Book Review – A Very Sweet Picture Book & a Halloween Limerick

Madeline Finn and the Therapy Dog by Lisa Papp

 

From the publisher: Peachtree

Madeline Finn hopes Star can become a therapy dog. But first he needs to pass his test. They have been practicing all the skills he needs to master. They practice meeting people. They practice sitting still when a bike goes by. They even practice meeting other dogs. Now Madeline Finn and Star are off to Walker Oaks, a retirement community where Star will take his tests. They face a variety of challenges and meet several new friends. But Madeline Finn can't stop thinking about an elderly man in a wheelchair, who never smiles. Is there something she and Star can do to help Mr. Humphrey?

 

This is a lovely picture book. It’s like a giant hug – it’s soft and warm and wraps you up in its embrace. The palette is pleasing with such enjoyable illustrations. I love learning about a new series and now I can read the other two books, Madeline Finn and the Library Dog and Madeline Finn and the Shelter Dog. There are so many sweet elements to this story, a dog in training, visiting a retirement home, understanding there are people with different issues and pain to work through and how animals and people can assist them, reading and listening. Madeline Finn and the Therapy Dog is a joy to read.

And a Halloween Limerick!

There once was a ghost who was blue

He found it too hard to say Boo!

It wasn’t until

A mean ghost named Jill

She scared him so much he Boo-hooed!

Book Reviews - Two Awesome Audio Books

These two books I listened to were total opposites and totally captivating for completely different reasons.

The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman

From the publisher:

Life is harsh on the teeming streets of Chennai, India, so when runaway sisters Viji and Rukku arrive, their prospects look grim. Very quickly, eleven-year-old Viji discovers how vulnerable they are in this uncaring, dangerous world. Fortunately, the girls find shelter–and friendship–on an abandoned bridge that’s also the hideout of Muthi and Arul, two homeless boys, and the four of them soon form a family of sorts. And while making their living scavenging the city’s trash heaps is the pits, the kids find plenty to take pride in, too. After all, they are now the bosses of themselves and no longer dependent on untrustworthy adults. But when illness strikes, Viji must decide whether to risk seeking help from strangers or to keep holding on to their fragile, hard-fought freedom.

Hearing the author read it was such a treat. It placed you right in the story immediately and I could see everything clearly. Felt it and smelled it all too.

I hadn’t read the description before listening to it, so I kept getting hints that the younger sister, Rukku, had a developmental disability. So, at first, I thought she was really young, but I finally caught on. The relationships among the four kids was sensitive and kind, even though they encountered plenty of people who weren’t.

There was never a time I got pulled out and I always wanted to go back into it.

There is pain and sorrow but also laughter and love. This story stayed with me since the characters, the world, and the story pulled me in and held me there. I would definitely recommend listening to this book since there’s a definite magic to it.

Dragon Assassin 1: Twin Fury by Arthur Slade

From the Author’s website:

Carmen wants to graduate. But the emperor wants her dead. Her classmates might, too.

At least she has a dragon on her side.

Carmen is desperate to finish ahead of her twin brother and the rest of the class. They’ve been trained to hunt using giant black swans, but Carmen has discovered a dragon. All she has to do is get on his back.

One problem: he's killed everyone who gets near him.

Then the Emperor declares war on assassins. Graduation night is about to become the fight of her life.

Take flight with this first episode in the Dragon Assassin series.

It’s a non-stop young adult adventure from best-selling author Arthur Slade. Perfect for fans of Dragon Riders of Pern, Dragon School, Eragon and Call of the Dragon.

This fantasy book pulled me in with short chapters, interesting characters, and action that forged the story ahead at full speed. 

As with the other audio book, there was never a time I got pulled out and I always wanted to go back into it. The reader is Clare Corbett and her British accents reminded me Downton Abbey characters, which of course, made me love it even more. I always marvel at the readers/actors who give you a full picture with different voice characterizations. 

There are constant twists and turns, magic, of course a snarky dragon who talks, and a host of dimensional characters you feel like you’ve gone to school with, too. 

