Picture Book Reviews: Alma Series #1-3

Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal

Alma and How She Got Her Name
by Juana Martinez-Neal (Goodreads Author)

3 out of 5 stars

Alma has a very long name. Alma Sofia Esperanza Jose Pura Candela. It’s so long that it won’t even fit on the paper when she tries to write her name! She asks her father why she has such a long name, and he explains that Sofia was her grandmother. Esperanza was her great-grandmother. Jose was her grandfather, and Pura is her great-aunt.
Alma shares special things in common with all her family. She loves to paint like her grandfather. She loves flowers and birds like her grandmother. The heritage that she shares with them is a part of who she is, so her name fits her just right.

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Book Review: Waiting for the Stars

Waiting for the Stars by Jonny Lambert

Waiting for the Stars
by Jonny Lambert

5 out of 5 stars

Mouse gets to stay up past her bedtime to see the stars appear in the sky. She is very impatient, but her animal friends help her to stay awake. They pass the time by telling stories and munching on snacks. Mouse sees a few stars for just a minute, but then a cloud hides them from view. The fireflies come up with a plan to make the night shine with starlight (or firefly light) for Mouse!

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Book Review: The Quickest Bedtime Story Ever!

The Quickest Bedtime Story Ever! by Louise Fitzgerald

The Quickest Bedtime Story Ever!
by Louise Fitzgerald, Kate Hindley (Illustrator)

5 out of 5 stars

This bedtime story is only ten words long. But first we have to warm up our voices to read the story. Then we have to remember to give a big stretch and a yawn. We have to make sure we are comfy in bed with all our pillows. Then we have to double check that we have all our stuffy toys. Our story needs a special fanfare with a little drum and a toy horn. Once everyone is snuggled up, we can finally hear the ten-word story. And we can finally sleep tight.

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Book Review: The Egg Incident

The Egg Incident by Ziggy Hanaor

The Egg Incident
by Ziggy Hanaor

5 out of 5 stars

Little Humphrey is terrified of everything. His parents have told him the story of his Uncle Humpty Dumpty. They have warned Humphrey not to run or jump or climb trees, and especially to NEVER climb up a wall. Humphrey meets a rambunctious Princess at the park who encourages him to be brave and take risks. Can Humphrey find his courage when it matters the most? Or will his new risk-taking end in disaster?

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Book Reviews: Penguin and Panda Series #1-2

The Adventures of Penguin and Panda by Brenda Maier

The Adventures of Penguin and Panda: Surprise!: Graphic Novel (1) (Volume 1) (The Surprise! The Adventures of Penguin and Panda)
by  Brenda Maier (Goodreads Author), Fanni Mézes (Illustrator)

5 out of 5 stars

Penguin is trying to surprise Panda with a special picnic, but Panda keeps guessing all the surprises before Penguin can reveal them. Penguin is worried that Panda is not having fun because all the surprises are ruined, but Panda is just happy to be hanging out with Penguin.

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Book Review: Gilded

Gilded by Marissa Meyer

Gilded (Gilded, #1)
by  Marissa Meyer (Goodreads Author)

3 out of 5 stars

Serilda has been blessed by the god of stories, and so the people in her village denounce her as a liar. One night on the full moon, she encounters the dark ones on their moonlit hunt. She lies to the Erlking, and tells him that she can spin straw into gold. Taken to his dungeon, she must prove herself by spinning the straw and creating gold, or be killed. A strange boy appears in the dungeon and claims that he can help her, but she must pay a price for his magic.

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Book Review: Aunt Dimity and the Lost Prince

Aunt Dimity and the Lost Prince by Nancy Atherton

Aunt Dimity and the Lost Prince (Aunt Dimity Mystery, #18)
by Nancy Atherton

4 out of 5 stars

Lori meets a precocious little girl at a museum, who tells her all about a Russian prince who used to own one of the silver exhibits. But when the little girl goes missing, Lori is on a mission to discover the truth about the Russian prince and how he is connected with her disappearance. Lori’s neighbor, Bree, is looking for a place to stay while her cottage is airing out after being painted. So Bree comes along for the investigation and proves to be of invaluable assistance.

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Book Review: The Last Summer of You and Me

The Last Summer of You and Me by Ann Brashares

The Last Summer of You and Me
by Ann Brashares

Did Not Finish

I made it to page 13 and had to DNF it because of all the strong profanity. I wasn’t enjoying the story anyway. It is told from three different characters POVs, and that felt like it was too much head-hopping for me. The characters were over-thinking everything to an excruciating degree that just annoyed me. Every little thing in every second had to be scrutinized from three different perspectives. Too much.

Book Review: The Sailor Cipher

Explorer Academy Vela by Trudi Trueit

Explorer Academy Vela: The Sailor Cipher (Book 1)
by Trudi Trueit (Goodreads Author)

4.5 out of 5 stars

Sailor is entering her second year at the Explorer Academy, and the Explorer students discover that they will be travelling in a new ship, the Vela. Sailor is devastated when her older sister Keel mysteriously disappears, but Sailor’s parents want her to continue with the school year aboard the Vela. She thinks that her sister might be sending her hidden messages with clues about what happened, and Sailor gets involved with a dangerous secret society. Her friends Cruz and Emmett and Lani are always there to get into trouble and out of it at Sailor’s side. But what they don’t know is that Sailor is hiding a remarkable secret of her own.

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Book Review: A Forthcoming Wizard

A Forthcoming Wizard by Jody Lynn Nye

A Forthcoming Wizard (Tildi Summerbee, #2)
by Jody Lynn Nye (Goodreads Author)

3.5 out of 5 stars

Tildi and her friends have almost completed their quest to find a dangerous magical book and lock it up where no one can use it for harm. But now Tildi has fallen into the clutches of a radical group called the Scholardom, who believe that only humans are pure. They want to magically change all centaurs, dwarves, werewolves, and other half-human creatures to be completely human. If they gain control of the magical book, it would be disastrous. Tildi is the only one who can touch the book, so she is at the center of all their plans.

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