book review

Book Review: Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas

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Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas by Stephanie Barron

Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas (Jane Austen Mysteries #12)
by Stephanie Barron

4 out of 5 stars

Jane, Cassandra, and their mother, Mrs. Austen, are visiting their old country parsonage where Jane’s brother, James, is now residing. They visit the Chute family at their estate for the Christmas festivities, but a military messenger is found dead, thrown from his horse. Jane thinks it must be murder, and one of the other guests, an artist, agrees with her.

The best part of this story is learning about the Regency Christmas traditions, games, food, parties, and other family habits at Christmastime!

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Book Review: The League of Seven

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The League of Seven by Alan Gratz

The League of Seven (The League of Seven, #1)
by Alan Gratz (Goodreads Author), Brett Helquist (Illustrator)

3.5 out of 5 stars

Archie’s parents are part of the Septemberist Society, a secret organization that has kept evil monsters locked away for centuries. When the Swarm Queen begins to awaken out of her prison, Archie’s parents are kidnapped and brainwashed to release the monster. Archie and his robot servant have to unravel the secrets of the ancient civilizations that imprisoned all the monsters in the first place. Along the way, Archie befriends two other children who are also searching for answers… and revenge.

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Book Review: The Maze in the Heart of the Castle

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The Maze in the Heart of the Castle by Dorothy Gilman

The Maze in the Heart of the Castle
by Dorothy Gilman

5 out of 5 stars

When his parents die unexpectedly, Colin goes searching for answers. He hears of a mysterious wise man who guards the entrance to a maze. Colin enters the maze, accepting the challenge to find a new country where his questions will be answered and his grief assuaged. Along an arduous journey, he meets people who have given up in despair, those who have turned to evil, and those who are willing to help him and guide him through the maze. But ultimately, Colin must answer his own heart and find the inner strength to endure.

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Book Review: Kenilworth

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Kenilworth by Walter Scott

Kenilworth
by Walter Scott

4 out of 5 stars

Robert Dudley, the Earl of Lancashire, has a secret marriage with Amy Robsart. He is keeping it hidden from Queen Elizabeth I, hoping to win favor at court and perhaps a crown of his own. His lies are supported by his evil servant, Varney, who schemes on his behalf. Together they keep Amy locked up at Cumnor Place, hiding her from the world. The noble Tressilian discovers their plots and tries to assist Amy, but she loves her husband and won’t move against him. At court, Walter Raleigh gains the favor of the Queen, and famously lays down his cloak over the mud for her. Tressilian tries to present a case against the Earl of Lancashire at court, but his plans are foiled by the scheming Varney.

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Book Review: Griffin’s Castle

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Griffin's Castle by Jenny Nimmo

Griffin’s Castle
by Jenny Nimmo

3 out of 5 stars

Dinah and her mother move into a dilapidated old house, where Dinah discovers a small griffin statue. She names the house the Griffin’s Castle, and hopes that they will be able to stay forever. But her mother is not exactly reliable, and the landlord can’t stand children. Dinah notices animal statues in the city, wishing that they could protect her new home. The misty spirit of a lioness statue follows Dinah home, and Dinah can see and feel the lioness even though no one else can. Soon, more of the animals statues begin to follow Dinah home, and they become so real that others can feel their presence. Dinah’s friends at school are worried about her. Are the animals really protecting the house, or are they imprisoning Dinah within the crumbling walls?

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Book Review: Jane and the Canterbury Tale

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Jane and the Canterbury Tale by Stephanie Barron

Jane and the Canterbury Tale (Jane Austen Mysteries, #11)
by Stephanie Barron

3 out of 5 stars

Jane is visiting her brother Edward at his large estate. Their acquaintance Adelaide Fisk is getting married again, but her previous husband shows up on her wedding day… dead. He was thought to have died abroad years ago, but his murdered body is discovered adjacent to Edward’s property. As the magistrate, Edward must investigate – with Jane to help, of course!

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Book Review: Basil in Mexico

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Basil in Mexico by Eve Titus

Basil in Mexico (Basil of Baker Street, #4)
by Eve Titus, Paul Galdone (Illustrator)

5 out of 5 stars

Basil is the Sherlock Holmes of the mouse world. He listens in on the cases of the great Sherlock Holmes at 221B Baker Street, to learn at the feet of the master. Then Basil can use that knowledge to solve mysteries among the mice of the world. In this book, Basil and his trusty sidekick Dawson are on their way to Mexico to investigate the theft of a famous painting.

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Book Review: The Red Thread

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The Red Thread by Roderick Townley

The Red Thread
by Roderick Townley

3.5 out of 5 stars

Dana has disturbing dreams about a boy being murdered centuries in the past. Her psychologist hypnotizes her to help access memories from her previous life, and discover the origin of the nightmares. Dana begins to realize that people from her past lives are still nearby, involved in her modern-day life. Her father and mother, her little brother, her boyfriend, and even her rival at school might all be reincarnations of people she knew in her past lives… and one of them is a murderer.

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Series Review: Moongobble and Me

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The Dragon of Doom by Bruce Coville

The Dragon of Doom (Moongobble and Me, #1)
by Bruce Coville, Katherine Coville (Illustrator)

4 out of 5 stars

Edward becomes the assistant to a new magician who just moved into a cottage outside of the village. But Moongobble is not a very good magician. He is still learning magic and hoping to be admitted into the exclusive magician’s guild. He has to complete several quests in order to prove his worth to the other magicians, and Edward is coming along to help!

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Book Review: Bachelor’s Bounty

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Bachelor's Bounty by Grace S. Richmond

Bachelor’s Bounty
by Grace S. Richmond

5 out of 5 stars

Scott is under doctor’s orders to spend a quiet summer in the country, away from all the drunken parties of the city that are ruining his health. Scott sees a picturesque little house in a small town and decides to buy it. His next-door neighbors are an invalid gentleman and his intelligent daughter, Barbara. They strike up a casual friendship, and talk about books and philosophy and religion. But then Caroline, an old flame from his society days, shows up with her little six-year-old son. Caroline insists that Scott must care for the boy (since Scott is his godfather) while Caroline travels abroad seeking out her romantic interest. Scott’s peaceful country life is thrown into turmoil, especially because he worries what the neighbors might think – especially one particularly lovely neighbor.

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