Throwback Thursday: Mary Anne Saves The Day (The Baby-Sitters Club #4)

1987

I've always been relatively disinterested in Mary Anne, one of the more boring members of The BSC... or so I thought. I don't recall reading any of her books when I was younger. I didn't realize Mary Anne had such an attitude. I guess this is the first book where she really comes around and gains a mind of her own. I also didn't expect the introduction of Dawn in this book, though it makes perfect sense since her book is the 5th in the series. 

In this book all the babysitters are in a row over all sorts of things... Kristy being bossy and a know-it-all, Mary Anne being a baby, Stacey being snobby, and Claudia being a "job-hog". All the girls stop speaking to each other and the club nearly breaks up. Mary Anne and Claudia also get into it over favor shown towards Mary Anne from Claudia's grandmother, Mimi. Kristy, Mary Anne's best friend, is not showing any signs of forgiving Mary Anne. While eating lunch alone at school, Mary Anne meets a new girl from California, Dawn. Dawn and Mary Anne soon become fast friends and watch movies on Dawn's VCR together. 

One day, while sitting for a little girl with an uptight family, Mary Anne is involved in her first babysitting emergency. The little girl, who the parents comically call "angel" to the point where people aren't sure if they're actually talking about a real angel or not, gets a high fever of 104 while Mary Anne is babysitting her and her parents are about an hour away at a basketball game which the mother oddly wears a cocktail dress to (seriously, this is one of the weirder Stoneybrook families). Mary Anne goes down the list of numbers trying to reach all of the family's emergency contacts, but cannot get a hold of anyone. Remember, this was before cell phones. Mary Anne ends up leaving a message at the gym where the basketball game is being held so the parents can be paged when they arrive. 

Mary Anne then calls Dawn who comes over and helps with "the little angel" and the girls end up resorting to calling 911 where the girl is whisked away in an ambulance. The little girl's parents are so impressed with Dawn and Mary Anne that they pay them each TEN DOLLARS and that was after a little extra cash was thrown in by the father for looking after the girl so well. Dawn is eventually invited to become a member of The BSC after all the girls have eventually made up and have a pizza party at Mary Anne's. To go along with the BSC feud and ill children, there's the side story that Dawn's mom and Mary Anne's dad used to date in high school. If you're familiar with the series you'll recall that this ends up resulting in marriage.

As I said earlier, I was surprised at how catty Mary Anne actually is. I also found this storyline especially interesting since twice this week my own son had to be taken to the ER for fevers over 104. I sort of felt like Mary Anne understand, lol. I'm giving Mary Anne Saves The Day 4 out of 5 stars.

Throwback Thursday: Claudia and The Phantom Phone Calls (The Baby-Sitters Club #2)

1986

One hour left in Thursday and I'm finally getting my Throwback Thursday review posted! Talk about last minute.

Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls is the second book in The Baby-Sitters Club series. I just love this series. Even re-reading the books as an adult for these Throwback Thursday reviews, I still love them. They're still just as good as they were when I was in elementary school. 

In this book there's a phantom caller who is robbing people of their pricey jewels. His modus operandi is he calls people (usually twice) but just hangs up after they answer. During one call he was actually in the house when he called. The girls begin receiving similar phone calls while they're babysitting. Is this the phantom caller or just someone playing tricks on the babysitters? 

This one is a pretty decent mystery. I kind of thought I knew what was going on, but I wasn't sure. I ended up not being too fond of the outcome. I thought it sort of cheapened the rest of the book. A few parts of the book were actually a bit spooky, but the outcome was a little too cheesy for my preference. Of course, the book was written for girls about 20 years younger than me, so Ann M. Martin is forgiven. 

I am giving Claudia and The Phantom Phone Calls 4 out of 5 stars.

Book Review: The Long Way Home

This is the second book in Ann M. Martin's Family Tree series. My review for the first book, Better To Wish, can be found here. I loved the first book. The second book... eh, it didn't really live up to Better To Wish.  I really like this series because it's one of those middle grade series that deal with more adult content and the characters lives and emotions are very complex. Things often don't work out for the best, you know?

