Established in 1919, Children’s Book Week is apparently the longest-running literacy initiative in the country.

Auryn is doing their part to celebrate and further literacy among our youth by reducing the price of every one of their “Auracle” titles to just 99¢ for the week.

My daughters have really enjoyed some of Auryn’s other books (Teddy’s Day and Teddy’s Night) so I may be picking up a few of these myself.

Auracle – Edsel McFarlan’s New Car $2.99 -> 99¢	Auracle HD – Edsel McFarlan’s New Car $2.99 -> 99¢	Auracle – Tail Toes Eyes Ears Nose $1.99 -> 99¢	Auracle HD – Tail Toes Eyes Ears Nose $1.99 -> 99¢
Auracle – Love You to the Moon & Back $2.99 -> 99¢	Auracle HD – Love You to the Moon & Back $2.99 -> 99¢	Auracle – Hurray for Pre-K! $2.99 -> 99¢	Auracle HD – Hurray for Pre-K! $2.99 -> 99¢
Auracle – The Trees Grin Beside Me $4.99 -> 99¢	Auracle HD – The Trees Grin Beside Me $4.99 -> 99¢	Auracle – Dr. Duncan Dog on Duty $2.99 -> 99¢	Auracle HD – Dr. Duncan Dog on Duty $2.99 -> 99¢
Auracle – Winter Is $2.99 -> 99¢	Auracle HD – Winter Is $2.99 -> 99¢	Auracle – Miko “Mom, Wake up and Play!” $2.99 -> 99¢	Auracle HD – Miko “Mom, Wake up and Play!” $2.99 -> 99¢
Auracle – Miko “It was me, Mom!” $2.99 -> 99¢	Auracle HD – Miko “It was me, Mom!” $2.99 -> 99¢	Auracle – Miko “No Bath! No Way!” $2.99 -> 99¢	Auracle HD – Miko “No Bath! No Way!” $2.99 -> 99¢
Auracle – Miko “Where is Mimiki” $2.99 -> 99¢	Auracle HD – Miko “Where is Mimiki” $2.99 -> 99¢	Auracle – Miko “Goes on Vacation” $2.99 -> 99¢	Auracle HD – Miko “Goes on Vacation” $2.99 -> 99¢
Auracle – Miko “Double Birthday!” $2.99 -> 99¢	Auracle HD – Miko “Double Birthday!” $2.99 -> 99¢	Auracle – Miko “Moves Out” $2.99 -> 99¢	Auracle HD – Miko “Moves Out” $2.99 -> 99¢
Auracle – Miko “Wants a Dog” $2.99 -> 99¢	Auracle HD – Miko “Wants a Dog” $2.99 -> 99¢	Auracle – Spring Changes $2.99 -> 99¢	Auracle HD – Spring Changes $2.99 -> 99¢
Auracle – God’s Little Lamb $1.99 -> 99¢	Auracle HD – God’s Little Lamb $1.99 -> 99¢	Auracle – Fruits for Little Lamb $1.99 -> 99¢	Auracle HD – Fruits for Little Lamb $1.99 -> 99¢
Auracle – Inspector Peckit $3.99 -> 99¢	Auracle HD – Inspector Peckit $3.99 -> 99¢	Auracle – Hattie, The Backstage Bat $3.99 -> 99¢	Auracle HD – Hattie, The Backstage Bat $3.99 -> 99¢
Auracle – One Cold Night $2.99 -> 99¢	Auracle HD – One Cold Night $2.99 -> 99¢	Auracle – Randy Kazandy Where are your Glasses? $2.99 -> 99¢	Auracle HD – Randy Kazandy Where are your Glasses? $2.99 -> 99¢
Auracle – The Perilous Pit $2.99 -> 99¢	Auracle HD – The Perilous Pit $2.99 -> 99¢	Auracle – The Emperor’s Race $3.99 -> 99¢	Auracle HD – The Emperor’s Race $3.99 -> 99¢
Auracle – Since Lulu Learned the Cancan $2.99 -> 99¢	Auracle HD – Since Lulu learned the Cancan $2.99 -> 99¢	Auracle – Sister Yessa’s Story $2.99 -> 99¢	Auracle HD – Sister Yessa’s Story $2.99 -> 99¢
Auracle HD – Red Riding Hood $2.99 -> 99¢	Auracle – Aesop in Rhyme: Hare and Tortoise $1.99 -> 99¢	Auracle – Aesop in Rhyme: Crow and Pitcher $1.99 -> 99¢	Auracle – Aesop in Rhyme: Lion and Mouse $1.99 -> 99¢
Auracle HD – Shadow of the Elves $3.99 -> 99¢	Auracle – Chinese New Year $1.99 -> 99¢	Auracle – Happy Diwali $1.99 -> 99¢	Auracle – Happy New Year $1.99 -> 99¢
Auracle – Flash the Dash $3.99 -> 99¢	Auracle HD – Flash the Dash $3.99 -> 99¢

Today you can get free copies of Mahjong Towers Touch HD (for the iPad), Awakening: The Dreamless Castle (for the iPhone and iPad) and Tiny Places (for the iPhone and iPad)

If you are going to be visiting your mother or grandmother, why not download these games on their iDevices as well. Between a physics puzzle game, a hidden object game and Mahjong game, there is bound to be something that the mother/grandmother figure in your life would enjoy!

