Book Review: The Pale Horse

Posted by

0

The Pale Horse by Agatha Christie

The Pale Horse (Ariadne Oliver, #5)
by Agatha Christie

4 out of 5 stars

Ariadne Oliver’s friend Mark hears about the murder of a priest who had a list of names tucked into his shoe. He had written down the list after hearing a deathbed confession, and was promptly murdered in the street only moments later. Mark goes to Ariadne for advice as he becomes more and more deeply involved in this mystery. He hears rumors about a place called The Pale Horse, where witches and mediums call on dark forces. But surely that is all nonsense, and no one could believe that witchcraft would really kill a person with a mere thought.

Continue reading →

Book Review: King of the Wind

Posted by

0

King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry

King of the Wind: The Story of the Godolphin Arabian
by Marguerite Henry, Wesley Dennis (Illustrator)

5 out of 5 stars

A young Moroccan stableboy named Agba is charged to take care of a new foal. The foal’s mother has died, and Agba feeds the foal with camel’s milk. He names the foal Sham. When Sham is grown, the Sultan sends him and Agba to France. Sham is to be a princely gift for the French king, but when they arrive, Sham is half-starved and worn from the journey, so he is sent to be a common cart horse. Eventually Sham is bought by a new owner and taken to England with Agba sticking closely to his side. They make some new friends, and find new enemies. Agba has many troubles, but he is determined to stay with Sham and care for his favorite horse as if they were brothers.

Continue reading →

Book Review: King Henry V

Posted by

0

Henry V by William Shakespeare

Henry V
by William Shakespeare

5 out of 5 stars

OH, this is one of my new favorites! King Henry is so fabulous and dashing and debonair and courageous and honorable and quite polite when he wants to be. I love his jokes and his speeches and oh, everything! He might be my favorite Shakespearean character, (after Benedick from Much Ado About Nothing.)

Continue reading →

Picture Book Review: The Library

Posted by

0

The Library by Sarah Stewart

The Library
by Sarah Stewart, David Small (Illustrator)

5 out of 5 stars

Elizabeth Brown only wants to read books. When she is a child, she doesn’t want to play with dolls. She just wants to read. When she is a young adult, she doesn’t want to go out on dates. She only wants to read. When she is grown, she buys a house and fills it with books until they are stacked up everywhere. She can’t even get out of the front door because stacks of books are blocking the doorway! What will she do with all those books? Share them, of course.

Continue reading →

Book Review: Queenie Peavy

Posted by

0

Queenie Peavy by Robert Burch

Queenie Peavy
by Robert Burch

2 out of 5 stars

Queenie’s father is in jail, and the kids at school tease her about it. Queenie pretends not to care, but she always end up in trouble for fighting, throwing rocks, and skipping school. On a field trip in the woods, Queenie sets up a log to be a trap for the boy who teases her the most. He falls and breaks his leg, and Queenie is forced to pay the doctor’s bill. Queenie starts to wonder if being bad is really all that good. It might be better for her to behave herself, but she has all this anger inside that needs a way to get out.

Continue reading →

Book Review: Water Sky

Posted by

0

Water Sky by Jean Craighead George

Water Sky
by Jean Craighead George

4 out of 5 stars

Lincoln Noah visits Barrow, Alaska, the northernmost town in all of the United States. He stays with some friends of his father, the Ologak family. The head of the family, Vincent Ologak, is the captain of a whaling team who camp out on the ice. They have a quota of only a few whales that they are legally allowed to hunt each year. Lincoln’s uncle came to Barrow years ago to protest against the whales being hunted, but Lincoln hasn’t heard from him in a long time. Lincoln is hoping to find out what happened to his uncle, but no one will talk about him. Lincoln joins the Ologak whaling team and finds out why whaling is so central to the Iñupiat culture.

Continue reading →

Book Review: Be Ever Hopeful, Hannalee

Posted by

0

Be Ever Hopeful, Hannalee by Patricia Beatty

Be Ever Hopeful, Hannalee (A Troll Book)
by Patricia Beatty

3 out of 5 stars

Hannalee and her family move to Atlanta after the Civil War, hoping to find work. Her brother, Davey, lost his arm fighting as a soldier in the Confederate Army, and there isn’t much work available that a one-armed man can do. Hannalee and her mother both get jobs to help the family, but Atlanta is overrun with Yankee soldiers and all of Georgia is under martial law. Hannalee worries that the Yankees will be rude and violent, but she discovers that many of them are kind and friendly people.

Continue reading →

Graphic Novel Review: The Divided Earth

Posted by

0

The Divided Earth by Faith Erin Hicks

The Divided Earth (The Nameless City, #3)
by Faith Erin Hicks (Goodreads Author)

5 out of 5 stars

In this final book of the graphic novel trilogy, Kaidu and Rat are trying to recover the lost secret weapon of the ancient people of the Nameless City – a formula for exploding fire. They think it will be easy to sneak into the palace and steal back the book containing the formula; after all, they have snuck in and out of the palace many times before. But their only route past the walls has been demolished, and they will have to find some other way to get past the guards and into the inner library. Meanwhile Kaidu’s father is trying to reach the other nations and gather military support to take back the city from the traitors among the Dao.

Continue reading →

Graphic Novel: The Stone Heart

Posted by

0

The Stone Heart by Faith Erin Hicks

The Stone Heart (The Nameless City, #2)
by  Faith Erin Hicks (Goodreads Author), Jordie Bellaire (Colorist)

5 out of 5 stars

In this second book of the graphic novel trilogy, Kaidu and Rat are doing everything they can to protect the monks of the Stone Heart. The monks are the keepers of knowledge in the Nameless City, but the Dao military leaders think they must be hiding the secret weapon that the ancient peoples used to blast through the rock of the mountains. Kaidu and his father are loyal to the Dao general, but they are forced to choose between their loyalties or the truth.

Continue reading →

Graphic Novel Review: The Nameless City

Posted by

1

The Nameless City by Faith Erin Hicks

The Nameless City (The Nameless City, #1)
by Faith Erin Hicks (Goodreads Author), Jordie Bellaire (Contributor)

5 out of 5 stars

Kaidu moves to the city to visit his dad and attend soldier training along with other young students. His people, the Dao, conquered the Nameless City thirty years before, but tensions still run high between the Dao and the native people. He begins to explore the city and befriends a native girl who calls herself Rat. They uncover some secrets about the city and their loyalties are tested. Kaidu’s father is a counselor to the ruling General of the city, and Kaidu and Rat get involved in the shifting politics of the Dao.

Continue reading →