Kingston and the Echoes of Magic by Rucker Moses and Theo Gangi

January 6, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Kingston and the Echoes of Magic by Rucker Moses and Theo Gangi
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.)
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Snowdrop

In this duology’s finale, Kingston travels back in time and uses his growing magic to save the world.

Kingston might have saved Echo City but the victory is bittersweet without his pops by his side. The holidays are approaching and if Kingston could have one wish, it would be to have his father, who is trapped in the Realm, come home. But as new problems arise and blackouts blanket the city, Kingston begins to have a persistent feeling of déjà vu, as if he’s lived this same day before—and he has. Echo City living up to its name, is caught in a repeating time loop.

Maestro, his father’s old rival, has found a way to overwrite reality with an alternate timeline where he rules over all. It will be up to Kingston, Too Tall, and V to find a way to enter the Realm and travel back through time to stop him. But with a magic he still barely understands, Kingston will needs his friends’ smarts and their collective courage to figure out the mystery and find Maestro before Brooklyn as they know it is erased for good.

Kingston and the Echoes of Magic is Book 2 or a sequel to the first book, Kingston and the Magician’s Lost and Found. It’s as fast-paced and as easy a read as the first book. It might be a little quirkier, but I mean that in a good way. Kingston, his cousin V, and their friend Too Tall are stuck in a world that goes round and round. A sort of time warp that repeats the same day. Sometimes it’s good to know what will happen tomorrow and sometimes not. None of that will help Kingston find his pops.

There is plenty of magic or fantasy here and once again a cast of characters that most any young person can identify with. Winston and his pals are left with puzzle after puzzle to solve. It makes this book enjoyable to read but keeps the reader on his or her toes. There’s lots of fun here too. I enjoyed the plucky dialog and the interaction between the characters. I read Book 1 earlier. While either book can stand alone, I’m glad I read them in order. I think it gave me a better chance to know the characters and to understand the pace and flow of the story.

This was a good read. I was disappointed when it was over and wish there was a 3rd book on the way.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , ,

Coloring the Zodiac by Christina Haberkern

January 5, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Coloring the Zodiac by Christina Haberkern
Publisher: Plume
Genre: Non-Fiction, Young Adult (14 – 18 y.o.)
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Cholla

There are twelve signs in the zodiac and twelve ways to celebrate the radiance of the stars, as well as the incredible history and symbolism behind each sign. Illustrator Christina Haberkern shares beautiful, intricate, fun-to-color pages influenced by the latest trends in fonts, design, and pop culture, with more than forty pages to color. The symbol, character, and constellation of each sign will be featured, along with pages of pure celestial, decorative, and pattern designs.

Are you a fan of astrology? Do you sit down and check your horoscope daily? If so, then this is a great coloring book for you. Even if you’re only a casual student of astrology or simply randomly curious, you can still enjoy this fabulous book celebrating all twelve sun signs. There’s something for everyone inside these pages, no matter your artistic abilities.

Coloring the Zodiac gives you a lot of options when deciding what to choose first. For each sign you get several pages with different aspects of the signs. Symbols, images, affirmations, and even quotes from some famous reps for your sign abound in this book. The illustrations are easy enough to color but detailed enough to make your artwork really stand out when it’s complete. The artist does an excellent job of capturing what is truly representative of each sign with her drawings.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I picked up this book. Adult coloring books can be very hit or miss at times. However, I was very pleasantly surprised by what I found in this one. All the drawings called to me, not just those for my sign. I could relate to the pages dedicated to my sign and see my family and friends in the others. Another bonus is that it’d be suitable for younger audiences as well, teens and tweens would have fun coloring in the designs as well as adults. The next time you’re feeling a bit stressed or restless, grab your colored pencils and this book and have fun. I know that’s how I plan to spend some time in the very near future – it’s written in the stars.

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Other, Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , ,

Once Upon a Winter Day by Liza Woodruff

December 17, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Once Upon a Winter Day by Liza Woodruff
Publisher: Margaret Ferguson Books
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Contemporary
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

A boy learns that nature is full of stories to tell when he finds and follows a mouse’s tracks in a wintery wood.

