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Who's That...Playing? See How The Animals Play. Kingfisher. 2013. 14 pages.
Who's that playing?
Tip tap
I am a kitten.
I have long fur and pointed ears.
Who's that splashing?
Splish splosh
I am a duckling.
I have a beak and webbed feet.
Who's That...Playing is a fun board book for young readers--toddlers and preschoolers. Each two-page spread focuses on a different animal at play: kittens, puppies, ducklings, bear cubs, lambs, penguin chicks, piglets. Real photographs are used throughout. It is in a series of board books published by Kingfisher. Other titles include: "Who's That? Roaring," "Who's That? Jumping," "Who's That? Eating."
Who's That...Eating? See How The Animals Eat. Kingfisher. 2013. 14 pages.
Who's that eating?
Chomp
I am a giant panda.
I have black and white fur and I like munching bamboo.
Who's that gnawing?
Gnaw
I am an otter.
I have whiskers and I use my tail to help me swim.
If you're looking to share simple animal facts with your little one, this new series by Kingfisher would be a great choice. There are four books in this series, each focusing on a different aspect of animal life. Different animals are featured in each book. In this title, the focus is on eating. The animals featured include pandas, otters, caterpillars, squirrels, anteaters, chickens, and giraffes.
Seek and Peek In the Rainforest. Kingfisher. 2013. 8 pages.
Another series published by Kingfisher is the Seek and Peek series. There are four titles in the series: Seek and Peek in the Rainforest, Seek and Peek On the Farm, Seek and Peek Dinosaurs, and Seek and Peek at the Zoo. The books are oddly shaped, which may appeal to young readers who love to grasp. Readers can choose which animal they want to read about--learn about--and turn directly to that page. But some pages feature more than one animal. And some animals are not featured on the cover.
Seek and Peek On the Farm. Kingfisher. 2013. 8 pages.
The final book I'll be reviewing today is another in the Kingfisher's Seek and Peek series. I'm curious if little hands will appreciate the oddly shaped board book--it is almost a circle. It is easy to grasp and turn pages, which may be a plus! Farm books are almost always fun, and this one isn't an exception. Little ones can learn simple facts about farm animals like pigs, horses, chickens, cows, ducks, etc.
© 2013 Becky Laney of
Becky's Book Reviews
Whatever After: Fairest of All. Sara Mlynowski. 2012. Scholastic. 170 pages.
Abby and Jonah are modern day children traveling--at least in this first book--through a magic mirror to the land of fairy tales. Abby and her brother Jonah accidentally ruined the story of Snow White when they prevented her from eating the witch's poisoned apple. Now, they must come up with a way to set things right, and introduce Snow White to her Prince Charming (Prince Trevor). Of course, this won't be an easy task, but with a little teamwork, anything can be accomplished.
I liked this one. After reading heavier books like
Sever and
The Wall, it is nice to have something so deliciously light and completely non-serious.
Read Whatever After: Fairest of All
- If you're looking for a new series to introduce to young readers (age 8+)
- If you are looking for a new fantasy series for the youngest of readers
- If you enjoy fairy tale retellings AND children's books (this is NOT a YA book; it is clearly a children's book.)
© 2013 Becky Laney of
Becky's Book Reviews
The Wall. William Sutcliffe. 2013. Walker. 304 pages.
The Wall is a thought-provoking coming of age novel. What is missing from Joshua's life is peace. He HATES his step-father, and readers learn there is good reason for this. But it isn't just family turmoil leading to his uneasiness. Perhaps it all starts when Joshua discovers a tunnel that goes under the wall, a tunnel that he explores. He visits the other side of the wall, he walks the streets, sees the "enemy" up, close, for the first time perhaps, and realizes that there aren't really any discernible differences. The way Joshua's father RANTS about them, he expected the "them" to be obvious threats, but that isn't the case. In fact, one of "them," a pretty young girl, risks her life to help him get back to his own side (he becomes lost). He can't forget the girl he met, can't forget her kindness and her needs. He feels he can help her, but is it the kind of help she'd welcome? That her family would welcome? The Wall gives readers an opportunity to see a boy's social awareness awaken. Joshua begins to think, deeply think about the world around him, to test what he's been taught, to make his own decisions about what is right and what is wrong.
Read The Wall
- If you enjoy thought-provoking coming-of-age stories
© 2013 Becky Laney of
Becky's Book Reviews
A Dash of Magic. Kathryn Littlewood. 2013. HarperCollins. 384 pages.
Well. I liked it more than the other book I recently read with a talking cat and rat.
A Dash of Magic is the sequel to Kathryn Littlewood's Bliss. Rosemary, our heroine, is trying to redeem the situation. The family's oh-so-magical cook book was stolen by "Aunt" Lily in the first novel, and this second novel is the family's attempt to get it back. Rose has challenged their nemesis Lily to participate in a world-famous French bakery contest. The family first flies to Mexico to meet their great-great-great-whatever grandfather who has another copy of the cook book, only in a language no one else seems to be able to decipher. Along with a talking cat, the Bliss family heads to Paris...
