This book is about a tree but it’s also about having patience. A gardener plants a fig tree and tells everybody it takes time. Then one summer goes by then two summers and still no figs. The gardener wants to replace the tree, but the children say no the tree just needs love which they give it for another year or two or three until eventually the tree produces figs and becomes  shade. The kids always knew it just took patience. The story is lovely and sweet. The illustrations are not my favorite, but they did grow on me by the end of the book. I do wish the cover was changed to one of the inside pictures that looks more complete. The current cover seems like a fast slap together. 

 

This book is adorable. Sydney is a cloud, a rain cloud. Whenever Sydney shows up most people are mad they’re angry. They want Sydney to go away so they can enjoy their fun in the sun. But Sydney just needed to find the right location. Someplace dry and very hot. Where rain is a blessed event that everybody comes out to take pardon. To smile to play to be excited. And Sydney gets to join in all the fun. Kids are going to love this book not just for the story but for the illustrations and it’s really nice to see how the same thing can be both good and bad all based on someone’s perception. 

 

If you want to picture book to make you cry, this one will do it. There are so many things to love about this book. First off Elise is a little girl and the one thing she really wants is to be big enough for her sister’s hand me down coat. It’s red, it has a big pocket, a hood, and it is absolutely perfect. She can’t wait for it to be hers. The day comes when she gets the coat. She wears it to school but on the way, they see a mom and a little girl out in the cold with no coats. She goes back home but feels yucky because something is wrong. She realizes that people look at their phones, they look away, they did everything to pretend not to notice the mom and the little girl in the cold. The next day Elise said “Hi”.  Elise accidentally got locked out of school while it was cold, but not too cold. What I love is that the author doesn’t tell you what Elise did, you see it in the pictures. You see it in the authors words that her thoughts were enough to keep her warm. This book didn’t have to say Elise gave away her coat, no one made Elise giveaway her coat. Elise did it because it was the right thing to do and didn’t need to brag or point out that this good deed was done. I love this book! it’s well done and well-illustrated. The story is a joyful sadness that is important for kids to experience growing up. 

 

If you’re into witches and darkness, this might be the graphic novel for you. Coven is about four girls who try to save a tree a both public protests, and a bit of magic protection.  These girls think that they have done a great job by saving this community park until they all get invited to a party where everything goes wrong, mostly in-fighting and girl nastiness.  They learned that they have released a demon by doing their invocation incorrectly, and now they must put things back to rights. Overall, this book was a slow read. The story wasn’t bad, it was just long. The wrap up was semi-expected, and while not completely true to form for these types of books, completely believable. The artwork is nice and typical but overall, the genre has been done better. This wasn’t bad wasn’t the best, but there will be an audience for it. 

 

Yazidi is a religion that is considered devil worshipers by ISIL. The ISIL soldiers are trying to eradicate anybody who lives under this religion. They do this by taking the men to work and selling the women off as slaves. This book follows the story of Zere as she is taken from her home, betrayed, and becomes a soldier in the fight for freedom. This book is extremely well done and is a look at modern history that is not taught in the US. It’s a story of genocide, but also a story of hope for a better future. This story is very moving, and I think anyone who reads it will be a better person for learning about things not seen in our society. 

 

This book started a little rough. Quick reminder of book one: There is a beautiful “idol” who is a male popstar type of person and a young lady who absolutely is not going to fall in love with anybody. She does not like the idol culture but by the end of book one, she has done just exactly what she swore not to. The idol swore never to fall in love and always be alone but now our gal is completely infatuated. Book two picks up right at the end of book one. in the beginning, she’s doing all the craziness that obsessed fans do, but she has more access. She calms down throughout the book, and it really does become much more of a love story that puts a smile on a readers face. This isn’t my normal type of Manga but I have become an addict. 

 

Volume three is all about the first kiss. There is a little confusion in the beginning between the characters. Are they dating? Aren’t they dating?  It’s about believing in oneself, and our main characters are not very good at that. Which means it took three books to get to the first kiss. I am quite enjoying this series even though all the miscommunication is a lot of tropes. It can at times get to be too much but overall, you go into this book wanting something happy and sappy and that’s exactly what you get. 

 

This book is a general overall look at Frances Perkins life. How she was the first female, labor, secretary, and how she ushered in things such as minimum wages, Social Security, disability rights, etc. Labor movements today would be less if it was not for the work that Frances Perkins did years ago. 

 

I love going into Books blind. The cover suggests one thing, and then the story inside is so different. In this case, I loved it. Is this a space adventure? Yes! But at heart it’s a romance novel. This romance novel is between Prince Keim and Count Jainan, in this space adventure, marriage is a contract and often used to bring two worlds together. With the resolution (galactic contracts) fast approaching the emperor must make sure that her treaty bond with the Thean planet and people is strong. To do that, she must marry their representative to a member of her family. This is a game of politics, but like any good love story it does have a happily ever after. The author can paint a realistic fantasy world, where some things feel like the earth we know, and someplace we don’t, but were named for things missed or remembered.  For example, in Iksat, a bear has six legs and scales, but it is still just as deadly as an earth bear. When this book isn’t on Iksat, it’s out in space and it’s full of adventure, political intrigue, a little bit of mystery and a lot of heart. It does have a few slow points where it feels the 400+ page is that it is, but not often the reader wants to get to the happily ever after. The reader wants to know if their assumptions are correct. This was a wonderfully divergent space story that was nothing I was expecting but everything that I needed. 

 

As an easy reader, I suppose this works. This Level 2 actually feels like a level 2 where as Disney World reading normally is a higher level than is marked on the book. And the story it’s a well-known story it’s just how it’s transposed for the younger audience. It isn’t my favorite as a Star Wars book, but for the earliest readers it does work.