Category Archives: Book Review and Content

Review: Heartless by Marissa Meyer

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Heartless by Marissa Meyer

Heartless
Marissa Meyer
Feiwel & Friends
Published November 8, 2016

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About Heartless

Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland, and a favorite of the unmarried King of Hearts, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, all she wants is to open a shop with her best friend. But according to her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for the young woman who could be the next queen.

Then Cath meets Jest, the handsome and mysterious court joker. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the king and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into an intense, secret courtship. Cath is determined to define her own destiny and fall in love on her terms. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.

Long before she was the terror of Wonderland—the infamous Queen of Hearts—she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love.

My Review

A couple people I know LOVE this book, but I’ve put off reading it for a long time, in part because I knew it would be sad. And it absolutely is a sad story.

But it’s also packed with amazing characters and loads of whimsy and hope for impossible things, and I so loved every moment of that. I loved Cath’s passion for baking and her inspiration with varying flavors, and the dreams that spawned lemon trees and roses in her room. The tea party and the ball and the ridiculous king and his court. Hatta and Haigha. Jest and Cath. There’s just so much to love.

So… yep. I’m a huge fan, even despite the fact that it’s a terrible time to read a sad book. The journey through the story was so much fun and so beautifully done that I would read it all over again.

If you liked CINDER, in that you liked a reimagined fairy tale world with vibrant characters and soaring adventure, I definitely recommend HEARTLESS.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
One brief reference to a man being in love with another man.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
Some magic. Three sisters guard a well with healing powers and issue prophesies about the future.

Violent Content
Some situations of peril. A fierce monster attacks at a party. References to a war in the kingdom of Chess. Two characters are beheaded with an ax. (It’s not graphically described in either instance.)

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog.

Review: The Metric System by David Adler

Book Review and Content, Nonfiction, , , , , ,

The Metric System
David Adler
Holiday House
Published November 3, 2020

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About The Metric System

Think metric! A fun illustrated primer on the internationally recognized metric system for kids.

Used in almost every country in the world, the metric system is an easy-to-use way of calculating length, distance, weight, and volume. Look at the label of a soft drink. You’ll see both ounces and milliliters or gallons and liters listed. For kids who love to interact with their environment and measure and build things, knowledge of the metric system is a must.

Filled with do-it-yourself activities, bright illustrations, and valuable kid-friendly information on how to convert inches into centimeters, pounds into kilograms, and much more, this latest from trusted STEM creators David A. Adler and Edward Miller will have kids thinking in metric in no time. Each book includes a ruler with metric and imperial measurements that can be cut out from the jacket flaps.

David A. Adler and Edward Miller have collaborated on over 10 math books for children, many of which have received praise from educators and starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews and School Library Journal.

My Review

This is a cute, straightforward book that briefly discusses the history of the metric system and how different types of quantities are measured with the system. The Metric System shows weight, liquid measurements and length or distance measurements as well as how to convert to and from feet, miles, pounds, or ounces into Metric measurements.

It’s a super quick read, and the text encourages kids to follow directions to make a ruler and a box to practice measurements and better understand the concepts. It seems like a great pick to have in a classroom library for a teacher or homeschool family.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 10.

Representation
Characters pictured include a brown-skinned girl and white boy.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of The Metric System in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support running this blog.

Review: Resist! Peaceful Acts that Changed Our World by Diane Stanley

Book Review and Content, Middle Grade 8-12, Nonfiction, , , , , , ,

RESIST! Peaceful Acts that Changed Our World
Diane Stanley
Neal Porter Books
Published September 1, 2020

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About RESIST! Peaceful Acts that Changed Our World

From music to marches, from sit-ins to walk-outs, history’s activists have led by example until they could no longer be ignored.

Aspiring activists the world over will take inspiration from Resist!, a collection of 21 brief but comprehensive essays, accompanied by striking artwork and rich supplementary material by Diane Stanley, about men and women who have used peaceful resistance and non-violent protests to make their voices heard. Today, a new wave of activists is emerging, and their efforts are more urgent than ever.

Featured figures include: Harriet Tubman, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Woody Guthrie, Mohandas Gandhi, Irena Sendler, The Hollywood Ten, Claudette Colvin and Rosa Parks, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, The Greensboro Lunch Counter Sit-in protestors, Martin Luther King, Jr., Larry Itliong, Doloras Huerta, Cesar Chavez, Richard Oakes, The Tree-Sitters of Pureora, Father Luis Olivares, Tank Man, Nelson Mandela, Ryan White, Ai Weiwei, the “It Gets Better” Project, The March For Our Lives protestors, and Greta Thunberg.

Diane Stanley, award-winning author and illustrator of many distinctive informational books for young people writes with passion and conviction of the world’s greatest activists, past and present, in this book which is as hopeful as it is inspiring.

My Review

I think the idea for this book is a really great one. I have a slightly similar book, meant for younger readers, called She Persisted, which briefly tells the story of 13 amazing women, so I was excited to read this book and hopefully add it to my library.

