review

Book Review: Acadia Files, Autumn Science

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The Acadia Files by Katie Coppens
The Acadia Files: Book Two, Autumn Science 
by Katie Coppens  (Author),Holly Hatam (Illustrations)

4 out of 5 stars on GoodReads

Acadia is a little girl full of questions. Why are there different time zones? How do frogs breathe? Where does rain come from? Why do leaves change color? How does my body fight off germs? With the help of her scientist parents, Acadia and her friends are determined to go out in the world and find answers.

I loved this interesting book! Acadia is such a cute character, and she asks really detailed and important questions. I liked that Acadia’s mom is a central character, always ready with some guidance towards a solid scientific answer.
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Picture Book Review: Henry is Kind

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Henry is Kind by Linda Ryden
Henry is Kind: A Story of Mindfulness 
by Linda Ryden, Shearry Malone (Illustrations)

3 out of 5 stars on GoodReads


As part of their heartfulness meditation practice, Ms. Snowden’s elementary class starts doing a kindness project, and each child tells the class about the kind things they do through the week. But Henry can’t think of anything that he has done to be kind, until his classmates remind him of all the little things he has done to show them generosity, helpfulness, and kindness.

I loved the themes of loving-kindness, generosity, and mindfulness in this book! The first few pages show the class learning a meditation that they repeat and take into their hearts, fostering love and gentleness toward the people around them. Continue reading →

Book Review: Kitty Hawk #5

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Kitty Hawk and the Mystery of the Masterpieces by Iain Reading
Kitty Hawk and the Mystery of the Masterpieces (Kitty Hawk Flying Detective Agency #5) 
by Iain Reading

3 out of 5 stars on GoodReads


Kitty Hawk meets up with her old friend, Charlie, in Rome, and the two become involved in a mysterious international intrigue. They befriend a group of Italian siblings whose father has a dark past, and it’s up to Kitty to follow the clues through secret codes, hidden rooms, and the disturbing history of several long-lost paintings by famous artists.

As always, I adore Kitty’s character. She is better than Nancy Drew! Her incredible kindness and insatiable curiosity propel her into the most marvelous adventures. I love that her reaction to almost everything is, “Let’s go! Let’s find out! Let’s jump in!” She is such an energetic character, and that energy shines off every page.
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Classic Book Review: Barnaby Rudge

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Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens
Barnaby Rudge 
by Charles Dickens

2 out of 5 stars on GoodReads

This the story of a half-wit, Barnaby, and how he was tricked into joining the Gordon Riots in London. Barnaby’s poor mother has a terrible secret and a dark past that haunts her. Other characters include gruff Mr. Willet, the village innkeeper, and his son, Joe, who is in love with the locksmith’s daughter, Dolly. At the same time, delicate Miss Haredale is involved in a forbidden courtship with the son of her uncle’s sworn enemy, and the star-crossed lovers ask Barnaby to pass messages and notes for them. The disgruntled apprentice, Simon Tappertit, and the unsavory stableboy, Hugh, are instrumental in inciting the London riots, along with a hangman named Dennis who conceals his true profession from his companions in the riots.

I hated this story so much. I could barely force myself to read to the end. Usually I LOVE Dickens, but this book has so many problems.

First of all, the riots themselves were first boring, then awful and disturbing. I got so bored with all the plotting and secrets from various bad guys throughout the first half of the book, and then I was disgusted with all the atrocities committed by the rioters in the second half. Ugh. Not enjoyable to read.
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NonFiction Review: Solve This!

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Solve This! by Joan Marie Galat
Solve This!: Wild and Wacky Challenges for the Genius Engineer in You 
by Joan Marie Galat (Goodreads Author)

3 out of 5 stars on GoodReads

This fun book gives problematic scenarios, and encourages the reader to find solutions by using engineering and science! The problem is set with a description of a place or difficulty, and then various people of different professions give their original solutions, and finally the engineers give a solution, and you can decide which one is best!

There are a wide variety of professional people from different areas giving imaginative solutions on each page; a marine biologist, a teacher, a librarian, an architect, a nurse, a plumber, and dozens more in addition to the actual engineers. Continue reading →

Non-Fiction Review: To the Moon and Back

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To the Moon and Back by Buzz Aldrin
To the Moon and Back: My Apollo 11 Adventure 
by Buzz Aldrin ,Marianne Dyson, Bruce Foster (Illustrations)
5 out of 5 stars on GoodReads
This incredible book about Apollo 11, features the most amazing pop-ups I have ever seen in my life!!!
Every time I turned the page, I was oohing and aahing over the beautiful graphics and the intricacy of the pop-ups. There is a pop-up of the Apollo 11 rocket that is at least a foot long, and it blasts up from the page!

 

As if the gorgeous pictures and pop-ups weren’t enough, the story of the moon landing is also marvelous and full of interesting details. If you can tear your eyeballs away from the exquisite photos long enough to actually read the story, it is a delightful and easy to read history of the entire moon landing journey from start to finish. I loved how Buzz Aldrin tells the story from his own perspective!

And as if the interesting story AND pictures AND pop-ups weren’t enough, there is ALSO an insert with a paper model of the Eagle lunar module complete with assembly instructions for putting it together!

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Non-Fiction Review: Absolutely Everything

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Absolutely Everything! by Christopher Lloyd
Absolutely Everything!: A History of Earth, Dinosaurs, Rulers, Robots and Other Things Too Numerous to Mention 
by Christopher Lloyd (Goodreads Author), Andy Forshaw (Illustrations)
2 out of 5 stars on GoodReads
This history book is full of colorful illustrations and photos, and a lighthearted writing style.
I was immediately drawn to the beautiful cover and the gorgeous layout.However, I did NOT find the information to be reliable or accurate, and the conversational writing style was too cutesy and fake for me.
The author often cites things as fact which are only theories, or gives his personal opinion on events instead of relating them impartially. Many of his conclusions are erroneous, and I did not appreciate the silly introductions to each chapter.

I did love the beautiful illustrations and colorful photos!
I would not recommend this book for anyone who is interested in reading actual history rather than personal opinion and propaganda.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.