It's a playful fantasy with some coming-of-age themes. Rose does lack in confidence in both books. If I can remember to skip the recipes, I enjoy these books.
Read A Dash of Magic
- If you enjoyed Bliss
- If you enjoy children's fantasy novels
- If you enjoy children's books with a cooking theme
- If you enjoy children's books set in Paris
© 2013 Becky Laney of
Becky's Book Reviews
The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop. Kate Saunders. 2013. Random House. 304 pages.
The title is so promising, but I was disappointed overall. If you'd like to spend time with an immortal talking cat, an immortal talking rat, the ghost of a famous elephant, three magical eleven-year-olds (who had no clue they were magical until chapter two or three), and a frustrated evil genius, then this is the perfect book for you. It's insane really, which may be just what a fantasy lover is looking for. It's set in London. It's set in an old chocolate shop. It features a SECRET AGENCY dealing specifically with all things magic: ghosts, goblins, etc. The premise to this wild book starts off simply: a family inherits a house on Skittle street. The family decides to move there instead of selling. Only the two children (twins) see and hear the two magical residents of the house: a cat and rat. They learn of their family's past. There were magical triplets who ran a chocolate shop together. One turned evil and murdered his two brothers. The bad guy--the murderer--is immortal, he's still got evil plans that need to be stopped. And, of course, these two are the ONLY ones able to do it!
I like my fantasy to be a little tamer, and a lot saner! It was too much for me. But it might be just right for other readers.
Read The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop
- If you enjoy British children's fantasy
- If you enjoy fantasy books like Reality Leak by Joni Sensel, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, or The Mysterious Benedict books.
© 2013 Becky Laney of
Becky's Book Reviews
By:
Becky Laney,
on 3/29/2013
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Orleans. Sherri L. Smith. 2013. Penguin. 336 pages.
Orleans is intense and I suspect unforgettable. The novel is set after the Delta and/or the Gulf Coast have been cut off from the rest of the United States. (There being an actual wall to prevent people from entering/exiting.) The reason is simple: Delta Fever is too contagious and there isn't a cure. Everyone is infected with the fever, but each blood type responds differently to the disease or virus. This separates everyone into groups or tribes according to blood type.
Fen, our heroine, is O positive. But soon after the novel begins, her tribe is attacked. Her chieftain, Lydia, goes into premature labor because of the attack. The baby survives, she doesn't. Fen and the baby are what is left of this tribe, and Fen is desperate to provide a better life for this baby. Her goal is ambitious and dangerous. She wants to find a way to smuggle the baby out before it catches the fever. She wants to reach the wall.
Sometimes helping, sometimes hindering, Fen's ambitions is a young scientist named Daniel. Daniel dreams big too. He is desperate to find a cure. That is why he is there illegally.
Orleans is incredibly intense and impossible to put down. If you enjoy disaster and/or survivor fiction, then this one is a must read! It is extremely creepy in places, which I think will definitely appeal to some readers! But even if you don't like horror elements, you may find yourself hooked.
Read Orleans
- If you enjoy great world-building
- If you enjoy meeting strong heroines
- If you enjoy survivor or disaster novels
- If you enjoy dystopian or post-apocalyptic fiction
- If you like darker stories with some horror elements
© 2013 Becky Laney of
Becky's Book Reviews
The Rogue's Princess. (Lacey Chronicles #3). Eve Edwards. 2013. Random House. 272 pages.
When I first started The Rogue's Princess, I was hesitant. I was not liking the "historical" presentation of Puritans. All the details felt too on-the-surface and not quite genuine. I wasn't sure I was going to like Mercy Hart or her family. But. Once Mercy goes to her friend Ann's house for supper and meets Kit Turner (Christopher Turner), a player (actor) we first met in The Queen's Lady, I stopped caring. What Edwards does really well is right distracting--absorbing--love stories. If you believe the love story between the hero and heroine, everything else ceases to matter almost. I do think her characters are at times a little too modern, but, as I'm reading the story I don't care.
Kit Turner was an interesting hero. I definitely enjoyed getting to know him better and seeing things through his perspective. I did enjoy spending time with the youngest Lacey brother, Tobias. Though he isn't my favorite or best Lacey brother!
I have enjoyed all three books, but I haven't exactly LOVED any of them. They are purely fun, quick and enjoyable reads.
Read The Rogue's Princess
- If you enjoyed the first two books in the series
- If you enjoy historical romance
© 2013 Becky Laney of
Becky's Book Reviews
Dark Triumph (His Fair Assassin #2) Robin LaFevers. 2013. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 387 pages.