Forgot to get a gift?
You don’t even need to tell them you got the games for FREE…problem solved.

Mahjong Towers Touch HD (Full) Big Fish Games, Inc $2.99 -> Free	Awakening: The Dreamless Castle Big Fish Games, Inc $1.99 -> Free	Awakening: The Dreamless Castle HD Big Fish Games, Inc $4.99 -> Free
Tiny Places Big Fish Games, Inc 99¢ -> Free	Tiny Places HD Big Fish Games, Inc $1.99 -> Free

These prices will only be available for a limited time, so act quickly.

LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 Warner Bros. $4.99 -> 99¢

Harry Potter: Spells Warner Bros. $2.99 -> 99¢

Batman Arkham City Lockdown Warner Bros. $2.99 -> 99¢

Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters Warner Bros. $1.99 -> 99¢

Included in the sale is Aidem Media’sReiner Knizia’s City of Secrets Pipes, which was released just a little over a week ago.

If these were on your wishlist then now you can grab them for as much as 80% off.

Thumbelina Interactive Book Aidem Media $4.99 -> 99¢	Reiner Knizia’s City of Secrets Pipes Aidem Media $2.99 -> 99¢	Reiner Knizia’s City of Secrets Skyline Aidem Media 99¢	Reiner Knizia’s City of Secrets Skyline HD Aidem Media $1.99 -> 99¢
City of Secrets+ Aidem Media $4.99 -> 99¢	City of Secrets HD Aidem Media $2.99 -> 99¢	City of Secrets Aidem Media $1.99 -> 99¢	Reiner Knizia’s Deck Buster Aidem Media 99¢

Now through Monday, May 7th, you can grab any of the Marvel tables for 99¢ each.

For iOS device owners, this means that the Captain America, Wolverine and Thor tables can all be had for 50% off.

If you haven’t played Zen Pinball, I highly recommend grabbing this FREE app. The Marvel tables can be purchased from within the app.

Save $2 off on either of the Pocket RPG titles or grab Aralon: Sword and Shadow for 99¢(over 80% off).

Pocket RPG iPhone Edition Crescent Moon Games $2.99 -> 99¢

Pocket RPG Crescent Moon Games $4.99 -> $2.99

Aralon: Sword and Shadow HD Crescent Moon Games $6.99 -> 99¢

Their licensing agreement for these books is set to expire, which means that these apps will actually be removed from the App Store soon, so this may be your last chance to buy them.

If you do pick them up, I highly recommend you make a backup copy of your “.ipa” files for these apps, just in case you ever need to reinstall them later.

All of the titles are universal apps and feature interactive elements like turning pages, tapping or shaking to roll the 3D dice using the accelerometer, selectable inventory, game saves, achievements and integrated iPod music library access. Players also have access to both the original illustrations and digitally re-mastered versions and a scrolling image gallery of unlocked in-game art.

$2.99 -> 99¢

The Warlock of Firetop Mountain Based on the legendary book series by Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson, The Warlock of Firetop Mountain plunges you into a thrilling adventure to the top of Firetop Mountain. With its vast treasure, ruthlessly guarded by a powerful Warlock, will you have the courage, tact, and skill to survive where none have returned to tell the tale?

$2.99 -> 99¢

Deathtrap Dungeon Down in the dark twisting labyrinth of Fang, unknown horrors await you. Devised by the devilish mind of Baron Sukumvit, the labyrinth is riddled with fiendish traps and bloodthirsty monsters, which will test your skills almost beyond the limit of endurance. Countless adventurers before you have taken up the challenge of the Trial of Champions and walked through the carved mouth of the labyrinth, never to be seen again. Should you come out of the labyrinth alive, you will be wealthy beyond your dreams. Do YOU dare enter?

$2.99 -> 99¢

Citadel of Chaos Deep inside the Citadel of Chaos, the dread sorcerer Balthus Dire is plotting the downfall of the good folk of the Vale of Willow. His battle plans are laid, his awesome army equipped, an attack is surely imminent. YOU are the Vale of Willow’s only hope. Though you command many powerful spells, the quest may be deadly, for who knows what creatures lie in wait in the Citadel of Chaos?

