kailey_luminouslibro's reviews
3794 reviews

People have been staring at the stars for millennia, marveling at the beauties of the night sky. This book explores how ancient peoples attached meaning to the stars, developed superstitions around horoscopes to gain a sense of control in their world, and studied science and mathematics to understand how the solar system works. The stars have influenced artists and photographers. Today we have a vast amount of information from space probes that tell us about our solar system. From Aristotle to Armstrong, the stars inspire us to keep looking up.

In this book, we learn about the Greek and Roman gods, from whom we derive the names of the planets. There are many chapters about famous astronomers like Galileo, Copernicus, Tycho Brahe, and Newton. We learn about the development of instruments like the astrolabe and telescope which allowed scientists to accurately measure and predict the movements of planets and comets.

This is such a cool way to view history through this lens of the stars, focusing on how the skies have connected people throughout time.

I especially liked the chapter about Galileo and his troubles with the Catholic Church. It showed how both sides were grasping for power and ignoring the truth. I really liked that this book gave a balanced view, instead of framing everything as a battle between God and science.

There is a really cool chapter all about comets (especially the discovery of Halley's comet) that I found fascinating! Another great chapter was about the discovery of Pluto and it's recent demotion to dwarf planet. There is also a special chapter honoring the contributions of women to scientific discoveries over the centuries.

It was so interesting to learn all the these cool snippets of history, and be able to see how humanity has developed over the centuries!

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.

The oceans of the globe both connect and separate the world. Seafaring cultures have shaped the landscape of history. Battles at sea have defined warfare for millennia. The ocean influences art, music, literature, and architecture. This book explores all the ways that the ocean has shaped our history from the ancient Greeks and Egyptians to the modern day.

This book includes chapters about ancient shipbuilding, Greek galleys that won sea battles to establish their empire, and Mongols invading Japan with a fleet of ships in 1281. There are entire chapters dedicated to sightings of sea monsters and imaginary islands. Other subjects include maritime trade, ocean exploration, modern naval warfare, tsunamis, and the seafood trade.
There is a whole chapter about how Aristotle first began to catalog marine animals and how it began centuries of science exploring ocean life.

This is such an interesting way to view history through this lens of the ocean, focusing on how oceans have connected people throughout time.

I was annoyed that this book talks about the beginning of Earth being 4.6 million years ago, without making it clear that that is a theory. This book presents those numbers as if they were fact, and goes on to explain a theory of how the Earth developed life and how humans evolved, without explaining that it is only one theory among many. It undermines my confidence in the veracity of the text when theories are misrepresented as facts.

It was so interesting to learn all the these cool snippets of history, and be able to see how humanity has developed over the centuries!

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.

The five Pepper children are mostly grown up now. Polly is quite a young lady in society, but her greatest dream is to teach music lessons like she always planned. However, there are quite a few young gentlemen who have been captured by her beauty and her sweet manner. Polly is distressed by their attentions and wishes only to focus on her music and her family.

Jasper is working at a publishing firm in the city, but his father worries that the work is too demanding and that Jasper's health might suffer. Jasper must convince his father that he enjoys the work and feels happiest when he is working among books.

Polly's brothers have difficulties at school. Little Phronsie is not quite so little anymore. The entire Pepper family have to find their way into adulthood, accepting responsibility and proving their courage.

This is such a sweet and wholesome story! I love all the sweet Pepper children. The writing is charming, and the story is simple but interesting.

I especially loved Jasper's storyline, since he shows a lot of patience with his father. His self-sacrificing attitude earns him the respect and admiration of the entire Pepper family, especially Polly.

The rest of the books in the series should be prequels to this book, going back to the times when the Pepper family lived in the little brown house. I'm looking forward to reading more!

History is a deep well of wild facts and weird stories. This book presents 365 amazing events in history that still shape our world today. We begin with the first known writing from 3100 BC and travel through history all the way to 2019 when scientists were able to take the first photograph of a black hole. This book includes artists, scientists, royals, politicians, engineers, musicians, doctors, and ordinary people who did extraordinary things.

One of my favorite sections was about Jesus' baptism and teaching ministry in 29 AD. The text says that although people may disagree about the New Testament Bible, historians have confirmed that Jesus was a real person who lived and taught and was crucified. This book does not talk about His resurrection, but the section about Jesus did say that Jesus taught His students to trust in God, love their neighbors, and forgive their enemies.

Another cool section was about Cristofori who invented the first piano in 1709. I'm a pianist and I have always loved learning about how the first pianos were developed.

It was so interesting to learn all the these cool snippets of history, and be able to see how humanity has developed over the centuries!

(Although this book uses the more modern BCE and CE form of dates, I much prefer the BC and AD format, so that is how I am writing dates in this review.)

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.

Have you ever wanted to decorate your home, but had no idea where to start? This book gives practical tips for decorating with an intentional style that works with the space you have. There are sections about lighting, furniture layout, paint colors, textures, accessories, and storage. There are even some tips about using DIY projects to decorate on a budget!

Sometimes I see pictures of homes and I can see that it's beautiful, but I don't really understand WHY it works so well, or WHY it looks so warm and inviting or sleek and cool. This book demystifies the process that goes into designing a space that reflects your personality. You learn how different colors work well together because of where they are on the color wheel. You learn to measure the space you have, and then you can know for certain that this furniture will fit and that other furniture will be too big. You learn to create mood lighting and textures and accents that express something special to you.

I really loved the layout of this book. It has short paragraphs that are easy to read and lots of pictures to illustrate the tips. I liked that there are lists of Do's and Don'ts to help you on your way. The information is concise and to the point, so that you can digest the information easily and start decorating!

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.

