I have always been a fan of Stilton but I particularly like the graphic novels because they are slightly older and a higher reading level. The illustrations are always colorful and on point. Plus I really like how they weave real events into the story. In this case it's the chase to be the first person to the South Pole. A great book got a hot summer day, but not the end of December. It's just too cold.

So this book was a lot of fun. I have always loved books like How are You Pealing, where you see creatures and faces in everyday things like fruit and veggies. This book takes it a step further and teaches you to create your own creatures. I gave it to a little girl I know who loves to make fun food. She couldn't wait to make some creatures with her mom.

I love that this series combines being a princess with being a superhero. So many books a girl is just one or the other. Instead of some strange birth defect or nuclear mishap, our girl gets her super powers from candy. This time we get to see water and fire powers. I wonder what other powers she will come up with. Since is is a capstone publication, there is of course discussion questions, writing prompts etc. plus mini bios of the a character.

#BeattheBacklog 2017 CLOAK: A Character receives a gift from an unexpected source

Our Super Hero receives a box of Candy from her deceased aunt for her 11th birthday.

I will not lie. I bought this book for the cover. And the inside illustrations do not let down. It's full of creepy and colorful illustrations. It's a classic tale of Hensel and Gretel so there was no surprises. I also like that at the end of the story the author gives you a little history and how it is thought the brothers Grimm changed to spoken story when they wrote it down. Plus, for all you teachers the at discussing questions and activities to go along with the story.

This was a beautiful story about a boy and his violin. How he would see stories when he played. He wanted to go to a music competition so others could see his stories as well. Turns out this is a true story. You get this information at the end of the book. While I enjoyed the book, it feels unfinished. It wraps up with his dancers lifting him to the sky, and then nothing. No come down, no did he win? It leaves more questions than it answers, which I think is bad for a picture book.

So this is a kids book of poetry, but I didn't find anything to like. The illustrations look like a high school Photoshop project, and the poetry is not my thing.

Lister, Lester, and Liam are a pack of brothers who are always competing. But like the story of the three little pigs, it’s the one who takes his time to do things right that gets the job done.

This was a lovely book. It’s a dog's point of view about having a new baby in the house. Of course they are worried. Things will change, but will it be fun? Will they get annoyed? Will they have to go live with the neighbor mouse. It’s an adorable rhyming story. I love the interior pictures, but feel the cover needs work. I can not explain why, just that I think it does.

A very well done book on how to be an astronaut. I like that it is a mix of real pictures and illustrations. It has info tidbits about the astronaut/author, which helps make the book more “real”. Its broken down to very concise concepts that anyone can follow, but at the same time does not talk down to it’s audience. A great book for any STEM program.

This hungry little sheep is going to eat his way through a square, a circle, a triangle, and a rectangle. A cute and simple shape and sheep story.