Thank you so much to Rosen Publishing Group/ West 44 Books and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
What a beautiful story, it was heartbreakinThank you so much to Rosen Publishing Group/ West 44 Books and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
What a beautiful story, it was heartbreaking and beautiful at the very same time. Pearl was such an incredible protagonist and you were really captured by her, she was such a strong girl, she was able to fend for herself and figure out her problems even at such a young age, not that she should have had too but the fact she had the skills to was amazing.
I loved how through the whole story the Midas trees were calling her, that the story of King Midas kept creeping into her dreams, but never finished it each time. I adored the symbolism of that story where it was leading her too, to something she’d always dreamt of having.
It was such a creatively and stunningly written story and I was really swept up within it, I didn’t really know what was going to happen to Pearl at all throughout the story and ended up being so happily surprised at what the outcome was. It was such a beautiful book.
I loved the characters that we met within the pages too, from the nice social work and the kind officer who both helped her and got her safe, and to Ms. Sanchez who was so incredibly sweet, loving and caring, she took Pearl under her wing and really helped her out so much, I honestly loved her so much.
I really did enjoy this book, everything about it was beautiful, though there was a very sad and scary storyline within it, it was a beautifully written verse book. It took an unexpected turn in storyline, which I adored having but never saw coming at all. I really loved it. ...more
Thank you so much to Deborah Schmidt for the Ebook to read and review.
The story follows a young boy at a family reunion, there are only three childreThank you so much to Deborah Schmidt for the Ebook to read and review.
The story follows a young boy at a family reunion, there are only three children at the whole event, but plenty of aunts and uncles. One of his uncles decides to play with them in the river, they have so much fun, but soon the young boy struggles in the water.
This book was really creative as it was told in both English and Spanish, a bilingual book, it’s something I haven’t come across before. I’ve read books that have bits of another language in but this told the whole story in both languages side by side. It was really cool to see that.
I really liked parts of this story, it’s was unique and it was interesting. I enjoyed the children and their uncle having so much fun imagining many different things as they were playing together within the water. I did find the end very rushed, from the Young boy being so scared to suddenly perfectly fine again, in a situation like that generally you don’t instantly recover, especially a young child. You’d be scared for a little bit and have to try to catch your breath again. The illustrations were huge within the book and showed the story as it was happening. ...more
Thank you so much to Barrington Stoke and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
Hayley thinks her housebound neighbour is a witch, her cat is alThank you so much to Barrington Stoke and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
Hayley thinks her housebound neighbour is a witch, her cat is always sneaking over there. Then one day she meets her and soon a friendship is formed and she learns the two of them have a lot in common. But a rift in their friendship occurs when Hayley says something she shouldn’t have.
What an absolutely beautiful story of friendship between two people of different ages. It was so stunningly written and the characters were wonderful, I honestly loved their deep connection and the strong bond they formed.
I really loved that Lillian was a former actress and had so much knowledge and wisdom to share with Hayley to help her get the part in the Little Women production. The two connected over so many things and I really loved that Lillian felt comfortable enough around Hayley to share with her about her life and her family.
It’s such a beautiful and full of heart story, I really enjoyed getting to know the characters, their lives and see their friendship blossoming, it may have faltered for a while but it rekindled and was so beautiful. The illustrations we got within it were also incredibly beautiful to look at, capturing Important parts of the story, I throughly enjoyed this book....more
Thank you so much to Whimspire Books and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
This story follows one little girls sharing about her inner lightThank you so much to Whimspire Books and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
This story follows one little girls sharing about her inner light and how it glows no matter what. She can grow and change and succeed but the light will always be with her.
It was a nice read the illustrations were really beautiful to look at, they were very detailed. I liked the message of a child’s inner light, that glows as bright at the sun. It was a very beautiful message to be told. It showed just one child’s inner light who got herself a great life as she grew up.
I think it was missing something though as it told of only one child’s inner light, each child has a different path in life and I think it might have been sweeter seeing a multitude of children and how their inner light shines around them too. Not every child has an easy life, so how does their inner light shine through it? It would have added an extra something to this story.
This story itself was really sweet to read and was written so beautifully, and I really enjoyed looking at it, the people that were drawn, the houses all just looked so stunning. ...more
Thank you so much to Author Christina Acosta and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
Chrissy has Lupus some days are good some days are bad. HThank you so much to Author Christina Acosta and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
Chrissy has Lupus some days are good some days are bad. Her illness is invisible to most but it’s painful and fatiguing to her. She has wonderful family and doctors that care so even on her bad days people are still there.
I loved that this story showed an invisible illness, one that a fair few people have but it isn’t overly talked about. I always like when a book shares a different type of medical illness as you get to learn a little more about it.
