Book Review: A Book Dragon

A Book Dragon by Donn Kushner

A Book Dragon
by Donn Kushner

4 out of 5 stars

Nonesuch is a dragon without a treasure. When his grandmother dies, she leaves behind a substantial treasure of gold and jewels, but it doesn’t really feel quite right to Nonesuch. He goes through a transformation and discovers that he can shrink down to the size of an insect if he doesn’t eat much, or he can grow larger again if he eats more. He is curious about humans, so he shrinks down and flies into an abbey where a monk is painstakingly writing and illuminating a prayer book. The monk is inspired by the sight of a tiny dragon and begins to draw him into the margins of the book. When a thief threatens to steal the precious book, Nonesuch knows that he has found a treasure he will guard with all his heart. But he is trapped along with the book in a strong box and can’t get out for centuries. When he emerges into the modern world, Nonesuch must find new ways to navigate the world of men and protect his treasure.

Continue reading

Picture Book Review: Teeth

Teeth by Magda Garguláková

Teeth: You Only Get Two Sets
by Magda Garguláková

5 out of 5 stars

This book is perfect to teach young children about how to care for their teeth and why it is so important to brush and floss regularly. We also learn about the dentist and how we lose our baby teeth. There is a whole section about enamel and cavities and the roots of the teeth. There is a section all about how our teeth form when we are tiny unborn babies and then start to grow out when we are about 6 months old. Incisors, molars, wisdom teeth, and dentures – this book covers all the bases when it comes to teeth!

Continue reading

Book Review: How to Avoid Being Eaten by Sharks

How to Avoid Being Eaten by Sharks . . . by John Larkin

How to Avoid Being Eaten by Sharks . . .: And Other Advice
by John Larkin (Goodreads Author), Chrissie Krebs  (illustrator)

The author gives humorous and silly advice on various topics such as avoiding sharks and aliens, deciphering your parents grammatically incorrect threats, and answering questions such as whether or not the earth is really flat. There is also a section about writing that will help you with your creative writing assignments… if you happen to be writing about zombies.

Continue reading

Book Review: Little Girl Lost

Little Girl Lost by Temple Bailey

Little Girl Lost
by Temple Bailey

4 out of 5 stars

Araminta is barely nineteen when she agrees to elope with Barney. But she doesn’t really love him; she just wants to get away from her stepsisters at home. Araminta is also trying to forget about Jan, the gentleman who broke her heart two years before. But when she unexpectedly sees Jan on the night before the wedding, Araminta calls off the elopement and decides to take up a career as an actress in New York. The critics think she has some talent and Araminta throws herself into her acting career, working herself to death trying to forget both Barney and Jan. Through the course of a year, she tries to make sense of her own heart and find her way back to the man she truly loves.

Continue reading

Book Review: The Perilous Gard

The Perilous Gard by Elizabeth Marie Pope

The Perilous Gard
by Elizabeth Marie Pope

5 out of 5 stars

Kate Sutton is banished from the Queen’s court and forced into house-arrest at a remote castle with Sir Geoffrey Heron as her guardian. There Kate hears wild rumors about fairy folk and dark magic in the forest and caves surrounding the castle. There is a holy well that seems to grant healing and good fortune to those who drop money into it, but a child was lost down the well and Sir Geoffrey and his brother Christopher warn Kate to stay away from the area. Despite their warnings, Kate begins to suspect that something evil is lurking about the castle and she starts to ask questions about the mysterious fairy folk. She learns of their terrible tradition to commit a human sacrifice in order to gather the power of a human life to sustain their spells.

Continue reading

Book Review: Ivy Newt and the Storm Witch

Ivy Newt and the Storm Witch by Derek Keilty

Ivy Newt and the Storm Witch
by  Derek Keilty, Magda Brol (Illustrator)

4 out of 5 stars

Ivy is distraught when her royal witchy parents disappear during a terrible storm. She goes searching for them with the help of her “familiar”, a shapeshifting wolf boy. A friendly witch examines dust left behind from the disappearance and discovers that there are traces of “taint”, a cursed ingredient. They travel to the land of the Cunning Folk, and get help from a boy with a flying carpet. But can they discover who cursed their parents before it’s too late and more people start to disappear?

Continue reading

Book Review: The Classified Catnapping

The Classified Catnapping by Colleen Nelson

The Classified Catnapping: Mystery at the Biltmore #2
by Colleen Nelson (Goodreads Author)

4 out of 5 stars

Elodie has her own detective business, and she has to help find a missing cat. But this isn’t just any old cat. This cat is famous. This cat is in the middle of shooting a movie and having a biography written. This cat is a wealthy heiress!

Continue reading

Book Review: The Pinchers and the Curse of the Egyptian Cat

The Pinchers and the Curse of the Egyptian Cat by Anders Sparring

The Pinchers and the Curse of the Egyptian Cat
by Anders Sparring, Per Gustavsson (illustrator)

4 out of 5 stars

The Pincher family are all thieves and liars. They love to steal and cheat, except for Theo who gets a stomachache if he tries to tell a lie or do anything dishonest. It doesn’t help that their next-door neighbor is a policeman! When Theo and his sister quarrel over an old cat statue, they break the statue and unleash the curse of the Egyptian cat! Their moralities are switched, and not Theo wants to steal and cheat, and his sister wants to be honest. Can they get switched back or will Theo be cursed to a life of crime?

Continue reading

Book Review: The Forest Yet to Come

The Forest Yet to Come by Sam Thompson

The Forest Yet to Come (Wolfstongue Saga, 3)
by  Sam Thompson

3 out of 5 stars

Sally and her brother Faolon don’t know where they came from. They were found as orphans and raised in The Land, a settlement enclosed in walls where mysterious “shapes” assist in healing and growing food. When the fox trickster Reynard arrives in The Land, he is curious about the “shapes” and tricks Sally into helping him by promising to lead her to answers about her past.

Continue reading

Book Review: Supernova

Supernova by Marissa Meyer

Supernova (Renegades, #3)
by Marissa Meyer

3.5 out of 5 stars
Nova is a spy for the Anarchists. She has infiltrated the Renegade headquarters, pretending to be one of them so that she can plot against them. But Nova’s loyalties are divided as she finds herself more and more involved with Adrian, a young superhero whose two dads are the leaders of the Renegades. In this final book of the trilogy, Nova is starting to really feel the pressure of her double life as the violence in the city escalates. The Renegades definitely suspect her, and her secret identity is seriously compromised.

Continue reading