Number The Stars

Number the Stars

By Lois Lowry

Narrated by: Blair Brown

Release date 16 April 2004

Listening length: 2 hours, 45 minutes 

My review: 

Ten-year-old Annemarie Johansen and her best friend Ellen Rosen often think of life before the war. It's now 1943, and their life in Copenhagen is filled with school, food shortages, and the Nazi soldiers marching through town. When the Jews of Denmark are "relocated", Ellen moves in with the Johansens and pretends to be one of the family. Soon Annemarie is asked to go on a dangerous mission to save Ellen's life.

You can tell this book is meant for younger readers. I was left wanting a lot more. 

Most of the WWII books I've been reading follows the family through most of the war. This story is mainly about one incident in the young girls life. Something that forever changed her story. I loved it. It is perfect for the younger audience that doesn't need the real horrors of the war in full detail yet, but needs a glimpse of what the Jews were forced to endure.

Random Graphic Novels

 I figured since my reviews of these graphic novels are shorter, I would publish a few of them together. I have borrowed all of the following from my library's service, Hoopla. If you use a local library, you should check it out and see if they offer this service. I love it! 

Unfamiliar 

by Haley Newsome

Published: December 6, 2022 

Read: April 26, 2023

My review: 4 out of 5 stars 

Based on the wildly popular webcomic from Tapas, Unfamiliar is an endearing and whimsical story full of magical mayhem, offbeat outsiders, and the power of friendships and found family.

Young kitchen witch Planchette gets an incredible deal on a new house in a magical town. Turns out, there's a reason: it's haunted! After unsuccessfully attempting to get these unwanted ghosts to leave, she realizes the only thing to do is to help them with their problems. Along the way, she befriends a shy siren who hates being popular, a girl battling a curse, and a magically-challenged witch from a powerful coven.

Collects Chapters 1-6 with bonus content!

Loved this adorable graphic novel. What does a which do when her house is haunted? This book will show you just what young "kitchen witch" Planchette does with her house ghosts. Cannot wait for the next.

Skyward

(volume 1 includes issues 1-5) 

Written by Joe Henderson

Illustrated by Lee Garbett and Antonio Fabela 

Published: September 25, 2018 

Read on: May 15, 2023

My review 4 out of 5 stars 

One day, gravity on Earth suddenly became a fraction of what it is now. Twenty years later, humanity has adapted to its new low-gravity reality. And to Willa Fowler, a woman born just after G-day, it's...well, it's pretty awesome, actually. You can fly through the air I mean, sure, you can also die if you jump too high. So you just don't jump too high. And maybe don't get mixed up in your Dad's secret plan to bring gravity back that could get you killed...

I found this book while browsing Hoopla (a digital service my local library offers) when I saw this cover. After I read the description, I knew I would probably like it so I read it all in one night. Good thing the next couple are also available on Hoopla because I need to know what happens to Willa and her friends! 

The Girl and the Glim

By India Swift (author and illustrator)
Illustrated by: Michael Doig
Published June 7, 2022
My review: 4 out of 5 stars

An original graphic novel about being the new kid in a different school, getting picked on by the class bullies, and what happens when a magical presence takes notice.

Starting out at a new school is tough, and Bridgette isn't having much luck, seeing as, well, she's not great at making a first impression. Or, maybe, any impression. For now the best she can manage is... awkward.

That’s when they appear. Creatures dark and scary… Creatures only she can see. But if she can’t even face down the school bullies, how is she supposed to overcome literal monsters? Well, Bridgette is going to have to figure it out fast, because she might just be her town’s only hope.

The Girl and The Glim is about accepting the fact that fear is okay, and that while letting other people see your vulnerabilities can be scary, it can also lead to closer friendships in the end.

This was a graphic novel about a girl. She and her family just moved and now she's the new girl in town, in school. When she sees something weird and figures out, she's the only one who saw it, she knows she will have to take care of it. I really loved the illustrations in this book, they made the story, literally, come to life for me. I look forward to more books in this series so I can see what happens to "the girl." I love this quote in the description: The Girl and The Glim is about accepting the fact that fear is okay, and that while letting other people see your vulnerabilities can be scary, it can also lead to closer friendships in the end.

Junkwraith

by Ellinor Richey

Published January 18, 2022

My review: 3.5 out of 5 stars

What she once possessed... now threatens to possess her. This vibrant Swedish debut graphic novel is an epic quest for the things left behind, with icy-cool artwork and astonishing sci-fi settings.