I liked the way this was written, it was simply put and explained all about the illness, how it made her feel, what her days were like and what she loved doing the most. It was a very sweet read.
I think that it’s a story that those also with Lupus or that knows someone with Lupus would really enjoy reading this story as they will relate to it a lot. It’s also a good read for children that don’t know anything about it, it’s easy to read has cute large illustrations throughout and will teach them about an illness they may never have heard of before. ...more
Thank you so much to North Star Editions/ Jolly Fish Press and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
Sage leaves her school project to last minuThank you so much to North Star Editions/ Jolly Fish Press and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
Sage leaves her school project to last minute, forcing her and her mom to go and get what she needs. Whilst out they are in a car crash, now her mom is addicted to her pain meds and is seeking help in rehab. That means that Sage is staying with her estranged grandparents she’s never met, but whilst there she hopes she will become closer to her mom.
This was a really touching, emotional and heartbreaking story but so beautifully written, on such a delicate storyline too. Sage blames herself throughout and struggles to forgive herself for what happened with her mom, believing her dad blamed her too. Spending a week with her estranged grandparents, it helps her learn so much and with her new friends and her stray dog she finds they help her to see another perspective of what was going on.
This a really great read it’s hard hitting and deals with some difficult topics from self blame, to addiction, to abandonment by parent, dysfunctional family dynamics, to meeting extended family member’s and strict controlling parenting. All these topics are handled incredibly well throughout, dealing with them appropriately.
This book would be a great read for many, but especially to children and teens going through a similar situation with a parent struggling with a drug addiction, the whole subject is correctly dealt with, shared and explained and I think that readers would really find it relatable and helpful. The book also kindly features resources, help and a Q&A with the author at the end to further help the reader, which I always appreciate in books and especially ones dealing with such difficult topics. ...more
Thank you so much to Rosen Publishing / West 44 Books and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
Dustin is supposed to be in Japan with his basebThank you so much to Rosen Publishing / West 44 Books and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
Dustin is supposed to be in Japan with his baseball teammates, learning all about the sport and playing with the Japanese team. His life has other plans as death follows him and his girl-friend Andrea around all summer and they attend multiple funerals of many different religions.
This was so incredible, it was heartbreaking though. Reading about one death and then another really makes your heart hurt so much, this may be just a story but it’s reality that death follows you, it’s scary, it’s intense and never ending. The amount of death surrounding these two characters was really crazy and unexpected, they continually had to mourn many different people. I did like that each person had different beliefs and so Dustin and Andrea were experiencing how death is for different religions, it was a great addition to it.
I really loved Dustin and Andrea together you root for them from the start, hoping and knowing they’ll be together at some point. They form this really strong connection instantly and you feel it as a reader, you know that there is more than friendship between them. Together they experience so much, not just loss, but they just go through a lot all in one short Summer. I liked that together they found each other, they knew they were right with each other, it was so sweet.
This was such a through provoking and heartbreaking, but beautiful story on death, on it effects on those remaining, where they go after, the thread of how people mourn and those that don’t. I really enjoyed reading this one so much, though it was sad it was written so perfectly. A great example of life doesn’t always turn out as you expect but that life has a plan for you regardless....more
Thank you so much to Rosen Publishing/ West 44 Books and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
Abby and Nat won’t stop fighting, so their parentThank you so much to Rosen Publishing/ West 44 Books and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
Abby and Nat won’t stop fighting, so their parents leave them alone in the cabin whilst they have a date. Trouble starts instantly as two men break into the cabin, Nat is trapped inside with them whilst Abby is outside in the hot tub. Together the girls must figure out a way to survive the freezing conditions and outsmart the men.
This was scary, Goatee was so evil and goodness knows what he could actually have done to these girls. Abby thankfully is incredibly smart and found a way to get her sister away from him. It was terrifying them being stuck in the freezing snowy woods, with no knowledge of where they were or where they were going to go. Abby’s mind is the only thing that kept them going as she kept figuring out what to do.
I liked the girls relationship though they had stopped being best friends, I did like that they mended their ways are were still close enough to protect each other and care for each other during this scary event in their lives. It was also really sweet that though she didn’t say it you could tell how proud and also jealous Nat was of Abby’s intelligence.
This was such a unique verse book, which is what I love about these books they always tell such different stories and always in a really easy and fun way. This was a very intense and scary story but a very enjoyable read too, it was gripping as you wanted to know constantly what was going to happen to them and how they would survive. ...more
Thank you so much to Risen Publishing/ West 44 Books and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
Liam who lives in the marshes of the Jersey Shore Thank you so much to Risen Publishing/ West 44 Books and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
Liam who lives in the marshes of the Jersey Shore recently lost his Gramps, now eels are appearing everywhere in town and there are no blue crabs in the waters. Gramps friend tells Liam and his friend Ciela to investigate, read Gramps’s journal and solve what’s going on.
