I love this adventure in which the Walker children end up drifting out to sea, and must use all their nautical know-how to survive on the open ocean.
Tensions run high, and every new obstacle shows each vibrant character at their best, despite their fears and foibles.
I love every book in the series!

When Celeste loses her job as a librarian, she's willing to accept any new job, even one in a haunted museum. The more she dives into the archives, Celeste discovers the secrets of the museum's past, and begins to have dreams of a ghost who died there. She'll need the help of her new coworkers to uncover the truth about the ghost and the secretive museum board.

I was disappointed in this comic. The artwork isn't that good, and looks as though it were just thrown together. The story fell flat for me. It takes a long time for the plot to get going, and the mystery didn't have much to it. I felt like a lot of plot points were unnecessarily repeated again and again. The pacing of the story was odd, and there were many plot holes and unresolved questions at the end.

It's a pretty good comic, but nothing special.

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.

Another wonderful book in this series! Twin brothers, Gannon and Wyatt, travel across Greenland by dogsled, racing to the rescue of a native group of travelers whose dogs have mysteriously fallen ill. Battling the harsh winds and below freezing temperatures, they will need every bit of courage and strength to survive.

I love the writing in these books! You can really feel the desperation of the characters, their awe at the beauty of Greenland, and their struggle to find the inner strength to endure such harsh conditions. It's a really emotional story, with lots of action and danger too. I love finding out about new cultures and different ways of life, and getting to know the terrain and wildlife of Greenland as well. There's a lot of good information peppered throughout the story, but it never slows down the action.
Such an enjoyable read!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of 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.

I love love love every book in this series, and this one is no exception! The Walker children are marooned on an island, and they explore their surroundings, carefully mapping out the terrain. But the local savage tribe of Eels wants them gone, and the explorers have to fight a brutal war when one of their own is captured. It’s all good fun and games! I love every chapter, and every delightful character!

I really enjoyed this graphic novel about a girl who discovers a magic book that will change her life! Willow is a nerd being bullied by the popular girls at school, but she has friends and a great job working in a library. The book gives her the power to rewrite her life, but of course, magic comes with a price. Willow uses the book to become one of the popular girls, and her life at school seems to be better, but at a cost. If only, Willow can realize the truth before it's too late, she might be able to salvage her friendships with the people who truly care about her.

I loved the struggle that Willow goes through! She has some really good character development, and I loved the complex relationships she has with her friends. It was really interesting to see Willow's perspective change throughout the book as she learns and grows.

I appreciated how the writing is concise but forceful, saying a lot in a few words, and delivering an emotional connection to each scene.

The artwork is wonderful, and really pulls you into the story. I like the muted colorscheme with gray and blue.

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.

Tip is a young boy living in Oz, servant to a nasty witch. He fashions a pumpkin head that comes to life, and they travel to the Emerald City to meet the Scarecrow and Tin Man, falling into the middle of a revolution along the way.

I didn't really enjoy this book, maybe because I listened to it as an audiobook, and I didn't like the narrator. Usually I love the Oz books, but this one fell flat. The characters are so dry, the jokes aren't funny, and even the imaginative setting of Oz felt like a rehash of the same old things from every Oz book. Maybe it was the narrator. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for this book. Maybe because I've been reading the Oz books out of order, so I already knew some of the plot points. It's a good story, but I somehow couldn't enjoy reading it.

Emily hates adventures, but when she discovers a magical stone that acts as a cellphone, she is thrown into a magical adventure that proves she is strong and resourceful against the greatest of enemies. A fiery monster named Gorgo is trapped in the Spellstone, and vows to eat Emily if he ever gets free. But Emily needs his help to defeat the nasty people who are seeking the stone's power for their own evil purposes.

I loved the wit and humor of this book! The dialogue is snappy and every new magical situation is hilariously weird. The plot is full of action and danger. The characters are beautifully written with plenty of contrast and development.

I adore Emily! She's a whiny piteous brat at the beginning, throwing a pity party for herself, and at the end she's tough and compassionate and full of confidence. Her unlikely friendships with several of the characters, and her silly relationship with her family made me laugh and cry and hug the book!

I took off one star because of the dual perspective in the writing. Some of the scenes follow the villains plotting their evil deeds, and I didn't enjoy that part of the storytelling. Changing POVs is a pet peeve of mine, and very few authors can pull it off, in my opinion. I felt like it broke up the pacing of the story, since we would be following Emily's POV, and then switch to a scene with the villains. It's not badly written; it's fine. But it is a pet peeve of mine, so I didn't like it. Other people probably wouldn't care or barely notice.

This book is an imaginative and playful adventure, bouncing with magic and absurdities!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher/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.

This adorable story follows Martin, a farmyard cat who doesn't want to eat mice. Instead, Martin begins keeping a pet mouse confined in a bathtub, until he learns just how awful it is to imprisoned as a pet.

I loved the delightful writing style with all the humor and silly situations that Martin goes through. Poor Martin is quite clueless when it comes to the workings of a farm, and forgets the proper place of each animal. This leads to a lot of ridiculously funny dialogue with various farm animals.
This would be a wonderful book to read aloud, with different voices for the cows, sheep, pigs, and ducks all around the farm.
I found the plot to be interesting and surprising, despite its simplicity and straightforward story-telling style. A very enjoyable read!

I liked this book about a family who moves to a new farm in Florida, during the pioneer days, determined to make the farm a success with a beautiful orchard and strawberry grove.
Birdie is excited to become a Strawberry Girl, but is worried that the disgruntled neighbors will make trouble for her family. When the neighbor's pigs and cows trample over the new strawberry plants, Birdie's father is outraged and vows to fence in his property to keep them out. This begins a feud between the two farmers, but the farmer's children are eager to make friends. Only Birdie and her forgiving mother can make peace between the warring neighbors, and make both farms a success!

I loved the authentic accents and idiomatic dialogue of the characters, and the rich history presented in this story! It's also special to know that most of the stories here are true, and really happened to various pioneers, cattlemen, and farmers in those days.

This book reminds me strongly on the Little House on the Prairie series, but it's missing the enchanting writing and I didn't really identify or connect with the characters in this book as much as with Little House. The characters in this story are too ornery! I enjoyed reading this story, but it just can't compare to Little House.