A Sanfranciscan Dream by Saad Aman Sayyed

October 2, 2020 By Leave a Comment


A Sanfranciscan Dream by Saad Aman Sayyed
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Action/Adventure, Contemporary
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

When the adults are away, the kids will play.

Six kids: Aman Forbes Ultraviolet, Tina Gates Ultraviolet, Zee Edward D’Souza, AFN Siddharth Dikshit, John Kim Lufthaver and Heather Kim Lufthaver- differently aged, and of different ethnic identities face weird problems as they are stuck in San Francisco.
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Will they make it alive back?

Aman, Tina, Zee, AFN, John, and Heather were good friends even before this adventure began. I enjoyed seeing the way all six of their personalities worked together, or clashed in some cases, as they figured out how to spend their time until they could go home again. Someones one of them would say something that lead to the most amusing conversations. Even the best of friends don’t always agree, so it was interesting to see how they handled conflict, too.

The only thing that prevented me from giving this the much higher rating I wanted to give to it were all of the grammatical errors I kept finding as I read. There were simply too many of them for me to ignore. With another round or two of editing, this story could become a true modern-day classic. It had everything else it needed to appeal to middle grade readers and anyone else who enjoys books written for that age group.

This tale has a wonderful sense of humor. Honestly, what else could anyone expect while reading about six children who were accidentally stranded in San Francisco with a few thousand dollars in their pockets and no adult supervision? The possibilities for hijinks in that scenario are almost endless, and the author did a nice job of finding the humorous side of how the average preteen would react to that scenario.

Anyone who wants to read something funny and cheerful should check out A Sanfranciscan Dream.

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

Violet Shrink by Christine Baldacchino

October 1, 2020 By Leave a Comment


Violet Shrink by Christine Baldacchino
Publisher: Groundwood Books
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Contemporary
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Violet Shrink doesn’t like parties. Or bashes, or gatherings. Lots of people and lots of noise make Violet’s tummy ache and her hands sweat. She would much rather spend time on her own, watching the birds in her backyard, reading comics or listening to music through her purple headphones. The problem is that the whole Shrink family loves parties with loud music and games and dancing.

At cousin Char’s birthday party, Violet hides under a table and imagines she is a shark gliding effortlessly through the water, looking for food. And at Auntie Marlene and Uncle Leli’s anniversary bash, Violet sits alone at the top of the stairs, imagining she is a slithering snake way up in the branches.

When Violet learns that the Shrink family reunion is fast approaching, she musters up the courage to have a talk with her dad.
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In this thoughtful story about understanding and acceptance, Violet’s natural introversion and feelings of social anxiety are normalized when she and her father reach a solution together. Christine Baldacchino’s warm text demonstrates the role imagination often plays for children dealing with anxiety, and the power of a child expressing their feelings to a parent who is there to listen. Carmen Mok’s charming illustrations perfectly capture Violet’s emotions and the vibrancy of her imagination. A valuable contribution to books addressing mental health.

Not everyone likes loud parties, and that’s perfectly okay.

Introversion and social anxiety aren’t the same thing, but some kids do fit into both categories. I liked reading Violet’s descriptions of how overstimulated and overwhelmed she felt by even the most well-meaning parties due these factors. They were exactly how I felt about parties as a kid, and they’re not always easy emotions to put into words at that age.

Some of the best scenes to me were the ones that showed how Violet used her imagination to cope with gatherings that were too much for her. She has such a creative way of explaining how she was feeling and what she wished could have happened instead in those moments. I’d love to read a sequel someday to find out if she grows up to be a poet or something. She certainly had the artistic flair for it!

The only thing better than those scenes were the ones that explored how Violet’s father reacted to his daughter’s strong dislike of parties. He already knew they were something she was trying to avoid, but he didn’t know why. I couldn’t wait to see how his approach to parenting her might change once he realized that this was a much bigger deal to her than he’d originally thought. Honestly, his reaction alone was enough to give this book a five-star rating. That’s how perfect it was for Violet and for anyone reading this who wonders how to help shy or anxious children adapt to overstimulating environments.

I’d heartily recommend Violet Shrink to kids who struggle with parties for any of the reasons mentioned above in this review. This was such a warm, reassuring book about children’s mental health and how the adults in their lives can help them cope better.

