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Brief synopsis (no spoilers) : In this fantasy world when children come of age (11) they take a drink of Nectar and see if they will bond with a spirit animal. This spirit animals give guidance and physical/mental strength to those they bond to. The four main characters bond to special animals, The Four Fallen. With this event the Devourer returns and a new age is begun. These youth must decide if they will join in the fight.   Category: Junior/ Young Adult Why I chose this book: Been on my list for a while, the author (who I actually had confused with another author, Brandon Doman), it's like other multi-author young adult books I've read in the past (39 clues, Infinity Ring, etc) My personal opinion (the review): I expected this to be a bit cheesy, bonding with animals and all, but it actually turned out pretty cool. I like that the author didn't make everything easy for the characters.For example, Meilin is frustrated that her spirit animal isn't more of a fight...

Summary: A history of how quidditch came to be, famous teams, rules, fouls, and history of the broom,.  Attention Span/reading level: 8-10+. - Short chapter book. Full of wit that some kids may not understand.  Good uses for book in teaching: Nothing Favorite part: (Mine and/or Child): Mine: The evolution of quidditch section. Also, the description of the Snidget.  Least favorite part?  W arnings/negative feedback?: None.(It does talk about a few ways to get fouls and things that are violent or of questionable nature. but it's totally passive).   Review: This was a funny, witty history of quidditch. I love that J.K. Rowling wrote this book especially for the charity Comic Relief. This organization's mission uses positive entertainment to raise money to help poverty around the world. Seeing that it was written for an organization like such as this, it's easy to see where the whit comes of the book comes from. It was interesting to read ab...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers) Everyone's families are tragically dead. Evelyn, Jared, Colin- anyone of any significance in the story. Evelyn enters college in a town far from home. Her parents and sister were recently killed, and she grieves for them. She gains friends and starts her new life. Category Fantasy, YA Fiction Why I chose this book Kindle First My personal opinion (the review) Frankly, this feels like a photocopy of the Twilight books. A new girl starts school a little late, falls in love with a perfect, "special" guy. He only has eyes for her. He glows, sometimes. A guy friend of Evelyn/Bella is interested in her, but can't take the hint that he's in the Friend Zone. Big, beefy "brother" of Jared/Edward is fun and likes to fight. The parallels go on. Don't get me wrong, it's a decent novel and I'll probably buy the sequel. But don't expect originality. No vampires in this one, but plenty of other magical beings. If you...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers) Brent Venturi is the former captain of the elite Phantom Squad military task force. He left the group after a particularly challenging and scarring mission, and settled into a job as head librarian in a sleepy town in Florida. Soon enough, he learned of a family secret, and gained a family enemy. He must protect his secret and his girlfriend Chloe. Category Fiction Why I chose this book Suggestion from Amazon My personal opinion (the review) The book is clean, so that's refreshing. But it's also a bit cheesy and it jumps around in the story, to connect dots. It won't win "best series of the year", but I'm going to read the next one, and it was worth the $2 I paid for it. Warnings Language: None Violence: Nothing graphic "Adult" situations: Referenced only Death: Yes Movie rating equivalent PG-13 Protagonist description Brent is a walking contradiction. He is ex military, very black ops. But he's also a b...

Concept: Kids healthy cookbook Author :  Barten Seaver Food type: Mostly dinners, but also healthy lunches and a few treats Monologue score  (1-10) (how entertaining, not the recipes): 8.5 - super bright colors, lots of pictures, interesting facts. My favorite part of the whole book was the family challenges in each chapter; There was a fruit salad challenge, a  left overs challenge, fun quizzes and challenges with seeing how many greens or proteins you can add into a meal with points for each category. Each section  corresponded  to a month of the year with recipes appropriate for that month. I loved that one section was a heritage section and talked about how family history and genealogy can be done through family recipes.  Difficulty level: Easy to medium for kids (overall easy for adults).  Approximate percentage of recipes I would be willing to try:  Probably 30%. This cookbook didn't really hit it out of the park as far as actual re...

Summary: " The game under the tree looked like a hundred others Peters and Judy had at home. But they were bored and restless and, looking for something interesting to do, thought they'd give Jumanji a try. Little did they know when they unfolded its ordinary-looking playing board that they were about to be plunged into the most exciting and bizare adventure of their lives." (Goodreads) Attention Span/reading level: 5+ Good uses for book in teaching: Imagination  Favorite part: (Mine and/or Child) : In general I just like the concept of the board game bringing things to life. However if I were forced to choose, I liked when the Lion first appears and the kids start to realize what they have gotten themselves into.  Least favorite part: None W arnings/negative feedback: Two kids are left home without supervision, the house gets torn apart by animals, one kid falls asleep under a sleeping spell but wakes up when the dice are rolled again.  Revi...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers):  At the age of 13 all citizens of Quill are put into one of three categories: Wanted,  Necessaries , and Unwanteds. Wanteds go to school and military training, Necessaries farm the land, and Unwanteds are sent to their death. As the book opens Alex has been declared an unwanted, while his twin Aaron has been selected as a Wanted. Alex's world is torn apart as he is separated from everything and everyone that he knows. However, just as he thinks his world is about to end, he is swept up into a whole new world beyond his comprehension.  Category: YA Why I chose this book: Saw on a display at a bookstore My personal opinion (the review):   Overall I really enjoyed this book. In many ways it was somewhat of a breath of fresh air in the world of dystopian teen novels.It was interesting to me that the center of the conflict revolved around the concept of creativity. Alex was cast as unwanted because once when he was 9 he drew a ...

