children’s book

Book Review: Museum of Thieves

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Museum of Thieves by Lian Tanner

Museum of Thieves (The Keepers, #1)
by Lian Tanner(Goodreads Author)

3 out of 5 stars

Rebellious Goldie is tired of being chained to adults for her entire childhood. The law says all children under the age of 12 must be attached by a small chain to an adult for their own protection, but now Goldie is looking forward to being released from her chain on Separation Day. However, the Blessed Guardians of the City cancel the Separation Day ceremonies, and Goldie cuts herself loose and runs away. She hides in the mysterious Museum, where she learns that she has a unique talent for navigating the shifting rooms and the magic currents that run through the building. The City is in danger, and only a group of benevolent thieves can protect them from the evil within their walls.

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Book Review: The Unchosen One

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The Unchosen One by Amy Sparkes

The Unchosen One
by Amy Sparkes(Goodreads Author)

4 out of 5 stars

Tassie is dismayed to find out that she is The Chosen One, who must recite an ancient spell to stop an evil sorceress named the Shadow from returning. But when she can’t read the ancient language on the ancient scroll, they begin to suspect that someone else must be the real Chosen One. Tassie and her friend Spin, a griffin, set off on a quest to find the real Chosen One and get them to recite the spell and save their island home.

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Book Review: Kenny and the Book of Beasts

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Kenny & the Book of Beasts by Tony DiTerlizzi

Kenny & the Book of Beasts
by Tony DiTerlizzi 

4 out of 5 stars

Kenny is enjoying his life with his family and his best friend, a dragon named Grahame. But their friendship is put to the test when Grahame meets up with his old friend, a manticore named Dante. Kenny is very jealous of their time together and he feels left out as they reminisce about the old days. An evil witch comes on the scene, and Kenny has to decide whether he will stand by his friends, new and old, no matter what his personal feelings may be.

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Book Review: The Boy Behind the Wardrobe

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The Boy Behind the Wardrobe by Suzanne Poulter Harris

The Boy Behind the Wardrobe: How C.S. Lewis Grew Up to Create Narnia
bySuzanne Poulter Harris, Mira Miroslavova(Illustrator)

2 out of 5 stars

This picture book gives an overview of Lewis’ childhood and young adulthood and tells about how he was inspired to write The Chronicles of Narnia. We learn about his childhood imagination that created Animal-Land stories along with his brother, Warnie. His mother took him to see ancient ruined castles in Ireland, and he was inspired by classic children’s books written by Beatrix Potter and Edith Nesbit. He would play in a big wardrobe at his grandfather’s house, along with his cousins. But when his mother died, Lewis was sent to boarding school where he was bullied, and his only escape was through stories. He befriended Arthur and finished his schooling with a wise tutor. When Lewis was grown up, he served in the war and wrote poetry in the trenches. But it was at Oxford that he found his true place of belonging and his best friend, Tolkien. All of these things inspired Lewis to write The Chronicles of Narnia.

Except… there is not one mention of the greatest influence and biggest inspiration of Lewis’ entire life – Christ!!! Even in a timeline of Lewis’ life at the back of the book, there is no mention of his conversion to Christianity, the most important event of his life. Ridiculous.

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Book Review: The Boggart Fights Back

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The Boggart Fights Back by Susan Cooper

The Boggart Fights Back
bySusan Cooper(Goodreads Author)

4 out of 5 stars

One generation after the events in the first two books of the series, the Boggart and Nessie are back, this time for adventures with Tommy and Emily’s children, Allie and Jay. The land around Castle Keep has been sold to a ruthless developer, who wants to turn the Loch into a marina with a fancy hotel and golf resort. The Boggart won’t allow his castle to be torn down, and he starts to mess with the construction work. Can they scare off the developers before it’s too late?

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Book Review: The Boggart and the Monster

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The Boggart and the Monster by Susan Cooper

The Boggart and the Monster
by Susan Cooper

4 out of 5 stars

The shape-shifting Boggart loves to play tricks on people in his ancient castle in Scotland. Emily and Jessup come to visit and go on a camping trip with their friend Tommy to visit Loch Ness, and the Boggart has come along for the ride. The Boggart finds his old cousin Nessie, a fellow boggart who has gotten stuck in the shape of a huge plesiosaurus and is the origin of the legends of the Loch Ness monster. Nessie has been sleeping at the bottom of the loch for decades, but now the Boggart is encouraging him to get out of the monster shape and into his proper invisible boggart-shape. But Nessie keeps reverting back into a huge monster, and a scientific team is scouring the loch looking for evidence of the Loch Ness monster legend. The two boggarts will need the children to help them evade the scientists and find peace again in a quiet corner of Scotland.

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Book Review: The Adventures of Odysseus

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The Adventures of Odysseus by Nicolás Schuff

The Adventures of Odysseus: A Graphic Novel of The Odyssey
by Nicolás Schuff, Lawrence Schimel(Translator), Mariana Ruiz Johnson(Illustrator)

3 out of 5 stars

This graphic novel for children follows the voyages of Odysseus as he tries to find his way home to his beloved wife, Penelope. Although, the original Ancient Greek story follows a different narrative structure, this adaptation tells Odysseus’ story in chronological order, starting from when he left the battle of Troy. I really liked that, because it makes it much easier for kids to follow along with the story, rather than hearing about Odysseus’ adventures through flashbacks like the original does.

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Book Review: Eliza and the Hobgoblins

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Fairy Door Diaries by Megan McDonald

Fairy Door Diaries: Eliza and the Hobgoblins
byMegan McDonald, Lenny Wen(Illustrator)

3 out of 5 stars

Eliza is supposed to be doing her chores and cleaning her room, but she slips through the fairy door into Goblin Land. At first, the magical land appears to be deserted, but when Eliza looks through a hob stone (a magical stone with a hole in the middle), she sees hobgoblins dancing and prancing about everywhere! The hobgoblins love to play tricks, so when Eliza wishes for her room to be magically cleaned, they swarm all over her room making more messes! Eliza begs them to stop, but the hobgoblins just laugh and play. Can Eliza find something the hobgoblins love more than playing tricks, something that might convince them to stop?

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Book Reviews: Unicornia #6-7

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Unicornia by Ana Punset

Unicornia: Rainbow Roller Skates
byAna Punset, Diana Vicedo(Illustrator)

4 out of 5 stars

Claudia, Sara, and Pippa are on their way to the Unicorn Show, but they can’t agree on how to get there. Claudia wants to take her flying roller skates. Sara wants to take the bus, and Pippa wants to use a teleportation potion. The three friends can’t agree, so they separate and go their own ways. Claudia’s flying roller skates are very difficult to control, and her friends have trouble with their modes of transport too. Can the friends find each other again and make it to the Unicorn Show on time?

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Book Review: Pia in the Forest

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Pia in the Forest by David Bruggink

Pia in the Forest
by David Bruggink

1 out of 5 stars

Pia has trouble listening and obeying what she is told. She gets distracted and does whatever she wants. When her father tells her “no candy”, Pia goes in the kitchen and sneakily eats some sprinkles. When her father finds her with sprinkles on her face, there are no consequences and no reprimand. The father just ignores her disobedience.

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