Do you remember who invented the Post It note? Or the Polaroid camera? You may know the name of the Heimlich maneuver, but do you know anything about Dr. Heimlich himself, who invented the famous move?

This book features twelve scientists, chemists, doctors, engineers, and astronauts whose inventions or actions are well-known, but the people themselves are less than famous. Including the inventions of Velcro, Teflon, Kevlar, the Polaroid camera, bionic limbs, laser eye surgery for cataracts, and the CPR method, this book gives short bios of the almost-famous inventors, along with a comedic poem or song written by the author in their honor, and sometimes a small comic sketch or personal anecdote.

This book is FULL of "Dad jokes". There are cringey puns and wisecracks on every page that will make anyone remember their own dad and his terrible jokes. The humor might appeal to a 7-year-old boy, but I spent most of the book rolling my eyes at the ridiculous one-liners.

For instance, this gem is found in the chapter about Dr. Sally Ride, the first American woman in space. "... meals on the space shuttle were similar to those astronauts might eat at home. I can imagine what Dr. Sally Ride had for breakfast. I can also imagine what Dr. Sally Ride had for dinner. My only question is... what did she have for launch?"

Another shabby one... "I once orbited Pluto all by myself! I walked completely around him at Disneyland!"

Not exactly captivating entertainment, but I think this book would appeal to children with a silly sense of humor.

I enjoyed the actual information about these incredible men and women, and the fascinating inventions and brave deeds that they accomplished.

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.

Firedrake is back! Along with dragon rider, Ben, and the incorrigible Scottish brownie, Sorrel, the whole gang is off on an adventure, with new friends and some new enemies too. They are trying to acquire a rare griffin feather, the only magical way to save a nest of baby Pegasus eggs. Ben worries that this adventure might be too dangerous for Firedrake, since the griffins have a history of warfare with the dragons. It will take fierce courage and loyalty to bring them through this magical adventure together!

I love this author's writing! The plot is imaginative, full of dry humor and magic. There are wild and wondrous settings all over the world, full of fascinating creatures, both mythical and real.

The main characters (Firedrake, Ben, Sorrell, Twigleg, and Barnabas Greenbloom) are magnificently written, with backstories, deep motivations and fears, and hidden longings that push them forward in the story, shaping their decisions and interactions with others.

However, the supporting characters are fairly boring, without much backstory or depth to them. Some of them were obviously added to simply fill in a plot point, and we don't know much about them. It feels like there should be a third book in the series, to explore the stories of these supporting characters. What do they want? How do they feel? Why are they there?

There are also far too many new characters introduced. I can barely keep straight all the old characters, and the new ones were almost impossible to remember. I was able to remember the more interesting of the new characters, such as the Pegasus father Anemos, the troll Hothbrodd, the griffins Shrii and Kraa, the tropical bird Me-Rah, and the dragon nicknamed Tattoo. Those characters were memorable with unique personalities.

However, there were a ton of monkey characters that I could never remember. It would have better to just have two important monkey characters, and the rest should have been unnamed monkeys in the background. Why do I need to know the names of eight monkeys who play minimal roles in the plot and have no personality? Or maybe some of them were birds. I can't remember who is a monkey and who is a bird. That just shows you how unimportant they were to the story.

The plot really is wonderful, and I do love those main characters, but I feel like this could have been a much tighter story with a cleaner story-telling style. There are just too many details, too many characters, too much stuff distracting from the main story.

Still, I enjoyed it immensely! The writing made me feel like the characters are real; their anxieties and longings and love and joy became real to me in so many subtle ways.
Maybe I just expect so much from this author because I love so many of her books.

David has just started dating Senna, a beautiful but strange girl at his school. When she is sucked into another world, David along with Senna's sister and friends are dragged along, waking up in another universe where gods, ancient tribes, and mythic creatures do battle. David has sworn to do anything to rescue Senna, but they have to find her first.