What happens when our most precious belongings... no longer belong? When something we loved suddenly becomes junk, a powerful energy is unleashed. One night, ice-skating prodigy Florence Sato is overwhelmed by pressure and throws away her skates. This fateful moment accidentally summons a "junkwraith," a terrifying ghost which seeks revenge for its abandonment by attacking the memories of its former owner. Before she forgets who she is, and to find out who she really wants to be, Florence must set off (with her trusty digital assistant Frank) on a long journey into the Wastelands to put to rest the monster she created.

This graphic novel is the story about how the things you throw away come back to haunt you. It was a little strange for me, but the overall story was good. I think I was distracted by the small pictures on my phone screen, so perhaps read either the paper copy or a bigger screen. I would read another book by this author. It was a solid story with a good message.

The Museum of Lost and Found

The Museum of Lost and Found

by Leila Sales and Jacqueline Li

Publication date: May 16, 2023

My review: 3.75 out of 5 stars 

A warm, relatable middle-grade story about a friendship falling apart and the abandoned museum that becomes a shrine to lost connections

Vanessa isn't sure which happened first: finding the abandoned museum or losing her best friend Bailey. She doesn't know what to do with herself now that Bailey has left her behind—but when she stumbles upon an empty, forgotten museum, her purpose becomes clear. Vanessa starts filling the museum with her own artifacts and memories, hoping that perhaps, if she can find the right way to tell the story of her broken friendship, she can figure out how to make it whole again.

As Vanessa's museum grows, it seems like the place might have the answers to other questions, too. Like why a mysterious work of art was left behind. Or how to deal with a military dad who's trying to parent from thousands of miles away. Or why Vanessa's bad habit is getting harder and harder to quit. Or even, maybe, how to set the past to rest and find a way to move forward.

Moving and charming, The Museum of Lost and Found is about how we grow apart from some people as we grow up—and how sometimes we can find new pieces of ourselves in the aftermath.

While I received a copy of this ebook in exchange for my review, all opinions remain my own. Thank you Netgalley and ABRAMS Kids for the opportunity to read this story.

I've read other "museum" books, so I thought I knew what I was getting into, but this one was different. Vanessa finds an abandoned museum and starts using it to showcase her own collection, a collection of the former best-friendship she shared with Bailey. As these things often do, her secret didn't stay secret and her brother and then others found out. The Museum of lost and found is born. That is until the real demolition is scheduled.

The ending of this story was a good one for me. I love how the museum memory lives on in the lives of the children. Neighborhood kids creating their own museum "exhibits" to share with each other. Parts of this book were really emotional and touching for me. Remembering what it was like to be in middle school and the strength of those friendships and all the feelings. The author did an amazing job capturing that.

The Wide Window A Series of Unfortunate Events #3

The Wide Window:
A Series of Unfortunate Events #3

By: Lemony Snicket

Narrated by: the author

Listening length: 3 hours, 4 minutes 

My review: 4 stars out of  5 

Published September 16, 2004 

Read for my March 2023 Reading challenge, prompt 10: 3rd book in a series. 

Dear Reader,

If you have not read anything about the Baudelaire orphans, then before you read even one more sentence, you should know this: Violet, Klaus, and Sunny are kindhearted and quick-witted; but their lives, I am sorry to say, are filled with bad luck and misery. All of the stories about these three children are unhappy and wretched, and this one may be the worst of them all. If you haven't got the stomach for a story that includes a hurricane, a signalling device, hungry leeches, cold cucumber soup, a horrible villain, and a doll named Pretty Penny, then this book will probably fill you with despair. I will continue to record these tragic tales, for that is what I do. You, however, should decide for yourself whether you can possibly endure this miserable story.

With all due respect,

Lemony Snicket

These books are just a quick fun listen. Not that listening to stories about children being hunted down by a money hungry uncle is fun, but just the way that Snicket writes it is just enjoyable to either read or listen to. One thing I really like about this author is that he explains what some of the bigger words mean. This helps the younger readers to expand their vocabularies. Unfortunate events continue to be a series I love reading, both with and without my kids.

Bear

Bear

By Been Queen

Illustrated by Joe Todd-Stanton

Published September 2, 2020 

My rating 5 out of 5 stars 

Bear is a guide dog for the blind, and he would do anything for his best friend and owner, Patrick. But when Bear suddenly loses his own vision, he worries that he has lost his purpose! Determined to protect Patrick at all costs, Bear sets out on a quest to regain his eyesight. Along the way Bear will learn to tap into his other senses and begin to see the world from a new perspective that is at times more rich and colorful than the world he's always known. 

