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Book Review: Aunt Dimity and the Family Tree

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Aunt Dimity and the Family Tree by Nancy Atherton

Aunt Dimity and the Family Tree (Aunt Dimity Mystery, #16)
by  Nancy Atherton

4 out of 5 stars

Lori’s father-in-law, William, has just moved into his newly-renovated ancient home, where he discovers an old painting of some sort. He sends it to be restored, and a family tree is discovered hiding under years of grime. But the painting is stolen before any names can be identified on the family tree. Meanwhile, Lori’s neighbor, Sally Pyne, is in desperate need of help and she turns to William, hoping that his expertise as a lawyer will help her out of a pickle. But the whole family gets involved in helping Sally to lie to the entire village! Lori is also very suspicious of William’s new housekeeper and groundskeeper. Could they be hiding something nefarious? Lori will need Aunt Dimity’s wisdom every step of the way!

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Book Review: The Wind in the Willows

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The Wind in the Willows by Lou Peacock

The Wind in the Willows
by Kenneth Grahame, Abridged by Lou Peacock, Kate Hindley (Illustrations)

5 out of 5 stars

I really liked this adaptation of Wind in the Willows. The story is condensed and simplified for a young audience, but still captures the charm of the original and has most of the main plot points. The editor did a great job abridging the story, but still keeping the integrity and grace of the original.

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Picture Books from Nosy Crow

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My First Lift-The-Flap Nursery Rhymes by Ingela P. Arrhenius

My First Lift-The-Flap Nursery Rhymes
by Ingela P. Arrhenius (illustrator)

5 out of 5 stars

These familiar nursery rhymes are made special by the inclusion of lift-the-flap designs that reveal a cute character or animal behind them. The reader can find Little Bo Peep’s sheep hiding behind a bush. The piggy that stayed at home is reading a book by a cozy fire. An energetic cow jumps over the moon. A spider is revealed inside Miss Muffet’s bowl of curds and whey. An elephant and fox row row row their boat. Humpty Dumpty takes a terrible fall behind the wall on the largest flap.

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Non Fiction Review: Transported

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Transported by Matt Ralphs

Transported: 50 Vehicles That Changed the World
by Matt Ralphs, Rui Ricardo (Illustrations)

4 out of 5 stars

This book gives information about 50 amazing vehicles, including boats, cars, planes, motorcycles, chariots, wagons, rockets, and bicycles. It’s really amazing to see how history has changed over the centuries and especially in the last one hundred years just because of mankind’s ability to travel.

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Non Fiction Book: A History of the World in 25 Cities

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A History of the World in 25 Cities by Tracey Turner

A History of the World in 25 Cities (British Museum)
by Tracey Turner, Andrew Donkin, Libby VanderPloeg (Illustrator)

4 out of 5 stars

This book goes through history, giving information about different cities around the world at their height. We start with Jericho and end with Tokyo. There are ancient cities that now lie in ruins, old cities that kept getting renewed and rebuilt through the centuries, and modern cities that are comparatively young.

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Picture Book Review: Every Bunny is a Yoga Bunny

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Every Bunny is a Yoga Bunny by Emily Ann Davison

Every Bunny is a Yoga Bunny
by Emily Ann Davison, Deborah Allwright (Illustrator)

5 out of 5 stars

Yo-Yo is a bouncy bunny. She can never sit still. Her grandpa tries to teach her some yoga poses to help her learn to be calm and still. But Yo-Yo gets distracted and races after a butterfly. She runs so far that she gets lost. Yo-Yo starts to panic, but then remembers the yoga poses and breathing exercises her grandpa taught her. It helps her to stay calm and find her way home.

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Picture Book Review: Heidi

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Heidi by Carole Aufranc

Heidi
by Carole Aufranc (Illustrator),Johanna Spyri

4 out of 5 stars

This picture book tells the basic story of Johanna Spyri’s Heidi in just a few pages. I love how the story is condensed to only a few sentences on each page, but the spirit of the story is intact.

Heidi loves living with her Grandfather on the mountain, but her aunt takes her away to live in the city and be the companion to a rich invalid girl, Clara. Heidi loves Clara, but she misses her mountain home.

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Book Review: The Music of the Dolphins

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The Music of Dolphins by Karen Hesse

The Music of Dolphins
by Karen Hesse

4 out of 5 stars

Mila is a wild girl, growing up on a deserted island with a family of dolphins. When she is rescued, she is placed with a doctor who studies the way that humans learn language. The doctor hopes to learn the girl’s dolphin language, and uses music to capture the sounds dolphins make. Mila begins to connect with her caregivers and their families; even the janitor cannot help connecting with this unique girl. At first, Mila is interested to learn English and learn how humans interact and live. But soon, she begins to miss her dolphin family and the simplicity of her life on the island. Her spirit starts to despair and turn inward, searching for the music she used to know.

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Book Review: Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas

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Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas by Stephanie Barron

Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas (Jane Austen Mysteries #12)
by Stephanie Barron

4 out of 5 stars

Jane, Cassandra, and their mother, Mrs. Austen, are visiting their old country parsonage where Jane’s brother, James, is now residing. They visit the Chute family at their estate for the Christmas festivities, but a military messenger is found dead, thrown from his horse. Jane thinks it must be murder, and one of the other guests, an artist, agrees with her.

The best part of this story is learning about the Regency Christmas traditions, games, food, parties, and other family habits at Christmastime!

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Book Review: The League of Seven

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The League of Seven by Alan Gratz

The League of Seven (The League of Seven, #1)
by Alan Gratz (Goodreads Author), Brett Helquist (Illustrator)

3.5 out of 5 stars

Archie’s parents are part of the Septemberist Society, a secret organization that has kept evil monsters locked away for centuries. When the Swarm Queen begins to awaken out of her prison, Archie’s parents are kidnapped and brainwashed to release the monster. Archie and his robot servant have to unravel the secrets of the ancient civilizations that imprisoned all the monsters in the first place. Along the way, Archie befriends two other children who are also searching for answers… and revenge.

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