Review: Forever Friends Farm

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Forever Friends Farm is a cute picture book and early reader series that emphasizes friendship and ways to communicate to help everyone get along together. The first book, Forever Kind, is a picture book written by Annie Auerbach and illustrated by Luke Flowers. It introduces the regulars P.J., Winston, Mei, Cassie, and more when they are planning a party because P.J. finished reading an entire book all by himself.

P. J. meets Jasper and invites him to the party. But Jasper isn’t used to a welcoming crowd, and he takes more than his share of the goodies. When he messes up the whole party, he expects to be sent on his way. Instead, everyone else forgives him and enlists him in the clean-up.

Another title in the series, A Perfect Place to Play, an early reader written by Tish Rabe and illustrated by Jim Valerie, has P.J. the Goose and Winston the Mouse finding what they think is a perfect place to play. Then they discover a group of friendly squirrels have already taken residence there. Pretty soon the two groups are getting together and then sharing space in the barn to take shelter from a storm.

The Forever Friends Farm series is great for helping to grow readers, as there are four levels of stories appropriate for different age groups. Levels one and two are for readers aged 4-6. Level three is appropriate for ages 6-8. And level four targets ages 7 and up. Young readers can stay connected to familiar characters as they grow and become more proficient.

The characters are cute, and the story lines get a message across without being overly preachy.

Paw Prints Publishing provided a copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Foundling by D. M. Cornish

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The only home Rossamund has ever known is Madam Opera’s Estimable Marine Society for Foundling Boys and Girls. Found on the doorstep with the word assumed to be his name pinned to his blanket, he has suffered torment at the hands of some of the other children and found joy with the adults who have cared for and guided him. But now he is off on an adventure, tapped for the job of Lamplighter in a faraway land. Along the way, however, he gets waylaid, and there starts a grand adventure that begins his new life.

Rossamund’s origin story is part of the Monster Blood Tattoo series, Book One: Foundling, by D. M. Cornish. Cornish vividly creates a fantasy world where monsters lurk, ready to set upon regular folk who aren’t careful. There are also people who dedicate their lives to fighting the monsters, either for pay or self-preservation.

After growing up hearing of these adventures but being safely secluded within the walls of Madam Opera’s, Rossamund is finding out for himself how things really are. And he’s not always sure the stories he was raised on are his best guides for figuring things out.

There are hints that Rossamund is more than an ordinary orphan, and aside from a rather silly mistake he makes at the beginning that had me concerned I may not like him as a protagonist, I really got into the story and the fantasy world that Cornish creates. Each chapter starts with a definition of a type of character and how it fits into the world, and that was enough for me to read the story through. But for anyone who wants to get into the details, there’s an extensive glossary of terms called an Explicarium at the back.

Young fans of J. R. R. Tolkein will undoubtedly find a lot to love in both the story and the fantasy world in Foundling. Other books in the series include Lamplighter and Factotum. I will review each of these in the coming weeks as well as a companion piece, Tales From the Half Continent.

The publisher provided a copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Lissa Loves Bugs by Tracy Blom

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When Lissa looks through a magnifying glass she found in the attic of her home, she discovers something wondrous: anything she points it at reveals facts and hidden messages. Those messages lead her to the family garden and the woods beyond, where the plants and soil are distressed. With the help of her friends—Wren, Luna, and Indigo—as well as through research in the local library, she has to solve the mystery and save the living things in her own backyard.

Lissa Loves Bugs by Tracy Blom is about a curious nine year old who is good at observing the world around her and investigating when something seems out of whack. She follows clues and suggestions to check out the dirt, ladybugs, lacewings, and more. Together, she and her friends come up with a plan that not only heals the land but also brings neighbors together. It’s empowering for her to know that she and her friends can make a difference if they present facts and offer solutions.

The end teases book two in the series, a space adventure that the magnifying glass points them to. With an easy-to-read format and dreamy illustrations by Cathy Morrison, Lissa Loves Bugs is sure to appeal to readers aged 7 to 10.

The publisher provided a copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The View From Lake Como by Adriana Trigiani

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Jess has always done what her family expected of her without complaint. But when her beloved Uncle Louie dies suddenly, she has the opportunity to leave her New Jersey home for an extended stay near her family’s ancestral home in Carrara, Italy. While there, Jess gets to explore what she really wants and decide for herself what her future looks like.

The View From Lake Como by Adriana Trigiani explores the messiness of big, extended families and the expectations that can be put on individual members. Both of Jess’s parents are first-generation Italian American, and her grandparents came from two different regions of Italy.

While the descriptions of life in both New Jersey and Italy were interesting, I never quite felt like the characters clicked. Flashbacks in the form of journal entries to therapists provided background, but they also took me out of the present tense of the story too frequently.

All in all it’s an interesting light read, but I think it could have done more to explore the issues that Jess confronted in her journey of self discovery.

The publisher provided a copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.

Review: So Over Sharing by Elissa Brent Weissman

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Willow and Hadley bond over shared frustration that their moms, both influencers on social media, seem to care more about their followers than what’s best for their children. They are constantly being asked to pose for the camera or capture what should be a private moment for an audience. There are perks, of course, in the way of sponsor-provided clothes and gadgets and income from the sharing platforms. But all the two really want to do is be anonymous middle-schoolers.

