Dinosaur vs Bedtime follows a young dinosaur who cannot be stopped, even when facing a pile of leaves and a big bowl of spaghetti, but will he win when he faces the daunting challenge of bedtime? The colors and illustrations are cute and the constant roaring that the dinosaur does would be great to read with your toddler because they can roar along with you. It ends on a soft note but I don't think it unwinds slowly enough for it to be an effective bedtime book, (the child might still be excited from all his roaring). However, it is a cute, funny book and I would recommend it.
Dinosaur vs. Bedtime was selected as a Best Book of the Year by Amazon and a Bulletin Blue Ribbon by the Center for Children's Books.
Dinosaur vs. Bedtime was selected as a Best Book of the Year by Amazon and a Bulletin Blue Ribbon by the Center for Children's Books.
I see London, I see France, I read a book about underpants!
How Underwear got Under There is a factual, but silly, non-fiction book geared towards children at the age of seven and up. It talks about the history of underwear from the 1700s to present day through nine reasons for why people chose to wear, or in some cases discard, their undergarments. It has zany facts, King Tut being buried with 145 pairs of underpants, and shows crazy patent drawings on the undergarments we take for granted, like the bra. The illustrations are hilarious; my favorite in particular is a horse trying to eat the bustle that was stuffed with bran. It is very much a leisure read even though its non-fiction and the silly subject is sure to keep the interest of the young reader peaked.
How Underwear got Under There is a factual, but silly, non-fiction book geared towards children at the age of seven and up. It talks about the history of underwear from the 1700s to present day through nine reasons for why people chose to wear, or in some cases discard, their undergarments. It has zany facts, King Tut being buried with 145 pairs of underpants, and shows crazy patent drawings on the undergarments we take for granted, like the bra. The illustrations are hilarious; my favorite in particular is a horse trying to eat the bustle that was stuffed with bran. It is very much a leisure read even though its non-fiction and the silly subject is sure to keep the interest of the young reader peaked.
Divergent is set in the future, dystopian, Chicago which is divided into five fractions, Candor (the Honest), Dauntless (the brave), Erudite (the intelligent), Amity (the brave) and lastly Abnegation (The selfless). Beatrice Prior was born in abnegation but she has always found it difficult to be selfless, not like her brother Caleb.
When they are sixteen the everyone has to attend a ceremony where they decide which fraction they will chose to belong to. Beatrice has to make the choice of staying with her family and awkwardly forcing herself into the selfless role or being selfish and going with the fraction that she wants to be in. Afterwards, she will also have to deal with the grueling initiation process of her fraction.
I loved the fast paced, action packed novel. Beatrice’s character and her struggle to conform to one fraction or another was interesting to watch and she was a character that I think a lot of people could relate to. While some people found the initiation process to be stretched out, I thought it was necessary in seeing the growth of Beatrice’s character. Besides, how could you not like reading about all the fighting and the fear landscapes. I devoured this book, and I can’t wait to start on the next one!
Teens chose Divergent as their favorite book in the annual Teens' Top Ten vote in October 2012, sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA).
When they are sixteen the everyone has to attend a ceremony where they decide which fraction they will chose to belong to. Beatrice has to make the choice of staying with her family and awkwardly forcing herself into the selfless role or being selfish and going with the fraction that she wants to be in. Afterwards, she will also have to deal with the grueling initiation process of her fraction.
I loved the fast paced, action packed novel. Beatrice’s character and her struggle to conform to one fraction or another was interesting to watch and she was a character that I think a lot of people could relate to. While some people found the initiation process to be stretched out, I thought it was necessary in seeing the growth of Beatrice’s character. Besides, how could you not like reading about all the fighting and the fear landscapes. I devoured this book, and I can’t wait to start on the next one!
Teens chose Divergent as their favorite book in the annual Teens' Top Ten vote in October 2012, sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA).
Cigars of the Pharaoh by Herge
TinTin and his dog Snowy are on a cruise ship when they happen to meet Professor Sophocles Sarcophagus and they join him on his expedition. They soon become involved in a complicated mystery involving cigars marked with strange symbols and a poison of madness all while evading the Thompson and Thomson detectives for crimes that he never committed.
This book was really hard to follow for me; I kept flipping back because I thought the book might be missing pages. The pictures, for the most part, reflected the text. There was the odd wordless panel though. I also found that the caricatures of people from a different race weren’t exactly politically correct. While other Tintin books have humor and excitement, I thought it was lacking.
TinTin and his dog Snowy are on a cruise ship when they happen to meet Professor Sophocles Sarcophagus and they join him on his expedition. They soon become involved in a complicated mystery involving cigars marked with strange symbols and a poison of madness all while evading the Thompson and Thomson detectives for crimes that he never committed.
This book was really hard to follow for me; I kept flipping back because I thought the book might be missing pages. The pictures, for the most part, reflected the text. There was the odd wordless panel though. I also found that the caricatures of people from a different race weren’t exactly politically correct. While other Tintin books have humor and excitement, I thought it was lacking.
The narrator of the book tells the reader that that these stories are not your typical fairy tales, they are a collection of fairly stupid tales. The easy to spot fairy tales are warped in a funny and witty way Such as the Ugly Duckling where the ugly duckling grows up to just be a really ugly duck.
