Category Archives: Book Review

Mar19

Meeting of the Mustangs by Cathy Kennedy

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mustangscoverMeeting of the Mustangs by Cathy Kennedy, e-book novella, published in 2015.

A black colt is born into a band of wild Mustangs. At a young age he learns that life is not easy, and danger lurks around every corner. When he is accidentally separated from his family, he journeys on alone, and lonely in the hope that he will find them again. He encounters dangers, both in nature and at the hand of man, as he grows into a stunning and spirited stallion.

This was a fairly short and easy read. It was different in that it was primarily about the horse and his experiences, interaction with people was just collateral. The first part of the story was a bit slow, but it became more interesting once the horse came into contact with people. He wasn’t with any of the people long enough to get to know the characters very well though. The horse was very determined and mistrustful of people, understandably, he really should have been left in the wild. It made me feel angry that someone would capture a wild horse and then force him into captivity for no reason other than financial gain.

The plot was both realistic and logical. However, the story felt truncated to me, ending abruptly and too soon. I would have liked a little more about the last man that the horse finds, and how their relationship would go on to develop. All of the time spent with people felt too short, though it was probably necessary to fit with the nature of the story and the horse.

Perfect for horse lovers, Meeting of the Mustangs is suitable for middle primary school students and up.

 

*I received this book as a digital copy from the author, who asked me for an honest review of this book. I did not receive any other remuneration, and the review is composed entirely of my own opinions.

Mar18

Tabby, Tabby, Burning Bright by Emily Martha Sorensen

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TabbyTabbyBurningBrightCoverTabby, Tabby, Burning Bright by Emily Martha Sorensen, e-book picture book, 27 pages, published in 2016.

The tabby cat has swallowed a flashlight, and everywhere he goes, he emits a yellow glow from his mouth. He uses his newfound ability to his advantage, as a distraction and for fun. How did he get the flashlight to start with?

Tabby, Tabby, Burning Bright is a silly rhyming story that made me chuckle. Each page has just one line of text with a cute illustration. I liked the way the cat was drawn, and the picture of Mum chasing him with a broom was funny. Whilst the story is reasonably short, some of the words were difficult for young children, such as ‘ire’ and ‘conceit’, but it didn’t reduce the enjoyment we got from this book. I just prepared for my first grader to ask for their meaning. My sons loved this story, asking me to read it again and again!

Suitable for lower primary school students and preschoolers, it is a good one to read aloud, and listen to the rhythmic flow of the text.

 

*I received this book as a digital copy from the author, who asked me for an honest review of this book. I did not receive any other remuneration, and the review is composed entirely of my own opinions.

Mar15

The Land Without Color by Benjamin Ellefson

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landwithoutcolorcoverThe Land Without Color by Benjamin Ellefson and illustrated by Kevin Cannon, paperback, 168 pages, published by Beaver’s Pond Press in 2015.

For his birthday, Alvin is given a special pocketknife, which comes in very handy when he finds himself transported to another world. The Kingdom of Color does not live up to its name; when Alvin arrives, the colour has been leached from the land and its inhabitants. With his new friends, Permy the squirrel and Ronaldo the mouse, Alvin sets about discovering the cause of the colour loss and how to recover it.

A fantastical adventure with dragons, goblins, man-eating plants, talking animals and free ice-cream and candy for all! The Land Without Color is a wonderful lollop through a magical world that will appeal to a wide range of children. It is well written with good description and some black and white illustrations scattered through the book. Character development was really good, and I got to know Alvin as I followed on his adventure. Though only twelve, he is brave and compassionate with a well developed sense of right and wrong. I liked him a lot, however, Permy was definitely my favourite. The dragon with two heads was an interesting creature, long necks and a giant coiled body. I liked that one head was blue and the other red, and the blue one could breath ice cream instead of fire. That’s a pretty nifty trick!

Junk food is extremely bad for the residents of the Kingdom of Color, as it is the conduit for the colour loss. It also results in a loss of energy and drive, whereas eating vegetables and fruit gives the people back their colour and energy. The message was clear; “Eat Your Vegetables!” I liked this as a theme, and I thought it was well executed. At first the message was subtle, but it became quite strong by the end, and was reinforced through the story. I hope it works to help kids eat veges and fruit!

