Tag: children’s

Book Review

Moon Reads: The Firelight Apprentice

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The Firelight Apprentice by Bree Paulsen

Rating: MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px Grey

Nothing is perfect, and as such, the reviews in this blog are chaotic. My main aim is to share my thoughts, joy and opinions on a book, not make a publication perfect review. This blog endorses authenticity, showing up and joy over perfection.

The Firelight Apprentice follows sisters Ada and Safi in a city that is powered by magic and recovering from a devastating war. Ada is the responsible sister making sure things work out and they are alive, but she can see Safi is developing powers of magic and knows that her sister could benefit from becoming an apprentice to a magician, but she also wants to keep her sister safe and near.

Still she decides to let her sister join a group a travelling magicians who offer to take her on as an apprentice as they see hSafi’s powers and what could be. Safi of course id delighted to be learning and developing her magic, but there are still forces of darkness lurking, particularly a lich that is power hungry and ready to steal it from those that have magic.

I’ve loved Bree’s other books and so had preordered this one, not sure why it took me forever to actually upload the review, but it was a good read. It wasn’t the same as the Garlic series, but it still had these interesting conflict of growth and what happens as you grow and who becomes your friends and allies, and how to make that work for you being yourself.

The magical world was super interesting as was the magic that exists, I feel a little like it is the same world where Garlic and the Vampire happen but maybe a different much civilised area since this is a city. Still, it was a nice addition to the collection and a good read.

Book Review

Moon Reads: Narwhal’s Sweet Tooth

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Narwhal’s Sweet Tooth by Ben Clanton

Rating: MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px

Nothing is perfect, and as such, the reviews in this blog are chaotic. My main aim is to share my thoughts, joy and opinions on a book, not make a publication perfect review. This blog endorses authenticity, showing up and joy over perfection.

Every time I see there’s a new Narhwal and Jelly book I am very happy for it.

The series is very funny and cute and perfect for little ones. The artwork feels a bit like drawn with a crayon and it is so fun. Narwhal is always so peppy even when bad things happen.

In this one, Narwhal’s “horn” which is actually a tooth starts seeing the effects of having too many sweet things and ahs a crack, which hurts Narwhal, and so JElly and Narwhal go around trying to figure out how to fix it and cheer Narwhal up.

As always, sheaningans, waffles and lots of fun happen and this was very cute, with some interesting facts about Narwhal horns/tooth.

I just want to know what happens next, because Jelly seems to have softened a lot now that they’re good friends with Narwhal.

Book Review

Moon Reads: Diary of an Acidental Witch – Magic Ever After

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Diary of an Acidental Witch – Magic Ever After

Rating: MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px Grey

For some chaotic reason (I think health and house move) I had not posted my review for this entry into one of my favourite middle grade series!

Diary of an Accidental Witch follows Bea who moves into a new village with her dad who studies the weather, and the weather here is all funky, but it may have to do with the magical school nearby rather than just natural phenomenon.

Bea ends up going to witch school and turns out she is a witch, so we follow her shenanigans through a series of books (I have reviewed all of them and I love them so much!). Magic Ever After is what looks to be the last of the series. This is the one bad thing of this book, that it is the last so far and I am heartbroken!

Bea’s ready for magical plans over the school holidays and then she realises her dad is obsessed with trying to do magic, and Taffy is being too serious and thinking hard. So Bea is here to help her Dad and Taffy with their not so secret wedding. She then has extra secrets to keep, magic to teach, and a party to plan full of magic, chaos happens, but also, it is a very sweet book.

I enjoyed the relationships showing up and the friendship and everyone pulling up to help make this memorable, including Bea still panicking about things and her dad’s chaos happening, but in the end the wedding is so cute and very much in line with the chaos of the family.

Very cute, a nice “ending” for the series and with lots of potential for picking back up if they ever do!

Book Review

Moon Reads: Mission Impossib-hole

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Agent Harrier: Mission Impossib-hole by Ben Sanders

Rating: MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px Grey

Nothing is perfect, and as such, the reviews in this blog are chaotic. My main aim is to share my thoughts, joy and opinions on a book, not make a publication perfect review. This blog endorses authenticity, showing up and joy over perfection.

Disclaimer: Receiving a review copy from the publisher does not affect my opinion of the book. If you think I review it highly it is due to me knowing my taste well and therefore not requesting books I won’t enjoy. And I am not obligated to review the book if I do not like it, so you may not see bad reviews due to me preferring not to hype down a particular book. I only do reviews of books I disagreed with if I think it is worth bringing a topic or warning to light.

I am absolutely loving Agent Harrier (you should read my review of the previous one: You Only Spy Twice). And in case this wasn’t clear this was a requested book from the list the publisher sends (I love Little Tiger Books, they are awesome!), which they kindly sent me, and I love their books, here is my review.

