Kyla May

This is another in the Branches series (yes, I'm going through the whole stack) and I have to say this is probably the one I like the least. Prepare for totally biased reviewing.

Kiki is at first delighted when a new girl moves in next door, but after they get off on the wrong foot it seems like nothing can go right for her, even with her bffs Coco and Lulu by her side. It takes a little compromise from everyone for the misunderstandings to be cleared up, and there might even be a new member show more of the Lotus Lane Girls Club in the future.

While there is an obligatory reference to the "mean girl" in school, if you look at the story...Kiki is the mean girl herself. While she does initially apologize to Mika, the new girl, when Mika doesn't immediately fall in with Kiki's clique, Kiki gossips about her, blocks her out of her clique, tries to get her in trouble at school, and generally makes it clear that she feels her position as queen fashion bee is threatened. Even at the end when she makes up with Mika, she doesn't give any indication that she's really thought about her actions and would behave differently in the future. Basically, she's a snotty little brat who doesn't understand any perspective outside of her own. The nods to other cultures appear to just be there as window dressing for the story, much in the manner of different costumes the girls wear. Kiki's vintage fashion doesn't disguise the fact that she and her friends pretty much get whatever they want in the way of consumer goods as well.

Um, no I did not like Kiki. While her behavior is pretty typical for lots of 7-8 year old girls, it's not something I'd feel comfortable recommending. Readers will be too young to really think about the story, and as it's in diary format and all from Kiki's perspective, it doesn't do a good job of making the reader think about Mika's persective, or the other kids in class who are always secondary to Kiki's drama. The book is designed in diary format, like a notebook, with lots of small drawings and illustrations. Kiki is very fond of catch phrases and exclamations, which annoyed me, although some of that is a personal thing. I also have to say that I find the smiley face characters rather creepy.

Verdict: If you have incipient Clique or Gossip Girl readers, they will probably love this series, especially if you live in an area where you have lots of upper middle class mini fashionistas. On the other hand, I can see some parents objecting to this series and it's not unique or interesting enough that I feel it's a necessary addition to the library, so I feel ok in not purchasing it just because I don't like it.

ISBN: 9780545445122; Published May 2013 by Scholastic; ARC provided by publisher at ALA Midwinter 2013 show less

{My thoughts} – Bub is a fun little Pug that likes to be helpful to his owner Bella. He likes to help her with her projects, to snuggle her and to wake her up when she is trying to sleep. He enjoys dress up and cannot stand being out in the rain.

In this book they make a rocket together, but it ends up getting ruined. So he does everything he can to try and get all the pieces back so they can put it back together. However, Bella decides she wants to make something other then the rocket so show more they get to work on that.

Bub learns that when he really wants something, he shouldn’t be afraid to try and get it. He overcomes his fear of rain through his love for Bella.

This book reminds me a lot of the set up for The Owl Diary Series by Rebecca Elliot. It has the same general look and feel. I really enjoyed reading through it and learning about Bub and Bella. The illustrations and the words on the pages go together nicely. They help to keep the reader engaged in the story.

I look forward to reading more books in this series as they release. show less

{My thoughts} – Bell and Bub have a few things going on in their world. First off Bella gets a couple of snow days and gets to miss school. Bub finds out he doesn’t really like the snow at all. But then once he is properly dressed to be out in the snow things change for him.

Second, while they are outside they learn they have new neighbors moving in. The new neighbors have a dog that sounds like a mean ole nasty monster. There is also a lot of noise and smoke coming from their backyard. show more This has both Bella and Bub scared.

I really liked this book. It helps to show children that is okay to have an imagination. It also shows them that at some point they do need to face their fears. It helps to also show them that things aren’t always as they seem and that it’s okay to think otherwise until you learn differently.

I look forward to reading the next book in this series when it comes out. It sort of reminds me of the Owl Diaries Series by Rebecca Elliott. Only this one isn’t printed in complete color. Otherwise, they are very similar. show less

This first book in the Diary of a Pug series did not disappoint. The story is told by Pug. It is written in a diary format with cute illustrations. An added bonus is that the pages look like notebook paper. Pug helps Bella create a project for the Inventor challenge. There's just one problem - Nutz a sneaky squirrel steals Pug's bear when they go to test the project. This book encourages problem solving and thinking outside the box along with friendship. This would be a great chapter book show more for 2nd graders. show less