Perfect Picture Book Friday! The Deductive Detective By Brian Rock

3 May

Susanna Leonard Hill has a feature on her blog called Perfect Picture Book Friday. It is a list of “perfect” picture books recommended by all sorts of people. I chose this book because I love mysteries and this is a great book for younger kids to get into mysteries and learn how to subtract.

deductiveThe Deductive Detective

By Brian Rock

Illustrated by Sherry Rogers

32 pages – ages 4+

Published Sylvan Dell Publishing on March 5, 2013

Theme/Topic – Math/reasoning

Opening and Synopsis – 

“Duck, the deductive detective, was sitting at his desk when the phone rang with an urgent message: Someone stole one of the cakes from the cake contest!
Detective Duck is on the case!”

Detective Duck was called upon to “quack” the case of the stolen cake! There are 13 contestants, but Fox obviously didn’t steal her own cake, so that leaves 12 suspects! Duck uses deductive reasoning to eliminate the suspects one by one, until there is only one left…

Why I liked this book – I love mysteries. I like finding the clues myself. This is a great way to get young kids into mysteries. I also like that Duck uses math to find out how many suspects are left (ex: 12 suspects – 1 mouse = 11 suspects). The illustrations are very well done and “cartoon-y” and have some “hidden humor” in them, so older kids will like that. It’s nice to find a book that makes math and reasoning fun. The puns and cute jokes are also a favorite for me (like the mouse wouldn’t steal the cake because she only likes cheesecake ;) ). I think kids 4+ would love this book!

Activities and Resources -

I didn’t have to search too long for activities to go along with this book because there are two pages of suggested activities right in the book! There is a compare/contrast activity and a deductive reasoning activity. There are also more activity suggestions at the publisher’s website (click HERE).

To find more Perfect Picture Books please visit Susanna Hill’s blog  HERE!

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Dreamwalkers Part One By D.M. Andrews

1 May

dreamwalkerDreamwalkers Part One

By D.M. Andrews

41 Pages  – Ages 12+

Published in 2013 by D.M. Andrews (ebook)

Cal (age 17) liked to dream because it took him away from this world into a world where he wasn’t bullied. Cal didn’t know what to do when he learned that a girl from his dreams, Ash, is real! He hadn’t seen Ash in real-life before the day she joined his school (and sat next to him in English Literature class). Later he realized that they could “meet” in their dreams (and that if they get hurt in their sleep, they wake with a pain in our world). Cal and Ash together learn that they aren’t in control of “their” dream, and they want to find out who dreamed this place up. The problem is, the people who ARE in control (or under the control of the Guy In Control) are out to stop them!

This was a great YA novella (also good for middle graders)! I like the idea of the “Dreamframe” (as Cal calls it). It is a cool (and a bit scary) idea. It was a great first book in the series and I am anxious to read the next. There is no foul language or over-the-top violence, though Cal is bullied. I like Ash. She was a nice character. I also like Cal. He sounds a lot like me. He prefers books to almost anything else. ;) Mr. Andrews’ writing style is great. I like how the plots in his books are interesting and exciting. His descriptions of the worlds he creates for his characters really let you see what they are seeing. I think kids 12+ would like this novella.

I give “Dreamwalkers” 5 out of 5 bookworms.fivebooks

To learn more about Mr. Andrews, please visit his website by clicking HERE. Visit his facebook page HERE.

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All Hallows Eve Vs. Fantômas Books 1 and 2 by David Eveleigh

29 Apr

allhallowsevefantomAll Hallows Eve Vs. Fantômas Book I: The Spectre Of Crime

By David Eveleigh

Published: Oct. 22, 2012

Words: 10,525 – ages 9+

All Hallows Eve is a comic book super-heroine that I love reading about (check out my review of All Hallows Eve HERE and All Hallows Eve Face the Music HERE).  The books in the Fantômas series are written like a serial adventure, so you have to wait for the next book to continue the story. The books are actually novellas, not typical comic books, but they are packed with lots of comic book action. I am reviewing the first two in the series, because that’s all there is so far.

