Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy by Karen Foxlee

Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy by Karen Foxlee


KK's mom here, my daughter and I read this together and neither one of us really liked it. It's a Did Not Finish (DNF) for us both.

That being said, a lot of what I didn't care for was the author's voice.

My daughter was bored with it. She didn't want to read it after the first chapter. So I started to read to her, which we do every night after silent reading. Even that didn't entice her. Since neither of us enjoyed it, we decided to move on.

I'd like to say she's too young for this book, but she's enjoyed Julie Kagawa's Winter's Passage which is for an older audience. I'm not really sure why this didn't work for her, unless like me, the writing and author's voice didn't work for her.

In fact, she actually didn't feel comfortable writing a less-than-favorable review, which is why I am.

***ARC courtesy of Random House Children's via netgalley


View all my reviews

Bad Kitty Drawn to Trouble

Bad Kitty Drawn to Trouble by Nick Bruel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Today is World Literacy Day and I bought this book at my school Book Fair.

It's really funny because Kitty is hilarious. This time the author was in it. Nick Bruel got scratched up by Kitty. On my favorite page he's like AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!

Nick Bruel made Kitty fat, and made her eat turnips, and he was like "You have to eat a better diet, Kitty."

Then he wrote 3 stories about her that were fake and they were to show Kitty that she had to eat better. At the end of the book is a turnip recipe that says kids better have an adult supervising. Maybe because it'll explode? I don't know but my mom says we can cook a turnip with that recipe this week.

Dream Animals by Emily Winfield Martin

I like picture books. This one rhymes and the pictures are really pretty. It was nice to hear at bedtime.

***ARC courtesy of edelweiss and Random House

Nancy Drew

The first 4 Nancy Drew books will be released with new covers! Aren't they cool?

Scaredy Squirrel Prepares for Halloween by Melanie Watt

Scaredy Squirrel Prepares for Halloween: A Safety Guide for Scaredies by Mélanie Watt

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This book is probably for little kids who are scared of Halloween.  I didn’t like it a lot because it was too babyish. But maybe it could be for my baby sister when she goes trick-or-treating for her first time.

The pictures are really cute and it does give you information about trick-or-treating. Parts of it are funny like the toad stuck to the candy. I liked the party ideas too and I want to read Scaredy Squirrel Prepares for Christmas: A Safety Guide for Scaredies.

***ARC courtesy of Kids Can Pressvia netgalley.com




View all my reviews

The Big Bank Burglary by Kim Donovan

The Big Bank Burglary by Kim Donovan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the second in this middle grade series, and I enjoyed it as much as the first one. My 5 year old son had me read it out loud to him. He seemed to enjoy the silly things the best.

Our favorite villain-in-training is back, and Demon Kid is looking forward to ruling the school this year. But there's a new kid at school, Copycat, who seems to outshine him in everything. More than just Demon Kid’s cool factor is at risk. He may not get to go on the big bank heist that’s being planned at the school.

Can Demon Kid fix his reputation and enjoy his status as popular once again? Will he figure out just who this new kid really is? Add in the surprise twist at the end, and you’ll have quite the fun book on your hands.

The author has really found her voice and is hitting her stride. Both my kids enjoy this series, but my son seems to like it more. I’d say if you were to mash up the movies Sky High with Megamind, you’d have this series. A fun chapter book that will have you rooting for the villains :)

***review copy provided by the author


View all my reviews

Review: Heidi Heckelbeck Has a Secret by Wanda Coven

Blurb:
Heidi Heckelbeck seems like any other eight-year-old, but she has a secret: She’s a witch in disguise. Careful to keep her powers hidden (but excited to use them all the same), Heidi’s learning to live like any other kid—who just happens to be witch. And with easy-to-read language and illustrations on almost every page, Heidi Heckelbeck chapter books are perfect for beginning readers.

Heidi and her brother Henry have always been homeschooled—until now. But Heidi is not happy about attending Brewster Elementary, especially not when meanie Melanie Maplethorpe turns Heidi’s first day of school into a nightmare by announcing that Heidi is smelly and ruining her art project. Heidi feels horrible and never wants to go back to school—but while sulking in her room at home, she remembers her special medallion and Book of Spells. With a little bit of carefully concealed magic, Heidi might be able to give Melanie a taste of her own medicine….


A Review by KK:
This is a really good book for a chapter book. I read it all in one night. Heidi is a witch, but I didn't know she was a witch, and I thought my mom was making it up. But she really is a witch!

She had to keep it a secret and I think I really want to try the spell, but I don't have a medallion or the eye of a gingerbread man.

Heidi is homeschooled and when she has to go to a normal school she is scared and doesn't have any friends. She makes one friend, but there's a mean girl named Melanie who is really mean because Heidi is new to the school and Melanie is super mean. She had to go to the principal's office, she was so mean!

At the end, Heidi still doesn't like school or Melanie, but she has a nice friend named Lucy and her brother an mom try to help her like school too. And she says, "One thing is for sure, I'm not going to forget who I am. I'm HEIDI HECKELBECK, and I'm a witch!"

I like how there are a lot of pictures, and I like how the words are bigger. It makes it easier so you don't get lost in the book.

I think this is a good book for a second grader. It was a bit easy for me, but I like it a lot. I give it 500 stars, but my mom says I can only give it 5.