In The Long Way Home we find the main character of the first book, Abby, married to Zander Burley (her poet neighbor from the first book). Zander is now the author du jour in New York and the family is living comfortably. However, Zander also has a bit of a drinking problem. He's not a mean drunk, just goofy, but Abby does not approve. They have three children. A set of twins, Dana (this book's main character) and Julia, and a younger boy who has down syndrome. Dana does not like being a twin it seems, she tries to avoid her twin, Julia, and just wants to be an individual. Julia is a bit sweeter and really embraces the whole twin thing, wanting to wear the same clothes and do all the same things. 

When an accident on the Staten Island Ferry forces the family to cut their budget and move back to Maine, Dana quickly becomes extremely homesick for New York and begs her mom to let her live with her Aunt Adele who lives in the city working for a costume designer. Abby agrees and Dana moves back. It turns out the way home wasn't so long after all. I'm assuming that's where the book's title is derived from, but there was absolutely no struggle with Dana returning "home" and she only spent a chapter or two in Maine. 

I wasn't a big fan of Dana, I found her weak and not likable at all. I think Julia would have made a better main character. I also didn't like how Abby turned out so weak- relying on men to support her. She was hardworking, trying to support her children after the Staten Island Ferry tragedy, but I just felt like she was so smart and had been through so much in childhood that she'd turned out to be a better woman and mother. She was a total pushover to her children. Her daughter asks her to move a few states away to live with her aunt and Abby says yes right away and then later Dana has the audacity to tell her mom that she gave up on her when she was the one who was a total brat and Abby was probably happy to be rid of her because of her crappy personality!

Anyways, I also felt like the book was a bit rushed and forced which is rare for Ann M. Martin from my experience. It just didn't seem like the care given to Better To Wish was given to The Long Way Home. I still look forward to reading the next in the series, which will be about Dana's daughter. I am giving The Long Way Home 3 out of 5 stars.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book courtesy of NetGalley and Scholastic, in exchange for an honest review.

My challenge can be found here.

Throwback Thursday: Best Friends (Sweet Valley Twins #1)

1986

This book was written the year I was born :o Crazyyy. What's even crazier is that it's still totally relatable today. It turns out in the past 27 years not much has changed with sibling relationships and middle school friendships. I don't remember if I read any of the Sweet Valley Twins series as a child, I do remember owning a few of the Sweet Valley High books. I thought I'd start with the Twins and bypass the Sweet Valley Kids series. 

I read this book in one night, I can't say how long it really took as I was continuously interrupted by the children (at one point a glass of water being spilled all over me). But, the book is only about 100 pages so it's definitely a quick read.

I enjoyed the book quite a bit, even though the characters are in middle school I was still amused by their lives. I find I relate much more to Elizabeth, the bookworm sister. Jessica, the superficial dumb sister I don't really like at all and I can see her turning into a villain later. Elizabeth is a good person and isn't afraid to stand up for herself or others. Whereas, Jessica will say or do whatever it takes to be popular.

I'm giving Best Friends 4 out of 5 stars.

Throwback Thursday: Ten Kids, No Pets

1988

Like most nostalgic books, this one doesn't have a good quality picture of the cover. 

As you might already know if you've been following my Throwback Thursday posts, I'm a BIG Ann M. Martin fan. I love her books. I remember reading this book when I was a child, but I didn't actually remember the story, I just knew that I had read it and liked it. Like Ann M. Martin, I love stories about large families, which is why she says she wrote this book. The family in this book, The Rosso's, definitely qualify as large, as the title suggest this is a family with ten children. All the children are one year apart and named in alphabetical order.

The Rosso children have been wanting a pet, but their mother always reminds them that ten children is enough. The family recently moved from a New York City apartment to a farm house in New Jersey have plenty of opportunity to come across animals who need their help (and hopefully adopting). 

This story was really charming, as are most Ann M. Martin books. I liked how each chapter was dedicated to a different child in the family. I love the description of somewhat rural life and living on a nice-sized plot of land. Each child was interesting and had their own hobbies, interest, and quirks and they made this book really enjoyable.

I am giving Ten Kids, No Pets 4 out of 5 stars. I look forward to reading Eleven Kids, One Summer next.

