children’s book

Picture Book Review: You Can’t Win Them All, Rainbow Fish

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You Can't Win Them All, Rainbow Fish
You Can’t Win Them All, Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Rainbow Fish is confident in his abilities to win every game of Hide-and-Seek, but when he loses to a fish younger than himself, Rainbow Fish is upset and storms away, refusing to play with his friends anymore. It takes the gentle wisdom of Red Fish to convince Rainbow Fish to apologize for his poor sportsmanship and resume playing the game.

I loved the colorful illustrations, and the sparkly images of an underwater game of Hide-and-Seek! Rainbow Fish is a sweet character and all his little fishy friends are adorable. This book strongly reminded me of the simple excitement of a childhood game, and I could see my whole childhood wrapped up in this little story. Continue reading →

Picture Book Review: Milo and Georgie

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Milo and Georgie
Milo and Georgie by Bree Galbraith

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Milo and Georgie have to move to a new town, and Milo is so upset that he won’t go outside to explore their new neighborhood. But Georgie loves their new house, and wants to explore. Milo ties a string of yarn around her and lets her loose on the neighborhood, but when he tugs on the yarn twice, Georgie is supposed to come home. One day, Milo tugs on the yarn, but Georgie doesn’t respond! Milo has to go looking for his sister, and discovers a whole neighborhood full of new friends! Continue reading →

Book Review: The Finches’ Fabulous Furnace

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The Finches' Fabulous Furnace
The Finches’ Fabulous Furnace by Roger Wolcott Drury

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

One cold winter, when the Finch family moves into their new house, Mr. Finch and his son find a tiny volcano in the cellar, pumping heat and steam into the house instead of a furnace. They decide to keep it a secret, so as not to alarm the ladies of the family, but when the summer heat makes the volcano unbearable, Mrs. Finch and her daughter are determined to know why their house is always so hot! The townsfolk begin to suspect that Mr. Finch is hiding something huge in his cellar, and they pester him for answers. Mr. Finch has to decide whether or not the volcano is a threat to the town, but his children have something to say about that too!

I loved all the clever little details about a family living in a house with volcanic activity! The snow melts off their roof, and their plants bloom in the winter. There are strange updrafts and strong winds surrounding their house as the steam rises from their cellar. All those details were so fun to read about! Continue reading →

Book Review: Help! I’m a Prisoner in the Library

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Help! I'm a Prisoner in the Library
Help! I’m a Prisoner in the Library by Eth Clifford

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I remember loving this book when I was a kid, and I fantasized about spending the night in a library.

Jo-Beth and Mary Rose are sisters who get stranded in a library during a blizzard. The library displays and mannequins depicting literary characters are creepy in the dark, and there are weird noises coming from upstairs. The sisters find an injured librarian, and have to use all their common sense to help her and get themselves rescued from the blizzard.

The simple writing style makes this a perfect book for young children who are reading chapter books. While the sisters are mildly frightened at every mysterious sound in the old library, the reader never really feels scared. It’s just suspenseful and interesting enough to keep you guessing, but will not give a kid nightmares.

I really love that each of the characters have their own prickly and funny personalities. Their dialogue is hilarious!

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Book Review: Candle Man: The Society of Dread

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Candle Man: The Society of Dread
Candle Man: The Society of Dread by Glenn Dakin

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Theo is officially the new Candle Man, and with that power comes responsibilities that Theo doesn’t want. But the police are dragging him into an investigation of the underground tunnels, and when Chloe is kidnapped by mysterious creatures, Theo has to use his power as the Candle Man to rescue her and bring peace to the underground. Theo will fight alongside terrible allies, and some strange people come out of the shadows.

Not really impressed with this book. I got bored towards the end, what with all the monster fights and gooey slime stuff. The plot moves along pretty well. There are many interesting and weird characters. I do like the main character, Theo, and enjoy seeing his awkward attempts to make friends. But it feels like the same plot from the previous book.
Disappointment.

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Book Review: The Society of Unrelenting Vigilance

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The Society of Unrelenting Vigilance
The Society of Unrelenting Vigilance by Glenn Dakin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Loved it! This book is fantastic, and I can’t wait to get my hands on the next one!
Reading it the second time, I still found this book really enjoyable. The mysteries of the past haunting everyone, the suspenseful magic being revealed, the ghoulish setting with steam punky elements everywhere… I loved it all!

I found the main character, Theo, to be an enigma, and that kept my attention throughout the book. Due to his secluded upbringing, he is weird and has strange ideas. He doesn’t know how to act in society, so he is deliciously awkward and doesn’t even know it. Watching him rediscover the world provided so much comedic relief in this book.

I was grossed out by the slime and the melting eyeball faces towards the end, but I’ll bet boys would love that kind of thing.

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Book Review: Magic by the Lake

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Magic by the Lake
Magic by the Lake by Edward Eager

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Jane, Mark, Katherine, and Martha are back in another magical adventure, this time on vacation by the lake. A talking turtle guides them through the difficulties of wishing with “wet magic” from the lake, and they encounter mermaids, pirates, buried treasure, and a trek to the South Pole.
But their selfish wishes get them into trouble, and it’s only when they learn to use their wishes for the good of others that the magic truly begins. Continue reading →

Book Review: Knight’s Castle

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Knight's Castle
Knight’s Castle by Edward Eager

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Roger and Ann’s father is ill, and Roger wishes on an ancient lead soldier toy for his father to be healed. But the magical lead soldier tells Roger that wishes must be earned, and Roger, his sister, and their cousins are swept into an adventure of derring-do in the Merry England of Robin Hood, Ivanhoe, and King Richard the Lionheart.

The moment Roger arrives in this magical land, everything seems to go wrong despite his good intentions! Roger begins to doubt that he can ever do enough good deeds to earn a wish for his father, and it’s only when he relies on his sister and cousins that the adventure truly begins to come together with surprising results for everyone. Continue reading →

Book Review: Half Magic

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Half Magic
Half Magic by Edward Eager

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When four siblings find a talisman that grants wishes, they discover it will only give you half of what you wish for. This troublesome magic takes some getting used to, and the children make mistaken wishes with hilarious results! But is the talisman purposefully creating trouble, or is it pushing them towards a happier destiny?
A rollicking magical adventure through time and space and the children’s own backyard!

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Book Review: The Penderwicks in Spring

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The Penderwicks in Spring
The Penderwicks in Spring by Jeanne Birdsall

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another amazingly wonderful book in this series! Little Batty is in 5th grade, and she’s no longer the youngest Penderwick sister. Lydia is the baby of the family, and clings to Batty and Ben as they form a group of Younger Penderwick Siblings. Batty discovers a love of singing and wants to surprise her family with a vocal concert on her birthday, but things don’t go as planned and poor Batty suffers as old family wounds are revealed.

As always, I adore the quirky intelligent varied personalities of every Penderwick character. That whole family is so adorable! Continue reading →