Book Review - Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier

Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Peter Nimble is a blind. Everyone knows that blind children make the best thieves. With keen ears that hear the smallest sound, and fingers that are nimble and small enough to slip in almost any lock, they are able to get in anywhere and get out before anyone notices they were there. Peter is the best of these thieves. As a matter of fact, he is the greatest thief who ever lived. And as an added bonus, Peter is an orphan with no parents to care about him or miss him. At first, Peter is forced to work for an evil man, who makes Peter steel treasure for him everyday. Until one day, Peter meets a mysterious man selling hats. This is where Peter's life changes and he is thrust into a fantastical world where an orphan thief just might be king.

I really, really enjoyed this book. At first, I was wondering about a book that opens with the line "Now, for those of you who know anything about blind children, you are aware they make the very best thieves" and describes ravens pecking out Peter's eyes. But as I read on, I became enamored of Peter and his plight. I quickly started rooting for Peter in his efforts to find his place in the world. With each new twist of the plot, I became more engrossed in the story. However, due to some of the bloodier content in the book, I would only recommend it for children 10 and up. This is an especially good book for boys who like adventure.



View all my reviews

Book Review - Animals in Fall: Preparing for Winter by Martha Rustad

Animals in Fall: Preparing for Winter by Martha E. H. Rustad

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Animals in Fall: Preparing for Winter is an upgraded version of Martha Rustad's Animals in Fall. By changing the real-life photos to illustrations and adding more details to the text, this book has been bumped up from a picture book to an easy reader. The illustrations added are colorful and eye catching while not taking away from the text. Added informational text boxes allow for parent participation in reading this book with their children. The child can read the simple text on each of the subjects, while the parent can add the information contained in these text boxes. Adding new animals, information, and even an activity in which children can see what it feels like to have blubber, have boosted this books enjoyment level.



View all my reviews

Book Review - Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer by Maureen McGowan

Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer by Maureen McGowan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Princess Lucette's world is one of darkness and loneliness. Cursed at birth, Lucette is awake only during the night while the rest of the kingdom is asleep. To make matters worse, the one who cursed Lucette is the Vampire Queen of the neighboring kingdom. Now it is up to Lucette alone to defend her subjects during the night against vampire attacks. Will Lucette be able to keep her kingdom safe? Will she spend the rest of her life alone in the dark? You get to choose the path Lucette takes in this wonderful version of Sleeping Beauty. So choose well and maybe Princess Lucette will live happily ever after.

With wonderful characterization of the fairytale Sleeping Beauty, McGowen gives the old tale a new twist by adding vampires to the mix. Now instead of lying asleep waiting for the kiss of true love, Princess Lucette gets to stake a few vampires along the way. Which she does with great skill. Being able to choose which way the story goes allows the reader to read this wonderful story again and again, with the same outcome just different journeys getting there.



View all my reviews

Book Review - Pinwheel Days by Ellen Tarlow

Pinwheel Days by Ellen Tarlow

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Pinwheel the donkey likes peanut butter for lunch and playing hide-and-seek with his friends. Follow Pinwheel as he spends his days with his friends, Squirrel, Owl and Rabbit, playing and encountering the world around them. With colorful illustrations, Pinwheel takes us through a world of discovery which includes finding new friends and learning about fall.

This is a wonderful short chapter book for reading aloud or for beginning readers ready to move into chapter books. It is reminiscent of Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel. If your child has read all the Frog and Toad books, I would recommend they try Pinwheel Days next.





View all my reviews

Book Review - Invasion by Jon S. Lewis

Invasion by Jon S. Lewis

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Colt McAllister is the youngest of eight brothers, the last still at home with his mom and dad, and the one they call Runt. The summer Colt turns 16 his world turns upside down and inside out. It starts when he is almost wiped off his surf board by a strange squid-like creature. It gets worse when a police officer shows up the same day to tell Colt his parents have been killed in an automobile accident. The next thing Colt knows he is living with his grandfather in Arizona and going to a new school. The one saving grace is his friend Danielle, or Dani for short. When Colt learns his parents' deaths were not as accidental as he was told, Colt begins to piece together information that leads him down a path only found in his favorite comic books: heros who fly jet packs; villains who are shape-shifting aliens; and gateways between our world and others gallaxies maintained and guarded by a secret military agency called C.H.A.O.S.

For those of us who love sci-fi, the C.H.A.O.S. series is a welcomed addition to the genre. Geared to the tween and teen reader, Invasion invites us into a world filled with old-school,comic book heroes who are given modern weapons and ultralight, flying motorcycles and sent out to fight inter-galactic villains. At the same time, Colt faces everyday teenage dilemmas such as starting at a new school, meeting and making new friends, and finding out the one girl he really likes is already dating someone else.

I am anxiously awaiting the next book in the C.H.A.O.S. series to find out how Colt deals with what is coming next. For readers 10 and up.



View all my reviews

Book Review - Too Many Pears by Jackie French

Too Many Pears by Jackie French

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Pamela likes pears. She likes green pears, red pears and stewed pears with ice cream. But with Pamela liking pears so much, nobody else on the farm gets any pears. (Did I mention Pamela is a cow?) What can Amy do to get Pamela to stop eating all the pears?

This is a very, very funny book! Pamela is an enormous black and white cow, very reminiscent of illustrations in Sandra Boyton's books. This book is a wonderful way to relate to children the results of over-indulgence and the benefits of moderation. Although, I am not sure Pamela truly has learned that lesson.

I would recommend this book for children 3 - 7.



View all my reviews

Book Review - Aliens on Vacation by Clete Barrett Smith

Aliens on Vacation by Clete Barrett Smith

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


David wants to spend his summer just practicing shooting hoops, laying by the pool and hanging with his friend Tyler. This might even the be the summer of his first kiss. But when his mom and dad are called away for work, he is shipped off to Washington, in the middle of the wilderness, to spend the summer with his grandmother. Now David, who goes by the name of Scrub, fears he might as well submit an application for town freak, because David's grandma isn't just living in the eternal hippie's Summer of Love, she also runs the Intergalactic Bed and Breakfast, which has no cable, no internet and no cell phone reception. Can things get any worse? For David, the weirdness is just beginning.

At first, given the title, I was not sure if this book would be a good read or not. But after the first encounter David has with an alien (the strange gray man) I was hooked. This book was fast paced and never lacked for action. David's character seems to mature before our eyes as he comes to understand his grandmother and her strange, but fascinating, guests. I found the book enjoyable and a fun read.

I would reccommend it for children ages 8 - 12.



View all my reviews