Dr. Dolittle has a zoo in the garden of his house in Puddleby. Filled with creatures of all sorts, it becomes a haven for mice, crossbred dogs, foxes, badgers, and any animal in need. Each animal has exciting adventures, and their own way of contributing to Dr. Doolittle‘s household.

I love the old-fashioned writing style and the simple stories. Each adventure is interesting and well thought out, keeping my attention through every chapter. Dr. Dolittle himself is a fascinating character, and I love reading about all his dealings with the strange and wondrous animals he meets.

Doctor Dolittle meets a beautiful singing canary named Pippinella, and they produce a Canary Opera on the London stage. The Doctor becomes famous for his Canary Opera and Animal Pantomime, and uses his fame to campaign for better treatment of animals.

I love the simple, old-fashioned writing style, and the interesting stories. The Doctor meets such funny characters, both animals and humans, and the plot is engaging and hilarious!

The whole gang is back for another adventure! Reynie, Sticky, Kate, and Constance are a little older now, contemplating their next move into adulthood, and worried that the Society will lose their special connection as they grow up. They band together one last time to stop the evil Mr. Curtain from escaping from his high-security prison.

I love everything about this book! The character development is excellent, and the friendships within the Society are just perfection. The plot kept me guessing right up to the end, and I was surprised at every turn. I love the witty writing style, and all the puzzles and codes and conundrums that are solved as the team work together to save the day!

Cruz and his friends on board the Orion are heading to the Mediterranean, searching for clues left behind by Cruz's mother before she died. The evil Nebula operatives are never far behind, spying on Cruz and threatening his family. In the middle of his secret quest for his mother's clues, Cruz still has to attend Explorer Academy classes, compete with his team in class competitions, and try to have a little fun at a student Halloween party. His thirteenth birthday is quickly approaching, and Cruz is in more danger than ever as he navigates the intricacies of the toughest adventure yet!

I loved this plot! There is plenty of action and suspense. I never knew what was going to happen next! There are several plot-lines intersecting as Cruz juggles his school responsibilities, his personal relationships, dodging the nefarious Nebula, and keeping contact with Lani, his best friend back home in Hawaii.

The exotic locations are amazing, and I loved learning the history about different cultures, monuments, artifacts, and landmarks in Spain, Egypt, Turkey, and Jordan. It's so interesting to see the true history and real facts about actual places interwoven with the story.

The fictional technology is really cool, introducing fancy gadgets that can scan objects and give a readout of the objects' material, properties, age, and characteristics. Of course, Mell, the honeybee robot drone, is always by Cruz's side, ready to protect her master. I just love that cute little bee!

I loved Cruz's character development in this book. He has been betrayed twice by people close to him, and he's wary and suspicious, unwilling to trust anyone with his secrets. He even pulls away from his best friends a little, but eventually he begins to realize that there ARE people he can trust, who care about him, and will do anything for him. He feels so alone at the beginning of the book, holding it all close inside himself, but by the end he begins to reach out again to his family, sharing with them and relying on them, instead of trying to do it all by himself. Just brilliant character development!

I really enjoyed the writing style, which has both some serious situations and some humor to keep things light. The writing sparked my attention and kept me turning those pages way past my bedtime!

I was impressed by how subtle the writing can be at times, using something simple but powerful to deliver an emotional punch at a critical point in the story. For instance, Cruz has been handling everything on his plate so well, keeping his cool and thinking analytically through every challenge, but when Cruz thinks the little dog, Hubbard, is sick, suddenly Cruz loses his handle on his emotions and begins to collapse. It shows in a simple and subtle way how much the pressure is really getting to Cruz even though he doesn't let it show. All of a sudden, this one little thing becomes the last straw, and he just can't handle the situation anymore. It effectively shows the heart of the character and the mindset that he's in, despite the brave front he shows to the other characters. Brilliant writing and extremely touching!

The artwork is a cool mixture of illustrations overlaid on top of real photographs, and it adds a wonderful dimension and depth to the story. I loved seeing the characters brought to life in the artwork, as well as the beautiful locations they visit. It really makes a special addition to the story!

This book ends on a cliffhanger, and I am dying for the next book!!!!

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.

Maggie endures with patience the selfishness of her mother and brother, and finds friendship with the invalid wife of their rich neighbor, Mr. Buxton. The two families' destinies become dangerously linked when Maggie's brother goes astray, and Mr. Buxton demands a high price for saving him.

