Princess and the Pig – book review

The Princess and the Pig by Jonathan Emmett Illustrated by Poly Bernatene Picture book * * * * Stars (Great!) This is one of those books where two infants are switched at birth (or close enough) and raised by unsuspecting families until they come of age and all is revealed! Because of all of the stories they’ve read (where that sort of thing happens all the time) it’s not surprising to the King and Queen … Read more

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon – book review

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin Fantasy * * * Stars (Pretty good) Minli lives in a small, poor, rural village in the shadow of Fruitless Mountain (called so because it is barren of life). Her parents – Ma and Ba – work hard cultivating crops, but barely manage to get by. Ma is bitter and resentful about their misfortune and poor circumstances, and when Minli uses one of her copper coins … Read more

Saving Audie – book review

Saving Audie: A Pit Bull Puppy Gets a Second Chance by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent photos by William Munoz Nonfiction * * * * Stars (Great!) Michael Vick, NFL quarterback, was running an illegal dog-fighting ring and raising “fighting dogs” at his appropriately named “Bad Newz Kennels.” When information about his crimes came to light, the dogs were seized, as evidence, and spent many months in isolation in an animal shelter. In the past, fighting dogs … Read more

Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident – Read It and Rate It

Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident Artemis Fowl series #2 by Eoin Colfer Fantasy Review #1 * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) Artemis Fowl returns for another epic adventure. He must save his father from the Russian mafia and come up with money to save him. He also has to help fairies with a goblin problem. It is led by two people who are ready for revenge.  I liked it because it is all about … Read more

Awakened – Read It and Rate It

Awakened House of Night series #8 by PC and Kristin Cast Fantasy Supernatural Review #1 * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) Zoey has been healed, now she must leave the Isle of Skye and return home.  Countless and ageless evils, love, death, and shocking secrets await her. Will she save Tulsa, defeat Neferet, and survive whole?  Read to find out.  I liked this because it was easy to read (in modern language), had in-depth … Read more

Anne of Green Gables – Read It and Rate It

Anne of Green Gables Anne of Green Gables #1 by LM Montgomery Classic Historical Fiction Review #1 * * * * Stars (Great!) A girl named Anne is sent to live with a brother and sister in the place of a boy. The siblings almost send the girl back, but her charm stops them. Anne makes some great friends and gets several prestigious honors in school, as she does very well at school. The brother … Read more

After – Read It and Rate It

After by Amy Efaw Realistic Fiction Review #1 * * * * Stars (Great!) When Devon, a straight-A student and amazing soccer player is tried for murder, everyone assumes they have the wrong girl. Devon isn’t the kind of girl who would hide a pregnancy and then throw her baby in a dumpster. Is she?  I liked this because most of the book took place in a court room or jail cell. Never having experienced … Read more

I Don’t Like Gloria! – book review

I Don’t Like Gloria! by Kate Umansky illustrated by Margaret Chamberlain Picture book * * * * Stars (Great!) Calvin is a little dog whose people have just adopted Gloria, a fluffy, prissy cat who doesn’t understand that there are BOUNDARIES, and Calvin doesn’t like her. Gloria gets all of the attention and Calvin just gets in trouble. He’s justifiably upset, too. “The first thing she did was eat out of my bowl. MY bowl. … Read more

Mad Dog McGraw – book review

Mad Dog McGraw by Myron Uhlberg illustrated by Lydia Monks Picture book * * * Stars (Pretty good) Mad Dog McGraw is the meanest dog in the neighborhood, and the little boy who narrates this story hates him. He comes up with all kinds of schemes to get past the dog, but they all end the same way – with Mad Dog McGraw chasing him home. Then, after adopting a stray cat (called ‘Bait’), to … Read more

Starlight Goes to Town – book review

Starlight Goes to Town by Harry Allard illustrations by George Booth Picture Book * * * * Stars (Great!) Starlight the chicken has always dreamed of being a high fashion model in Milan, Italy, but she’s stuck in rural Tennessee. After numerous complaints she is visited by her chicken fairy godmother who tells her how to get what she wants – all she needs to do is wish hard and lay an egg. Starlight hatches … Read more