When they start sharing private notes about what really goes on behind the scenes, it’s just a matter of time before that info goes public. And if they thought life was difficult before then, that’s nothing compared to the problems that arise from the fallout. But it also might just make the change they seek possible.

So Over Sharing by Elissa Brent Weissman looks at the influencer culture as it affects children. Figuring out who you are as a pre-teen is difficult, but even more so when seemingly the whole world can see your struggles. Hadley and Willow want more than anything for their moms to see them as they are and not push them into fitting a brand.

The book brings up lots of good questions to consider and discuss, like should children be paid if their parents make money posting about them. And is it okay to make details of children’s lives public when they have not given their permission. Also, what age is someone deemed able to give permission. The topic flips the script on the assumption that all young people overshare and adults don’t spend as much time online.

I recommend So Over Sharing for readers aged 9 to 12.

The publisher provided a copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Biology Lessons by Melissa Kantor

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Grace is chosen to tutor Jack, a star on their high school’s baseball team, in AP Biology. Over the weeks they become more and more attracted to each other until one day they have sex. Soon after, Jack breaks up with Grace to get back together with his old girlfriend. At the same time, Grace discovers she is pregnant.

Biology Lessons, a book by Melissa Kantor, shares the perspective of a teen who accidentally gets pregnant and then has to decide what she wants to do. Grace is sure her parents would she needs to give birth and raise the baby with their help. But she has always dreamed of leaving their small Texas town for New York City, and she’s set to take her first step on that path when she enters a prestigious college in the fall.

Together with her friend Addie she explores her options, ultimately deciding she wants to have an abortion. But that’s not possible in her home state. The two keep searching until they find a group willing to help with information and support to a get to a neighboring state for the procedure.

Biology Lessons looks at a difficult topic, teen pregnancy and abortion, through the lens of the current legal restrictions in Texas, although those same restrictions exist in many states. Grace goes through a gamut of emotions, particularly because her sister-in-law is pregnant at the same time. She wants to discuss what’s happening with her parents, but she feels they won’t listen to her perspective. In the end, she knows she has to do what’s right for her.

As with any book that addresses a difficult topic, readers can benefit by seeing how a fictional character handles the situation. Grace’s story, and the process she goes through to decide what she wants to do, is sure to help others facing an unwanted pregnancy. Also, it can help foster real world conversations between moms and daughters that may help them talk about potentially emotionally-charged situations like this.

Review: The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club by Martha Hall Kelly

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It’s 1942, and everything is about to change for the Smith family on Martha’s Vineyard.  Brother Tom is off to war, leaving sisters Cadence and Briar to look after their farm and their grandmother. He also leaves behind Bess, an almost fiancée who loves him and her adopted family.

The island is also going through changes. There’s talk of German U-boats patrolling the waters, the FBI is keen on finding spies, and the army sets up a training base. It all forms an intriguing background for Martha Hall Kelly’s novel, The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club.

The story opens in the present day, when Mari arrives on the island, supposedly for a private lesson with Elizabeth, an artist in her 90s. Mari’s mother has recently died, and she suspects there was a shared connection between the women. From there, the story moves to the past, and the rich story mostly unfolds there.

Each of the characters deals with longing in some way. Cadence wants to find a life off the island in New York’s publishing industry. Bess wants to forge her own way in a family that accepts her for who she is, something her wealthy parents do not. Briar is a misfit who seeks connection on her own terms. In some ways, the island itself is another character in the story, which reveals the dynamic between wealthy summer residents and those who live there year round.

The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club, which carries its own book recommendations for people in the novel, is a great read for book clubs or anyone else interested in history and the way people deal with personal adversity as well as tough times.

The publisher provided a copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Fantastic Flora by Ann McCallum Staats

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Most times we leave our homes, we encounter plants of some kind. Flowers, shrubs, and trees are present even in urban environments. But few of us think about how these plants grow and attract pollinators and reproduce in a continuous cycle.

And things that are prickly and smelly get even less of our attention, unless we’re figuring out how to avoid them. But some plants have adapted strange and fascinating ways of surviving that deserve more notice. Author Ann McCallum Staats highlights some of the strangest in her book, Fantastic Flora: The World’s Biggest, Baddest, and Smelliest Plants.

The book is broken down into four sections: The Big, The Bad, The Smelly, and The Exceptionally Strange. In each section, she provides fascinating facts about three different examples. For instance, the Bolivian water lily can grow up to 10 feet across, at the rate of 20 inches a day. And it floats on a stalk about 26 feet long, which Staats tells us is about as tall as four refrigerators stacked together

Then there’s skunk cabbage, which can heat its flowers up to 70 degrees Fahrenheit, even when it’s cold outside. That ability, plus its stinky smell, helps it attract flies to pollinate it.

Staats also includes facts about how seeds germinate and grow, plants used as medicine, and how color and scent attract pollinators, as well as other interesting tidbits about flora. It’s all informative in a fun way. Fantastic Flora is sure to be a hit with a budding naturalist drawn to nonfiction. I recommend it for ages 8-12.

The author provided a copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.

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