Agent Harrier is a chaotic secret agent who somehow is very good and bad at his job and yet he always saves the day. The art is hilarious and breaks the fourth wall in funny ways and makes terrific use of the full page spread to play with the story and add to it. This is part of what makes the series so good, the art is spot on to the story.

There seems to be a lot fo holes going on in this third book, and not just any kind of holes, but PLOT holes, which are not helping the story go too well! They keep transferring Agent Harrier through various stories and realms to try to find the culprit behind all the holes that are interrupting this mission.

As always, it made me laugh and giggle and I felt it was too short but thoroughly enjoyed the book and recommend you read all three books if you haven’t yet!

Book Review

Moon Reads: Leina and the Lord of the Toadstools

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Leina and the Lord of the Toadstools

Written by Myriam Dahman & Nicolas Digard. Illustrated by Júlia Sardà

Rating: MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px

Nothing is perfect, and as such, the reviews in this blog are chaotic. My main aim is to share my thoughts, joy and opinions on a book, not make a publication perfect review. This blog endorses authenticity, showing up and joy over perfection.

I have p[previously reviewed The Wolf’s Secret, which had stunning art and a wonderful story that was the reason as soon as I saw this book was coming out, I had to order it. I have no regrets.

Júlia has a perfectly fitting art style that makes the book flow beautifully to the story. It perfectly matches authors and artists, and I loved it.

Our story follows Leina who has the only boat in towna dn therefore helps ferry people to the forest so they can gather supplies like wood and hunt in the woods. But the forest is scary and therefore it is known that not everyone comes back from it.

So, when one of her friends doesn’t make it out, she decided to go looking for him, because why not? As she moves through he forest, she meets the Lord of the Toastools, who seems a bit magical and very strange, so Leina has an inkling that he might know where her friend is.

She is then invited for dinner in the palace fo the Lord of the Toadstools and because she wants to find her friend, she accepts, which then brings us to a few discoveries in the palace and why people disappear int he forest.

This one was less cosy than The Wolf’s Secret, but it was still in the same mysterious and cosy but slightly scary territory as the previous one and I don’t know, for me that combination is just perfect, like a modern type of fairy tale that one wants to keep reading more of.

Book Review

Moon Reads: You Only Spy Twice

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Agent Harrier: You Only Spy Twice by Ben Sanders

Rating: MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px Grey

Nothing is perfect, and as such, the reviews in this blog are chaotic. My main aim is to share my thoughts, joy and opinions on a book, not make a publication perfect review. This blog endorses authenticity, showing up and joy over perfection.

Disclaimer: Receiving a review copy from the publisher does not affect my opinion of the book. If you think I review it highly it is due to me knowing my taste well and therefore not requesting books I won’t enjoy. And I am not obligated to review the book if I do not like it, so you may not see bad reviews due to me preferring not to hype down a particular book. I only do reviews of books I disagreed with if I think it is worth bringing a topic or warning to light.

Agent Harrier is a super fun and funny series of a wonderfully chaotic spy dog (he thinks he is the absolute best). There is in general a lot of fourth wall breaking and just chaos.

This is the second book in the series, and if you haven’t read the first, please do, it is hilarious.

But You Only Spy Twice finds Harrier somehow feeling like there is deja vu happening and things are repeating themselves in his current spy mission, what a very funny feeling indeed, specially when there seem to be two of him!

The book makes good use of negative space int he illustrations and lots of dramatic elements and overall the page. it is one of the best uses of the space in the pages to narrate and to give the reader an immersive experience, even when the characters break the fourth wall, it still feels interactive.

The story is funny, very Spy Kids but much younger type of chaos, and a perfect story for young readers or to read to them given the setup of the pages. Quick read too, very quick.

Can’t wait for the next one!

Book Review

Moon Reads: Find Peace in a poem

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Find Peace in a poem

Rating: MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px

Nothing is perfect, and as such, the reviews in this blog are chaotic. My main aim is to share my thoughts, joy and opinions on a book, not make a publication perfect review. This blog endorses authenticity, showing up and joy over perfection.

Disclaimer: Receiving a review copy from the publisher does not affect my opinion of the book. If you think I review it highly it is due to me knowing my taste well and therefore not requesting books I won’t enjoy. And I am not obligated to review the book if I do not like it, so you may not see bad reviews due to me preferring not to hype down a particular book. I only do reviews of books I disagreed with if I think it is worth bringing a topic or warning to light.

This is a lovely little poetry book, with a good collection of poems about mindfulness and about various topics to do with peace, calm and introspection.

The collection comes with the poems by “topic” and each beautifully illustrated. Some of the poems were ones I had read before or knew quotes that had come from them, but other were new to me and I found them fascinating. As it is always the case with a poetry collection, some of the pieces resonated more with me than others and there was one in particular that just stuck.

