Thank you so much to West 44 Books / Rosen Publishing and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
I loved everything about this book, it was so weThank you so much to West 44 Books / Rosen Publishing and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
I loved everything about this book, it was so well thought out and created, I got absorbed into it instantly.
Ruthie lives in a very stressful home as her mom is a hoarder, anytime there’s something new she tries to give it away, to help someone else have it. She does it in secret not letting anyone know who gave it to them. I loved that she did that, she couldn’t change the situation, but as most of the stuff was new she was able to gift it to others that had a need for it.
I really liked Ruthie and Trey together, they were such a sweet couple, he was just a genuinely sweet guy who cared about her and wanted to make her smile (even if hers was awkward and weird at first). I liked that being around him gave her confidence, helped her not shy away from everyone and everything.
This book was so incredible, I really enjoyed it so much from the characters to the storyline. It dealt with mental health, the hoarding and effects it has on everyone involved. It dealt with medical conditions, hence Ruthie’s Vitiligo and her coming to terms with those changes. It had a sweet romance, complicated siblings relationship, and obviously some bullying by a jealous girl.
It’s a really detailed, realistic and entertaining verse book. It has so many elements and layers to the story and the characters that we meet within the story. I think it’s a perfect read for the teenage audience. ...more
Thank you so much to Victory Publishing / Gallop Books and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
Two squirrels are enjoying playing tag and then Thank you so much to Victory Publishing / Gallop Books and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
Two squirrels are enjoying playing tag and then suddenly the heat becomes too much for them. They suddenly sploot, but splooting can be difficult in such heat, trying to find the perfect spot is a very difficult game.
This was really cute, I loved the big illustrations showing the squirrels playing and splooting, seeing all the different places that they tried. I also really enjoyed seeing the other animals, the setting itself and the people on the farm they were on.
The story was sweet and incredibly simple, perfect for a really young audience to enjoy. There is a lot that they’ll enjoy from the story also it’s very entertains and funny too. The illustrations were wonderful seeing the squirrels splooting everywhere they possibly can.
I loved the addition of extra information provided at the end of the story. It helps readers learn more about what splooting is and why squirrels do it, it also shares what other animals do it too. This was a really fun and entertains book that I certainly think young readers will enjoy, it’s amusing and adorable at the same time. ...more
Thank you so much to Barrington Stoke and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
This was amazing, I knew about Josephine Baker, but I didn’t knoThank you so much to Barrington Stoke and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
This was amazing, I knew about Josephine Baker, but I didn’t know much so reading this was wonderful. She lived such an incredibly full life and I really liked that this book shared everything about it. I liked the way it was written as though she was sharing her life with the audience her self, it was honestly such an amazing touch to this book.
Her determination to be a star did such great things for her, she unbelievably managed to achieve every dream she could ever think of, though it was a difficult, and a difficult world, a world where black people were still treated like dirt, she didn’t let it stop her from her dreams, no matter what changes she had to make to make them come true.
Growing up in such a bad way made her an incredibly strong woman, she was brave and seemed almost fearless. There were so many things within the book that shocked me, things I never imagined she’d have been part of or had to go through. She was so resilient though, as these things happened but she managed to over come them and move past them to go for her dreams no matter what.
This was such a wonderfully made memoir of the Great Josephine Baker, I honestly loved learning so much about her, not just how incredible she was on the stage and how much being a performer and star made her; but also her childhood struggles, her war time work, how she fought for rights, how she lived the end of her life.
This whole book was all so full of information and I absolutely loved reading this book about her. One note I will say is I wish there had of been a photograph of her at the back of the book for readers who might not have been familiar with her yet and would have loved to get a glimpse at who they were reading about. ...more
Thank you so much to Jolly Fish Press / North Star Editions and NetGalley for the ebook to read and review.
Lucas and Lili live happily in Paris with tThank you so much to Jolly Fish Press / North Star Editions and NetGalley for the ebook to read and review.
Lucas and Lili live happily in Paris with their parents, but as the war starts approaching faster everything changes. While escaping they lose their parents and are left alone to figure out how to get to the shelter. The whole journey they must stay in shadow and not get caught by soldiers, that line each street.
What a very unique World War II story, it was simple but very effective, you could feel the fear and panic from the children, from the situation. I liked that you get so much build up of what could be happening when you don’t know for sure until you keep reading.
Lili was very smart and managed to hold it all together so that she could get them both safely to the shelter. It was sweet how she was able to help guide her brother and that he listened only to her. It was so scary though imagining these two young children out on their own during such a scary time.
