Early Book Review: Ocean Animals from Head to Tail by Stacey Roderick, Kwanchai Moriya

Ocean Animals from Head to Tail is a nonfiction picture book written by Stacey Roderick and illustrated by Kwanchai Moriya. It is currently scheduled for release on September 6 2016. This book uses a fun guessing game to introduce eight different ocean animals and some unique aspects of their bodies. Readers are shown a close-up look at an unusual part of an animal's body and asked to guess its owner. The following page offers the answer along with a detailed illustration of that animal, it’s environment, and some interesting facts.  For example, readers learn that a blue whale's mouth contains baleen, which help it capture krill to eat, and that the tail of a seahorse curls so it can hold on to sea plants for stability.

Ocean Animals from Head to Tail is an interested and entertaining look at m,marine life for young readers. While many facts were not new to me, part of that is because my daughter is animal obsessed and we have done some serious research together on a few of these animals already. I think that the visually captivating pages and chosen information come together to capture the interest of young readers and any older siblings or caregivers that they share the book with. It could lead to further reading and discussions about the included animals, and other curious creatures both in the ocean and on land. The interactive nature of the pages would make this good for reading aloud, taking turns guessing what the animals might be and making it a game as well as an informative read. I liked that the end of the book included additional facts on another eight ocean animals, to further the curiosity and information seeking in our younger readers.  

Book Review: Wolves (I Bring the Fire) by C. Gockel

Wolves by C. Gockel is the first book in the I Bring the Fire series. The series is complete, and seven books long.

In the middle of America, on Route 44, Amy Lewis has a plan, to get to her grandma’s house in time for dinner. Galaxies away Loki is waking up in a prison cell, strangely without a hangover, and with no idea what he’s done wrong this time. But he does know Thor is hiding something, Odin is up to something wicked, and there seems to be something he’s forgotten. A very nice midwestern girl and a jaded, still very mischievous, Loki must join forces to outwit gods, elves, magic sniffing cats, and nosy neighbors. If Loki can remember exactly what he’s forgotten and Amy can convince him not to be too distracted by Earthly gadgets, her boobs, or three day benders, they just might pull it off.  

Wolves is a fast paced romp through three different realms, and lots of quirky characters. I was glad to see Loki have his side of the myths surrounding him , since I also felt like there was more to his stories. Amy is pretty close to broke and struggling to stay awake and get to her grandmother's house in one piece with her ugly dog when things go wrong. Loki makes for a unexpected savior, even if he introduces himself as Thor. Loki is on his own mission, trying to find and save the only family members he has left, and trying to put together missing information that he clearly once knew. the adventures include Loki figuring out our world, and Amy coming to terms with the particulars of the man who saved her, and how that effect reality as she knows it. I really enjoyed the fresh perspective on mythology I thought I had a solid knowledge of, and the was it has encouraged me to go back and re explore them. I just wish the story had some sort of satisfying wrap up before giving me the teaser for the next volume. I really want to know what happens next, and have added the next six books in the series to me 'hope to read' list.

Wolves is a book that I found entertaining and funny but that was very reminiscent of the Marvel movies and television series that are currently very popular. Of course, I am among those that are loving them, so this is not necessarily a bad thing. My big complaint here is the non ending, and the feeling that the book ended in the middle. It would have gotten more tarts if I felt satisfied with the stories as it stands. I am promised that there is an ending in sight, but that a serious and satisfying conclusion does happen- but not until the end of book three! I will let you know when I get that far.

Early Book Review: The Branch by Mireille Messier, Pierre Pratt

The Branch is a picturebook written by Mireille Messier and illustrated by Pierre Pratt. It is currently scheduled for release on September 6 2016. When an ice storm snaps a small girl's favorite branch from the tree in her yard, she's crestfallen. The girl's mom says it's just a branch. But not to her! “That was the branch I sat on, jumped from, played under. It was my castle, my spy base, my ship.” Luckily, her neighbor Mr. Frank understands. He says the branch has “potential.” And so, with imagination and spirit, and Mr. Frank's guidance and tools, the girl transforms the broken branch into something whole and new, giving it another purpose, and her another place to treasure.

