin Solomon Mysteries)

Investigative journalist Erin Solomon sets out to solve a mystery that’s haunted her since childhood: a fatal fire at the Payson Church of Tomorrow, the isolated fundamentalist community where Erin lived with her father for the first ten years of her life.

When what was presumed to be cult suicide turns out to be anything but, Erin returns to her hometown to find the truth behind the tragedy. Now, isolated on the Maine coast with an old flame and a handsome newcomer with his own dark past, Erin will risk everything to uncover the secrets of Payson Isle – secrets someone will kill to keep buried.

God Gave Me You

Children’s eBooks > Ages 4-8
Author: Cindy Bracken
God Gave Me You (A Picture Book For Young Children And Their Parents)

God Gave Me You is a beautifully illustrated picture book for young children. Your children will know how grateful you are for them when you read this book together. Makes for calm, soothing bedtime reading.

Taking Out the Trailer Trash

Mystery > Humor
Author: Janice Ivy
Taking Out the Trailer Trash

People are dropping like flies at the Happy Times RV Park and Charlene is afraid she might be next if she doesn’t figure out why. The gig as manager of the park in a small town on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi seemed perfect for a writer trying to find time to write her second book, until a resident is found with his brains splattered on his tacky old couch.

Crispens Point – A Christian Novel

Religious Fiction > Romance
Author: JoHannah Reardon
Crispens Point - A Christian Novel

Charlotte is a successful romance novelist who escapes city life and moves to the small town of Crispens Point in Blackberry County. She immediately connects with some of the quirky but friendly residents and begins to feel at home right away. When a friend invites her to attend a local community church, Charlotte is attracted to the pastor, but refuses to acknowledge that attraction because of some dark things in her past.

A Little Bit of Deja Vu

Romance > Teens
Author: Laurie Kellogg
A Little Bit of Deja Vu (Book One of The Return to Redemption Series)

Margie Bradford is picking up the pieces of her shattered life following her husband’s death. When her cousin encourages her to make a fresh start with her teenage daughter, unsuspecting Margie takes a reading specialist job in the small town of Redemption, PA. The last person she expects to encounter is Rocket Manion, the ex-NFL quarterback and Dr. Phil wannabe who broke her heart nineteen years ago. Strangling her meddling cousin is now at the top of Margie’s to-do list.

Psalms, The Sunrise of Hope

Reference > Meditations > Old Testament
Author: Bob Saffrin
Psalms, The Sunrise of Hope

This book is your spiritual Swiss Army Knife. Keep it handy, read it, study it, be familiar with the contents, and then pull it out for those times when life is confusing and raw. When you’re struggling with life, grab this book, turn to the Psalm that fits your moment and find hope on God’s lap.

Amaranth (The Resistance Trilogy, #1)

Fantasy > Paranormal
Author: Rachael Wade
Amaranth (The Resistance Trilogy, #1)

Hoodoo-influenced Southern Louisiana seems like the perfect place for Camille to relocate and escape her abusive past. She didn’t expect to fall in love and plummet herself into the world of Amaranth, a place of exile for reformed vampires.

Thanks to her deadly vampire ex-boyfriend, she’s confronted with decisions that not only threaten her life but the lives of her inhuman friends that she has come to love. Entangled in her friends’ quest for freedom, she dives into their realm and faces the threats of the ruler of Amaranth–the mother of all vampires–and her own inner demons.

How to Succeed in Evil

Science Fiction & Fantasy
Author: Patrick E. McLean
How to Succeed in Evil

The story of Edwin Windsor, Evil Efficiency Consultant. He tries to help supervillains be more villainous. Or at least more profitable and sensible about the business side of Evil.Along with his very proper and English secretary Agnes and his hench-lawyer Topper, he struggles to make the world of superpowered people make sense. But this is very difficult because, while Edwin’s advice is excellent, all of his clients are too egomaniacal to listen. There is, it must be said, a bit of comedy in this work.

The Rebel’s Pledge

Religious Fiction > Historical
Author: Rita Gerlach
The Rebel's Pledge

He was a rebel to King James, hunted down, captured, and enslaved in Colonial Maryland. Haunted by war and wrestling with a troubled past, Matthew Hale pledges to protect the daughter of his former owner and bring her from England to her father’s plantation along the Chesapeake, an undertaking that challenges the depth of his courage, and the strength of his faith.

Lara Carey will only wed for love, having kept the story of her parents’ unwavering devotion for each other in her heart.

