Jane Austen is visiting her brother and sister-in-law at Godmersham Park, when a mysterious lady is murdered at the Canterbury Races. As Justice of the Peace, Jane's brother, Edward, must investigate the murder, and Jane is all eagerness to help solve the puzzle.

I really liked this story and the history behind it. There is quite a lot of real history woven into the story with Jane's family and her acquaintances, but of course the murder mystery and Jane's involvement in the investigation are entirely fictional.

The best part of this book is the close look at Jane's day to day interactions with her family, her nieces and nephews, and especially her sister Cassandra. It's fun to imagine what their family dynamic might have been like.

The murder mystery itself is good, but sometimes a little predictable. I was completely shocked at the ending though! I feel like the mystery could have been solved more satisfactorily. There are still some loose ends hanging around that bother me.

I love the formal writing style that mimics the Regency era language. The dialogue is fairly close to what a real conversation might have been like in that time period. It really immerses you in the history.

This is an interesting look at Benjamin Franklin's life. The first part is his autobiography, which he never finished. It tells mostly of his early life and his beginnings in the printing business. Then there are collections of his letters, scientific writings, and political writing. These are divided by topic, with short explanations from the editor giving general information surrounding those letters or publications. It shows his work as a scientist and inventor, his gradual assent into public life as a statesman and politician, and his personal life as a husband and father and his personal relationships.

I found it very interesting and readable, and I loved seeing how meticulous and sensible Franklin was in ordering and organizing his life. He had some excellent ideas and some crazy ideas. He was a person always searching and wondering and puzzling through the mysteries of life. He must have had a terrific amount of energy, since he often writes about diligence and industry. He was a rare personality.

I enjoyed this close look into American history!

This board book is adorable! A hungry wolf eats up some of his toys and animals because he is so hungry. But the reader has to guess what he has eaten based on what toy or animal is missing from the page. As he gobbles up each item, the reader has to search the page to see what is missing from the previous page.

This is such a fun way to get children thinking critically and noticing the details. It also stretches their memory capabilities, and helps them to predict what will come next based on the previous pattern. Plus it's just fun!

I loved the cartoony illustrations and the funny wolf character. He's such a cute little guy!

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.

This board board is so sweet and adorable! A child wonders what could be growing inside their mother's tummy for 9 months. Is it a watermelon, a bunny rabbit, or a penguin? Is it a lion or crocodile, an elephant or a mouse?

The rhyming text is well-written and has a nice flow to it. The illustrations are bright, and I like the clarity of the artwork. I can't stand when picture book are cluttered with too much stuff on each page, but this book is wonderfully clear and clean, putting the focus on the main characters that matter.

I love the heart-felt and emotional storyline, all about family connections and building relationships. Even before the baby sister is born, she can hear her older sibling singing to her and reacts by moving in the womb. "It dances and wiggles when I sing. It must be a very special thing."
I love that this book shows a relationship already being established with the unborn child. So sweet!

I just love this cute book, and it would be perfect for any older sibling expecting a new baby in the family!

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.

Each of the animals are doing something different each day. "On Monday, the hen lays an egg... On Tuesday, the shark cuddles a pillow in the living room." The koala likes to draw, the panda wears a scarf to stay warm, a bird builds a nest, and the skunk combs his hair. They all wait for Sunday when they can play together all day long!

The best thing about this book are the flaps that open up to reveal the animals doing their activities around the house. It's so much fun to open the flaps and peek into the wild house where these animals are living.

I like the illustrations okay, but I feel like the animals' eyeballs are staring at me. Their eyes are just so big and bulging. It weirds me out. I do like the colors and the general art style though. I like the design of each scene and some of them are funny and clever, like having a shark chilling on a chair in the living room. How does a shark SIT in a chair? It's silly and hilarious!

I like the text and the cute little comments after each activity is described. The shark is cuddling his pillow, and the comment says "So comfy!" After the skunk combs his hair, the comment says, "Very fancy!" I love those little asides in the text. Adorable!

