OMG, I just realized why she is holding the cat on the cover. My heart is completely broken. So beautiful and sad! I have loved this entire manga series! This will be one that I reread over and over.

Everything you ever wanted to know about Ancient Egypt is in this book! There are facts, figures, and wild details about mummies, pyramids, the sphinx, the pharaohs, and the everyday lives of regular Egyptians.

I loved how the information is presented in small sections that would keep a child's attention, and make it easy to read. Each two-page spread focuses on a category of Egyptian life: inventions, government, religion and temples, women rulers, games and art, food and trade, royal life, beauty and fashion, weapons and soldiers, the Nile river, and of course mummies and pyramids, along with a dozen other fascinating subjects.

The photographs and illustrations are wonderfully colorful and bright, engaging the eye and perfectly illustrating the factoids on every page. The photographs really show the scale of the giant pyramids, and the beauty of the hieroglyphs and art. And the illustrations demonstrate how ancient Egyptians lived and worked and dressed.

The historic information gives a lot of specific details about strange customs and beliefs of the Ancient Egyptians. I was fascinated with the bizarre manners and habits of such a beautiful culture.

There is a helpful timeline in the back of the book, to help you keep track of the many rulers and pharaohs. There is also a glossary explaining the peculiar ancient words like "scarab", "sakia" (a water wheel), and "shaduf" (a pole with a bucket on one end).

I enjoyed reading this book so much, and I know it would spark the curiosity of any reader, young or old, and inspire them to delve even further into the wonders of history!

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

Carol Ann and her friend Pete are growing up in the 1950s when polio was on everyone's mind. The children are afraid that any muddy water or dirt might give them the dreaded paralyzing disease. Carol Ann finds a mischievous beagle puppy belonging to a grumpy old neighbor who was crippled by polio and walks with crutches.

I was interested in the historical events surrounding the polio vaccine, and hearing how ordinary people reacted to the news of a way to prevent polio. Dr. Jonas Salk, who pioneered the vaccine research, was a hero to many, and saved countless lives. The best thing about this book is that it is based on real people and real events. Real characters such as Uncle Charlie really did know Dr. Salk and had a connection to the creation of the polio vaccine. I loved the added interest of the photographs of Carol Ann's family included at the back of the book, along with historic information about Dr. Salk and his research.

Another good thing about this book is all the wonderful details about living in 1950s America: the habits and manners of everyday people, how much things cost, and what sort of music, games, and activities young people enjoyed. There is even a glossary of 1950s slang at the back of the book, along with a recipe for cookies that the mother in the story bakes.

But despite the interesting historic information, I couldn't enjoy reading this book. The writing has a problem of "telling" instead of "showing" that made it difficult to engage with the characters. There are also a lot of story points that are repeated again and again, making the repetition of the same story material boring and annoying.

The characters tend to narrate what they are doing and then make observations about their feelings or reactions to what is going on. Things like "I am so scared!" "This is really cool." "I like to eat cookies." "It's fun to listen to music on the radio."
It's extremely annoying, and I had to skim through some of that.

There is not much going on in the plot until the end. They play games with the neighbor kids. They go to school. They eat cookies. They listen to rock and roll, and watch television in black and white. They play with the puppy, and spy on the grumpy neighbor man. The problem is not that there is nothing happening; the problem is that all that nothing is described in painstaking detail, and then repeated when the character narrates it in the dialogue describing it all again to themselves or to other characters. It's too long! It's much too long.

I don't mind a simple children's story with wholesome activities and sweet characters who never do anything shocking, but keep it short. Don't go on for ten pages about the shopping trip where they bought soap and peanuts. I don't need to know what type of clothing everyone is wearing in every scene. I mean, a couple of references to clothing can be great to create the setting and show the types of styles from that era, but thirty descriptions of clothes are too many.

One thing I did like was the inclusion of Bible verses and references to asking God for courage. The underlying message is hopeful and full of faith.

The writing needs some help, but the basic story line is good, and the historic material is good. This book was okay, but not great.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book form 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.

Carol Ann and her friend Pete are ready for summer fun, but they run into some bullies who ruin everything. Things get serious when some teenagers start driving recklessly along the beach highways, but Carol Ann and her family are determined to have a relaxing beach vacation.

I enjoyed the historic 1950s information in this book, but the writing is not very good. The writing "tells" instead of "showing", and the characters use the dialogue to narrate what they are doing or feeling, instead of it being shown in what they do and how they react.

The story is good with some wholesome beach fun and a little action near the end, but there is too much description and detail about every tiny thing. The story is too long and includes too much of the same material over and over.
If the writing were more polished and edited to be shorter, this story would flow much better.

I loved the photographs of the real Carol Ann and her family that are included at the back of the book, along with a glossary of 1950s slang and a recipe for Peanut Butter Bites. I also liked that the book includes two maps, showing the layout of Carol Ann's neighborhood, as well as a map of the California coast and Route 66 where the characters in the book go cruising.

I think I could have really enjoyed this story if the writing were a little better.

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

As crazy weather hits, Carol Ann and her friend, Pete, visit Knott's Berry Farm, take a field trip to an Alligator Farm, and have to stand up to bullies. They investigate a crime spree, and learn about wild weather in their school classes.

I enjoyed the basic plot and the 1950s setting, but the writing is not very good. The writing "tells" instead of "showing", and the characters use the dialogue to narrate what they are doing or feeling, instead of it being shown in what they do and how they react.

