"I hear you talking but it is like a dream talking."
That one line from the second set of short stories perfectly describes this book. It's like a strange dream world with no structure.

There is no character development, no plot, no story line that moves anywhere. There is no tension and no resolution. It's a stream of random ideas, fragments of characters, and odd places. There is a lot of repetition of long phrases in the writing. I didn't even think it was that imaginative or original.

It has some of the same type of whimsical elements as Alice in Wonderland or Wizard of Oz, but without the story structure or development. It also has a fairy tale aspect in the writing, but without the classic moral lesson or struggle between good and evil.

I was very disappointed in this book. It hurt my brain to read it. Punctuation died in this book.

The dad jokes are strong. The puns are cringe-worthy. The history is real.

Do you remember who invented the Sierra video game, King's Quest, or who dreamed up Space Invaders and Pong? Do you know who pioneered devices like the microwave, windshield wipers, TV remotes, and the first cell phone? Wonder no more, because it's all in this book!

Featuring 12 incredible inventors, engineers, chemists, and pioneers who made their dreams a reality in technology, this book gives short bios of the 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 idiotic puns and wisecracks on every page that made me roll my eyes. 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 their fascinating inventions and accomplishments that influence our daily lives.

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.

In her magic underground kingdom, Princess Quinn has always longed to visit the Outer Earth and gazes up through the bottom of a wishing pool to see ordinary non-magical people just out of reach. When a magic spell sends her to the Outer Earth, she must learn to fit in with the modern world of cars and airplanes, and determine who she can trust with her secret. The Wizard Melikar is working night and day to bring her home, but Princess Quinn is having too much fun in the Outer Earth and questions whether she ever wants to return to her kingdom underground.

I liked the basic plot of this story, and the characters are fairly good with some depth and development. It's not amazing, but it kept me entertained. The writing is engaging and fairly imaginative, and I liked the clear and tidy style of the narrative. The characters aren't particularly deep or complex, but they are amusing for awhile.
There is also insta-love that I found annoying, but it IS a fairy tale, so I sort of expected that.

I had one major problem with this book. At one point Princess Quinn is in a situation with a nasty guy that she hates. He is verbally abusive. He drinks and drives. He is the villain. But because of her proper court manners, Quinn feels obligated to spend the entire evening with him, even going in the car with him while he is drinking. I hated this. Despite her proper court manners, she should have chucked this guy to the curb at the first chance!

There have been many times in my life when I let people take advantage, or verbally abuse, or just keep me in a bad situation that I wanted to leave, but I felt obligated to stay for some reason like having good manners, or I owe them something for that favor they did me before. You don't owe anybody anything when they treat you badly! No amount of good manners should keep you in a bad situation where you are in danger or uncomfortable. Fear of being called a "bitch" for hanging up the phone or slamming the door kept me in nasty conversations and hanging around awful people, and looking back, I wish someone had told me, "Don't be so polite! Just hang up! Just walk away from them! Slam the door in their face! Just get out of the car! Go ahead and be rude to them, because they are being rude to you and you need to protect yourself."

So I really hated that bad message in this book. I can see why this was necessary to the plot so that the villain has his chance to be the bad guy, but it could have been better handled.

I did not enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. The author doesn't seem very knowledgeable about theology or the proper way to interpret Scripture. I lost confidence in their opinion pretty quickly. Some of the points are really good, but others are a bit of a stretch and don't quite line up with Biblical theology.

The author emphasizes spiritual warfare and the devil's schemes a little too much. I would have preferred more emphasis on Christ's power and the sweet restfulness of prayer, rather than Satan's "reign of terror" and how we need to fight back.

I'm not impressed with this author's writing style. Some of the metaphors were too complicated, and the writing uses fragments of sentences. Punctuation is scattered around randomly to indicate pauses in the flow words, but the correct punctuation isn't used. It's a very conversational style, instead of a writing style. It reads like a phone call, instead of a book. Maybe that was the style the author wanted, but it didn't appeal to me.

Disclaimer: I received a sample 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.

Miri is the only single child in a family of twins. When she is whisked back in time, she meets a girl from 1935 named Molly, and the two embark on a mission to save Molly from her abusive aunt and cousins. But the magic that allowed Miri to travel through time is unpredictable, and it will take a special perspective for Molly and Miri to unravel the mysteries of time before it’s too late.

I liked the plot and the adorable characters! Miri is so relatable and sweet, and Molly is quite brave in the face of her terrible relatives.
The plot is not amazingly mind-blowing, but it kept my interest and I liked the interesting magic system that allowed Miri to travel through time.

The writing style is fine, but it gets extremely redundant and that was annoying. When a plot point happens, the writing often recaps all the points that led up to the new plot point as if the reader needed to be reminded again.
For instance, Molly finds the remains of an old barn, just a few bricks outlining where the barn used to be, and we have to hear AGAIN how her mother told her there used to be a barn out by the apple orchard, and how there was a thief years ago who might have hidden his loot in the old barn, and how the barn was hidden from view behind the orchard and it would have been the perfect place to hide stolen jewels and on and on and on with information we already know.

