Book Review: Ivy + Bean: One Big Happy Family by Annie Barrows + Sophie Blackall

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Ivy Bean One Big Happy Family cover imageWhen Vanessa calls Ivy spoiled because she’s an only child, Ivy comes up with the solution to change that: get a baby sister. But things don’t go well when she and Bean encourage her mom to have another baby. Ivy comes up with increasingly wild ways to get a sibling, which is how she ends up in a park pretending that the neighbor’s daughter is a gift from heaven.

Ivy + Bean: One Big Happy Family is a funny look at siblings: wanting them, not wanting them, having them, and borrowing them. Parents and children are sure to get a kick out of the ways Ivy and Bean interact with each other and their friends and the laugh-out-loud ways they decided to solve their problems. It’s a great addition to the Ivy + Bean series.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: Everywhere You Want to Be by Christina June

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Everywhere You Want to Be cover imageAfter a difficult senior year recovering from an injury, Tilly has the chance to do what she loves during a summer in New York City: contemporary dance. She hasn’t told her mom, but if all goes well she’ll end up with an offer to work for a dance company and skip going to college. But first she must make it through weeks that test her confidence and endurance, patch things up with an old flame, and avoid being sabotaged by another girl in the group.

Everywhere You Want to Be by Christina June is about facing your fears and learning from your mistakes to  become a better person while pursuing your passion. Tilly gets great advice from her stepsister and her grandma, and she connects instantly with her roommate, but ultimately she has to decide how to navigate the pitfalls that arise as well as the opportunities. Her challenges should be great points of discussion for mother-daughter book clubs or anyone grappling with similar issues in their own lives.

I recommend Everywhere You Want to Be for readers aged 14 and up.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: Lincoln in His Own Words, Edited by Milton Meltzer

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Lincoln in His Own Words cover imageDuring the course of his public life, Abraham Lincoln left a vast record or speeches and correspondence that give insight into his views on important issues of the day. Lincoln in His Own Words, edited by historian Milton Meltzer, directly reprints select passages to help readers build an understanding of this complex man who played a crucial role in U.S. history.

Lincoln’s more famous speeches, like the Gettysburg Address and his inaugural comments, are included, but so are more personal notes, like his letter to the daughter of a man who died in battle. Lincoln’s political speeches clearly point to his objection to slavery long before he became president. They also show his belief that the U.S. Constitution was something to be defended at all costs, laying out his arguments for why secession could not be valid.

Stephen Alcorn’s illustrations of famous people during Lincoln’s times add interest, as do the brief profiles of those people at the back of the book. A chronology of events during Lincoln’s lifetime also helps to put his life in perspective of other things happening in the country.

I recommend Lincoln in His Own Words to history lovers and readers aged 14 and up.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: Thrilling Thieves by Brianna DuMont

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Thrilling Thieves cover imageIt’s not common to think of famous people from history as thieves. And yet, in many cases they stole to cement their power, which is why their names are known to us today. Take Elizabeth I of England. She stole gold, silver, and ships from Spain, which had stolen much of its riches from natives in the new world. Or Napoleon Bonaparte, who stole some of the most revered pieces of art as he rampaged across Europe, bringing them back to install in the Louvre museum.

These personalities and others are profiled in Thrilling Thieves: Liars, Cheats, and Cons Who Changed History by Brianna DuMont. Part of The Changed History Series, Thrilling Thieves also focuses on people who are also considered heroes, like Robert Smalls. Smalls was a slave in South Carolina who led his family and others to freedom during the Civil War by stealing a warship.

Thomas Edison also makes the list, as he stole quite a few ideas for inventions and patented them in his name. The 12 profiles of people both famous and little known helps history come alive in a way that will encourage young readers to view history from a different perspective. I recommend Thrilling Thieves for ages 9 to 12.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: The Gift of Dark Hollow by Kieran Larwood

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The Gift of Dark Hollow cover imageLongburrow: The Gift of Dark Hollow continues the tale of Podkin One-Ear, a young rabbit determined to save his community from the threat of the Gorm—evil mutations of rabbitkind. Teaming up once again with his older sister Paz and younger brother Pook, Podkin sets off in search of a Gift of the Goddess that may be able to cut through iron and defeat the enemy.

