One Chapter

Mickey Friendship Tales by Disney

5 stars Children’s Picture Book

We’ve got a Mickey fan in our house so when I happened upon these 5 books in 1 at the library, I grabbed it. We already have one of the books, but the other 4 books were new ones to us and now, 3 of them, we have read almost every day. I might just be buying a copy of this 160-page book for our house.

Like I mentioned before, there are 5 stories in this book: Mickey’s Perfecto Day, Ski Trippin’, Donald’s Stinky Day, Minnie-rella, and A Hot-Dog Day. Each story is around 30 pages long with bright, colorful illustrations, easy-to-read text, featuring Mickey and his friends. Ski Trippin’ in the story we haven’t read much which means we haven’t read it every day.

In Mickey’s Perfecto Day, the gang is in Spain where Donald is going to sing with his friends on stage. It’s going to be a perfecto day. Then, a rose lands in Minnie’s Daily Driver which causes a baby bull to follow Minnie EVERYWHERE! Donald is off to lunch with Daisy and his friends where he eats something spicy and oh no! Donald loses his voice. Who will sing on stage? What happens to Minnie when the baby bull catches up to her and Mickey?

In Ski Trippin’, Daisy forgets how to ski. Daisy packs everything (and I mean everything!) on this skiing trip so check out their car. She falls, slips, crashes and just can’t ski once they get on the snow. Mickey, Goofy, Donald, and Minnie try to give Daisy pointers on how to ski. Pete even helps as the big ski race is starting. Soon all the friends are skiing down the hill in the race, even Daisy!

In Donald’s Stinky Day, Donald is headed to the park to help Daisy when he spots a dog barking at something in the tree. Thinking it’s a cat up in the tree, Donald stops to help the cat after the dog is pulled away. That cat ends up being a skunk! That skunk likes Donald and goes with him everywhere. Donald doesn’t want the skunk for a pet and the skunk stinks. The skunk just wants to be Donald’s friend, but everyone is afraid of the skunk and now, they are afraid to be around Donald. Donald tries to get rid of the skunk, but in the end, that was not a good decision,

In Minnie-rella, it’s a story like Cinderella only a lot different. Mickey wants to surprise Minnie so they try to keep her busy with different jobs. When she falls asleep, Clarabelle (fairy godmother) visits her and gets her ready for Prince Mickey’s ball. A cute story. When Mickey gives Minnie her present after her nap, it was super sweet. Of course, at the end, they do the Hot Dog Dance!

In A Hot-Dog Day, Minnie is planning a picnic for her friends and makes a list of what she needs. Minnie starts getting things ready and soon, her friends start to help in the process without her knowledge. I loved how everyone came together to help make it a group effort.
A great group of stories. 5 stars

Llama Llama Little Lie by Anna Dewdney

5 stars Children’s Picture Book

“Again.” “Again.” How can we not reread this one again when we hear this from our grandson. I can’t tell you how many times we have read this book since checking it out at the library. We have hit the maximum of renewals of it, and it’ll soon have to be returned unfortunately. Hopefully, no one else has a hold on it as I feel, we’ll be checking it out once again.

With its bright colorful pictures that fill up the pages and its rhyming text, I think I have this book memorized. I think the concept presented inside this book and how patient Mama is with him make this book so special to me. Our grandson likes “everything” about the book. When Llama Llama makes a mistake, he creates some crazy lies to cover it up.

Later when he finally tells the truth, he realizes that’s he shouldn’t have lied.

Playing ball inside the house with Nell, he knows that he’s breaking one of Mama’s rules, but he does it anyway. They’ve already broken some of Mama’s other rules but she’s outside and will never know.

When the ball breaks something in the house, Llama Llama feels bad and thinks that they should “run away to Kalamazoo?” Llama Llama gets creative in his responses to how it got broken and they are funny. Finally, Mama asks if he’s telling a lie, and the truth comes out. The ending is sweet, and you have to love Llama Llama for its honesty and how they handle the situation. 5 stars

Every Body by Megan Madison

3.5 stars Children’s Board Book

Great information but I’m not sure a board book was the right avenue for it. I realize board books have expanded but this book is deeper than I anticipated. I hope that because it’s a board book individuals will not skip over it because the subject matter is well established in this book, where a variety of topics surrounding an individual’s body image is discussed. There is a picture book by the same title available and I guess I thought the information presented in a board book would be toned down compared to the same picture book, so now I’m curious as to what the picture book looks like.

At first glance, the illustrations inside this book are amazing. They’re bright, colorful detailed drawings that include a wide variety of individuals doing everyday activities. Every two-page spread also features an assortment of diversity: age, physical, ethnic, cultural, racial, etc. I liked the black text font as it’s bold and easy to read. I like how the book asks questions for the reader to answer based on their own experience. There are a lot of words to read in this book and the concepts discussed in this book are deeper than a beginning board book.