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.

Each page of this book shows a young animal who asks the reader, "Who is my Daddy?" There are four choices of adult animals, and the reader has to guess which one is the grown-up version of the little animal. A little tadpole joyfully declares, "This is my Daddy!", when reunited with his froggy father. A baby rhino frolics with his large rhino Dad, and a baby beaver chomps on some branches with his beaver Dad.

This is such a fun way to get children thinking critically and noticing the details. It also stretches their memory capabilities, and helps them to predict what will come next based on the previous pattern. Plus it's just fun!

I didn't really care for the art style. I do like the bright colors and cute characters, but I wish the designs were more clear. Sometimes I couldn't even tell what animal it was. Is it a chipmunk or a prairie dog? It it a bee or a beetle? Is it a snake or a worm? Is that a porcupine or a hedgehog or a wombat? I have no idea. In a book where the reader has to guess which animal is which, I would think that clarity in the artwork would be a major priority.

The book itself has great construction. The cover is sturdy and the pages are thick. Not as thick as a board book, but designed to withstand little hands.

Overall, it's a very cute book with a fun setup. I enjoyed it!

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.

I love how this book puts STEM concepts into simple terms for little readers. The children learn that objects float or sink based on their density. "Everything is made of molecules... They are very, very tiny. The closer the molecules are packed together, the denser the object." That quote is probably the most technical part of the entire book. The rest of it is mostly simple statements about how a marble will sink, but a ping pong ball will float. A sponge will first absorb the water and then sink.

The children in the book build boats out of objects that can float and they have a boat race. The boats are made out of tin foil, milk cartons, and plastic bowls. The boat with the biggest sails and a hull that is pointed at the front will sail the fastest.

I love the cute illustrations depicting how the children conduct their water experiments. The colors are bright, and it's very clear what the children are doing, so that the reader could easily recreate the experiments.

It would be so much fun to use this book to teach a child about water and density, and then do all the experiments and crafts together and have a boat race!

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.

Paul outlines the shape of an elephant in his sand box, and is delighted when his sand elephant comes to life and takes him to the magical Sandcastle Land. There he meets other children and their sand animals, and they all play together in the castle. But a storm blows up and and washes the sand flat, and the children must call to their sand animals to revive them.

I loved this whimsical and imaginative story! It speaks to me so strongly of my childhood playing with imaginary animal friends in a fairy tale castle. Anything can happen in a child's world of dreams.

The elephant is such a robust and steady character, and I love how he leads Paul through all their adventures. The whole story is just delightful!

I like the beautiful illustrations and how the speckled sand takes shape. Each scene is designed with whimsy and creativity. The only thing I didn't like was the human character's hands. The hands look lumpy and strange somehow. Sometimes their arms look misshapen or they are held at weird angles. It distracted me and pulled me out of the story.

Overall, this is a fun and creative story that I enjoyed very much!

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.

Agh! I love this book! Cinder is such a marvelous character, full of insecurities but also confidence, beautiful in her own grease-monkey way, quick to laugh and joke but also serious. Such a well-rounded, well-written character!
There are great supporting characters who don't fill the trite roles you would expect, but have their own back-stories and personal quirks. Kai is a personable and likable Prince because he gives off an 'everyman' quality that draws the reader to him.

The overarching plot was a bit predictable, but the real suspense was in the minutiae of the plot. The details of the story constantly surprised me, and the imaginative world of the Eastern Commonwealth and Luna kept me entranced through the whole book.

Cliffhanger ending... Gah! I must read the next book soon!

This book is a transition in the series from the focus being on Anne to the focus being on her children and their little adventures. But we still get lots of Anne and Gilbert. I just love their relationship! They really are perfect together. I adore each one of the little Blythe children. They are all so imaginative and quirky in their own ways. Walter is one of my faves though, because he is a poet.