This happens often and I found myself skimming through paragraphs of redundant information.

A good story with sweet characters and decent writing. I liked it!

Mabel and Sarah Jane are staying with relatives while attending a prestigious high school in the city. Their parents think that at the responsible age of sixteen the two girls should be able to stay out of trouble, but no matter how hard they try to be sensible, trouble seems to find them anyway.

Mabel wears herself out studying and trying to beat Warren for the top grades in their class, until a brutal accident teaches her what really matters in life. Sarah Jane teases Mabel into asking the most popular and handsome boy in school to a social, even though they've never met! Clarice, the snobbiest girl in school, plots to embarrass Mabel in front of her friends, and Mabel has a hard time forgiving her new enemy.

I loved the sweet plot and the old-fashioned writing style! Mabel and Sarah Jane are so hilarious and adorable, and I was really entertained with all their mischief. The characters are interesting, but not very complex. The stories are simple and the characters are straightforward, perfect for a children's book.

I also enjoyed the small references to Scripture that are hidden in the dialogue. Mabel and her friends talk about loving your neighbor, praying to God, and forgiving your enemies. It never feels preachy and adds depth and meaning to the story.

This beginner's atlas is perfect for young readers with a curiosity about the world! It starts with how maps show different countries and landscapes, and how to read a map using the key, the compass, and the distance scale that shows miles and kilometers. Full of colorful illustrations and photos, this atlas grabs the reader's attention and brings the wonders of different nations to every page.

I like how the book is divided up by continent. It makes it easy to find what you are looking for, and to see how countries that border each other have a lot in common. It has maps that compare the landscapes, climates, plants and animals that are indigenous to the region, as well as the major cities, languages, and culture of each nation.

The text and illustrations are large and clear, making it easy to read and understand. The various types of climates are explained from tundra and rain forests to deserts and mountains. Featuring photos of major landmarks in each continent like bridges, buildings, national parks, palaces, and cultural centers, the book gives a wide view of the lifestyle of diverse people all over the globe, including their food, native plants and animals, clothing fashions, sports, and music.

This book is perfect for young readers, ages 7-10, who are just beginning to learn about the wide world and all the beauties it contains.

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.

Warning: This book will melt your brain!

With puzzles, codes, optical illusions, and games, each chapter focuses on one aspect of how our brains process information, including spatial awareness, how our hearing affects our visual perception, and how our memory works (or doesn't work).

I especially liked the chapter on Words and Language, which explores how our brains process language and reading. There are tons of word games with anagrams, alphabet codes, palindromes, crossword puzzles, and word search games.

Each chapter starts with an explanation of how the brain functions in particular areas, how the brain is mapped, and what scientists and physicians are discovering about the power of the mind. Then challenges and puzzles are introduced to show how your brain is fooling you, or how your brain is stronger and smarter than you realize.

The chapter on Memory was especially interesting as the reader can challenge themselves to memorize a set of information and then use tricks like mnemonic devices to remember it more easily.

This book is perfect for kids who are creative, or kids who are bored and want some interesting activities to keep those brains busy. I would also recommend it to adults who want to keep their minds sharp.
Your eyeballs will fool you, your brain will be nimble from cracking the codes, and your friends will be laughing at the weird games and experiments.

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

Falcon's little brother, Toody, falls out of an airplane and Falcon jumps out to save him. She is wafted along in a warm air current to land safely in New York City in the hidden garden of a witch. However, Toody is lost, and Falcon sets out on a mission to find him. She will need the help of her friend, the young dragon named Egg, and the help of a dragon who is extremely old and has lost his fire.

This book was all over the place. The plot meanders around with random magic and odd characters, all jumbled in a chaotic storyline. The characters are good, but lackluster. They have a lot of funny dialogue, but not much substance or depth. I didn't really like how the modern world and the magic world interacted in this book. It didn't make sense to me, so the setting felt disjointed.

Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for this book. Maybe I couldn't enjoy it because it's the second book in the series and I haven't read the first book.

Bryon and his adopted brother, Mark, cruise through the streets of their neighborhood, starting fights, drinking, shoplifting, gambling, and hitting on girls. Bryon starts to think they need some limits on their behavior, but Mark thinks that if they can get away with it, they can do anything they want. The two boys begin to grow apart, and Bryon has to decide what his future is going to look like.

It's difficult to give this book a star rating, because the writing is so beautifully crafted and so powerful, but I hated the actual story. The characters are deep and complex, but their actions are heinous. I wanted to love them because of their deep pain and magnificent hearts, but I ended up hating them all for their disgusting deeds.

No doubt this is a powerful book, but I was literally sickened by the drugs, murder, petty crime, and hatred. The worst kind of bullying goes on with some truly nasty acts of violence. I just couldn't stomach it, and the fact that the writing is so powerful and compelling only made it worse, made me feel even more upset and appalled.

I stuck with the story through it all, because I was expecting a hopeful ending. I was disappointed in that too. The ending is depressing. I had nightmares after reading this.

I would give the story 1 star, and the writing style 5 stars, so I'm rounding it out to 3 stars.