Book Review: Be Ever Hopeful, Hannalee

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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.

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Graphic Novel Review: The Divided Earth

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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.

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Graphic Novel: The Stone Heart

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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.

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Graphic Novel Review: The Nameless City

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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.

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Graphic Novel Review: Outpost Zero

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Outpost Zero by Sean McKeever

Outpost Zero: The Complete Collection
by  Sean McKeever, Alexandre Tefenkgi (Illustrator), Jean-François Beaulieu (Illustrator)

3 out of 5 stars

Alea has grown up in the Outpost, a massive spaceship that crash-landed on a frozen planet generations ago. So much time has passed that Alea’s generation has forgotten how to use most of the technology their ancestors had, and much of the spaceship is inaccessible because it’s buried underground. Alea believes that her society needs to push themselves to do more than just survive in the frozen wastelands of the planet. She wants to explore and find new innovations so that society can thrive. But people are afraid. Alea’s friends are struggling too. Some have given up, seeing no hope in the future. When one of Alea’s friends commits suicide, she knows she has to find out the truth about the Outpost.

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Graphic Novel Review: The Ballad of Ronan

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The Ballad of Ronan by John Walsh

The Ballad of Ronan: Part One
by John Walsh, Jim Walsh, Remy Jackson (Artist), Vito Delsante (Goodreads Author) (Editor)

3 out of 5 stars

Aisling is an orphan with no idea who her parents are. She runs away from the orphanage and meets Ronan, who can’t even remember who is he or where he is from. They both seem to have some strange connection to magical energy that they can’t explain. The priest from the orphanage is involved with a secret society, and he seems to know something about the strange creatures Aisling has seen.

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Book Review: Hickory Dickory Dock

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Hickory Dickory Dock by Agatha Christie

Hickory Dickory Dock (Hercule Poirot, #34)
by Agatha Christie

4.5 out of 5 stars

Hercule Poirot’s efficient secretary Miss Lemon is upset and distracted, because there have been some strange thefts at the student hostel that her sister runs. Poirot agrees to investigate the petty thefts to help out Miss Lemon’s sister, Mrs. Hubbard. At first it seems like random little things that have gone missing, but there are a few items that stand out from the list: a valuable doctor’s stethoscope, a diamond ring, a rucksack that was slashed to pieces, and all the lightbulbs in the common rooms. Only Poirot can sift through the clues and find a connection between the missing items. He begins to find out more about the students who board at the hostel, wondering which of them could be thief, or perhaps… a murderer.

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Book Review: As You Like It

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As You Like It by William Shakespeare

As You Like It
by William Shakespeare

5 out of 5 stars

Rosalind sees a young man, Orlando, fighting in a wrestling match and falls in love. Orlando is equally smitten by her loveliness. Rosalind is banished from the court by her uncle who has usurped the dukedom. Rosalind’s cousin, Celia, cannot bear to be parted from her, so the two ladies escape together searching for Rosalind’s banished father in the Forest of Arden. Orlando is fleeing for his life, after his own brother has tried to have him killed, and he also escapes into the Forest of Arden. Hilarity ensues.

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Book Review: Appointment with Death

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Appointment with Death by Agatha Christie

Appointment with Death (Hercule Poirot, #19)
by Agatha Christie

5 out of 5 stars

A family group are visiting Jerusalem, and they make the trip to see the ruins of Petra. Their fellow travelers notice that the family seem on edge, nervous, and even afraid. Their mother, Mrs. Boynton, controls every aspect of their lives, and she takes delight in cruelty, torturing them emotionally and mentally for years until they are almost crazed.
When Mrs. Boynton is poisoned at Petra, suspicion falls on each of her children. They are relieved that she is dead. They must have killed her to escape from her brutality. Only Poirot can discover the true killer and sift through the timeline of events that led to Mrs. Boynton’s death.

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Book Review: Ellie in First Position

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Ellie in First Position by Brian Freschi

Ellie in First Position: A Graphic Novel
by Brian Freschi

4 out of 5 stars

This graphic novel follows Ellie, who is very awkward and clumsy when it comes to sports. Her mother encourages her to try a lot of different sports so that she can make friends with her teammates. However, Ellie only wants to draw and dance. She takes after her artistic father who is a musician. Ellie makes friends with some kids who take ballet classes, and secretly learns a few dance moves, but her mother refuses to pay for ballet lessons, saying all that frou-frou stuff is a waste of time. But Ellie knows that she could be good at dance if only she was given a chance!

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