St. Lucia's Day: Kirsten's Surprise

Christmas Reading

St. Lucia's Day Reading

Kirsten has always been one of my favorite American Girls. I've always had a soft-spot for anything Swedish and Kirsten and her family traveled a long journey across the Atlantic Journey from Sweden to America. In this installment, we find Kirsten a bit homesick for Sweden. In Sweden, St. Lucia's Day is celebrated and marks the beginning of the Christmas season.

Kirsten and her cousins, Anna and Lisbeth, decide to throw a St. Lucia's Day surprise for their families. The only problem is that the items Kirsten needs to be the St. Lucia's Day Queen are still in the painted trunk which the family had to leave behind a few towns away. Papa has still not gone to pick them, but decides he should do it quickly before the snow gets any thicker. Kirsten goes along with Papa to pick up the trunk, in the town of Maryville 10 miles away.

Papa and Kirsten are stuck in blizzard conditions on their way back home to Uncle Olav's farm. Their horse is frightened and will no longer walk on his own, so he has to be led by Papa. When Papa twists his knee leading the horse, it is up to Kirsten to save the day and lead them to safety. 

Readers often complain that Kirsten is a bit boring and on the dull side, however this book stands out. I find books about bad weather really interesting and so this one was definitely a bit "edge-of-your-seat". Kirsten's story also educates young readers on the Swedish tradition of St. Lucia's Day. I am giving Kirsten's Surprise 4 out of 5 stars.

Throwback Thursday: Samantha's Surprise

Christmas Reading

1986

Samantha's Surprise is the third book in Samantha's American Girl series. Just like the first book, this book also is focused on a doll which Samantha wants. Samantha is eager for Christmas. She has made Christmas decorations for Grandmary's house, has a special holiday dress to wear, looks forward to making a gingerbread house, and attending her friend Ida's Christmas party. All of these things are cancelled though when Grandmary learns that Uncle Gard will be bringing Cornelia along for the holidays. Grandmary is very eager to make a good impression with Uncle Gard's fiance and soon everyone in the home is too busy making preparations to help Samantha with her plans.

The story for this book was nice enough. Samantha isn't exactly my favorite American Girl and her stories are often centered around material things. I suppose, that's the somewhat spoiled life Samantha leads, though. Samantha still has heart though and seems like a sweet girl. She's often charitable and focused on giving to others, whether it be her family or her poor friend Nellie. 

This would be a nice Christmas story for young girls. Samantha's Surprise is a short chapter book with a bit of history woven into its story. I am giving Samantha's Surprise 3 out of 5 stars.

Throwback Thursday: The Baby-Sitters Club: Baby-sitters' Christmas Chiller (Super Mystery #4)

Christmas Reading

1997

I love Ann M. Martin. She is definitely one of my favorite authors. I still look forward to her new books that come out as an adult. This is my first Baby-Sitters Club mystery and oh man, it was good!

This book is basically three mysteries in one. First, there's a series of break-ins in Kristy's neighborhood. Second, Mallory finds a woman wandering around Elm Street who can't remember who she is or where she came from. Third, Stacy and Claudia are in New York City for the holidays and it seems like they're being followed and strange things begin happening in Stacy's dad's apartment building.

The mysteries were very well thought out. Even as an adult, I was intrigued by them! Stacy and Claudia's mystery alone was like something out of a Lifetime movie. Are all the BSC mysteries this crazy? I look forward to reading more!

I am giving Baby-sitters' Christmas Chiller 4 out of 5 stars. It was fun holiday reading and the baby-sitters exhibited detective skills that would make Nancy Drew proud.

Book Review: Candlelight for Rebecca

Hanukkah Reading

Candlelight for Rebecca is the third book in Rebecca's American Girl series. Traditionally, the third book is always the holiday book, so in this installment we find Rebecca preparing to celebrate Hanukkah with her family. However, every where Rebecca looks there's Christmas decorations. Even at school, the students are creating a Christmas decoration to take home. Rebecca's teacher tells the class that despite one's religion, Christmas is an American holiday celebrated by all.