The collection of tales is an entertaining and a fun read but I think it is geared towards more of an older child audience because the young kids wouldn’t really get the humor in it. The illustrations are wonky, dark, and unique and they complement the stories and the weird characters involved. It was a hilarious book and I highly recommend it if you are looking for a laugh.
The book won the New York Times Best Illustrated Book award, was a Caldecott Honor book, and has won numerous other awards in various countries.
The collection of tales is an entertaining and a fun read but I think it is geared towards more of an older child audience because the young kids wouldn’t really get the humor in it. The illustrations are wonky, dark, and unique and they complement the stories and the weird characters involved. It was a hilarious book and I highly recommend it if you are looking for a laugh.
The book won the New York Times Best Illustrated Book award, was a Caldecott Honor book, and has won numerous other awards in various countries.
Coraline and her family has just moved to a new house in the country, it’s come with a creepy man and a band of musical mice in the attic, and a pair of retired actresses with their hoard of Scottish Terriers in the downstairs apartment. The most interesting thing about their new home is a locked door in the living room which takes Coraline to a different world where her other mother wants to play instead of work and her other father makes the most delicious food. The other actresses put on plays all day and the other creepy man has talking rats instead of musical mice! However, as Caroline begins to see past the magic of the other world, she discovers that everything isn’t always as it seems, and perhaps her other mother isn’t motherly at all.
I could not put this book down. The other world that Gaiman created was as creepy as it was riveting and his unlikely heroine was as much believable as loveable. It reminded me a lot of Alice in Wonderland with the overall feel, not to mention the philosophical and cunning cat. It is a book that kids as well as adults can enjoy and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for an adventurous read.
Caroline has been awarded the Hugo Award for Best Novella in 2003, Nebula Award for Best Novella in 2003 and the Bram Stroker Award for Best Work for YoungReaders in 2002. The book was also adapted into a Motion Picture by the same name in 2009.
I could not put this book down. The other world that Gaiman created was as creepy as it was riveting and his unlikely heroine was as much believable as loveable. It reminded me a lot of Alice in Wonderland with the overall feel, not to mention the philosophical and cunning cat. It is a book that kids as well as adults can enjoy and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for an adventurous read.
Caroline has been awarded the Hugo Award for Best Novella in 2003, Nebula Award for Best Novella in 2003 and the Bram Stroker Award for Best Work for YoungReaders in 2002. The book was also adapted into a Motion Picture by the same name in 2009.
Pretties is the second novel in the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld so this is just a warning, if you haven’t read the first book this review will have spoilers.
In Pretties, Tally Youngblood has finally turned pretty, and she has a chance to join one of the most talked about cliques of New Pretty town, the Crims who ,when they were Uglies, where known for their tricks. The leader of the Crims is Zane a clever Pretty, which is rare in New Pretty town. Even though Tally is a shoe-in for her position in the Crims, thanks to her adventure last year with Shay and the Smoke, she feels like something is wrong. It all comes into perspective when Croy, a member of the New Smoke comes to new pretty town and helps Tally remember why she turned pretty in the first place: to test the cure that was causing the lesions on the Pretties brains that made them all subdued and dense. Tally and her newfound companion Zane must work to cure themselves of the lesions and escape city and special circumstances once more.
I liked the second book better than the first mainly because Westerfeld’s world has opened up more and the reader gets to see a bigger view of what Special Circumstances and the government is doing to the world. I also got learn more of the Pretties and their cliques which, while most seem superficial, some show what the group of Pretties really want, the cure to their lesions. It is a good read and I enjoyed seeing the progression of Tally’s story. The only aspect that I show more didn’t like about this book was the romance subplot, it was just too typical for my liking, that being said, I can’t wait to read the third!
Peeps and Uglies were both named as Best Books for Young Adults 2006 by the American Library Association. show less
In Pretties, Tally Youngblood has finally turned pretty, and she has a chance to join one of the most talked about cliques of New Pretty town, the Crims who ,when they were Uglies, where known for their tricks. The leader of the Crims is Zane a clever Pretty, which is rare in New Pretty town. Even though Tally is a shoe-in for her position in the Crims, thanks to her adventure last year with Shay and the Smoke, she feels like something is wrong. It all comes into perspective when Croy, a member of the New Smoke comes to new pretty town and helps Tally remember why she turned pretty in the first place: to test the cure that was causing the lesions on the Pretties brains that made them all subdued and dense. Tally and her newfound companion Zane must work to cure themselves of the lesions and escape city and special circumstances once more.
I liked the second book better than the first mainly because Westerfeld’s world has opened up more and the reader gets to see a bigger view of what Special Circumstances and the government is doing to the world. I also got learn more of the Pretties and their cliques which, while most seem superficial, some show what the group of Pretties really want, the cure to their lesions. It is a good read and I enjoyed seeing the progression of Tally’s story. The only aspect that I show more didn’t like about this book was the romance subplot, it was just too typical for my liking, that being said, I can’t wait to read the third!
Peeps and Uglies were both named as Best Books for Young Adults 2006 by the American Library Association. show less