Milo wants a story, but his mom is too busy to entertain him. Instead, she encourages him to go out and play in the snow. At first, Milo is disappointed – he doesn’t want to play outside, he wants a story.

But when he starts to follow a trail of mouse-prints, he discovers signs of activity all around, prompting him to ask, “What happened here?” Before long, he’s using his imagination — depicted in lush wordless spreads that capture the vividness of Milo’s fantasies — to fill in the gaps. By the time Milo comes home, he’s the one with stories to tell.

There can’t possibly be anything interesting happening in the woods in the middle of winter, right?

I adored how this story handled Milo’s disinterest in going outside in the first scene. Not everyone immediately enjoys spending time in nature, especially on a cold and snowy day when it didn’t seem like there was much to do out there at all. Seeing him slowly come up with ways to amuse himself out there was delightful and felt realistic to me. There are countless ways to pass time on a snowy day, and his solution to his problem fit his personality and interests beautifully.

The subplots were just as exciting as the main one. They involved the various animals who had passed through the area shortly before Milo was sent outdoors, and it was a great deal of fun to follow all of them to their natural conclusions. While I can’t go into detail about most of them without giving away spoilers, I will say that the mysterious quest the mice were on appealed to me the most. It was nicely communicated to the audience and the ending for it made me smile.

One of my favorite portions of this tale was related to how much freedom Milo had to explore the land near his family’s home. It seemed to be an incredibly safe place for a child to wander around in, so he had plenty of opportunities to investigate anything outside that caught his attention. This isn’t something I see happen very often in modern books written for this age group, but I thought it was nicely shown here. There is definitely something to be said for giving kids the space to figure things out on their own when they’re bored or don’t know what to do next.

Once Upon a Winter Day was a perfect winter picture book.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , ,

Raccoon’s Perfect Snowman by Katia Wish

December 10, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Raccoon’s Perfect Snowman by Katia Wish
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Raccoon loves making snowmen. He practices all winter with his rolling, his stacking, and his decorating. He doesn’t overlook any detail and his snowmen are perfect. When his friends come by, Raccoon is certain that they will also want to build snowmen. And they will need his help. But following Raccoon’s directions aren’t that easy. Poor Rabbit can’t find the right snow (someone has used it all); Fox doesn’t have the right tools (someone isn’t sharing them); and Mouse can’t decorate her snowman (someone has taken the best items). And that someone is Raccoon. When his friends have decided they have had enough, Raccoon realizes too late the error of his ways. But is it too late? Will his friends give Raccoon one more chance to work together to build a totally different kind of perfect snowman? This ideal-for-every-time-of-the-year story celebrates the bonds of friendship and the power of forgiveness.

Who wouldn’t want to build a perfect snowman?

There are many different ways to be a good friend. Some of my favorite scenes were the ones that showed how all of the animals in the forest related to each other, especially when they were competing for limited resources and trying to get their snowmen built on time. Not everyone took the same approach, so it was interesting to compare Raccoon’s personality to his friends who were impatient, generous, or timid. I think every reader could find someone in this tale to relate to!

It would have been nice to have more development of the final scene. It was such an important part of the storyline that I expected it to receive a little more attention than it did. Adult readers would understand it without a problem, but I’d expect to do some explaining of what it meant for the youngest age group this might appeal to. This was a minor criticism of something I thought was otherwise well written.

I adored what this story had to say about perfectionism. It communicated it’s message clearly with the audience without ever sounding preachy. Instead, it allowed Raccoon’s adventures to unfold naturally and gave everyone a chance to come up with their own conclusions about what went wrong and how Raccoon could do better in the future. While I do wish the message of the final scene had been a bit clearer, I did enjoy how much room the author otherwise left for discussion. This was something that worked for a wide range of ages and that I wouldn’t mind reading over and over again.

Raccoon’s Perfect Snowman was a heartwarming winter read that I’d recommend to adults and kids alike.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , ,

Small Feet by Aelth Faye

December 10, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Small Feet by Aelth Faye
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Young Adult (14 – 18 y.o.), Romance, Historical
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

What if Cinderella’s slipper fit someone else? Jade’s life is boring, but certainly not as bad as Ella’s. Ella has an evil, abusive step-family, while Jade’s family is only determined to marry their daughters well. But when a ball is announced, who should Jade see there but poor Ella in a stunning ball-gown? And what will happen when Jade is mistaken for Ella, and is faced with the decision of a lifetime? Don’t miss the chance to check out the first book of this unique series of fairytale novellas!