The Land Without Color is suitable for middle and upper primary school students. Adults will most likely enjoy sharing this book with their child too, I did! This book is the start of a series, with the next book, The Great Sugar War, expected out in late 2016.

 

*I received this book from the author, who asked me for an honest review of this book. I did not receive any other remuneration, and the review is composed entirely of my own opinions.

Mar11

If You Have a Hat by Gerald Hawksley

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ifyouhaveahatcoverIf You Have a Hat by Gerald Hawksley, picture e-book, published in 2011.

A whimsical rhyming picture book, If You Have a Hat, is perfect for preschoolers. The language is simple and fun, so early readers can also enjoy reading it themselves. The illustrations are clear and bright, and sometimes a little silly. The man eating peas was a favourite of my boys. I liked the hippo in the bath myself. I enjoyed reading this book with my boys, and watching them giggle.

 

Mar11

The Perfect Shade of Green by Brian Barlics

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perfectgreencover copyThe Perfect Shade of Green by Brian Barlics and illustrated by Gregory Burgess Jones, e-book, published by Black Rose Writing in 2014.

Cami is a chameleon who likes to stay green. Even when her friends change colour, she just wants to be herself, her green self. No need to change, because Cami is perfect just the way she is!

This is a delightful rhyming tale about being yourself, and making no excuses for it. Cami is a strong character that likes the way she is and wouldn’t change it for the world. I’m always encouraging my kids to be themselves, and this book was a good starting point for a conservation about being ourselves and being proud of ourselves.

Each page is filled with gorgeous illustrations. My children loved pointing out the ‘hidden’ chameleons, and they liked that Cami was wearing a pink, frilly skirt. I love the rainbow chameleon!

The Perfect Shade of Green is a beautiful picture book suitable for preschoolers and lower primary school children. The lyrical text definitely lends itself to being read aloud, so it is also a great book to share with youngsters.

Mar7

The Selection by Kiera Cass

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theselectioncoverThe Selection by Kiera Cass, paperback, 336 pages, published by HarperCollins Children’s Books in 2012.

In a post-apocalyptic world, the land that was North America is now a Monarchy. The King and Queen rule over a rigid caste system, where ‘ones’ are royalty and ‘eights’ are the homeless and vagrants. Each caste has its own place in society, and moving between classes usually only occurs through marriage. America and her family are ‘fives’, making a paltry living through the arts. She is desperately in love with Aspen, who is a ‘six’. Meanwhile, Crown Prince Maxon comes of age and needs to find a wife, kicking off “The Selection”, where a girl from each province is selected to compete for the Prince’s hand. America is chosen, and moves to the palace with the other selected girls, leaving part of her heart behind. She may find refuge, friends, and even love in the palace, but she may also find friction and danger.

To be honest, I wasn’t sure this would be my sort of book. There had been a lot of hype over the series though, so I decided to see for myself. I was pleasantly surprised, and powered through the whole book over the weekend. And now I want to read the rest of the series.

The Selection is a light and entertaining read. I found it good bedtime reading. The plot is fairly simple, and easy to follow, without too many surprises. It made me think of a TV show I’ve seen advertised, The Bachelor. Finding love through reality television seems unlikely, and I have never felt the desire to watch shows like that, but I actually enjoyed reading Prince Maxon’s version. It probably had a lot to do with the characters, which I quite liked, despite being somewhat predictable.

America has character. She’s a bit fiery, had a desire to be non-conformist and frank; in fact she came across as rather rude sometimes, and doesn’t make friends easily. However, she’s still playing the game, no matter what she claims to feel about it. Aspen was harder to get my head around, he was more complex and darker than America. Handsome, of course, proud, and a little broken by his station in life. It will be interesting to see how his character develops in the next book.

Every time Prince Maxon said “My dear”, an image of a grey-haired, bespectacled man wearing a maroon cardigan with a rumpled dress shirt underneath, came to mind. I’m not sure that was the image the Prince was really going for! He is meant to be young, strong, handsome, but once that image popped into my head, it stayed there. He has been thrust into a position of power and must bear it the best he can, seeming brittle and strong on the outside, while really being rather shy and inexperienced at life. Since he doesn’t get out of the palace much, it’s not such a surprise.

