How to describe the delicious whimsy and melancholy of Valente's books? It's impossible to do, but I shall try.
It's like spiced cinnamon tea served in a golden teacup with all the honeyed tears of your childhood heart when it first broke into pieces. No, that's not it. It's like cool peppermint tea in a silver chalice and all your favorite golden words at the bottom... no, no, that's not it either. It's like your heart and mind are at war, and when they finally call a truce they sit down for a lunch of memory sandwiches and warm library books baked with pink icing. But it's all wrapped up in a glittering fairy story, so you don't mind so much that your heart was just sliced open and your mind picked apart.

This fourth book in the Fairyland series is no exception! I was wary, as many were, since this book is not about September; but I immediately fell in love with the new characters, and cheered them on through their adventures.
This is the story of Hawthorne, who is whisked away to be a changeling and make trouble in the world of men. When he meets Tamburlaine, they become friends and discover that they are not so very different. The two find their way to Fairyland and are immediately roped into a quest.

My favorite character, by far, was Blunderbuss. She made me laugh on more than one occasion, and since I was listening to this on audiobook, I got to hear that wonderful deep voice of hers, spouting out, "In the land of Wom, we bite if we like someone, or if we're angry, or if it's Tuesday." haha! What a delightful surprising character! She's so energetic and rough and expansive. I adore Blunderbuss!

It is quite a journey seeing Hawthorne go through the changes of becoming human, trying to fit into the human world, and then finally and slowly realizing that he is not human, and finding his way back to Fairyland. And it really spoke deeply to that part of each of us that feels that we don't belong. "I'm not human. I don't fit in. I must be something else entirely." I really felt a connection to Hawthorne's character and Tamburlaine as well, since they represent what we all feel on some level of 'not belonging' and then discovering who we truly are underneath, and hopefully finding some other people who also 'don't belong', and forming a group of friends with our own little land of belonging.

The writing is just dazzling! Every word is glittering and robust, and it slices like a sword right into your inmost soul, saying "Ah, you recognize this, don't you? This is the feeling, the thought, the happening, that you've been clutching deep down inside, and now it is perfectly mirrored for you in this book. And it's a fairy book for children, my dear!" I will never get over how deep and complex, and yet beautifully simple and straightforward, the writing is. It really deals with some deep themes and weaves a gorgeous story around it. The best thing is that the seams don't show! Everything fits in with everything else, and nothing is forced or stubborn. It flows beautifully and easily along.

I only gave it 4 stars because the ending seemed a little rushed to me, and a bit convenient at the last. I wish it were longer and more drawn out at the end.

I can't wait to read more of Valente's work! Simply genius!

Hilda befriends a house spirit and together they flee from the black hound who is terrorizing the city.

Another great book in the Hilda series! I am so in love with all these wonderful books. Every plot is so different and imaginative. Hilda continues to grow as a character, and I love her story!

This graphic novel follows two girls, Mary, an orphan in 1982, and Ella, a lonely girl who lives next door to the orphanage 20 years later. Mary writes in her journal about her life at the orphanage, and the terrible bullying she suffers from another of the orphan girls. 20 years later, Ella explores around the broken-down dilapidated orphanage, and sees a mysterious ghostly figure in a window.

This book was heart-breaking and disturbing and unutterably sad. The bullying at the orphanage is terrible, and poor Mary is so depressed and frightened. The black and white illustrations are beautiful and haunting.

The dolls that Mary creates were sort of creepy, but I can understand how having a hobby and being creative would bring her some joy and be a place of refuge for her.
While I felt sorry for Mary, I was also repulsed by her in a way. She is so very strange and odd, but I felt that if only someone had helped her, she could have begun to live a more normal, happier life.

I was VERY ANGRY that Mary's teachers and caregivers ignored the fact that she was being bullied. I am a teacher, and I would NEVER ignore a student if I thought they were having problems.

This book really gripped my heart, and I loved it! I read it all in one sitting, because I could NOT put it down. I was shocked at the bittersweet ending, but enjoyed the symmetry of the story.

The bullying is really upsetting, so I would not recommend this book for young children, or sensitive teens.

Kitty is traveling through Ireland, when she is asked to help with a family treasure hunt that has baffled experts for generations. Kitty and Andrew team up to unravel clues left by Bruce Ismay, a famous survivor of the Titanic disaster. Their search leads them to the home of his grandson, Thomas Ismay, and the mystery of a painting of the tragic Titanic shipwreck. But Thomas Ismay wants the treasure for himself, and will stop at nothing to prevent Kitty and Andrew from following the clues. He stalks them at every turn, causing trouble, and threatening to derail the entire treasure hunt.

