#Review:Kids Want To Know About Mysterious Places by J.W. Patterson #atozchallenge

Summary:
Discover facts and opinions about some of the most mysterious places in the world. Did you know that actors making the movie "Gettysburg" in 2003 had an incredible ghostly experience? Did you know that the Bigelow Ranch in Utah has been the scene of reported crop circles, UFO landings and ghosts? 

Kids will learn what is known and not known about many mysterious places. Are these places really where strange happenings occur? Kids can make their own minds up about them. 

My review:
When I was a kid, I was fascinated about all sorts of things, in fact, I still am.  I would look up things in the encyclopedia or even the dictionary until I was satisfied with what I had found. To even find photos or maps of places was even a bigger deal. I often even perused National Geographic.

What the author has done here is taken all of those wonderful mysterious places and put them in one book. Awesome! I enjoyed that he wrote about some of the places I am still curious about like Easter Island, crop circles, and Stonehenge. 

He introduces theories of different people including the idea of aliens. I did find the different places to be told in brief so, more investigation might be warranted after the initial introductions.

This book is targeted for kids as young as 9 years old up to 18 year old's. There is no doubt that adults would like this book too. I did! This is one in a series of different discovery books.

I give this book 4 stars.

Disclosure: I purchased a Kindle copy of this book for my own use. The views expressed here are 100% my own and may differ from yours.


Where to find the author:

Amazon
Goodreads

#Review: Elephant Glyphoons by Keren Stepp #atozchallenge, #OddityOdysseyReadingChallenge, #Kindles #kidsbooks

Summary:
Did you ever wonder what would happen if Elephants got a sudden craving for blueberries? If they chew gum? Do they make successful spies? These questions and more will be answered as you flip thru snapshots in the life of a whimsical elephant. These cartoon snippets (called Glyphoons) capture unusual scenarios that will produce a guffaw when the reader "gets" it. Wondering what a glyphoon is? It's a word combining a glyph and a cartoon. It depicts a minimal cartoon drawn with abstract pictures that beg the reader to guess what they are viewing. A humorous caption makes the cartoon obvious.

My review:
I was looking specifically for an elephant book to read. They all seemed pretty much the same until I came across this rather unusual one. In truth, I am not sure completely what I think of this book.

The book was completely filled with black-lined drawn elephant trunks in different...positions? Scenarios? Only a couple of times did you actually see a fully drawn elephant. I was not really impressed with the drawings at all and looked liked a kid could have done them.

The captions paired with the drawings were not totally humorous as the summary suggest but I did find myself chuckling at few which in my mind is a saving grace for the book.

I cannot be sure what age level to classify this book as because it is essentially a picture book but not necessarily appropriate for toddlers. On the other hand the captioned pictures are for older kids but they could be bored with the pictures themselves. Hmm?

I am giving this 3 stars because I thought the book was ok and somewhat funny but not that overall impressive. What do you think? Check it out.

Disclosure: I downloaded a free Kindle copy for my own review. The view expressed here are 100% my own and may differ from yours. ~Naila Moon

Where to find the author:
Goodreads
Amazon

#Review: Toad Weather by Sandra Markle/ Illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez #Kindles #kidsbooks

Summary:

There's nothing to do on a rainy day or so Ally thinks. But Mama says she's seen something amazing, so despite Ally's misgivings, she sets out on an adventure with her mother and grandmother. On her journey, she sees all sorts of things: dripping awnings, wet cardboard, splashing cars...but also earthworms, storm drain geysers, and oil slick patterns. And then they turn the corner, just in time to see a big crowd. What's happening?

My review:

I like a good adventure. Couple that adventure with the rain and you have a win for me. This book had all that and more.

I like how the book pointed out the things we probably see every day but never give them a second thought. It makes life more interesting. Don't you think?

What was really great was finding out about a real annual event that happens during migration season for toads.  However, I can not divulge that as it will give away the crux of this book.

The author does write about this at the end of the book.

The illustrations were realistic which added to the book and simply makes for a great read.

I give this book 4 stars.

Disclosure: I was given a Kindle copy of this book for my open and honest opinion. The views expressed here are 100% my own and may differ from yours. ~Naila Moon

Where to find the author:

Goodreads

Amazon

#Review: Flunked Fairy Tale Reform School by Jen Calonita #Middlegrade #kidsbooks

Summary:

Gilly wouldn't call herself wicked, exactly...but when you have five little brothers and sisters and live in a run-down boot, you have to get creative to make ends meet. Gilly's a pretty good thief (if she does say so herself).