At first, I didn't know what to think of Dark Triumph. The opening chapters were so dark and creepy. What Sybella, our heroine, has had to live with her whole life is almost too horrible to describe. But her story, though dark, is necessary for the reader to know, to understand. Both Sybella and "the Beast" were characters first introduced in Robin LaFevers Grave Mercy. I thought they were interesting in the first novel, but after reading the second novel they were so much more than that. I LOVED them. I think I loved them even more than I loved Ismae and Duval.
Secrets. Lies. Betrayals. Murders. Sybella has seen and heard too much; she was born into one of the cruelest, darkest families in Brittany. Her escape to the convent to be trained as Death's handmaiden--an assassin--was too brief. For better or worse, Sybella's "purpose" is a dark one. She wants justice, justice for all the lives lost at her father's hand, all the lives lost because of her father's orders, all the lives lost on the battlefield because her father is a traitor to the duchess. She's a killer. She feels she kills justly, men who deserve to die, but she's a killer whether or not she's following her Lord's orders or not.
One of the orders she receives early in the novel is to rescue one of the men captured by her father. A man readers came to know as "the Beast." She knows it won't be easy, but, she knows it's right. For she knows that in saving his life, in giving him his freedom, she'll be doing good for the Duchess. The news he carries back to her may help her cause. But what Sybella never expected was to be "rescued" by the prisoner AS he makes his escape. The Beast and Sybella traveling together...as a team...to the Duchess...it's something!
And that's just the start, of course!
Grave Mercy and Dark Triumph might not be for every reader. There is so much darkness in the second book, mainly involving Sybella's past and present. While at first I was hesitant to visit those dark places and learn Sybella's truths, I soon cared too much to stop reading. If the first book focused on politics with the threat of war, the second novel focuses on politics and inevitable WAR.
I would definitely recommend reading the two books in order. And if you've got the time, it might be a good idea to reread the first novel. Dark Triumph and Grave Mercy overlap by a little bit. And the politics and war might make more sense if you've recently read Grave Mercy.
Read Dark Triumph- If you enjoyed Grave Mercy
- If you're a fan of Robin LaFevers
- If you enjoy dark historical novels focused on war and politics
© 2013 Becky Laney of
Becky's Book Reviews
Grave Mercy. Robin LaFevers. 2012. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 560 pages.
Last summer,
I reviewed Robin LaFevers' Grave Mercy. It was LOVE. To sum up Grave Mercy in many words: Politics. Romance. Drama. Dysfunctional Families. Poison. Murder. Betrayal. Mystery. Suspense. To sum it up in just two:
assassin nuns. The novel is set in Brittany in the late 1480s.
Ismae, our heroine, is one of Death's handmaidens. She's a trained assassin, trained by a convent of nuns dedicating their lives to serving St. Mortain (Death). The nuns are loyal to the Duchess of Brittany, and the victims are often her political enemies--foreign or domestic--those that pose the greatest threat to Brittany's independence.
While we do see her first few jobs carried out, most of the novel focuses on one job in particular. The abbess wants her to team up with Duval, the Duchess' older brother and her most trusted friend and advisor. She's to pose as his mistress, and travel with him to the Duchess' household. There she will "help him" find any possible traitors...
I wanted to reread Grave Mercy because the second novel in the series, Dark Triumph, is releasing soon. I thought the second novel would read better if I took the time to reread the first novel. And I think this was very beneficial. Especially since this is a novel heavy in politics. While I read Grave Mercy in one night the first time, I took my time for the reread. I think I was better able to absorb the politics at a slower pace. I was able to focus more on the minor characters as well. The first time, it was ALL about the romance--that was the only thing I cared about. This time, I was able to appreciate the story as a whole.
Read Grave Mercy
- If you're a fan of Robin LaFevers
- If you're a fan of historical romance, with a fantasy feel to it (mythology/supernatural)
- Also if you're a fan of mystery/suspense/political thrillers
© 2013 Becky Laney of
Becky's Book Reviews
The Queen's Lady. Eve Edwards. 2012. Random House. 336 pages.
I enjoyed reading The Queen's Lady. Readers first meet the heroine, Jane, as a character in the first novel, The Other Countess. This novel is set several years later. Jane, now a widow, is facing new troubles. Her stepsons are unhappy that Jane received anything from their father. They are after the ring, the money, the land. Her father is also anxious to get control of his daughter once again, he wants to arrange a marriage--of his choosing, of course--for her. But Jane, well, Jane is fond of James Lacey. She even tells him so. But while he loves her too, he's not ready to commit just yet. He needs time to recover from the horrible things he witnessed as a soldier.
There is a second romance in The Queen's Lady. Milly, a seamstress and friend of Jane, is in love with James' servant, Diego, an African slave. He wasn't always James' servant. Milly is someone he knew a long time ago when he was serving someone else. The focus is on both relationships equally.
I find the characters interesting, for the most part. There are definitely plenty of villains to hate! And I definitely cared for Jane in this novel. But. I'm not sure that I "love" either book.