The Selection is suitable for high school students. I will be reading the second book in the series, The Elite, to see how things progress.

Feb20

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

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illuminae coverIlluminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, paperback novel, 599 pages, published by Allen & Unwin in 2015.

It’s the year 2575 on an icy planet in the far reaches of the ‘verse where a large corporation has set up an illegal mining operation. Here, teenagers Kady Grant and Ezra Mason have just undergone a messy breakup. That doesn’t seem quite as important when their settlement is attacked by the mega warships of a rival corporation. A few ships manage to evacuate some of the population, Kady and Ezra among them. Unfortunately the ships are damaged in the battle, leaving them unable to leap through space, and the next way-point is six months away. The pursuing battleship may not be the worst to come though, with a serious viral outbreak, a command covering up important information and an artificial intelligence unit that may just be a little crazy.

Uniquely told through a compilation of interviews, emails, instant messaging logs, security camera transcripts, memorandums, and the artificial intelligence unit’s records, Illuminae is extremely creative. The contents are made to look as if they could be part of a file about the destruction of Kerenza and the pursuit if its three ships, the Alexander, Hypatia and Copernicus. This is supported by interesting graphics and different formats and text for different styles of documents. It is cleverly done and really suits the tone of the book.

I found the story both intriguing and compelling, reading through it in just a couple of days. There was a lot going on within the book. First, Kady and Ezra have parted on less than amicable terms, but with everything different after the attack, they may have a chance to at least be friends again. Then there are the conditions on the ships, cramped quarters, jobs to do, and the command keeping secrets from the general population. Kady becomes increasingly interested in what it really happening, and begins hacking various parts of the ships’ records and communication channels. She’s searching for the truth, but what she finds isn’t good. The effects of the viral infection is quite disturbing. Within such a confined space, it was inevitable for such an infection to spread rapidly, but the way it distorts its victims is horrifying. And the way the artificial intelligence unit, AIDAN, reacts is even more horrifying! It makes some decisions that are difficult to comprehend, all for “the good of the fleet”. AIDAN has so much control over the ship Alexander, giving it power without any of the compassion and compromise that humans use to make decisions and draw conclusions. There is a lesson in there about dependency on artificial intelligence… might it ever be able to adapt to leave the restraints of its human creators behind? And what consequences would that bring about?

There were a lot of characters too, but Kady is the lead. She is unconventional, intelligent, courageous and loyal. I felt like I was riding the roller-coaster alongside her, feeling her triumphs and her defeats. A complex and well developed character whose story I enjoyed immensely. Ezra was also well developed, though I didn’t feel like I got to know him quite as well. The other main character was really AIDAN, despite it being man-made code and programming, AIDAN was very much alive during this book. At first I disliked it very much, and wondered how humans could get to the point of putting their lives so squarely in the hands of such a program. As the story progressed and I got to know AIDAN better, it became increasingly clear that this was a human creation beginning to form something akin to humanity within its programming. It was scheming, cunning and deceitful, but the way it came to care for and protect Kady made it seem so human, I couldn’t help but feel for it.

Illuminae is suitable for upper high school students and up. There is plenty of violence, some of it rather graphic, and adult themes. Any foul language has been blacked out, but I easily filled that in as I read.  The story had an air of space zombie apocalypse, with a dose of futuristic crazy for good measure. These are some of my favourite genres, and to have them all mashed together was awesome, it just worked in a way I couldn’t have forseen. An amazing, engaging, and sometimes scary or sad book told in a unique way that will be hard to forget, Illuminae is a must read for young adults and fans of science fiction.

 

 

Feb19

The Princess and the Dragon: A Fractured Fairy Tale by Marjorie Bayes

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The Princess and the Dragon coverThe Princess and the Dragon: A Fractured Fairy Tale by Marjorie Bayes and illustrated by Agnes Villeda, e-book, 40 pages, published in 2015.