The selection of people and groups the book focuses on are really great. It covers a wide, diverse group of people, and I love that. Some of the people highlighted are obvious choices (Nelson Mandela and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, for instance). But I enjoyed reading the stories of protesters I hadn’t heard of before (Father Luis Olivares and Ryan White for example), and finding that perhaps lesser known people I looked up to (like Irena Sendler and Greta Thunberg) also included.

On the other hand, I occasionally felt like the stories either soft-pedaled or sometimes ignored some important context or information about the people in focus. I realize this is for kids, and the biographies are short, so not everything can be mentioned, but it felt like there were a few times that certain things were left out or phrased a certain way that felt a bit misleading.

For instance, in the biography of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, one of the things that isn’t acknowledged is the tension between the women’s movement and abolitionists and activists working to secure rights for Black men and women. Late in Stanton’s life, she partnered with an unabashed racist, traveling with him and allowing him to finance her platform. She is a hero in her fight for women’s suffrage, but I feel like it’s important to acknowledge that some of her actions alienated and potentially brought harm to others. (The book VOTE!: Women’s Fight for Access to the Ballot Box by Coral Celeste Frazer has great information about the fight for women’s suffrage and includes some great biographical information about critical voices in the movement as well as how the movement has progressed since then.)

I thought it was great that the book included the story about Richard Oakes and the occupation of Alcatraz, but I wish that the conclusion had been more specific. It says that the protest caused the US Government to issue policies more sensitive to indigenous needs and values, and I would have liked to see some examples of those more sensitive policies.

In the biography of Rosa Parks, the text says that she refused to give up her seat because she was tired. This actually isn’t true. Parks had been a lifelong activist, and in fact, in her biography, explains that the only thing she was tired of was the oppression of her people. (If you want to learn more, I recommend Rosa Parks’ autobiography, and this TedTalk by David Ikard.)

On the whole, I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, I love the idea and the list of people featured in the book. I think it’s best enjoyed alongside other books that bring a more complete historical context and understanding of some of the people celebrated.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 to 14.

Representation
This book presents biographies on a diverse group of people, from Gandhi to Rosa Parks, to Richard Oakes, to Ai Weiwei.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Some of the biographies mention the faith of the person and how it motivated them.

Violent Content
Reference to violent response to peaceful protestors, including pouring soda on them, spitting on them, or using fire hoses and dogs. Often protesters were arrested.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of RESIST! Peaceful Acts that Changed Our World in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support running this blog.


Review: Clifton Chase on Castle Rock by Jaimie Engle

Book Review and Content, Clean Fiction, Fantasy, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , , ,

Clifton Chase on Castle Rock (Clifton Chase Adventures #2)
Jaimie Engle
JME Books
Published November 24, 2020

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About Clifton Chase on Castle Rock

History tends to repeat itself…sorta.

Clifton Chase just wanted life to go back to “normal” again. But things were starting to happen. Two kids showed up at school that looked just like the princes from 1485, Clifton thought he was being followed, and then a hob thrush showed up in his closet and stole the Arrows of Light. Clifton wanted no part in this adventure. Until he learned that someone he knew was alive. Dane the dwarf, a teenager in the eleventh century. Could Clifton make things right by warning Dane of what was to come?

The second in the critically-acclaimed Clifton Chase Adventure Series full of danger, magic, love, and friendship.

My Review

It’s been a little while since I first read about Clifton Chase and his adventures with magical arrows, but I still remember how much fun the concept was– that a boy is transported to a moment in history less commonly visited and has a chance to be a part of critical events. He makes life-changing friendships and learns a lot about courage.

So with all that in mind, I was pretty excited when I heard that Jaimie Engle was planning to release a sequel. She has talked about it as a possibility for years, so it was really exciting to see it become a reality.

I liked that though the story visits Robin Hood’s time and introduces some familiar characters from that story, the tale stays focused on Clifton. He faces lots of challenges and has to navigate difficult circumstances. One example is that he meets a younger version of Dane, his friend and mentor from CLIFTON CHASE AND THE ARROWS OF LIGHT, and desperately wants to warn him about something that happened to him at the end of the first book.

I think my favorite moment in the story is when Clifton decides to get Dane’s attention by trying to leap on him and pin him down, the way Dane did to him in the first book. It doesn’t quite work out the way Clifton planned, which felt so true to their relationship.

All in all, I thought this was a fun adventure story about courage and friendship.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Most characters are white or not described.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Some obvious attraction between two older characters.

Spiritual Content
Clifton meets a Siren and depends on wisdom from Simurgh, a bird who once nested in the Tree of Knowledge.

Violent Content
Some brief battle scenes, no graphic violence. Brief mentions of death by hanging.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of CLIFTON CHASE ON CASTLE ROCK in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog.

Review: Roger Tarkington and the Magic Calendar by I. M. Maynard

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Middle Grade 8-12, Sci-Fi, , , , , , ,

Roger Tarkington and the Magic Calendar: The Quest for Middle School Greatness
I. M. Maynard
Taft Publishing
Published March 9, 2019

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About Roger Tarkington and the Magic Calendar

Meet Roger Tarkington.

The almost 11-year-old has a plan for middle school greatness. A perfect plan that—lasts for all of about five minutes. 286 seconds, to be exact.

