This is my least favorite book in the trilogy, because it mainly focuses on the peregrine falcon, Frightful, and Sam is barely in the story at all. If you are interested in falconry at all, you would LOVE this book! Very informative and dramatic, as Frightful learns to survive in the wild, struggles to find a mate and raise her own chicks, and finds her way back to Sam as a wild bird.

The things I loved about the first two books aren't in this book though. I loved Sam's survival story, how he built his house, found his food, and built his furniture and made his own clothes. I like the ingenious ideas, like solving a puzzle and coming up with interesting and unique answers to the problem of surviving on your own in the wild.
But NONE of that is in this book! So I was disappointed that it wasn't like the first books.

The whole focus is Frightful and her life as a peregrine falcon in the wild. She migrates, fights off poachers, nearly starves in the winter, learns how to mate and raise chicks, and has some great adventures around the Catskill mountains. I just don't really care that much about birds.

Wonderful writing, of course, and I still enjoyed reading it. Just not my favorite.

This graphic novel adaptation is really too short to give a full picture of Anne's story, but I loved the artwork and the beautiful colors of the book. I think that it's the perfect way to revisit the story if you've already read the original book, but I definitely would NOT recommend it to those who are unfamiliar with Anne. There's too much of the plot left out or implied, although it's easily understood if you already know the background of the story.

The illustrations are whimsical and colorful, and the pacing of the panels gives a satisfying dreamy feeling to the book. There is a lot of focus on the countryside and the beauties of Avonlea, the trees and lakes and flowers, and then we see Anne's reaction of wonder and delight to the loveliness of nature.

Several times I was not exactly impressed with the writing. It's almost like it was trying too hard to have an "old-timey" style, but not doing it very well. For instance, the narrator wrote about Anne being in the "deeps of despair," instead of the "depths," and it just sounded weird. Is "deeps" even a real word? Isn't the plural of "deep" supposed to be "depths"? There were a couple of things like that in the writing that got on my nerves.

A lovely way to revisit a favorite classic, but not the best I've ever seen. Still enjoyable though.

Disclaimer: I received an ecopy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts and are not influenced by anyone.

Little Tutu is lost in a snowstorm and travels to a magical land where animals talk and humans aren't welcome. She is forced to work in a factory, and befriends several groups that need her help to rebel against the emperor. But Tutu is just trying to find her way back home, and the emperor asks her bring him a rare spring butterfly with mysterious powers.

I liked the imaginative characters and setting, but the plot is jumping all over the place and there's not really enough time spent on any one scene to give depth to the characters. Several things are left unexplained in the middle of the volume, and maybe they will be explained in later books, but it just left me confused with too many questions.

The issue of manners and courtesy is brought up several times, and I found it annoying that Tutu will accuse others of being rude to her (which they are), even though she herself is being rude. She gets all offended when someone insults her, but she insulted them too! Everyone is offended all the live-long day, all the while talking obnoxiously about how important it is to be courteous.

Tutu is a poorly-constructed character, because she will pour out her heart to some random cat or frog or panda in one scene, and be very wary and careful around some other character in the next scene. So in one scene she is trusting and open, and the very next minute she's cautious and reluctant to trust anyone. Her character flip-flopped all over the place.

The artwork is lovely, with beautiful colors. The story just needed better structure, and the characters needed more definition.

Disclaimer: I received an ecopy of this book from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts and are not influenced by anyone.

Another hilarious collection of comics about dealing with anxiety, being introverted, loving life, and staying creative! I just adore Sarah Andersen's work. She has such a unique way of cutting to the heart of what brings delight or disaster into our everyday lives. She actually makes me laugh out loud, crazy giggle, and chuckle to myself when I read her work.

The only reason I took off one star is because I'm not a pet person, and several of the comic panels are about loving dogs and cats. I'm just 'meh' about pets, so those didn't interest me. However, pet owners would probably love those.

Disclaimer: I received an ecopy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

A poetic and dream-like journey through the personal history and photographs of Graciela Iturbide, a famous photographer in Mexico.

