One Chapter

The Someone New by Jill Twigs

5 stars Children’s

What a sweet, simple book about what it’s like being new and how to embrace someone who is new. I like the fact that this book tells children that basically everyone was a new person at one point or another and that, it’s okay to change your mind (to be wrong). I think this book would make a great conversation starter for children and a great one that helps them understand emotions.

One day, Jitterbug the chipmunk, wakes up and feels there is something different about that day. She sees some of her friends but it isn’t until she sees Someone New, that she realizes that they are what is different about that day. Her friends talk with Someone New, learning a lot about them while Jitterbug listens. Suddenly, Jitterbug starts to get worried and scared. She feels threatened and begins to worry about herself and the forest and she makes a comment to this new individual (Pudding).

Jitterbug has many questions about what Pudding says: what will happen to the forest if he stays? will her friends like Pudding more than they like her? What will happen if he stays? Even though Puddings life was in jeopardy where he lived, Jitterbug reaction shocked me but it’s a reaction that some children have when a new child becomes popular or looks interesting and they feel threatened. When Jitterbug’s friends try to talk to her about what she did, I liked how they approach her. They were smart in handling their friend’s behavior.

I feel that for younger children this is a cute read but for older children it could also be used as an educational book that could help children understand both sides of what it is like to be a New Person and how to accept someone who is New.

The X Files: Earth Children Are Weird by Jason Rekulak

5 stars Children’s

There is nothing like a sleepover outside to get your imagination going and that is exactly what happens in this book, which is a classic on The X Files: Earth Children Are Weird. All outdoor noises can be explained by everyday events, right?

This is an enjoyable and lively story which begins with two young children (Dana and Fox)camping outside, in the backyard, inside a tent. Fox definitely looks scared after hearing Dana read to him the book, The X Files. Fox begins to question all the noises that he hears outside their tent. Dana tries to reason with Fox, explaining that aliens aren’t real and as they venture out into the yard, she tells him that things look different outside because its dark. It sounds like a great explanation but when Dana gets spooked too, they all take off running into the house where they think they’re going to be safe.

I enjoyed looking at the illustrations for they felt like they’d pop right off the page. Bright colors, crisp details and the facial expressions were fantastic. The story is told by using speech balloons as each character talks and by using various onomatopoeias throughout the book. It really is a fun book to look at and the language is easy to read so children will be able to read it on their own in no time. The ending is super cute.

Over the River & Through the Woods by Linda Ashman

5 stars Holiday

This is a fun twist on the classic. Everyone is going to grandma’s but they’re coming from different regions and in different methods of transportation. I enjoyed the creative modes the author used to get the guests traveling to grandmas yet somehow, when they arrive, they are all together, in the old traditional means of transportation. What happened along the way?

The whole family has received Grandma and Grandpa’s invitation to come to their house for the holidays and they’re all coming, with a pie. The four families pack up and begin their trip. Written in rhyme, each family has travel issues along the way but have no fear, just when they think they will not make it, they hear a “Neighhhh!” They are saved! The horse is pulling a large sleigh which has enough room for everyone, driven by a friendly fellow. Once everyone has boarded and everything is put on the sleigh for the holidays, they head off to another family member who is stranded.

After all four of the families have been loaded and their holiday goodies have been loaded on, they head out to grandma and grandpa’s house where the they celebrate with family and friends.

What a cute and fun holiday book. I loved the illustrations; they are simply beautiful to look at. Kim does an amazing job! Her attention to detail, the bright and colorful illustrations really make this book spectacular! It took me a while to find my rhythm with this book but once I did, it was fun to read. I really liked this book.

Builder Brothers: Big Plans by Jonathan and Drew Scott

4 stars Children’s

I picked up this book because I like this illustrator but then, I saw it was about The Property Brothers so I scored twice! This was a cute, entertaining story from the brothers.

You really have to love this illustrator. Her illustrations are bright, colorful and fun to look at. I love how much energy flows from the pages and how everything looks real, yet with a cartoonish flair to it. The ruler, crayons, and papers are proportionate to the page and there’s so much detail and items to look at, on each page.

In this book, the brothers are young with big dreams. They want to build something amazing, but what? Like most kids, they want it to be specular but they can’t come up with the perfect plan until they see their dogs lying on the floor. They plan out everything perfectly, so they thought, until they take their final look at their final product and well, it wasn’t perfect. They have to adjust their thinking. It all works out in the end.

It’s a cute book that I think shows kids that they shouldn’t give up on their dreams even if it doesn’t work out, just readjust their thinking or idea, it still works. I like how the boys work together, work hard and how they still go after their dreams even when others are not encouraging them. I like their facial expressions (from sad to happy to excited) all on the same project. There are also instructions on how to build a birdhouse on the last page.

Wilder Girls by Rory Power

4.5 stars Fiction

Wow! Let me see if I can find the correct words to describe this book: enticing, captivating, startling, and remarkable. The more I read of this book, the more questions I had and the more I needed to know. The females who lived on this island fought for their own survival, barricaded behind a fence, they fought to live, yet somehow the Tox had made its way into their compound, so what is the fence keeping out?