This was very fascinating, though it was somewhat obvious the answer to the mystery of what was going on with the eels and the crabs, from the start, it was still a really interesting read. I liked that Liam’s Gramps had kept a diary on everything he observed with the waters, the sea life from it all within his journal. I also really liked how Ciela was able to really help Liam to figure everything out.
A very fun verse book on climate change, the dangers of power plants and the ever changing life for nature and sea critters. It was also a sweet story on loss, overcoming the grief of loosing someone you love, finishing something they hadn’t been able to and finding a way through life without them by your side. A really sweet and fun read with a very unique and interesting topic....more
really enjoyed this story, it gripped me instantly and made me so invested into Clara’s world and then into Ruby’s world. The two protagonist were su really enjoyed this story, it gripped me instantly and made me so invested into Clara’s world and then into Ruby’s world. The two protagonist were such different characters but they matched each other so well. They were able to help each other out in ways neither were aware of.
I loved how Ruby was actually gentle with her, she found Clara so strange and didn’t really understand her but when she talked with her, got through to her they connected, they became family and she gave Clara a safe space.
Clara was so pre precious from the start with the enclosed life she had lead, living with her mum with nothing, she had a vivid imagination that everything was magic. I really loved that as she eventually went to school she was so invested into learning all about the stars, about space, about math. I loved how she grew so much throughout.
Ruby had so much to do to grow within this book also, she didn’t realise how much of herself she didn’t know or hadn’t really embraced at all. But when her reality was shown back to her (not in a nice way though) she saw herself differently and was finally able to figure herself out, being her true self.
I really enjoyed this book, it was really heartfelt and I loved seeing these girls connect, grow and see the world differently, becoming true sisters. I do wish that we had more Clara chapters honestly, she didn’t get enough, I would have liked more of what was going on in her mind through the story. But as a whole I really enjoyed reading it and really enjoyed reading the story of these two girls....more
Hailey’s school singing group performed at a retirement home, but on the way home disaster strikes as the bus is hit by a tree in a storm and stuck onHailey’s school singing group performed at a retirement home, but on the way home disaster strikes as the bus is hit by a tree in a storm and stuck on the edge of the cliff. As the class gets off Hailey is stuck with Kit the boy she has a crush on, new girls Bex who Kit has a crush on. Together stuck at the falling end of the bus they have to work together to survive.
This was so thrilling to read, like you were literally on edge with them, wondering how they were going to figure out a way to get out safely before it comes crashing down the cliffs edge. It was terrifying to read not know exactly what was going to happen next, if they’d all survive or not.
I liked that they really listened to each other and worked through options for what they could and couldn’t do on the bus. It was such a scary unexpected situation and these characters were amazing at figuring it all out. I honestly didn’t know which way the story was going to go at all.
I really liked how in such a short story that Hailey grew as a person, she didn’t like Bex because of her being the one she thought Kit was crushing on, but she helped her nonetheless and made sure Bex wasn’t alone, that she was safe and never gave up protecting her. I also loved that she found out the truth about Kit, it wasn’t Bex’s place to say but it, but nice she did so they could be friends.
I really enjoyed reading this book, it was much better than I expected and it was a great story of survival and creating new friendships in the scariest and strangest situations. You literally never knew even once what the situational outcome was going to be, which to me enhanced the story so much, it was such a great read....more
Maritza is a Bolivian, Mexican American who loves playing soccer. Then she learns something shocking about her team mates family member being detainedMaritza is a Bolivian, Mexican American who loves playing soccer. Then she learns something shocking about her team mates family member being detained by immigration, she feels she must do something bigger to help them.
This was not what I was expecting at all, it’s very heavy in its topic theme, It’s so relevant to the current world that it was pretty hard hitting. Dealing with immigration and the splitting up of a family, being detained, having to find a way to find funds to get a good lawyer. It was not what I was expecting to be included within this book but it was very powerful and important.
Maritza is a great protagonist, so full of spirit and love, she cares so much about all the people in her life and even pope, she’s never met, but matter to her friends. As soon as she finds out about her friend’s uncle she starts trying to figure out what she can do to help him and their family, she steps up right away to help them, coming up with such a great plan to get attention for their cause.
I love how she manages to gather everyone around her to create a big showcase to share what was going on and her cause, to make awareness to the injustice and the situation. It was so beautifully dealt with and written, I really liked how she and Violetta got close and that eventually Sierra helped them too.