Writer Ben Queen (Disney/Pixar's Cars 2 and Cars 3) draws inspiration from real life stories of how memory can influence how we recall our own surroundings, and artist Joe Todd-Stanton (A Mouse Called Julian) lovingly renders an unforgettable story of one dog's grand adventure from the wooded countryside to the heart of Manhattan where he encounters new friends and discovers his true calling.

This is an illustrated story of a guide dog for a blind man. All his life, Bear (the dog) has known that he's going to have a job, he's been trained specifically to help his best friend and owner. 

One day, he wakes up without his own vision and is afraid he's lost not only his job, but his purpose in life. In this book, we follow Bear through his amazing adventure as he learns to use his other senses and "see" the world around him from a different view-point. 

The author and illustrator work together just beautifully. Bear "sees" the world around him in his mind, like the bear den he stumbles into is a den with an armchair and fireplace. It is simply a book you will have to read and see to understand. 

I was able to borrow this book from my local library using the Hoopla service, but it is for sale, available on Kindle or hardcover.

The Secret Garden - Part 1

 The Secret Garden - Part 1

Written and illustrated by: Maud Begon

Publication date: October 20, 2021

My rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars 

When Mary's parents die, she moves to England, where she is sent to a strange mansion in the middle of the Yorkshire moors, belonging to her uncle. It is here that she discovers the comfort of friendship... and a wonderful secret that she soon shares with her new companions: a garden forgotten by everyone, whose key, as if by magic, also opens the doors to broken hearts. This is a two-part graphic adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett's 1912 classic of children's literature.

This was a graphic novel adaptation of one of my favorite books as a child. It appears to only be part one as it leaves of midway through. Compared to the other version I read earlier this month, it does have a lot more details such as the details of Mary's origin, including the deaths of her parents. I found this to be helpful to the reader to understand how Mary came to be the girl to be the way she was. This book leaves off right in the middle of the story, so I hope the second half is published soon, even though I know how it ends. I only gave this book 3.5 stars because of the abrupt ending, I wish they would have just taken the time to finish the book and put it all in one edition. It is very frustrating to have an incomplete story. At least I know how it ends, I can't imagine being new to the book and being left wondering what happened to Mary, her friends and the secret garden. Maybe check out another edition to find out.

Forget Me Not

Forget Me Not

By Ellie Terry 

Narrated by Matt Godfrey and Heather Costa

Listening length 2 hours 47 minutes

Publication date March 12, 2019

My review: four out of five stars

Read for my March 2023 Reading challenge, prompt 1: Differently-abled main character. March is National Disabilities awareness month. I choose this book because the main character has Tourette's, a "hidden" disability. 

A girl tries to hide her quirks at a new school in this middle-grade novel from debut author Ellie Terry.

Astronomy-loving Calliope June has Tourette syndrome, so she sometimes makes faces or noises that she doesn't mean to make. When she and her mother move yet again, she tries to hide her TS. But it isn't long before the kids at her new school realize she's different. Only Calliope's neighbor, who is also the popular student body president, sees her as she truly is—an interesting person and a good friend. But is he brave enough to take their friendship public?

As Calliope navigates school, she must also face her mother's new relationship and the fact that they might be moving—again—just as she starts to make friends and finally accept her differences.

Partially in verse and partially in prose with two intertwined points of view, Ellie Terry's affecting debut will speak to a wide audience about being true to oneself.

This beautiful story is told part in verse, in alternating viewpoints. The story of a girl with Tourette's who has been convinced to hide her illness at new school after new school. Her and her mother have moved 10 times. The girl hopes this time she can make a best friend. I fell in love with this girl. How she clings to her hope, despite being moved over and over again. She longs to be enough for her mother, just her. Have her mom not need another boyfriend, another man in her life. This book was a beautiful story to listen to, the story flows from this narrator's mouth like a song. I just loved it.

The Grace of Wild Things

The Grace of Wild Things 

By Heather Fawcett 

Published February 14, 2023

368 pages 

My review: four out of five stars 

Read for my March 2023 Reading challenge, prompt 6: surrounded by Wilderness: takes place in, ends up in, on the cover, is about. This one starts out with a girl seemingly lost in the woods and then takes place mainly in a witch's cabin in that woods. 