They were all girls inside this huge house, originally labeled Raxter School for Girls, located on an island. What’s left of them, live in quarantine, staying alive by the rations supplied to them by boat and brought to the house by the Boat Girls and an adult, the only people allowed past the fence.

The authorities are still working on a cure and the girls were left in the dark about the Tox. Waiting and living with their conditions, each of them are growing older and watching each other, as each one of them receives their own form of the Tox and have their “first.” Individually, as one of the girls begins twitching and then shaking, I was eager for what was about to begin but nervous and scared for the actual event to occur.

The story is told by Hetty and compared to some of the other girls at Raxter, Hetty is down-to-Earth. Byatt sleeps next to Hetty on the bottom bunk and Reese sleeps on the top bunk, you really get to know these girls in the novel as they are very close to one another. One day, Byatt is missing. How can she be missing when no one goes outside the fence?

The novel felt creepy and mysterious, like there was a big secret that no one was telling you. What was beyond the fence was exciting and it felt like Little Red Riding Hood mother said, “stay on the path.” I really enjoyed the author’s writing, the imagery I had while reading was fantastic. I liked the storyline and how, there were times that I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. This was one of those books that ran in a cycle for me, it was slow at times, then fast and this cycle continued as parts of the novel’s mystery was revealed throughout its pages. There were a few times that I had to go back and reread a few things, but other than that, I really enjoyed this novel. 4.5/5

Thank you, Penguin Random House, for providing a copy of this novel to me in exchange for an honest opinion.

Far Away by Lisa Graff

4.5 stars Middle School/Children’s chapter

I thought this was a sweet book and as CJ got swept away, I was hoping this girl’s journey wouldn’t end in a disaster.

I enjoyed the idea that CJ (12) and her aunt contacted CJ’s mother’s on CJ’s birthday. As a medium, CJ’s aunt had the ability to connect with her and CJ looked forward to celebrating her birthday with her mother. Unfortunately, the day arrives when her mother informs them that she can no longer visit them.

After traveling on the road with her aunt for years doing shows, her aunt decides that this lifestyle is probably not the ideal situation for CJ either and enrolls her in a boarding school. She feels it’s time that CJ has a stable lifestyle. You can just imagine how CJ felt about her current situation now. Her world had suddenly come crashing down.

CJ saw no reason for all of this. Why a boarding school? CJ had heard about tethers and spirits and she felt that her mother just needed a tether to keep her connected to the human world, but where was her mother’s tether?

Well, jump aboard on CJ’s journey as she takes you on a ride with Jax as the two of them set off to find this tether. As Jax learns to drive, CJ tries to find her mother’s connection to the human world. On this journey, these two learn more about themselves and each other, a revelation they didn’t know they’d find.

I love CJ’s “signs” as everything seems to fall into place yet Jax sees these “coincidences” popping up just when they need them. They are a fun pair, sometimes pushing each other just enough to make the trip fun. I started to get nervous as some of the events were being led with emotions but in the end, things worked out. The ending was perfect for this novel.

A great novel with a mystery element, friendship and family ties and an all-around entertaining read. I think many upper elementary or middle school readers will enjoy this novel and the characters within it.

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent

4.5 stars Historical Fiction

I was surprised how much I liked listening to this novel. It felt dark and as the story continued, I started to have feelings for the woman who was just waiting for her sentence to be carried out.

The farmer’s wife was not too happy to have this prisoner in her house but she had no choice. They choose their house and now, they had to deal with it. Agnes was not supposed to be there long, for she was sentenced to death for her crime. When they brought Agnes, I loved the way the wife took charge over the situation. She was not having this prisoner contaminate her house and the guards upset her household. She seemed strong and determined, as she looked over the prisoner that was before her.

As the story progressed, the characters seemed to transform. We hear the truth and I began to have a change of heart. Did Agnes really commit the crime, that they said she did? That’s the question that really needs to be answered here.

I liked the darkness of the novel and how the story progressed. She was a prisoner yet it there were times, I couldn’t see it and then, we had to remember what they said happened. There was something about how the story was written, for when I listened to it, the words just flowed out and the images were right beside them.

I really wished that I would have read this novel instead of listened to it as I had a hard time with the audio. I thought the main character was flirty. Why? I thought the narrator’s voice had an accent which translated to the main character and in this dark novel, it didn’t sit well with me considering her situation. It’s just me, but this effected how I felt emotionally towards the characters too. I would like to reread this novel in the future to hopefully get more connected with the characters. A great story!

Southern Living Slow Cooker Cookbook by Oxmoor House

5 stars Cookbook

Another great Slow Cooker favorite which I found at a school book sale. I don’t know what possessed me to pick this up many years ago except that I was starting to use my crock-pot and now, I am obsessed with using it. This book has more recipes in it than I have explored but the ones that I have tried, are fantastic.

