This is a well researched book on a big disaster that happened in Connecticut- the Hartford Circus Fire. It's not an event I know about, but I was pleased to see that they still have events about it in Hartford, commemorating the worst fire accident in American history. Was it the most exciting book I had ever read? No, but I think it gives kids a good insight into how history is written, how some questions may never be answered, and how memory is a faulty thing. It's definitely a thought-provoking book.

I'll admit, it took me a while to get into this one. It was the characters' names that did it. I was bothered that Firefly was a firefly but the other ones didn't have names? Or are they all named Firefly?Was her Elder capitalized because they had a relationship? It continued with the crickets and the vole. Once I got past that name confusion, I settled into a lovely story about dreams, individuality, adventure, and coming to terms with bad things that happen to you. The illustrations are definitely worth looking at.

Well, it's definitely not like my usual read! Overall, I think it's a good book that presents a balanced view of gun control. It's a bit of a slow starter, and I was a little confused by the work that went into creating the Thompson Sub-Machine Gun, but once we started talking about gangsters, it was a really quick and fast read!

I almost think I liked this better than the movie. Quite complex, and Agent 13 has a much bigger presence.

This is an adorable book about a witch who needs to find a new job. Being the school lunch lady is perfect for her. But what happens when she isn't as mean as she thinks she is? I think kids are going to gobble this up like one of her potions.

There is an unnamed war zone, and young Malik and his grandfather are trying to escape it. There is a ship at the dock but tickets are expensive. Will they be able to get on board? Who can they trust?

while I understand the reasoning behind not getting into specifics with locations, I would have preferred that. I have no idea where they are traveling except it is three days by boat. Otherwise, it was almost a little too gentle to me. I don't know. I will sit with it for a bit and see.

Heartbreaker

A little bit too much science for me, and I think I would have preferred the book to be in color. Some of the images, as they were transposed in the black and white, were a little confusing for me. Not my favorite.

I thought this book was very slow at the beginning, and then picked up around the middle, until I was racing along to the end. The characters are, overall, more sympathetic than in "Gone Girl," although I'm not sure I liked it any more than that book. It's definitely intriguing and the characters are all messy, imperfect people.

I agree with people who are questioning the casting of Emily Blunt as Rachel--yes, she's British, but does she really sound anything like the way Rachel is described? Especially because Rachel's appearance is frequently referred to.

Adorable follow-up to the first Ballet Cat book, with a premise sure to inspire laughter.