An inventive and fantastical reimagining of Anne of Green Gables—with magic and witches!—that explores found family, loss, and the power of a girl's imagination, from the acclaimed author of The Language of Ghosts and The School Between Winter and Fairyland. Perfect for readers who loved The Girl Who Drank the Moon and Serafina and the Black Cloak.

Grace has never been good at anything except magic—not that anyone believes her.

While other children are adopted from the orphanage, nobody wants Grace. So she decides to make a home for herself by running away and offering herself as an apprentice to the witch in the nearby woods. After all, who better to teach Grace to use her magic? Surely the witch can’t be that bad.

But the witch is that bad—she steals souls for spells and gobbles up hearts. So Grace offers a deal: If she can learn all 100½ spells in the witch’s grimoire, the witch will make Grace her apprentice. But if Grace fails, the witch can take her magic. The witch agrees, and soon an unexpected bond develops between them.

But the spells are much harder than Grace expected, and when a monster from the witch’s past threatens the home Grace has built, she may have to sacrifice more than her magic to save it.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this book! Although I received a copy of this e-book in exchange for my review, all opinions remain my own.

This book is not what I was expecting and I'm glad. Full disclosure, I've never read Anne of Green Gables, so I don't have that to compare it to. This is said to be a reimaging of Anne, but I couldn't even tell you if it was close lol. Grace is an orphan, but she doesn't think she ever has a chance at being adopted. Not with her magic ability. So, she runs away from the orphanage to find the witch to see if she can live there, learn to be a witch from her. The reluctant witch makes a deal with Grace, learn all 100 and 1/2 spells in her grimoire, and she will train her.

This turns out to be much more than just learning and performing spells for Grace though. I loved watching her make friends in the nearby town, figure out how to use her magic, basically without the help of the witch (or anyone else for that matter) and figure out how she's going to get through this grimoire.

I loved the way this story ended. Not at all what I expected, but perfect for this tale. Overall, this book gets a solid four stars for me. There were parts that felt a little bit long, but in the end, it did tie in quite well. The only concern I would have with younger children reading this is, if they have an overactive imagination (like I did) they may have bad dreams because of some of the magic and interactions between the witch and Grace. There wasn't anything terrible, but it does lead my active mind down its own little road.

Graphic Novels

My local library has this great program called Hoopla where you can borrow digital entertainment. You can learn more about it here. Have I mentioned how much I love my local library?? Anyway, I started borrowing graphic novels with this service a few months ago. These are just a few of the titles I have borrowed recently. 

Cryptid  Club

By Sarah Andersen

112 pages 

Published September 20, 2022

My review five out of five stars 

The latest from New York Times bestselling, Goodread's Choice Award-winning, Eisner Award-nominated and Ringo award-winning author Sarah Andersen is a delightful peek into the secret social lives of some of the world's most fascinating, monstrous, and mysterious creatures.

Do you hate social gatherings? Dodge cameras? Enjoy staying up just a little too late at night? You might have more in common with your local cryptid than you think! Enter the world of Cryptid Club, a look inside the adventures of elusive creatures ranging from Mothman to the Loch Ness Monster. This humorous new series celebrates the unique qualities that make cryptids so desperately sought after by mankind (to no avail). After all, it's what makes us different that also makes us beautiful.

This book had me laughing out loud. Makes the Cryptids feel so relatable. Definitely will be buying this one for my coffee table.

The Secret Garden: A Graphic Novel 

By Mariah Marsden (adapter)

Illustrated by Hanna Luechtefeld

192 pages

Published June 15, 2021

My review five out of five stars (LOVED it!)

Green-growing secrets and powerful magic await you at Misselthwaite Manor, now reimagined in this bewitching graphic novel adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett's beloved tale. From Mariah Marsden, author of the critically acclaimed Anne of Green Gables: A Graphic Novel, comes the second installment in this series of retold children's classics.

Ten-year-old Mary Lennox arrives at a secluded estate on the Yorkshire moors with a scowl and a chip on her shoulder. First, there's Martha Sowerby: the too-cheery maid with bothersome questions who seems out of place in the dreary manor. Then there's the elusive Uncle Craven, Mary's only remaining family--whom she's not permitted to see. And finally, there are the mysteries that seem to haunt the run-down place: rumors of a lost garden with a tragic past, and a midnight wail that echoes across the moors at night.

