children’s book

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 →

Book Review: The Secret Keepers

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The Secret Keepers
The Secret Keepers by Trenton Lee Stewart

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Reuben is a city explorer, poking his nose into deserted alleys, climbing rooftops, and discovered hidden places. He finds a mysterious hidden clockwatch that leads him into adventure and danger. Reuben is hunted by the criminal mastermind, The Smoke, who is searching for the clock. Reuben must find out the secrets of the clockwatch and its origins before The Smoke and his henchmen, The Directions, find him and steal the clock.

Such a wonderful plot! I was interested to see how the mystery of the clockwatch played out, and I loved all the twists and turns. Continue reading →

Duology Review: Ginger Pye & Pinky Pye

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Ginger Pye
Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book is charming and cute, but I am not a “dog” person, so most of it was bleh for me. If you love dogs, then you would love this story!

The story is wholesome and sweet, but there are many grammatical errors that had me cringing. When you say “He waked up” instead of “He woke up”, I’m definitely judging you.

The plot itself is interesting and fun, full of little adventures, but it’s also very predictable and obvious.

Pinky Pye
Pinky Pye by Eleanor Estes

 My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a cute little story about a kitten named Pinky who is abandoned on Fire Island, and adopted by the Pye family while they are on vacation there. Pinky and the other family cat, Gracie, are the only ones who know the secret hiding in the attic of the Pye’s vacation cottage. Pinky astonishes everyone on the island with her feline prowess and intelligence. The little family adventures keep the story interesting and fun!

The plot is fairly obvious, and the writing is nothing special; but the wholesome charm of this story kept me reading and enjoying it!

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