In All Hallows Eve Vs. Fantômas: The Spectre of Crime, Eve was being attacked by a tough voodoo doll-like villain named Zepingles, only to learn it was a diversion after she defeated it. When Eve got to the scene of the true crime she finds out that  the evil Fantômas has attacked Professor Steiner to get blueprints for a special machine that Fantômas wants for evil purposes. Fantômas is the legendary super-villain who always wins. Eve has never been up against such a powerful enemy!

**Just a cool note – the character Fantômas was a very popular French comic book super villain from back in the early 1900s and Mr. Eveleigh brought him back. :)

English: A poster for the first Fantomas film,...

English: A poster for the first Fantomas film, Fantômas (1913) by Louis Feuillade, produced by Gaumont studios. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

allhallowsevefantom2All Hallows Eve Vs. Fantomas Book II: The Woman In White

By David Eveleigh

Published: Feb. 08, 2013

Words: 17,581 – ages 9+

When Eve and her best friend Samantha take a young girl (the granddaughter of Professor Steiner) Trick-or-Treating, they visit a house. Well, not just any house but THE BEST  place for a Trick-or-Treater to go to on Halloween! Mrs. Calderon A.K.A. Mrs. Cauldron goes over-the-top every year for Halloween!!! When the friends get there, THEY are the ones tricked, not treated! Fantômas shows up at that house and what’s worse, the kids find out Mrs. Cauldron isn’t the real Mrs. Cauldron! The real Mrs. Cauldron is being held captive by Fantômas. The imposter hypnotized the kids so that they couldn’t open their eyes or move a muscle.  That isn’t even the surprise! The surprise is… Mrs. Calderon, A.K.A. Mrs. Cauldron, A.K.A. the Woman In White is literally Eve’s evil twin! AND, the adventure isn’t over yet!!!

I think Eve is an awesome superhero. It’s cool that she’s a teen-girl superhero because there aren’t a lot of them (the Cassidy Jones series is another one of my favorite series with a teen-girl superhero). The series is written well for kids because there’s no bad language and the violence in it is comic book style and mild. The action described in the stories is exciting and the plot is also exciting and unpredictable (I never saw the evil twin sister thing coming!). I like that in book 2 of the series Mr. Eveleigh has a strong message about saying no to drugs and how bad drugs are. It is a good message for kids.  The fact that the books are pretty short and very exciting makes them great for kids who may be reluctant readers.

Five out of five book worms for the All Hallows Eve Vs. Fantômas series! fivebooks

You can find the All Hallows Eve books at Barnes and Noble (HERE) and Smashwords (HERE).

Check out what Eve thinks of me: ;)

For Erik

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Perfect Picture Book Friday! Clever little Hermes by Wes Sturdevant

26 Apr

Susanna Leonard Hill has a feature on her blog called Perfect Picture Book Friday. It is a list of “perfect” picture books recommended by all sorts of people. I chose this book because I love the illustrations and I am a fan of mythology!

hermesClever Little Hermes

By Wes Sturdevant

Illustrated by Maza Vicanovic and Ozren Mizdalo

28 pages – ages 5+

Published by Story and Media, LLC on October 2, 2012

Theme/Topic – Mythology/ being responsible / math

Opening and Synopsis – Taken from the back cover -

“A fresh and fun retelling of the classic Greek myth about how a very young Hermes uses his wits (and some basic arithmetic) to pull a very clever prank on his older brother, Apollo.

Hermes soon realizes that pranks, no matter how clever, can have unexpected consequences, and he learns a lesson about taking responsibility for his behavior.”

Why I liked this book –First of all – I love this tale from mythology. It is one of my favorites, and I like that it has been re-told for a younger audience! I like that it teaches a bit of math (multiplication) using cows and the number of legs there are. The illustrations are beautiful and the characters are cute. The moral of the story, being responsible for your behavior, is very good and important for young people. :D

Activities and Resources -

I tried to find a cow parts multiplication activity sheet and couldn’t so I asked for the help of my little sister Josie and we came up with our own. Josie did the artwork and I made the questions.

img043

I really enjoy the red lipstick and pink earrings Josie added to the cow she drew. ;) You can download the activity sheet as a pdf HERE.