In her heart, Rebecca feels this isn't right. She follows the class rules and creates the Christmas decoration, but she doesn't feel very good about it. To make matters worse, Rebecca knows her grandmother, Bubbie, and probably her mother will not approve of her bringing home Christmas decorations. Rebecca's twin sisters were already chastised for singing Jingle Bells and wearing red ribbons with bells attached at the ends in their hair. Rebecca is torn between two cultures. 

I enjoyed this book and it'd be a great book for a young girl to read to learn more about the Jewish holiday, Hanukkah. The author weaves the story of Hanukkah into the story, so like with the other American Girl books, children don't even realize they're learning. In this story, Rebecca also learns that hard work and doing what's right pays off, when she helps crotchety Mr. Rizzo, her buildings janitor when he's in need of a helping hand. Mr. Rizzo comes down with a cold and Rebecca kindly offers to help him take care of his pigeons and cat. By doing these good deeds, she's able to understand and get to know a person whom she may have misjudged. 

I am giving Candlelight for Rebecca 4 out of 5 stars. 

Throwback Thursday: A Journey to the New World: The Diary of Remember Patience Whipple (Mayflower, 1620)

Thanksgiving Reading

1996

A Journey to the New World: The Diary of Remember Patience Whipple (Mayflower, 1620) is the story of a young pilgrim girl making her way across the Atlantic Ocean to the New World with her family. I thought this book would be really appropriate for my Thanksgiving edition of Throwback Thursday! I remember this series from when I was in elementary school, this book came out while I was in 4th grade just discovering Backstreet Boys, *NSync, and Spice Girls! I read a few of the books from the Dear America series, but I don't remember which ones, it was so long ago. There's only one I'm entirely sure I read and it's not this one. I'll likely work my way through the series again for various Throwback Thursdays and the books can be found on Amazon used for about $4.00, which is the great thing about older books!

This was actually the first in the Dear America series, but in my opinion not such a good start. I think this was probably one of the books I read when I was 10 to help me feel better about my life. This book was so depressing, ugh! Basically all Remember does is catalog every person who died either on the Mayflower or while settling Plymouth. There's hardly any story outside of "x person died today" or "x person is very ill, hopefully they won't die soon" (they almost always do die). So, that's a lot of death. In case you aren't familiar with the story of the Mayflower, the pilgrims weren't exactly the healthiest or luckiest brood.

As usual, I found myself annoyed with the Puritan's society too. They were so uptight and judgmental no wonder the Church of England didn't like them! I know it goes way beyond just the Puritan's personalities, but seriously, ugh. Perfect example, would be how Remember puts down the ways of Dutch people. The pilgrims fled to Holland and then she wants to bitch about what the Dutch do on the Sabbath? Really? If you  don't like Holland then GTFO. I guess that's what the pilgrims did... but it's just the principle of it. I wouldn't flee to a foreign country because my own country wants to execute my people and then stick my nose up at that country's culture and customs. 

I'm getting upset about a fictional person, I know.

The story did get a bit better after they found the New World and people for the most part gradually stopped dying, or Remember just had other things to write about. I remember this series being really good so I hope this one is just a fluke. I'm trying to determine if I didn't like it because I'm 27 and not 11 anymore, but that can't be it because there's plenty of books I re-read from my childhood and they're just as good to me now as then.

I'm giving A Journey to the New World 2 out of 5 stars.

Throwback Thursday: Kristy's Great Idea (The Baby-Sitter's Club #1)

I just re-read the first book in The Baby-sitter's Club series, Kristy's Great Idea. This series was hugely popular when I was in elementary school. I had so many of these books. I know I read some of them, but I can't even remember which ones. I'm going to try to re-read the series gradually over time as an adult. The great thing about nostalgic books from the '80s and '90s is that they can be found used online, for usually a little under $4.00. 

Kristy's Great Idea definitely did not disappoint me. It was just as good as an adult as it was when I was a child. I love how all four of the girls had their own personalities and styles, but every one of them was likable. I also loved that they had rules. That's something rare to come across in a young adult book nowadays. Claudia, Kristy, Stacey, and Mary Anne's parents had expectations of their daughters and rules for them to abide by. The girls weren't rebellious or troublemakers, but I feel that Ann M. Martin still gave them a way to express themselves. Kristy doesn't like her mom's fiance, Claudia doesn't do as well in school as her sister, Mary Anne's dad is super strict, and Stacey feels the need to lie to her need about a health problem she has.