I loved Maggie's strong character! She has a quiet and meek personality, but wonderfully fierce in her defense of the truth. I really loved her character development as she strives to make good decisions for her family.
Maggie's mother is weak and foolish, and spoils the son, Edward, with too much attention. I was so annoyed with the stupid mother for not seeing how she ruined her child by encouraging his selfish behavior. I really hated Edward, Maggie's brother. He is so rude to his sister, always expecting her to do everything for him and get him out of trouble.
It's excellent writing that made me so annoyed with the bad characters, and so in love with the good characters!

The Buxton family all have such interesting personalities. Mr. Buxton, fun and jovial, but easily swayed by other's opinions. Mrs. Buxton, sweet and kind and quiet in her constant illness. Their son, Frank, full of energy and intelligence and gentlemanly ways. And their niece, Erminia, a little spoiled and dainty, but with a good heart.

I was not amazingly impressed with the plot. It's pretty standard stuff, with ambition, betrayal, and secret engagements. The really impressive thing is how the writing made this predictable plot seem fresh and new and interesting. I was absorbed in the story, and my attention was engaged through every dramatic scene.

Doctor Dolittle hears the full story of a green canary's life, from the time she was born in a cage to her tragic separation from her owner, the window washer. After their success in the Canary Opera, Pippinella and Doctor Dolittle set out to find the missing window washer, and restore Pippinella to her favorite owner.

I enjoyed this book so much! The characters are hilarious, and I loved Pippinella's varied life experiences and all the weird circumstances that made her change owners so frequently. She lives with a coal miner, a marchioness, a troop of soldiers, an innkeeper, and a tramp. She also lives in the wild for a short time before being captured, stolen from her rightful owner, and sold in a pet shop to John Dolittle.

This book is an expansion and continuation of the story told in [b:Doctor Dolittle's Caravan|210852|Doctor Dolittle's Caravan (Doctor Dolittle, #6)|Hugh Lofting|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1270959652l/210852._SX50_.jpg|204077], with many of the same story lines and plot points retold with more detail. Whereas "Doctor Dolittle's Caravan" ends when the Canary Opera is over, this book continues with a further adventure to find the missing window washer.
"Caravan" gives a short synopsis of Pippinella's life and focuses mostly on the Canary Opera. This book gives all the details of Pippinella's life and a short synopsis of the doings at the Canary Opera.
I would definitely recommend reading "Caravan" first, and then reading this one. The details are so interesting and the plot points are so amusing, that it doesn't suffer at all from being retold and expanded on.

Doctor Dolittle rides a Lunar Moth to the Moon using Moon Flowers to provide oxygen for the trip. There he finds forest, lakes, rives, and jungles, along with insect and bird life. The animals have summoned him there to heal their illnesses, but nowhere can they find a sign of the animals. With Tommy Stubbins, Polynesia, and Chee-chee the monkey, the intrepid explorers trek across the dark side of the Moon, searching for answers and discovering strange and wondrous phenomena on the Moon.

I was absolutely fascinated by this story, and all the imaginative and strange wonders on the Moon. The Doctor is wonderful and kind as always, with a fiery energy and intelligence. The story is told from Tommy's perspective and he is an excellent narrator. I was so entranced with the crazy plot and the wild action, as well as the details of how the Doctor and his explorers survived, finding food and water, and fashioning clothing for themselves from bark and leaves.

It ends on a cliffhanger, so now I have to immediately read the next book in the series!

Doctor Dolittle finally returns to Puddleby after having spent a year on the Moon. Tommy Stubbins has been struggling to keep the Doctor's household running in his absence, caring for the animals and the Doctor's beautiful garden. The Doctor returns with pages and notebooks full of scientific notes and information which he wants to use to write his great book about his experiences on the Moon.


Every book in this series just gets better and better! I am always fascinated by the Doctor's character. He is so energetic and intelligent and kind. Tommy is just adorable, and a very capable assistant for the Doctor. The story is hilarious, and I loved all the funny situations the animals get into. Each plot line is so imaginative and interesting!

Ember is a young witch with a great deal of untapped power. Jack is a supernatural being, who keeps his soul in a pumpkin lantern and guards the crossroads to a magical realm. Jack is determined to stop Ember from crossing to the OtherWorld where her power could be stolen from her, but he has a hard time guarding his heart against her sweet charms.

There were so many things that I loved about this book, and a few things that annoyed me.