Set in the regency era, the shy, bookish Jade is the youngest of four sisters and has no prospects in life except marriage to whoever will make her an offer. But her daydreams of someday being the heroine of her own story are at odds with her boring life. When the prince asks her to marry him, Jade is faced with the realization that she could do some real good as queen, but the cost to Ella might outweigh any good Jade could do.

Marrying well is required for any girl who wishes to properly secure her future in the 1800s.

Jade’s character development was excellent. Her personality was three dimensional and realistic. Honestly, I could spend this entire review simply discussing her intelligence, her sometimes slightly snobby reaction to people who didn’t share her love of reading, and her sensitivity to the suffering of others. I also appreciated the fact that some of her biggest flaws were things that had a direct effect on how the plot unfolded very soon after the audience first met her. This raised the stakes dramatically and made it impossible for me to stop reading.

I would have liked to see more time exploring the repercussions of a lie Jade told in this tale. While the truth was eventually revealed, her mistake was such a serious one that I was surprised by how quickly it was resolved. It certainly seemed like something that should have taken up much more of the storyline than it was given, especially since her position in polite society was already on shaky ground for other reasons.

This was the first Cinderella retelling I’ve ever read that didn’t include any magical or fantasy elements at all. Everything in it could have really happened in the Regency-like era she lived in, including portions of the storyline that were pretty fanciful in the original. It was fascinating for me as a reader to see how the author came up with logical explanations for everything. What a creative approach to this classic!

Small Feet was a promising introduction to the brand new Fairytale Hour series.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , ,

Two Drops of Brown in a Cloud of White by Saumiya Balasubramaniam

December 8, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Two Drops of Brown in a Cloud of White by Saumiya Balasubramaniam
Publisher: Groundwood Books
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

A little girl and her mother walk home from school on a snowy winter day.

“So much snow,” says Ma. “So monochromatic.”

“Mono crow what?” her daughter replies.

Ma misses the sun, warmth and colors of their faraway homeland, but her daughter sees magic in everything ― the clouds in the winter sky, the “firework” display when she throws an armful of snow into the air, making snow angels, tasting snowflakes. And in the end, her joy is contagious. Home is where family is, after all.

This gently layered, beautifully illustrated story that unfolds as a conversation between a mother and daughter will resonate with readers young and old.

Winter makes everything a little more exciting, especially during a storm.

There’s nothing like enjoying fresh snow. The most interesting scenes in my opinion were the ones that showed Ma embracing this weather with just as much enthusiasm as her child did. They even stuck their tongues out and tasted a few falling snowflakes which made me giggle. I appreciated the way the author captured what it’s like to walk outside and experience the magic of a snowstorm.

I would have liked to see more plot and character development in this picture book. There were hints of it here and there. For example, Ma mentioned missing the green palm trees of home at one point, but there was no follow-through for that statement even though it was a great opportunity to develop both the storyline and this character in particular. As much as I enjoyed seeing the two main characters enjoy the snow, the author could have done so much more with this tale.

The little girl and Ma had wildly different reactions to the same sights and sounds. For example, when they spotted some leftover maple leaves from the autumn, Ma immediately compared them to skeletons while her daughter took a much more Canadian approach to the topic. These brief snippets of conversation between them showed off their personalities nicely. They could have so easily been expanded much further than they would, and I would have loved to read more conversations between them.

Two Drops of Brown in a Cloud of White made me yearn for snow.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , ,

A Thousand White Butterflies by Jessica Betancourt-Perez and Karen Lynn Williams

December 7, 2021 By Leave a Comment


A Thousand White Butterflies by Jessica Betancourt-Perez and Karen Lynn Williams
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Contemporary
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

As if being new to the United States wasn’t hard enough, Isabella’s first day of school is canceled due to snow!

