Amy McDougall, Master Matchmaker by Gary Pedler

March 29, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Amy McDougall, Master Matchmaker by Gary Pedler
Publisher: Regal House/Fitzroy Books
Genre: Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Contemporary, LGBTQ
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Thirteen-year-old Amy McDougall is worried about Travis, the single gay guy who adopted her when she was a kid. He wants a boyfriend, yet isn’t having any luck finding one himself. Amy decides the solution is for someone else to do the finding. Someone like her! Amy’s first attempts at matchmaking are embarrassing flops, despite advice from her hyper-smart best friend Grace. Soon Amy makes not only a match for Dad, but for other people she knows. Now no one can deny that she’s Amy McDougall, Master Matchmaker. Still, she finds there’s a price to pay for her meddling when all three matches cause problems she hadn’t foreseen. Amy McDougall, Master Matchmaker is a fun and engaging tale that takes a fresh look at important subjects like love and friendship.

How complicated can finding a boyfriend for one’s single gay dad possibly be?
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Amy was a likeable girl whose character development felt realistic to me. I enjoyed getting to know every side of her personality from her unbridled creativity to her tendency to meddle in other people’s lives over and over again. This particular flaw of hers played an important role in how the plot unfolded, especially in the beginning when she wasn’t aware of all of the issues that can be caused by someone trying to control what other folks do. It was amusing to see how she reacted to her loved ones not always responding the way she wanted them to when she quietly interfered with their love lives.

I would have liked to see a tad more attention paid to the downside of Amy’s attempts to play matchmaker. The humorous parts of her experiment popped up everywhere, and I giggled my way through them. With that being said, I did think the negative consequences of her trying to set people up together weren’t explored quite as fully as they could have been. This was especially true when it came to the dates she picked out for her dad. I adored this tale in general, and I would have given it a perfect five-star rating if she’d faced a few more logical consequences for her actions.

Travis and Amy became a family thanks to an transracial older child adoption. He was a single, white, gay man, and she was a school-aged biracial foster child. I’ll leave the specific details of how they became a family for other readers to discover for themselves, but I appreciated the fact that this book acknowledged the difficult parts of her past while still having such a hopeful and upbeat approach to the beautiful life they’d built together. There was so much love in the McDougall household that I can’t help but to hope for a sequel about them someday.

Anyone who has ever wished they could set their friends and family up with perfect love interests might really like Amy McDougall, Master Matchmaker.

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

The Homesick Club by Libby Martinez

March 23, 2021 By Leave a Comment


The Homesick Club by Libby Martinez
Publisher: Groundwood Books
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Mónica and Hannah are school kids in the big city. Together, they have formed the Homesick Club, since they are both from far away. Mónica misses the family of hummingbirds that she and her grandmother would feed in her backyard in Bolivia every day. Hannah misses the sunshine and the tiny tortoise that lived near her house in Israel.

When a new teacher, Miss Shelby, arrives from Texas, the girls discover that she misses her home, too, especially the huge sky full of stars and a Southern treat known as Hummingbird Cake. The girls ask Miss Shelby to join their club, then Mónica decides she will bring a surprise for show and tell ― a surprise that brings Miss Shelby close to tears.

So, the first thing to do to be able to appalachianmagazine.com cheap generic sildenafil avoid issues any time purchasing medicines on the market, “Zicam,” is actually a homeopathic remedy that consists of nothing more than homeopathic zinc in the form of a nasal gel. Herbs as the herbal formulas and herbal teas have been used for decades for buy levitra uk preparation of ayurvedic medicines. Motor viagra without prescription canada vehicle accident along with sports incidents tend to be the most prevalent cause of ED, as well as depression and stress. buy viagra soft Some physicians see a link between Beta Blockers and there will be close monitoring of the blood pressure as well. Author Libby Martinez addresses a theme that many children can relate to ― feeling homesick ― especially when home is far away. Rebecca Gibbon’s charming illustrations bring an imaginative, light touch to the story.

It’s lonely to be far away from the familiar sights, scents, tastes, and sounds of home.