As Mary begins to explore this new world alongside her ragtag companions--a cocky robin redbreast, a sour-faced gardener, and a boy who can talk to animals--she learns that even the loneliest of hearts can grow roots in rocky soil.

Given new life as a graphic novel in illustrator Hanna Luechtefeld's whimsical style, The Secret Garden is more enchanting and relevant than ever before.

Just a beautiful little book. It is a graphic novel retelling of The Secret Garden. I loved the book as a child and love this graphic novel. The pictures are simple, colorful and stunning. Planning on purchasing this book to keep on my shelf just to flip through and look at occasionally. It makes me happy just looking at the pictures and reading the beautiful story.

The List

The List by Patricia Forde

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions remain my own.

In the city of Ark, speech is constrained to five hundred sanctioned words. Speak outside the approved lexicon and face banishment. The exceptions are the Wordsmith and his apprentice Letta, the keepers and archivists of all language in their post-apocalyptic, neo-medieval world.

On the death of her master, Letta is suddenly promoted to Wordsmith, charged with collecting and saving words. But when she uncovers a sinister plan to suppress language and rob Ark’s citizens of their power of speech, she realizes that it’s up to her to save not only words, but culture itself.

Letta is the main character in this book. She is the wordsmith's (basically word keeper) apprentice.

I loved following her journey through this story. From the naïve girl to the one beginning to see the error of Ark's ways. Seeing how she learns things and grows. The way that she is torn between what she's grown up knowing and what she is being presented with. It all felt very real. It is definitely aimed for a bit of a younger reader. The language is simple, but not overly so. It was a captivating story that kept pulling me back into the world of Ark. To me, it was a different spin on the end of the world stories. The more I think on this book, the more I love it. 

View all my reviews

The Fearless Travelers' Guide to Wicked Places

The Fearless Travelers' Guide to Wicked Places by Pete Begler

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Although I received a copy of this ebook from the publisher, all opinions are my own.

Twelve-year-old Nell Perkins knows there is magic at work that she can’t yet understand. Her mother has been taken by witches and turned into a bird. Nell must journey to get her mother back, even if it takes her deep into the Wicked Places — the frightening realm where Nightmares resides. There she must break the spell and stop the witches from turning our world into a living nightmare.

This book was seriously amazing. The writing paints such a vivid picture that I could actually see what was happening. You can see the characters developing from children to fearless travelers, especially the main character, Nell. But you can see it in other characters too. I genuinely hope this book has more to come, but even if it doesn't, the book is amazing standing all on its own. Another thing I wish this book had was some images, even just at the beginning of each chapter. I think it would add to the already amazing imagery.

If you have the opportunity to read this book, I seriously recommend it.

Review: Mockingbird in Mark Twain's Hat

"Mockingbird in Mark Twain’s Hat, is an adventure story full of animals that talk. Wynne is a precocious mockingbird born in the rural south in the late 1800s. His whole family are singers, but at four days old, he wants to be a novelist just like his hero, Mark Twain. When crows attack his nest, he’s swept away on an epic adventure along the Mississippi River. Wynne learns to read and write, makes new friends in surprising places, and is mentored by Mark Twain himself. Full of delightful quotes from Mark Twain, this novel for children ages 8-12 shines with important lessons of character, perseverance, love, and the importance of friendship."

As you see in the blurb, this story is a "coming of age" tale with a mockingbird as the main character. You follow Wynne through her adventures and even meeting a famous someone! The story included several quotes that I found the need to highlight in my pdf version (wish I could share them here, but you will have to read for yourself and see if you can guess which ones!)

There is a part of the book that mentions slavery and follows a man who was a slave briefly. I love that this author didn't try to skirt around the problem of slavery that existed in the 1800s. It gives you the opportunity to discuss this issue with your children.

I felt like the end came too quickly and really wanted to read more about Wynne's journey but overall this was a wonderful book. I would have no problems sharing this with my girls.

While I received a copy of this book in exchange for a review, all opinions remain my own.

Armstrong & Charlie

Charlie isn’t looking forward to sixth grade. If he starts sixth grade, chances are he’ll finish it. And when he does, he’ll grow older than the brother he recently lost. Armstrong isn’t looking forward to sixth grade, either. When his parents sign him up for Opportunity Busing to a white school in the Hollywood Hills, all he wants to know is "What time in the morning will my alarm clock have the opportunity to ring?" When these two land at the same desk, it's the Rules Boy next to the Rebel, a boy who lost a brother elbow-to-elbow with a boy who longs for one.

