Posted on by Maureen

Red: The True Story of Red Riding Hood by Liesl Shurtliff

51wa5tvta3lI received a copy of this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

My oldest daughter is almost nine years old, so I have recruited her to help me with the middle grade ARCs that I receive from Netgalley. She is a voracious reader, but she tends to gravitate towards comics and graphic novels rather than novels. Reading together gives her the opportunity to expand her repertoire, and I get some great feedback from the target demographic.

We just finished reading Red: The True Story of Red Riding Hood. This is Liesl Shurtliff’s third novel featuring fairytale characters. Red’s grandmother is feeling ill, and a basket of goodies is not enough to restore her to good health. Red’s grandmother happens to be a witch, but she is too sick to prepare a potion for herself.   Red sets out to gather the ingredients for a restorative draught, but it proves to be a more difficult job than she anticipated. As if that wasn’t bad enough, a pesky girl named Goldie insists on tagging along, and Red can’t shake the feeling that they are being followed! Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Waylon! One Awesome Thing by Sara Pennypacker

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I received a copy of this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

My oldest daughter is almost nine years old, and she is an avid reader. She and I have read all of Sara Pennypacker’s Clementine books, so we were very excited about the opportunity to read Pennypacker’s latest book: Waylon! One Awesome Thing.

Waylon is not a sequel to the Clementine books, but they are definitely a spinoff. Waylon lives in Clementine’s world; the two children attend the same school, and they are both in the fourth grade. They are not close friends, but Waylon has a couple of interactions with her over the course of the book.

If you are not familiar with the Clementine books, that’s okay; you don’t have to have read them before reading Waylon. Waylon is a fourth grade boy who lives in Boston with his parents and sister. Waylon is a very intelligent boy, and he loves science.

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Posted on by Maureen

Just Like Me by Nancy Cavanaugh

51arpbju1wlI received a copy of this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

My oldest daughter is almost nine years old, so I have recruited her to help me with the middle grade ARCs that I receive from Netgalley. She is a voracious reader, but she tends to gravitate towards comics and graphic novels rather than novels. Reading together gives her the opportunity to expand her repertoire, and I get some great feedback from the target demographic.

We recently read Just Like Me by Nancy Cavanaugh. The story begins with narrator Julia on the bus to sleepaway camp with Avery and Becca, her “Chinese sisters”. The girls were all adopted at the same time from the same orphanage. Avery and Becca live close to each other, get together all the time, and have embraced their Chinese heritage. Julia has been struggling with her identity, and sees herself as half Irish, half Italian like her parents- and half Chinese too. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Because of Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn

81dkz-evqllI have been a fan of Julia Quinn’s historical romances for almost fifteen years. I missed a few of her books when my children were young, but I have been enjoying some of the books I missed in recent months as I eagerly waited for her latest release.

Julia Quinn is probably best known for her Bridgerton series, eight books devoted to one Regency-era family of siblings. Each book featured one of the siblings’ love story, and there was something infectiously delightful about the family. Maybe it was their brutal games of croquet- including the infamous Mallet of Death. Maybe it was their strong bond, or perhaps it was their sense of humor.

The Bridgerton series ended in 2006, and Quinn went on to publish a new book every year, and finally, after ten years, we are revisiting the Bridgerton family.   Because of Miss Bridgerton shifts from the Regency era to the Georgian, and explores the relationship between Miss Billie Bridgerton and her aristocratic neighbor George Rokesby, Lord Kennard. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman

51mm2qbulslI had been looking forward to The Dark Days Club from the moment that I first heard about it several months before its release. I had a copy from the library, but when I found out that if I bought the Kindle edition, I could add the Audible edition for only $4.50 or so. Sold!

The Dark Days Club is the first entry in a Regency-set YA series by Alison Goodman. Lady Helen Wrexhall is preparing for her presentation at court. Lady Helen lives with her aunt and uncle. Her parents are dead, and Lady Helen doesn’t know much about the accident that led to their death, other than that it was Very Scandalous and should never be discussed. Ever. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

The Big Case (Zootopia) by Bill Scollon

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I found Zootopia: The Big Case at our town library. This Level 3 “Step Into Reading” book was written by Bill Scollon.

The book follows the plot of the movie. Judy Hopps might be a little bunny, but she has big plans to become a police officer. Her wish comes true, and while on the job, she encounters local grifter Nick Wilde. Judy doesn’t think very highly of Nick, but she realizes that she needs his help to solve a big case. This unlikely duo must work together to figure out why animals keep disappearing. Read more

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Time of Fog and Fire by Rhys Bowen

51n2bywxp8rlI received a copy of the Audible edition of Time of Fog and Fire in exchange for an honest review.

I am a big fan of Rhys Bowen’s Molly Murphy mysteries, and I have listened to the audiobook versions of some of them. I have enjoyed my previous experiences, so I was excited about the opportunity to listen to Time of Fog and Fire.

Molly (Murphy) Sullivan has halfheartedly tried to put her detective work behind her in the years following her marriage and the birth of her son, but there is always a mystery to be solved. An acquaintance insists that she has seen her husband in a newsreel featuring San Francisco, but he had no plans to be in San Francisco. Molly agrees to watch the newsreel, and is shocked to see her own Daniel in the newsreel as well. Molly knows Daniel is on assignment, but he is not supposed to be in San Francisco either. As if that were not odd enough, Molly receives an odd letter from Daniel saying things that seem very out of character. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

A Lady in the Smoke by Karen Odden

51he9ikahul-_sy346_I received a copy of this book from Netgalley/the publishers in exchange for an honest review.

A Lady in the Smoke is a Victorian mystery written by Karen Odden. As the story begins, Lady Elizabeth Fraser is traveling to her family’s estate with her mother when their train crashes. Lady Elizabeth and her mother receive minor injuries, and spend some time recuperating at a local hotel. She becomes acquainted with Paul Wilcox, a surgeon who specializes in railway accidents. Read more

Posted on by Maureen · 1 Comment

Maybe a Fox by Kathi Appelt & Alison McGhee

51fyq0arfrlI received a copy of this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

My oldest daughter is almost nine years old, and she has been helping me by reading the middle grade ARCs with me. We recently read Maybe a Fox, which is a collaboration between Kathi Appelt and Alison McGhee.

Sylvie and Jules are sisters growing up in Vermont. They live with their father, and they have a shared best friend named Sam- Super Friend Sam. Jules loves collecting rocks, and Sylvie loves running.   One day, Sylvie runs so fast that she disappears, and Jules doesn’t know what to do without her beloved sister.

At the same time, a little baby fox is born. She knows that she is here for a purpose, and as she acclimates herself to the world, she tries to discover what that purpose is. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Sparky! by Jenny Offill

51m2bitpuoelMy daughters and I found Sparky! at our town library. I have vague recollections of having heard of this book, but we have never read it. Sparky! is a picture book written by Jenny Offill and illustrated by Chris Appelhans.

As the story begins, our narrator is asking for a pet. Her mother says that she can only have a pet that “doesn’t need to be walked or bathed or fed.” Well, our narrator is clever, and after doing some research, she concludes that a sloth meets those restrictions.

The little girl is not sure what to make of her new sloth, who she names “Sparky”. She tries to play games with him, but Sparky is not very good at games. After Mary Potts, a classmate/frenemy tells the girl that her pets know tricks, the girl insists that Sparky knows tricks too. She decides to put on an Extravaganza featuring Sparky- can she teach Sparky to do amazing tricks in a week? Read more