Attack Your Day!: Before It Attacks You

Reference > Office Skills
Author: Mark Woods

Attack Your Day!: Before It Attacks You

Smarter time management for a whole new world: faster, more flexible, and easier! Mark Woods’ activity-based Attack Your Day system has helped thousands of individuals supercharge their productivity – in work and business, in school, and throughout their personal lives. Now, it’s your turn. Know how and when to “turn on a dime” in response to events, without sacrificing focus or efficiency… learn how and when to say NO to interruptions. You’re always doing “something”: make sure you’re doing the right things at the right times the right way, and you can transform your life.

The Scavenger’s Daughter: A Tyler West Mystery

Mystery > Hard-Boiled
Author: Mike McIntyre
The Scavenger's Daughter: A Tyler West Mystery

Disgraced newsman Tyler West is desperate for a scoop that will save his career. When he investigates the baffling deaths of several of San Diego’s elite, he uncovers a common link: torture devices not used since the Dark Ages. Plunged into a mysterious world of medieval torture scholars, antiquities collectors and sadomasochists, he must break the brilliantly conceived series of slayings that has cast a dark shadow over a city better known for its sun, sand and surf.

The elusive killer goes by the name Friar Tom, in tribute to his hero, Tomás de Torquemada, the first Grand Inquisitor of the Spanish Inquisition.

The Ambassador’s Wife

Mystery & Thrillers > Police Procedurals
Author: Jake Needham
THE AMBASSADOR'S WIFE (An Inspector Samuel Tay Novel)

The first body is in Singapore, on a bed in an empty suite in the Marriott Hotel. The second in Bangkok, in a seedy apartment close to the American embassy. Both women. Both Americans. Both beaten viciously and shot in the head. Both stripped naked and lewdly displayed.

The FBI says it’s terrorism, but the whispers on the street are that a serial killer is stalking American women across Asia.

Breath of Air (The Dryad Quartet)

Fantasy > Contemporary
Author: Katie Jennings
Breath of Air (The Dryad Quartet)

Her name was Capri, and she was Air. She was born with a gift she didn’t understand. A gift so strange, so remarkable that she had kept it secret for as long as she could remember, despising that it made her different when all she wanted was to be normal, to belong. As an orphan, belonging to someone, anyone, would have been an incredible blessing, one she would have given up all that she had just to get a taste of.

But the truth was that she didn’t belong in the orphanage in Virginia, or even in the United States. In fact, she didn’t belong with human beings at all.

Predators of Darkness: Aftermath

Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Author: Leonard D. Hilley II
Predators of Darkness: Aftermath

The desolate streets of downtown Pittsburgh in 2073 are a reminder of the missile attack that forever changed the lives of the surviving scientists and students hidden in the fallout shelter of Helmsby’s Genetic Research Center. Believing themselves to be the only survivors, they station themselves inside the center until food supplies near depletion. Thinking the fallout has lessened, they emerge three years later to discover strange creatures patrolling the streets in search of human flesh and blood.

The Fart Book: Whiff it, Sniff it, Lay it, Rip it!

Comics & Graphic Novels
Author: J.B. O’Neil
The Fart Book: Whiff it, Sniff it, Lay it, Rip it! (The Disgusting Adventures of Milo Snotrocket)

Learn from the master of bottom-burping disaster himself – Milo Snotrocket – as he demonstrates all 27 different kinds of farts (and the perfect situations to use them to your stinky advantage).

Forever After (a dark and funny fantasy novel)

Fantasy > Paranormal
Author: David Jester
Forever After (a dark and funny fantasy novel)

Forever After follows Michael Holland, a grim reaper in a grim town. An embittered and melancholic man who struggles to grasp the purpose of his own existence, or lack thereof. He is a minuscule cog in a monumental machine and knows less of his role than those surrounding him — from his boss, the mighty Angel of Death, to his friend and flatmate Chip: a grubby midget tooth fairy with an addiction to pot and procrastination.

An Embarrassment of Riches

Humor & Entertainment
Author: Gerald Hansen
An Embarrassment of Riches

When Ursula Barnett and her husband Jed win the Irish lottery, they think their troubles are over. But they are just beginning. Ursula coerces her Yank husband to retire in her hometown of Derry, Northern Ireland, hoping to atone for her youthful sins as a collaborator with the IRA in the 1970s. At the first sniff of Ursula s lotto win, however, her chronically greedy sister-in-law Fionnuala Flood rallies the family against Ursula.

… See the rest of today’s Editor’s Picks and the Kindle Daily Deal here on page 2

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