Until she gets caught.

Gilly's sentenced to three months at Fairy Tale Reform School where all of the teachers are former (super-scary) villains like the Big Bad Wolf, the Evil Queen, and Cinderella's Wicked Stepmother. Harsh. But when she meets fellow students Jax and Kayla, she learns there's more to this school than its heroic mission. There's a battle brewing and Gilly has to wonder: can a villain really change?

My review:

This was a wonderful twist on the traditional fairy tales. In this case, the villains are the good guys/gals or are they? All of the teachers here want to see the best for their students, they were once students too and have seen the wickedness of their own ways. Most of all, they want to impress the Princesses who are the ruling force. 

The character Gilly comes across as a tough nut to break but in truth she cares about her family. This turns out to be a running theme for everyone involved with the school. Also, "family" is not always blood related  and Gilly finds that out too.

Another running theme through the book is that people are not always who they seem and sometimes, who you think is your friend is actually stabbing you in the back. Sound familiar?

I enjoyed all the twist and turns of this book and the little mystery that went along with it. Oh, and don't let that title fool you!

I had only two disappointments with this book. The first is, I was confused with the blank scrolls that were placed in between chapters. I knew what they were representing but I thought maybe there were supposed to be pictures on them. Since this was a ARC copy, it may not have been added yet.

The other disappointment is that the book seemed to end abruptly or at least I thought there should be more. Maybe this was intentional in the sense that there may be another book in the works? I cannot be sure but I did feel I was left hanging a bit.

This book is targeted at ages 10-13, grades 5-8. I think even a bit younger would enjoy it.

Overall though, I really did enjoy the book and it gets 4 stars.

Disclosure: I received a Kindle copy of this book for my open and honest opinion. The views expressed here are 100% my own and may differ from yours.

Where to find the author:

Amazon

#Review : "The Monster That Ate My Socks" by A.J. Cosmo and #Giveaway for chance of 1 of 2 #Kindles #kidsbooks #childrenfiction # bookreview #monsters

Summary:
A young boy, who is about to be grounded for going through so many socks, discovers that a monster has been eating them.

Max is a young boy who is constantly getting in trouble for his socks disappearing. He doesn't know where they go, but he does know that if he doesn't do something quickly his mom will ground him for summer. Max soon discovers that a little green monster is sneaking into his room at night and eating his sweaty socks. His mother, of course, doesn't believe him, so Max calls on his best friend to come for a sleepover to catch the monster.
They devise a trap and capture the monster only to learn that the creature can speak. It hasn't meant to cause any harm, it's just trying to feed its family. The monster shows them his home and his three little children and begs the boys not to turn them over to the adults. Adults, he says, want to destroy monsters. 

The boys are left in a pickle. Allow the monsters to be and get grounded, or turn the monsters in knowing what will happen to them? Neither idea seems good, so they come up with a new plan!

My review:
As I first started reading this, I thought it was too bad that the main character's mom did not believe him.  I understand that the idea of monsters is imagination for the most part but kids need to be believed. At very least, work through imaginary friends or in this case, problems that are occurring.

The only negative other than what I said above, is the monster's change in eating habits from the socks. It was understandable via the story but it might give children the idea that if they don't do well in school or having problems in school that they can just hide the evidence. I could see where this might be a talking point for parents with their children.

Having said that though, this book is a lesson in three-fold. The first is taking care of your things, as things can be expensive to buy to constantly have to replace them. The second is, taking care of others. The third is finding self solutions to a problem that one might have. All of these ideals were cleverly written so young children could perfectly understand them.

There were very few pictures in this book and that is also understandable as this book is meant to be an early reader. In fact, there is a guide for teachers/homeschool parents to use with this book.

Overall, this is a likable book and I can give it 4 stars.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book for my open and honest opinion. The views expressed here are 100% my own and may differ with yours.
The giveaway below is being conducted by the author and ireadbooks. I am not responsible for prize distribution. ~Naila Moon

Where to find the author:

Connect with A.J.:  Website  ~  Facebook  ~  Amazon

Giveaway:

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