The Branch is a beautifully illustrated picturebook that inspires creativity and looking for solutions rather than dwelling on the bad things in life. The young girl used the now broken branch to climb and sit in the tree, it was her special perch. Without it she is at a loss. The neighborhood is working together to clean up after the storm, and her neighbor takes notice of her distress and works with her to find a solution. I like that the little girl takes part in the solution, learning how to use tools and help create a new use for the branch rather than the older gentleman just doing the project on his own. I loved the spirit of  people working together, for no other reason than to be helpful and kind. This is a beautiful lesson that not only encourages a feeling of community, but also encouraging creativity, ingenuity, and hard work.

Book Review: Daring in a Blue Dress by Katie MacAlister

Daring in a Blue Dress by Katie MacAlister is a contemporary romance that is part of the Matchmaker in Wonderland or Ainsle Brothers series. the first book in the series was The Importance of Being Alice which was great fun. The series is tied together by the family of the main players, but each can also be enjoyed on their own.

Stranded in England without money or a ticket home, Mercy Starling takes a job working for a medieval reenactment company. After all, who wouldn't want to pretend to live in the past, wield swords and long bows, and dress up in armor? And the best part of her summer job is Bestwood Hall, or rather, its intriguing new owner. The painfully shy Alden Ainslie is overwhelmed by the medieval reenactors who invade the Tudor house he's renovating, but he's drawn to the bubbly Mercy. And he valiantly joins in the fun, dodging not just arrows, lances, and the odd sword thrust, but also some pretty suspicious—and potentially deadly—attacks on himself. Someone wants him to give up on the house. But Alden is desperate to prove himself—and win the heart of his lady fair.

Daring in a Blue Dress is a romance with a heaping spoonful of suspense. Mercy is a character with a money problem and a strange solution. Taking a job that was offered on a train by the person backing out at the last minute is a desperate solution, but one that she is willing to take. Alden is a perpetual student with few social skills, but the need to restore Bestwood Hall and keep the former owner, who still lives on premises reasonably happy. When Mercy's job just happens to be working for medieval reenactors that unexpectedly set up camp in Alden's back yard hilarious missteps and compromises ensue. several cases of assumptions, mistaken identity, and social awkwardness keep readers happily reading and enjoying the story. The chemistry between Alden and Mercy have is wonderful, and their banter is highly entertaining. The mystery.. danger, and action of the story are a great bonus- however I was just thrilled to see another book where MacAlister concentrates on fun, quirky characters that engaged me and kept me interested through the entire book. Now I need to go back and read the couple books I missed between Alice's book and this one, especially if MacAlister is back to the awesome characters that originally made me a fan.

Daring in a Blue Dress is a fun and fast read with plenty of laughs and romance, but a significant amount of mystery endanger as well. I think fans of MacAlister’s quirky characters and readers that have never read her light hearted romance will all enjoy this entertaining mix of mystery and sweet romance.  

Early Book Review: Doodle Adventure: The Pursuit of the Pesky Pizza Pirate by Mike Lowery

Doodle Adventure: The Pursuit of the Pesky Pizza Pirate by Mike Lowery is the second book in the Doodle Adventure series, which invites, no actually requires, readers to add their own artwork and ideas to the story. It is currently scheduled for release on September 6 2016. The first book is The Search for the Slimy Space Slugs, which I now own two copies of- because each of my children wanted their own. 

Doodle Adventures: The Pursuit of the Pesky Pizza Pirate! features Carl, the friendly narrator who happens to be a duck, and the reader, who is drawn right into the story—literally. Together, they embark on the very important mission of finding out who has been stealing all of the pizza in town. Could it be the Dread Pirate Slobberts, the meanest, nastiest pirate ever to sail the Seven Seas? And, more important, how are they going to get all that pizza back? The reader takes part in the adventure, filling in the blanks on each page and making the story their own, and ready to read again or share over and over again.