The illustrations were really beautiful to look at, very cutely done. Though the topic is heavy and still relevant I really enjoyed reading it, it even brought me to tears at certain points. It was beautifully and delicately created on such an important and relevant topic....more
Thank you so much to Jumelle Press and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
Jayne has something extra about her and she spreads it wherever sheThank you so much to Jumelle Press and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
Jayne has something extra about her and she spreads it wherever she goes, from giving out extra love, to putting on a show for the family, to playing with her sister and so much more, everything she does she does it extra.
I loved this so much, what an absolutely beautiful story about a beautiful girl. She enjoys everything about her life and her family and friends enjoy having her around. I love that everything she does, she adds an extra touch to it all. I also love that the story shares how wonderful she is as a person and that until the end unless you know about her before reading you don’t realise she has Down Syndrome, she’s such a happy, beautiful fun child.
The illustrations were just stunning on each page seeing everything Jayne gets up to in a day, how much fun she has with everything. I also loved that at the end you find out so many facts about Down Syndrome, I always love the inclusion of additional facts. We also got a family photo which was so sweet seeing her and how accurately the illustration were done of them all.
This is such a fun and beautiful read, Jayne is adorable and I’m so happy she has a book now, so many other families of Down Syndrome children will adore the representation and other children will just adore this sweet book and learn about Down Syndrome. I highly recommend this book, it’s so wonderfully made and so adorable to read....more
Thank you so much to Barrington Stoke and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
Josh is struggling with his Brian aka his brain, it talks too loThank you so much to Barrington Stoke and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
Josh is struggling with his Brian aka his brain, it talks too loudly and too often telling him everything is his fault, that everything is getting worse. He doesn’t know how to quieten him, then his mum sends him to stay with his estranged grandma and learns her Briany is just as loud and she helps guide him to control his Brian a little.
This was so sad but so sweet, so many things kept happening, changing in his life all of which had a negative effect on him. The weight of all these events caught up to him and his Brian wouldn’t stop obsessing over everything telling him all the bad and awful, intrusive things making him believe everything was all his fault.
I really adored when he was with his grandma, though he didn’t know her, as soon as they met they formed a bond, a connection and he found himself relaxing around her more and more, though Brian still wasn’t quiet the life being still and mundane helped him, the fact she was struggling all the same helped him, and he found new ways to help ease his Brian for a little while.
This is such a great book for children to read, mental health is real issue that people of all ages struggle with and this story helps explain so much of it, so I think children that are struggling themselves with changes in their lives, with their mentality or those around them with it, will find it helpful and a great read. It’s also a wonderful book in general regardless of mental health struggles, the story will touch your heart seeing young Josh struggling so much....more
Thank you so much to Quarto Kids Publishing and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
The story follows young Lior as he celebrates his familiesThank you so much to Quarto Kids Publishing and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
The story follows young Lior as he celebrates his families holiday Hanukkah, sharing with the reader the traditions, the meaning of the holiday and the joys of celebrating with those that he loves the most.
This was so sweet, it was told in an incredibly wonderful way, you could feel so much of the joy, the excitement and the love that Lior, his family and friends all had over the holidays. It was very educational in that it was sharing all the facts and information but it was told by Lior which made it so much more fun.
The illustrations were really beautiful, I loved seeing all the different aspects of this holiday and seeing what they looked like. I love getting to learn more about different religions and their holidays, this is a perfect read for children of this religion and not of this religion as they will learn so much from it.
I really enjoyed that the book shared the Hebrew language throughout but gave you the English explanation so you could learn the language and the meanings behind them. I liked that not only was the story wonderful, the end of the book was filled with of extra facts and activities that you could do to learn even more. It was a very insightful and wonderful read. ...more
Thank you so much to Deborah Schmidt for the ebook to read and review.
Vivek doesn’t like that his Daadi Maa is always pinching him, or that he is alwThank you so much to Deborah Schmidt for the ebook to read and review.
Vivek doesn’t like that his Daadi Maa is always pinching him, or that he is always given grapes or dry cake with raisins in it. So he steals her old diary to learn more about her and why’s she’s so mean to him.
I liked the concept of this book where we see her story getting told through her grandson reading Daadi Maas diary from her childhood. I think that was the most interesting part of this story, he got a chance to see a different side to her by reading what she was once like as a child and learnt a shocking secret about her family. I liked the way the book was created seeing the diary entries as he was reading them and seeing a younger her with her family the illustrations were great to look at especially on the diary entry pages. We also got to see her learning English and the crossing out of the words that were wrong was really sweet to see honestly.