I’ve read other Slade books, like The Hunchback Assignments and Flickers. I wrote a review on Flickers a few years ago. Loved that one too. He has so many books I want to read. And, he’s from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, just like I am. 

Do yourself a favor and download these enchanting audio books.

Two Middle Grade Book Blurbs

A WITCH ALONE by James Nicol

I’m glad the publisher nagged James Nicol to write A WITCH ALONE, which is the sequel to THE APPRENTICE WITCH. It’s a fun ride in a fun world, if you don’t mind the snotlings. The story continues with Arianwyn in her post as the town witch.

There are so many twists and turns that kept me guessing as to what was going to happen and to whom. I had my suspicions but I never totally knew.

A void was opened in the first book, and it is letting in dark spirits and an evil and uncommon hex that is spreading in the Great Wood.

With a moon hare named Bob as a sidekick and a workspace called the Spellorium, how could you not enjoy it?!

    

MAC B, KID SPY by Mac Barnett

This is a tongue-in-cheek humorous book. A quick read with lots of illustrations.

Mac takes us on an international spy case for the Queen of England. A Crown Jewel is stolen and Mac travels far and wide in his perfectly faded jeans, accompanied by a Corgi, named Freddie, on loan from the Queen.

History is nicely placed in a fun way. Set in the 1980’s, the story shows us the world then and now with an adventurous kid who has his own home and school issues.

Definitely entertaining and accessible.

Book Review: The Haunting of Falcon House by Eugene Yelchin

I loved this book. That’s the first thought I had when I read the last word. How complete and satisfying.

First of all, where have I been? This book was published in 2016. How could I have missed it? Of course, we all have those giant TBR piles and that’s the only explanation I can come up with. Well, and 2016 was a difficult year, so there ya go.

There are really great reviews printed in the first few pages of this book and I’d love to post them all here since they did a great job. But, I will do it myself – sigh – and hopefully encourage you to pick it up.

Here is what the publisher says:

A long undisturbed bedroom. A startling likeness. A mysterious friend.

When twelve-year-old Prince Lev Lvov goes to live with his aunt at Falcon House, he takes his rightful place as heir to the Lvov family estate. Prince Lev dreams of becoming a hero of Russia like his great ancestors. But he'll discover that dark secrets haunt this house. Prince Lev is the only one who can set them free―will he be the hero his family needs?

From Eugene Yelchin, the author and illustrator of Arcady's Goal and the Newbery Award-winning Breaking Stalin's Nose, comes The Haunting of Falcon House, an illustrated middle grade story that'll both haunt readers and leave them knowing a little bit more about Russian history.

This title has Common Core connections.

This story is engaging in every way – the setting, characters, action, plot. I was taken on a ride of mystery, friendship, Russian history and the pain of facing the truth. The illustrations are disturbing, adding to the creepiness and intrigue.

What I treasure about this book is that it is different and unique, which isn’t always easy to find. Everything Prince Lev felt and saw, I did too. It was like I was transported right into Falcon House. Definitely worth the trip.

Book Review and Writing Exercise - a Twofer!

I thought it was time to do a writing exercise as well as a book review. I've been doing a lot of rewriting, to then turn into submissions, and then get back to my WIP. So first up, the book review. Originally published in Shelf Awareness and reviewed by Lynn Becker and available on her blog as well, link below. 

It took me a little bit to get into this book (I think I say that with all books!) but then enjoyed the ride of witches in training. Loved the characters. 

The Apprentice Witch--Shelf Awareness

MG Review: The Apprentice Witch

The Apprentice Witch by James Nicol (Chicken House/Scholastic, $16.99 hardcover, 336p., ages 8-12, 9781338118582, July 25, 2017)

Arianwyn Gribble is mortified when her magical assessment by the Civil Witchcraft Authority goes horribly wrong. Instead of focusing on the four cardinal glyphs, her mind is taken over by a larger, bolder symbol, an impossible one that "didn't really exist except in her imagination." The evaluation gauge undergoes a power surge and fails to pick up the required level of magical energy. Arianwyn's humiliating result is officially classified as "ungraded." Instead of the bright silver star of a fully trained witch, a "dull bronze disc" is pinned to her coat. The moon brooch identifies her as an apprentice who "has not yet reached the maturity of her powers."

