Book Review: Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Wrath of the Triple Goddess

Wrath of the Triple Goddess by Rick Riordan

Wrath of the Triple Goddess (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #7)
by Rick Riordan (Goodreads Author)

5 out of 5 stars

Percy needs three recommendation letters from three gods in order to get into college with Annabeth next year. So he teams up with Annabeth and Grover for a few last quests to earn those godly recommendation letters. Their second task is to pet-sit a polecat and hellhound for the scary triple goddess, Hecate. These pets are terrifying and wild, and Hecate’s home is a creepy mansion full of secrets and weird bathrooms. The pets do not look friendly, but Percy is determined to follow Hecate’s instructions and keep the pets alive and well for the entire week. All while trying to pass his regular school classes and graduate senior year.

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Book Review: The Lemonade War

The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies

The Lemonade War
by Jacqueline Davies

4 out of 5 stars

A brother and sister start a competition to see who can make the most money running a lemonade stand. Evan is extroverted and popular. He loves to talk to people, and is great at getting customers to stop and buy lemonade. But Jessie is a math genius, and she knows how to organize the business for optimal sales. They are both determined to win and prove that they are the best, but underneath they just want to repair their relationship.

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Manga Review: Record of Lodoss War, Crown of the Covenant, Vol. 1-2

Record of Lodoss War by Atsushi Suzumi

Record of Lodoss War: The Crown of the Covenant Volume 1
by Atsushi Suzumi

3 out of 5 stars

Prince Lyle is on a quest to find the legendary high elf, Deedlit, hoping that she can stop a war from starting among the island nations. The ruler of each nation is magically bound to a covenant of peace when they are crowned with a special magic crown. However, their lords and nobles are not bound by any promise of peace, nor are their royal descendants who refuse the crown. War is looming on the island, and armies are mobilizing. Prince Lyle will do anything to stop the bloodshed, and his siblings have some plans of their own.

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Book Review: Shermy and Shake, The Not So New Kid

Shermy and Shake, the Not-So-New Kid by Kirby Larson

Shermy and Shake, the Not-So-New Kid
by  Kirby Larson (Goodreads Author), Shinji Fujioka (Illustrator)

4 out of 5 stars

Shermy likes to have things orderly and quiet, but Shake is loud and chaotic. When Shake joins Shermy’s class at school, their friendship is tested. Shake is popular and extroverted, but Shermy wishes he could be a leader in the class. Through school work, sports, and holidays, these two friends will have to find a way to communicate and be patient with each other.

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Book Review: Ava Lin, Best Friend!

Ava Lin by Vicky Fang

Ava Lin: Best Friend
by Vicky Fang (Goodreads Author)

4 out of 5 stars

Ava Lin is determined to find a best friend when she starts first grade. She thinks that maybe one girl in her class might be a possible friend, but then they have a misunderstanding about a sparkly plastic jewel. Ava Lin just wants someone to hang out with and make beautiful notebooks, but somehow everything seems to go wrong. She gets a special pebble stuck in her ear. She finds some little treasures but leaves them in her pockets when her clothes go in the wash. She gets in trouble at lunch. Ava Lin thinks school is a big mess, but maybe she could still find a best friend.

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Book Review: Three Tasks for a Dragon

Three Tasks for a Dragon by Eoin Colfer

Three Tasks for a Dragon
by Eoin Colfer, P.J. Lynch (Illustrator)

4.5 out of 5 stars

The Queen will banish Prince Lir from the kingdom unless he can complete a quest and rescue a maiden from the dragon. His stepbrother, Prince Delbayne, encourages him to try the quest, even though Lir is more of a scholar than a warrior. Lir travels to the Isle of Salt where he finds the dragon sickly and weak in a damp and moldy cavern. The dragon has lost his fire and his wing is broken, but he could still kill a knight with one slash of his claws. The maiden Cethlenn used to be a servant girl in Lir’s kingdom. Now she has to serve the dragon by treading on dark cherries in the wine press to make the dragon’s cherry wine. So the scholarly knight, the humble maiden, and the old dragon meet for the first time. These three unlikely allies will discover that dark magic is hiding where they least expect it, so they must join together if they want to be free.

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Book Review: The Other Shepards

The Other Shepards by Adele Griffin

The Other Shepards
by Adele Griffin (Goodreads Author)

2.5 out of 5 stars
Sisters Geneva and Holland are constantly living in the shadow of their deceased siblings, who died before they were born. Everyone they meet has a story about the siblings, and the girls can’t seem to grow up in their own way without everyone comparing them to their deceased older siblings. Annie is a painter who comes to their home to help them paint a mural in the kitchen. Geneva and Holland find a freedom in her company, and she encourages them to express themselves and begin to heal.

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Book Review: Missionary Stories from Around the World

Missionary Stories From Around the World by Betty Swinford

Missionary Stories From Around the World (Biography)
by Betty Swinford

4 out of 5 stars

I love stories about missionaries around the world, because I grew up as a missionary kid on the mission field. These stories really hit home for me, because I have had similar things happen in my own life. Just like these stories, I’ve also seen God’s hand at work to protect and provide for my family. Just like these missionaries, I’ve also known the exquisite joy of seeing souls reborn in Christ and the absolute transformation of their lives in a new Christian community.

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Book Review: The Giant Rat of Sumatra

The Giant Rat of Sumatra by Sid Fleischman

The Giant Rat of Sumatra: or Pirates Galore
by Sid Fleischman, John Hendrix (Illustrator)

3.5 out of 5 stars
A pirate ship rescues a boy from a shipwreck, and he becomes their new cabin boy. Nicknamed “Shipwreck”, he has a tenuous loyalty to the pirates, because they saved his life, but he is looking for an opportunity to leave them and make his way home on a trade ship. The pirate captain announces his intention to give up piracy and take up ranching just outside of San Diego, but the Mexicans are at war with America and the political climate is very unstable. Shipwreck has to rely on the captain for safety from bandits and the town militia, and the captain entrusts his greatest treasure to Shipwreck.

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Book Review: The Pinchers and the Diamond Heist

The Pinchers and the Diamond Heist by Anders Sparring

The Pinchers and the Diamond Heist
by Anders Sparring, Per Gustavsson (Illustrator), Julia Marshall (Translator)

4 out of 5 stars

The Pincher family are all thieves and liars. They love to steal and cheat, except for Theo who gets a stomachache if he tries to tell a lie or do anything dishonest. It doesn’t help that their next-door neighbor is a policeman! When Mr. and Mrs. Pincher leave Theo and his sister at home for the evening, Theo worries that they might be planning to steal the famous diamond on exhibit at the museum. His sister drags Theo along to visit their grandmother in jail, and they stage a prison escape and go looking for the diamond themselves.

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