The story is good with some mystery and a little action, but there is too much description and detail that gets very tedious. The story is too long and includes too much of the same material over and over.
The characters are not very engaging, and their dialogue feels forced.
If the writing were more polished and edited to be shorter, this story would flow much better.

I loved the photographs of the real Carol Ann and her family that are included at the back of the book, along with a glossary of 1950s slang and a recipe for Golden Lion Cookies. I also liked that there are Bible verses and references to praying to God. The overall message is one of faith and trust in God.

I think I could have really enjoyed this story if the writing were a little better.

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

Carol Ann is helping to raise money for charity at Christmas time, but worries that thieves will steal the charity money. They bake Christmas cookies, visit Santa's village, follow clues to the alleged thieves, and plan a Christmas pageant.

I enjoyed the wholesome 1950s setting, but the writing is not very good. The writing "tells" instead of "showing", and the characters use the dialogue to narrate what they are doing or feeling, instead of it being shown in what they do and how they react.

The plot is good with some Christmas fun, but there is too much description and detail included about every thing in every scene. The story is too long and includes too much of the same material over and over.
If the writing were more polished and edited to be shorter, this story would flow much better.

The main character, Carol Ann, is constantly saying "Yikes" or thinking "Yikes" on nearly every page, and that got annoying very quickly. Every time the slightest thing happens in the plot, the character's first reaction is always to say or think the word "Yikes".

I loved the photographs of the real Carol Ann and her family that are included at the back of the book, along with a couple of maps showing scenes in the story, a glossary of 1950s slang, and a recipe for Christmas cookies.

I think I could have really enjoyed this Christmas story if the writing were a little better.

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

Shad lives in the small town of Ship's Cove, where he and his friends are enjoying the last few weeks of their summer vacation. Everyone is listening to the weather reports throughout the week, watching the progress of a hurricane up the coast toward Nova Scotia. On Gull Island, the Crawleys are continuing their work to excavate a hidden pirate treasure that has been lost for a century in caverns flooded with seawater under the rocks. Something strange is going on in Ship's Cove, including boats that mysteriously disappear, a makeshift dock that is being built on a secluded beach, and Shad and his friends are on the lookout for a gang of smugglers. When a tourist arrives asking questions, Shad is suspicious, but agrees to take a group of tourists out to Gull Island to see the Money Pit, a 100-foot shaft that the pirates dug to reach the caverns below.

I loved this old-fashioned story! Shad and his friends, Michael and Willie, are ready for adventure, poking their noses into every nook and cranny around the cove, and keeping a weather eye out to sea. They are spunky and rambunctious, good-hearted and brave.

The only thing that bothered me was that Shad is dismissive of his sister and other women in the book, and the ladies don't play any major role in the story. Why couldn't the sister have gone smuggler-hunting too? Why don't they include her in their treasure hunts? The women are portrayed as being helpless, and mostly stay in the kitchen. Shad and the other men are respectful and polite to the ladies, but they don't include them in the action. Ah well, it's old-fashioned.

I liked the writing style, and the suspense in the plot. There are a lot of minor mysteries and strange events that all add up to the big adventure surrounding the hurricane. I loved how all the separate mysteries resolved together into the conclusion.

I loved this collection of fairy tales, rewritten from the folklore of England and Wales. The author has an uncanny ability to mimic the story-telling style of old folk tales, with whimsy and ingenuity.

The black and white illustrations add to the ghoulish atmosphere of the tales, and they are true to the art style I see in so many old fairy tale books from the late 1800s.

The enchantment of these stories lies in the excellent word-craft, and the weird and eccentric characters who populate the world of magic and mayhem. Full of changlings, witches, ogres who spin gold, and the clever youngest brother named Jack, these stories captivate the reader with the magnetic words and witty narrative style.

This book tells about explorers who discovered the highest, deepest, coldest, hottest, and most dangerous areas of our planet. Featuring sections about the polar regions, mountains, volcanoes, oceans, deserts, rivers, jungles, caves, and forests, this book gives a wonderful overview of the history of exploration, and the men and women who broke the boundaries.

I loved the gorgeous artwork in this book! The illustrations are eye-catching, showing the beauty of the nature and the overwhelming glory of mountain peaks and glaciers. Each page is attractive and lures the reader in to read more about incredible natural phenomena.

Some of the stories about the explorers of history are wonderfully triumphant, and others are sad as the explorers lost their lives climbing mountains, sailing the seas, or crossing the Arctic. But every story is inspiring and memorable.

This book motivated me to look for more information and photographs of some of these amazing places!

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.

Doctor Dolittle returns to the Secret Lake hidden in the depths of Africa to interview the oldest living animal, a massive turtle named Mudface. His journey is perilous, but he has his trusty animals by his side. With the help of Chee-chee, Polynesia, Dab-Dab, Cheapside, Gub-Gub, Jip, and his faithful assistant Tommy Stubbins, the Doctor travels through swamps and jungles to find the old turtle and hear the story of the Flood.

I loved the plot in this one! The first part of the book is taken up with the Doctor's preparations for the journey to Africa, and then his travels to get inland from the African coast to the Secret Lake. Once they find Mudface, the rest of the book chronicles his adventurous story about Noah and surviving the Great Flood.

The writing is charming and hilarious! The animals are all so funny and full of life, and the ridiculous situations are interesting. I'm amazed at how imaginative all of the Dolittle stories are, and the books never seem to run out of wild material for an adventure.