Armando and the Amazing Animal Race Awareness Tour presented in partnership* with Diana Schaffter and The Children’s Book Review.
Buckle up for a global adventure as we launch the virtual book tour for Armando and the Amazing Animal Race by Diana Schaffter!
Set off on a breathtaking race across continents with twelve-year-old Armando and his spirited grandmother as they chase endangered animals, outwit danger, and unravel a long-buried family mystery. Bursting with heart, humor, and wild adventure, Armando and the Amazing Animal Race is a globe-trotting tale of courage, connection, and the surprising paths that lead us to the truth.
. . . fantastically engaging story. . . [Diana’s] writing is absolutely terrific, and I love Armando, who is such a wonderful protagonist, perfect for a Middle-Grade novel. The story of the race and Armando’s search for his mother as well as his renewed relationship with his father are so well drawn and authentic (super fun as well as poignant) The story’s environmental focus is wonderfully handled. . . All in all, you have something very special here.
—Jennifer Rees, Editor, Explorer Academy series, National Geographic
Readers who join us on this tour can enter the giveaway below for a chance to win a copy of Armando and the Amazing Animal Race signed by Diana Schaffter! In addition, one lucky grand prize winner will also receive an exclusive adventure-themed bundle that includes a themed T-shirt, a set of vibrant stickers featuring all seven endangered animals from the story, three beautifully illustrated maps, and, to top it all off, a $50 Amazon gift certificate. Don’t miss your chance to win this one-of-a-kind prize pack that celebrates adventure, discovery, and the wild wonders of the world!
Armando and the Amazing Animal Race Virtual Tour Dates
| Tuesday, May 13, 2025 The Children’s Book Review Book Review of Armando and the Amazing Animal Race |
| Wednesday, May 14, 2025 The Starlit Path Book Review of Armando and the Amazing Animal Race |
| Thursday, May 15, 2025 The Fairview Review Book Review of Armando and the Amazing Animal Race |
| Friday, May 16, 2025 icefairy’s Treasure Chest Book Review of Armando and the Amazing Animal Race |
| Monday, May 19, 2025 Crafty Moms Share Book Review of Armando and the Amazing Animal Race |
| Tuesday, May 20, 2025 Mrs Makes Reading Fun Book Review of Armando and the Amazing Animal Race |
| Wednesday, May 21, 2025 Q&As with Deborah Kalb Author Interview with Diana Schaffter |
| Thursday, May 22, 2025 @the_conservationists_books Book Review of Armando and the Amazing Animal Race |
| Friday, May 23, 2025 Un viaje en libro Author Interview with Diana Schaffter |
| Monday, May 26, 2025 Froggy Read Teach Book Review of Armando and the Amazing Animal Race |
| Tuesday, May 27, 2025 @Bookish_Meaghan Book Review of Armando and the Amazing Animal Race |
| Wednesday, May 28, 2025 @wooldridgewanderers Book Review of Armando and the Amazing Animal Race |
| Thursday, May 29, 2025 My Reading Getaway Book Review of Armando and the Amazing Animal Race |
| Monday, June 2, 2025 ALWAYS in the MIDDLE Book Review of Armando and the Amazing Animal Race |
| Saturday, June 7, 2025 @nature.books.and.coffee Book Review of Armando and the Amazing Animal Race |
| Wednesday, June 11, 2025 @nissa_the.bookworm Book Review of Armando and the Amazing Animal Race |
Armando and the Amazing Animal Race Book Giveaway
Armando and the Amazing Animal Race: Book GiveawayAbout the Book
Armando and the Amazing Animal Race
Written by Diana Schaffter
Ages: 8-12 | 350 Pages
Publisher: Sea Otter Press (2025) | ISBN: 978-1-0690795-1-0
Publisher’s Book Summary: Two unlikely teammates on a grueling continent-hopping race. Their mission: to photograph 7 endangered animals in just 70 days… and solve a baffling family mystery.
When twelve-year-old Armando stumbles on his mother’s old race journal and convinces his wacky grandmother to join the Amazing Animal Race—the same race his mother disappeared on eight years earlier—his summer explodes into a wild global adventure. Armed with night vision goggles, bear spray, and support from his tech-savvy friend Jinny, Armando faces a charging polar bear, poachers’ bullets, and ruthless rivals as he races across the icy Arctic to the steamy Amazon rainforest. What starts as a race to help endangered animals and the environment spirals into a treacherous quest to unravel a mystery that will change Armando’s family—and his life—forever.