I like how the book addresses all the concepts surrounding body image. The book begins by addressing all the different types of bodies there are in the world and how they’re all special and healthy. From there, they address energy, fat, body needs, feelings, changes, body abilities, self-care, body image, being healthy, and it ends with every body is good. I liked how this book began with giving children a positive feeling about their bodies and accepting who they were, no matter what they looked like. I thought that the tone of the book started to get negative when it talked about BMI as they spent too many pages on this information.

Perhaps they should have just stated that they thought this concept was wrong (as individuals tried to change to fit this standard) and moved back into a more positive tone with “every body is a good body.” “Every body can be healthy.” I also never saw any mention of exercise or being active. The book talked about your body’s energy and listening to your body needs but it never addresses how your body needs exercise.

I think this book has great potential for lots of uses. To share the illustrations (without reading the words) and talk about what they see, would be a great conversational starter about diversity and bodies. Sharing the whole book with a child who would understand the words could lead to some interesting conversations. I hope individuals pick up this book up for its content and don’t overlook it because it is a board book. There is also a picture book with the same title. 3.5 stars

Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas

5 stars Graphic Novel YA/Children’s

Resilience. If I were to describe Bree, this word should be at the top of her list. Life starts over as Bree moves with her father to Florida. Bree adores her dad and the time that she spends with him, but she knows Florida will change all that. New opportunities await her father, little does Bree know what opportunities await her. Florida, the state bursting with water, sunshine, sports, swimming, did I mention water? Negative thoughts begin rolling through Bree’s head before the move and intensify when Bree arrives at her new home. Bree likes her new housing complex, it’s the pool that catches her off guard.

Bree is excited to start a new middle school: new possibilities and the list of elective classes have got her pumped. She’s having a great morning as she runs into the girl from her apartment complex, Clara shows her around before leading Bree to the office to sign up for classes. Sorry. Sorry. Full. Full. Every elective that Bree wanted to take was full! Her only choice…..Swim 101. A huge problem considering Bree doesn’t know how to swim.

Bree handles this problem and all the other challenges that come her way, how I would expect a young teen to handle them. Avoidance, denial, hesitation, etc. but as Bree’s character grows so does the way that she handles the conflicts.

Bree tries to avoid the pool but when her homework ends up floating in it, Bree finds herself fighting against the terrorizing waters to free herself. She’s doomed, until Ms Etta comes to her rescue.

This is a great book about overcoming obstacles and watching a character develop as they become responsible and mature. This is a good clean book comprising of family, friends, and girlfriend relationships.

The graphics in this book do an excellent job completing the story. Detailed, colored framed boxes provide a good flow as Bree learns to accept Florida as her new home.

The text is easy to read, and the story is broken into 8 (eight) chapters. 5 stars

A Perfect Mistake by Melanie Conklin

5 stars Mystery YA/Children’s

Let’s unravel this mystery together. Where it all begins, we don’t know but we know that it ends with Will, lying in the hospital, in a coma. How he got from A to B they don’t really know, but the fingers keep pointing at Max for the answers. Eleven-year-old Max. Max, the boy who has just recently been diagnosed with ADHD. Max, the child who because of his height looks older than any other kid his age. Max, the child who wishes that they’d never left the house that night. Max, the best friend, realizes that if he doesn’t remember what happened that night, they may never know what happened to his best friend.

I enjoyed unraveling the mystery of what happened that night. It was more than just solving Will’s medical condition(s) as Max is facing some tough issues himself. The characters felt credible and natural, which is one of the qualities I like about Melanie’s books. I was mad with Max when I read that he wouldn’t visit Will in the hospital when he was first admitted. Yet, the more I read about Max, the more I understood why. I thought Max’s friendship with Sam was needed to bring everyone together. Friendship, medical conditions, accountability, and trust were the main issues I thought this book addressed. I enjoyed this book and look forward to more books by Melanie Conklin. 5 stars

What You Need to Be Warm by Neil Gaiman

4 stars Children’s

I loved the illustrations in this picture book. The color palette for the illustrations worked great too as it didn’t take away from the poetic text. I do wish that the Notes from the Artists section could have been printed in gray or black, as all the orange text printed here was a bit too much for me. I liked how warmth was portrayed throughout the book; from the warmth of blankets, to the warmth within your heart, to a warm memory, and so forth. Reading this book to children who understand the concept of warmth could lead to some interesting conversations about what makes them feel warm. Or what would make others feel warm. It’s a short, heart-provoking book with interesting illustrations. 4 stars.

