Book Review: Kenny and the Dragon

Kenny & the Dragon by Tony DiTerlizzi

Kenny & the Dragon
by Tony DiTerlizzi

5 out of 5 stars

Kenny is dismayed to discover that there is a fire-breathing dragon in the back field of their sheep farm. But when he confronts the dragon, he finds that the dragon is kind and gentle. They become friends through talking about books and history and art. But the townsfolk have called for the king to send his best knight to kill the dragon! Can Kenny save his new friend when no one seems willing to listen?

I loved this book so much! The whole story is so charming and whimsical! I loved the adorable characters, and the writing is utterly enchanting in every chapter. 

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Book Reviews: Samantha Mysteries

The Curse of Ravenscourt by Sarah Masters Buckey

The Curse of Ravenscourt: A Samantha Mystery (American Girl Mysteries)
by Sarah Masters Buckey,\ Jean Paul Tibbles (Illustrator)

4 out of 5 stars

Samantha and her adopted sister Nelly go with Uncle Gard and Aunt Cornelia to live in an apartment in New York for a few weeks. The Ravenscourt Apartments are the height of luxury in the big city, but everything keeps going wrong in the building. The furnace breaks down, rats get into the walls, and a service elevator breaks and falls down the shaft. Some people think that the owner, Mr. Raven, must be cursed because he is such a harsh landlord to poor tenants in other buildings that he owns. Samantha and Nelly begin to investigate the strange occurrences around the building, determined to prove that the curse it not real, and someone must be targeting Mr. Raven.

Clue in the Castle Tower by Sarah Masters Buckey

Clue in the Castle Tower (American Girl Samantha Mysteries #4)
by Sarah Masters Buckey (Illustrator)

4 out of 5 stars

Samantha and Nelly are touring through England with Grandmary and the Admiral. They visit an old friend of the Admiral’s who lives in a grand manor house with a ruined castle on the grounds. There are rumors of a ghost in the manor, but Samantha and Nelly don’t believe in ghosts. However, when it’s discovered that some rare books have been stolen, they begin to wonder if someone has been using the ghost as a smokescreen for crime. The girls befriend two mischievous boys who live in the manor, and together they start to investigate the thefts.

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Book Reviews: The Postman from Space Series

The Postman from Space by Guillaume Perreault

The Postman from Space
by Guillaume Perreault (Goodreads Author), Françoise Bui (Translator)

4 out of 5 stars

Bob is just an ordinary postman delivering mail in space. He likes his boring routine. But one day his boss orders him to take a new mail route and he runs into trouble at every stop! Gone are his predictable days and safe routines, and Bob is thrown into every kind of wild situation and difficult delivery imaginable! He delivers a package to a planet inhabited by dogs and they chase him and take his lunch. One difficult customer refuses to sign for their package until Bob draws them a picture of a sheep. One little old lady has such a messy and chaotic planet that Bob is hit with flying debris caught in the gravitational field. Bob hates his new route, until he realizes that maybe he has just made some new friends.

The Postman from Space by Guillaume Perreault

The Postman from Space: Biker Bandits
by Guillaume Perreault (Goodreads Author), François Bui (Translator)

4 out of 5 stars

Bob is just an ordinary postman delivering mail in space. He likes his familiar routine. But one day his boss orders him to take on a new trainee, and they only have one letter to deliver… to a king! When they take a detour on their delivery route, the Biker Bandits get wind that the king is receiving an important letter and they track down Bob to steal the letter! Along the way, Bob and his trainee, Marcelle, pick up a hitchhiker who was stranded on an asteroid, but Bob doesn’t trust the hitchhiker. Could they be in even more trouble if the Biker Bandits catch up to them?!

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Book Review: Sir Edmund of the Wild West: Mystery in the Grand Canyon

Sir Edmund of the Wild West by Dusti Bowling

Sir Edmund of the Wild West: Mystery in the Grand Canyon
by Dusti Bowling (Goodreads Author), Beth Hughes (Illustrator)

3 out of 5 stars

Edmund is a highly-trained British service dog who can detect seizures. He has a new owner, Willy, who makes videos about tracking down ghosts at historic locations. They hike through the Grand Canyon, searching for clues about what might have happened to some river rafters who disappeared decades before under mysterious circumstances. Although dogs can’t talk to the living, they can see and communicate with the dead ghosts that haunt the canyon. Edmund meets a lot of friendly ghosts who kindly lead him in the right direction to solve the mystery.