I really loved the crisp writing style of this book. Every sentence is concise and powerful, never wasting words, and describing entire civilizations with just a paragraph or two. The writing is quite vivid, and I enjoyed the frantic energy of the pacing.

The world-building is just a mish-mash of different ancient civilizations thrown together in an alternate universe, Egyptians, Aztecs, Greeks, Vikings, etc... It's not exactly original, but it works fine for the story.

I was really interested in the memorable characters, and enjoyed gradually getting to know them better. David, wanting to prove himself, and show the world that he is courageous and strong, desperate to be a hero. Senna, the mysterious, cold-hearted beauty with a mystical secret. Senna's sister, April, clever and quick-witted, with a resilience and humor that keeps everyone else calm when things go wrong. The ex-boyfriend, Christopher, the funny guy, known for being a clown, but not exactly brimming with useful ideas. And Jalil, the brain of the group, whose thoughts are racing three steps ahead of everyone else.

The book ends on a terrible cliffhanger, right as they are all about to die in battle against an ancient god. Even so, I'm not sure that I am invested in the story enough to continue reading the rest of the series. I just don't care enough about the characters to keep reading. It's a good story and I liked it, but I don't think I want to invest more time and energy into this series.

This historical novel tells the story of Anna Comnena, daughter of Emperor Alexius I, Princess of the Byzantine Empire in 1083 AD. Anna is in line to inherit the throne and someday rule the entire empire, until her grandmother plots against her to undermine Anna's right to rule and establish Anna's little brother, John, as the next emperor.

Anna is incredibly intelligent and well-educated, spending hours pouring over history books in the palace library and learning from the scholars there. She also becomes very good at seeing to the heart of people's character, using her emotional intelligence to understand their hidden motives.

There are so many manipulative people in the palace, using their words to influence Anna and secure their own futures. Since she is surrounded by lies, Anna becomes obsessed with cherishing the truth, seeking truth in religion and philosophy, and also finding truth in her books and manuscripts. Because others use words as their weapons, Anna learns to play a strategic game with her words, using her speech as a way to protect herself and assert her dominance and power in the political games.

As far as I can tell, the story follows the basic history of the real Anna, but with some changes in the timeline, some added imaginary characters, and lots of imagined dialogue and details. The basic plotline mostly follows the real history of the time, and even the details like clothing, diet, education, customs, mannerisms, and laws are historically accurate.

I loved the captivating writing style! It really showed me Anna's heart, and the way that the situations in the plot pulled her in many directions. When she was embarrassed, I was embarrassed for her. When she cried, I felt her pain. The writing describes her so vividly that she feels like a real person.
The writing also does a wonderful job of painting all the supporting characters in splendid colors, each person unique and full of depth.

There is also an immediacy and suspense in the writing, as we wait for Anna's world to fall apart. The novel begins with Anna in a convent, stripped of her title and riches, and she starts to tell how it all came about, beginning with the day her baby brother John was born. So throughout the book, we already know things are going to go horribly wrong, and the suspense is how and when and who and where it will finally end. Who will eventually betray her? How will John gain the upper hand? It's masterful storytelling that kept me on the edge of my seat!

Morgon is a minor Prince of a farming land, who has beaten a ghost in a riddle game and won an ancient crown. Morgon goes to find the High One in the mountains and is attacked by shape shifters.

I don't understand very much about this story. The writing is so disjointed, it's hard to make sense of what is being said or done. The world-building is all over the place, nothing is explained, the magic system is completely disordered.

It's like the author tells the story backwards in little spurts. The first scene is three people arguing, and at the END of that scene I'm finally told that the three people are siblings. One of the three siblings says, "Did you go to such-and-such place before or after they died?" But never says WHO died, and the reader is left to wonder in confusion. Ten pages and three scenes later, I finally find out that their parents died.
Everything is explained out of sequence, or just never explained at all.