Mónica and Hannah were such kind and empathetic kids. I especially appreciated how these parts of their personalities were expressed through their actions over and over again. They both gave so many examples of what it truly meant to care about and help others without any expectation of reward.

There were times when I found the text too wordy for the age group it seemed to be written for. The narrator sometimes went into much more detail about what the characters were thinking about than is typical for picture books. On the positive side, this meant I got to know the characters well and could see how the upper age range could be stretched a few years for older kids who are interested in it.

Being an immigrant can be a lonely experience. Some of the loveliest scenes were the ones that explored this emotion and gave the audience multiple coping strategies for it whether they’re the person feeling that way or a compassionate friend who wants to help the immigrants and homesick people in their lives feel truly welcomed. What made it even better was that so many of these ideas could be used by both groups!

The Homesick Club was a heartwarming read that I was grateful to have picked up and would warmly recommend.

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

Mall Girl Meets the Shadow Vandal by Kimberly Baer

March 19, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Mall Girl Meets the Shadow Vandal by Kimberly Baer
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genre: Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Suspense/Mystery/Thriller, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Chloe Lamont doesn’t live in a neighborhood, like most kids. Her house is in the middle of the mall. And now someone is stealing items from her house and using them to vandalize stores. Who is trying to frame her? And how are they getting into the house?

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Who would frame a kid for petty crimes?

The main mystery storyline was exciting and well written. It was fun to look back and take notice of the small clues that were included in the first few chapters once I had a better idea of what might be going on with the random acts of late-night vandalism at the mall. The author included the perfect number of them for this age group.

I would have liked to see more time spent developing the subplot about why Chloe’s mom, Ursula, had refused to have any contact with Chloe’s grandparents for so many years. Most people will only cut off relatives for pretty serious offenses, so I was expecting her to tell Chloe about something dangerous or illegal that had happened in the family. The actual reason given for this decision never quite made sense to me. It would have been helpful for me as a reader to dive much more deeply into what Ursula was thinking there.

Chloe was an instantly likeable girl. Figuring out why she was so reluctant to let people get close to her was nearly as interesting as sorting out the main mystery. She was such a creative and sweet kid that I couldn’t stop hoping she’d meet some new friends who appreciated her for exactly who she was.

Mall Girl Meets the Shadow Vandal should be read by anyone who has ever wished they could see what a mall is like after everyone goes home.

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

Kingston and the Magician’s Lost and Found by Rucker Moses and Theo Gangi

March 9, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Kingston and the Magician’s Lost and Found by Rucker Moses and Theo Gangi
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Genre: Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Middle Grade
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Snowdrop

Magic has all but disappeared in Brooklyn, but one tenacious young magician is determined to bring it back in this exciting middle grade mystery.

Custom made ITE instruments require daily maintenance to prevent damage check content buy cialis online and repair. Plunge in the sexual wish of the men or fall in djpaulkom.tv viagra generika the erection amount of the person outcomes with impotence grievances. Here are a few causes that bring sale levitra inability for men and women both. Massage therapy plays a significant role in healthcare and offers lots of benefits that it viagra on sale djpaulkom.tv is becoming highly popular. Twelve-year-old Kingston has just moved from the suburbs back to Echo City, Brooklyn—the last place his father was seen alive. Kingston’s father was King Preston, one of the world’s greatest magicians. Until one trick went wrong and he disappeared. Now that Kingston is back in Echo City, he’s determined to find his father.

Somehow, though, when his father disappeared, he took all of Echo City’s magic with him. Now Echo City—a ghost of its past—is living up to its name. With no magic left, the magicians have packed up and left town and those who’ve stayed behind don’t look too kindly on any who reminds them of what they once had.

When Kingston finds a magic box his father left behind as a clue, Kingston knows there’s more to his father’s disappearance than meets the eye. He’ll have to keep it a secret—that is, until he can restore magic to Echo City. With his cousin Veronica and childhood friend Too Tall Eddie, Kingston works to solve the clues, but one wrong move and his father might not be the only one who goes missing.

