I have been a big fan of Little Critter all my life.  I can remember listening to the original 8x8 book and reading along to the record.  Now little critter has entered the world of easy readers and it does work. It isn’t as impactful or as charming as I remember, but it was still a lot of fun seeing Little Critter help out dad. 

 This book was amazing.  Snapdragon is just a girl looking for her dog. She just knows the witch took them and will eat the dog if she doesn’t get there fast enough.  But Snap is not afraid of any witch.  She actually befriends Jacks, and learns more about her own history.  This book has everything.  It has all sorts of representation and none of it feels pushed.  It is so full of love and heart that you just want to hold it and dance around the room.  This book was perfect and I am ashamed it took me so long to read. 

 

I am still trying to figure out what I just read.  It seems like a graphic novel done all in stream of consciousness.  It goes from one thing to the next.  It starts off with Rockstar wanting to throw a part so Softboy can get laid.  They are two best friends and one is stylist and the other a videogame designer. Softboy cannot get his newest game finished, and Rockstar points out his need for tension release.   So a party it is.  One of the neat things about this book, was when they decided who was coming to the party and the ratio they needed to keep the party fun and everyone involved.  Then it ends up becoming superheros to save the day.  There were so many ideas in this book.  Many that were started and dropped.  The authors/artist even mentions it in the notes at the back.  I wanted to like this, but still fell WTF did I just read. 

 

I bought this book for the cover.  It made me think Rock Stars fight evil monsters.  While that is technically true, that only happens in that last 30 pages.  Most of the book is spent on Aksel coming to terms with not being the best lead singer for his band, and that the rock and roll lifestyle he so wants, is harder to attain while keeping your musical identity then he ever thought possible.  Aksel lives with his girlfriend who is in college, where he is supposed to be.  But she is growing and realizing that there are read world things she wants/needs to do, while Aksel seems stuck in a wannabe mode.    This book spent way too much time exploring Axel and his goals for the band. It is quite drawn out and boring, even though the setting is anything but.  They have a bear for a drummer!  A real bear (anthropomorphic).  Plus “grandpa” who is always talking about the bands he used to perform with is a hoot.  The music listed in various places in this book is awesome, I just wish the story was.  When you finally get to the band destroys monsters part, it fells rushed and like was put in there to sell books.  There is a reason this book does not have a sequel.  Overall, this book was okay, but I wanted way more. 

TW: parental death 

 

Oddity is not only an apt title, but an apt description of this book.  As I was listening to it, talking with a friend, I just kept describing it as odd.  Our main character Clover is the daughter of doctor,  in a land where the Louisiana Purchase failed.  The nation, especially the south are really worried that Napoleon will send his troops over to conquer and take the land that that was up for sale.  Napoleon is a constant fear in the back of most people’s minds. 

 

The world is not as we pictured it.  There are “oddities” in the world.  These are everyday objects that have “power”.  For example, the wine glass that is never empty, the ice hook that is always cold, the gun that never misses, and the doll that walks, talks, and creates havoc.  This is just a sampling of oddities.  There are also vermin – animal parts cobbled together and given new life.    Clover’s dad has always warned his daughter to beware of oddities.  They may seem great and interesting, but they can cause great damage. However, due to her father’s death, her place in the world, and her heritage, Clover cannot stay away.  The “American” troops are on a hunt for an oddity that can stop Napolean, for they fear he has an oddity of his own that ensures he always has troops.  so Clover, ever curious, and wanting to help people, is in the middle of it all. 

 

I picked this book up because it was supposed to be a middle grade western.  That might be a bit of a stretch.  It does feel more western in the second half of the book as Clover heads west on the search for her mother and the oddity to end all oddities.  This is historical magical realism that is done so well, the reader is just enveloped in the story and does not want to leave.  Saying this book is odd, is a compliment.  There is nothing else like it out there, it stands on its own two feet.  While the book cover matches the story, I think the book cover is why this title is a sleeper.  If it would have had a more modern cover, a cover like Rick Riordian Presents, or more colorful and comic like, I think this would fly off the shelf more.  But give it a try.  It is entirely worth it.  This book was a lot of fun, had a lot of heart, and had an amazing concept.  It will live in my mind, and be on my recommendation list for years to come. 