I look forward to continuing the series and reminiscing about my childhood. Ann M. Martin has an amazing talent for writing. 4 out of 5 stars.

Book Review: Ghost Town at Sundown (Magic Tree House #10)

This is the tenth installment in the Magic Tree House series. In this one, Jack and Annie find themselves sent back to the Wild Wild West trying to solve the next riddle in a ghost town... that may really be haunted! I really enjoyed this one! I'm a sucker for Westerns, so I really liked reading about Jack and Annie's adventures. For some reason, this one seemed a bit longer so Zachery did lose a bit of interest towards the end. 

I highly recommend this series to both young girl and boys. The first ten in the series were great and Zachery and I look forward to the next ten. I'm giving Ghost Town at Sundown 4 out of 5 stars.

Book Review: Dolphins at Daybreak

Dolphins at Daybreak is the 9th book in the Magic Tree House series. In this installment, Jack and his little sister Annie find themselves on a coral reef trying to solve a riddle. If they solve they solve the riddle Morgan la Fey will make them Master Librarians. Jack and Annie have exciting encounters with a leaky submarine, an octopus, a hammerhead shark, and a pair of dolphins. 

In my opinion, Dolphins at Daybreak is the most exciting book in the series thus far. I'm pretty sure that my five-year-old son, Zachery, would agree. I find that sometimes the Magic Tree House books will have somewhat of a lull in the middle or they get to the point where I'm thinking, "oh my God are they ever going to complete their mission? Hurry up, for Christ's Sake." However, in Dolphins at Daybreak I found the story line moved along super fast-paced. The fast-pace was great because that meant it was able to fully hold Zachery's attention. I never noticed his mind seeming to wander away.

4 out of 5 stars

Book Review: Midnight on the Moon

By Mary Pope Osborne

Midnight on the Moon is the eight book in the Magic Tree House series. Zachery really likes this series, but sometimes the books are hit or miss for him. Some of the topics he just isn't interested in. However, the moon is one topic that did hold his attention. It's been hard for us to find reading time lately since I leave for work when he comes home from school. However, last night he was waiting up for me (at 10:30pm!) so I had the opportunity to read him a book before bed, so we finished up the last few chapters of Midnight on the Moon. 

In Midnight on the Moon, Jack and Annie are trying to find the last "M thing". What starts with "M" on the moon? They go on a small adventure looking for the items that will unlock the spell cast on their mentor Morgan. They learn the moon is a dark and daunting place. As usual, facts are woven smartly throughout the story to help teach children about the book's subject. I would like to see a few more facts. I think the author mostly covered the moon is very gray, dusty, and lacks gravity. The facts that were presented were probably enough for new readers, I suppose the author doesn't want to overwhelm children who might be reading on their own. You can also buy the "fact tracker" in edition to the book if you want to use the book more for educational purposes than entertainment.

I'm giving Midnight on the Moon 3 out of 5 stars and Zachery and I both look forward to moving on to the 9th in the series.

My Review of The Books of Elsewhere by Will Helms

Today's guest blogger is 10-year-old Will Helms who is going to share with us his review of his favorite spooky series!

Will Helms

The Books of Elsewhere series by Jacqueline West is about an eleven year old girl named Olive Dunwoody who moves into a creepy old house that is enchanted and lives there with her nerdy Mathematician parents. She finds spectacles that allow her to actually go through the houses creepy paintings and into a place called Elsewhere. The paintings were made by the previous owners, Aldous McMartin and his Granddaughter Annabelle who died in the house but who still live there as ghosts, haunting the mansion.

Olive has to solve all the mysteries of the house with the help of a painted boy named Morton who she met one of the paintings and three very animated, talking cats that were left behind to guard the house for the McMartins.

These books are very suspenseful and fun to read, especially around Halloween. My mom and I read two of them together and I am reading the others on my own. I highly recommend this series if you enjoy reading spooky mystery stories.