Doodle Adventures: The Pursuit of the Pesky Pizza Pirate! is a fun interactive story that appeals to readers that have big imaginations and enjoy more interactive stories. Each page offers a prompt for the reader to draw on object or finish a picture to help the story along. While the adventure of looking for a pizza thief would be enough to capture my son’s attention (since pizza only comes second to cake on the favorite food list) the interactive and adventure aspects of the story keep him interested and actively reading than most books. This is true for newly independent readers that are still getting comfortable with exploring chapter books, but more advanced readers as well. The creativity and fun factors will make this a hit for many. I am off to preorder my two copies now. 

Early Book Review: Mighty Jack by Ben Hatke

Mighty Jack by Ben Hatke is a graphic novel that is currently scheduled for release on September 6 2016. Jack might be the only kid in the world who's dreading summer. But he's got a good reason: summer is when his single mom takes a second job and leaves him at home to watch his autistic kid sister, Maddy. It's a lot of responsibility, and it's boring, too, because Maddy doesn't talk. Ever. But then, one day at the flea market, Maddy does talk, but only to tell Jack to trade their mom's car for a box of mysterious seeds. It's the best mistake Jack has ever made. What starts as a normal little garden out back behind the house quickly grows up into a wild, magical jungle with tiny onion babies running amok, huge, pink pumpkins that bite, and, on one moonlit night that changes everything, a dragon.

Mighty Jack is an imaginative graphic novel that starts with a pair of siblings that are devoted to each other, but like all siblings get annoyed or frustrated with each other as well. While their mom is busy working so that family does not have to leave their home the trouble with the garden starts, and a new friendship begins. I really like the dynamics between Jack and Maddie, and then the neighbor Lilly. Jack both adores his sister and is frustrated with the level of responsibility on his shoulders. In other words he is an ordinary kid facing both perfectly normal, and some seriously unusual challenges.  I think we could have seen more of Lilly's time away from the siblings, since it was clear that she was hiding something. However, my real complaint is that that action really ramped up at the end, only to leave readers with a serious cliff hanger and needing to know what is going to happen next. As always the characters, story, and artwork are all wonderful just as I expect from Hatke. It was not quite as awesome as Zita the Spacegirl, but still an engaging read that fans of all ages will enjoy.

Mighty Jack is an engaging graphic novel, as I have come to expect from Hatke. My only complaint is that it is clearly the beginning of a series, and the ending leaves the reader hanging and waiting for more.

Early Book Review: A Squiggly Story by Andrew Larsen

A Squiggly Story by Andrew Larsen is a picture book that is currently scheduled for release on September 6 2016. A young boy wants to write a story, just like his big sister. Athough he knows his letters, he doesn't know many words. “Every story starts with a single word and every word starts with a single letter,” his sister explains patiently. “Why don't you start there, with a letter?” So the boy tries. He writes a letter. An easy letter. The letter I. And from that one skinny letter, the story grows, and the little boy discovers that all of us, including him, have what we need to write our own perfect story.

A Squiggly Story offers encouragement for developing readers and writers to be creative and take chances. Writing a book can be a daunting task for adults, never mind young children still learning how to read and write. I loved the example his big sister sets, and her encouragement. Like any art form, with writing you need to start with a single word, a single letter, and expand from there. Much like the book The Dot by Peter Reynolds encourages artistic expression by encouraging children to start with a simple mark on the page, this book suggests that inspiring writers start of much the same. Anyone can tell their story with art or words, but only if they get started. The story is told as the young boy writes his book, and while my advanced digital copy has some formatting issues- which I fully expect to already be fixed in the final copy- the fun illustrations and story panels with dialogue bubbles come together to engage the reader and give the pages a nice textured look. I really enjoyed the read and think it will be a favorite among many readers, teachers, librarians, and parents.

A Squiggly Story is a great picture book for encouraging young children to be creative, and to ret new things (like writing their own book). The sibling relationship and persistence of the young author are great examples for readers of all ages. 

