book review

Book Review: Shadows

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Shadows by Robin McKinley

Shadows
by Robin McKinley
Kailey (Luminous Libro)‘s reviewOct 28, 2021  ·  edit
really liked itbookshelves: owned-books, books-read-in-2021

Maggie lives in an urban society that has outlawed the use of magic. When the fabric of the dimensions begins to collapse, and holes in reality start to appear, the government tries to use science to deal with the problem.
When Maggie meets her new stepfather for the first time, she knows he is involved in some kind of powerful magic, because he is surrounded by wisps of shadow that loom in the darkness. The shadows seem to move about on their own, wiggling and changing with every mood.

I loved the magical urban setting in this book! It’s very modern, with cars and cellphones, but the history of the world includes magic, passed down by genetics through certain families. The world-building has such great depth, and it was so interesting learning all about the magic system.

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Non Fiction Book Review: Everything You Need to Ace English Language Arts

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Everything You Need to Ace English Language Arts in One Big F... by Jen Haberling

Everything You Need to Ace English Language Arts in One Big Fat Notebook: The Complete Middle School Study Guide
by Jen Haberling (Editor), Elizabeth Irwin (Contributor)
5 out of 5 stars

This book really does have everything you need to know about reading, writing, and understanding the English language. There are chapters about Grammar, Language, Reading Fiction and Non Fiction, and Writing. It covers the basics of sentence structure, clauses, and figurative language, and also explores plot structure, character development, textual analysis, and how to write a convincing argument and present the facts correctly.

Don’t be fooled by the “middle school” label. This is information that most college students and adults have probably forgotten and would need to review (or learn for the first time because they missed it in grade school.) This would be a very helpful resource to anyone who wants to write, or who just wants to get better at understanding what they read.

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Non Fiction Book Review: Brain Quest Pre-K

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Brain Quest Workbook by Liane Onish

Brain Quest Workbook: Pre-K
by Liane Onish
5 out of 5 stars

This book has colorful activity pages for young children to review their knowledge of the alphabet, colors, shapes, numbers, and basic words. Once the book is complete, you get an award certificate. There is a cute alphabet poster included that you can put up on the wall to review throughout the school year. And there is a whole sheet of alphabet stickers too!

The sections are mostly the alphabet and numbers, colors and shapes. But some sections also have more reading comprehension, phonics, numbers, and science. There are answers in the back of the book to check your work. There is also a set of flashcards that you can cut out of the book for testing your knowledge.

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Book Review: Steal Like an Artist

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Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon

Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative
by Austin Kleon (Goodreads Author)
5 out of 5 stars

“There is nothing new under the sun.”
The truth is that originality does not exist. Everything has been done before, and when we see something that is “new”, it’s actually just a remix of whatever came before.

This book explores how to use what came before to inspire and guide your creativity. The author gives advice on how to steal ideas from the masters of the past, and make it your own thing.

I was really inspired by this book! It doesn’t just apply to art, but also to music, writing, or any creative endeavor. I loved the advice about how to hone your ideas, and keep yourself motivated. And it’s not just about the spiritual, mental, and emotional inspiration. There are entire chapters with practical advice about how to actually get the work done and create something worthwhile.

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Book Review: So Many Feelings Stickers

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So. Many. Feelings Stickers. by Pipsticks®+Workman®

So. Many. Feelings Stickers.: 2,700 Stickers for Every Mood
by Pipsticks®+Workman® (Publisher)
5 out of 5 stars

This book has 50 pages full of stickers! There are 2,700 stickers of all kinds! There are dinosaurs, flowers, embroidery, banners, planets, lions and tigers, balloons, yoga, typewriters, ice cream, pigs, bees, cups of coffee, cats, vegetables and fruit, sweaters, and birds. And a happy little avocado dude who dances.

I am just amazed at the variety of stickers in this book! And so many of them have cool sayings like, “Busy as a bee, Sly as a Fox, Fearless, A Breath of Fresh Air, Free as a Bird, Hungry as a Wolf, Deep like the Ocean, Loud as Thunder” and a whole bunch more. These stickers could apply to almost any situation. Even if your mood is…. “mood”. There’s a sticker for that.