Not every recipe in this book has a picture but each recipe has serving size, diabetic exchange information and nutritional information along with step-by-step instructions and a list of ingredients There are five different food categories inside this book: beef, poultry, pork, meatless main dishes, and other meats (shrimp, swiss steak, veal, venison, lamb, cloppino, bouillabaisse, fish,. There is also an index and extras sections which includes desserts, butter, sides, equivalent weights/yields and a Q & A section. The pictures that are included are bright and look delish (even for dishes that I don’t think I would eat).

The ingredients inside this cookbook are not hard to find. Some of these dishes are not ones that I would make but again, I am picky but they are dishes that are simple, use everyday ingredients and the meal you are preparing are for dishes that you could have at home any night/day, it’s not a meal that you’d only prepare for a special occasion. The dishes that I have prepared out of this book were prepared for friends, family, get-togethers, and/or just my husband and I.

I have made the Basic Pasta Sauce (like the fresh tomato flavor in this one), Beef Stroganoff, Hungarian Goulash, Pork Chops and Gravy, and Spicy Apples and Pears. What else looks good: Rio Grande Meat Loaf, Homestyle Potato Soup, Mexican Black Bean Chili, Apple Grunt, Cuban Rice and Red Beans, and Chili Cheese Spuds. In some of the recipes the author tells you how to prep the day before so it’s easy in the morning to put the ingredients together in your slow-cooker. I enjoy this cookbook and the recipes that I have tried, always came out great.

Slow Cooker Revolution by American’s Test Kitchen

5 stars Cookbook

I can’t believe I have never reviewed this cookbook as it is one of my favorites. I have been an American’s Test Kitchen followers for years and I can’t tell you how many of their recipes I have made over the years. I also subscribe to both the Cooks Country Magazine and Cooks Illustrated Magazine; they both offer recipes yet they each are different in their own unique way (check out their website site). You can see how much I use this cookbook by the post-its at the top, and I do write in this book. This is one of my go-to crock-pot cookbooks.

First, why I like American Test Kitchen. The variety of cookbooks they have is amazing! From vegan, cooking for two, diabetes, meat, brunch, pies, etc. (I’m sure you’ll find something in their stack for you). I like their cookbooks as they use normal ingredients that I have in my pantry or that I would find at my grocery store. I also feel that I am cooking something that’s normal, it’s not a dish that can only be served on special occasions. I like their recipes because they try these recipes over and over again until they are perfect. With each recipe, they include a description as to WHY the recipe works. It can include things they tried in the recipe, what they changed, what worked and what didn’t. I think that’s interesting.

With this cookbook, you will not get a picture with every recipe but you will get serving size and cooking time. Nutritional information is not available. There are 12 main food categories in this cookbook: soups, stews, braises, chilis, BBQ favorites and more, pasta sauces, meatballs meatloaves and more, enchiladas tacos and more, casseroles, on the side, eggs and brunch, and desserts. There’s also a basic section (broths, sauces, gravy, etc.), an index, and a slow cooker 101 section.

I have bought this cookbook as a wedding present many times, have bought it for friends and each of my kids have a copy as I think it’s fantastic. I have made the Farm Stand Tomato Sauce, the Chili Mac, Tomato Macaroni and Cheese, Meatballs and Marinara, Chicken, Tomato, and Olive Sauce, White Chicken Chili, Smothered Pork Chops with Onions and Bacon, Old Fashioned Beef and Noodle Soup, Tex-Mex Chicken Stew, Bachelor Beef Stew…….(I think I will stop).

I will comment that with their recipes, there is prep time. You might need to brown your pork chops before putting them in the crockpot or you might need to simmer/mix some ingredients before pouring it into your crockpot but this is worth it. If you short on time in the morning, I have done these steps the night before and stored the product in the retrig. overnight and just continued with the recipe in the morning and the recipe turned out fine for me. I highly recommend this cookbook!

Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake

4.5 stars YA

Who’s the liar? Owen is her twin and they’ve been close growing up but she’s been best friends with Hannah for years, yet now Mara has to decide whose story she believes. She can’t imagine that either of them would lie about the incident but as Mara watches and listens, she’s able to uncover the truth.

Ashley Blake does a fantastic job covering some difficult issues including gender identity and rape. As these topics touch the lives of family, friends and peers, the author shows the reaction and magnitude that they have on the individuals involved.

The night of the party, Mara saw her brother drunk with Hannah. Later that night, someone told Mara that they saw Owen and Hannah together and they seemed fine. Owen claims now that what happened that night, was a misunderstanding and things between Hannah and him weren’t fine that night. Mara’s thoughts were like a swing, as she goes back-and-forth between believing in what her brother says and accepting what Hannah says was the real story.

Her parents believe Owen’s version of the story and they tried to use family pressure to persuade Mara. I liked how serious Mara felt about the situation as things around her began to close in. I liked the character of Alex for he felt as confused as Mara but for different reasons. This was a great novel that I highly recommend if you like to read these types of novels. 4.5 stars