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Showing posts from September, 2020

PICTURE BOOK FICTION REVIEWS : Unicorns are the Worst! by Alex Willan & Fussy Flamingo by Shelly Vaughan James

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    UNICORNS ARE THE WORST! by Alex Willan Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2020 ISBN: 9781534453838 Source: publisher for review Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own.   ABOUT THE BOOK   Perfect for fans of Dragons Love Tacos and Unicorn Thinks He’s Pretty Great , this wildly funny and imaginative picture book celebrates the value of differences as a grumpy goblin gets to know his new unicorn neighbors. It’s an undeniable fact that unicorns are the worst! Magic is serious business, but all unicorns do is frolic around, have tea parties, and leave glitter all over the place! They’re nothing like goblins—practical and hard-working, who can put magic to good use! Unicorns aren’t helpful at all. Or are they?   REVIEW   Goblin is content documenting spells, as well as gathering and organizing ingredients for spells.  He is less than thrilled when a group of unicorns moves in next door and disrupts his work.  Most of ...

MIDDLE GRADE SPECULATIVE FICTION : Wrath of the Dragon King by Brandon Mull

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  WRATH OF THE DRAGON KING Dragonwatch #2 by Brandon Mull Shadow Mountain, 2018 ISBN: 978-1-62972-486-7 Source: publisher for review Ages 9-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own.   ABOUT THE BOOK   War has come to the dragon sanctuaries of the world and nowhere is the danger more intense than at Wyrmroost. After a humiliating defeat at the hands of Kendra and Seth, Celebrant, King of Dragons, prepares to unleash his fury and take control of his native preserve. Armed with information from a new ally Ronodin, the dark unicorn Celebrant seeks a legendary talisman the dominion stone. However, the powerful stone is protected by a cursed castle. Upon entering the castle fortress, an unyielding power strips all magical beings of their power and forces Celebrant to take his human avatar form. Kendra and Seth must enter the cursed castle as well. The race is on. Will the two young caretakers rally enough support from the creatures of Wyrmroost against the greate...

PICTURE BOOK FICTION REVIEWS : EEK! A Noisy Journey from A to Z by Julie Larios and Julie Paschkis & I'm Afraid Your Teddy is in the Principal's Office by Jancee Dunn

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  EEK! A Noisy Journey from A to Z by Julie Larios and Julie Paschkis Peachtree Publishing, 2020 ISBN: 9781682631690 Ages 2-6 Source: publisher for review All opinions expressed are solely my own.   ABOUT THE BOOK   A boisterous trip through the alphabet--letter by letter and sound by noisy sound! This story begins quietly as Mouse selects a flower for someone very dear to him. Then the fun begins! To complete his journey, Mouse must make his way through the alphabet. One sniff of his special flower--Achoo!--and a bee flies out--Bzzz! Readers will love meeting the colorful parade of characters along Mouse's trek and will cheer when he reaches his destination and presents the flower to... Well, that part of the story is a surprise! Author Julie Larios and illustrator Julie Paschkis have collaborated to create an entertaining combination of clever text and lively art. With its fun--and onomatopoeic--sounds, and its parade of colorful characters, this distinctive p...

MIDDLE GRADE REALISTIC FICTION : Posted by John David Anderson

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    POSTED by John David Anderson Walden Pond Press, 2017 ISBN: 978-0-06-233820-4 Source: purchased Ages 9-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own.   ABOUT THE BOOK   In middle school, words aren’t just words. They can be weapons. They can be gifts. The right words can win you friends or make you enemies. They can come back to haunt you. Sometimes they can change things forever. When cell phones are banned at Branton Middle School, Frost and his friends Deedee, Wolf, and Bench come up with a new way to communicate: leaving sticky notes for each other all around the school. It catches on, and soon all the kids in school are leaving notes—though for every kind and friendly one, there is a cutting and cruel one as well. In the middle of this, a new girl named Rose arrives at school and sits at Frost’s lunch table. Rose is not like anyone else at Branton Middle School, and it’s clear that the close circle of friends Frost has made for himself won’t easily...