To find more Perfect Picture Books please visit Susanna Hill’s blog  HERE!

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Creative Kid Thursday! Meet Kid Author Emma Wosje!

25 Apr

Today’s Creative Kid has a ton of talent! Meet Emma Wosje, author and illustrator of the book “Red the Cardinal.”

Emma2Red the Cardinal

Red the Cardinal

By Emma Wosje

Published on Lulu.com by Emma Wosje on January 31, 2013

24 pages – ages 5+

Red the Cardinal has a great message that kids and adults will love (and the cover art is awesome)!

The mean Mr. Oris, a horned owl, keeps stealing Red the cardinal’s food. Red is upset, and takes his frustrations out by makes things hard for a couple of house finches nearby. Red learns that just because YOU are bullied, doesn’t mean that you can bully others!

Emma was nice enough to answer some questions about herself!

mr90043940713.jpg How old are you and in what grade?

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Emma2

I am in 5th grade and I am 11 years old.

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mr90043940713.jpg HEY! Me too! Which do you like better, writing or illustrating?

Emma2

I love illustrating a little bit more than writing, because it has been easier for me to express myself and my feelings with visual art more than with writing. Writing is something that I am still learning to master and I am enjoying it very much! I have been doing visual artwork for quite awhile — in a pretty serious way, but I didn’t start to really get serious about writing until this year. For fun, my mom contacted a teacher to tutor me in writing and, I think, that has helped me to figure out how to express myself and my feelings in my writing.

red2 (2)

mr90043940713.jpg Well, you sure are good at both! What do you want to be when you grow up?

Emma2

I want to be an illustrator and an author of books about fun adventures and fantasy. If not an illustrator, I also love doing lots of different kinds of art. My favorites are sketching and 3 dimensional art. For 3-D art I especially like reusing recyclable items and using fabrics or clay to make my final pieces.

red2 (1)

mr90043940713.jpgBesides writing and drawing what else do you like to do?

Emma2

I love to read and go outside with my friends, family, and my dog, Duke. I also like to play many sports including lacrosse, field hockey, and running. I am hoping to be able to play lacrosse or field hockey when I grow up too.

mr90043940713.jpgHow did you get the idea for your book and to self-publish it?

Emma2

I was given this project in school to write and illustrate a book that had a moral as part of the story. The idea of bullying as the moral immediately came to me. After I wrote the book, my mom helped me create the published version of it. When it arrived in the mail in its published format, I decided it could be much more than just a school project. My mom and I decided we wanted to raise money for one of our favorite charities, Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation, and so I have been selling it and giving 50 percent of the proceeds to Lost Dog. That has been my favorite part — helping the dogs and cats find homes.

mr90043940713.jpg

I think it is totally AWESOME that you donate part of your profits to such a good cause! Thanks Emma!

Here is some more fabulous artwork by Emma.

red3 (2)

red4 (1)

Find Emma’s book on Lulu.com by clicking HERE. Find it on iTunes HERE. Follow Emma on twitter @RedtheCardinal !

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Robbie Knightley (Hat City Middle School Series – book 2) by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

24 Apr

robbieknightRobbie Knightley (Hat City Middle School Series – Book 2)

By Lauren Baratz-Logsted

127 pages – ages 9+

Published Hat City Press on December 9, 2012

Robbie Knightly is confused when he hears his parents say that he has “something missing.” He knows he’s always been kind of a trouble-maker (not on purpose, but it just follows him). He starts to wonder if he is “normal,” so he starts to try to act “normal” or what he thinks normal should be. He keeps quiet and tries avoiding people so he doesn’t cause trouble. Robbie attempts to miss his school field trip because he didn’t want the other kids to think he’s not “normal” either. Sadly, his plan to get out of the trip backfires and he has to go on the trip, where it turns out that Robbie is needed most of all…

This was a good sequel to the first book in the series. I think it deals with a topic a lot of kids think about – not fitting in or feeling weird about yourself. I also like that it has a kid trying to be “normal”, when NO ONE really is “normal”. ;) This book takes off right after book 1 (read my review of book 1 in the series HERE) and has the same great characters. I think the characters in the book are very realistic and the story was very good. The story line was good too. I think kids 9+ would like this book!