When young teens get their first smartphone, it's like a whole new digital world opens up for them. This book gives teens the tools and wisdom to navigate the online world with kindness and grace. Phone addiction is absolutely real and can have a negative impact on our lives, causing depression and anxiety as well as health issues. But it IS possible to have a healthy relationship with your phone!

This book has sections about cyberbullying, spotting fake news, tech addiction, phishing scams, and dangerous strangers online. You can learn to be careful what you put on your "digital footprint" that may come back to haunt you years later. You can remind yourself that it's not healthy to always be comparing yourself to others or worrying about FOMO. Social media does not reflect real life.

I really liked that this book gives true wisdom and practical guidelines for staying safe online and minimizing your phone usage. I found it helpful even as an adult! The book isn't all negative either. There are a lot of positive stories about kids who used their social media to promote charities, learn new skills, and spread kindness.

The cool thing about this book is that it combines a lot of different styles of text, activities, and graphics to capture your attention and make the information memorable. There are quizzes, secret codes, weird facts, and creative activities.

At the back of the book are several pages of sources, listing the studies and statistics that show how harmful a phone addiction can be. I was glad to see that this book has the research to back it up!

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.

In one page snippets, you can learn about American history from Christopher Columbus to President Biden. The book is divided into sections about exploration, colonization, the American Revolution, nationalization, the American Civil War, and the Industrial Revolution, economic struggle and the World Wars, and the "era of social and economic advance", finishing up by calling recent history "the era of reaction, social struggle, and political contention."

I'm not sure I agree with some of these labels for recent history. Since we are right in the middle of living it, it's impossible to know how historians will look back on this time and label it; but I think there is a narrative there which the author wants to promote, and it doesn't exactly reflect real life. I did not like the political bias of the recent history section. The facts were definitely skewed in a certain political direction, and that is not a historian's job. Some of it even sounded like political propaganda, interpreting the facts in a particular way. I wish the author had just given the reader the bare facts, and let us decide for ourselves how to interpret events.

However, I did enjoy reading the sections of history that just gave the facts of the American Revolution and the Civil War, etc... It was really wonderful to read about how the colonies were first founded, how George Washington became the first president, how Lincoln died, and how so many brave men and women made this country what it is today.

American history is not pretty. Like every other country in the world, we have a dark past. What is amazing is to read about how Americans have led the world in overcoming those dark parts of our history and promoting justice and moral living. That is something to be proud of!

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.

Victorine and Darleen are on their way to Hollywood! They travel out to California with Darleen's uncle, but get mixed up with burglars along the way. When Darleen's uncle is mistaken for a burglar too, the girls are left on their own. Victorine is worried that her lawyers are looking for her again, wanting to put her under the care of legal guardians. But Victorine is perfectly happy pretending to be "Bella Mae" and making movies with the Darling family. Or is she?

I loved this wonderful adventure story! The plot takes a lot of twists and turns. I was surprised at every new development. There are a lot of complex layers to the story following Darleen's acting career and Victorine's budding writing talent. I loved the hilarious writing style! It really captures that flavor of old-fashioned drama that you think of with a silent film.

Victorine is grieving over the death of her grandmother, and the loss of her entire identity. She begins to wonder who she really is. Is she Victorine the heiress, Bella Mae the movie extra, or someone else entirely? Victorine has a gentle nature, but she is strong and resourceful in difficult circumstances.

I loved the friendship between Victorine and Darleen. Together they make a great team. Darleen is very close with her family, especially her father, and they have welcomed Victorine into their family as well. The two girls really are like sisters!

One of the coolest things about this book is getting to learn real history about the silent film industry of this era. Several of the side characters are real historical people who worked in the first silent films and later in the "talkies". It's really interesting to see how they organized filming and editing, and the cool tricks they would use to do special effects.

Victorine explores the idea that movies can change how people think and act, and that movie makers have a responsibility to society to make movies that uplift and edify. It was really interesting to see these philosophical ideas being analyzed, since artists are still asking themselves the same question today; what is the purpose of art?


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.

Some mysteries can never be explained. Others have simple explanations or have been proven to be a hoax. Where is Amelia Earhart? Who built Stonehenge? Are the Loch Ness Monster or Bigfoot real? Are there really aliens making crop circles? Can fish really rain from the sky?

Some mysteries have already been solved. We know what makes aurora in the sky. But other strange lights in the sky are still unexplained. We know that the Piltdown man was a hoax, but what about Atlantis?

It was so interesting learning about all the weird mysteries in the world! Every culture in history has had crazy stories that try to explain the inexplicable. It was also cool to see how some of the mysteries have been explained and proven with science.

This book includes sections about missing persons, disappearing places, ancient civilizations, strange beasts, UFOs, natural phenomena, mass hysteria, and human combustion, and codes and ciphers that have never been cracked.

The only section that I didn't like was the one about spirits and ghosts. I had to skip that chapter because it was too creepy.

I love the colorful illustrations on each page that show all the weird places, objects, and people. Each page has a great design using small paragraphs of text interspersed with the illustrations. It makes it easy to read, and really captures your attention.


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.

We use fractions and percents in our everyday lives without even realizing it. We use fractions to tell time, saying "half an hour". We use decimals to calculate money when we buy or sell something. We can even use these math skills to divide up the work between friends, cut up slices of cake to share, or run a lemonade stand and split the profits.

I really liked how this book makes math simple and fun. There are so many everyday scenarios where we need to use fractions or decimals, and we can even use them interchangeably for the same amounts. Some of the examples are hilarious as the characters have to do their chores, or clean up the kitchen, or eat a pizza. If they only do half the chores, or eat 1/4 of the pizza, they are using their math skills!

This is such a fun book! I love the cute illustrations and funny characters. The information is clearly explained step by step in a playful way that makes it memorable.

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