book review

Book Review: The Ordinary Princess

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The Ordinary Princess by M.M. Kaye

The Ordinary Princess
by M.M. Kaye

5 out of 5 stars

At Princess Amy’s christening, one of the fairies grants her the gift of ordinariness. Compared to her beautiful royal sisters, Amy is plain and ordinary. All her sisters have long blonde hair and perfect complexions. Amy has short mousey brown hair and freckles on her nose. As Amy grows up the royal family is distressed, because no prince wants to marry an ordinary princess with freckles. Princess Amy must take her destiny into her own hands, and prove that you don’t have to be beautiful and perfect to find happiness.

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Classic Book Review: The Portable Kipling

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The Portable Kipling by Rudyard Kipling

The Portable Kipling
by Rudyard Kipling, Irving Howe (Editor)

3 out of 5 stars

I do love Rudyard Kipling’s writing, but I found this book difficult to get through. It took me a year to read little by little through all of the short stories and poems and essays, because I didn’t enjoy most of them.

Most of the time the setting of the stories were so entirely foreign to me that I had a hard time understanding what was going on. There are so many references to historical things and cultural ideas in India that are not explained. The author assumes that the reader already knows about these things, and so it is not clear to a modern reader what is happening. Unless you know the entire history of the British occupation of India and every battle and political upset from the 1800s, you will likely be lost.

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Book Review: McTavish on the Move

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McTavish on the Move by Meg Rosoff

McTavish on the Move
by Meg Rosoff (Goodreads Author), David Shephard (Illustrator)

5 out of 5 stars

The Peachey family has to move to a new home. Some of the family members are excited, but Betty is worried about having to go to a new school and make new friends. She will miss her old house and her old friends. Betty is sure that she will hate the new house. But McTavish the dog has a plan to make everything better and help Betty settle into her new surroundings.

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Book Review: Crimson Twill- Witch in the City

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Crimson Twill by Kallie George

Crimson Twill: Witch in the City
by Kallie George, Birgitta Sif  (illustrator)

5 out of 5 stars

Crimson is different from other witches. She doesn’t want to wear a pointy hat; she wants a hat with a bow. She doesn’t like black dresses; she wants a dress with pretty polka dots. When Crimson accompanies her mother to the department store, Broomingdale’s, Crimson wants to shop for something unique that will reflect her own style. But she finds much more than she bargained for!

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Graphic Novel Review: Adventures of Snoop

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The Adventures of Snoop by SENIOR TASSE

The Adventures of Snoop: The Mountain of Hope
by SENIOR TASSE

3 out of 5 stars

Snoop, the mountain goat, dreams of going on a quest to find the primordial grass. In this first volume, Snoop remembers a legend of an ancient goat who discovered the primordial grass and made a deal with cavemen to protect his herd.

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Non Fiction Book Review: The Pursuit of God

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The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer

The Pursuit of God: The Human Thirst for the Divine
by A.W. Tozer

4.5 out of 5 stars

This book dives deep into spiritual truths and how we can strip away foolish lies we tell ourselves and truly pursue God with our whole heart. There are chapters about what real spiritual treasure is worth compared to earthly riches, how Christ has removed the barrier of our sin so that we can approach God, and the “universal Presence” of God and how we can be more aware of His Presence in our lives. I especially loved the chapter about “The Gaze of the Soul” and how faith is simply looking to God and turning our spiritual eyes to Him. There is also a lovely chapter about the meekness of Christ and how we can rest in Him.

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Book Review: The Girl from Montana

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The Girl from Montana by Grace Livingston Hill

The Girl from Montana
by Grace Livingston Hill

3.5 stars
After her parents and her brother die, Elizabeth is all alone in their remote cabin. A group of rowdy men threaten her, and Elizabeth flees in the night. She rides her horse across country, worried that the men might pursue her. She encounters a fellow traveler, a man who is lost, and they ride together for a few days. They form a tentative friendship, but are separated once they reach civilization again. Elizabeth travels on her own, searching for her relatives back East, and hoping to find her friend once again.

This is such a sweet and wholesome story! I actually cried a couple of times because Elizabeth is so incredibly brave and good. She suffers terribly, but manages to keep her heart pure. It was really inspirational to read about how she doesn’t let the everyday ugliness of life tear her down or make her bitter.

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Graphic Novel Review: We Live #1

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We Live, Volume One by Inaki Miranda

We Live, Volume One
by Inaki Miranda (Writer/Artist), Roy Miranda

3.5 stars
Tala and her little brother, Hototo, have to travel through many dangers to reach the Beacon, an alien rendezvous that will rescue five thousand children from the coming disasters which will cause the extinction of all humanity. They are attacked by wild animals and greedy humans, but Tala vows to protect her little brother. Hototo wears a cape and pretends to be a superhero. Along the way they team up with Humbo and Alice, who are also trying to reach the Beacon. But time is running out, and the countdown for the end of the world has already begun.

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Book Reviews: The Famous Five #1-2

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Five on a Treasure Island by Enid Blyton

Five on a Treasure Island (Famous Five, #1)
by Enid Blyton, Eileen A. Soper (Illustrator)

3.5 stars
Three siblings go to visit their cousin and explore a small island just off the coast. One day a storm uncovers a wrecked ship that had been sunk generations ago. The storm throws the sunken ship up onto the rocks of the island. The children explore the wreck and discover a treasure map for gold ingots that are hidden in the ruins of the island.

It took me half the book to realize that the fifth person of the “Famous Five” is actually the dog. I kept waiting for another character to show up in the story, wondering where the mysterious fifth person was going to come in. Haha! I was a bit disappointed that it’s only the dog.

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Book Review: Dragon and Herdsman

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Dragon and Herdsman by Timothy Zahn

Dragon and Herdsman (Dragonback, #4)
by Timothy Zahn (Goodreads Author)

4.5 out of 5 stars

In this fourth book of the series, Jack and Draycos visit a distant planet with their friend, Alison Kayna. They discover a herd of creatures called Phooka that appear similar to K’da like Draycos. However, the creatures are insentient, unintelligent, slow, and behave like animals with no language. Draycos wonders if his people, the K’da, could have evolved from this lower animal form. He questions what that could mean for his species in the future.
The mercenaries from the Malison Ring track Jack and Draycos to the planet, forcing them all to flee into the dense forest. Jack must herd the Phooka through miles of dangerous terrain to save them from being slaughtered by the mercenaries.

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