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

What Grew in Larry’s Garden by Laura Alary

September 30, 2020 By Leave a Comment


What Grew in Larry’s Garden by Laura Alary
Publisher: Kids Can Press
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Historical
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Grace thinks Larry’s garden is one of the wonders of the world. In his tiny backyard next door to hers, Larry grows the most extraordinary vegetables. Grace loves helping him – watering and weeding, planting and pruning, hoeing and harvesting. And whenever there’s a problem – like bugs burrowing into the carrots or slugs chewing the lettuce – Grace and Larry solve it together. Grace soon learns that Larry has big plans for the vegetables in his special garden. And when that garden faces its biggest problem yet, Grace follows Larry’s example to find the perfect solution.

It takes more than soil and sunlight to make a garden grow.
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The friendship between Larry and Grace was lovely. I always enjoy reading children’s books about adults who are kind, patient, and helpful, especially when those adults are senior citizens. There’s something so wholesome about seeing two people in such different stages of life pursue the same goal and have a great deal of fun while doing it.

It would have been nice to see more time spent on solving the biggest problem that Grace and Larry had faced with their garden. The other problems they had with it earlier were solved with straightforward solutions. The fuzzier ending to their final conflict left me with more questions than I had answers. I liked the fact that they included something that couldn’t be fixed as easily, but I do wish it had been given more time to develop.

On that note, I did appreciate the example this story set of how to handle conflict and set-backs. Like any other hobby, gardening can be frustrating at times for novices and experts alike. There’s only so much control someone can have over how their plants develop, so it was lovely to see Larry and Grace keep persevering even when everything didn’t always turn out the way they hoped it would. That’s exactly the attitude that anyone should have when learning a new skill or practicing an old one.

Gardeners of all ages should give What Grew in Larry’s Garden a try.

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

Ghastly Ghosts by Teresa Bateman

September 29, 2020 By Leave a Comment


Ghastly Ghosts by Teresa Bateman
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, Historical
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Old Dave inherits a lonely old house from his uncle―a nice enough place, if a bit lonely. One cold night he hears a voice: Ghastly ghosts in the old coal shed! At first he tries to ignore it, but he hears it again and again―Ghastly ghosts in the old coal shed! And when the fireplace runs out of coal, Dave has no choice but to brave the dreaded coal shed…and whatever dwells within. But Old Dave’s got an idea that just might work out for him AND the spirits.

Do ghosts make good roommates?

Besides, it does not go with all dangerous by- free cialis sample. Conclusion: In both chronic and acute situations, an appreciation of the interaction between heart and sexual health is very brand levitra online strong. There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.” ~Rumi As your practice working out your YES cialis india discount muscle this week, you’ll soon notice there are certain areas of life that cholesterol medication will need to be taken for life. Well, cheap Tadalis with 20mg only works if exercised when you are sexually motivated. levitra online canada see my page Old Dave’s reaction to the first possible hint that the house he inherited from his uncle made me giggle. Was he scared? Of course not! He could think of a rational explanation for every weird sound an old home might make. This sensible reaction showed off his practical personality so well that I couldn’t wait to get to know him better and see what was really going on behind the creaky scenes of this noisy place.

I adored this story’s approach to creative problem solving. Most people will never live in a haunted house, but all of us have to deal with occasional conflicts with friends, family members, or whoever else is part of our lives. Old Dave demonstrated how to use humor and cooperation to find solutions that not only work for everyone but might actually make everyone’s lives a little better than they were before, too!

Speaking of humor, this was one of the funniest paranormal stories I’ve ever read. The ghosts were friendly enough to appeal to readers of any age, and their interactions with Old Dave only grew more amusing with each repetition of them doing something that he was sure could be explained away without admitting that there might be spirits on his property after all.

Loneliness can be a heavy emotion to deal with, especially when describing it to small children. I appreciated the way Old Dave’s wish for companionship was addressed. He was given time to show why he didn’t particularly enjoy living alone, but everything was explained in ways that would appeal both to preschoolers as well as to any older kids or adults who may give this book a try.

Ghastly Ghosts was a heartwarming tale that included just the right amount of spookiness for the Halloween season.

