Book Review: V is for Victorine

V Is for Victorine by Anne Nesbet

V Is for Victorine
by Anne Nesbet (Goodreads Author)

4 out of 5 stars

Victorine and Darleen are on their way to Hollywood! They travel out to California with Darleen’s uncle, but get mixed up with burglars along the way. When Darleen’s uncle is mistaken for a burglar too, the girls are left on their own. Victorine is worried that her lawyers are looking for her again, wanting to put her under the care of legal guardians. But Victorine is perfectly happy pretending to be “Bella Mae” and making movies with the Darling family. Or is she?

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Non Fiction Book Review: Big Book of Mysteries

The Big Book of Mysteries by Tom   Adams

The Big Book of Mysteries
by Tom Adams (Goodreads Author), Yas Imamura (Illustrator)

4 out of 5 stars

Some mysteries can never be explained. Others have simple explanations or have been proven to be a hoax. Where is Amelia Earhart? Who built Stonehenge? Are the Loch Ness Monster or Bigfoot real? Are there really aliens making crop circles? Can fish really rain from the sky?

Some mysteries have already been solved. We know what makes aurora in the sky. But other strange lights in the sky are still unexplained. We know that the Piltdown man was a hoax, but what about Atlantis?

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Non Fiction Book Reviews: How Do Scientists Ask Questions? and How Do You Share with Your Friends?

How Do Scientists Ask Questions? by Madeline J Hayes

How Do Scientists Ask Questions?: A Book About the Scientific Method
by Madeline J Hayes, Srimalie Bassani (Illustrations)

3.5 out of 5 stars

This children’s book introduces the scientific method, teaching children how to conduct their own experiments, collect data, and draw conclusions or theories. There are experiments and crafts to try at the back of the book to prove Newton’s laws about gravity, create your own DNA model from candy, or make a fossil from salt dough.

One section has inspiration from great scientists in history, like Isaac Newton, Marie Curie, Rosalind Franklin, Albert Einstein, and Thomas Edison. It also includes a little section about Charles Darwin, saying that he was the “originator of the theory of natural selection.” I was glad that this book makes it clear that natural selection and evolution are theories and are not proven fact.

This is such a fun book! I love the cute illustrations and the hilarious characters. The information is clearly explained step by step in a playful way that makes it memorable.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

How Do You Share With Your Friends? by Lucy D Hayes

How Do You Share With Your Friends?: A Math Book About Fractions, Decimals, & Percents
by Lucy D Hayes, Srimalie Bassani (Illustrator)

5 out of 5 stars

We use fractions and percents in our everyday lives without even realizing it. We use fractions to tell time, saying “half an hour”. We use decimals to calculate money when we buy or sell something. We can even use these math skills to divide up the work between friends, cut up slices of cake to share, or run a lemonade stand and split the profits.

I really liked how this book makes math simple and fun. There are so many everyday scenarios where we need to use fractions or decimals, and we can even use them interchangeably for the same amounts. Some of the examples are hilarious as the characters have to do their chores, or clean up the kitchen, or eat a pizza. If they only do half the chores, or eat 1/4 of the pizza, they are using their math skills!

This is such a fun book! I love the cute illustrations and funny characters. The information is clearly explained step by step in a playful way that makes it memorable.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone

Non Fiction Book: Insectopia

Insectopia by Jiri Kolibac

Insectopia: The Wonderful World of Insects (Large Encyclopedias)
by Jiri Kolibac, Pavel Dvorský (Illustrator)

3 out of 5 stars

There are millions of species of insects in this world, and in this book we get to learn about some of the interesting habits, environments, and communities of various insects. There are sections about beetles, butterflies, ants, and flies. The book begins with an introduction to the body structure of insects and how different insects are scientifically categorized. We learn about how insects are born from eggs, how some of them metamorphosis and mature, and even how they communicate with each other or hide from predators.

