Tag: middle grade

Book Review

Moon Reads: Diary of an Accidental Witch – Ghostly Getaway

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Diary of an Accidental Witch – Ghostly Getaway by Perdita & Honor Cargill. Illustrated by Katie Saunders

Read before: No

Series: Diary of an Accidental Witch

Ownership: Review copy provided by publisher because I requested it.

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

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.

Now, if you are new to the blog, you may have missed my reviews for Diary of an Accidental Witch and then for Flying High. I have thoroughly enjoyed both, so when Little Tiger included Ghostly Getaway in the newsletter I obviously had to request it!

In this particular take of Bea’s diary entries, she is going back to school after some holidays (I do not understand British school holidays so I just know it is some time off and cannot remember if it is a half term, easter or whatnot. Could be summer for all I know). The thing is that she is really enjoying her magic school, and feeling more comfortable with everything in it, even if she still hasn’t developed a taste for some meals that are a little too magical for her tastes (I don’t blame her).

So when the school talks about sending them on their first school trip she is incredibly excited, but at the same time, she is concerned because she has realised that now that she is comfortable in her magical school and being a secret witch, her dad may actually decide to move them again once he completes his book and what would she do about that?

So our story follows the little school getaway that promises ghosts and spooky things and maybe, just maybe some teamwork because Bea’s school year is terrible at you know, getting along overall… But also lots of shenanigans because Bea is concerned about her dad and a potential move.

Overall, as usual, this was a hilariously fun read, with spooky fun and lots of magic. Do not miss this out and if you haven’t read any of them, please go read them all.

Subscription Boxes

Moon Hauls: Peril at the Party Tales by Mail

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Subscription box: Tales by Mail

Theme/Month: Peril at the Party, February 2022

Ownership: Subscribed on their 6 boxes option. If you are interested in purchasing a Tales by Mail subscription, you can do it on their website. They have a new owner and I did not resubscribe because I am curious to see what happens

Tales by Mail is a bi-monthly middle-grade book box that comes with two books, some activity pages you can collect, or copy or use in various ways, a pin and one or two items.

February was very rockstar-like and interesting, so let us see what was inside, starting from the bottom left corner:

  • Theme and activity pages. I keep collecting them in the little binder and it is lovely seeing them together.
  • First book was Rock Star Detectives and it looks really awesome
  • A peril at the party colouring poster which I can see as a fun idea for kids.
  • Tiny collectable badge.
  • The second book is Sleep Over Take Over and also looks like kids fun and intriguing.
  • A promotional bookmark for Rock Star Detectives
  • A promotional door hang Do not Disturb for Sleep Over Take Over
  • Colouring pencils

A lovely little box and with a lot of entertainment including the colouring poster and mini colouring pencils which are adorable.

Book Review

Moon Reads: Paranorthern and the Chaos Bunny A-hop-calypse

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Paranorthern and the Chaos Bunny A-hop-calypse by Stephanie Cooke and art by Mari Costa

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

Read before: No

Ownership: Bought it for myself.

Chaos bunnies? Did someone say chaos and bunnies? That was basically what sold me this book. And that it is a graphic novel. If that hasn’t sold it to you yet, let me try a bit more.

We start with our main heroine, Abby, who is helping her mum at a cafe and serving the magical community but then her sister gets bullied and portal is opened to this chaos bunny land. Abyy is sweet but her magic is a bit odd and she wants desperately to help fix everything a nd help everyone. Obviously having chaos bunnies come through a portal creates chaos so that’s basically the story, how to stop the chaos bunnies from causing the end of the world and all that chaos.

But one of the things I really liked about it is how it integrates diversity into a magical world. The concept of ghosts here was beautiful and I like that it had a hijabi character. Then each of Abbys friends has a specific background, issues and approaches and despite some clashes, they are friends and help each other out and want the best for each other and again that was super cute to read and very encouraging and uplifting.