$2.99 -> 99¢

City of Thieves Terror stalks the night as Zanbar Bone and his bloodthirsty Moon Dogs hold the prosperous town of Silverton to ransom. YOU are an adventurer and the merchants of Silverton turn to you in their hour of need. Your mission takes you along dark, twisting streets where thieves, vagabonds and creatures of the night lie in wait to trap the unwary traveller. Beyond lies the most fearsome adventure of them all – the tower stronghold of the infamous Zanbar Bone! Part-story part-game, this is a book with a difference – one in which you become the hero! YOU decide which route to take, which creatures to fight and which dangers to risk.

$2.99 -> 99¢

Creature of Havoc Are you ready for the most unusual Fighting Fantasy adventure yet? You begin this adventure not knowing where you are or who you are. All you know is that you are some kind of creature of instinct, understanding little. During the course of the adventure, it may be possible for you to begin to control your bestial nature, to find out more about yourself, and even to learn your destiny. But even if you know all this, success is by no means certain, for the traps and terrors of Trolltooth Pass are many … Are you ready — to become the Creature of Havoc?

(Okay, perhaps that was a bit corny…)

Indie developer Zach Gage’s solely developed word game, SpellTower has made a monstrous climb up the Paid App Store charts this week going from #297 to its highest position yet, (currently) #6 on iPad top Paid list.

Despite high critical acclaim for some of his previous apps, this is the first time Gage has seen one of his apps make it to the first page of the charts. He is both surprised and humbled by the success that SpellTower has achieved thus far (having originally released the game back in November 2011).

SpellTower is currently being featured by Apple, but tomorrow they select a new App to feature. So, in an effort to get that final push to overthrow the likes of Rovio and Zynga (who are currently sitting comfortably atop the charts), Gage has decided to drop the price of SpellTower from $1.99 to just 99¢ for 24 hours (the final day of his week-long Apple feature).

Dubbed the “Holy Crap, I’m Near the Top, This is Crazy! Help an Indie Take On Rovio and Zynga! Half Off 24Hour Sale!“, this is the lowest price Gage can drop it to and still remain on the Paid charts.

So if this game has been on your wishlist, or if you know somebody who hasn’t purchased SpellTower yet, tell them that NOW’S THE TIME. Help Zach win one for the little guy, and get this great word game for half price.

If you read my post last week, you’ll know that SpellTower just received a number of big updates including some very nice, crisp Retina graphics for the iPad.

You see, today is Presseisen’s birthday and instead of asking for gifts, he’s actually giving them.

The company’s entertaining platformer Paper Monsters is absolutely FREE for 24 hours (normally $2.99) to celebrate the day that Presseisen’s parents received their bundle of joy that they would name “Josh”.

Paper Monsters is a fun 2D platformer that not only offers nods to titles like Super Mario Bros. and Little Big Planet (which obviously inspired it), but has unique paper and cardboard art style all its own. There are cool multi-plane effects where you must travel into the background (via Mario-esque pipes) to collect some items and return to the foreground.

With fantastic graphics and solid game play, this is an awesome freebie!

So why not join in the celebration and grab this great game for FREE.

With free shipping (though it says it could take 3-4 weeks for delivery), this bests even ThinkGeek’s price of $8.99 (for one), $15.99 (for two).

Simply enter the coupon code ‘AM17′ at checkout.

Note that if you want to use this for dual-stick gaming, you’ll need to purchase two sticks for $13.20 shipped.

If you are unfamiliar with the JOYSTICK-IT, it is physical joystick that you temporarily attach to the screen of your iPad (or really any tablet device) over the game’s virtual d-pad. It is made of lightweight solid milled-aluminum giving you some nice tactile feedback and adds “more precise movement and faster response time for enhanced playability”.

I’ve used the “mini version” for the iPhone and it works surprisingly well and gives a cool retro arcade-like feel to your games.

Game Compatibility

The JOYSTICK-IT will work with any game that features a virtual on-screen control pad of some kind. Games that use swiping, swipe-style joypads, joypads with variable on-screen locations, or complex finger based gestures will not work properly with the JOYSTICK-IT.

Product Features

Add a real physical joystick to your tablet computer for enhanced gaming precision
Works with thousands of different games
No wires or batteries required
Removable and reposition-able. Will not harm your screen.
Solid milled-aluminum construction
Laser etched crosshair design on top of stick adds thumb traction
Invented and designed by ThinkGeek
Patent Pending design

Here’s a demo video of the JOYSTICK-IT in action.