From September to June, arms will wrestle, fists will fly, and bottles will spin. There'll be Ho Hos spiked with hot sauce, sleepovers, boy talk about girls, and a little guidance from the stars.
Set in Los Angeles in the 1970s, Armstrong and Charlie is the hilarious, heartwarming tale of two boys from opposite worlds, Different, yet the same.

Although I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher (via netgalley) all opinions remain my own.

My review: 5 out of 5 stars

I thought this book was wonderful. Giving us a view of what it was like right after the segregation ended, when they were busing inner-city black children into the outlying "white" schools. I had never read a story like this one. It was quite amazing to me to see the struggle both sides of this story had.

I loved the characters. Even the pain in the butt (at least at first) Armstrong was, in the end, a quite likable boy. You get to know the things that made him the person he is. And then there is Charlie, another boy with a deep history. It is interesting to see how the boys interact. You also see how Armstrong is treated by other students, staff and even the families of the white school students.

This book finished quite open, but still enough closure with the ending of the school year. Seriously a book that makes you think about things.

Sunborn Rising: Beneath The Fall

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Discover award winning author Aaron Safronoff’s lavishly illustrated, all-ages fantasy novel Sunborn Rising: Beneath the Fall. "Stunning. Awe-inspiring. Revolutionary… an instant fantasy classic” [BlueInk Review].

Cerulean is on the brink of collapse. The decay wasn’t fast, it wasn’t obvious, but now the world stands on the precipice.

Woven forests floating on an ocean around a star, Cerulean’s once vibrant treescape has grown dim over generations of arboreal life, and the creatures of the forest have forgotten the light.

Barra, a young, willful Listlespur, finds her late father's hidden journal, and reads about his discovery of Cerulean’s brighter past and the mysterious plague he believed has all but destroyed it. He warned the Elders. He urged them to take action. Those were his last words…

Together with her two best friends, Barra will rekindle her father’s legacy and traverse the Great Forest to relight her world, even if she has to travel beneath the Fall.

To fully realize Safronoff’s incredible world building, an amazing team of artists helped visualize the depths and magic of Cerulean through 40 full color pieces of art and over 80 line drawings. This illustrated fantasy novel, Sunborn Rising: Beneath the Fall, is available on Kindle and in Paperback and Hardcover editions. (Note: If reading on an e-ink device, color illustrations will be grayscale).

My review: five out of five stars

Overall, I LOVED this book. The story was full of adventure and fantasy. There were full color illustrations scattered through the book as well as some smaller sketch type ones. I loved having the pictures to go along with the story. Things are a bit different then I would have imagined in my head. The picture below is just one of MANY images in this book. Stunningly detailed, colorful and beautiful.



There were a chunk of the text that jumped out at me. I actually took a picture of the text, just so I could re-read it.

"Every achievement, every festival, and every birthday he spent without her was painful. Her absence had grown slowly, and he'd become disinterested in everything. He'd even started believing that he'd died with her and wished he had sometimes. Tory had been angry with his father for getting over her before he did and they fought once, just one time about it. 

Tory remembered the fight well. After he'd yelled his accusations, his father responded with severe calm: I don't miss her any less than you. I don't grieve her loss any less than you. I just remember HER instead of the moment she left. It'd been hard to hear. Tory realized that he'd allowed her death to become more important than her life, and it bothered him that he'd let that happen. He wished he's thanked his father for those words, but he hadn't yet, and now he was worried he'd never get the chance."

The connection I felt with this character's loss was incredible. Even now I am left wondering how Safronoff captured that feeling so vividly.

I give this book a solid five stars. It was a wonderful intro Cerulean. Cannot wait to read the next instillation.

You can learn more about this book and  Aaron Safronoff, the author, visit the website here.

Wonder

I won’t describe what I look like. Whatever you’re thinking, it’s probably worse.

August Pullman was born with a facial difference that, up until now, has prevented him from going to a mainstream school. Starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep, he wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kid—but his new classmates can’t get past Auggie’s extraordinary face. Wonder, begins from Auggie’s point of view, but soon switches to include his classmates, his sister, her boyfriend, and others.

This book has been on my radar awhile. It's the story of a boy with "a terrible facial abnormality." You get the medical term later in the book, but it doesn't mean anything to most people. 