Nevertheless, her service is needed (it helps that Grandmother, on the Council of Elders, has some say in the matter). Arianwyn takes a position in the small town of Lull, near the Great Wood. Rich in natural magic, "a quiet and pleasant town to live in," Lull has been without a witch for many years and is willing to welcome an apprentice. Provided, as the mayor puts it, she can "fulfill her role without incident." But Lull is not as idyllic as Mayor Belcher advertises. En route to the town, Arianwyn finds herself fighting off a dangerous dark spirit creature. When she begins a spell to banish it, the mysterious glyph flashes before her eyes and her mind goes blank. Arianwyn and her fellow passengers scramble to escape, leaving the dark spirit stunned but not banished. Worse, she may have created a dangerous rift, an opening into the world "anything could get through from the void." Arianwyn is sure that her performance could not have been more pathetic.

Settling into her new home, a musty charm shop named the Spellorium, Arianwyn manages to make charms and deal with the less dangerous beasts that plague the neighborhood. Gradually, she grows more confident and the townsfolk come to accept her. She enjoys the staunch support of best friend Salle (who was involved in the initial melee with the dark creature), and a strange kinship with the other spirit creatures she encounters. Even her district supervisor, while initially skeptical, begins to understand that some great power lurks within the awkward apprentice. All seems to be going well until the mayor's niece arrives, none other than sneaky, cruel Gimma Alverston who taunted Arianwyn mercilessly in school. Something huge, dark and twisted is haunting the Great Wood, and dangerous patches of hex mold are spreading about the area. And why does Arianwyn keep seeing visions of that strange, "tempting and terrifying" glyph?

Feeling at once fresh and familiar, James Nicol's enchanting debut will charm fans of Jennifer Nielsen, J.K. Rowling and Eva Ibbotson. The world of The Apprentice Witch is comfortable, funny and well-imagined. Underneath all the magic, fey creatures and monsters, Arianwyn's struggles with self-doubt will ring true with readers. A few loose plot points hint at a sequel, but this one stands strongly on its own. --Lynn Becker, blogger and host of Book Talk, a monthly online discussion of children's books for SCBWI.

Lynn Becker

Now for the writing exercise!

Words: clock, trouble, bed, coin

I rolled over, still awake. The clock hadn't moved. The digital numbers froze at 11:11. How was that possible?

I shifted again, away from the annoying red glow, pulling my night shirt out from under me. My bed sagged like a war-torn army cot. If you tried to bounce a coin off it, I'm certain it would roll down into the valley and never be seen again.

How could sleeping be this much trouble? I sighed. I flopped. I flopped. I sighed. 

Sitting up to read the clock again, it read 11:11. Now I was starting to freak out. Flapping noises began that were not there before. Giant winged shadows crossed in front of the light outside my window.

The very very scared part of me wanted so badly to pull the covers up forever. The other part that made incredibly brave and bad decisions sneaked over to the window for a peek.

October-Adjacent Book Review

I should have been telling you about this book series years ago when it first came out. But maybe you're already a fan.

The Lockwood & Co series are some of the best middle grade books out there, written superbly by Jonathan Stroud. They are perfect for the season with ghosts, creepy things, humor, and suspense. These exciting adventures starring the Psychic Detective Agency are filled with great characters and incredible character arcs continuing throughout the series. Lucy, Lockwood and George are smart, have secrets, and fabulous paranormal talents. Not a series to miss, it’s one of my favorites!
        
    

From the Publisher: There is an epidemic of ghosts in Britain. Their touch brings death, and only children have the power to fight them.

Lucy Carlyle, a young psychic investigator, joins London's smallest agency, run by the charismatic Anthony Lockwood and his ever-hungry assistant George Cubbins. Together the trio must investigate some of the spookiest and deadliest spectral hauntings in the city, armed only with the tools of the ghost-hunting trade (magnesium flares, iron filings, chains and salt bombs), their courage and a thermos of tea.

Ghosts and ghouls beware!