First, the world-building and magic systems are wonderfully imaginative and interesting. I was entranced with the magical setting and the witches, warlocks, vampires, werewolves, goblins, and succubi that populate the OtherWorld. They each have particular powers and traits that were fascinating to discover as they are explained through the plot. I also really loved the steampunk feeling of the world, and how automatons and clockworks are integrated with magic power.

I enjoyed the different main characters and supporting characters. They are all well-rounded and deep characters with their own intriguing backstories and varied personalities.

However, I did not like that there is an all-knowing third-person narrator who tells the reader what is going on in the minds and hearts of the characters at various times during each scene. Multiple POVs is a pet peeve of mine, but it IS well-written here, so it didn't annoy me too horribly.

I loved the intricate plot with many mysteries and strange occurrences. There are a lot of moving parts and hidden connections between characters, and it all comes together really nicely in the end. But the ending does feel a bit deus ex machina, and I wish there were more of a denouement in the last chapters.

I also really liked that it deals with scary things like ghosts and vampires without being too scary. It's creepy and weird and ghoulish, but I was never actually scared and it didn't give me nightmares.

Another thing that annoyed me was the romance. Three different men fall in love (one of them was insta-love, two were over the course of many years) with Ember, the young witch, and it was pathetic to see them falling all over each other to court her and getting jealous and picking fights.

I also got sick and tired of hearing about Ember's gorgeous clothes, and her beautiful hair, and her ample bosom, and her soft skin, and her electrifying eyes, and blah blah blah blah. Okay, I get it. She's perfect and gorgeous and sweet and a very powerful witch to boot.

She literally has no faults. Oh wait, yes, her one fault is that she's also adorably stubborn. Omg, look how charmingly stubborn she is! She's just so headstrong and stubborn and independent. Look what a cute little stubborn witch she is. Okay okay, we get it.

Don't get me wrong; there were many things about Ember's personality that I really loved and I found interesting. All the characters have this truth to them that makes them feel like real people, but then they do some stupid romantic thing and I roll my eyes.

The funny thing is... there IS a wonderful romance that was gripping and beautiful and real without any stupidity, and that was the side romance between two of the supporting characters. Their romance felt true and deep and lasting, and not once did I roll my eyes. Now why couldn't the main romance plot have had that kind of meaningful and weighty storyline, with real relationships between people who have known each other for a long time and gradually and naturally developed feelings for each other?

One thing I DID like about the romance is that it's quite clean, with only a few kisses and one time what a gentleman lies down on Ember's bed when she is injured and they fall asleep next to each other with nothing else happening. I think this would be appropriate for an older teenager to read. The kisses are a little steamy, but nothing too inappropriate.

I have gone back and forth between rating this 3 or 4 stars, and I guess it's 3.5 stars from me. 5 stars for the plot and the world-building. 4 stars for the characters and the writing style. 2 stars for the romance.
I know I'm criticizing it a lot, but I really enjoyed reading this book! I'm glad that I bought it. I will definitely keep it, and I recommend for others to read it too. The good definitely outweighs the bad in this book!

Jon Kent and Ian Wayne are the sons of Superman and Batman. They team up with a mysterious girl named Candace, with a troubled past, and the unlikely friends investigate an evil plot involving a deadly illness sweeping the streets. Meanwhile, the world is drowning as the polar icecaps melt and sea levels rise. Metropolis is flooded, and millions are forced to evacuate their homes and find shelter as "flood runners" in nearby towns, Jon and Ian included. Can they outrun the floods and find out who is behind the deadly virus?

I feel conflicted about this book. The characters are good, and I loved the artwork, but the story is hard to follow, because the plot is very chaotic. The scenes jump around with very little explanation about what is happening. The characters have extreme emotional reactions to situations, but it is never explained WHY they are reacting that way. There is almost no backstory on anyone.

For instance, Ian Wayne hates to be called by his given name, "Damian". He throws a huge fit and yells at anyone who calls him "Damian." But the story never explains why he hates it, or why is throwing a tantrum like a child.

The plot has a lot of different elements, and several plot lines that are going on at once. This makes it difficult to follow what is happening because none of it is explained. The scenes and settings jump around too much from one thing to the next with no breathing room in between. The pacing is awkward, and the writing is clumsy.

But I did love the colorful artwork, and I feel like the characters have a lot of room for development through the series. I was intrigued by Candace's mysterious past, and I would love to see more of the friendship and trust growing between Ian and Jon.
It has some rough spots, but I definitely want to keep reading this series.

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.