I have been following the blog of a woman whose daughter has had some facial surgeries. This made the book feel a lot more real to me. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The struggles that August deals with are very real. Even kids who aren't severely deformed get teased, I can't even imagine having a child who looked like that or being one!

This story was a look at his first year of school. He had never been before because his mom home-schooled him. In this book, the school goes above and beyond to make him more comfortable and feel welcome. But kids, being as they are, aren't that friendly toward him. Seeing the struggles he goes through and the joy he still has is wonderful. It was real to life, you could see the struggles that he was having and also how it hurt him for people to treat him differently. I loved that this book ends the way it does. Not going to give it away, but it gave me closure and left me feeling like there could more stories about August in his future. I one hundred percent loved this book. Whole heartedly recommend to everyone who has ever been a kid or has a kid.

Sorry I'm Not Sorry

Bullies aren’t born mean—through the vicious cycle of mean, bullies are made.

According to the Ambassadors 4 Kids Club, one out of every four students is bullied—and 85% of these situations never receive intervention. Parents, students, and teachers have amped up solving the bullying problem for a networked generation of kids.

Written by bestselling author Nancy Rue, each book in the Mean Girl Makeover trilogy focuses on a different character’s point of view: the bully, the victim, and the bystander. The books show solid biblical solutions to the bullying problem set in a story for tween girls.

Sorry I’m Not Sorry tells the story of Kylie Steppe, former queen bee of Gold Country Middle School. After bullying a fellow GCMS student, Kylie has been expelled—and she has to attend mandatory counseling. Without her posse to aid her and other peers to torment, Kylie focuses on the person who stole her GVMS popularity crown: Tori Taylor. As Kylie plots revenge on Tori, she attends therapy sessions, where she reveals a few details that might explain why she finds power in preying on her middle school peers. After a rough year with bullying backfire, will Kylie decide to become more empathetic with her peers?

It's hard for tweens to imagine why a bully acts the way she does. Sorry I’m Not Sorry shows girls that they hold the power to stop bullying through mutual understanding and acts of love.

I received this book in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

My rating: four of five stars

This book was wonderful. A story of bullying from the perspective of the bully. It is actually book three in the "Mean Girl Makeover" series. That being said, you don't really get a great look at the situation that this book starts from. I assume it is in books one and two. This story starts with a meeting between Kylie (the main character), the school administrators and her parents.

Kylie does't see what she's being doing as bullying. She thinks other girls are just jealous of her. To try and appeal her expulsion from school, she is jumping through the principal's hoops. Weekly she meets with Lydia (a counselor) and daily volunteers at a summer day camp, helping underprivileged kids with dance. expelled from school.

Over the summer, Kylie begins to change. In the process, she becomes the victim of bullying herself. The girls who were her friends now are blaming her for everything that happened and retaliating by posting horrible photo-shopped pictures to instagram.

This book is a great one for the tweens and teens. Many will be victims of bullying or be bullies themselves. I highly recommend this book to parents of young girls. I plan on getting the series to share with my girls.

Seaside

Every boy in Seaside wants to be one of Blackbeard's Boys. From the time ten year old Robert Grace O'Malley could hold his very first fishing pole, it was all he thought about. Every captain of every ship had been one, and now he was well on his way. That is, until he meets Walter, the young octopus who will change his life forever. 

In Seaside, Wylde Scott takes you on an exciting voyage through a fairy-tale fishing village and a pivotal moment in the life of two unexpected friends. An adventurous story perfect for young readers graduating into their first novels or parents reading their little ones to sleep, it's a book that's bound to be a staple in every family's library for years to come.

I received a copy of this book in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

My rating: four out of five stars

This book is written in alternating points of view of the boy, Robert and a young octopus Walter. I found this book quite interesting, even though it was aimed at younger readers. Robert just wants to be one of blackbeard's boys. Walter is just trying to save his mother.

The story of the two characters becomes entwined. While everyone else in town is terrified of the eight-legged creature, Robert ends up helping him. The story took a few twists I wasn't really expecting. I found this book to be a quick fun read, probably one I will share with my girls.

The book also has quite a few illustrations that are just beautiful. They are in black and white but are detailed and wonderful! In the e-book they seemed to come out of nowhere, splitting sentences even, but I am sure this will be fixed in the final version.

Franny & Toby

It's a book such as Roald Dahl might have written - suitable for intelligent children, while also containing much to delight their parents. 