This is a really good historical read, it written in a style perfectly suited to those just starting with chapter books. It’s very easy to read, but packs in plenty of story, of suspense and a constant fear of what might happen next. ...more
Thank you so much to Jolly Fish Press / North Star Editions and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
Bella’s life has turned upside down, changeThank you so much to Jolly Fish Press / North Star Editions and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
Bella’s life has turned upside down, changed so much and now it’s changed again. After losing her mom everything became sad and difficult, now her dad is moving them to the coast to live in his childhood home, but she doesn’t want to leave, her life ad her memories of her mom behind.
This was so beautiful, it had so much heart to it and it really tugs on you whilst reading. Both Bella and her dad hadn’t been able to get through the loss of her mom, the way it was written really captured their pain, their sadness. It was delicately and beautifully crafted, making you really connect and feel everything with them.
The message in a bottle aspect was perfect, i knew myself who was sending them to her, but I loved how she connected to it right away, how she used the bottle to get her feelings out there and that the sender wanted to help her with her grief, it was so sweet.
This book is such a wonderful story, on grief, on how change is difficult when you’ve already had so much of it. On how to struggle to move through it so you can keep living. I really enjoyed reading this book, I also enjoyed that it was in an early readers style so it was easy to read for a younger audience, but packed in so much detail and story that you still can really connect and enjoy it. ...more
Thank you so much to DK Children’s Books and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
The Timekeepers have another history adventure, DeLay is at itThank you so much to DK Children’s Books and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
The Timekeepers have another history adventure, DeLay is at it again this time going back to the 1400’s to Aztec times. When Rosa and Luke arrive they find a girl in distress as she cannot find her important and expensive cocao beans, the two keepers are on the mission Instantly.
This was so much fun, what an exciting adventure that they went on. DeLay was at his usual tricks trying to remove parts of history so he can be powerful. I really loved how quickly they spotted the situation, how easily they became friends with Miah and were willing to help get her cocao beans back and save her job.
I loved the illustrations within this one, seeing the different types of outfits and the masks that they wore. It really added to the story seeing what exactly the masks and outfits would have looked like back then. It’s was a great way to fully set the scene to where we were.
So much information gets packed into such a short book, which I honestly love so much. It’s such an absolutely fun adventure, you’re getting to help solve a crime of history as you read, get to transport to a really interesting setting, but then are also given so much information, so many facts which adds to what you’re reading. This is such an amazing historical series, it’s perfect for young readers that might only be starting with chapter books....more
Thank you so much to DK and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
Such a creative book, sharing all the many different things humans can be, by cThank you so much to DK and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
Such a creative book, sharing all the many different things humans can be, by crossing it over as factual with living things that share a similar trait. It was really clever and creative.
I really enjoyed reading this it was so full of facts about animals, trees, stars, other aspects of nature. I didn’t know a fair amount of these facts so was very happy to learn about them through reading this.
It comes with some of the most wonderful full page illustrations that you can’t not love looking at, seeing the topics they are talking to comparing to a child on each page. I really enjoyed the combination of the illustrations and the story blended together.
It had so many great aspects to it within this book, from it being wonderful to look at, to a simple but sweet story, to so full of fascinating facts. This is a book I think would be great in schools, it has so much to offer and readers would learn a lot from it. ...more
Thank you so much to Astra Publishing House/ Calkins Creek and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
This was a really stunning way to share MarThank you so much to Astra Publishing House/ Calkins Creek and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
This was a really stunning way to share Mary Oliver’s Biography. It captured the essence of who she was and how she lived. Shared the wonders she had about the world and about nature.
I really enjoyed the beautiful illustrations throughout, seeing the nature that Mary herself loved, adored and was inspired by, I loved seeing her in her happiest places, creating her beautiful poems.
I really enjoyed getting to learn so much more about her and have it be done in such a wonderful way. From the facts through the story, but also all the additional facts at the end too really added to it.
A very stunningly created book on a writer whose work still connects with people to this day. It’s wonderful to learn about who the person behind the work really was and this was done so perfectly. ...more
Thank you so much to Whimspire Books and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
Piper has a new mission, to create herself a wonderful new fort fThank you so much to Whimspire Books and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
Piper has a new mission, to create herself a wonderful new fort for her and Gary. But plan after plan something goes wrong with her fort. Will she ever get to have a fun place to play in?
This was so much fun, a really great second book in the series. I loved seeing Piper’s imagination come to life again, this time with all of her different play areas, I enjoyed seeing how she tried to make each place everything she wanted, but it never worked for very long.
