So this was originally supposed to be a holiday picture book roundup, like I do every year, but then my ten-old-niece and I had to have the “Is Santa real?” discussion in real life, and even looking at the rest of the Santa books is too much for today, so here you go, let’s talk about The Day Santa Stopped Believing In Harold. What a good, non-cynical twist on the “Is Santa real?” story; what if Santa stopped believing in one particular child, instead of […]
A Monster to Heal
The only thing I knew about this book when I picked it up was that there was a movie coming out (is already out?) based on it and I wanted to see said movie. So there I am, wasting time in the airport bookstore and I buy it on impulse because sometimes that is the only cure for cranky early morning flights. I then put it aside and mostly forgot about it for a week. I picked it up again last night and read it […]
20th Century Orphan Girls
I’m sure most of you are at least familiar with Pollyanna, if only from the 1960 Disney Movie staring Hayley Mills. Or if not from the movie then from the cultural icon that Pollyanna has become as the ever cheerful optimist. This is my second time through the novel, and while it isn’t a great novel it is comforting and a bit more complex then the archetype Pollyanna has become. Pollyanna is an orphan (and really what is it with early 20th century novels and […]
Ax brings the alien POV.
AX! This book was a lot more complicated than I remembered it being. Ax is so frequently the source of comic relief when the other Animorphs are the POV characters. (He was my FAVORITE when I was in middle school.) But here, in his own book for the first time, one of the first things that strikes you is how serious he is in his own mind. I wouldn’t say he’s *humorless*, but he’s very close. It’s the only thing that saves his ridiculous behavior […]
Crime doesn’t pay.
I’m counting these two books as only one review because, while not in fact a series, the hat motif is a theme that the author/ illustrator seems to be exploring. My review will likely contain more words than the 2 books combined. A third Hat book called We Found A Hat was released in October 2016. It will be my Xmas gift to myself! When I worked at the bookstore, I chose This Is Not My Hat book as my staff pick and sold it […]
What the world needs now is the Super Happy Magic Forest.
After a crazy week, there’s nothing like an amazingly clever and funny children’s book to put a smile on your face. My seven year old brought this one home from the library yesterday, and its a new favorite. Here’s what she has to say about it: “Everyone lives in the Super Happy Magic Forest where everything is great. There are some warriors who were sent to find the missing Magic Crystals of Life that were stolen. They went on a big quest through DANGER. First, […]