In honor of St. Patrick's Day and Irish luck, I'm giving away a free book today that has nothing to do with Ireland: my friend, Matthew Kirby's The Clockwork Three. If you haven't heard of Matt's debut novel, you're missing out on a fantastic middle-grade read. Released in October of last year, Clockwork is a wonderful adventure story with three main characters, three converging plots, an automaton that comes to life, boy-pleasing amounts of danger and - my favorite bit - a magical green violin. Kirby's book defies genre, but manages to weave elements of steampunk, historical fiction, fantasy, and mystery into one thoroughly satisfying, well-crafted book. My eleven-year-old son's simple review: "One of the best books I ever read." You'll want to read it, too. Check out the book trailer , if you like. I tried and failed to get the video to work on my blog (not too tech-savvy right here), so click on the purple/red link to watch on ...