This is such a funny book, Piper is so full of imagination, I loved that in the end she and her dad worked hard to build something really good together. I also loved the small nods within the illustration to the first book, such a cute touch. A great second book in the Piper book series, this funny girl always has a new idea she has to explore to its fullest.
A great book for young readers, it’s full of creativity, charm and imagination, with an adorable protagonist. A lot of fun and mischief happens, but she always finds a perfect way to resolve her dilemma. ...more
Thank you so much to Free Spirit Press and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
Ezra hates when the storm arrives, he hopes it won’t, but it alThank you so much to Free Spirit Press and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
Ezra hates when the storm arrives, he hopes it won’t, but it always does. When his dad starts drinking again. Ezra has to find ways to cope through the situation, until the storm finally passes through.
What an important book, addiction is such a big thing in this world, many children will experience something like this with a parent or family member. I really loved the care that was taken into telling this story it was handled really perfectly.
I loved that we saw Ezra’s methods of coping with the storm. From all the different activities he could do during that stormy time. I also really appreciated how the author showed what his dad was like when the storm had passed, it was an important thing to showcase, as these bad moments don’t generally last forever.
I loved the illustrations and seeing everything Ezra did, his games, his activities, what his dad was like. How he managed to pass the time during the dad’s storms. I liked how we saw the storm surrounding them all during those times too.
This book comes with so much information, advice and even places to go to if readers or family of readers are also in this situation themselves. It highlights such a delicate, important, but scary aspect of a lot of young children’s lives and I think this would be a really helpful resource for them, it written so wonderfully and is a great story, but also showcases an important topic. ...more
Thank you so much to Bloomsbury Children’s Books and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
Harry wants a specific bear, so goes to the bear shopThank you so much to Bloomsbury Children’s Books and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
Harry wants a specific bear, so goes to the bear shop hoping to find the perfect bear. There are so many options and the shop keeper doesn’t know quite which one to give him. But he shares so many wonderful bear options to him.
What an absolutely adorable story, first off I loved the rhyming of the story, it was stunning. Secondly the story itself was incredibly precious and heartwarming. I loved that the setting was at a bear store, all these loved before bears and bears with no home lived until a forever home was found, honestly it was so adorable.
I thought it was so sweet seeing all the major varieties that were available to Harry, but that he had a specific one in mind, one that was dear to the shop keepers heart too. It was honestly so precious, you just can’t not love this story.
The illustrations were gorgeous and I loved looking at the shelves seeing so many different types of bears all around, so very creative. I liked the aspect of sustainability too, showing that a secondhand bear can be just as important and loved as a new bear.
An honestly perfect and stunning read, young children will absolutely love this book, it’s beautifully created and wonderful to look at. It shows just how important a Baer can be to a person. ...more
Thank you so much to Bloomsbury Children’s Books and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
Cat doesn’t like Christmas, he hates everything aboutThank you so much to Bloomsbury Children’s Books and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
Cat doesn’t like Christmas, he hates everything about it. When he tries to tell his family all the bad things about Christmas, it just lands him in trouble and causes chaos.
What a hilarious picture book, I really enjoyed this, it was so adorable and summoned up a Cat perfectly. He played with everything in sight, only to him he was communicating that it was bad. He just caused so much trouble for his family, making him have a bad time out in the awful weather. It was a really funny book though and I liked following Cat on his antics.
It comes with really lovely illustrations, loved the colour choices throughout the book, I liked the way that Cat was captured and all that he was doing. I think this a really great hilarious book for the holiday season, it’s one young readers would really enjoy. ...more
Thank you so much to DK Children’s and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
Anderson house is a retirement home for witches, an array of characThank you so much to DK Children’s and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
Anderson house is a retirement home for witches, an array of characters that all live together no longer practising. Then one day Myrtle is called upon by a child named Henry, his Guinea-Pig is missing and needs her to fly to the woods and find him. Setting up a new adventure that the retired witch never expected.
This was so much fun, from start to finish it was fun. It was incredibly wacky as you’d expect from retired witches, it showed kindness, had a fun adventure, miss matched magic and large illustrations throughout.
I really enjoyed learning about all the different witches, each one had a different skill set, but not one of them actively practised their craft anymore. I liked that this book heavily focused on one witch, sharing her story about her being a flying witch, it was so exciting seeing her learning to use her magic again.
Henry and his missing pet and needing their help was funny, I liked that we never actually got the explanation for why he lost his pet. But I loved how Myrtle was so kind and willing to help him regardless of that she’d not being flying for years.