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Book Review: Five Little Peppers Midway

Five Little Peppers Midway by Margaret Sidney

Five Little Peppers Midway
by Margaret Sidney

4 out of 5 stars

The five Pepper siblings have a lovely life living with Mr. King in his mansion. They are all studying hard, but Polly studies harder than anyone, practicing her music so she can be a music teacher someday. When Mr. King’s cranky relation Mrs. Chatterton comes to stay, she makes trouble for the whole family. She is rude to Polly, treating her like a servant. She complains that Mr. King’s grandchildren will learn dirty habits from the Pepper boys. Finally, she convinces little Phronsie to run errands for her, resulting in a disaster that affects the whole family.

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Non Fiction Review: Understanding the Lord of the Rings

Understanding The Lord Of The Rings by Rose A. Zimbardo

Understanding The Lord Of The Rings: The Best of Tolkien Criticism
by Rose A. Zimbardo (Editor), Neil D. Isaacs (Editor)

4 out of 5 stars

This collection of essays brings together positive criticism of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, diving deep into the literary modes and philosophic views that make his work so lasting and impactful. Exploring the meaning behind the myth, we learn about good and evil and Tolkien’s deep faith in Christ. Analyzing his literary style, we learn about fairy tales, the universal truth behind every myth, and Tolkien’s ideas of sub-creation. We get to consider the history of the hero quest going all the way back to ancient times and how that affects our ideas of hero worship today, and how Tolkien used different types of heroes in Lord of the Rings.

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Non Fiction Review: How the New Seven Wonders of the World Were Built

How the New Seven Wonders of the World Were Built by Jiri Bartunek

How the New Seven Wonders of the World Were Built (How the Wonders Were Built, 2)
by Jiri Bartunek, Jiri Bartunek, Tom Velcovsky

4 out of 5 stars

This book tells how and why the seven wonders of the world were built and by whom. These are seven wonders that were chosen in 2007 by the “New7Wonders Foundation” in Switzerland. Temples, pyramids, tombs, statues, arenas, and towering walls; these incredible constructions astonish and amaze us whether they were erected hundreds of years ago or just within the last century.

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Book Review: Daring Darleen, Queen of the Screen

Daring Darleen, Queen of the Screen by Anne Nesbet

Daring Darleen, Queen of the Screen
by Anne Nesbet (Goodreads Author)

5 out of 5 stars

Darleen is the star of silent films produced by her family’s film company just outside New York City. As part of a publicity stunt, they set up a fake kidnapping to bring more attention to their films, but something goes terrible wrong. Darleen gets trapped in the middle of a real kidnapping with a wealthy heiress, Victorine Berryman. Now the two girls must discover who the kidnappers are and stage a daring escape.

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Book Review: Melody Queen

Melody Queen by Puneet Bhandal

Melody Queen (The Bollywood Academy)
by Puneet Bhandal (Goodreads Author)

5 out of 5 stars

Simi’s parents have always encouraged her to study acting as her career, since they are both actors as well. But Simi’s true passion is for composing and arranging music. However, the music industry in Bollywood is completely dominated by men composers. Not even Simi’s teachers at Bollywood Academy think it would be possible for her to break into such a difficult field. As Simi loses her dream, she sees her friends (who are male) pursuing music and writing hit songs. Simi doesn’t want to let her parents down, so she determines to just accept a career as an actress, even though her heart isn’t in it. But is that truly the right decision?

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Book Review: Five Little Peppers and How They Grew

Five Little Peppers and How They Grew by Margaret Sidney

Five Little Peppers and How They Grew (Five Little Peppers, #1)
by Margaret Sidney

5 out of 5 stars

The Pepper family are quite poor, living in a small house in the country. They have five children who all get the measles, and poor little Polly is in serious danger. A kind doctor helps the family and nurses them back to health.
One day little four-year-old Fronzie Pepper is nearly kidnapped and is rescued by Jasper, a boy from a wealthy family on vacation in the country. The two families start up an unlikely friendship, leading to opportunities and adventures for the Pepper family.

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