Author Kieran Larwood has created a second book in this fantasy series that’s just as full of adventure as the first. Podkin, along with his family and friends, sets off once again on a quest that will bring him into contact with new allies and old enemies. To find success, he will have to face his fears and draw on the strengths of everyone in his group.

The Gift of Dark Hollow is great fun and should leave fans of the series eagerly anticipating the next title. I recommend it for ages 9 to 12.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: Delilah Dirk and the Pillars of Hercules by Tony Cliff

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Delilah Dirk and the Pillars of Hercules cover imageDelilah Dirk and the Pillars of Hercules by Tony Cliff finds the graphic-novel heroine on an adventure to find a rumored sunken city. The tale begins in Turkey, where Dirk outsmarts a despot in control of a coastal fortress to allow a ship safe harbor. In the process, she meets a Dutchman who accompanies her and her friend Selim into the desert where they discover treasure. They also find inscriptions telling of a city built long ago called the Third Pillar of Hercules.

The trio, hounded by one of Dirk’s old enemies, set off to find the city. Their adventure takes them from Turkey to Algiers and back again before leading them to Spain, where they end their quest and discover hidden agendas.

Fans of the Delilah Dirk series will find more of what they love in this installment: swashbuckling action, a mystery to be solved, and Dirk’s defense of the good against nefarious characters. It’s all beautifully drawn and richly colored to lead young readers on their own great adventure. I recommend it for age 12 and up.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: Maze Quest by Travis Nichols

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Maze Quest cover imageMaze Quest by Travis Nichols is great for kids who love to solve puzzles tied to a story. The challenge is laid out at the beginning after readers are encouraged to find their way through the maze of a messy bedroom into the secret Quest Office. There, the challenge is presented to find pieces of a sword, gems, coins, keys, and items to help readers navigate mazes throughout the book.

It’s fun to match the storyline to the mazes themselves, which wind their way through a flower garden, a wave-tossed ocean, a pyramid, a beehive, a boneyard and other inventive paths. Some paths are easy to work through, others are more complicated. The back and forth keeps things interesting throughout. Even the inside front cover features a maze, with a place for young puzzle solvers to post a photo saying who the book belongs to. The story and the mazes create an adventure sure to engage kids for hours of fun. I recommend Maze Quest for ages 6 to 10.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: The Disappearances by Emily Bain Murphy

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The Disappearances cover imageEvery seven years something important disappears for the people of Sterling: the sense of smell, the ability to see stars, images in mirrors. The townspeople, along with those of two nearby cities also affected, have learned to cope by inventing potions that can temporarily restore the lost senses, but they all live in dread of what will disappear next.

Sixteen-year-old Aila Quinn and her younger brother Miles move to Sterling when their father is drafted to serve in World War II. Their mother, Juliet, grew up in town, and some believe her birth 35 years before set off the disappearances. Aila must work with friends and unravel a family secret to clear her mother’s name and stop the disappearances for good.

The Disappearances by Emily Bain Murphy weaves a mysterious tale with a bit of the supernatural. By necessity, people from Sterling are secretive. They closely guard the pain and uncertainty about the disappearances to keep from being labeled freaks by the rest of the country. Aila is suspicious to them because she is Juliet’s daughter and because she was raised elsewhere. A side story follows the exploits of Stefan, a mysterious person Aila’s mother knew and loved, but who harbors a plan to avenge an old slight.

The story unfolds step-by-step, drawing on clues hidden in Shakespeare’s plays, to lead readers to a satisfying conclusion. I found The Disappearances to be totally engrossing, and I recommend it for mother-daughter book clubs and readers aged 13 and up.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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