I give Robbie Knightley five out of five bookworms!fivebooks

To learn more about Ms. Baratz-Logsted and her other books, please visit her website by clicking HERE.

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Happy Earth Day! Zombie-Kids Go Green by Julia Dweck

22 Apr

Happy Earth Day!!!

Today after school, my family and I are going to go for a walk on our road and clean up all the litter along the sides. How are you spending Earth Day?

I know every time I think of Earth Day, I think of ZOMBIES! Okay, not really, but it seems that zombies, vampires and other monsters are very popular lately and Julia Dweck wrote a very clever book that combines zombies and caring for the Earth that is sure to get kid’s interest!

zombiekidsZombie-Kids Go Green (KiteReaders Monster Series)

By Julia Dweck

Illustrated by Mark Draisey

20 pages – ages 6+

Published by KiteReaders on February 21, 2013

Have you ever wondered what Zombies did at night? (Just F.Y.I. – I don’t. I don’t think about Zombies and what they do. Especially at night.) Would you think of them sneaking into your house to shut off a dripping faucet? Or battling Energy Vampires in your home? Planting trees? Picking up trash? Apparently Zombies are very Eco-friendly  because they do all this – and more!

I am not a fan of Zombies, Vampires, Werewolves, etc. I actually stay away from books and movies with monsters in them (unless it’s like Abbott and Costello meet the Mummy). I also do know a lot of kid/adults are really into monsters and when I heard about Ms. Dweck’s book I was wondering how you combine Zombies and a green message so I thought I’d give it a try. After reading the book, I think kids will really love this book and adults will love the message! Why?  Because the whole idea of Zombies caring for the Earth is hilarious! I also love the illustrations.  They really add to the story. I like that the author mixes a popular culture thing (Zombies) with a message about caring for the Earth! I think kids 6+ would really love this book!

Five out of five bookworms for the Eco-friendly Zombie message in Zombie-Kids Go Green! fivebooks

As a bonus, you can get the ebook version FREE today! Click HERE!

Check out the trailer.


To learn more about Ms. Dweck and the great books she writes, visit her website HERE and her facebook page HERE.ZKG Image

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Perfect Picture Book Friday! Emeraldalicious By Victoria Kann

19 Apr

Susanna Leonard Hill has a feature on her blog called Perfect Picture Book Friday. It is a list of “perfect” picture books recommended by all sorts of people. I chose this book because Earth Day is on Monday, and this is a great book to teach a greenerific lesson with!

emeradiciousEmeraldalicious

By Victoria Kann

40 pages – ages 4 – 8

Published by HarperCollins on January 29, 2013

Theme/Topic – Environment/ Recycling

Opening and Synopsis – Taken from the inside jacket -

“When Pinkalicious and Peter decide to visit their favorite park, they find that it’s no longer their favorite place – the park is now filled with stinky trash! So Pinkalicious decides to make an extra-special wand out of flowers. Now whenever Pinkalicious makes a wish, adds a little love and recites a pinkatastic rhyme, something amazing happens: It’s pinkerrific magic!”

Why I liked this book –  This is an awesome book for Earth Day! It gives the message; care for your environment and recycle! The illustrations are fabulous as with all of Ms. Kann’s books. I really like Pinkalicious’ cape, wand, and tiara that were made from flowers and plants. I really like how the story shows that you can re-use some of the “junk” lying around and make it into something great. I think everyone should do more of that. I think kids (girls AND boys – remember, Peter is there too!) 4+ would really like this book!

Activities and Resources -

Go out to your favorite park, and clean up any trash you see, so that park doesn’t become as bad as the park in the one in the book!