There's an emphasis on Graciela's fascination with birds, and how her thoughts on flight and wings inspired and influenced much of her work. There's an ethereal feeling to each page, with drawings showing both the photographer and reproductions of her photographs.

I loved the importance of heritage and cultural identity in the story, since Graciela is best known for her photographs showing Mexican life. There is some dialogue and basic words in Spanish, so you might benefit from knowing just a little Spanish, but it's not necessary to understand the book. I am fluent in Spanish, but some of the words were slang that I didn't know, and I had to look up some of them. I appreciate that this adds to the rich cultural feel of the book, but I wish the words had been explained or translated somewhere so that the beautiful language and culture could be accessible to more people.

I guess I was expecting more of a story, but this was more like a exposition of her photographs, the places she traveled to take photos, and the other artists who influenced her work. I would have enjoyed it more if it had told a story, a drama, about her life. Her family is very briefly mentioned, but I wish there had been more story-telling.

Disclaimer: I received an ecopy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts and are not influenced by anyone.

Wax is determined to be the best DJ in the world, but when his mixes accidentally answer an interstellar challenge, he'll have to be the best DJ in the universe to protect his family and friends from the robots of Discotopia, where he fights against the evil King using the ancient art of Sci-Fu, a martial art that uses sound waves as weapons.

I'm not much of a fan of rap music, but I am a musician, so I was more than intrigued about a comic that uses music to fight off alien robots! I loved all the rhyming and rhythm. I could almost hear the music in my head as I was reading the book!

The plot surprised me and kept me guessing with lots of great twists. The dialogue is snappy and kept me laughing. The characters have some great development, and I loved seeing how they each interact with each other, building trust and working together to protect their planet.

The illustrations are full of vibrant colors and it gives a very energetic feel to the panels. The fight scenes are wonderfully put together, and the action is clear and interesting.

The world of Discotopia is imaginative and playful. Even though the battles are serious, and we feel the suspense of everything being at stake for our characters, there is also such amusing humor too, so that it never feels too heavy.

A delightful read!

Disclaimer: I received an ecopy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

Valentine is the quiet one in a group of rowdy friends. Between school and parties, her friends try out smoking and drinking and meeting up with boys, but Valentine is only interested in getting her crush to notice her. She's too shy to speak to him though, and she gets dragged along for the ride with her friends.

Despite the fact that Valentine doesn't do or say very much in the story, her facial expressions and quiet moments of repose display an emotional depth to her character in stark contrast to her boisterous friends. I really enjoyed the subtlety of Val's experiences and seeing her gentle reactions to the world around her.

Not much happens in the plot; the friends go to a party, they take an exam, they complain about PE, they tease each other, and even bully other girls at school. Valentine goes grocery shopping with her mom, who worries that Val isn't getting enough vitamins. It's very predictable and common-place, and yet the attractive illustrations kept my interest.

The colors are mild and reminiscent of old-timey comics, but it's the distinct lines of the artwork that gives the illustrations some spirit and expression.

I feel like this first volume is just all set-up, and maybe further volumes will actually have some more action in the plot.

Disclaimer: I received an ecopy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts and are not influenced by anyone.

Once again, Gannon and Wyatt are exploring the world, this time in Egypt, as they search for the lost tomb of Cleopatra. They are up against superstition, tomb robbers, booby traps, false trails, and their own fears and doubts as they embark on this dramatic adventure.

I love the brotherly camaraderie between the twins, Gannon and Wyatt, and how they tease each other, annoy each other, but ultimately rely on each other through thick and thin. They have a grudging respect for one another, even though they have such different personalities.

The action really takes off in this book, with the plot moving forward rapidly and danger around every corner. The mysterious Egyptian setting is described in detail revealing the beauties of the history and culture. I love how each book takes the time to show local people in their every day lives, as well as the adventure.

Another great book in the series!

Disclaimer: I received this book from the author in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts and are not influenced by anyone.