Half Moon Summers by Elaine Vickers

4 stars Middle School

Zero plans. When I read those words, I knew that Drew wouldn’t exactly have the whole summer off. When his dad decides that he wants to run every day, that’s fine but now, he wants Drew to run with him. So much for zero plans. As Drew begins spending more time with his father, he notices things about him. Has his father always been this way or is something happening? What are all these prescription bottles doing here? Written in prose, Drew makes a deep connection with his father as they push themselves farther and farther down the running path. After running, dad heads off to the shop, where he’s made quite a name for himself and Drew connects with Mia.

Mia misses her father who is off to Alaska, assisting Mia’s sick grandmother. Written in prose, we learn how Mia worked with her father on their house and now, that house might be taken away from them. Surrounded by family members, Mia struggles with the feeling of loss, separation, and the unknown. With Drew, she finds that she’s not alone and their struggles, although different, are real and important. As these two teens ramp up their training for the big half-marathon, it’s not all about winning, it’s powering through. 4.5 stars

We Must Not Think of Ourselves by Lauren Grodstein

5 stars Historical Fiction WWII

What an interesting read. I enjoyed hearing the stories that Adam was collecting to preserve the past. As the world around him was falling apart and his own world was facing so much uncertainty, Adam was chosen to record (preserve) the history of the individuals in the Warsaw Ghetto in which he was now living.

An English teacher, Adam now teaches English to some of the children who attend his classes in the ghetto. After Adam accepts his new assignment, he wants to learn about the other individuals around him. Everyone and anyone’s story are welcomed as Adam takes voice to paper, recording each life. Sharing a small apartment with nine other individuals, Adam tries to make the small corner in the apartment his own. Lack of privacy, resources, and loneliness Adam finds that his curtain cannot shut himself off from everyone.

Based on true events, this story hit all my emotions. From laughter to sadness, I looked forward to Adam’s stories and his interactions with those living in the ghetto. To record their history, to let their voices be heard and remembered, he gave these individuals hope and peace. 5 stars

Valentine by Elizabeth Wetmore

4 stars Fiction Crime

She came up to that front door. She had no idea what was on the other side, but she felt that it had to be better than what she was facing out here. There were no other options. Whoever opened that door, she hoped that they would embrace her and lock out the monster that tried to claim her. Whose story would they believe? Whose side would they be on? Who would open this door?

Although this book was long, the story was captivating once I became involved. The story takes place in Texas. Odessa, Texas where I could feel the dry dirt inside my mouth as I read this story. It’s 1976 but it felt more like the 1960’s as the men felt it was their place to be at the top of the food chain. Women were expected to spend their days inside the home doing their “housework” and tending to their husband’s needs. Everyone had their roles, just follow along. Yet, as we read this powerful book, we see how the lives of those who live in Odessa challenge these expectations and the outcome.

The story begins rather quickly when Gloria finds her way onto Mary Rose’s porch. A victim of a brutal assault, Mary Rose tries to protect Gloria and the tension in the book quickly escalates as race and power become the central issue. What is right and wrong only matters if you’re the one in charge and everyone knows who is in charge in Odessa. There’s a handful of other females who get in on the action but in this town, it’s the males that run it, or at least that’s what they think.

I originally had a hard time reading this book as I didn’t like the formatting. The lack of punctuation inside the book kept throwing me off. I ended up picking up an audio of this book to listen to as I read along with my physical copy of the book, at the same time. This helped a great deal. I won a copy of this book from Goodreads Giveaway and Harper. 4 stars

Across the Desert by Dusti Bowling

5 stars Fiction Children’s / Middle School

Another fantastic book by Dusti Bowling! I love the way that Dusti can just take me there and I get absorbed into her books and I forget about everything else. When JoJo heads out into the desert, I couldn’t put the book down and before I knew it, I was reading the last page. She didn’t have to set out on this journey alone, yet she did, and I was the little birdie, flying along right there beside her.

My heart broke for twelve-year-old JoJo, as the only friend that she connected with was an individual that she followed online. JoJo followed Addie’s online adventures as she would glide over various regions in her ultralight plane. JoJo’s school and home life were not ideal, so she’d hop online and talk with Addie about her adventures. Both girls were facing family obstacles and just talking together, the girls could escape for just a while. One day as JoJo watches Addie take the ultralight plane out for a ride, Addie runs into trouble. With JoJo being Addie’s only online viewer and communication now cut off, JoJo knows she must do something. But what? With JoJo’s mom in her condition and JoJo being twelve, there’s only so many options to choose from.

My adrenaline was pumping as JoJo fought to find her friend. I wasn’t sure what obstacles she would come up against, but I knew Addie was lucky to have her on her side. A fantastic read! 5 stars