Book Review: Meet Marie-Grace

Marie-Grace has just moved back to her hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana where she doesn't have any friends, isn't a rich society girl, and barely remembers the preferred language... French. However, thanks to meeting a new friend, Cecile Rey, things start looking up. 

Marie-Grace is one of the newer historic American Girls. I enjoyed reading about 1853 New Orleans. Louisiana is a state that I don't know much about and I honestly never had any interest in learning more about it. Outside of the Sookie Stackhouse books (better know as True Blood), I don't recall reading any other books based in this state. I enjoyed that as Marie-Grace discovered and learned more about New Orleans, so did my little sister and I. Like with Meet Rebecca, we also ended up with a small lesson in a foreign language, French. Most parents will recognize the French in this book from their high school or college introductory French classes. It's all very basic, but it's a great start for young girls. I love that the American Girl books always offer plenty of opportunities to learn!

The only thing I felt was lacking was that Marie-Grace didn't seem to have any lesson learn, like with most of the American Girls. Often this lesson is sacrifice like with Molly, Rebecca, and Caroline. Sometimes, there's hardships to overcome like with Kirsten and Addy. Other times there doesn't seem to be much of a lesson or challenge and that's where the story falls a little flat or tends to feel a bit empty such as with Josefina, Kit, Samantha and now Marie-Grace. I suppose it's not fair to say that those girls didn't have any challenges, because they did- Marie-Grace and Josefina's mothers passed-away, both of Samantha's parents were dead, and Kit's father was laid-off during the Great Depression and she had to learn how to share her house with complete strangers since her mom began renting out rooms (including her own!) to earn extra cash. But, those girls just didn't have to face the things that Kirsten (a pioneer) and Addy (a slave) did. From what I can tell this series is going to get a bit more tense and challenging for both Marie-Grace and Cecile as Yellow Fever takes over New Orleans, so the introductory book to this series can be forgiven.

Overall, I did enjoy Meet Marie-Grace and I look forward to reading Meet Cecile with my sister. I am giving Meet Marie-Grace 4 out of 5 stars and like most American Girl books I would recommend this book to any young girl.

Book Review: Meet Rebecca

Another great American Girl story! Like so many of the other American Girl books, Meet Rebecca has a lot of heart. Rebecca is a Jewish girl living in New York City in 1914 with her twin sisters, brother, parents, and grandparents. Rebecca, being a middle child, always feel left out- especially from her teenage twin sister's activities. When Rebecca's family receives word that their family in Russia is suffering due to prejudice towards Jews and the oncoming war, the family must act fast to save the money to earn their Russian family's passage to America. Rebecca's dad has some money saved towards the ship fare, but it's not yet enough. What can Rebecca do to help?

Well, Rebecca uses her talent in needlework and position as a helper in her father's store to help earn money. Initially she's saving money to buy her own candlesticks for the Sabbath supper. Rebecca has always wanted the honor of lighting the candles, but due to her age she is always overlooked for her older sisters, Sophie and Sadie. Rebecca finally realizes that if she doesn't buy her own candlesticks, she can use her money to help in a much bigger way. 

I really liked this story for several reasons:

1.) The obvious history lesson it offered my little sister.

2.) This American Girl book introduces us to a girl who is a different religion than the other American Girls. My little sister knew nothing about the Jewish religion before and now she has a basic knowledge of their traditions and we even learned a little Yiddish vocabulary.

3.) And most importantly, Rebecca's story is essentially a story about hard work and sacrifice. It was not easy for Rebecca to sacrifice to help others, but through the Jewish tradition of Mitzvah (which means 'good deed') she learns how wonderful it is to help others. Rebecca's dad also is also very charitable through the recycling and repair of shoes in his shoe shop for those in need.  

I'm giving Meet Rebecca 4 out of 5 stars and highly recommend this book to young girls. I found it also made a great read-aloud book for story time because I was able to quiz my sister throughout the book on the Yiddish vocabulary and Jewish traditions to keep her memory fresh. Rebecca's sacrifice is also a great conversation topic at the end of the book. Chloe loves this book so much that we read it in one day!

Chloe Says...

