Book Review: Kid Authors
by David Stabler (Goodreads Author), Doogie Horner
Including interesting biographies about authors such as Lucy Maud Montgomery, Laura Ingalls Wilder, J.R.R. Tolkien, Jules Verne, Mark Twain, Roald Dahl, J.K. Rowling, Sherman Alexie, and Stan Lee; this book covers authors from a wide variety of backgrounds and time periods for an eclectic look at what inspires readers to become writers.
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Book Review: Miss Bianca in the Antarctic
by Margery Sharp
This book is not my favorite in the series. It lacked imagination, although there are a few clever little characters. Mostly the story lacked any structure or suspense. I was disappointed that the poet is rescued almost immediately, and then Miss Bianca and Bernard spend the rest of the time just meeting various arctic animals. I was also disappointed that Nils is only present in a couple of chapters at the beginning. I wanted to see Nils working with the team again!
Still a fun little book in the series and worth the read, but not the best.
Book Review: Dealing with Dragons
by Patricia C. Wrede, Peter de Sève
Book Review: The Rescuers
by Margery Sharp, Garth Williams
5 out of 5 stars on GoodReads
Bernard must persuade Miss Bianca to help the Prisoner’s Aid Society in finding a Norwegian mouse who will bravely rescue a Norwegian poet from the cold dungeons of the Black Castle. Once she finds the courageous Nils, a seafaring Norwegian mouse, Miss Bianca is swept along in the adventure, and the three unlikely companions are tested to the limit of their abilities in the Black Castle. No mouse has ever freed a prisoner before, but these clever mice are determined to save the poet!
Comic Review: Zen Pencils
by Gavin Aung Than
I really enjoyed reading this book! The quotes are uplifting and there’s a lot of good wisdom in this book. The comics are beautifully drawn with vibrant colors, and some of the characters from the first comics reappear in other comics at the end, so there’s a sense of continuity and overall structure. Continue reading
Book Review: Journey to the River Sea
by Eva Ibbotson
Wonderfully imaginative and descriptive! Made me feel like I was right there in the rain forest. I was laughing and gasping and crying and laughing again all through it! Marvelous book! The complex plot is a wonderful mixture of adventure, travel, mystery, and intrigue.
Maia’s character is delightful. She’s spunky and courageous, kind and sweet, everything a heroine should be.
I adore Finn’s character! He’s mysterious and thoroughly interesting.
Miss Minton makes me laugh; she’s such a complicated lady, and so very deliberate in everything. Nothing could be better!
Comic Review: Little Pierrot Vol. 1
by Alberto Varanda
3 out of 5 stars on GoodReads
This collection of comics doesn’t have a continuous storyline, but little snippets of a boy and his friend the Snail, who dream of going to the moon. They watch the stars together, read books, dress up in costumes, and avoid schoolwork.
Most of the individual comics don’t actually have a funny punchline. It’s just sort of whimsical and random with no real point. It reminds me a little of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s “The Little Prince” with the moon and stars and a dreamy child drifting along through an aimless plot. Continue reading
Comic Review: Wallace the Brave
by Will Henry
Wallace and his best friend, Spud, meet the new girl at school, Amelia, and are very impressed with her courage and baseball-throwing style. Each page has its own funny little punchline as we follow Wallace’s strange interactions with friends and family at school, at home, on the ocean, on the field, through the summer and winter and all the in-between times.Wallace’s fisherman father, his creative mother, and weird baby brother make a delightful home setting for the antics and whimsical conversations of a little boy curious about the world and determined to dream big.
One of the best things about this comic is Wallace’s close relationship with his parents.
Comic Review: How to be Perfectly Unhappy
by Matthew Inman, The Oatmeal
1 out of 5 stars
First of all, the whole book is full of cartoon illustrations with vomit, farts, poop, blood, and grotesque faces. That does not make me a happy reader. I was too busy being nauseated to enjoy the writing.And while the writing made a couple of good points about the concept of “being happy”, I don’t think the general philosophy here is a healthy one. No counselor that I know of would recommend this way of thinking.
I hated this so much. On so many levels. UGH.









