Carla Jablonski

A very fun and enjoyable read in the series tie-in books. The atmosphere was fun as Prue gets an assignment of covering a carnival, in depth. This one really connects to the show more than some others, and it’s easy to imagine it as an episode of the series. Prue has an aversion to clowns (what sane person wouldn’t?) which provides some humor, as does the eagerness of Phoebe and Piper to tag along and have a day at the carnival.

Piper immediately runs into her ex, Dan, and his daughter, show more whom she allows to tag along with her. Prue takes a shine to the guy who works magic with his violin; he uses it to sooth the savage beasts in his act. But Phoebe gets a terrible vision which makes her suspicious of him. Since Ivan is a gypsy, could it be real magic he's using? Why does the carnival fortuneteller, Olga, believe there’s a curse on him? And was that stinky guy walking around just part of an act, or a gypsy zombie?

This one sort of rolls charmingly along, but gets really good toward the latter half of the book; there’s a fire, an attack by animals, and the Charmed Ones find the answer to whether the violin is controlling Ivan, or whether he is controlling the violin. The darker, heavier stuff is left for another time, however. The focus in Gypsy Enchantment is a bit lighter than usual, but very in sync with the show.

There is only a passing reference to Leo by Piper in Gypsy Enchantment, as this is very early in their efforts to get together. Darryl doesn’t make an appearance either, since story takes place nearly entirely at the carnival. It’s also too early in the series timeline for any of the serious stuff with Cole, which comes later. The Gypsy Enchantment is recommended for those who want to read a fun entry devoid of the heavier, darker stuff. This one is light and breezy and an enjoyable read when you’re in the mood for something lighter — much lighter. show less

It's the final battle. World War II is drawing to a close and the allied forces are moving to retake France from the Nazi’s. Paul, Marie, and Sylvie Tessier continue fighting for the Resistance in their own way. Paul’s drawing almost land him in jail, but he is saved by Lucille’s father. Sylvie continues to date the young German solider next door and getting information that is saving lives. And Marie...Marie finds a downed place and a young man badly injured. She nurses him back to show more health and discovers that he has important information for the Resistance movement in Paris. Paul must take yet another journey into the heart of Paris in the hopes of helping end the conflict for once and all.

The entire trilogy is perfect from beginning to end and is great for all ages. Carla has crafted a story that helps the reader understand history, what the time period was like, not only for the resistance but some members of the Nazi party as well and that they too were human. This is displayed even more clearly in this final chapter where we see the conflict within Paul's family that is torn over lost memories, things they've had to do to survive, and choices they made to live. I think what I like most about this series are the memorable characters that Carla creates, especially with Marie. Through the course of three books we see how she grows and matures to help the resistance, and yet...in many ways is still just a young girl wanting her family back again. It’s hard not to connect with the characters and allow us to see the war through their eyes, their reasons for choosing what they do and don’t do.

Leland continues to create beautiful artwork for the series, I especially enjoy the charcoal drawings by Paul that aid the resistance. I love the contrast between the two mediums that it creates to the rest of the story. One of my favorite things about the artwork though is the details that can be found in the lines. The lines around their eyes, they mouths, even their hands that give them character and makes them come alive. I especially like the scenes when they are out in the fields at night. It feels like we’re with them under the starry skies, can feel the wind blowing against us, and the grass rustling quietly beside us.

I highly recommend every book in this series, its absolutely perfect for helping readers understand this aspect of World War II and would also be helpful in discussing conflict in family during war times. 5 out of 5 stars show less

A decent introduction to President Lincoln for early readers. It captures more nuance than some high school textbooks, which is a plus. Both Lincoln and the Civil War are such complex and multifaceted topics that it's hard to address them in simple ways without leaving out complexities that speak to the truth. Generally this book does a pretty good job but occasionally falls flat. For instance, one line states that Southerners didn't want to give up slavery because it would make farming show more harder. And on the one hand I'm glad that slavery is centered as the cause of the war *and* that it's made clear that Lincoln went to war to protect the Union, not to end slavery, but on the other hand I'm like dudes what about the very fact of racism and that being equal to a Black person would crumble the entire social basis of Southern society? But in general, a good job covering the topics at hand while not filling an entire textbook and keeping the reading level age appropriate.

I received a free electronic ARC from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. show less

Elastigirl is busy fighting crime throughout Municiberg when she is offered the opportunity to lead a team of other super-powered individuals. She declines but when the biggest threat the city has seen arises, she learns that it's sometimes better to work with others.

This was a cute but not overly saccharine story in the Disney Incredibles universe. It is indeed a "prequel" and not an origin story as we see an already adult Elastigirl fully in control of her powers. While not having the show more child characters around could be especially disappointing for young readers, we do see fan favorite Frozone and get an inside look at the meeting of Elastigirl and Mr. Incredible.

That all being said, this book did suffer a little from pacing issues. Sometimes every small step was described in tedious detail instead of getting to the point and some of Elastigirl's musings were repetitive. The chapters were rather long (this 230+ page book had only 13 chapters) and I'm a firm believer in short chapters, especially for kids. With this action-packed story, this book easily could have been a page-turner but it wasn't. However, it was interesting enough that I would probably recommend to other fans of The Incredibles movies. show less