Isabella has recently arrived from Colombia with her mother and abuela. She misses Papa, who is still in South America. It’s her first day of school, her make-new-friends day, but when classes are canceled because of too much snow, Isabella misses warm, green, Colombia more than ever. Then Isabella meets Katie and finds out that making friends in the cold is easier than she thought!

A little kindness goes a long way.

I loved the way the main character described her first snow day. She gave plenty of practical details about how it works for any readers who might not live in parts of the world where school and other activities are sometimes cancelled due to snowstorms. What really made me smile, though, were all of the little things she added that will probably be most appealing to those of us who have personally experienced snow days. For example, the descriptions of crunching snow were particularly appealing to me because that is exactly what certain types of snow sound like when you walk on them or use them to make snowmen. It was wonderful to see the narrator appeal to readers from such a wide variety of backgrounds like that.

Some sentences were written in Spanish. There was a glossary in the back for anyone who needed English translations of those words which was fabulous, but I think that anyone who already knows a little Spanish could probably figure most of them out on their own. It was wonderful to see Isabella switch between her languages depending on how she was feeling and who she was talking to. Learning a new language is difficult but rewarding. I loved the fact that the narrator conveyed this message so clearly without stating it directly.

There was so much compassion woven into this story. Isabella’s homesickness for Columbia and her yearning to see her father again were shared with the audience in overt as well as subtle ways. I wanted to hug her almost as badly as I wished for a sequel where her family would be reunited and they could experience summer in the United States. Loneliness is even tougher to deal with when the weather is too cold and snowy to go anywhere, so I eagerly kept reading to find out how she’d occupy her time in a foreign country where she didn’t know anyone yet. I can’t go into more detail about the plot twists, but do know that the compassionate themes in the beginning were carried all the way through to the final scene.

A Thousand White Butterflies is the perfect read for immigrants or anyone who wishes to learn about one character’s experience as an immigrant.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , ,

PoPo’s Lucky Chinese New Year by Virginia Loh-Hagan

December 6, 2021 By Leave a Comment


PoPo’s Lucky Chinese New Year by Virginia Loh-Hagan
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Contemporary
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

When her Chinese grandmother comes to visit, a young Chinese-American girl learns of and participates in the customs and beliefs celebrating an authentic Chinese New Year.

Everyone in this family needs to pitch in to ensure a successful new year!

Some of the most memorable sections were the ones that explored the relationship between the unnamed narrator and her baby brother. They had the usual sibling rivalry that occasionally flared up when he got into her things or when she was feeling irritated, but they also genuinely loved each other. I adored watching them prepare for and then celebrate Chinese New Year. They were a wonderful example of a wholesome but realistic sibling relationship.

This was a delightful example of how to write a story for children from a wide age range. Some scenes in it were definitely geared for older or younger kids, but each one had something appealing for every age group in it. There were also multiple layers of meaning so that it could be understood in different and deeper ways as a young reader grew older. I was thrilled with how it pulled all of this off.

PoPo was a fabulous character. She was filled with opinions about how her grandchildren should behave and what they should or should not do to bring luck in the new year. I chuckled at the warnings she gave to her family members. They were always wrapped in love no matter how serious she looked in the moment or how surprised the main character was by some of them.

PoPo’s Lucky Chinese New Year was a cheerful and uplifting read that I can’t recommend highly enough.

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Book of the Month Poll Winner ~ Honour’s Rest by Judith Crow

November 30, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Honour’s Rest by Judith Crow
Publisher: Crowvus Choughs, Stempster House
Genre: Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Young Adult (13 – 18 y.o.)
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Snowdrop

Voted BoM by LASR Readers 2013 copy

“So, it’s – what – like magic?”

No, according to Pen’s uncle, the Rite is not magic at all. But, if it’s not magic, then how could Pen push the school bully into a pond while he was really studying alone in the library?
When Pen’s family realise he has the Rite, he is sent to live with his Uncle Napier, who can help him control his ability.

But Napier has other duties. He is the Rendelf, in charge of the Rite in the UK, and he has gathered many enemies over the years…
…enemies who would be delighted to use Pen against him.

READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE: http://www.longandshortreviews.com/book-reviews/honours-rest-by-judith-crow/