The Ink Cure by Kate Wakleing just hit me deeply, because damn, I use at and sketches, the little distracted doodles to navigate sometimes complex feelings or situations. It is known that my art is heavy in emotion and expression and part of it is because to me drawing is both a mindful practice and a very emotionally driven one. And I felt like this poem captured a lot fo my feelings very well.

I recommend this book for getting a nice encouraging collection that guides you through various approaches and ideas with a good touch of art and illustration. Beautiful in so many ways!

Book Review

Moon Reads: Thunder Cake

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Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco

Rating: MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px

Nothing is perfect, and as such, the reviews in this blog are chaotic. My main aim is to share my thoughts, joy and opinions on a book, not make a publication perfect review. This blog endorses authenticity, showing up and joy over perfection.

I remember someone saying they had fond memories of reading this book for thunder storms and rough times, and so I obviously had to get a copy and read it.

Thunder cake is a lovely little book about the power of grandma’s and good food.

As a thunder claps and booms, Grandma explains it is time to make a thunder cake and they need to get the ingredients immediately because a real Thunder Cake must be in the oven before the storm arrives.

However the list of ingredients is long and thunder signals the storm coming close faster and faster, looming over them.

Now, this is based on the author’s childhood memories of her grandmother and how she helped her overcome her fear of thunder, and well, I think this is a delightfully way to help a child get over fear of thunder and make it into something nice, an epic lovely quest to make a cake and have a delicious item ready.

Can definitely agree with whomever had mentioned this was great for rainy weather and rough times, it will make you smile, remember your time as a child and maybe also remember those adults who made an effort to help you conquer fear with a kind and fun adventure.

I haven’t yet baked a Thunder Cake, but one day I will when the thunder storms come and they are not in the middle of the night and I am actually able to have some of the ingredients. In the meantime, I recommend this book for another cosy autumn/winter read.

Book Review

Moon Reads: The Wolf’s Secret

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The Wolf’s Secret by Myriam Dahmn and Nicolas Digard. Illustrated by Júlia Sardá

Rating: MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px

Nothing is perfect, and as such, the reviews in this blog are chaotic. My main aim is to share my thoughts, joy and opinions on a book, not make a publication perfect review. This blog endorses authenticity, showing up and joy over perfection.

There’s a cosy vibe going on and this book is full of that stay at home curled up with a good book feeling that I crave during the colder months.

Our story follows Wolf, who is a feared scary hunter, but he has a secret. There is a girl who lives in the forest that sings and makes him very curious.

But will his curiosity and his loneliness (no one tells you that being scary means it is hard to make friends) get the best of him and will he ever go beyond watching this girl and listening to her?

The artwork was absolutely breathtaking, in that beautiful way that is just so expressive and makes you feel everything. I kept wanting to keep that feeling. And the prose, the words, it is a masterpiece in sweetness, in ease of story-telling.

The story overall talks about trust, differences, obstacles, loneliness and friendship and it is one of my favourite books. I kept thinking of it even after finishing reading it, over and over.

I can recommend it for a beautiful short fairy and folk tale that will whisk you away and bring you back feeling like a little magic happened.

Book Review

Moon Reads: Garlic & the Witch

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Garlic & the Witch by Bree Paulsen

Rating: MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px MoonKestrel Logo2 20px Grey

Nothing is perfect, and as such, the reviews in this blog are chaotic. My main aim is to share my thoughts, joy and opinions on a book, not make a publication perfect review. This blog endorses authenticity, showing up and joy over perfection.

I really enjoyed the first book, Garlic & the Vampire which was very cute, full of chaos and enjoyable. It was inevitable therefore that when seeing there was a second book, I would pre-order it.

I have no regrets.

Garlic is enjoying life with her vegetable friends, Carrot included, the Count (from the previous book) and the Witch Agnes. However, they are struggling to make a good substitute for the Count (he doesn’t want blood, but a vegetarian alternative).

Turns out to find the ingredients she has to go on a journey to the Magic Market for those ingredients to help Witch Agnes finally nail the substitute. But the other big thing looming for Garlic is that she is turning a little bit human and this feels a little too much and a big change even if it is gradual, what if Garlic doesn’t want to?

The story tackles many things and includes our cast in a more “mature” way having learnt and grown from the previous story. One of the big things is anxiety and how that can sometimes mix with fear of change and maybe hinder you a little.

It made me think a lot about how different and change aren’t bad words. It is important to work on that openness and that understanding that it will be different, it will change but that does not inherently mean it is good or bad, it could just be, or it could be good. And well, Garlic really has to work on this and on her anxiety, and trying to understand herself a little more, a bit more bravery and courage as she goes on a journey and as she looks inside herself and tries to define her own answers to who she is.

A very lovely sequel to the first book and left a warm fuzzy feeling, perfect as an autumn or winter read with a lovely cup of warm tea or hot chocolate.