While fantasy and themes of magic are not my first choice in genres, I had no problem reading this book. I flew through it, in fact. I think the reason it was so readable is not just because it is easy to read but because it is really and truly a good story. The kind that draws you in and makes you forget the things around you.

This is the story of a young boy determined to find his father, who is a magician. He and his friends work through the mystery to find him, all the while trying not to endanger their own lives. It’s full of tricks and codes and everything I loved as a 5th to 6th grade reader and well, ok…I loved it now as an old adult reader too. Just a fun run-away and get lost in a book kind of read. Recommended!

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

The Seeing Scroll by J.T. Grobler

March 5, 2021 By Leave a Comment


The Seeing Scroll by J.T. Grobler
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Suspense/Mystery/Thriller, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

A children’s mystery adventure with a little bit of magic.

When police exhume the body in her grandfather’s coffin, 12-year-old Gia Lance already knows that it isn’t him. And given that her dad won’t believe her, what choice does she have but to enlist the help of her drama-king best friend? Their search for her grandfather leads to the discovery of a secret riddle, a hidden plateau and an enchanted scroll steeped in mystery. It lures them by exposing visions – fragments of well-kept secrets.

Gia soon grapples with an eerie tale of a dungeon, an ill-fated ship, a missing child, and the legendary curse of the Seeing Scroll. But whose secrets are they? How does the scroll decide what she sees? Who can she trust? More importantly, what does it any of it have to do with her grandfather?
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Time is running out. For Gia to connect the dots, she must confront the idea of her grandfather not being who she thought he was and acknowledge the possibility of him being cursed. But there are people after the scroll. Dangerous people! Clearly, they’ll do anything to ensure their secrets remain buried. Maybe even their crimes. Can Gia evade them on her quest to solve the riddle and figure out how to save her grandfather without being duped by the scroll’s delicious secrets, or will he be forever lost?

The truth will always come out in the end.

I adored Gia’s friendship with Vuyo. Both of these characters genuinely liked and respected each other. They disagreed at times like any two people are bound to do, but they both did an excellent job of listening to each other and taking their friend’s point of view into perspective when deciding what steps they wanted to take next to solve the mystery of what actually happened to Gia’s grandfather. I only grew to like these characters more as I got to know them better.

There were some pacing issues. The plot was slower in some scenes and faster in others. Either pacing style would have worked for these characters and storyline just fine, but I didn’t enjoy jumping around between them so often without any clear indication of why things had suddenly slowed down or sped up again. If not for this issue, I would have chosen a much higher rating as the mystery itself was well written.

The fantasy elements of the storyline were given exactly the right amount of space to develop. I was intrigued by the idea of a magical object that looked deceptively innocent but was actually quite dangerous to use. It fit the tone of the storyline well. These details also made me curious to learn more about where that item came from and why anyone would dare to use it once they’d realized what would happen to them if they broke the rules about how and when it should be used.

Anyone who loves magical middle grade mysteries should give The Seeing Scroll a try.

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

St. Louis Sam and the Desperados by Pinkie Paranya

February 17, 2021 By Leave a Comment


St. Louis Sam and the Desperados by Pinkie Paranya
Publisher: Five Star Publishing
Genre: Historical, Romance, Suspense/Mystery/Thriller
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Aloe

Going from St Louis, Missouri, in 1874 to the Arizona Territory is a frightening step for brother and sister, Garth and Samantha. They need to prove their uncle Millard Tremayne’s treachery in their father’s financial ruin and subsequent suicide. So far their uncle holds all the cards, their guardianship and inheritance. Since the uncle is secretly setting up a dynasty out west, eventually to rid himself of his family and waspish wife, Grace, Sam and Garth follow his trail to a town called Powder Keg in Arizona. The brother and sister collect a band of misfits to help them sabotage Uncle Millard. Mayhem, treachery, intrigue, humor, and romance follow.

Their mother died in the birth of her brother. Her Uncle stole money from the business and left their father broke. He committed suicide. The children’s money is gone. They are in their twenties now and decide to go west and steal back from him. He’s been investing there and intends to move there, leave his wife behind, and marry the gal that runs the saloon for him. They plan on stopping him.
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They buy a boarding house and ask their aunt on the other side of the family to join them. Samantha can’t cook. The aunt comes and then Sam and Garth get started trying to develop a gang to help them stop the stage coaches. They find a big Indian, a small Mexican, a dandy and a man not long out of jail.