The problem is when you are building an entirely new fantasy world, with its own laws of physics, its own magic system, its own map and countries, politics and civilizations, customs and manners, and all of it, you NEED TO EXPLAIN IT! It needs to make sense, and flow WITH the story, not AGAINST it.

This was very frustrating to read, and I DNF'd it after page 35.

Winston is a little mouse, just trying to stay warm on the streets of the city. On Christmas Eve, he finds a letter addressed to Santa, and determines to make sure the lost letter reaches Santa before it's too late! Along the way, he meets other creatures who advise him on his journey, and finds help in the most unexpected corners.

I loved the story! Winston is so adorable and sweet. He's very brave and spunky, and I loved all the quirky characters that he meets. The plot really moves along with different twists and turns, and lots of descriptions of beautiful holiday decorations and food and toys that Winston gazes at longingly.

The illustrations are beautiful and colorful and entertaining! I love the cute expressions on Winston's face, and how each character comes to life in the artwork.

This book is divided into chapters that can be read each day in December, finishing the story on Christmas Day. Each chapter includes a Christmas activity, craft, game, or event that you can do for some festive fun every day in December. The crafts look really enjoyable, and the instructions are simple. These would be such fun activities to do together with the whole family during the holiday season!

I don't know if the set-up with 24 chapters really works though. It would be too hard to wait until the next day to read the rest of the story! I would read the whole thing in one sitting, or maybe read part on Christmas Eve and part on Christmas Day. There is no way I could wait the entire month, hearing the story in little pieces. Every chapter ends on a cliff-hanger, and it makes the reader want to keep reading.

This is the perfect book to read together as a family during Christmas, and do some of the activities together!

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.

Montmorency is a common thief, who devises a plan to use the new London sewer system to carry out plans for bigger and better burglaries, launching him into London's high society as a gentleman. He masquerades as his own servant, Scarper, to sneak out through the streets and alleyways to stage robberies and escape the police undetected. Then he cleans up and dresses for high society as the wealthy gentleman, Montmorency, leading a dual life of villainy and affluence. The plan works a little too well, and Montmorency begins to despise the lower classes, and starts feeling guilty about his crimes. But will he ever be able to truly join the high society he mimics, or will he forever be a common thief?

I liked the many layers of this story, as Montmorency goes from a hardened criminal to a more educated and cultured individual. He wrestles with ideas of honor and honesty, and reads books to expand his knowledge and manners. His character development is gradual and believable with a satisfying conclusion. It's as though, while he is cleaning up from roaming the sewers, his mind also starts to clean up and his ideas change, throwing off the old ugly ideas like the dirt getting scrubbed off his soul. The imagery is wonderfully subtle.

Because the whole premise of the story is the use of the sewers as escape routes during criminal enterprises, there is a lot of talk about poop and smelly sewage. Gross to read about, but definitely effective story-telling.

There were several supporting characters that I really liked, and they added depth to the story in various ways. There is the former cellmate who gets into trouble again with the law. The doctor who treated Montmorency's wounds and operated on him while he was in prison. The friendly tailor who helps Montmorency know what correct clothing to wear to the opera. They are all memorable and interesting, with their own voice in the story.

But there was one supporting character that made no sense to me at all. A woman has a crush on Montmorency, and is always trying to get his attention in flirty ways. I think she was included for comic relief, but she isn't funny, she's just disgusting. She always has food spills and crumbs on her clothing. Her hair and makeup are gaudy, and she pretends to have a cutesy lisp when she talks. She did not further the story very much, with a minimal role in the plot, but so much time is spent describing her and her pathetic attempts to flirt with Montmorency. It didn't fit with the rest of the story and it annoyed me.

I enjoyed the writing style and the plot kept me engaged. This is an entertaining book, and I'm glad that I read it!