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Picture Book Review: Leilong the Library Bus

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Leilong the Library Bus by Julia Liu

Leilong the Library Bus
by Julia Liu, Bei Lynn (Illustrator)
5 out of 5 stars

Leilong the dinosaur wants to come inside the library with the children to listen at story time, but the librarian says he is too big. Leilong tries to peek his head in through the window to listen, but he shakes the entire library like an earthquake. The librarian might be able to find a solution so that Leilong can enjoy the books with the children.

This is such a cute book! I thought Leilong was completely adorable. He is so goofy and clumsy, and he really is sorry when he accidentally bumps into something or knocks things down. His one wish is to find books about dinosaurs. He is completely meek and mild when the children are riding on his back. It’s so cute!

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Picture Book Review: Seahorses are Sold Out

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Seahorses Are All Sold Out by Constanze Spengler

Seahorses Are All Sold Out
by Constanze Spengler
5 out of 5 stars

Mika begs her father to let her buy a pet. He is so busy with work that he lets her go to the pet shop and buy whatever pet she wants. She buys a little mouse, but the mouse gets lost in the house. So she buys a dog to find the mouse. One after another, Mika keeps buying more and more pets until she has a menagerie at home! However, she does not buy a seahorse. They are sold out.

This was such a fun and silly book! Mika is so adorable. She keeps getting more and more animals to solve problems with the previous animals and to keep them company. It keeps escalating more and more until her father finally stops working long enough to notice that there are animals everywhere!

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Picture Book Reviews: That’s Not Normal, and Eso No Es Normal

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¡Eso no es normal! by Mar Pavón
That's Not Normal! by Mar Pavón

That’s Not Normal!
by Mar Pavón (Goodreads Author), Laure du Faÿ
4 out of 5 stars

Elephant has an abnormally long nose, but no one really minds… except Hippo. Elephant uses his long nose to help the other animals, but Hippo keeps reminding everyone that Elephant’s nose is “not normal.” One day Baby Hippo goes wandering toward the lake, and the animals rush to save Baby Hippo from the lake crocodiles. Is there a way that Elephant’s long nose could help? Will Hippo ever stop teasing Elephant about his long nose?

I loved this sweet book! It has such positive messages of acceptance and love. Even if someone is different or “abnormal”, they deserve our respect and kindness. And you never know, someday you might need their help.

I was especially impressed with the positive messages of forgiveness from Elephant himself. He never tries to retaliate or get revenge on Hippo. It’s such a simple story, but this book has a powerful message!

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Book Review: How Do You Live?

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How Do You Live? by Genzaburo Yoshino

How Do You Live?
by Genzaburo Yoshino, Bruno Navasky (Translator)
4 out of 5 stars

Copper reflects on the meaning of life as he faces challenges at his school. He befriends a poor classmate who is being teased and bullied, but that puts him in crosshairs as well. Somehow he must find the courage to stand with his friends, and find out what kind of person he really wants to be. Copper’s uncle and mother give him good advice, but ultimately it is up to Copper to make his own decisions.

This book is told in two parts; the first is Copper’s experiences at school and the second is his uncle’s notes to him about philosophy and the underlying meaning behind everyday things. These two perspectives overlap in alternate chapters. First we read about something that happened to Copper and then his uncle writes to Copper about it, expounding on different moral and social ideas of why that particular experience was important and how it can help to shape Copper into a good person.

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Picture Book Review: The Tiny Woman’s Coat

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The Tiny Woman's Coat by Joy Cowley

The Tiny Woman’s Coat
by Joy Cowley, Giselle Clarkson (Illustrator)
5 out of 5 stars

A tiny woman needs a coat. She looks for fabric, for a needle, for buttons, for thread, and the creatures of the forest help her to find what she needs to make herself a little coat.

This is such a cute story! The tiny woman is so resourceful and smart. She really inspires me to look at things in a different way. Maybe leaves could be like fabric. Maybe seeds could be used as buttons. Maybe everyday things that we don’t notice could actually be useful and beautiful.
It’s such a simple story, but it has a powerful message. Plus it’s just fun and interesting to see how she manages to make her coat.

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