It’s all ruined when Kyle-the-Vile Brossman appears unexpectedly on the first day of school. Making matters worse, Kyle pledges to make Roger’s year miserable, just like he did at Bellingware Elementary School.

Roger’s unlucky start to sixth grade turns magical when his calendar turns into a time travel portal that allows him to repeat days. Influenced by his Middle School Greatness Tip #31 (Don’t wait for it to happen, make it happen), Roger devises a new plan to use his magic calendar to beat Kyle, clearing his path to middle school greatness.

Foolproof plan for middle school success, right? Maybe in real life, but remember, this is middle school!

Will Roger succeed in using his magic calendar to standout at Jefferson Middle School and achieve middle school greatness? Or will he fall under the constant attacks from Kyle and the unexpected, everyday obstacles of middle school?

My Review

This is such a silly story– it’s a lot of fun to read. It does tackle the issue of bullying, showing Roger repeatedly picked on by his nemesis, Kyle. Mostly, though he seems frustrated and discouraged at times, Roger seems to bounce back and stay focused on his quest to gain popularity or notoriety in school.

In service of that quest, he does some selfish things to his best friend, and I wish that he had confronted those choices a little more fully. He does feel bad for letting her down, but doesn’t really seem to totally realize that he is living his life focused on achieving some kind of greatness and sort of assuming his best friend will be there to assist him whenever he needs her.

Other than that, though, it’s an upbeat story. I think fans of MY LIFE AS A POTATO by Arianne Costner will enjoy this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Most characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
A calendar gives Roger the ability to time travel to the date or event he’s touching on the calendar.

Violent Content
Some instances of bullying, including trapping someone in a locker.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of ROGER TARKINGTON AND THE MAGIC CALENDAR in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog.

Review: The Camelot Betrayal by Kiersten White

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , ,

The Camelot Betrayal (Camelot Rising #2)
Kiersten White
Delacorte Press
Published November 10, 2020

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

About The Camelot Betrayal

EVERYTHING IS AS IT SHOULD BE IN CAMELOT: King Arthur is expanding his kingdom’s influence with Queen Guinevere at his side. Yet every night, dreams of darkness and unknowable power plague her.

Guinevere might have accepted her role, but she still cannot find a place for herself in all of it. The closer she gets to Brangien, pining for her lost love Isolde, Lancelot, fighting to prove her worth as Queen’s knight, and Arthur, everything to everyone and thus never quite enough for Guinevere–the more she realizes how empty she is. She has no sense of who she truly was before she was Guinevere. The more she tries to claim herself as queen, the more she wonders if Mordred was right: she doesn’t belong. She never will.

When a rescue goes awry and results in the death of something precious, a devastated Guinevere returns to Camelot to find the greatest threat yet has arrived. Not in the form of the Dark Queen or an invading army, but in the form of the real Guinevere’s younger sister. Is her deception at an end? And who is she really deceiving–Camelot, or herself?

My Review

I love this series. I feel like I can’t say that enough. It has so many of the things I really needed it to have. There are strong women everywhere you turn. Camelot feels every bit as revolutionary and magical (but without actual magic) as it should be. Arthur is so very… Arthur.

There are good men. Like, really complex, interesting, well-written, captivating men, but they never steal the scene or the show from the women. These girls more than hold their own.

I love Guinevere– her questions about her past and her identity, her longing to be loved, her relationship with her maids and her knight. Her powerful magic. I love her so much.

Then there’s Lancelot. The decision to have a woman as Lancelot surprised me, but I’ve loved it. I love that she’s an amazing warrior and that she has every bit as much heart and passion as any other knight out there. I love the way the story explores whether it’s more right to treat her just like the men or for Guinevere to treat her in a different way. It’s not the focus of the story at all, so it doesn’t feel like a political question or preachy or anything. It simply feels like people trying to figure out how to get through the best way they can.

I feel like the only thing CAMELOT BETRAYAL lacked over the first book in the series was an over-arching plot or the drive toward a particular battle. Through the whole book, Guinevere is on the lookout for the Dark Queen’s next attack, but she sort of spends the actual story itself running around handling side quests. Figuring out how to handle her sister. How to reach and/or rescue Isolde. What to do about her feelings for Arthur and Mordred.

I guess all that to say that it definitely feels like a second book which sets up for a third and final battle kind of book. I loved all the conflicts and plots here, so I can’t complain. I’m only sad that I have to wait until next year to read the finale.

Definitely read the first book, THE GUINEVERE DECEPTION, first. There are a lot of characters in this one, and it’ll just make a lot more sense if you’ve read the first book and know how they all came to be allies or enemies.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Most characters are English/white. Two minor characters are lesbians.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used two times.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between man and woman. Reference to two women having an intimate relationship. Reference to sex as a means of consummating marriage and producing children.

Spiritual Content
Guinevere and other characters perform magic. Arthur’s kingdom is supposed to be a Christian kingdom, but there isn’t much celebration of or reference to faith shown.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Battle violence.

Drug Content
Characters drink wine socially.

Note: I received a free copy of THE CAMELOT BETRAYAL in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support running this blog.