Read The Queen's Lady
- If you enjoyed The Other Countess
- If you enjoy historical fiction set in the Elizabethan time period
- If you enjoy historical romance
© 2013 Becky Laney of
Becky's Book Reviews
The Other Countess. Eve Edwards. 2011. Random House. 352 pages.
I enjoyed The Other Countess by Eve Edwards. I think readers who enjoy historical romance set during the Elizabethan period will especially love it. Readers meet two young women worthy of being heroines. (The second heroine, Jane, will be the star of the second book.) The heroine of The Other Countess is a young woman named Eleanor (Ellie). Her father is a mess, he's so obsessed with alchemy, so Ellie has had to raise herself essentially and care for her father as best she can. Will, the hero, has a definite grudge against Ellie's father, but, he at first doesn't recognize Ellie as being her father's daughter--the last time he saw her she was a child, it was the day he was throwing her and her father out of his estate. But now Ellie is oh-so-beautiful. And he is madly in love with her until he makes the connections. Even when he does learn the truth, he can't quite forget her as he "should." He has several opportunities to help her, to show her kindness, to save her...
The Other Countess has some drama and adventure in it as well reminding readers that life either in the country or at court was never problem-free. Ellie, as a beautiful young woman, is at risk from unwanted attention...
Read The Other Countess
- If you enjoy historical fiction set during the Elizabethan period
- If you enjoy historical romance
© 2013 Becky Laney of
Becky's Book Reviews
By:
Becky Laney,
on 3/16/2013
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The Runaway King. Jennifer A. Nielsen. 2013. Scholastic. 352 pages.
I really LOVED The False Prince. The Runaway King did not disappoint as a sequel. The novel opens with an assassination attempt,"I had arrived early for my own assassination." I love it when books have great first lines! How could I not want to read on?! Jaron has only been on the throne a short while and already the kingdom is in great danger, Jaron's life is at risk. The regents of the kingdom want Jaron to go into hiding, "for his own good" of course. They would rather deal with a steward in the king's place than have a "boy" on the throne, a boy who isn't afraid of facing reality. Jaron looks at the facts and sees: WAR IS COMING, WAR IS COMING, WAR IS COMING. His regents seem to see a different reality: peace, peace, peace, we must have peace no matter what, peace, peace, always we must have peace. Jaron would feel absolutely alone--forsaken--if it wasn't for a few friends who knew him before, knew him as Sage...
Running away from the throne, from the kingdom, might be Jaron's best option...
The Runaway King is such an exciting book! I love, love, love the fact that we get to go with Jaron/Sage on his journey into enemy territory as his own cleverness is put to the test...
I am still loving the world-building, the characterization, the dialogue, the storytelling. It's a GREAT book.Favorite quote:“Above all else, I think that you are a compulsive liar."
My laughter was tense, but sincere. "Hardly. In fact, I consider myself a compulsive truth teller. It's only that everyone else seems compelled to misunderstand me.”
Read The Runaway King- If you LOVED The False Prince, it will not disappoint!
- If you enjoy fantasy novels
- If world-building, characterization, and great storytelling matter to you!
© 2013 Becky Laney of
Becky's Book Reviews
The Little Prince. Antoine de Saint-Exupery. 1943/2013. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 112 pages.
The Little Prince is unique and delightfully odd. A pilot crashes in the desert and meets a strange 'little prince.' They have many conversations together over the course of a week. These conversations make up the heart of The Little Prince. It's a quick little read. I am glad I read it.
Favorite quotes:
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye.”
“All grown-ups were once children... but only few of them remember it.”
“But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world.”
Read The Little Prince
- If you enjoy children's classics
- If you enjoy beautiful writing
- If you like quirky, unique stories
- If you like reading books in translation
© 2013 Becky Laney of
Becky's Book Reviews
By:
Becky Laney,
on 3/9/2013
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The False Prince. Jennifer A. Nielsen. 2012. Scholastic. 342 pages.
I thought this one would be good, but even I didn't expect it to be THAT GOOD. This book is WONDERFUL. Everything I wanted it to be! Readers first meet an orphan named Sage. When we meet him, he's on the run having just stolen meat from the butcher. He is "rescued" from the butcher by someone in the crowd, Connor. But is the rescue genuine?
Connor goes with Sage to the orphanage and explains that he's just bought Sage. Sage soon meets other orphan boys his own age that Connor has bought from various orphanages in the land. He's taking them to his castle...
Sage is suspicious fearing that Connor and the men working for him are DANGEROUS. Yes, he could be beaten, he could be imprisoned, but he knows that he could also be KILLED if he displeases Connor. Does knowing this make Sage less defiant or outspoken? Not really.
Connor has a plan--an ambitious plan. The royal family has been killed, murdered, and no one knows the truth, yet. The second son was presumed dead at sea, but, what if one of the orphan boys could assume this second son's identity and become king? Connor wants the boys in competition with one another and in training to become the future king. In a few weeks time, he'll pick the "lucky" boy.
