David L. Harrison

A promising debut novel from an author I'll be watching in future.

This is a thought-provoking read on a lot of levels. I was amazed at how much I actually saw myself in Mel's thought processes and struggles; I've never suffered from an eating disorder, yet I've had many of the same thoughts, fears, and concerns with weight, the numbers on the scale, and corresponding urges to exercise to perhaps unhealthy levels. Frankly, it was eye-opening and humbling.

I loved that Mel continued on her show more journey to Mt. Rainier--I'm a PNW girl through and through, and any and every PNW reference made me smile. I wish we'd seen more of her recovery process through some form of medical assistance, whether rehab, therapy, a dietitian/nutritionist, etc. Granted, I have NO idea--again, not having actually experienced an eating disorder myself--what the general (or an optimal) approach is on that front, but I do think it would be helpful for those readers who do and who pick up this read.

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own. show less

Some very stupid farm animals have some very wrong ideas of how and why the sun rises in the morning.

I suppose if you weren't an old grump who values intellect, this could be cute. My daughter thought so when she was four.

FOR REFERENCE:

Rated "Indifferent" in our old book database by Rod; rated "Good" by Adelia.

Walking in the woods one day, a young boy comes to a small brown cottage, and knocking on the door to request a glass of water, he finds himself confronting the wicked Witch of the Woods. Trapped in her cottage, he is forced to chop up the vegetables for the very soup in which she intends to cook him. Fortunately, the clever boy thinks of a way to trick his captor, taunting her in order to make her transform into various animals...

Published in 1990 by the British Ladybird Books, Little Boy show more Soup is intended, according to the note on the front cover, for children ages five through seven. It is a fun little adventure story, featuring a truly terrible witch, a clever little boy, and appealing cartoon-style illustrations. I would recommend this one to children in the age group who enjoy exciting stories in which the child protagonist outwits the adult adversary, as well as to those who enjoy witchy fare. show less

Way cool. Loved it. Illustrated magnificently with vivid, lifelike images that made me gasp out loud every time I turned the page. The narrative verse about a pirate crew from beginning to end was delightful and not too juvenile. I'll actually have it in my 7th and 8th grade classroom for the next Talk Like A Pirate Day, which always seems to coincide with my poetry unit anyway.