The illustrations were the biggest highlight in the book though, they were large and perfectly captured the story, the characters, the magic. I adored spending lots of time looking at them all, seeing all the different aspects within the pages. From seeing all the witches and their familiars, to the maps of the house and street, to the story pages themselves. The illustrations were so masterfully created and enhanced an already fun story so much more.
I highly recommend this book, it’s going to be a perfect read during the spooky month, but also great anytime of year. It’s got so many fun elements and young ones would definitely enjoy reading this fun and wacky story and looking at all the illustrations. ...more
Thank you so much to Troubador Publishing and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
Zara the capybara loves shiny things, she creates jewellery Thank you so much to Troubador Publishing and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
Zara the capybara loves shiny things, she creates jewellery out of sweet wrappers. Then one day the Queen visits the zoo and loses her tiara. Zara finds it and keeps it for herself, until her friends convince her to give it back.
The story was really good it showed that doing the right thing even if it isn’t what you want to do can have a great reward. Zara wanted the Queen’s tiara for herself as it was so pretty, but knowing it had to go back she hid it selfishly, but her friends remind her of the right thing to do and help her. I really enjoyed the message behind the story it’s a great way for young readers to understand how to do the right thing.
The illustration’s were adorable, I loved how the capybara’s were drawn they were so cute, with glasses on and with all the jewellery. I enjoyed looking at them on each page, very sweetly created.
I enjoyed the storyline and the characters, they were all very cute and I loved their friendship together and that they all cared and respected each one’s individuality. I think young readers will enjoy this book a lot, it has a sweet story, lovely illustrations and an important lesson to learn. ...more
Thank you so much to Bloomsbury Children’s Books and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
This was such a fun and interesting adventure, I’ve rThank you so much to Bloomsbury Children’s Books and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
This was such a fun and interesting adventure, I’ve read a few historical time travelling books, but this was still so unique and creative. I loved the concept with BM, aka The Boring Machine taking them around everywhere in time blipping in and out. I liked Mr. Shaykes who is always wanting a piece of something historical to make him rich. It was such a clever and really entertaining book.
The books adventure was focused on BM losing its toy dog and they had to blip through multiple places in time all to do with art, so they could stop BM exploding boredom everywhere. It was a hilarious storyline and added some tenseness to it too, with the threat of what could happen.
I really enjoyed going on this adventure and discovery with Sunil and Alex. Sunil who had an art project of his own, got the chance to learn about art and meet the artist up close, which I thought was a really great way of introducing all the various types of art and artists over many different periods of time.
I loved that as we moved to a different place in time we got to learn so much extra information, however I did find that it was distracting the way it was done. Simply as it takes you out of the story to read the facts and then go back into the story after. I personally prefer a fact file at the end of the story, that way you can enjoy the adventure and then learn everything else about the events and people after.
I really liked this book, it’s a great way to learn some interesting history, it’s fun getting to go on a time travel adventure. It’s full of information and I think young readers are going to really love this series. ...more
Thank you so much to Arcturus Publishing and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
Daisy Doolittle can talk to animals, just like her ancestors.Thank you so much to Arcturus Publishing and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
Daisy Doolittle can talk to animals, just like her ancestors. She’s on a fancy trip in Australia with her movie star mother. But things on set aren’t going to plan, things keep getting sabotaged. With help from her new animals friends Daisy is determined to solve the mystery and save the movie.
What an amazing and fun adventure this was, I really enjoyed reading it. It was so much fun mixing a movie set, with the animals and all the drama and mystery going on. Daisy was a great protagonist she was so patient and kind with the animals, she was great at being a detective trying to solve things but also not drawing any attention to herself whilst she did it. She was really likeable and very sweet, which is really wonderful.
The mystery itself was so much fun, it wasn’t obvious, but it was wonderful reading as new things were found out and trying to piece it all together. I liked how it was solved and all was revealed. You constantly are left wondering which character did it and why they did it, so I liked how it unfolded a little at a time.
The book had great illustrations, I adored seeing all the pictures especially when Cuddles was in them, he was the cutest Koala and always made the scenes better. What wonderful addition to the story he was, readers will just adore him so much. Also let’s mod to cute Milo too, who popped up out of Daisy’s pocket regularly.