Sage wants to be the boy, for better or worse, perhaps knowing that to fail in this means certain death. But that doesn't mean he likes Connor or trusts him. He doesn't trust Connor...at all.
I loved spending time with Sage! I loved being introduced to this fantasy world!!! I loved the setting, the characterization, the writing!!! This is a magical, oh-so-satisfying read!
Favorite quote:
“The saddest thing is there won’t be anyone to miss us when we’re gone. No family, no friends, no one waiting at home.”
“It’s better that way,” I said. “It’ll be easier for me, knowing my death doesn’t add to anyone’s pain.”
“If you can’t give anyone pain, then you can’t give them joy either.”
Read The False Prince
- If you like fantasy, especially MG or YA fantasy
- If you love fantasy, this is a MUST read
- If you like fantasy novels with great world-building and characterization
© 2013 Becky Laney of
Becky's Book Reviews
The Lightning Dreamer. Margarita Engle. 2013. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 182 pages.
Books are door-shapedportalscarrying meacross oceansand centuries,helping me feelless alone.But my mother believesthat girls who read too muchare unladylikeand ugly,so my father's books are lockedin a clear glass cabinet. I gazeat enticing coversand mysterious titles,but I am rarely permittedto touchthe enchantment of words. (3)
I definitely enjoy Margarita Engle's verse novels. Her newest is a verse novel about Cuban abolitionist poet, Gertrudis Gomez de Avellaneda, who was nicknamed Tula. For a young girl--a young woman--who dreamed so big, wanted so much, her environment was quite oppressive. Her family wanted, NEEDED, her to marry well. But. Tula had different ideas. She held onto the notion that she could have ideas of her own:
Girls are not supposed to think,
but as soon as my eager mind
begins to race, free thoughts
rush in
to replace
the trapped ones. (4)
Tula discovers a whole new world within the convent library, and once she begins her journey, there will be no dissuading her...
Opinions.
Ideas.
Possibilities.
So many!
How can I choose?
Between bursts
of lightning-swift energy,
I enjoy peaceful moment
when the whole world
seems to be a flowing river
of verse
and all I have to do is learn
how to swim.
During those times,
I find it so easy to forget
that I'm just a girl who is expected
to live
without thoughts. (41)
The novel is rich and descriptive. I love the writing...
"I feel certain that words
can be as human
as people,
alive
with the breath
of compassion." (26)
So many people
have not yet learned
that souls have no color
and can never
be owned. (69)
Love is as tricky as a wall
of mirrors that make
narrow hallways
seem open
and wide. (146)
I would definitely recommend this one!
Read The Lightning Dreamer
- If you enjoy verse novels
- If you enjoy historical novels based on real people and events
- If you enjoy Margarita Engle's works
- If you are looking for YA books set in Cuba
© 2013 Becky Laney of
Becky's Book Reviews
The Center of Everything. Linda Urban. 2013. Harcourt. 208 pages.
I was not disappointed with Linda Urban's newest novel, The Center of Everything. While I didn't love, love, love it to the same degree as I loved A Crooked Kind of Perfect (a book I read twice in one week because it was just that good), I still found myself loving The Center of Everything.
Ruby Pepperdine is the heroine of The Center of Everything. We meet her on a big day, the day she's part of the town's parade. She'll be reading her winning essay to the waiting crowd. Winning is something that she definitely didn't expect. Then again, a lot of unexpected things have been happening: her grandmother dying, a growing distance between herself and her best friend, her newly developed friendship with a boy, and that's not to mention the wish...
Readers get flashes from the past bringing the story to life. We learn chapter by chapter what is going right and what is going wrong in this young girl's life.
The Center of Everything is a great coming of age story; it captures some of the emotions of being eleven-going-on-twelve.
Read the Center of Everything
- If you are a fan of Linda Urban
- If you enjoy middle grade fiction with a focus on friendship and family
- If you enjoy coming of age stories
- If you are looking for a MG title about grief
- If you are looking for a 'summer' book
© 2013 Becky Laney of
Becky's Book Reviews
A Tangle of Knots. Lisa Graff. 2013. Penguin. 240 pages.
A Tangle of Knots reminded me of Ingrid Law's Savvy. In both MG novels, we've got some characters with special, unique talents or powers. In A Tangle of Knots, readers meet a large cast of characters--children and adults, some more obviously talented than others in terms of magic. If we have a true main character, it would be Cady, a young girl with a talent for KNOWING precisely what kind of cake to bake for each person she meets. She has a way of knowing what each person's perfectly-perfect cake is. She's the only orphan living in the orphanage. The manager of the orphanage can't keep any other kids because her oh so special talent is matching orphans with adoptive parents. She just has a way of knowing where people belong. There are probably a dozen or so other characters complicating this story about fate and destiny and belonging. The plotting can be a bit messy, I believe it is intentionally messy since it's called Tangle of Knots. The characters are tangled together in a way, their lives intermingling, touching one another. One isn't always sure how the pieces are all going to fit together. But. It has its delightful moments. I think you might have to be in the right mood to
love it, but, it was quite enjoyable regardless.
