I had hopes for this book. There’s something about the fat girl, knowing she’s fat, being worried about it in high school and how she fares on rides that really gets to me. Talk about a lived experience. The idea of her and her best friend getting lost in a corn maze rather than going on the school field trip should be up my alley. However, it feels like the reader is dropped in the center of a story that’s already started. There is almost no buildup. It’s just we’re in the corn maze and there are bodies. This book has a promising premise and maybe I’d enjoy it more written rather than audio. Or maybe it’s the AI reader because it is a galley copy.  Either way this book is officially a DNF. I didn’t care about the characters once they entered the maze and now, they’re introducing clones of the characters that are the dead bodies it just it feels like a mess. 

 

I don’t like this title. And it’s just the title. I don’t think Trump is a word that should be used in modern society for a woman. This is a story about a female character who had an inappropriate touching instance happened to her. And it’s left a mental block to where she can’t be with men. It’s a physical bad reaction anytime she holds hands, etc. But there’s this model, this model that makes her wonder - Hey maybe I’m not straight. But the world is shocked to find out that the model is actually a man.  Our main gal approaches him and says hey I don’t get this feeling around you like I do other men would you be my fake boyfriend. He decides to take her and makes it his mission for her to see one how beautiful and stylish she actually is and for her to, enjoy the touch man. This title was very interesting, and I would be interested to see how it goes forward but if I don’t, it doesn’t bother me. It’s a fast and interesting story that some may see themselves in in need. 

 

This is a book about the young high school student who must remain the chaste. No physical contact, no kissing, no handholding, nothing. It is because he’s born to a political family, and it is the rules within their family that between the ages of 12 and 18, there is to be no physical intimacy. The main character has a girlfriend, and she would at least like to kiss. The title makes you think it might be even more and part of it does seem like she’s looking for that, but they can’t even kiss. The idea is interesting, but the execution is boring. This is definitely a character study and our female main character seems very needy and whiny while the guy seems a stereotype of what Americans think Japanese culture is. I did not find this book fun or enjoyable and have no desire to finish the series. 

 

There are far too many words in this book. This is because this book is extremely repetitive. It feels as if the author took an online course on how to write a formulaic picture book. State your problem. Give examples of the problem.  Give a solution. Repeat the solution with a nonmonic device that kids can remember. End story. This book skips the pneumonic device and gives you a lesson in counting. The lesson is nice, but it takes so long to get there that most kids are past caring, let alone paying attention. 

 

This story was written to help children and adults alike. Aa child with disabilities, ss just a child. They play like everyone else, they just have special considerations. In the back of the books are ways to help make a classroom more inclusive for all students as well as activities to make sure no kid feels left out. 

 

This book shows the difference in how a kid views things versus an adult. To this kid, school ground is nothing but rock, rubber cement, and concrete. It’s not pretty. It’s not fun. It’s ugly. One day a dandelion sprouts up in a crack. The students love this. This is a beautiful flower in their world of hard surfaces. It’s a reminder how in city Spaces people need to find the green. Find the grass, the parks the flowers. Not all concrete is lovely. 

 

I really enjoyed this book, and the artwork is beautiful. However, part of me worries a little about the beginning. The dragon wants to be helpful, but no one will let him help. The knight wants to learn on his own and runs away from the castle. The dragon tries to help but Jeffrey keeps saying no leave me alone. Baxter is dedicated. I love this sentiment and when I was a child you were taught to be kind and to offer help and that sometimes you had to offer friendship more than once. But in our modern society, where no means no this could be considered a harmful practice. So I like the book and maybe I’m reading too much into it, but there may be parents who object to it. 

 

There’s not much this story. It’s three kittens stuck in a house in a major city. What they do for their day. The artwork however, is a combination of drawn and painted paper layered over each other. The artwork is quite nice and makes up the lack of story. 

 

Normally picture books with forwards annoy me. It’s normally the author telling you what this book is going to do for your child and then they fail to meet the expectation. This book says these are simple things to do to help your child speak. These points are accurate to modern teachings, easy to understand, and easy for parents to replicate. The story is simple but allows room for the parents to ad-lib as their child speaks more. 

This book isn’t a comic so much as a daily affirmation. Think Ziggy with cats for a new generation. The book is observations and thoughts of a cat or a pair of cats and how they interact with the human world. The art is a watercolor style that is endearing. Books like this can occasionally be, long and tedious, but I wish this one was longer. I quite liked the thoughts and found myself picking out multiples to send to friends as I was reading. I look forward to seeing what the author does next.