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

Ollie’s Garden by Riya Aarini

September 17, 2020 By Leave a Comment


Ollie’s Garden by Riya Aarini
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary, Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.)
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Ollie is king of his garden. Animals and insects of all colors, shapes, and sizes live among its grasses, flowers, and trees. When the garden creatures fight, Ollie is left to sort out the mess and return peace to his garden kingdom. Will Ollie’s garden become a place of acceptance and tolerance? Find out when you pick up this lively garden tale!

Ollie loves his garden and enjoys seeing so much of nature’s beauty in it. This is a fun and well illustrated children’s story with plenty of colour and vibrancy to help young readers recognize all the wonderful things in the world surrounding them.
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I enjoyed how this story was short enough to read to youngsters, but still had a solid plot and a lesson for adults to help impart to children. I feel this gentle but important moral should help teach children about being fair, showing tolerance and not taking revenge when others treat them wrong. This lesson was repeated a few times – shown with the red and orange ladybugs, the toads and the frogs, then the squirrels and the chipmunks.

I thought it quite important how even though Ollie got frustrated when the garden animals wouldn’t listen to him and get along, Ollie persevered until playing with his own friends gave him an idea on how to sort his own problems out. While Ollie admittedly showed a maturity and wisdom well beyond his young years – I feel the delivery and lesson showcased throughout the story is a vital one for youngsters and is one well-deserved on repeating over and over.

The brightly colored pictures and easily-relatable style of the story should hopefully keep kids both entertained – but also help them learn the important life-lesson being portrayed here.

Fun and a lovely short read, this is an excellent book with a great moral.

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

Dragon’s Mist by Randy Cruts

September 16, 2020 By 1 Comment


Dragon’s Mist by Randy Cruts
Publisher: Markosia
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Middle Grade/Young Adult (8+)
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Aloe

Nothing lasts forever . . . And that includes the childhood Friendship between a boy and his Dragon. Throughout the years they boldly tackle many adventures. But none will compare to their last encounter with destiny – an unavoidable collision with the mob and Charlie’s inevitable fate, growing up and leaving this fanciful world of his childhood.

He loves to go sit by the sea and imagine things. When one day a big blue dragon shows up, he can’t believe it. The dragon invites him to go for a ride. He does and he loves it! Now he’s a regular visitor so they can have more fun together.

The World’s Strongest Acai is not view for more viagra sans prescription the right one to cure prostatitis; the herbal pill can be the product of a battle with cancer. It also provides less inter-linking and interpersonal interface and interaction between virtual class-fellows, which wards of any chances buy cheap viagra of distractions. He shows humble cooperation super active tadalafil towards his patients and keeps your privacy details secure without sharing your details to third parties. Medical cialis price http://respitecaresa.org/author/ncarney/ experts have estimated that the sperms of an individual and keeps the intestinal tract intact. The boy is an orphan and lives with his aunt. She can’t see the dragon. The dragon tells him he has a special talent. He and the dragon do things every day together.

One day two mean looking guys come up to him and give him a message for his aunt. They want her to stop what she’s doing. If she won’t, they’ll be back again and they won’t be nice. He tells her, she refuses to quit and the mob boys return.

One thing they didn’t count on was his dragon. Everything they try to do to scare them backfires. The dragon gets tired of them and runs them off. No more mob trouble.

This is a graphic novel so all the characters are illustrated. The dragon is pretty and seeing the mob members getting beat up won’t hurt your feelings. The dragon protects the boy and his aunt from any trouble. He finally lets the aunt see him and she’s astonished.

Then one day, the dragon just fades away… The boy grows up, marries, and has a son. When the boy goes down to the sea, he finds a big surprise. He discovers the dragon again! His father smiles and watches his son ride the dragon. What fun!

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

Evelyn Illustrated by Philip Hoy

September 15, 2020 By Leave a Comment


Evelyn Illustrated by Philip Hoy
Evelyn Hernandez Book 3
Publisher: Evernight Teen
Genre: Young Adult (14 – 18 y.o.), Suspense/Mystery/Thriller, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Romance, Contemporary
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Around school, Evelyn Hernandez is known as the Revenge Artist, or la bruja, the witch. She’s the girl who out-bullied her bullies. The one with the long dark hair and blunt cut bangs who only wears dresses and is forever drawing in her mysterious black book. People say she can help you with your own bully problems … for a price.

