Kristin Earhart

Starlight is one of the first two books published in the multi-author Breyer Stablemates series, which was created as an accompaniment to the popular collectible Breyer horse figurines. However, as far as I can tell, each story in the series is a stand-alone, so they can be read in any order. It’s also a Level 3 early reader with super-short chapters, which create a slightly more involved story with more challenging vocabulary for emerging readers. Haley’s family lives on a farm, and one show more night their Morgan horse Midnight gives birth to a foal that Haley names Starlight. Her parents leave Starlight to her care, and the little horse proves to be both a delight and a challenge to young Haley. Starlight would rather run and play than be trained and she doesn’t respond when Haley calls her. One night Starlight escapes through a hole in the fence into the nearby woods. With a storm brewing, the Clarks are eager to find her, but not having much luck. Then Haley spots a star in the darkness, which she wishes upon, and this time, when she calls, Starlight comes. After that girl and horse become inseparable friends.

When I was a girl, I definitely fell into the category of being horse-crazy, reading just about any story I could get my hands on about horses. I think that’s part of what attracted me to pick up Starlight. It’s a cute, sweet story about the friendship between a girl and her horse that could also teach kids about taking responsibility for the pets in their lives. Because it’s an early reader, the story is a simple one, without a lot of heft to it, but it was enjoyable for what it was. The book also includes a one-page fact-sheet on the Morgan horse at the end. I think it would be perfect for any youngster who is horse-crazy like I was in my youth. This was my first read in the Breyer Stablemates series, as well as my first by Kristin Earhart, but it was good enough to leave me open to trying more of the series and perhaps seeking out more of the author’s work. show less

{my thoughts} – Lexi Torres and her friends discover that their favorite toy store has closed, but while they are looking into the window of the empty store they notice a dog and a cat. A little while later they meet Mr. Power the new owner of the store which is going to be call Powers Pets. When Lexi gets home she again with the help of her brother mentions that she wants a dog to her parents, but they still tell her no. Lexi has a few things going on with the stoe closing, her best show more friend Simon moving, school starting soon and her birthday coming up.

When Lexi goes with her parents to find out what is going on with school her envelope from the teacher ends up in the Pet Store. While she is there she meets a puppy named Luna. The store owner has the puppy do a special trick in front of Lexi and her parents and all the sudden it’s okay for her to have a dog. Lexi then takes Luna home. It doesn’t take her long to discover Luna’s trick is anything short of magic and when she does it people she talks to are forced to be honest.

Lexi is excited about the new puppy and wants Simon to meet it but Simon is moving and hasn’t talked to her. She eventually catches up with him and his dog on a walk and they work things out. Lexi and her other friends soon agree to help Mr. Power in his store.

This book is written in a nice playful tone. It is attention grabbing, a fast read and easy to understand. I think that aside from the magic puppy tricks and child can relate to the things that Lexi is forced to deal with in this book. I loved the illustrations and how they helped to add to the storyline. It is also an excellent book for any child that loves animals, particularly dogs! show less

This is a new nonfiction/adventure story blend that is sure to fly off your shelves.

Russell is thrilled to be chosen for the Race the Wild competition, but dismayed that the rules have changed and instead of being with the four friends he applied with he's been moved to a team of strangers. He's also upset at his erstwhile friends' growing unsportsmanlike behavior. However, there's not too much time to dwell on his troubles since they're in the Amazon rainforest, racing to snap pictures of show more rare animals, solve clues, and beat the other teams!

Kaban's black and white digital illustrations looked blurred and it was difficult to make out the details of the rainforest and the children. However, you can put that down to either my need for new glasses and/or a poor printing run. I really liked her art when I looked it up online, but either it doesn't translate well to black and white or it's cheap reproductions or some of both.

Each chapter ends with two pages of information about an animal or aspect of the rainforest, with pictures. There is a preview of the next book, Great Reef Games and ads for other Scholastic series in the back.

The story is brisk and well-paced and there are enough loose threads left by the end to entice readers to continue the series. How will Russell handle the problems with his former "friends", what secrets does his new team have, etc. I did feel that there were quite a lot of tantalizing hints that weren't followed up, like hints about where Mari's background knowledge comes from. I also had trouble keeping the four straight, but as this first book primarily gives a good introduction to Russell's character, I assume later books will focus on the other characters more.The book features a very diverse cast, but it's not part of the plot. Russell thinks about how the different teams are formed, but more in the gender than racial diversity aspect.

Verdict: Is this likely to win awards? Nope. The writing is a little choppy, the pictures not printed well, and the plot has too many loose ends. Do I recommend it? Heck YEAH. Adventure, a diverse cast, realistic characters, just a hint of mystery, and nonfiction included. Exactly what your beginning chapter readers want and need to get them hooked on reading. It took me a while to get my hands on a copy to review, they've been flying off the shelf all summer. Buy them all! Buy two copies! Recommend them to I Survived fans!

ISBN: 9780545773539; Published 2015 by Scholastic; Purchased for the library show less

{my thoughts} – Max Harding and his friends are a part of a flag football team named the Walruses. His coach has a cute little Husky and every time he sees that dog he wishes it was his team name. All the other teams have strong breed names but them and their team seems to be the worst of them all.

Max has always wanted a dog of his own but his mom and dad have always said it’s too much responsibility for them. Max and his friends all help at pet store in town named Powers Pets. On his show more way out the door his mom tells him that his dad has a big surprise for him. Max doesn’t want to get his hopes up but he thinks he is going to be getting a puppy. A short time after Max and his friends start working his dad shows up and Max does get a puppy. My Powers makes sure Max knows the puppy’s special trick. When the puppy does his trick Max hears a voice in his head. It takes him awhile to figure it out but he only hears voices of people that need help.

Max’s team has to play against the Bulldogs in the next week. One of the players on that team named Jason isn’t real nice. It seems Bear, Max’s dog can tell that Jason doesn’t like him. Eventually Max is able to get Jason to pet Bear and then things are okay. Max’s team also win the game when he and another player switch positions.

This book is nice, it shows that it’s good to help other people. It also shows that when you include everyone on the team you can more easily work towards your end goal of winning. The illustrations in this book match perfectly with the storyline. I also liked how easy this book was to read and follow along with. It is another wonderful book for any child that loves dogs/ puppies! show less