A friend gifted me this book out form my wishlist and I had it there because it has foxes and the artwork looks adorable!
A short cute book celebrating diversity (even if it is mostly with animals) and being different. It is in a way a readalong, an activity book and just cute to look at. Each set of pages has some information about the animal in the opposite page and then the idea is to find the one that is not like the others (hints of what makes it different are in the description).
At the end you also have more activities ifyou want to, and you could read this along, or hand to a child to just be mesmerised by the many animal sin the pages and the subtle differences (or the poignant ones) and what makes them special. Or play a “which one do you feel like right now?” I can see a lot of potential of keeping younger children absorbed in it and the little details.
All in all, a cut ebook for searching, celebrating differences and just larning a tiny bit about animals.
Giant Days Volume One by John Allison, Lissa Treiman (Illustrator), Whitney Cogar (Colors)
Rating:
At some point I got a sampler for this and then on a whim bought the first volume. Completely forgot about it. And recently I was doing a clear up and organising of my graphic novels/comics and this one popped up. I decided that since it looked short I’d give it a read and decide if I was actually into it or not.
You can guess what the result was… (I have somehow now purchased up to volume 13).
The three girls that share a dorm room/area are as interestingly differnet as can be. Innocent ray of sunshine, “normal” and drama queen. And well, this is a delightful mix. I giggled a lot and also I found it refreshing that the drama queen isn’t trying to be one and even bets against causing drama intentionally or not (it doesn’t go well for her bet), our normal girl isn’t that normal (woops, even if she tries) and the cute innocent sunshine has a bit of gloom and bad luck around her.
I like their weird adventures and the relationship between them which made this a fun read, the artwork worked well to give a laidback college vibe and keeping it fun even fi topics range from lighthearted crushes to mental health and drugs.
I obviously will keep reaidng once the next volumes arrive, so expect more reviews to come about Giant Days!
The Secret Loves of Geek Girls. Edited by Hope Nicholson.
Rating:
I bought this on a whim, because I consider myself a geek (and nerd) “girl”. And my curiosity was picked. This did not disappoint.
The anthology starts with a set of cartoons from Margeret Atkinson and it goes on with a mix of short stories, essays, comics and illustrations about the many aspects of being a girl and geek. It is about the spaces we made, and then got taken and had to reclaim. But it is also about gleefully enjoying going into a comic store and being the odd one out but still loving the comics loads.
The book covers a wide range of experiences and of course not all of them rang for me but I could still enjoy them, and there were some I read and felt like they had been watching me as I grew up. Giggles, concern and sometimes a lot of nostalgia ensued.
And part of me wished I had seen this book when I was younger, I would have felt less like the only one going through it and more like part of a bigger thing, in a better way. It’s hard to capture all the stories into a single review but I had a soft spot for some of the comics in it and just enjoyed reading about others visiting shops, conventions, and more.
It is nice to know that some things never change, but that others do and they can be better, more open to others, more accepting.
I can recommend this anthology as a pick and mix read that you can read one or two stories, maybe a comic or two, and drop then come back to it for some more fun stories later on.
June’s Book Box Club definitely felt like they took the condition of the world into stride and wanted to give us all a pick up, a lifeline saying “you can be courageous and kind” and that they care, so let’s see what was inside. Starting from the top right corner and going clockwise:
A cute banner with watercolour art, I generally do not keep banners or prints but this one immediately went on to the side of one of my bookcases. I guess it felt right for me…
Vegan rainbow sweets, I love it when sweets and treats are included in the box.
Clubhouse invite
A patch/decal that says Courage Dear Heart and has a nice desing, it makes me think of a cool tattoo design or something.
The theme card, very vibrant and alive!
A tiny cute planter which I think is adorable (just be careful as it doesn’t have drainage holes)
And to top the tiny planter, some seeds. This is one thing I like in some book boxes, they add things that go together, like value add, in this case you don’t just get a planter, you get something to plant in it.
The main book which is The Short Knife. It wasn’t in my radar at all and it sounds quite interesting so looking forward to buddy reading it.
A print with a quote from the book.
All in all, this is a cute box and it lifted my mood and spirits plus was a gotcha in that the book was completely out of my radar and I love that.
The Boy who Dreamed of Dragons by Andy Shepherd. Illustrated by Sara Ogilvie.
Rating:
I discovered The Boy who Grew Dragons a while back and adored it so I ended up buying all three books. And then they announced there would be a fourth one and I immediately preordered it because between the cute illustrations and the adorable story, I was sold (plus, dragons, very important part).
The best way I can summarise what the book is all about is to say that it is a transition story, from what happened in the previous three to what is to come if there are more books (which I hope there are). There a lot of changes for the superhero squad, and some new characters added.
Tomas is struggling to cope with the changes and feels like things are moving too fast, but there are ways around them and change brings growth which is a lesosn he definitely has to learn in this book. Plus one of the new characters brings potentially lots of new stories to the game (and I am hoping they will come in more books for sure). We see more Flicker and more dragosn whcih was enjoyable, I just was sad that my original idea of what dreaming of dragons meant wasn’t what happened but I still liked what the title implied to (and it was more fo a “I went expecting/guessing this and something else happened but I still wish this one thing was something in this universe” maybe it will be at some point…)
One of my favourite things is the cute dragons and how unique they are which was wonderful to see here. And the relationships of family like how Tomas and his sister Lolli get along and I love that, or when he interacts with his grandfather. It is lovely to see some family around and the dynamics behind them.
As I mentioned before, the artwork is great and very enjoyable, giving the story a little bit more fun and depth. So go get the first one, or maybe the whole set, because maybe you will suddenly find an interesting fruit and need to know how to deal with the little dragon that may pop out of it!