 

This was a perfect freaky crazy WTF read. Based on the cover and the words Neverland I went in thinking it would be some type of Peter Pan retelling. And in only the loosest way could it be considered that. Instead it’s about a group of orphans who find out that there’s more to the orphanage than child care. To say anymore gives away the story and I’m not going to do that.   You have to read this and go in as blind as possible because it is amazing. There is an anime that was done based off this book as well that’s available on one of the streaming platforms but read the book 1st. 

 

Rumors have power.  Their power can give someone the world, or rip their lives apart, and a fancy high school in DC is about to get a lesson no one should have to learn. 

 

The Rumor mill starts off with Bryn.  She used to be the biggest power player in the school, until the car not-so-accident took away her popularity and life as she envisioned it.  But she will do anything to get that life back. 

 

Her best friend Cora is not only the cheer captain, her longtime boyfriend almost died in that car crash.  Plus, with a super genius twin sister, life is not as easy as it should be.  She doesn’t know what she wants but she knows what she doesn’t want, if only she could admit it. 

 

Georgie is the formerly fat next door neighbor to Bryn. She is Punjabi, an immigrant, and newly noticeable on the hotness scale after losing 40 pounds at fat camp.  

 

In this book the reader watches rumors change people, events, and the school.  What is real, and in a world of social media, does it really matter what is real?  All that matters is how things appear.  If it appears that Georgie kissed Bryn’s ex-boyfriend, then she did.  If it appears that Georgie had sexy fun time with Cora’s boyfriend, then she did.  But rumors are like a game of telephone.  They start off one way and take on a life of their own until they cause the fall of everyone.  

 

This was an interesting read. The audiobook is very well done, in each of the three main girls are voiced by different narrators.  The rumor list gets very repetitive when listening in audiobook form, but at the same time, that list is everything.  This book is definitely social thriller, but as an adult looking back on the rumors from my time in high school, I could also classify this as horror.  The things that happen, that no one tries to stop are the stuff that horror stories are made of.  There may not be blood and gore, but the emotional horror can be forever lasting. 

 

Overall I really liked this book but I didn’t love it.  It was very real.  It feels very much like over privileged teen agers let loose in a society where they see themselves as self-sufficient adults, but are really scared little kids looking for help and acceptance.  As a bigger person, the constant harping on Georgie’s weight gets annoying, as does the constant praise of her weight loss.  However, many of her emotions towards this are very real and very understandable.  Cora is so unsure of herself.  And while in a character this annoys me, it is very true to teen age life.  Heck is Cora was surer of herself, maybe this would be a different book.  And Bryn, well the less said the better.  I think teens will see themselves, kids they know, and the school they go to, in these pages. 

 

What an amazingly wonderful biography. This book is about Mary Sherman Morgan and how she helped get America’s first satellite into space. She was just a country girl who loved chemistry and loved fuels. Without her hard work we could be very behind right now and maybe Neil Armstrong would not have been the first person to walk on the moon. One of my favorite things about this story is it is 100% about her. Within the story component it never mentions her marriage or her kids because they are secondary to what she accomplished for science. There is a tad bit about Mary‘s husband and her son in the info bits in the back and it was just the right amount. Overall this is an excellent book and another great read from Suzanne Slade. 

 

This is about the true life adventure of Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland. Over 100 years ago everyone was reading a book called around the World in 80 days. Nellie Bly looking for an amazing story says she can do it and do it faster and she did. She was not only the first woman but the first person to beat the famous 80 days around the world. This may seem like a small feat in our modern society, but at the time this was major. All the newspapers followed her but she wasn’t the only one. Unbeknownst to her for most of her journey she had another reporter doing the same thing in the opposite direction. Elizabeth Bisland was the complete opposite of Nelly Bly. However she took on this quest bound and determined to do her best. This was an interesting look at both women and I really enjoyed the quotes from various historical newspapers that are included. It’s a nice antidote about historical figures we don’t normally hear about. However I find that the story with the quotes all together make it a bit convoluted and a little crazy. Overall I liked the book I just didn’t love it. 

 

The Warriors code is: love, respect, care, responsibility, honor, and peace. The book explains each one of these aspects in a loving and gracious way. They all come together in a non-preachy way to help kids make the world a better place. This book is a little hard to read after what happened Sunday. As I read this I keep thinking that someone needs to mail this to Will Smith because he forgot his Warriors Way. Well this book has nothing to do with it it’s great for now and it’s great for the future and it’s a great read for anytime.