Category Archives: Book Review and Content

Review: The Monster of Marnmouth Valley by CJ Greene

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Middle Grade 8-12, , , ,
The Monster of Marnmouth Valley by CJ Greene

The Monster of Marnmouth Valley
CJ Greene
Published October 15, 2020

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

About The Monster of Marnmouth Valley

“Deep in the Kelna forest in the heart of Marnmouth Valley lies a fountain with extraordinary water. A creature discovered the fountain and began to drink the water. It has since found a way to ensure it is the only one that gets any of the water from the fountain. The less water that reaches the land, the more it dies. And if the valley dies, everyone in it will have to leave, or perish along with the land.”

Ellian Woodborough has dreamt of adventure all twelve years of her life and when the neighbouring Marnmouth Valley is threatened by a mysterious creature, she is given the chance to go on a real quest. The only issue? Ellian is given the role of the sidekick while the one fated to save the valley turns out to be 72-year-old Beth who would much rather stay at home and finish her knitting.

With Beth knowing nothing about adventures or fighting monsters and harbouring secrets even she is unaware of, Ellian soon finds her lifelong dream becoming a nightmare. Still, she must lead Beth along the treacherous path towards her destiny if they ever want to survive the forest and defeat the monster of Marnmouth Valley.

The Monster of Marnmouth Valley is the debut middle-grade fiction novel of author Charlie J Greene. It explores the idea of exceeding the expectations and limits people have for you—even the ones you have for yourself. Young readers will delight in the humour, danger, and what it really means to be a hero.

My Review

This is one of those books that I read telling myself, “Just one more chapter,” all the way until I reached the end. The characters, especially Ellian, had me invested and engaged, and I had to know how the quest would end.

I loved that the storytelling created this feeling of leaving breadcrumbs, where characters would discover something or learn something, and then later it would be important. It was often done through things that celebrated the story world but also then helped with the plot.

THE MONSTER OF MARNMOUTH VALLEY is a pretty quick read. I finished it in a single sitting, which is pretty amazing since I’ve been so tired lately that often when I sit down to read, I fall asleep after 30 pages or so.

I think readers who enjoy adventure stories and tales of mentors and unusual friendships will like this one a lot. I think fans of TUESDAYS AT THE CASTLE by Jessica Day George will enjoy this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 to 14.

Representation
Major characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
One character has learned spells from her mother.

Violent Content
Mentions of attacks by a monster or other dangerous creatures. Situations of peril. A couple battle scenes.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of THE MONSTER OF MARNMOUTH VALLEY 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: A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir

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

A Reaper at the Gates (An Ember in the Ashes #3)
Sabaa Tahir
Razorbill
Published June 12, 2018

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

About A Reaper at the Gates

Beyond the Empire and within it, the threat of war looms ever larger.

The Blood Shrike, Helene Aquilla, is assailed on all sides. Emperor Marcus, haunted by his past, grows increasingly unstable, while the Commandant capitalizes on his madness to bolster her own power. As Helene searches for a way to hold back the approaching darkness, her sister’s life and the lives of all those in the Empire hang in the balance.

Far to the east, Laia of Serra knows the fate of the world lies not in the machinations of the Martial court, but in stopping the Nightbringer. But while hunting for a way to bring him down, Laia faces unexpected threats from those she hoped would aid her, and is drawn into a battle she never thought she’d have to fight.

And in the land between the living and the dead, Elias Veturius has given up his freedom to serve as Soul Catcher. But in doing so, he has vowed himself to an ancient power that will stop at nothing to ensure Elias’s devotion–even at the cost of his humanity.

My Review

This might be my favorite book in the series. I loved Helene’s point-of-view. Of all the characters facing all the situations, I felt the most moved by her story– especially her love for her sister and Harper.

Which isn’t to say I loved Laia and Elias any less in this book. I think one of the things I like so much about the series as a whole is how much Laia has grown. At the beginning of the first book she could barely stand in the presence of soldiers. Now she’s about to lead the rebellion against the whole empire. And I find her transformation totally believable.

I also love that this is such a female-centric story. Yes, we have Elias and the Nightbringer and some other male characters here and there. But when you stop and think about the critical story characters, so many of them are female: Laia, Helene, Cook, the Commandant. Every single one of those is an absolute force. I love it so much.

The only truly difficult thing for me in these books is the level of violence. It’s a lot. There are references to and threats of rape (not so much in this book, but in the first for sure), some scenes showing torture and graphic battle violence. So it’s definitely not for the faint of heart.

On the whole, I’ve really enjoyed the first three books in the series (see the links to my earlier reviews below.), and I’m super anxious to read the final story, A SKY BEYOND THE STORM, which is supposed to come in December of this year.

An Ember in the Ashes Series Reviews

Book One: An Ember in the Ashes

Book Two: A Torch Against the Night

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Representation
Laia has bronze skin and dark hair and is from an oppressed and often enslaved people called Scholars.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used very infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. One scene shows two characters leading up to sex.

Violent Content – Trigger Warning
Emperor Marcus continues to abuse his wife, Helene’s sister, hurting her and threatening to hurt her if Helene doesn’t deliver the results he wants. Multiple graphic battle scenes. Scenes involving torture. A woman kills her husband and child to spare them from being tortured further.

Spiritual Content
The Nightbringer uses magic to heal or manipulate others. Another character uses magic to heal. Elias is tasked with helping ghosts pass through to another place. Some ghosts possess humans and attack others. Augers relay prophesies about certain characters. Other spirit creatures, ifrits and jinn, try to stop Laia and her allies. Another character uses spirits to spy for him.

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: Heartless by Marissa Meyer

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

Heartless
Marissa Meyer
Feiwel & Friends
Published November 8, 2016

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

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

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

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

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

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, Fantasy, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , , ,

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

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

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.