Bringing Down the Moon by Jonathan Emmett. Illustrated by Vanessa Cabban
Rating:
A book with a moon? Yes please! Plus this one was a lovely gift from a sweet friend, Luce, and I am delighted to review it.
We meet a cute little mole who just discovered the moon and wants to grab it and bring it down. It’s too amazing and beautiful, so gotta have it.
He tries to jump, he tries to throw something to make it fall down, and he keeps accidentally waking up other friends. The story is super adorable and it made me feel warm inside.
Worth as a nightime story or just a story to read out loud while cuddling and hugging a soft friend. And apparently there’s more stories of the mole and friends.
I got this book gifted by a friend frm my wishlist, and I loved it. I can review it here but I think the best review you will get is my reading it aloud.
I absolutely adored the story and the artwork to match, it is easy, sweet but such a delight to read as you can see from the video. It is a gorgeous fun book that I would recommend as a joy to read to anybody who wants a bit of kindness and niceness in their lives or who wants a cute book to read to their children.
I saw this while browsing for new graphic novels and it sounded interesting. It does require a few content warnings: eating disorder, fatphobia, purging, body dysmorphia. As the topic is around food and the relationship of Mindy with it and her memories, it is a tough book.
The artwork fits the story well and gives a matching vibe to what Mindy is going through, it felt right to tell the story. As for the plot, we meet Mindy who is uncomfortable with her body size and being liked at her size. So when she finds a curious chocolate bar at the shop while replenishing snacks, she buys it without much thought.
However, eating it triggers almost a “go back to the past” memory where she sees herself and some key moments on her journey to where she is. Obviously they are a bit uncomfortable at times but it also shows her what looking back does, perspective on what was actually happening and the intentions of the people around her givent he circumstances.
The story was interesting and it deals with tough topics, but it was also easy to breeze through it and feel accomplished and nice after finishing it even if at times I wanted to reassure Mindy (and I mean, I don’t have the biggest confidence in my own body but working on it).
All in all, I would say if any of the topics make you uncomfortable, I wouldn’t suggest reading it, but otherwise it was a good read and the artwork was worth it too.
It is done! Completed. I knew this book was going to be intense as it had a lot of questions to answer, starting with what happens to Kalen (I’ve been biting my nails about it since book one!), and then there’s the whole changes in dynamics of the characters. Why is Tea doing all of what she has done? And who is traitor, maybe more than one? Will we ever find out Druj?
I kept reading and going “I am not sure how we’re going to get all the answers to everything I need to know” until suddenyl all the ribbons, hints and little things made sense. My suspicions on some characters turned out to be true (it was also fun to buddy read this and have a theory and suggest it but not be fully sure and doubt yourself and then have it confirmed) and new things kept coming that still managed to surprise me but made sense.
I think that is one of the beauties of this series. There is a LOT going on. And you get most of the answers at the end, in the last book, but they all make sense because you can remember scenes in previous books and even in the one you’re reading, and the dots connect. It takes skill to write and make all those dots connect and do so in such a way, so I can only admire Rin’s ability to write this story.
//Spoilers for content in the two previous books ahead but no spoilers for this one//
Tea and Kalen. I adored the scenes that happened between them including drunk Tea which was one of my favourite parts. And we had the relationship develop well so it felt right, it worked and the chemistry. Honestly, I was just like cooing and wanting more of them.
I also had a lot fo love for the other pairings happening in the book and how they slowly come to fruition. It was wonderful to see old characters keep up.
The one thing I would’ve loved, was a list of names and who they were plus which country they originally belong to (as at some point I had to stop and remind myself that X was actually from so and so and not the other country). But this is more due to the sheer size of the world and the amount of characters and me desperately wanting to understand it all and not miss a thing.
Honestly I can babble incoherently for a while, but all I can say is that the book shows Rin’s ability to weave a tale and bring it to completion breaking and mending your heart along the way.
Tales by Mail is a new book box subscription that happens bi monthly, has a podcast and is focused on 8-12 years old! The people behind it are the masterminds behind Book Box Club so of course I had to try this one and as is evident by my blog posts, I read Middle Grade and other children books so it felt right up my street.
This is the very first box of Tales by Mail and the theme was Mansion House Mysteries (makes me think of my own young self watching Scooby Doo!), and starting on the top right and going clockwise, let’s see what was included:
Not included in the box but can be bought separately is a binder to hold the pages of activities and “reviews” that get sent with each box. I decided to get it alongside the box as it felt more organised to myself that way and a simple way to collect them in a designated place.
A sampler of The Train to Impossible Places.
A tote bag for The Strangeworlds Travel Agency which I am super happy to find in the box.
Promotional bookmark for Tran to Impossible Places.
Mini notebook to write all the notes on mystery solving with the theme artwork on the front.
On top fo the books, are two pins, one makes you an official member of the Postal Express and the other has the theme art for the box.
The House to Hoarder Hill. This looks spooky like and I am super itnrigued.
Jack’s Secret Summer, which feels more like a fun adventure with a bit of mystery and no spooky (but I may be wrong)
The theme cards and activities, it has a couple fo pages for a review of each book but it also has activities and ideas so it’sa fun supplement!
As you can see it is jam packed with things to read and do and it’d be a good kickstarter for a childs’ creativity and adventures, so I was excited by it. There is also nothing in the box that I felt was just added for bulk, but instead it shows the focus of the subscription. Activities, fun little things that can be kept and lots of adventures to be. So far I can highly recommend it as a wonderful thing to get for children to enjoy and if you’re like me, for adults too.