Read A Tangle of Knots
- If you enjoy middle grade fiction
- If you enjoy coming of age stories with a touch of fantasy
- If you enjoy books that incorporate recipes into the storytelling
© 2013 Becky Laney of
Becky's Book Reviews
Revenge of The Girl With The Great Personality. Elizabeth Eulberg. 2013. [March] Scholastic. 272 pages.
I have enjoyed Elizabeth Eulberg's work in the past--The Lonely Hearts Club and Prom and Prejudice--so I was hoping that I would enjoy her newest YA novel. It didn't work for me. But I think it may still work for many readers.
The heroine of Revenge of the Girl with The Great Personality is Lexi. She is the girl with the "great personality." It's a label that she has difficulty letting go of, in a way, because she believes what she hears or overhears about herself. What should you know about Lexi? Well, she has a seven year old sister who's into beauty pageants. Her mom is obsessed with putting her sister into every pageant possible--no matter the cost, no matter the drama. Lexi is part of this lifestyle--like it or not. And her favorite thing about the pageant life is spending time with Logan. (Logan has a girlfriend, Alyssa, who's in pageants.)
Essentially Lexi hates not having a boyfriend or a life and one day she's dared by her gay best friend, Benny, to do something about it. He dares her to wear make-up for a week, to do her hair, to wear dresses, etc. She then dares him to start talking to the guy he likes, to ask him out, etc.
What will happen when Lexi transforms into the most beautiful woman ever? Will she get attention? The right kind of attention? Will everyone suddenly think she's worth knowing? worth talking to? worth eating lunch with? worth inviting to parties? worth dating? What will people start saying about her and her new look? And dare she go back to her old self?
I did not like this one. Lexi's obsession with Logan prevents her from taking the one guy who might actually like her seriously. Though it doesn't stop her from dating him [Taylor] for most of the book. While I am glad that Lexi did not get a happily ever after--with either Taylor or Logan--and that she eventually realized how silly she'd been over Logan once she caught a glimpse of the real Logan, I still found most of the book annoying.
Revenge of The Girl with the Great Personality has plenty of drama and conflict. Lexi's family is certainly dysfunctional and broken. Lexi struggles to have a good relationship with her mom and her sister. And there is even a love triangle, of sorts. For those that like YA books focusing on popularity and fitting in or not fitting in...it may be right for you. But. It didn't work for me.
© 2013 Becky Laney of
Becky's Book Reviews
Dear America: The Diary of Abigail Jane Stewart, The Winter of Red Snow, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. Kristiana Gregory. 1996/2010. Scholastic. 192 pages.
The Winter of Red Snow is my third Dear America novel to read, and it is probably my least favorite. The Revolutionary War is not one of my favorite time periods to read about. The book is set in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, and the heroine's mother does George Washington's laundry while he's there. Readers learn a little about the hardships endured by just about everyone. Abigail and her older sister have opportunities to help the soldiers--sewing shirts, sewing coats, etc. And the father is a cobbler, so he's able to help as well. The book is rich in details, I think if I'd cared more about the time period I would have found it more interesting.
Read The Winter of Red Snow- If you enjoy historical fiction
- If you enjoy diary books
- If you enjoy books set in Colonial America around the American Revolution
© 2012 Becky Laney of
Becky's Book Reviews
This is Not My Hat. Jon Klassen. 2012. Candlewick. 40 pages.This hat is not mine. I just stole it. I stole it from a big fish. He was asleep when I did it. And he probably won't wake up for a long time. And even if he does wake up, he probably won't notice that it's gone. I think I enjoyed
This is Not My Hat even more than Jon Klassen's I Want My Hat Back. In this adventure, a little fish steals a little hat from a BIG fish. Since the big fish was asleep, this little fish is quite confident that the big fish will never, ever know who took his hat. The little fish thinks he's safe...probably. This one is told from his point of view, the illustrations let the reader know more than the little fish. Much more than the little fish! I think this one is quite clever.
Because Amelia Smiled. David Ezra Stein. 2012. Candlewick. 40 pages.Because Amelia smiled, coming down the street...Mrs. Higgins smiled, too.She thought of her grandson, Lionel, in Mexico and baked some cookies to send to him. Because Mrs. Higgins baked cookies...Lionel ate one of the cookies. He decided to share the rest with his class...and teach them an English song about cookies. Because Lionel taught his class a song...A little smile, a little kindness can go a long way. In fact, it may even travel around the whole world. Because a little girl, Amelia, smiled, she brought happiness and cheer to many, many people--almost all of them strangers. Little acts of kindness do matter. And you're never too small to make a difference. It is a sweet, inspirational story. I definitely enjoyed it.
