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Classic Review: Persuasion

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Persuasion by Jane Austen

Persuasion
by Jane Austen
5 out of 5 stars
Anne Elliot meets Captain Wentworth again after breaking off their engagement eight years before. She is filled with doubt and anxiety, and wonders how she should behave and whether or not his feelings have changed. Captain Wentworth tries to ignore her without actually being rude, and flirts with other young ladies of their acquaintance. It is impossible to tell if he is trying to hide a broken heart or if he has truly left behind his old feelings for Anne, but a few little words and looks might tell the true story.

A perfect masterpiece! Every time I reread this book I love it more and more, and see more depth in the characters, and more humor in the sarcastic writing style.

There are so many sweet little moments between Anne and Captain Wentworth! A glance, a small gesture, a chance word; all these things create such a suspense and make the story exciting. It’s the little undercurrents of emotion behind everyday scenes that make this book so special. On the surface, the plot doesn’t have much going on; but we get such an intimate look into Anne’s heart, and so much depth from each of the supporting characters, that it shows that there is quite a lot happening under the surface.

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Manga Review: Silver Spoon Vol. 6-7

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Silver Spoon, Vol. 6 by Hiromu Arakawa

Silver Spoon, Vol. 6
by Hiromu Arakawa, Amanda Haley (Translator)
4 out of 5 stars

Hachiken enters his first horse riding competition with the school equestrian club. He is very nervous, but he tries to encourage his teammates. He is focused and determined to do well, but there are various distractions surrounding the competition. A rider from another school calls him out as her greatest rival with hilarious results. In the second half of this volume, Hachiken is helping to prepare for the big school festival and has a long list of responsibilities.

I loved this volume! I got really excited about the riding competition and was interested to see the scores of the different characters who competed. There are some really funny scenes, and interesting developments for Hachiken in his personal relationships with friends and family.

Silver Spoon, Vol. 7 by Hiromu Arakawa

Silver Spoon, Vol. 7
by Hiromu Arakawa, Amanda Haley (Translator)
4 out of 5 stars

Hachiken deals with the aftermath of the school festival, and goes on a first date with a girl he likes. He is forced to help with the birth of two baby calves while the rest of the school gets to watch the school’s big baseball game. He misses all the fun, but gains the confidence to keep searching for his dreams.

This manga just keeps getting more and more hilarious! I love that things go wrong for the characters, and they are disappointed and have to struggle through tough situations. It shows their strong personalities and the way they have to encourage each other through hard times.

Mystery Review: Peril at End House

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Peril at End House by Agatha Christie

Peril at End House (Hercule Poirot, #8)
by Agatha Christie
5 out of 5 stars

Hercule Poirot begins to investigate the murderous attempts on the life of Nick Buckley, a pretty young lady living at End House by the seaside. A heavy picture falls, the brakes in her car are cut, a bullet makes a hole in her hat, but she miraculously escapes death each time. All around her are family and friends with a possible motive to kill her, but only Hercule Poirot can unravel the clues to find the truth.

I loved this mystery! So many twists and turns in the plot. I had no idea until the very end who could possibly be the killer. I was completely fooled. Every clue comes together perfectly at the end. Each character is hiding a secret, and it was so interesting to gradually discover their backstories, and speculate about who is lying and who is telling the truth.

I adore Poirot and Hastings. They are such a great team, and I love their merry friendship. The dialogue between them is priceless! I really love the mysteries that are told from Hastings point of view. He’s such a great narrator and sidekick for Poirot.

Mystery Review: Cold-Blooded Myrtle

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Cold-Blooded Myrtle by Elizabeth C. Bunce

Cold-Blooded Myrtle (Myrtle Hardcastle Mystery #3)
by Elizabeth C. Bunce (Goodreads Author)
5 out of 5 stars

Myrtle is preparing for Christmas, when the proprietor of a mercantile shop is murdered and the culprit rearranges the display window to predict the next murder. Myrtle has to investigate the cold-case of a young woman who disappeared from the local college years before, in order to solve the string of murders that are threatening to ruin everyone’s holiday.

I cannot describe how much I loved this third book in the Myrtle series!
One of the things that made me fall in love with this book is the incredible character development. I love how the main characters change their minds, discover new information, grow in their personalities and abilities, and suddenly realize that their relationships with other characters can be different.

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Picture Book Review: Dakota Crumb

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Dakota Crumb by Jamie Michalak

Dakota Crumb: Tiny Treasure Hunter
by Jamie Michalak (Goodreads Author), Kelly Murphy (Illustrator)
5 out of 5 stars

Little Dakota the mouse goes on a dangerous journey through the museum to search for the long-lost treasure. Along the way, she finds a beautiful painting (a postage stamp), a historic statue (an action figure toy), and at last the shining treasure. But what will she do with the amazing prizes she has gathered?

This is such a cute book! Dakota is full of courage and resourcefulness. I just love stories about little mice making their way through a big world. I love all her funny adventures in the museum! The story encourages using your imagination.

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Comic Review: Nimona

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Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

Nimona
by Noelle Stevenson
4 out of 5 stars

Supervillain Lord Blackheart has a new sidekick, Nimona, who is a shapeshifter. They team up against Sir Goldenloin to prove that the heroes aren’t all they seem to be. But Nimona is keeping secrets, and Lord Blackheart begins to wonder if she is more dangerous than she appears.

This comic is so funny and imaginative! I loved all the witty one-liners and the weird characters. The story really kept me guessing, and I loved gradually learning the backstory for each of the characters.

The setting is so weird, since it looks like medieval times, but they have some modern technology. Science and magic have to work side by side.

I really liked the whimsical art style, and the intense colors. Every scene uses color and light and shadow to set the mood for an epic battle with a dragon or maybe a quiet board game night with pizza.

This is so much fun from start to finish!

Comic Review: Narwhal’s School of Awesomeness

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Narwhal's School of Awesomeness by Ben Clanton

Narwhal’s School of Awesomeness
by Ben Clanton (Goodreads Author)
5 out of 5 stars

Narwhal follows a group of fish to school, but the teacher is out sick, so Narwhal decides to substitute teach the class with Jelly as the supervisor teacher. The fish learn about waffles and math and science. They have a scavenger hunt to find fun facts about the sea creatures living in the ocean.

The cuteness!! The adorableness!! The sillyness! I can’t get enough of Narwhal and Jelly. They are so cute and lovable!

Each chapter is so delightfully funny! I laughed my head off, and smiled and chuckled with glee. I love the simple yet striking illustrations, and the bright colors. I love the sweetly imaginative dialogue and storylines.

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Activity Book Reviews: Paint By Sticker: Outer Space, A Book About Mom, Summer Brain Quest: Pre-K & K

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Paint by Sticker Kids by Workman Publishing

Paint by Sticker Kids: Outer Space: Create 10 Pictures One Sticker at a Time! Includes Glow-in-the-Dark Stickers
by Workman Publishing
5 out of 5 stars
This activity book has 10 beautiful designs, and hundreds of stickers in little mosaic shapes! It’s so easy to put the stickers into place, and the finished product looks wonderful. It’s very relaxing and helped me to get creative. You really feel a sense of accomplishment when you finish!

There are information boxes with facts about different planets, rockets, and comets. There is an astronaut, a moon, an observatory with a massive telescope, and even a Mars rover.

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