In the meantime, Garth has been visiting the various businesses the Uncle owns and gathering paperwork that will show his crooked dealings. All is going their way until they hear their Uncle is coming to town to find out who is robbing him.

This is a well written western with remarkable characters. The desperadoes care about what happens to Sam and Garth. Sam is saved by one of them and finds herself falling in love. Garth is also finding love. Neither one was looking for it. It has a nice pace, keeps your attention, and makes you read faster at the end. The only unhappy one is the Uncle but he deserves it.

This is an enjoyable read that will stick with you awhile.

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

Terry Fox and Me by Mary Beth Leatherdale

February 17, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Terry Fox and Me by Mary Beth Leatherdale
Publisher: Tundra Books
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Non-Fiction, Historical
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Terry Fox Marathon of Hope, this picture book biography tells the story of a friendship defined by strength and love.

Before Terry Fox become a national hero and icon, he was just a regular kid. But even then, his characteristic strength, determination and loyalty were apparent and were the foundation for his friendship with Doug. The two first met at basketball tryouts in grammar school. Terry was the smallest – and worst – basketball player on the court. But that didn’t stop him. With Doug’s help, Terry practiced and practiced until he earned a spot on the team. As they grew up, the best friends supported each other, challenged each other, helped each other become better athletes and better people. Doug was by Terry’s side every step of the way: when Terry received a diagnosis of cancer in his leg, when he was learning to walk – then run – with a prosthetic leg and while he was training for the race of his life, his Marathon of Hope.

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What does it mean to be a hero?

The best scenes in my opinion were the ones that explored the friendship between Doug and Terry, especially after Terry had to learn how to walk again after losing his leg to cancer. They provided an excellent example of what it means to be someone’s friend when they’re going through a scary and difficult experience. Not only was Doug kind and supportive, he did everything he could to help his best friend achieve something that would be pretty difficult for any athlete to accomplish.

I do wish this picture book had covered what happened to these characters while Terry was running his Marathon of Hope from one coast of Canada to the other. It stopped right before this part of his life started up. While many Canadian adults already know of what happened during that long marathon, most young kids will probably not be. This will be even more true for anyone who isn’t already aware of this part of Canadian history.

There were some wonderful anecdotes from Terry’s early life included in the first few scenes. He learned how to keep trying no matter how low his chances of succeeding were long before he was diagnosed with cancer. I liked the fact that the author gave so many examples of how Terry persevered in life. Most people will never have bone cancer, but everyone should learn from an early age how to remain determined and hopeful no matter what obstacles they may face in life.

Terry Fox and Me was a heartwarming true story about a true hero.

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

Little Miss Valentine by Adam Hargreaves

February 15, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Little Miss Valentine by Adam Hargreaves
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Contemporary
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Meet Little Miss Valentine, a new Little Miss character who’s sure to win over your heart in this 8×8 hardcover picture book!

It’s Little Miss Valentine’s favorite time of year–Valentine’s Day! But as she writes and delivers cards to her Mr. Men Little Miss friends, nothing goes as planned. Before long, she and her friends realize that all they need is their friendship and love for each other (though a little chocolate never hurts!).

Christmas presents aren’t the only things that get delivered through magical means!
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I’ll leave it up to new readers to discover for themselves how Little Miss Valentine travelled so quickly from one house to the next to deliver Valentine’s Day cards on the evening of February 13. This was one of those magical solutions that is best discovered at the last possible moment. What I can say is that this journey was as creative as it was amusing. I couldn’t stop smiling as I read about this new tradition. It felt like something that should have been thought of many years ago!

One of the best scenes was the one that explained the main character’s process for picking out appropriate cards for everyone on her list. She truly went out of her way to personalize every single card so that it would be as meaningful as possible for that specific friend, including the ones who were pretty picky about what they liked. It was as adorable as it was thoughtful.