Sky Color. Peter H. Reynolds. 2012. Candlewick. 32 pages.Marisol was an artist. She loved to draw and paint, and she even had her very own art gallery. Not all her art hung in a gallery. Much of it she shared with the world. Marisol is so excited to be painting part of a mural. She's volunteered to paint the sky. But when she realizes there isn't any blue paint to be found, well, she's not sure HOW she'll paint the sky after all. But a bus trip home, an evening watching the sun set, and a rainy morning inspire her to think differently and realize that many, many colors that could rightfully be called sky color! Peter H. Reynolds has written a handful of art-friendly picture books in addition to Sky Color. These include ISH and THE DOT. All three have been newly packaged together to form a "
creatrilogy."
Day by Day. Susan Gal. 2012. Random House. 40 pages.
Mile by mile, pigs motor west. Brick by brick, pigs build a house...and piece by piece, it becomes a home.Neighbor by neighbor, pigs say, "Welcome!"Arm in arm, new friendships begin.Then row by row, pigs plant a garden.I really enjoyed Susan Gal's Day by Day. Readers follow a pig family as they move west, build a home, become part of a new community; a hard-working family that at last takes time to celebrate all together with food, dancing, family...and mud. I just love the illustrations! There are so many great spreads in this one, but I think my favorite is the pigs in their underclothes!!!
Unspoken. Henry Cole. 2012. Scholastic. 40 pages.Unspoken is a wordless picture book for older readers. It is historical fiction, a story about the underground railroad. The heroine of this story is a young girl who sees someone hiding--a runaway slave--what she does next, silently, carefully--communicates everything that needs to be said. It is so difficult to review a wordless picture book, because the whole story is conveyed by illustrations and it is all left to be interpreted by the reader. But I think this one is worth reading even if you don't usually read picture books.
© 2012 Becky Laney of
Becky's Book Reviews
The Hobbit. J.R.R. Tolkien. 1937. 320 pages.
In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.The Hobbit is one of my favorite children's books, or, should I say one of my favorite children's books that I discovered as an adult. This was my third time to read The Hobbit, and I think I love it a little more each time. I just love the beginning. I love meeting Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf. And I love how Bilbo is tricked into hosting all those dwarfs and manipulated into joining the expedition as a professional burglar. These opening chapters are so rich!
I love the journey, the adventures and misadventures they have along the way. They happen into one calamity after another, and that is before they even come close to the "dangerous" part of their journey: the mountain with the dragon, Smaug, and all that glorious, wonderful treasure that Thorin can't wait to claim. These calamities provide adventure and drama, of course, but they are also preparing Bilbo. These calamities are crafting Bilbo into someone the dwarfs can trust and respect. And perhaps even more importantly Bilbo is realizing things about himself that he never would have if he'd never left his comfortable home.
These calamities are separate adventures, in a way. So it makes sense that to do the book justice, there should be multiple films.
Favorite quotes:
“Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?”
“I am looking for someone to share in an adventure that I am arranging, and it's very difficult to find anyone.'
I should think so — in these parts! We are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventures. Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner!”
“Go back?" he thought. "No good at all! Go sideways? Impossible! Go forward? Only thing to do! On we go!" So up he got, and trotted along with his little sword held in front of him and one hand feeling the wall, and his heart all of a patter and a pitter.”
“If you want to know what cram is, I can only say that I don’t know the recipe; but it is biscuitish, keeps good indefinitely, is supposed to be sustaining, and is certainly not entertaining, being in fact very uninteresting except as a chewing exercise.”
“That was Thorin's style. He was an important dwarf. If he had been allowed, he would probably have gone on like this until he was out of breath, without telling anyone there anything that was not known already. But he was rudely interrupted.”
© 2012 Becky Laney of
Becky's Book Reviews
Growing Up Humming. Mike Spinak (text and photographs). 2012. CreateSpace. 46 pages.
Growing Up Humming chronicles the time the two Anna's hummingbirds chicks spend in the nest. Readers meet the mother hummingbird, Big Sister, and Little Sister. (Big Sister is two days older than Little Sister.) Through text and photographs, readers can learn more about the baby chicks leading up to the oh-so-important day when they're ready to leave the nest and fly. (Big Sister is ready to leave the nest much sooner than Little Sister who is a bit reluctant.) There are over thirty pages of photographs, and these are quite fascinating showing off these birds in great detail. The text explains what daily life is like for these chicks, what changes they are undergoing day by day, etc. I enjoyed both the text and the photographs. I thought the book was very informative.
This nonfiction picture book would be great for little nature lovers or little bird lovers. The photographs and text complement each other nicely. The narrative flows as easily as a story, but, it has plenty of information as well.
