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Popular Books
book cover That's Not My Dinosaur
by: Fiona Watt
ISBN: 9780746041918
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book cover 101 Bible Stories for Toddlers
by: Carolyn Larsen
ISBN: 9781869209278
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book cover That's Not My Donkey
by: Fiona Watt
ISBN: 9781409523048
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book cover All About Bluey
by: Penguin Young Readers Licenses
ISBN: 9780593226681
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book cover Nickelodeon PAW Patrol: School Time Adventure
by: Steve Behling
ISBN: 9780794440206
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Book Reviews
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Pandora's Legacy
by Kara Leopard
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It was okay. I feel like there was too much tell when it came to plot (exposition is still exposition, even if it's a talking cat that's somehow also a Titan), and any characterization was sacrificed to speed and fighting. Also, all the easily identifiable villains are female? All the male monsters in Greek mythology and they cherry-pick the female ones and imply Zeus is a good guy?! (What the heck is the Jabberwocky doing in here? Just saying...)
Smash! Exploring the Mysteries of the Universe with the Large Hadron Collider
by Sara Latta
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Graphic format is good for this, but I think given how slim the story framework was I think a straight up comic with more visuals on the concepts and not bothering with the comic book inspiration parts might have worked better. (Also should I worry that I don't really get subatomic physics even when it's in a comic format and aimed at teens?)
Rescue And Jessica
by Jessica Kensky
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Torn on this one. It's very sweet, but despite being based on her life, I feel like it really shouldn't be in non-fiction. Even in kid's books I'm not big on non-fiction books putting specific thoughts in people's heads unless those people have written or spoken along those lines. So I'm suuuuper not big on non-fiction books showing animals thinking like people. I'm also iffy on how she turned herself into a tween/teen and glossed entirely over her injuries. It's lovely to have a thoughtful and positive portrayal, and first hand, view, I just wish it had emphasized more on the training and working together and less on an imaginary dog's POV and a quasi-fictional view on her. Two separate books-maybe a more real non-fiction and then a picture book might have been more appropriate here?
Dragons And Marshmallows Zoey And Sassafras
by Asia Citro
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Very cute. I enjoyed the fact that it uses magical creatures to teach science. Yay for a good example of changing one variable at a time. I always have trouble convincing kids on that one in my programs! I also liked addressing the anxiety of her mom being away for the first time and the worries of sudden responsibilities. Even if touched on lightly, this seemed pretty honest about feeling different types of worry, and a little bit on thinking about what you can control is a nice touch. (And even if it wasn't subtle, did stick in what something wants to eat vs what it SHOULD eat, I'd have gone for the marshmallows too.)
Unicorn Quest
by Kamilla Benko
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I had a lot of trouble getting into this one. Both busy and long. Interesting though confusing magic system. Nice to see different types of friend and family relationships. Seems like often the main siblings are brother and sister, so two quite different sisters was a good dynamic.
Mooncakes
by Wendy Xu
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3.5 rounding up. It was awfully cute, I liked that everything about the diversity was casual-even when the grandmothers messed up pronoun usage it was just part of the flow and immediately fixed (though I would have adored more than a reference to a sukkah, I'm so desperate to see some non Holocaust Jewish representation...) and I generally liked the art style. It just felt a little like catching the second movie of a trilogy, or starting a new series a few episodes in. Media res works sometimes, but here it felt a little too far in and made the relationship feel like a wham insta-love kind of deal. I would have really loved more about the demon-how did it become one since it wasn't one to start? (All I could think of was princess mononoke with the spirits becoming demons.) And the stepdad-mom thing. And the ghost parents. It's like there wasn't quite enough world to hold up all the story.
The Night Circus
by Erin Morgenstern
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Vivid imagery of a fantastical time and place with colorful characters. A magical circus at turn of the century Europe / Northeastern US. Conjures the feeling of "The Prestige" and Tim Burton films, with two main characters caught in the crosshairs of an epic Game. I enjoyed living in the circus, with all its wondrous tents and entertainers, but fell out of love once the danger and death started to kick in. Couldn't feel strongly about the two main characters falling in love and what happened to them, but I greatly enjoyed the setting and imagery of the book.
Guts
by Raina Telgemeier
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First review attempt got error message?! Very much a where the heck was this book when I needed it book. I think it'll be great for the nervous kids out there. Plus, might make the quiet struggles more understandable to the rest of her myriad fans too. I think she's at her best when working from personal experience. Also curious if the emphasis on bodily functions here will make it more popular with boys than her previous titles!
Perfect Little Children
by Sophie Hannah
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This book has you on the edge of your seat and waiting to figure out what the big reveal is going to be. Back and forth through the chapters the reader questions whether the main character, Beth, is hallucinating seeing her best friend and children. The problem is that the children haven’t aged; they are still three and five years old like they were before Beth and Flora had a falling out 12 years ago. This book was really enticing and a very easy read that keeps you involved and motivated to solve the mystery that consumes the characters. A story that comments on how terrible the urge for perfection can be and the importance or not giving up on the truth, “Perfect Little Children” shows that friendship can prevail even after many years.
Lucky Stars Mr. Wolf's Class #3
by Aron Nels Steinke
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I'll have to chat with younger readers when I can, missing the appeal on this one. (And the whole mouths being in the wrong place drove me nuts to the point of interrupting the flow of the story.)
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