Mabel and Sarah Jane are at it again, dreaming up trouble and childish shenanigans in their little country town. Mabel is determined to sew her own dress for the ice-cream social, but has difficulties sewing a seam correctly. Sarah Jane tries to help a boy at school to lose weight by stealing his lunch. Mabel resolves to make a perfect score on her math test at school, just to prove to the boys that a girl can be smart too. A family of gypsies visits the area, and Mabel's family allows them to squat on their land despite the dire warnings of their neighbors that all gypsies are thieves.

I love the old-fashioned writing and the wholesome innocence of the stories. Each chapter has its own plot with a neat moral at the end where Mabel and Sarah Jane learn a valuable lesson about friendship, honesty, and compassion to their fellowman.

I just love how energetic and plucky Mabel is. She is forever getting into scrapes, but remains as bold and high-spirited as ever, no matter the disappointments that come her way.
I can't wait to read more from this adorable series!

Clara is a teenage prodigy pianist, competing for a prestigious scholarship to Julliard. Her parents and teacher pressure her to push her skills to the limit, practicing for hours each day, digging deep inside herself for the talent and artistry needed to win. But Clara is unsure whether a career in piano is where her passion lies. She enjoys dancing in the ballet, and finds a joy in dancing that she has lost in her piano playing. However, she isn't a professional level dancer, and there is no future for her in ballet. She is intrigued by a fellow competitor, Marshall, flirting with him in her own serious way, and the two form a precarious romantic relationship based on their love of the piano.

I didn't exactly like Clara's character. I liked that she is serious, sensitive, and a deep-thinker. But she has no spark or energy. (I think she's actually depressed throughout most of the book, but she doesn't realize it until the end. There is no mention of her being depressed, but the way she coasts through her days without any joy, checking off the to-do list of her obligations to other people, sounds like high-functioning depression.)

The plot is good with some suspense about the outcome of the competition and the repercussions for Clara's future career and her relationships with her family. There is a lot of emotional tension in Clara's family, since her parents are both professional musicians and they expect a lot from her. It was wonderful to see those relationships changing as Clara develops her own identity separate from her parents expectations.

There is one thing in this book that really weirded me out. Clara has a very strange relationship with her piano teacher, a Russian pianist nicknamed Tashi. Apparently, the teacher, an elderly woman, is an old family friend who is very close with Clara's parents. So close that Clara actually goes to spend the night at her teacher's house! I mean, I don't care how close a family friend you are, that is just weird. And then the other competitor, Marshall, doesn't have anywhere to stay for the Thanksgiving holiday, and stays with Tashi at her home for the holiday. I mean, she's old enough to be his grandmother, but she's also his teacher! Where is the professional distance? That would be so awkward and inappropriate. I found it unrealistic. Music teachers do tend to work very closely with students, especially if they are preparing for a major event like a competition, but that is just ridiculous.

The best thing about this story is the way it describes musicians and how passionate they are about their music, how it feels to prepare for a performance, how musicians think and contemplate the music they play. That part was very powerful and real, but the rest of the story is just okay.

Delta and her little brother, Jax, are visiting their grandfather on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina for the summer. Their grandfather, Pops, runs a local history museum that is losing its funding, and Delta and Jax want to help save the museum. They discover a skeleton from the Civil War, and launch a treasure hunt for the missing "Jasper's Gems" with the help of a ghostly presence that seems to guide them.

I enjoyed this story because of the rich history and the Southern culture. Many of the historical elements in the story are true, although the plot itself is fiction. I loved how specific places on Hilton Head and Charleston, and historic events from the Civil War are featured in the story.
The writing is good, and the plot is amusing. It's not amazingly life-changing or anything, but a good story.

I liked the characters and the way the two siblings bicker and fight, but ultimately love each other. They have a lot of spunk and energy, and they keep the story moving forward with their decisive action and risk-taking.

Old Southern towns are known for their chilling ghost stories, and that is one of the best things about this book! I really enjoyed how the mystery of the skeleton unfolded along with the history of the ghost. It's not too scary, but just creepy enough to make it enjoyable.

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.