Read Growing Up Humming
If you are interested in birds and baby chicks
If you are looking for nonfiction picture books to share with your child
© 2012 Becky Laney of
Becky's Book Reviews
By:
Becky Laney,
on 12/26/2012
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War Horse. Michael Morpurgo. 1982/2010. Scholastic. 176 pages. This one surprised me. I didn't expect it to be so good, so compelling. After all, I don't "like" horse books. But. This little book is narrated by a horse named Joey. We get a glimpse of his life before--before he became a war horse, sent to Europe as part of a cavalry unit of British soldiers. We meet the son of his first owner, Albert, a boy who LOVES him oh-so-much, a boy who would do just about anything and everything for "his" horse. Joey is sold to the army because of the family's need for money. Albert is distressed, and Joey has to adapt for better or worse. But life does go on...readers get a glimpse of World War I as seen through the eyes of a horse. And it is an ugly, ugly mess. But the book, as a whole, is not as depressing as it might have been. That's not to say it's a cheerful book, but, it has many redeeming qualities. I love Joey's resilience; I love Albert's determination. There are some sad, brutal moments, but, it felt genuine and authentic--not manipulative.Read War Horse- If you like horse books
- If you don't like horse books
- If you like historical fiction set around World War I
© 2012 Becky Laney of
Becky's Book Reviews
The Giant and How He Humbugged America. Jim Murphy. 2012. Scholastic. 112 pages.
The Giant may not be Jim Murphy's best work of nonfiction, it is still a mostly interesting account of an American hoax in the nineteenth century. The opening chapters tell an unfolding story of the discovering of the petrified giant and its immediate local success. The first fifty pages or so stay in the moment, the rest of the book, on the other hand, chronicles the hoax from beginning to end revealing the intent, showing how it was carried out, detailing all the people involved, following the story from its local beginning all the way around its tour. It does provide a behind-the-scenes look at supposedly "clever" deceivers, and the supposedly gullible audience that "should" have known better. I didn't particularly like learning about these (slimy) characters. But the story revealed wasn't uninteresting. But there were parts of the narration I just didn't care for. (I am not sure it was the author's intent to be condescending in matters of faith, but it didn't feel right to me either.)
Read The Giant And How He Humbugged America
- If you like nonfiction for tweens and/or teens
- If you like Jim Murphy
© 2013 Becky Laney of
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By:
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on 1/24/2013
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Miss Moore Thought Otherwise: How Anne Carroll Moore Created Libraries for Children. Jan Pinborough. Illustrated by Debby Atwell. 2013. [March 2013] Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 40 pages.Once in a big house in Limerick, Maine, there lived a little girl named Annie Carroll Moore. She had large gray eyes, seven older brothers, and ideas of her own. In the 1870s many people thought a girl should stay inside and do quiet things such as sewing and embroidery. But Annie thought otherwise...There was a time when children weren't allowed in libraries, weren't allowed to touch books let alone to take them home. Some librarians felt differently. Anne Carroll Moore was among them. Children needed access to books, to good children's books. Libraries needed to have special rooms and collections for children. Miss Moore Thought Otherwise tells the story of one librarian whose special work within the field of librarianship had a great impact on the world, on how people thought of libraries. The book does note that she was not the only librarian working in this field, striving to make children's rooms a part of every public library. She just happened to be in the right place and right time. (New York City). She not only was a librarian; she reviewed children's books and compiled recommended reading lists as well.
I definitely enjoyed this one. It is so easy to take having access to books for granted, it's good to have a reminder now and then that it always wasn't so. This book might pair well with
Miss Dorothy's Bookmobile.
Noah Webster & His Words. Jeri Chase Ferris. Illustrated by Vincent X. Kirsch. 2012. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 32 pages.
Noah Webster always knew he was right, and he never got tired of saying so (even if, sometimes, he wasn't). He was, he said, "full of confidence" [noun: belief that one is right] from the beginning. He was born in 1758 on a farm in West Hartford, Connecticut, when America still belonged to England, and by the time he was twelve he knew how to grow everything from beans and corn to peas and potatoes. His father said Noah would be a fine farmer, following in the footsteps of a long line of Webster farmers. But Noah did not want to be in that long line. He didn't want to be a farmer at all. I definitely enjoyed this picture book biography of Noah Webster. The narrative was straightforward and yet playful at times with it's interruptions of definitions. The book provides background on American life and culture in addition to providing background on Webster himself. The book primarily focuses on Webster writing AMERICAN textbooks for use in schools and his writing of the AMERICAN dictionary. There are plenty of details to bring this story to life. For example, his blue-back speller cost fourteen cents, but Webster's profit was only a penny per book sold. It didn't take Webster long to learn that he wouldn't be getting rich by writing textbooks. Half the book focuses on the time he spent working on the dictionary. It was quite an accomplishment of course...
An example of the book's playfulness:
Now Noah needed to read the two thousand pages he had worked on for almost twenty years, to be sure there were no mistakes. Next, he needed to find just the right publisher. Last, he needed to take a nap.
I would recommend this one.
© 2013 Becky Laney of
Becky's Book Reviews
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