Franny is one of the rarest of cats, for she is a cat who can read. She and her brother, Toby, are the new cats on the block. Their "bean" (human "owner") doesn't let them go outside at first. When they finally get to go out, they make friends with other animals in the neighborhood: the cats next door (Highlanders Rainbow, Bay, and their TV-addicted brother Moo-Cow, who never comes outside); the cats across the street (Elbee and her three "kits," Larry, Curly, and Moe, who are from the Southlands and arrived the year before as refugees from the Southie Wars); MacAdam the roadrunner; and Bunny the Free Range Rabbit. Inventive, magical and exciting, Franny & Toby is that rare story that gently teaches us that friendship and tolerance make our world a better place - and that a little education goes a long way when life becomes an adventure. Also, it has sky-swimmers. Sky-swimmers! 

Beautifully crafted by a master storyteller, it's exactly the sort of book every child should read - and one that kids of every age will love. With illustrations by wonderfully talented Perth-based artist Liselle Powell - Just Add White @ Facebook.

I received a copy of this book in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is written from the point of view of Franny the cat. Her and her brother Toby end up on an amazing adventure. I loved reading this. Felt very lifelike. I actually felt like I could be walking in Franny's feet, or should I say paws!? Personally, I think this would be a great one to read to younger kiddos or for a young reader to try on their own. There were a few bigger words that might trip them up, but overall the language was super easy to read and follow. I give this one four stars.

Pet Shop Heroes

In a small pet shop near you live four animals with superpowers, but they can't be adopted. Grace the Guinea Pig, Carmine the Chameleon, Petruchio the Puppy, and Kitty the Cat have something else to do--they save the world! When an evil snake in a City near you tries to take over the world, the Pet Shop Heroes jump to action. Can they save the day?

Pet Shop Heroes is intended for children ages 4-8. Full of humor, adventure and superheroes, this title is perfect for any library or classroom.

I was given a copy of this ebook in exchange for my review. All opinions remain my own. 

My rating: four of five stars

I was actually given this book by the publisher after I reviewed the soon to be published Lazy Cat Hero: Rise of the Nap (a review of that is coming closer to it's December 11 release date). He recommend this and a couple other books. 

This is a children's chapter book, easy enough for my fourth grader to read (with ease) and even my slower second grader to read with some help. Plus, it was only 60 pages, so it was quick enough that they didn't feel like we were reading the same book for weeks on end.

The characters in this book were fun to follow. The puppy, Petruchio, gets excited and puts the wrong words in his sentences which made the girls laugh every time. We also really liked that they had drawings every other page. The drawings were almost penciled but amazing. One last thing that mom appreciated was that they had a couple instances where they used scientific method to solve problems. Helps reiterate what they learn in school.

Overall we give this book four out of five stars. Would be a great addition to any library or children's bookshelf.

The Adventures of Miss Petitfour

The magical adventures of an eccentric Mary Poppins-esque heroine and her flying feline charges, sure to charm readers big and small. The first book for children by an internationally acclaimed novelist and poet.

Miss Petitfour enjoys having adventures that are "just the right size - fitting into a single, magical day." She is an expert at baking and eating fancy iced cakes, and her favorite mode of travel is par avion. On windy days, she takes her sixteen cats out for an airing: Minky, Misty, Taffy, Purrsia, Pirate, Mustard, Moutarde, Hemdela, Earring, Grigorovitch, Clasby, Captain Captain, Captain Catkin, Captain Cothespin, Your Shyness and Sizzles. With the aid of her favorite tea party tablecloth as a makeshift balloon, Miss Petitfour and her charges fly over her village, having many little adventures along the way. 

Join Miss Petitfour and her equally eccentric felines on five magical outings -- a search for marmalade, to a spring jumble sale, on a quest for "birthday cheddar", the retrieval of a lost rare stamp and as they compete in the village's annual Festooning Festival. A whimsical, beautifully illustrated collection of tales that celebrates language, storytelling and small pleasures, especially the edible kind!

I received a copy of this book in return for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

My rating: four of five stars

This book was so fun to read. It has several shorter stories, kind of like a chapter book. In each story, Miss Petitfour has an adventure with her cats. She has a bunch of them. And she flies with her tablecloths. It's quite fun to read about their adventures in flying and there are also some pretty adorable pictures that go along with the story. Even though this is a book aimed at younger kids, I found myself being pulled in by the charming Miss Petitfour. This is sure to be a win in any house with cat-loving kids.

Overall, this book gets four paw prints from me.