I really enjoyed this book it had so many fun enticing features to it, from a mystery to solve, to cute and funny animals and a girl that can talk to them, to a movie set and movie stars, to a great adventure in Australia. This is a great book for young readers and I know they’ll really enjoy this series. ...more
Thank you so much to Familius and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
What a creative book, a wonderful and very unique Christmas book. It folThank you so much to Familius and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
What a creative book, a wonderful and very unique Christmas book. It follows 12 elves as they go place to place around the world and help them save Christmas with their celebration’s for the holiday season.
I really enjoyed the illustrations through this book, seeing a glimpse at each of the events, seeing all the elves doing different things to help and also seeing an elf with the flag of where they were on each page was so precious, I loved spitting what the various elves were up too.
This book was written in a wonderfully lyrical way, it was highly educational but in a fun and simple way. It’s a very different type of holiday book but it it’s a great way to share what different cultures around the world do for Christmas or a holiday similar, the things they do to prepare. The back provides a little bit more Informatiom too which is always nice to see.
A very adorable Christmas book on elves helping out in a way you’ve never read before. A really whimsical and fun book for during the holiday season, children will have lots of fun with this books, and they’ll live looking through all the illustrations too....more
Thank you so much to Gemini Books and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
This was hilarious and I loved every second of it. A girl declares hThank you so much to Gemini Books and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
This was hilarious and I loved every second of it. A girl declares her Christmas is all pink, and as people around her say Christmas is a different colour she shares with them exactly what her Christmas looks like and it’s pink.
What a unique, highly clever and creative Christmas book. Who says Christmas has to be one of the traditional colours? I loved so much that as we explored all the areas of Christmas we see how she made everything pink, each second guess from a friend and she corrects them in her way.
This was a perfect Christmas read, it made me laugh so much, it’s so much fun, seeing everything go from tame Christmassy shades to overly bright shocking pink was just hilarious and her families faces each time made it even funnier.
The illustrations were the biggest highlight in the book seeing literally everything in a traditional tone and then to the brightest pink imaginable, I adored every little bit of this book. It would be such a fun read over the holidays with your children so I highly recommend it, it’s so hilarious and fun....more
Thank you so much to Piccadilly Press/Bonnier Books and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
Luna and her family are moving to earth from theirThank you so much to Piccadilly Press/Bonnier Books and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
Luna and her family are moving to earth from their planet Starbright, things in earth are very different and on the first day there they must learn to fit in. Luna struggles with her first day of school, so anxious she’ll do something wrong and ruin the trip for her family.
This was absolutely adorable, I really enjoyed reading it and the illustrations throughout were super precious and wonderful to look at, with the small spatters of colour that appeared on them. So cute and seeing her colour hair changed added so much to seeing her abilities.
I loved learning about Luna’s abilities, what her parents can do. It was so sweet that her hair changed colours as her feelings and emotions changed. I liked that whilst at school that was one of the things that the other students liked about her. Though she was scared to be herself at school, she could be no one else and soon found she made some great friends because of that.
This is a really sweet book, it’s a really fun read. If you have an Isadora Moon fan in your life they will absolutely adore the book, it’s very similar in its style and is so magical and fun to read. I enjoyed it very much and look forward to reading more in the series. ...more
Thank you so much to Barrington Stoke and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
Ellie wakes up one day and is so overcome with anxiety she cannoThank you so much to Barrington Stoke and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
Ellie wakes up one day and is so overcome with anxiety she cannot go school, her anxiety keeps growing and growing, making life difficult for her and her family, and she’s missing everything at school. She wants to go back, but how she can she doesn’t know.
This was really well done, anxiety is such a horrible thing, it’s so overwhelming and can appear out of nowhere. It’s not something the recipient wants to have happen or to be feeling at all. This book really helped to explain it, to let the reader understand what it is, how I happens and what it can cause. Ellie has to go through and miss so much she wants to be part of within the book, she misses her friends, she misses learning and being top of her class. With guidance from professionals she uses her art to start expressing herself and hoping to find a way to get back to her regular life.
I really liked the way everything was shown and depicted, it was delicately done but very detailed. It shared what resources are available for children struggling with this and how to get them to find ways to battle against the struggles and the anxiety. This is a wonderful book for young readers, so many go through similar struggles and don’t know how to express what they are feeling, this book is one way they can figure out how.
I personally related to Ellie reading this, I actually struggled a lot with this when I was at a school, though I would be always going home through the day as I couldn’t cope anymore. Anxiety really affects you, makes your school work suffer, makes you start declining mentally in other ways. I didn’t have anything like this to help me, I actually didn’t have anything to help me in anyway to get through it, it would have been nice having books on mental health like this, so I’m really happy for young readers today that get these books to help them. ...more