Mudshark is the smartest kid in school, finding lost objects and solving mysteries for his classmates and teachers. When a psychic parrot takes up residence in the school library, Mudshark's detective agency is threatened, and he'll do anything to outsmart that talking bird. Between stolen chalkboard erasers, a missing gerbil, and a toxic situation in the faculty restrooms, Mudshark will have to think and scheme and plan to save his school!

This story is hilarious, with weird and wacky characters, and a silly plot. Mudshark himself reminds me a little bit of Encyclopedia Brown, with a photographic memory and an eye for details. He's a puzzle solver, and has lightning-quick reflexes.
The dialogue is silly, the characters are dorky and strange. I laughed my head off in every chapter!

My only complaint is that the plot isn't very cohesive. Some of the tangents don't tie back into the main plotline, and a few of the scenes are only there to establish characters that don't have any influence on the main storyline. I wish the story had a more stream-lined plot, and didn't add so many unrelated details. It's still very enjoyable though!

I am loving this manga more and more! Each volume has such great character development!

I'm loving the new characters in this volume, and the deeper backstory, and the whole story arc!

Lots of drama in this volume, and some tough questions about depression and morality as Shoya's past continues to affect his current friendships.
Loving this series!

So. Much. Drama! Love it.

I loved this whole series! And I liked the sweet and hopeful ending.

When Emily's mother dies, Emily plans to travel West to live with her aunt, but the state orphanage has other plans, and Emily is forced to run away from the Orphanage Child Catchers. With the help of another orphan boy and her trusty turtle, Rufus, Emily will travel by train and stagecoach through the Wild West to reach the safety of her aunts home.

This is a funny and cute little story with plenty of adventure and hilarity! It would be a wonderful book to read aloud to children, because there are so many opportunities for funny voices and dramatic voices.
I enjoyed the story, but it's not particularly amazing or special. The plot is simple, the characters are static, but it's the writing style that really keeps the reader interested. The writing is witty, the dialogue is snappy, and the scenes flow smoothly into a cohesive story. And young readers aren't looking for complex plots or deep characters, so it's a perfect book for children!

In the midst of the American Civil War, two schoolgirls at the Ursuline Convent School for Girls are at war. Jane and Clara play pranks on each other and call one another names. Mother Superior Baptista Lynch urges the girls to reconcile, reminding them that everyone has good in them, but the girls find it difficult to forgive each other.
General Sherman's army is marching into Columbia, South Carolina, and Mother Baptista writes to him to beg for protection for her school and convent. The cannons are firing on the city, and the Confederate Army retreats, leaving the city defenseless.
In the middle of so much violence, how can Jane and Clara learn to make the peace, when the adults are constantly at war?

I enjoyed this historical account of two real people, Mother Baptista and General Sherman, and their interactions during the surrender of Columbia, SC. And I thought it was sweet to have a fictional story of two fighting schoolgirls intermixed with the real historical facts, giving the history a perspective that children could understand and relate to.

The story kept my interest, and I loved reading the historical factoids at the end along with old photographs from 1865 showing the devastation in Columbia and other historical landmarks.

I enjoyed that the two stories, the fictional and the true, have the same message of striving for peace in the middle of war, and finding respect for your adversary.

The illustrations are fairly good, but I felt like the colors were too bright. The proportions of the characters don't always look quite correct. It's not terrible art, but it could be better. It doesn't look particularly professional.

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

Art and his friends are on the watch for alien activity in their neighborhood, but they never expected a REAL alien spaceship to appear in Art's telescope viewer. The aliens appear to be in a purple spaceship right next to the moon, and Art and his friends prepare for an invasion. Art prides himself on being a logical scientist, so he uses his knowledge to hatch a plan to protect his friends from anything the aliens might use to attack.
Are there really aliens attacking Earth, or are Art and his friends overreacting?

I liked this funny little book about Art and his hilarious friends. The narrative is entertaining, and the plot is silly with lots of quirky details. I especially liked the factoids about space travel and the solar system that are inserted at the end of each chapter.

The black and white illustrations add another playful dimension to the story as we get to know each character through the artwork.

I love how the characters are not afraid to use their imaginations and come up with crazy ideas. I also found the sibling relationships very realistic and engaging.

This would be a great chapter book for young readers, or a fun book to read aloud with children.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book 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 book is perfect for any curious child who loves to take apart their toys, build a bridge out of books, or create their own system of pulleys and levers to open the bedroom door.

With special sections for materials, energy, optics, connecting systems, acoustics, and forces in motion, this book provides all the steps to create a rocket ship powered by your breath, make an entire rainforest ecosystem in a jar, and make a periscope out of cardboard, along with dozens of other projects. Each chapter also has questions to be solved and scenarios that require an imaginative solution.

The colorful illustrations and photos make every page an enjoyment, drawing the reader in with the attractive pictures. The bite-sized information in the page layout is easy to read and understand.

I enjoyed reading the factoids and explanations about real-life uses for simple scientific concepts, showing how the same engineering principles used in the simple projects are also applied in spacecraft, everyday technology, natural phenomena and wildlife, and in deep sea exploration.

Since the book gives clear instructions with safety precautions, very few of the projects require an adult's help, teaching children to explore on their own and use their imaginations, but also encouraging readers to ask for an adult's help if needed.

I'm going to give this book to my niece and do some of the projects with her!

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