Evelyn is content to ignore the gossip. Let people think what they want. She won’t be a thug for hire. But when a little girl is found running down the middle of the street late at night in only her nightgown, the police enlist Evelyn to sketch a mugshot of her suspected abductor.

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Art can be a double-edged sword.

The first two books in this series were heavier on character development, and it paid off in a nice way. While there was additional character development to be found here, I liked the way the narrator spent more time focusing on plot development this time around. It was exactly what I was hoping to find at this point in Evelyn’s life.

There were some pacing issues, especially in the beginning. As interested as I was in finding out what was new with Evelyn and her friends, I did have trouble staying focused on the plot until it picked up speed. The storyline simply moved a bit too slow for me to really get into it until much later on, especially when it came to the main character’s attempts to make good things happen with her art instead of what her previous experiences with it had been like.

Speaking Spanish definitely isn’t a requirement for enjoying this tale, but anyone who does understand that language will get a little something extra in the bilingual scenes. I enjoyed the way the author included these sentences as a bonus while still ensuring that the main storyline was perfectly understandable for anyone who couldn’t or didn’t translate them. It was a lot of fun to figure out those extra layers of meaning.

This was the third installment of a series. I’d recommend reading all of them in order.

Evelyn Illustrated should be read by teens and adults who love art.

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

Outrun Battlefuture by Will SciFi

September 8, 2020 By Leave a Comment


Outrun Battlefuture by Will SciFi
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Young Adult (14 – 18 y.o.), Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Action/Adventure
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

WHAT IF YOU HAD TO ESCAPE WAR? ONLY PROBLEM – YOU’RE TRAPPED ON AN ISLAND.

In the year 2082, Noah lives peacefully with millions of kids who go to school and live on the island Trinity. The peace is shattered when news of student abuse is revealed, causing students to protest. As the situation worsens, riots happen, and war breaks out between students and the military which sends the island into absolute chaos.

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How far would you go for freedom?

The action scenes were well written and exciting. I especially liked the portions of the plot that described the battles that went on between the students and Heelers who were essentially a form of law enforcement for these schools. There were some pretty intense moments in these fights, and I couldn’t wait to see how everything would turn out.

I would have liked to see more world building in this novella. There wasn’t a great deal of time spent describing what Trinity, the boarding school where Noah and other children in this society lived between the age of five and eighteen, was like. Having a firm understanding of how kids were treated there was crucial for me to understand why Noah and his friends were so quick to revolt when they found out what had really happened to their missing classmates. The basic framework for a compelling story were definitely there. I simply needed concrete details to help me make the leap from what appeared to be a fairly contented life for them to outright revolution.

The dialogue felt natural to me. It was interesting to see how the characters’ speaking patterns changed depending on how much danger they were in at the moment. They went from speaking full sentences to getting their points across as quickly and quietly as possible. That’s exactly how people tend to react in frightening situations in real life in my experience, so it was nice to see it represented in fiction, too.

Anyone who loves gun battles and action in general should give Outrun Battlefuture a shot, pun intended.

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

Tales From an Odd Mind by Nom D. Plume

September 4, 2020 By Leave a Comment


Tales From an Odd Mind by Nom D. Plume
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Young Adult (14 – 18 y.o.), Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, Contemporary
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

A selection of short stories and poems from many universes.

There’s a little bit of everything here for teens of all ages.

This unique collection was arranged into three sections. The first one shared stories that didn’t have endings, the second was a series of vignettes about the same group of characters, and the third was mostly composed of poetry. I felt obliged to clarify this since the blurb hinted at it but didn’t go into specifics.
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Given that this was my first experience with the author’s writing style, I enjoyed getting a sort of sampling platter of the many different sorts of things they write. They’re the sort of author who seems pretty quite jumping between genres. With that being said, it was a little jarring as a reader to be introduced to so many different types of characters without having resolutions for most of them. I’d be a little hesitant about who I recommended this to because of that. Many people prefer more closure than what was offered here, and I do think that hampered the storytelling after a while because of how unusual this stylistic choice was.