Rebecca was very pretty. The book was very challenging because she has to earn a lot of money to make a lot of money so her cousin can come get out of the war. I think Rebecca was very generous. 

Book Review: Meet Josefina

Meet Josefina is the story of Josefina Montoya, an American Girl from New Mexico living there in 1824 before New Mexico was even part of America! Like many of the other American Girl books, I read this book when I was a little girl and again recently with my little sister, Chloe, who is seven. Josefina lives with her father and three sisters who don't always get along. The sister's mother passed away a year ago and her presence is greatly missed on the rancho where Josefina lives. 

Personally I found Josefina's story a bit boring and I noticed that it didn't hold Chloe's attention quite as well either. I am giving it 3 out of 5 stars. There just wasn't much moving the story along, sadly. Which is odd because Valerie Tripp, the author, usually writes the best American Girl books- in my opinion. She also wrote the Molly, Felicity, and Kit series. The whole story revolves around Josefina's Abuelito coming home from the Camino Real caravan trip to Mexico City. When Abuelito returns home the family throws a fandango and they have a surprise guest from Mexico City, Tia Dolores, whom the girls try to convince to stay and live with them on the rancho rather than moving to Santa Fe with Abuelito and her mother.

Chloe Says

"I think it was very sad because her mother died. And Josefina was very brave because she stood up to Florecita the goat who is very mean. When her mother was alive, her mother was protecting Josefina from Florecita."

Book Review: In a Blink (The Never Girls #1)

In a Blink is the story of four friends who are playing one day, when they are accidentally sent to Never Land.  Never Land is a magical place filled with all sorts of lovely and enchanting things to discover, just like in the Disney movie Peter Pan. This book is based on the concept of that movie, but with a modern twist and so far no Peter Pan appears, though there is mention of "lost" children, who will never grow up. Even though there's no Peter Pan, there is, of course, fairies. Plenty of new fairies are introduced in this book, along with an old favorite, Tink. 

I really like how Tink is portrayed in this book. Usually she is portrayed as very snobby and jealous and somewhat naughty. In this book, we really get a fresh perspective. Even though, she's not happy about the arrival of "clumsies" which is what fairies call humans- she still remains pleasant and kind. I also like that she is a "tinkerer" so she fixes things, which I think is great. I like that author didn't feel the need to make her into a gender stereotype or even a fairy stereotype. She's strong and intelligent.

This book just has a very magical ambiance and even as an adult I enjoyed it. The dynamics of the friendships of the four girls were realistic, but not overly dramatic. One of them even learns a valuable lesson when she lets a bad fairy persuade her into doing something the girl feels isn't right. If you have a girl between the ages of 6 /7 and 10 I could definitely see them enjoying this one. It's also very innocent and I'd give it a 'G' rating, so parents don't have to worry about the content. 

I'm giving In a Blink 4 out of 5 stars and my little sister and I both look forward to reading more in this series.

Chloe Says 

The book was very fun and there was a sneaky fairy. I thought it was very good because it shows about friendship. 

Book Review: Meet Caroline: An American Girl

Meet Caroline is the story of Caroline Abbot, who is girl living during the War of 1812. I read this one on my own, without my little sister, because she and my mom read it together. So, before we buy more in the series, I had to know what happened in the first one. Even without reading it to a child, I still found this one totally interesting! As an adult, it kept me turning the pages. This book is really action-packed! 

Caroline, her father, and cousins are sailing on Lake Ontario when their boat is taken hostage by British Soldiers. The War of 1812 has just broken out, unbeknownst to them. Her father and cousin, Oliver, are taken as prisoners of war by the British, and Caroline is returned to her mother in Sackets Harbor, New York. Later, Caroline sacrifices something special to her to help the US scare off the British Naval Fleet, when Sackets Harbor comes under attack.

I actually learned a bit of a history lesson from Meet Caroline. Prior to this I really didn't know what the War of 1812 was about, we just never learned in school and I never did my own research. I just assumed it had something to do with America and Mexico, but it was a totally different border!

I am giving Meet Caroline 4 out 5 stars and I look forward to reading more in Caroline's series. Caroline is a courageous and spirited girl and I highly recommend this book for any young girl.