The story itself felt a little odd at times Vivek changed his opinion lots of times, the relationship between the three of them felt very strange and disconnected. Then with Vivek’s strange personality change after he saw her crying it just seemed a little odd in places to me. They mentioned about her brother’s death but though she was going to share the story never actually did, plus with Vivek’s father dying we got a short rushed explanation of that situation. We also get no explanation of how she moved to California to start growing grapes, I think that would have been an interesting small addition to the story.
This was a sweet story and a good look into another culture by seeing what her childhood was like, though it had some flaws it was overall still a great read and I liked that we got a bit of an explanation as to her pinching him all the time. ...more
Thank you so much to Charlesbridge and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
Janie is an imaginative girl, she loves creating stories in her minThank you so much to Charlesbridge and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
Janie is an imaginative girl, she loves creating stories in her mind and writing them all down. When her school play is dull, with no plot line she creates her very own play and the teacher puts it on, bringing her the first success of her career.
This was adorable her imagination was so free and wild, she would mix so many things based on what she would see and made these wonderful stories out of it. I really liked that everyone around her supported her with her stories and imagination, helping to encourage her with her dreams.
The illustrations were absolutely beautiful, I loved seeing her vibrancy and her full on imagination come to life with each of the pages. This was a wonderful story and I loved reading about her young life that helped stem her future career as a writer....more
Marshall is desperate to escape, his low life dad who makes everything worse. So when he and best friend Rory ride up to the Skelter Cottage and find Marshall is desperate to escape, his low life dad who makes everything worse. So when he and best friend Rory ride up to the Skelter Cottage and find a hatch door hidden in the grounds he thinks he’s found his den. But soon a fight erupts between them and his safe place is no longer just his.
I didn’t like the boys or his dad, they were all so full of rage and anger and none of them were good friends. I hated that they would just rather fight over the place than figure out a solution instead. I did like the concept with this hidden and missed basement that hadn’t been touched or seen. It became their own secret hideout which was honestly really cool and clever.
I wasn’t the biggest fan of this book honestly, i don’t categorise books by gender a lot but this very much felt like a boys book. The things said and done within it, the way it was written, the characters themselves. Though I’m not saying girls couldn’t or even wouldn’t enjoy it but it’s certainly more aimed for teen boys. ...more
Charlene is in foster care after her mum died, she and her sister got split up and all she wants is to see her. She knits to calm herself and wants toCharlene is in foster care after her mum died, she and her sister got split up and all she wants is to see her. She knits to calm herself and wants to make the perfect birthday gifts for her sister a dinosaur blanket, but when her foster mums son comes home and destroys it, her down spiral begins.
This was really sad, she had so much built up anger, sadness and lonliness all being kept to herself. She lost her mum, got separated from her sister and moved from place to place all whilst all those feeling got pushed further down and the anger spilled out. It was so sad reading about Charlene struggling with it all.
I liked Annie and how she did her best to try and make her feel safe and comfortable there was only so much she could do to help as Charlene’s walls were held high, but Annie tried. I liked when she met Shelly and things were finally able to be freed from her mind, she finally felt safe enough and secure enough to share her inner feelings.
This is unfortunately a good representation of what foster homes and foster kids can look like, not in every situation but a lot of them. These kids get taken from place to place and things get worse and worse, in their minds and physically. Being split up also makes things worse and this story shows so many different sides to the system and how it can really effect a young persons mentality with the changes, the unfortunate lack of love and care they can be given.
A very good story, but very sad. Charlene went through a lot in such a short time, she really needed help with her anger and her feelings way before a lot of the incidents happened but no one tried to help her, leaving it all festering inside and getting worse. ...more
Told in two perspectives from Marianne and her mum, Marianne is in a coma like state unable to move, speak or anything. Her mum wants her to wake up, Told in two perspectives from Marianne and her mum, Marianne is in a coma like state unable to move, speak or anything. Her mum wants her to wake up, she visits every day hoping one thing will jog her memory and she’ll come back.
This was such a good book, so unique and clever. Reading the story through the girl in the coma, her struggles, her thoughts, her perspective on who she was, who everyone else was. I also liked seeing how much work her mum put into trying to help her, to bring her back, she just loved and missed her so much.
The two things that I was sad about were that we didn’t find out why she was in that state in the first place which was really sad, the second thing was that it ended too soon, I would have loved reading a little about her recovering, coming back to being Marianne as she’d been so far away from her in the coma, it would have been really interesting to see the transition.
Overall I honestly loved this book, it was so creative and different, I’ve literally never come across a book written this way, with this topic at all so it was a great book to read. ...more