Category Archives: Childrens

Both my husband and I have read and enjoyed all three books in this trilogy. George Gearing is the young man who, along with his trusty robot friend, Jackbot, has to save the day once again. George is still trying hard to find a way to bring his parents back but he keeps running up against a brick wall. When a way is offered to enlist help, he is in a quandary as to whether or not it is the right or wise thing to do. All decisions have their consequences and George’s certainly does.

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This is not quite the princess story I thought I might be reading when I picked it up. It is so much better. It turns out that Princess Pinecone is a pint-sized warrior princess. Her birthday is coming up and, in the past, all she was given were cute and cuddly sweaters. To make sure this year is different, she lets everyone know that what she really wants is a warrior horse. What she gets is a cute, little round pony who has a bit of an issue with tummy gas.

The story is cute and one that appeals to younger children (warrior, ponies, and gas – what’s not to love?) I really love the illustrations – the messy bedroom one is one that reminds me of both of my daughters rooms when they were growing up (except theirs were even more of a mess.) I look forward to reading this book to our little ones – it is unusual to find a Princess book that will appeal as much to boys as to girls.

I received a complimentary copy of this book via the publisher.

While my grandson enjoys beeping the truck, all of the original charm of “The Little Blue Truck” has been lost in this book. It is the same author and the same illustrator but it was so different, I had to check to see if someone else had taken over. As I read the book to him, all I could think is that the sing-song of the story was to the tune of “If you are happy and you know it, clap your hands.” While that is a favorite of my grandson’s, it is not at all what I expected from the Little Blue series of books. It also had a feeling of a quick slap-together rather a well-thought out children’s story.

As I mentioned, my grandson likes it but not in the same way he does the first two board books in the series. With those books, when he comes to visit me, he runs to my bookcase and looks for them and pulls them out to bring to me to read. He sits on my lap and waits with a gleam in his eyes for certain parts of the stories to be read. One or the other is always his choice of a book before nap or bedtime with me. They are so special, his mother and father will not get a copy for him at home. They want it to be for just the two of us.

With this book, he sat my himself and beeped the horn. I got him to sit with me for one reading and then he tossed the book aside.

I had pre-ordered this book as soon as I saw it was available. I wish I could recommend it as highly as the first two but unfortunately, I cannot. It is okay but just okay.

This seems to be a series which has lost its steam. I’ve enjoyed reading the books up to and including, the last one, but with “Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-A-Lot”, it seems as if the author is not really connected with the kids who enjoy his books.

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“The Galaxy Pirates: Hunt for the Pyxis” by Zoe Ferraris is the start of what could be a great series of books for young readers. This book was a very fun read and it includes all the things almost anyone would want in an adventure series including heroes, villains, pirates, evil Queens, interstellar sailing ships, magic and all sorts of fantastical creatures.

The story centers around Emma and Herbie, from Earth, and the adventures they take to save Emma’s parents and the universe from the evil Queen.

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“Fuzzy Mud” is a mystery/thriller written for grades 5 and above. It is the first book that I have read by Louis Sachar and I was surprised at how well it read for an adult. I can see that a child age 10 and above would enjoy the book but it kept me interested, too.

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“Chasing Secrets” is the story of a thirteen year old girl, Lizzie Kennedy, who is the daughter of a doctor. She lives in San Francisco in 1900 and lives with her father and older brother in the smaller of two houses owned by her well-to-do aunt and uncle. Her mother has passed away and her aunt now has a huge say in what she does, where she goes to school, and how she behaves. As her aunt and uncle are quite well known in society, Lizzie is being prepared for life as a social wife and mother. What she truly wants is to become a doctor like her father.

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“Circus Mirandus” by Cassie Beasley was a fantastic and magical debut novel. I wasn’t sure what to expect when picking it up but it took me to the same place “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and “James and the Giant Peach” did when I was a child.

Micah Tuttle is the grandson of Ephraim Tuttle. Micah has spent all of his ten years hearing his Grandpa Ephraim’s wonderful and magical stories of Circus Mirandus and thought that that was exactly what they were: stories. Grandpa Ephraim is now very ill, indeed, and reveals to Micah that the stories were all true. Not only that, but that when Ephraim visited the Circus many years ago, the Lightbender promised him a miracle and that he has called for that miracle to be honored.

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What a treat this book is. The story is very cute and told in rhyme. The illustrations are fun, colorful, and very well done. The story is adventuresome and the dog gets to take the reader an the adventure under the sea. What is especially nice about this book is that the author told the story for young children but included information to interest adults and older children. That information allows the older individual to pass on more to the younger child. My grandson is a bit young for this but really enjoyed it during our picture book reading time. He really enjoyed seeing Larry as he loves dogs.

An excellent book that I recommend highly and that I know I will be enjoying with grandchildren for years to come.

I received a complimentary copy of this book via the publisher.

“Escape from Baxters’ Barn” is an excellent debut book for author and illustrator Rebecca Bond. The story is well told, the plot executed well, and the characters are charming and endearing. Each character has a distinct personality and gets their moment to shine; however, the story is told from the point of view of the one-eyed cat, Burdock, who yearns to be a house cat instead of a barn cat.

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