children’s books

Book Review: Emily and the Spellstone

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Emily and the Spellstone by Michael Rubens
Emily and the Spellstone 
by Michael Rubens (Goodreads Author)

4 out of 5 stars on GoodReads

Emily hates adventures, but when she discovers a magical stone that acts as a cellphone, she is thrown into a magical adventure that proves she is strong and resourceful against the greatest of enemies. A fiery monster named Gorgo is trapped in the Spellstone, and vows to eat Emily if he ever gets free. But Emily needs his help to defeat the nasty people who are seeking the stone’s power for their own evil purposes.

I loved the wit and humor of this book! The dialogue is snappy and every new magical situation is hilariously weird. The plot is full of action and danger. The characters are beautifully written with plenty of contrast and development. Continue reading →

Book Review: Marvelous Land of Oz

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The Marvelous Land of Oz by L. Frank Baum
The Marvelous Land of Oz (Oz, #2) 
by L. Frank Baum

2 out of 5 stars on GoodREads
 Tip is a young boy living in Oz, servant to a nasty witch. He fashions a pumpkin head that comes to life, and they travel to the Emerald City to meet the Scarecrow and Tin Man, falling into the middle of a revolution along the way.
I didn’t really enjoy this book, maybe because I listened to it as an audiobook, and I didn’t like the narrator. Usually I love the Oz books, but this one fell flat. The characters are so dry, the jokes aren’t funny, and even the imaginative setting of Oz felt like a rehash of the same old things from every Oz book. Maybe it was the narrator. Maybe I just wasn’t in the mood for this book. Maybe because I’ve been reading the Oz books out of order, so I already knew some of the plot points. It’s a good story, but I somehow couldn’t enjoy reading it.

Book Review: Frightful’s Mountain

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Frightful's Mountain by Jean Craighead George
Frightful’s Mountain (Mountain, #3) 
by Jean Craighead George

3 out of 5 stars


This is my least favorite book in the trilogy, because it mainly focuses on the peregrine falcon, Frightful, and Sam is barely in the story at all. If you are interested in falconry at all, you would LOVE this book! Very informative and dramatic, as Frightful learns to survive in the wild, struggles to find a mate and raise her own chicks, and finds her way back to Sam as a wild bird.
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Book Review: Midwinter Nightingale

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Midwinter Nightingale by Joan Aiken
Midwinter Nightingale (The Wolves Chronicles, #10) 
by Joan Aiken

3 out of 5 stars on GoodReads


Within hours of returning to England, Dido is kidnapped and interrogated regarding the whereabouts of the missing King Richard and his successor, Simon, Duke of Battersea. Dido has no idea where they are hiding, but she could never betray the good King and her kind friend Simon, so she turns her attention to escaping the fearful Fogrum Hall and the ghastly werewolf, Baron Magnus. Continue reading →

November MK Book Packages

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Donate now at http://www.gofundme.com/booksformks to help these children get reading material!
Books for MKs is a charity organization that donates books to missionary kids on the foreign mission field all over the world.

Book Review: Cold Shoulder Road

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Cold Shoulder Road by Joan Aiken
Cold Shoulder Road (The Wolves Chronicles, #9) 
by Joan Aiken
3 out of 5 stars on GoodReads


Is Twite and her cousin Arun go on a wild search for Arun’s mother, Ruth Twite, while the Merry Gentry smugglers terrorize every village on the coast. Arun and Is turn to Admiral Fishkin for help and advice on how to find their missing relative, but the duplicitous Admiral is not as kind as he seems. Is and Arun search through the mysterious Silent Sect, explore a dark cave, find shelter in unlikely places, and ultimately find a way to restore peace to the coast and strip the Merry Gentry of their power.
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Book Review: Dangerous Games

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Dangerous Games by Joan Aiken
Dangerous Games (The Wolves Chronicles, #5) 
by Joan Aiken

4 out of 5 stars on GoodReads


Another fabulous book in the Wolves series! Dido is charged with finding Lord Herodsfoot on the distant island of Aratu, among the spice plantations, the witch doctors, and forest people. Lord Herodsfoot is searching for new and ancient games, which he hopes will entertain King James back in England. But the island is a troubled place with political unrest and violence around every turn. The island king’s malicious brother is planning a coup, and only Dido and her strange new friends can save the island and restore balance to the people’s lives.

Full of adventure and a little magic, this story keeps moving with a quick plot, weird and interesting characters, and of course, the excellent writing that I find in all Joan Aiken’s books.
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Book Review: IS Underground

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Is Underground by Joan Aiken
Is Underground (The Wolves Chronicles, #8) 
by Joan Aiken

5 out of 5 stars on GoodReads


I love this 8th book in the Willoughby Chase series! Dido’s little sister, Is, vows to find her long-lost cousin, and ends up looking for a missing prince too. All the children in London are being snatched up and sent to “Playland”, where they are promised treats and games and fun. But the horrible reality is a dark mine where they are forced to work as slaves, and Is has to go underground to continue her search. Is gets unexpected help from some unique and interesting characters, but it is only her fierce determination and street-smarts that will save her cousin and the other children from the horrors of the mines.
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Book Review: Travels with Gannon and Wyatt: Great Bear Rainforest

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Travels with Gannon and Wyatt by Patti Wheeler
Travels with Gannon and Wyatt: Great Bear Rainforest 
by Patti Wheeler, Keith Hemstreet (Goodreads Author)

5 out of 5 stars on GoodReads


Twin brothers, Gannon and Wyatt, are invited to the Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia, Canada, to search for the “spirit bear”, a rare albino bear said to be the Spirit of the Rainforest. But when their parents go missing, the brothers must trek into the wilderness alone to search for their parents and uncover a plot to destroy the delicate rainforest ecosystem. They face danger from the predators of the forest, wolves, black bears, and grizzlies, and it will take all their wilderness survival skills to make it out alive.

I loved this second book in the series! There is even more action in this one, and the plot really keeps you in suspense! The writing is in a journal style, as the two brothers write about their experiences and adventures.  Continue reading →

Book Review: Travels with Gannon and Wyatt: Botswana

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Travels with Gannon and Wyatt by Patti Wheeler
Travels with Gannon and Wyatt: Botswana 
by Patti Wheeler, Keith Hemstreet (Goodreads Author)

4 out of 5 stars on GoodReads


I thoroughly enjoyed this story told through the travel journals of twin brothers, Gannon and Wyatt, as they explore the Kalahari Desert and the Okavango Delta in Botswana. When the brothers hear about a lioness with cubs who has been wounded by a poacher, they trek into the wilderness with a native guide to find the lioness and give her some medical attention before the poacher tracks her down to finish her off! Searching for the lioness, they encounter a plethora of wild animals, and learn how to survive in the wild. Continue reading →