As always, I adore Kitty's character. She is so plucky and smart. I have grown to love and cherish her over these last four books, and feel like she is a trusted friend. (How did I ever survive without her in my life before this? Well, I had Nancy Drew, but Kitty is so much better!)

I wasn't so sure about Andrew in the beginning. Who is this guy? How dare he even LOOK at my beloved Kitty with that smirk in his eye? But then I grew to love him! He's so gentlemanly and dashing and handsome and kind. The perfect companion for our daring Kitty.
But it wasn't until he had his "dark night of the soul" that I truly began to take him into my heart. I loved how Kitty encouraged him when he lost hope, and we get to see his fiery spirit rally and his courage is restored! Strong Kitty is an inspiration to everyone around her, including me.

I devoured the fantastic plot!!! Ah, so good!! I can't even describe how much I adore this book!!! First of all, PUZZLES. And secondly, CODES and secret messages. And best of all, HISTORY! My analytic brain is so happy right now. All that delicious history about the Titanic, and what really might have happened on her doomed decks that fateful night. Somewhere in the middle of it all, we get all these wonderful Egyptian hieroglyphics, and Irish fairy mounds, and history popping up all over the place.
And my little reader heart just loves all the good characters, and the adventure, and the action, and the sweet little bit of romance. I can't even stand how much I love this plot!

Warning: Do NOT read this book before bed, because you WILL be up until 2:00am to finish reading it. It's just a fact of life. You won't be able to stop reading.

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

Beth, Louise, and Patsy are three cousins, who gain entry into fashionable society through their wealthy Uncle John's influence. They discover that being part of the rich elite in New York City is not all parties, receptions, and dances. When Louise becomes involved with a questionable gentleman, the girls will need all of Uncle John's help to save Louise from the despicable machinations of a desperate rogue.

I love this 5th book in the Aunt Jane's Nieces series! The plot has lots of intrigue and action, and of course, the sweet nieces are adorable. I enjoy the simple writing style, and the wholesome storylines.
I found all the characters to be interesting and complex, especially the cold and mysterious socialite, Diana, who pretends to befriend our new young debutantes.

Cici loves a good mystery! When she and her friends see an old man lugging paint cans through the forest, Cici will do anything to unravel the enigma of the painter. But when she ignores her friends, lies to her mother, and takes advantage of her writing mentor, Cici could lose everyone she loves if she doesn't learn to curb her wild curiosity.
This edition includes volumes 1-2 of Cici's story.

I adore the beautiful illustrations with soft colors and clean lines. Every page is gorgeous, and I read it slowly so that I could enjoy each panel.

Cici's story is imaginative and whimsical. The plot is interesting and charming, with lots of varied characters. It's such a sweet story of friendship, reclaiming the past, and learning to trust.

I love that Cici is initially intrigued by the mystery, but then she truly wants to help people and make their lives better. She has a generous heart, but her actions are sometimes misplaced. She has such great character development!

Artemis Fowl is a 12-year-old genius, who discovers a way to infiltrate the hidden world of the faeries, and how to steal their gold. Holly Short is the only female police officer with the LEP (Lower Elements Police, the fairy law enforcement). Desperate to prove herself in the field, Holly will need all her tactical training to take on the young genius, but Artemis has his own secrets and outsmarts the faeries every step of the way.

I have always loved the Artemis Fowl stories, but this graphic novel does not do them justice. I did NOT like the art style. The colors are dark and brown and boring.

The characters look weird. Artemis has a triangle head. Holly's face looks like a football. Butler has a massive neck that is bigger than his entire head. The proportions on every character are so bizarre. Their height is weird, their eyes look strange, and everyone's ears are displaced on their head. Foley looked nothing like I imagined. I could barely stand to look at each page, because it creeped me out all the time.

And I was not happy with the strange way the dialogue would jump from actual spoken words to internal thoughts of the characters. It was very confusing to see internal thoughts in a box, and then some spoken dialogue in a similar box indicating that the person was speaking "off screen", and then more spoken dialogue in a speech bubble indicating the person speaking "on screen." Who the hay is talking here?!?! Argh! It was confusing and unclear for much of the book.

I'm very disappointed in this, but I suppose I'll keep reading the other graphic novels, because I DO love the story.
My recommendation: Read the actual novels, because they are wonderful, but skip these graphic novel adaptations.

Meh. Nothing I didn’t already know. Nice illustrations though!

I really like this story, but I hated the strange artwork. Everyone has buggy eyes and their faces look melted. The colors are bland and boring.
But the story and characters are really good!