Book Review: Reign: A Royal Military Romance by Roxie Noir

Reign: A Royal Military Romance by Roxie Noir is something I bought on a whim, I admit to being intrigued by an Amazon on a Facebook. Thankfully, it was well worth by time. The crown prince Kostya and Hazel have nothing in common. He's a rugged, battle-hardened soldier who spent four years in the Royal Guard, an elite military unit. Hazel met the King and Queen for the first time wearing leggings and a sweatshirt. He's the serious, quiet, straight-laced heir to the throne, and she accidentally got drunk at a formal dinner.  Hazel is the ambassador's daughter and knows better than to mess around with a foreign head of state. His father is threatening to strip me of my title if he touch her, but she makes him want to break every one of his own rules. 

Reign: A Royal Military Romance is a romance that made me laugh, bite my fingernails, and fan myself a little. Hazel and Kostyra have a great chemistry and their banter is fantastic. I like that readers get a glimpse into both their minds, seeing the hardships that Kostya has faced, and the self doubt Hazel has despite her impulsive nature. This is not just a steamy romance, although it is certainly that. There are well written characters, political intrigue, and danger as well. Kostya’s country is not as tranquil as his father likes to portray, and that danger is going to land on their doorstep and everyone is going to have to make some hard choices and take some chances. I like that the characters are not perfect, but perfectly compliment each other. The give and take between Kostya and Hazel is pretty close to perfect, and the secondary characters are not just background noise, I found myself almost as interested in their long term well being as I was in our staring couple. I am impressed and am going to have to explore more books from this author. 

Book Review: Inspector Flytrap and the Big Deal Mysteries by Tom Angelburger, Cece Bell

Inspector Flytrap and the Big Deal Mysteries is an easy chapter book written by Tom Angelburger and illustrated by Cece Bell. On his first caper, Inspector Flytrap heads to the Art Museum’s Secret Lab to discover what important message lies in a mysterious glob on a recently discovered Da Vinci flower painting. The ingenious solution: Da Vinci was allergic to flowers, and the glob is, er, evidence of that ancient sneeze. Next Inspector Flytrap works on cases such as “The Big Deal Mystery of the Stinky Cookies” and “The Big Deal Mystery of the Missing Rose".

Inspector Flytrap and the Big Deal Mysteries is another funny and engaging story that will capture the interest of young readers. Inspector Flytrap is insistent on only working big deal cases, and his assistant and friend, a goat, is clearly not impressed with anything. Together they work cases, and sometimes cause more problems than they fix. I like that Inspector Flytrap is indeed smart and clever enough to solve the cases that come his way, and that in a silly but fun way show readers that his lack of mobility (he is a potted plant after all) is no barrier in making friends or solving cases. The characters and cases are silly on several levels, leaving readers entertained as they attempt to solve the cases before the detective. There is a running theme of friendship and working as a team through out the book along with wonderfully entertaining illustrations that keep readers interested.

 

Inspector Flytrap and the Big Deal Mysteries is a wacky book that will draw in reluctant and newly independent readers and keep them reading happily. The story and illustrations come together wonderfully to make readers laugh, think, and enjoy reading- which is the point, right? 

Book Review: Everybody Loves Ramen by Eric Hites

Everybody Loves Ramen by Eric Hites is a book for everyone that have developed a taste for instant ramen noodles, whether from necessity or choice. This book offers related fun facts, stories, puzzles, and fifty recipes that anyone can make using the packets of Ramen. The combinations range from obvious to “really?” and stem from the experiments of the author and his friends conducted to concoct original, and hopefully taste, ways to cook a staple in their lives. 

Everybody Loves Ramen is a fun gift for students and adults making their way on their own for the first time. Almost everyone on a limited budget has turned to Ramen Noodles at some point, and these recipes are entertaining, and some sound appetizing. I will admit that I was a little disappointed, because I did not read the description and was hoping for a book on making traditional Ramen, but I was still entertained and have considered some taste combinations that had not been on my radar before. The book is fun and humorously written, well worth a look if you have any fond memories of Ramen, or are just starting to branch out into the hungry realm of “I’m broke” cuisine.