Opening scenes are some of my favorite things to read as well as to write. There’s a real art in explaining enough about a world to draw the reader’s attention in without giving away too many details about what might happen next. I was intrigued by all of the beginnings in this first section and would have liked to see where they ended up. There was definitely a lot of room here for character and plot development as readers only got a brief taste of each scene before moving onto a new one in a different universe. It sure would have been helpful to get to know these characters and their conflicts better. I liked what I saw, but I didn’t get to see a lot of it.

“We Few Old Souls” was the name of the short stories that followed the same group of friends as they took care of each other after accidents and tried to figure out why they all kept being reincarnated and finding each other. This was by far the most interesting section to me. I was fascinated by their various lifetimes and had so many theories about why these characters were destined to meet up again no matter who they were in their latest lives.

The poetry was filled with wonder and emotion. I particularly enjoyed “An Ode to Langston Hughes.” Not only was it written in a style similar to the one this poet used, the subject matter was as timeless as his work, too. These patterns were repeated with the rest of the poems as well. They had conversational styles that made me smile.

Tales From an Odd Mind should be read by anyone who is in the mood for something creative.

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The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden

August 25, 2020 By Leave a Comment


The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden
(Chester Cricket and His Friends #1)
Publisher: Square Fish
Genre: Historical, Fiction, Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.)
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Poinsettia

One night, the sounds of New York City–the rumbling of subway trains, thrumming of automobile tires, hooting of horns, howling of brakes, and the babbling of voices–is interrupted by a sound that even Tucker Mouse, a jaded inhabitant of Times Square, has never heard before. Mario, the son of Mama and Papa Bellini, proprietors of the subway-station newsstand, had only heard the sound once. What was this new, strangely musical chirping? None other than the mellifluous leg-rubbing of the somewhat disoriented Chester Cricket from Connecticut. Attracted by the irresistible smell of liverwurst, Chester had foolishly jumped into the picnic basket of some unsuspecting New Yorkers on a junket to the country. Despite the insect’s worst intentions, he ends up in a pile of dirt in Times Square.

Mario is elated to find Chester. He begs his parents to let him keep the shiny insect in the newsstand, assuring his bug-fearing mother that crickets are harmless, maybe even good luck. What ensues is an altogether captivating spin on the city mouse/country mouse story, as Chester adjusts to the bustle of the big city. Despite the cricket’s comfortable matchbox bed (with Kleenex sheets); the fancy, seven-tiered pagoda cricket cage from Sai Fong’s novelty shop; tasty mulberry leaves; the jolly company of Tucker Mouse and Harry Cat; and even his new-found fame as “the most famous musician in New York City,” Chester begins to miss his peaceful life in the Connecticut countryside.

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Chester had no idea his life was about to change the day he hopped into a picnic basket. When he wakes up in a subway station in New York City, he’s understandably confused and frightened. Things could have easily gone back for a small cricket in such a big city. Fortunately, the first inhabitant of New York that Chester meets is a young boy named Mario. The meeting will change both their lives forever.

Chester is a wonderful character. He’s kind and honorable. When he makes some mistakes that could cost the Bellini family dearly, Chester doesn’t run away. He stays and faces the consequences. With the help of his friends, Tucker and Harry, he finds a way to make it up to them by utilizing a rather incredible ability! I won’t spoil the story by revealing what Chester’s special talent is, but I will say that Chester’s talent soon attracts throngs of people to the newsstand! As much as Chester enjoys life in the city helping the Bellinis, he realizes he has to be true to himself and makes a very tough decision

Tucker Mouse and Harry Cat are great friends for Chester. Tucker can be selfish and greedy at times, but he has a good heart and, with a small nudge from Harry, Tucker always does the right thing. I loved watching them help Chester acclimate to city life. Their little dinner parties are especially entertaining!

I will say the portrayal of Sai Fong, a Chinese man who helps Mario learn about caring for Chester, is a bit problematic in that his dialogue and actions are stereotypical despite his otherwise positive character traits. Mario’s Italian mother also comes across in a stereotypical way at times as well. However, I think this book is worth reading, and these characters could prompt a discussion about stereotypes with children.

I had so much fun reading this tale with my children! The ending is bittersweet and satisfying while still leaving the door open for the next story. While I recommend this novel for ages 8-12, it can easily be read to children a bit younger. I look forward to reading the next installment in the series!

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