Cub Pack 16, From the Harvey Scott Grade Schoo...

Cub Pack 16, From the Harvey Scott Grade School in Portland Cleaning Up Beach Litter at Sauvie Island on the Columbia River 04/1973 (Photo credit: The U.S. National Archives)

Re-use, Reduce, and Recycle! Talk about the 3 R’s with your child. Maybe do some of them too?

Crystal earth recycle icon

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

To find more Perfect Picture Books please visit Susanna Hill’s blog  HERE!

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Chase Tinker & The House of Magic By Malia Ann Haberman

17 Apr

chasetinkerChase Tinker & The House of Magic – The Chase Tinker Series Book 1

By Malia Ann Haberman

261 pages – ages 8+

Published by Crossroad Press; Crossroad Press Digital Edition edition  on August 13, 2012 (ebook reviewed)

Things have been pretty crazy since Chase’s dad went missing a year ago. To make things worse, Chase Tinker doesn’t know why he and his brother have strange powers. Chase can move objects with his mind, and Andy can make objects stop moving or make them freeze in time. When their supposedly dead grandfather suddenly appears, the boys are a bit confused (as you can imagine). Their grandfather asks the boys to spend the summer with him so that they can learn to control their powers. Chase learns that the members of the Tinker family have magic powers given to them by a special Relic that is in the attic of his grandfather’s house. Things go from strange to worse because Chase also learns there is someone/thing out to steal the relic and the Tinker magic!

This was an awesome story! The action was exciting. The story idea is fun. I really liked the description of the Tinker house (the house the boys go to stay with their grandfather in). Ms. Haberman’s writing style is great for middle-grade and young advanced readers. I thought Chase was a great main character, and I enjoyed reading about him. The story was a quick read for me and I liked it so much, I would have liked the story to be a bit longer. I would have loved to know more about the Tinker house and the Marlowe family (the bad guys). This is only because I liked it so much, not because the story wasn’t told all the way. There was one instance of “What the h***”?” which in a book meant for young kids, it shouldn’t be there.

I went back and forth between four and five bookworms on this one (I don’t do halves – that would just be mean to cut a worm in half – which is just mean and you also cut the book in half :( ).  For my reading level, I want more in the story but I think it’s a five bookworm book for the age it is written for. So five it is! fivebooks

To learn more about Ms. Haberman, please visit her website by clicking HERE.

Ms. Haberman is also hosting a Chase Tinker give-away on GoodReads (click HERE) until April 18!

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15838908-chase-tinker-and-the-house-of-magic#other_reviews

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It’s Weird to Grow a Beard! By Neal Fox

15 Apr

Happy Monday!

On Saturday our family went to the races. This is what I did -

???????????????????????????????

BUT – THIS is what my little sister Josie did -

???????????????????????????????

Yup, that’s right! Josie is officially a racer. It was her fist race. I think that’s pretty cool! She wrote a post about it on her blog (click HERE) please check it out. I am very proud of her!

Now on to the review for today!

April is national poetry month and I have a great poetry book kids will love to tell you about!
nationalpoetrymonth
weirdtogrowIt’s Weird to Grow a Beard!

By Neal Fox

60 pages – ages 4+

Published by CreateSpace on January 21, 2013 (ebook reviewed)

“It’s Weird to Grow a Beard” is full of a variety of funny poems about all kinds of things! From growing a weird beard, to a sandwich miles high, to a cat who swallowed a frog, this book has one silly poem after the next!

I enjoyed the poems in this book. The poems were very funny and unique!  The book had a lot of illustrations too. The illustrations were also funny and went really well with the poems! I think any kid would enjoy the poems in the book. There’s one word in the book that parents may object too (it starts with c and rhymes with happy), but I also know that some families/cultures don’t think that word is impolite. The poems are fun, and the rhymes flow well and I LOVE the silliness! I think silly poems are a great way of getting kids into reading poetry and the poems in this book are right for that!

I give this book 5 out of 5 book worms.fivebooks

To learn more about Mr. Fox, please visit his website by clicking HERE.

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