Author: LuminousLibro

Book Review: The Infamous Ratsos Live in Concert

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The Infamous Ratsos Live! In Concert! by Kara LaReau

The Infamous Ratsos Live! In Concert!
by  Kara LaReau (Author), Matt Myers (Illustrator)

4 out of 5 stars

The Ratso brothers, Louie and Ralphie, start up a charity concert with their friends to help raise money to repair the playground. But Chad Badgerton makes fun of them for their glittery costumes and silly dance moves. Ralphie is nervous about the concert. He loves the music they are singing, but is not sure if he wants to wear the costumes. Louie and the others help Ralphie to have the courage to like what he likes, and not worry about what other people think.

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Book Review: Loki A Bad God’s Guide to Taking the Blame

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Loki by Louie Stowell

Loki: A Bad God’s Guide to Taking the Blame
by Louie Stowell

4 out of 5 stars

Loki has been banished from Asgard. Odin has given Loki the form of an 11-year-old human, and sent Thor, Heimdall, and Hyrrokkin (also in the form of humans) to keep an eye on him. Loki must learn to be good and keep a record of his good or bad deeds in a magical journal. In this second book of the series, Loki is trying to make some new friends, but he goes about it in all the wrong ways.

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Book Review: The Book of Night with Moon

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The Book of Night with Moon by Diane Duane

The Book of Night with Moon (Cats of Grand Central, #1)
by Diane Duane (Goodreads Author)

2 out of 5 stars

In this spin-off from the Young Wizards series, we follow a group of cat wizards in the same world, meeting some of the same characters from So You Want to Be a Wizard. This book includes spoilers for Book 4 of the Young Wizards series, High Wizardry.

This book has much more adult content than the Young Wizards series. There were a lot of mentions about cats being in heat and tomcats competing for sexual favor. The cats overhear mice in the walls having sex, and at one point the cats stop outside a window like disgusting proverbial peeping toms and watch humans having sex.
There is also a lot more graphic violence in this book than in the Young Wizards series. There were disembowelments, drownings, and guts and blood and cannibalism. All very descriptively described.

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Board Book Reviews: Sunny Days and Snow Days

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Sunny Days by Deborah Kerbel

Sunny Days
by Deborah Kerbel (Author), Miki Sato (Illustrations)

5 out of 5 stars

From dawn to the setting sun, children enjoy the beautiful sunshine! The sun helps a seed to grow. The sun puts freckles on our cheeks. The sun makes the ocean waves “flash and glimmer”. The evening sun makes the shadows stretch long. And finally, a beautiful pink sunset closes the day and it’s time for bed.

Snow Days by Deborah Kerbel

Snow Days
by Deborah Kerbel 

5 out of 5 stars

From the first snow of Winter to the last slushy melt of Spring, the different types of snow are perfect for children to play in! The children can make snow angels, skate on the ice, build snow forts and snowmen, and have a snowball fight. But some types of snow are not so fun, like sleet and hail. It’s difficult to shovel snow off the driveway. Even so, it certainly is lovely to see all the holiday lights sparkling on a blanket of snow.

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Picture Books from Tiger Tales

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Agent Llama: Double Trouble
by Angela Woolfe, Duncan Beedie (Illustrator)

5 out of 5 stars

Charlie is a fabulous spy. She is hot on the trail of evil drones that are shooting meatballs and pasta noodles at cities all over the world. People are drowning in tomato sauce, but Charlie will save the day! She surfs through dangerous waters. She climbs the cliffs of a volcano. Her teddy bear has a laser gun inside. She outwits the bad guys, and does it all with style.

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Classic Book Review: Olive

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Olive by Dinah Maria Mulock Craik

Olive
by Dinah Maria Mulock Craik

4.5 out of 5 stars
Olive is born with a deformity in her spine. Her parents are devastated to have a humpback child, but try to show Olive compassion. Her childhood is peaceful, but as Olive grows up she begins to realize that she will never be able to live like other people. She is unlikely to ever marry or have a family. Uneducated and without resources, Olive must lean on her faith to help her through the difficulties of her life. She finds solace in nature and art, and in supporting her friends and family with a patient and kind spirit.

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Classic Book Review: The Mayor of Casterbridge

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The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy

The Mayor of Casterbridge
by Thomas Hardy

4 out of 5 stars

In a drunken rage, Henchard sells his wife and baby daughter to a sailor for five guineas. Once he is sober, Henchard bitterly repents of his deed and searches for his wife and child, but to no avail. Over the passing years, Henchard’s fortunes change and he becomes a successful businessman and mayor of the town of Casterbridge. He is well-respected and lives a peaceful life, until his wife returns with a teenage daughter, Elizabeth-Jane, and his old secrets begin to haunt him.

I love Hardy’s writing style! He really knows how to tell a dramatic story in a beautiful rural setting. There is something so vivid and immediate in his writing that draws you into the emotions of every scene.

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Classic Poetry Review: The Lady of the Lake

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The Lady of the Lake
by Sir Walter Scott

5 out of 5 stars

As a result of a feud between her father and King James, Ellen Douglas must live a secluded life in hiding on a small island in a Scottish loch. There she meets the mysterious James Fitz-James, a knight who has lost his hunting party in the highlands. Ellen is distressed by the romantic intentions of two highland lords, Malcolm Graeme and Roderick Dhu. Her father, the Douglas, refuses to lead his clan into war with King James, but Roderick Dhu calls together an army for a bloody battle.

I loved this beautiful poetry! There is such a wonderful balance in the writing between flowery phrases and powerful emotions and good plain storytelling. All these things come together for a delightful reading experience.

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Picture Book Review: Scrap Metal Swan

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Scrap Metal Swan by Joanne Linden

Scrap Metal Swan
by Joanne Linden (Goodreads Author)

4 out of 5 stars

The people of the town gather to help clean up the river. They pull trash and old junk out of the water, recycling most of it. An artist takes some of the scrap metal for a special project; she will sculpt a beautiful statue of a swan from all the old bits of scrap metal! When the artist unveils the lovely swan, other artists get inspired to do the same. Soon the park has many lovely statues made from old repurposed junk. The river is clean, and the townspeople are proud of their new statue park.

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