Book: The Lost Kingdom of Bamarre Author: Gail Carson Levine Rating: 4 Stars Basic plot: Perry is adopted as a baby by Lady Mother and Lord Tove. What Perry doesn't know yet is that she's Bamarre, not Lakti (like her parents). When the fairy, Halina, shows up (and fairies only show up to Bamarre), her … Continue reading Review: The Lost Kingdom of Bamarre
Read Part 1 here. It's not only old books that have great illustrations. I've come up with a list of contemporary books (with authors who are still living and writing!) that have illustrations that make the reading experience just that much more enjoyable. How to Train Your Dragon This series has wonderful illustrations that are … Continue reading Illustrations that Make the Book – Part 2
Not every book needs illustrations. Let me make that clear. And yet, there are those books in which the illustrations seem to go hand-in-hand with the written page... So much so that we come to find it hard to think of the book without these illustrations. When I was coming up with this blog post … Continue reading Illustrations that Make the Book – Part 1
Here are my Quick Pick books from the past few weeks or so... Quick Pick books are always recommendations. (If I don't recommend the book, it's not a Quick Pick!) Book: Speechless Author: Jennifer Mook-Sang Basic Plot: An avid video-gamer, Jelly really wants to win his very own video game unit... And all he has … Continue reading Quick Pick Reviews #1
When I go to the library, I am immediately drawn to the children's section. Why? Because I love books written for kids. Not so much picture books. Not those early chapter books. No, give me books written for the Middle Grade reader. What used to be called Children's Literature. (And by extension, I'll also include many Young Adult books … Continue reading Old Enough to Read Fairy Tales
Book: The Wizards of Once Author: Cressida Cowell Rating: 4 Stars Basic plot: Xar is a Wizard (but without magic) and Wish is a Warrior (with a magic sword) in a place where Wizards and Warriors are taught to hate each other. Brought together, they form an odd team against a deadlier threat. The Witches, … Continue reading Review: The Wizards of Once
Another bookish problem: Getting home from the library with a stack of books. But which book to read first?! This happened recently, the books being... 1) The Wizards of Once (by Cressida Cowell) 2) Nanny X (by Madelyn Rosenberg) 3) The Reluctant Midwife (Patricia Harman) Now, I love the How to Train Your Dragon series, … Continue reading Bookish Problem #4
Book: Ms. Bixby's Last Day Author: John David Anderson Rating: 3 Stars Basic Plot: When Ms. Bixby unexpectedly announces that she'll be leaving her class before the year is up, three of her students hatch a plan to give their teacher the last day she deserves. WHAT'S COOL 1) Ms. Bixby seems like a great teacher. I would have loved … Continue reading Review: Ms. Bixby’s Last Day
Book: Apollo 8 Author: Jeffrey Kluger Rating: 4 Stars Basic plot: The true story behind the space mission of Apollo 8... How astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders were the first to orbit the moon in 1968. WHAT’S COOL… 1) The subtitle of the book is: The Thrilling Story of the First Mission … Continue reading Review: Apollo 8
When you finish the last book in a series... And realize there are no more books left! It's quite depressing. Actually, it can feel as if somebody close to you has died. When you're waiting to read a sequel... And it takes forever. It can be up to a year, or even longer. Finally, you get the book in your … Continue reading 3 Bookish Problems