Mr. Hargreaves did an excellent job of introducing realistic conflict to the plot without making it too scary for little ones. Honestly, the unexpected problem Little Miss Valentine faced with delivering her cards made perfect sense once I’d learned about how she was planning to transport herself to everyone’s house before Valentine’s Day began. I couldn’t wait to find out how she’d react to it or what she might do to fix it.

This story was part of a series, but it can be read as a standalone work.

Little Miss Valentine was a delightful take on Valentine’s Day that should be read by anyone who adores this holiday.

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

Escape by Emma Eggleston

February 12, 2021 By 1 Comment


Escape by Emma Eggleston
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Young Adult (14 – 18 y.o.), Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Romance, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Laila is Richardsville High’s quirky girl. She’s just biding her time until graduation when she has an unusual encounter with Matty, the all-American boy next door, everybody just can’t get enough of. When Matty and Laila start to talk, he shares a secret with her. He’s a part of a clinical study for a medication called effugium and it can really transport him to other places and times. Will Laila trust Matty enough to try the effugium?

Actions always have consequences.
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Mental illness is a complicated topic. This can be even more true for young men, so it was nice to see how Matty dealt with his diagnoses and the setbacks he suffered as his doctor tried to find the right combination of medications for him. There were no easy answers here which I found refreshing. All I could do was hope Matty and his medical team would figure out how best to help him cope with his illnesses as he slowly became more and more dependent on effugium.

The abrupt ending confused me. While it did wrap up the drug abuse storyline fairly satisfactorily, it left so many unanswered questions about the rest of the plot. This was especially true when it came to showing how Matty’s drug abuse negatively affected his relationships with those closest to him. The last sentence sounded like it should lead to at least one final chapter, so I wasn’t sure how to react when the story suddenly stopped after that.

I was as fascinated by the concept of an escape as I was by how the characters described it. That is to say, an escape referred to the trips that Matty took to other times and places after using effugium. There were well-defined, logical rules that he soon learned about where he was allowed to go, what sorts of things could happen to him, and how he could get home. This made it easy for me to relax and enjoy his adventures.

Escape was a thought-provoking read that I’d recommend to any teens who are struggling with mental illness or substance abuse.

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

Abnormally Abbey by Allan Evans

February 9, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Abnormally Abbey by Allan Evans
Publisher: Immortal Works
Genre: Young Adult (14 – 18 y.o.), Paranormal, Romance, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Being a spook magnet is not as glamorous as it sounds.

There’s something seriously wrong with the summer camp 14-year old Abbey is sent to. It’s not just the troubled kids, or the clueless camp counselors or even all the ghosts–yeah, the ghosts have found her there too–but now there’s a mysterious symbol that keeps appearing at all the worst moments. Abbey is not a happy camper.

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Imagine showing up for church camp only to realize something has gone terribly wrong!

The paranormal elements of the storyline were handled nicely. I liked seeing how gradually the plot built up to them. There were brief moments of paranormal activity in the beginning, but the author saved the most exciting scenes for much later on. This gave me plenty of opportunities to anticipate what might happen next which is one of my favorite things to do with this genre.

I wasn’t such a big fan of the romantic subplot or of Abbey’s love interest himself. This book was already so filled with twists and turns that there wasn’t much space for the romance to develop. There were also certain aspects of the backstory of Abbey’s love interest with that concerned me as well. He didn’t truly seem to understand the serious nature of the things that lead to him being sent to this camp, and that made me wonder if he was actually a safe person for her to be around. These aspects of the plot should have been developed much more fully. It took me a long time to figure out if the narrator was writing them as a cautionary tale, a genuine romance about two romantically inexperienced teens, or something else entirely.

It was nice to meet characters gradually. The camp Abbey’s father picked out for her had a lot of different teens and adults staying there, so it was nice to be introduced to people as they became important to the plot instead of all at once. This made it easy for me to keep track of everyone and get to know them before the storyline sped up and Abbey gathered more evidence about what was really happening at this strange summer camp.

Anyone who loves ghost stories with a spiritual bent should give Abnormally Abbey a try.

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