Posted on by Maureen

The Snake Who Said Shhh by Jodi Parachini

I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Snake Who Said Shhh… is a picture book written by Jodi Parachini and illustrated by Gill McLean.

This sweet picture begins with a scene reminiscent of Bambi or even perhaps The Lion King. The animals are all very excited about Seth the Snake’s birth, but when the new arrival tries to speak, he says shhh instead of ssssss of hissss. The other animals laugh at this, and then they try to agree on a gift to give the new baby. Each animal has an opinion, and as they begin to argue with each other, they create quite a racket! Can Seth tell the other animals what he really wants? Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Commentarii de Inepto Puero: Diary of a Wimpy Kid Latin edition

I’ve mentioned that my town library sells used books. This is one of the main reasons that my house has seven bookshelves are there are still books on the floor. In any event, one of the books that I found was Lingua Latina, a Latin textbook. My oldest daughter, who is eight years old, was very amused by the fact that she was able to “read” Latin. She expressed interest in learning Latin, and I’m going along with it. We picked up a copy of Getting Started With Latin, and we’ve been doing some exercises over the summer.

And then we received the opportunity to read Diary of a Wimpy in Latin. My daughter loves the Wimpy Kid books. She has read all of them multiple times, and we even met author Jeff Kinney at a book signing last year.

The first book in the series has been translated into Latin by Msgr. Daniel B. Gallagher, who works in the Vatican Office of Latin Letters. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Gargoyle Hall: An Araminta Spookie Adventure by Angie Sage

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

I was not familiar with Angie Sage’s Araminta Spookie series when I received the opportunity to review Gargoyle Hall, but now that I have done so, I will be picking up the rest of Araminta’s adventures!

Araminta Spookie is a young girl who lives in a big house with her family and her friend’s family. They are an eclectic bunch, like the Munsters or the Addams family. Araminta always has good intentions, but she is also rather “spirited” and her good intentions don’t always yield good results. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Malice at the Palace by Rhys Bowen

In the interest of full disclosure, I received an ARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest and fair review.

I first discovered Rhys Bowen’s Royal Spyness series during an Audible sale last year. It was absolutely love at first sight. In a matter of months, I read and/or listened to all 8 books in the series- and the novella Masked Ball at Broxley Manor.

For those of you who might be unfamiliar with the series, allow me to offer a brief explanation: Georgiana Rannoch is a young woman who is 35th (or so) in line for the British throne. Her brother is a duke, but the family fortune has been spent, and they all live in genteel poverty. Georgie is a particular favorite of Queen Mary (George V’s wife), and she is often called in to discreetly solve a problem on the behalf of the Queen. Georgie is resourceful and has a good sense of intuition, which help her with her sleuthing. The series is infused with a wonderful sense of humor, and the 1930s setting is just delightful. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Mr. Postmouse’s Rounds by Marianne Dubuc

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

My three girls love to read, so I was very excited about the prospect of reading Mr. Postmouse’s Rounds to them. This delightful picture book was written and illustrated by Marianne Dubuc.

The premise is simple: the reader is treated to watching Mr. Postmouse make his rounds through the neighborhood, which is a delightful place, with a wide variety of habitats. Mr. Postmouse delivers to the expected forest animals, but some of his customers live in the ocean, and others live on top of a snowy mountain. Mr. Postmouse does whatever it takes to make sure that the packages are delivered.
Mr. Postmouse does not encounter any adversity along the route, although he is grateful that he doesn’t have to deliver anything to Mr. Snake! Read more

Posted on by Maureen

March Grand Prix: The Fast and the Furriest by Kean Soo

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

My oldest daughter is a huge fan of graphic novels. She is always looking for new material to read. We’ve actually run into a problem; many of the graphic novels she wants to read are more suited to a teenage audience and the content is a little too mature for an eight-year-old girl.

I was very excited about the opportunity to read March Grand Prix: The Fast and the Furriest because I knew it would be perfect for her. We aren’t familiar with artist Kean Soo, but I’m sure she will want to seek out his Jellaby books after this. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Jasper John Dooley: Star of the Week by Caroline Adderson

I first became acquainted with Jasper John Dooley when I read an ARC of his most recent adventure, Lost and Found. I’ll be posting my review of that book after it is released on September 1st. My girls and I enjoyed reading Jasper’s story so much that we looked for some more of his books for the library.

Jasper John Dooley: Star of the Week is a children’s book written by Caroline Adderson and illustrated by Ben Clanton. This is a chapter book, but the language is fairly simple- I’d place it at about a second grade reading level.

Jasper is a young boy who goes to elementary school. As the story begins, he is preparing for his role as Star of the Week in his classroom. He will get to present something for Show and Tell, and he will get to do a science experiment, and he will even get to bring in a special snack. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Heart of Ice by Sibelle Stone

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

I was not familiar with Sibelle Stone, but when I had the opportunity to read her novel Heart of Ice, I was intrigued by the premise and the combination of several genres. The story is set in 1910- in Iceland, which is rather unique. Lucinda Stafford is a young woman who is not ready to return to her home in New York. She applies for the position of governess. She has never worked as a governess before, but she had one growing up, and that’s pretty much the same thing, isn’t it? Read more

Posted on by Maureen · 1 Comment

A Curse of Ash and Iron by Christine Norris

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

I had not heard of A Curse of Ash and Iron before I received the opportunity to review it, but I was extremely intrigued by the premise. This is a young adult novel written by Christine Norris.

As the story begins, we are introduced to Ben and Ellie. Despite the fact that Ben was the son of the cook in a grand home that Ellie lived in, the two were best friends of children. They were separated rather abruptly when Ellie’s stepmother fired Ben’s mother seven years earlier, but a chance meeting brings them together again. Ellie tells Ben a wild story about being enchanted by her stepmother and forced to work as a servant in her own home. Ben is a young man enamored with science and technology, and he finds the idea of magical enchantments to be absurd, but he agrees to help his old friend. As they explore the nature of the enchantment, they learn that if the curse is not broken by midnight on New Year’s Eve, the effects will become permanent, and Ellie will be bound to her stepmother forever. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Mildred’s Resistance by Katie Cross

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I read Miss Mabel’s School for Girls almost a month ago, and immediately fell in love with the world of The Network. Since then, I have gone on to read the second book in the series, Antebellum Awakening. I have also read The Isadora Interviews, a novella featuring school admission interviews from some of the secondary characters.

Mildred’s Resistance is the third book in the series, and it takes place before the events of MMSFG. Mildred serves as the High Priestess in the series; essentially, she serves as the head of the government. There are several allusions to an uprising in the past, during which Mildred seized power from a witch name Evelyn. Read more