Packed with thrilling action, laugh-out-loud moments, and unforgettable characters, Armando and the Amazing Animal Race takes readers on a whirlwind journey of self-discovery across the globe. This heart-warming tale of family, mystery, and wildlife conservation will inspire adventurers, both young and old, to see the world and themselves in a whole new light.
“. . . a whirlwind of an environmentally minded tale. . .”
—KIRKUS REVIEWS – “OUR VERDICT: √ GET IT!”“. . .fantastically engaging . . . super fun as well as poignant. . .”
—JENNIFER REES, editor, Explorer Academy, National Geographic“. . . will resonate with anyone who yearns for adventure…”
—MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW
Buy the Book
About the Author
Diana Schaffter is no stranger to adventure. She is fluent in Thai, has traveled to over fifty countries, raised her two sons overseas, and lived in seven countries in Asia and Eastern Europe for forty-two years, including two years in Pyongyang, North Korea, where her husband was the head of the UNICEF office. Diana has worked with Cambodian refugees, taught in international schools, opened schools in Thailand and Vietnam, and has been an educational consultant to non-governmental organizations and the Ministry of Education in Laos.
In researching her story, she followed in the footsteps of her main character, Armando, traveling to Southern India to search for wild cobras with the Irula tribe, to Vladivostok, Russia, to see a Siberian tiger with a local conservationist, to the home of the elusive desert leopard in the Judean desert in Israel; and into the thick Brazilian Amazon rainforest to visit an Indigenous tribe and to photograph a pied tamarin monkey. Wherever she has lived, Diana has witnessed the power of human resilience, cooperation, and caring, which inspires her writing. Diana and her co-adventurer husband, Tim, now live in Sidney, BC, Canada, where she continues to write, give talks in schools and communities, and work with young people.
For more information, visit: dianaschaffter.com.
Thanks for following along with us on Diana Schaffter’s Armando and the Amazing Animal Race awareness tour!
144 Comments
My nephew would enjoy this book. He lives on a farm and loves animals. He has traveled to many states. He would save all the animals.
I would go to the pink sand of Bermuda & save turtles
I’d love to see a Zebra up close
Oh man……..that’s a great question!! I have an affinity for elephants so I’d love to go all over the world freeing them from captivity.
I’d go to Africa and try to find northern white rhinos.
Do you have any advice for new writers?
This is adorable and I’d love it for my grandsons.
Africa for lion
Dream adventure would be a year in Hawaii!
A good one to read
Which authors do you look upto?
My grandson will love it.
oi would save the mexican axolotl, they are so cool plus i’d get to hang out in Mexico on the beach!
My grandson would really enjoy this fascinating book.
I’d love to hold a koala
Wow this story sounds like a classic!
I want to go to Africa and try to help with saving giraffes.
This book would make a great addition to my grandson’s personal library.
Sounds like a great book.
I’d love to see a penguin
If you could write in another genre, which would it be?
A very entertaining story.
Looks so cute
What was your favourite series as a child?
An amazing adventure book.
Sounds like a fabulous read.
Great prize pack
An intriguing story.
Exciting story!
I’d love to see an anteater
Did you have a favourite class in school?
This sounds like a good adventure book.
Have you designed any merch or swag for your books?
I’d like to see a lion
I wonder what happens on this adventure.
I love Polar Bears
I love baby piglets
What is your favourite Stephen King book?
An amazing story.
Sounds like a great adventure.
In what ways has music inspired your writing?
I’d love to see a platypus
I would give this adventure book to my grandson.
When I was a kid, I got to hold a tiger cub. I wish I still had the picture.
Conservation of wildlife is so important!
Ever had a writing fail?
A very exciting adventure book.
I’d love to see a flying squirrel
Did you always want to be a writer?
This book sounds like a perilous adventure into the unknown.
Sounds like a wonderful book.
The story looks so fun!
I would love to win this for my daughter.
I’d love to see a Puffin
What’s your favourite scary story?
This book is an unforgettable adventure.
What book are you most grateful for?
This book will be appreciated and enjoyed, thank you!
Sounds like a great book
My daughter is so excited about this giveaway.
An exciting story to read.
Love! Thanks!
How are you feeling about your latest work?
I’d love to see a meerkat