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Book Review: Nell O’Dell Hates Quests

Nell O'Dell Hates Quests by Emily B. Martin

Nell O’Dell Hates Quests (The Golden Crossroads #1)
by Emily B. Martin

5 out of 5 stars

Nell is sick and tired of quests. She works at the crossroads inn where she constantly hears about chosen ones, grand prophecies, and magic weapons. She sneers at all the questers who pass through the crossroads looking for glory and fame. Nell just wants a quiet life at the inn taking care of her chickens and her garden. But when there is a problem with the deed to the inn, Nell’s parents send her on a “journey” (NOT a quest!) to the capital to present the deed at the Exchequer’s office and prove their ownership of the inn. She is joined by an overly-excitable goblin, Midge, who is delighted to be included on the journey (NOT a quest!). Along the way they run into a mysterious thief, a hermit faun, a dragon keeper, and a sad troll whose name has been stolen by an evil fairy. Their journey (NOT a quest!) is fraught with danger and adventure and mystery, but Nell O’Dell hates quests, so it just CAN’T be a quest… can it? If a quest is “just a trip with a goal that’s important to you”, will Nell embrace the questing legends or find a way to complete her quest on her own terms?

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Book Review: Sneaks

Sneaks by Amy Tern

Sneaks
by Amy Tern (Goodreads Author)

1 out of 5 stars

Valory has a reputation as a thief and liar. She is rude to all the adults in her life, especially her mother’s boyfriend. She gives adults rude nicknames that she calls them behind their backs. She is well-known at her school for elaborate pranks and for stealing from the teachers. She disobeys her mother on various occasions, saying she knows she will get in trouble, but she doesn’t care.

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Book Review: Castle Rackrent and The Absentee

Castle Rackrent / The Absentee by Maria Edgeworth

Castle Rackrent / The Absentee
by Maria Edgeworth

4 out of 5 stars

Castle Rackrent is about a servant of the Rackrent family, who sees four generations of the landowners go through bankruptcy and scandal. Thady Quirk remains loyal to the family despite their drunken debaucheries, years of wasted income, and scandalous relationships. His narration gives excuses for their bad behavior and turns a blind eye to their evil ways, steadfastly claiming that the Rackrent family are all saints and the kindest masters in the world. On the one hand, his loyalty is admirable, but it could not have attached itself to a more unworthy object. Eventually, the family comes to ruin and a circumspect lawyer snaps up all their land and livelihood and the last of their house dies in poverty.

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Book Review: Graciela in the Abyss

Graciela in the Abyss by Meg Medina

Graciela in the Abyss
by Meg Medina (Goodreads Author), Anna Balbusso (Illustrator), Elena Balbusso (Illustrator)

3 out of 5 stars

Graciela is only thirteen when she falls off a cliff and dies in the ocean. One hundred years later, she wakes from her death sleep and becomes a ghost. The friendly ghost community welcomes her, and her mentor Amina teaches her about living in the ocean and trains her to be a sea-glass artisan.
Jorge is a living boy from a family of blacksmiths. He discovers that his grandfather created a mystic harpoon capable of killing ghosts and sending them to a final death. He puts his own life at risk in order to destroy the terrible weapon, but he can’t do it alone.

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Book Review: The Floating Island

The Floating Island by Elizabeth Haydon

The Floating Island (The Lost Journals of Ven Polypheme, #1)
by Elizabeth Haydon

4 out of 5 stars

Ven’s family are shipbuilders, and when Ven goes on a ship to inspect it, the ship is sunk by Fire Pirates and Ven is left adrift in the ocean. He is rescued by a merrow/mermaid and taken aboard a passing ship on the way to Serendair, an island nation where adventure awaits.

This book has an enchanting fantasy world! There are little variations on different typical fantasy creatures. Ven is a Nain, which is similar to a dwarf. There are merrows, like a mixture of mermaids and selkies. The Spice Folk are like nature fairies or brownies who are invisible. The Lirin are sort of like forest elves. They all have their own characteristics and skills and magical abilities. I was delighted with the details about each culture!

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Book Review: Secrets of the Snakestone

Secrets of the Snakestone by Piu DasGupta

Secrets of the Snakestone
by Piu DasGupta 

3 out of 5 stars

Zelie’s father has gone missing, along with the mysterious Snakestone that can grant healing and long life to the wearer. Zelie meets Jules, who was working down in the sewers below Paris and found the locket that once held the Snakestone. The locket is empty, and Zelie and Jules go on an adventure to find the Snakestone and Zelie’s missing father, but a dangerous secret society is also hunting for the Snakestone.

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