Summary: Uni the Unicorn knows that little girls really do exist. Even though her parents and friends don't believe her she dreams all day about what she would do if she ever met a little girl.  Attention Span/reading level : My three year old LOVED this book. I think it could work for kids ages 2 to about 8. Good uses for book in teaching: About standing up for what you believe, playing make believe Favorite part: (Mine and/or Child): When the Unicorn and the Girl meet and play together.  Least favorite part?  W arnings/negative feedback?: None.  Review: This is a cute book. I love how it twists the perspective to be from the Unicorn's point of view. Even my daughter caught the irony. The illustrations are also very bright and catchy.  

Brief synopsis (no spoilers) :  The author, an aviator, crashes with his aeroplane in the middle of the Sahara desert. While he is trying to repair his aeroplane, a little boy appears and asks him to draw a sheep. The author learns that The Little Prince comes from asteroid B-612 where he has left behind three volcanoes and a rose. Before reaching Earth, he has visited other planets and met some very odd people: a king, a conceited man, a drunkard, a lamplighter, a geographer…  Since arriving on Earth, he has spoken to a fox who has taught him that to know someone or something, you must « tame » them, and that makes them unique. « What is essential is invisible to the eye, says the fox. » *Spoiler (kind of) below* In order to return to his planet and his rose, The Little Prince allows himself to be bitten by a poisonous snake: his planet is too far away, he cannot take his « shell ». The aviator, who has succeeded in repairing his plane, a...

Concept: Ways to dress up a burger, make fries and other sides, and shakes. Most recipes come from his restaurant Bobby's Burger Palace.  Author : Bobby Flay (With Stephanie Banyas and Sally Jackson). Bobby Flay is famous for his Latin American inspired foods and for his bold flavors. He owns 5 restaurants across the United States. He is an Iron Chef and competes on several cooking shows. My favorite of his shows is "Throw Down with Bobby Flay" and "Beat Bobby Flay" both of which operate on the concept of having someone who is really good at a type of food come and compete against Bobby Flay. Both of them make the same type of food (enchiladas, pie, homemade mac and cheese...whatever it is) and are judged by a blind taste test. Most of the times Bobby wins, but win or lose he is always very gracious and he makes the competition a lot of fun.  Food type: Burgers, fries, and shakes Monologue score  (1-10): 7.5, not boring, but not super exciting either - ave...

Summary: The story of the puppeteer of Macy's Parade  Attention Span/reading level: Probably for readers 5+. I read it with my 3 year old, but I could tell it didn't really capture her attention. A few sentences to a paragraph on each page.  Good uses for book in teaching: History of Macy's Day parade and why it was started.  Favorite part:  Mine: The history  Child: The illustrations of the balloons. Least favorite part: None. W arnings/negative feedback?: None.  Review: This non-fiction that reads like a story is good. I was able to get the information without getting board. I think it's cool that the author included original source material like the advertisement that was placed in the New York Times and some pages from  puppeteering  manuals. Overall, worth a read. 

Brief synopsis (no spoilers) Sarah is an author of children's books, and lives with her husband Johnny, a dermatologist, in a quaint street of identical houses. One catches fire one evening and Sarah becomes a reluctant heroine. Category Mystery Why I chose this book Kindle First My personal opinion (the review) I typically do not prefer mystery novels, and I most especially avoid modern mysteries. They usually contain a murder and a deranged murderer- hiding in plain sight. I care for neither. And true to form, this novel contained both. But I'm giving this one a positive review for a few reasons. Firstly, the murder was not gruesome, demonic, violent, or born from a gang war. Secondly, while there was some language, it was not pervasive enough to turn me off. Thirdly, while it did involve some references to things that consenting adults do, it was not used to sensationalize this novel. My bar for modern novels is set quite low, and this one cleared it with tons of room ...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers):     We are able to witness the unfolding of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints through the eyes of a fictitious family, the Steeds. They moved to New York from Vermont in 1826 in search of better farm land. When Benjamin, the father, hires Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum as workers on their farm, the Steed family is tossed into chaos by the events revolving around Joseph. This book covers the years 1827-1830. Category: Historical Fiction Why I chose this book: I've tried to read them before but couldn't get into them. When I saw them on my mom's bookshelf I thought it was time to give them another try. I'm glad I did!   My personal opinion (the review): This book is amazing! I am so glad I gave it another chance (in fact, I'm wondering what made me put it down the first time). I have found myself so swept up in the story and concerned for each of the characters. I am impressed with how historically accurate a...