This unusual princess helps her father and mother to rule, and on the side she rescues princes. One very annoying prince has been captured by the Dragon. Dutifully, the Princess goes along to rescue him, only to find the Dragon isn’t really all that good at being a dragon. So she recruits him to help her with some issues in the Kingdom.

The Princess and the Dragon is a short chapter book that will delight children young and old. It turns the ‘Prince rescues Princess, slays dragon and marries Princess” fairy tale on its head in an entertaining and amusing way. There are only three chapters, so it was a quick read for me, but I really enjoyed it. I liked the simple pictures too. Every second page or so is filled with coloured illustrations, which are beautifully rendered and complement the story nicely.

My favourite character was the Dragon, with his ineffectual roar, vegetarian ways and love of roses. He was always reluctant to help the Princess, but got there eventually. It was funny that he kept telling her things were against the dragon rules, when he was mostly just making that up! The Princess is no ordinary royal either, she is forthright, sensible and responsible. No pretty dresses and swooning for her! She makes a great lead character and role model for girls. She can be herself and she can do anything.

The Princess and the Dragon is an enjoyable read most suitable for lower and middle primary school students.

 

*I received this book as a digital copy from the author, who asked me for an honest review of this book. I did not receive any other remuneration, and the review is composed entirely of my own opinions.

Feb18

Lost and Found at the Library by Jeneane Kendall

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lostandfoundcoverLost and Found at the Library by Jeneane Kendall, e-book, 19 pages, published in 2016.

Cooper the teddy bear and Floppy the toy rabbit have been accidentally left at the library by their owners. They are placed in the “Lost and Found” box to wait. Once the library staff leave for the night, a fairy appears to help the toys. Floppy and Cooper set out to explore the library. They look at books, check out the computers and even make a sign for the library window.

With a couple of well-loved toys exploring a library when no one is around to see, and a bit of magic, this book was a pleasant and easy read. The story was straight forward, and the language simple. It is not a picture book, though there are basic coloured illustrations scattered through the book, it is more of a short story. I think it would be good for young children as a reader book when learning to read.

I liked Cooper and Floppy, they reminded me of toys I had as a child. To me, my stuffed animals were always alive, and having adventures, just like Floppy and Cooper! This is the sort of story I would have enjoyed reading as a child, and I like it now too. It was too long for my toddlers to sit through, but was perfect for my first grader.

Lost and Found at the Library is suitable for lower primary school children.

 

*I received this book as a digital copy from the author, who asked me for an honest review of this book. I did not receive any other remuneration, and the review is composed entirely of my own opinions.

Feb17

Piggy Sense!: Save it for a Rainy Day by Reed Abbitt Moore

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piggysensecoverPiggy Sense!: Save it for a Rainy Day by Reed Abbitt Moore, e-book, 19 pages, published in 2015.

A young boy starts with a penny, which he saves, and adds to. He finds that saving money can be very rewarding, as he is able to reach his goals and sometimes help others.

This is a good story designed to help children learn the importance of being careful and saving money. It’s a great concept, presented in an appealing way. We are in Australia, so our money is a little different. We don’t have pennys, quarters or one dollar bills, and the terms nickel and dime are not used here either. This didn’t affect the concept though, I just had to take a few moments to explain the differences and similarities between the two currencies to my kids.

The illustrations are lovely, clear and bright. The language is simple and clear, with rhyming text, which helps to engage children. It is an easy book for kids to read themselves, but I liked sharing it. As we read we talked about what the kids might like to save up for, and how they would earn more money.

I thought the amount the boy saved was probably too much to aim for for young children. A grand is a lot of money, and plenty of adults have difficulty saving that amount! I’m also wondering why he didn’t put his money in the bank sooner, it could have been earning interest. Perhaps that could be a topic for another book.

At the end of the story there is a guide to the different denominations with pictures, and a Piggy Sense Account sheet, where kids can fill in their savings and withdrawals to their piggy bank.

Piggy Sense!: Save it for a Rainy Day is suitable for primary aged children. It is a good way to introduce saving to children, and to start a conversation about finances.

 

*I received this book as a digital copy from the author, who asked me for an honest review of this book. I did not receive any other remuneration, and the review is composed entirely of my own opinions.