Short Stories from Hogwarts of Heroism, Hardship and Dangerous Hobbies by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Minerva McGonagall is my favorite of all the teachers at Hogwarts, and I loved reading about her backstory, her quiet heroism, and her moral fortitude. Even after having read most of it on Pottermore.com, I enjoyed reading it a second time!
Remus Lupin is my second favorite character Continue reading
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Fern is a magical girl with a secret parentage, and when she meets her true father, The Bone, and leaves her extremely dull adoptive parents, she is swept into adventure and danger. The Bone’s archnemesis, The Miser, is lurking in the shadows and plotting evil, and it’s up to Fern to discover the secrets of her parents’ murky past in order to puzzle through the future and find her true identity. Continue reading
Avatar: The Last Airbender: Smoke and Shadow, Part 1 by Gene Luen Yang
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I’m loving the continuing story of Team Avatar in these graphic novels! In this one, there is political unrest in the Fire Nation as a band of traitorous rebels try to put the evil Ozai back on the throne. Zuko must fight to protect his newly-found family, but there are spies and enemies around every corner, and Zuko will have to call on Avatar Aang to help.
I love the artwork, and you can really feel the action moving the story forward. It’s easy to imagine it playing in your head like a movie, because the dialogue and facial expressions and fight scenes all flow so well. Continue reading
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
The story continues with Althea desperate to prove herself as an able-bodied seaman so that she can hopefully regain control of the Liveship Vivacia. But unbeknownst to her, Vivacia has been captured by pirates, and Wintrow is forced to bargain with the evil Kennit to save his own life and his father’s.
Malta is caught up in a flurry of courtship that could mean the forgiveness of the Vestrit family’s crushing debts, or it could spell ruin for her reputation. Brashen is striving to simply make a living on board a ship anywhere, but the mad ship Paragon might change his plans. And the mysterious Amber begins to have more influence on events as she has a finger in every pie in Bingtown. Continue reading
It’s hurricane season, so I’m talking about my favorite books featuring storms. What are your favorite stormy books? Leave a comment and let me know!
The Great Cheese Conspiracy by Jean Van Leeuwen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is an adorable little book about some mice living in a movie theater, who watch a lot of films about bank robbers. When they decide their gang is going to rob a cheese store, they come up with one hilarious plan after another and have several daring escapes, but no cheese. It’s up to their fearless leader to pull off the biggest cheese heist in mouse history!
I love stories about mice because they are the ultimate underdog characters! These little guys come up with some ingenious and hilarious projects, and I love the humor and silliness in the writing.
This would be the perfect book to read aloud to children, or for a child just starting to read chapter books. So cute!
Ennara and the Fallen Druid by Angela Myron
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Ennara has to hide her identity as a child with magical abilities, because she would most likely be kidnapped, enslaved, and forced to use her magic to benefit evil masters. She wears gloves to cover the tattoos on her hands that mark her as a magic user, but her mentor, Tork, trains her in the use of white magic.
When a shadowy demon begins attacking her village, Ennara is sent on a quest with Tork to recover the only weapon that could defeat the shadows, the Sword of Gisilfrid. But the sword is hidden in a sunken city deep below the ocean waves, and Ennara will need the help of her friends to defeat the evil Fallen Druid and retrieve the sword.
Treachery, spies, shadow magic, elemental magic, adventure, magical history, quests, friendship, love, and of course the power of family… this book has a great story line! I love how there is such an emphasis on light and sunshine and warmth, as opposed to the darkness and shadows. Continue reading
The Case of the Cursed Dodo by Jake G. Panda
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This hilarious “jungle noir” mystery features endangered animals, a panda detective, villainous snakes and shrews, and one very enigmatic green bird.
Jake G. Panda is a hotel detective who gets involved in a mystery that will lead him on an adventure across the Sahara, through Morocco, and to fabled lost cities in Asia. Following the signs of the green bird, Jake has to fight off not only poaching humans, but also back-stabbing animals willing to make a few dollars on other animals’ misery.
The humor is wonderful with lots of puns and classic lines from film noir! It reads like a funny version of the Maltese Falcon or Casablanca. It’s hilarious and delightful to read! Continue reading
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