Jane B. Mason

I wasn't really engaged with this one. Not even on the level of being really, really annoyed by the message it was sending (as in Let Down Your Hair).Snow White's witch of a stepmother had sent her father out on the high seas to get rid of him. (Not sure why she'd do that. Wasn't she competing with Snow for his affections and attention?) In this book, he comes back. Shipwrecked or something. But he doesn't have his memory!So he becomes a gardener at the school while the girls try to help him show more get his memory back. Meanwhile the dwarves are all jealous that Snow's got her father back. And, seriously, people, Snow White is NOT THAT AWESOME, you totally don't have to be JEALOUS or AFRAID OF LOSING HER. Stop treating her like a freaking object.Well, I'm going to spoil here, because I have a problem with the ending.The girls sneak into the castle to steal the magic mirror, and end up breaking it by accident. But that seems to do the trick, because King White gets his memory back. And then suddenly realizes he left a ship full of his crew out lost on the high seas. A) How are they still out there when he washed ashore? B) Why did he not think of that sooner? C) Did you not have a first officer? Seriously, they're grown men (presumably), so if they can't take care of themselves at this point, what makes you think you're going to help them? You don't even know where they are or if they're alive. And either they have a ship that works or they don't. Not a lot of middle ground there. They'll either find their way to shore or they're already dead.The worst bit is that he's abandoning his daughter, who's living with barely competent guardians, let's be frank, and is still under threat from the witch of a woman you apparently married for Snow's sake?Not that I can expect better from this series. There are no honorable, non-ineffectual men in here. A couple of decent princes, and everyone else male is relegated to servant status. Oh, except for Briar Rose's Dad who's treated more like half of the Overprotective Parents pair.Oh, meanwhile they're working on family trees. And suddenly we learn that Rapunzel knows who her parents and grandparents are, but they're 'gone' now. And she's totally into researching her 'foster mother' the witch's family tree. Which is full of witches and warlocks.Yea, no, Rapunzel's upbringing is still messed up, no matter how much of a spin you're trying to put on it retroactively. I'm not saying you can't write the witch as a sympathetic character and the good guy in the story. But not the way you guys did it in book 3.So, yea. Amnesia plot and stupid ending to get rid of the father you totally didn't have to drag into things in the first place gets you 2 stars from me. And I'd better end this review before I drop my rating even further. (I had started off giving it 3.) show less

With her feet bare (those glass slippers don't fit) and her second-hand gown splattered with mud (thanks, evil stepsisters), Ella's first day of Princess School is off to a lousy start. If she can only find her fairy godmother before the first class begins, Ella is sure she'll put things right. But her FG is off at a convention and Ella is on her own--she'll have to get through the first weeks of Princess School without any bobbity-boo. Ella is terrified--until she meets silly Snow, spunky show more Rapunzel, and beautiful, sheltered Rose. show less

Very enjoyable reading, in fact, I was hooked at the first page and read it in one sitting. I admit that I'll read just about anything about dogs but I don't recommend all of them. I'm always happy to find a well-written children's book involving a dog: this one has a good story, realistic emotions, realistic danger, and nothing too unbelievable (the main canine character's initiative is a bit far-fetched but at that point in the book I really wanted to believe).

There are the obligatory show more positive teachings but they're not too heavy-handed: no one is completely good or bad, first impressions aren't always accurate, packs/families help each other, how one's talents can be really helpful to others, how dishonesty--even for a good reason--can be perceived by others, and how unpleasant people can sometimes become less unpleasant when we show them kindness.

What I thought most instructive for the juvenile reader--besides being well-written and not insulting to them--were different examples of how people deal with stress with believable scenes of tension in a family and between friends. Also helpful were realistic examples of dogs expressing emotions (shock, tension, defensiveness). show less

Josie Little brings best friend/girlfriend/partner Annette to an exclusive boarding school, Brookwood Academy in New Hampshire, miles away from their tiny Minnesota town and Annette's abusive mother. Josie hopes it will be a place where they can both grow and be freer, and especially wishes this for Annette. Things go awry as soon as they arrive - they're not roommates and Annette begins spending most of her time with the social elites of this prestigious and wealthy school, leaving Josie on show more the outside. Regular classes begin, and Josie struggles with the much higher academic expectations. She befriends Penn and a group of boys, who spend their nights playing poker and exploring the steam tunnels in the underbelly of the school. Josie watches her best friend fall into the same alcohol trap that controls Annette's mother, and has to deal with Penn's growing feelings for her.

Author Jane B. Mason does a great job describing the reality of boarding schools (actually, almost any school) and the emotional experience of being someone who really never quite fits in. This is a nice addition to the genre of LGBTQ books that does justice to showing that a lesbian relationship is basically the same as any close romantic relationship. I did find the whole steam tunnel exploration a bit far-fetched, but suppose the author did need a plot line that helped move the story along, and paralleled Josie's own personal exploration and dramatic realization. There is some sexuality in this book that puts it at the high school level - nothing too explicit, but definitely there. This would appeal mostly to girls, and I'd put it in the hands of any student who likes love stories or coming of age themed books. show less