I recommend this book because it is a cute cosy chaotic read and I even sold it to the booksellers from the publisher, because it is so good and fun. If you want a more chaotic Mooncakes vibes with less romance and more middle grade or lower vibes this is it!

Book Review

Moon Reads: The Last Firefox

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The Last Firefox by Lee Newbery. Illustrated by Laura Catalán

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

Read before: No

Ownership: Preordered because it was irresistible

When I saw this book I knew I had to read it and add it to my foxy collection.

The Last Firefox follows Charlie as he is trying to be a little bit braver and deal with bullies at school that make fun of him, while also considering he may need to be more brave as circumstances change in his house. So when he accidentally stumbles upon some chaos and ends up with a baby firefox in his arms that needs care and may well set everything on fire plus also did anyone mention it may be the last one ever? poor Charlie is well in deep waters and needs to figure out if there is any bravery down there because it is well needed.

Thankfully he is not alone and he has Cadno, the little firefox, alongside his best friends Lippy and Roo who have bene trying to help him find his own brand of bravery and ways to stand up to the bullies. And I will actually say that it was lovely to see that the book tackles that bravery comes in different forms and we all learn to stand up strong for ourselves sin our own very personal ways so what works for one person may not work for another but that still doesn’t mean we cant do something or try to be brave. And never mind the fact that the book also features two dads, which was a lovely dynamic to see alongside the topic of adoption.

The adventures are chaotic and made me giggle but it was also how lovely and cosy this book was, the parents arent absent and there is a lot of ridiculous things going on alongside some more serious ones, plus one of the main characters is a fox that has fire and well, if you know me at all, I love fire and fire-themed things and foxes, so this si absolutely perfect. A good balance of all the good things.

Book Review

Moon Reads: Yuzu the Pet Vet (Vol 1 & 2)

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Yuzu the Pet Vet Volumes 1 and 2 by Mingo Ito

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

Read before: No

Series: Yuzu the Pet Vet

Ownership: Bought it on a shopping trip to London because they looked cute.

Yuzu the Pet Vet starts quite slow, with Yuzu having to move to live with her uncle since her mum is sick and in hospital, but her uncle is a vet and she has to help a little with the animals. But the catch si that she is afraid of animals. However, as you read, the little adventures mean that Yuzu starts paying more attention to the animals and gains confidence.

Each volume was a bunch of short stories, each focused on a visitor to the vet and how Yuzu helps, but it also overall includes more plot like her adapting to her new life, a new school, and dealing with her feelings of how to cope with having her mum being sick in the hospital and not being able to see her much, or feeling it is difficult to see her and not wanting to. They also encourage taking good care of animals and loving your pets, alongside learning from each interaction between the owners of the specific pet and the pet, and it is very cute.

The art style is adorable and the animals are always very cute, and the stories are soft and very child-friendly while at the same time dealing with hard topics at times like illness, death and other challenges but also fear and nicer things like making friends or gaining confidence.

Overall, a nice manga to read with children or to give to children to enjoy on their own. Very soft and lovely, but may cause people to want a pet and to want to be involved more with animals.

Book Review

Moon Reads: Diary of an Accidental Witch – Flying High

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Diary of an Accidental Witch – Flying High by Perdita and Honor Cargill

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

Read before: No

Series: Diary of an Accidental Witch, book 2.

Ownership: Review copy provided by the publisher upon request, this does not affect my review and honestly I had this on my wishlist anyway because I enjoyed the first one a lot.

As per above, I really enjoyed the very first book don’t he series, which you can find a review for it here. Flying high picks up more or less after the end of the first book. We find Bea starting a new diary to tell us all about Winter solstice, a special task for her and relating to magical creatures, and some fun events for the Winter Solstice.

There is a lot of flying to be made and competitions and then suddenly things take an odd turn kinda because of her but also not entirely her fault.

The story is quite funny, with a lot of pointers to the previous book, however, it also explains again the rules of games like Go or other magical things you may not have picked up from the first book if you somehow missed it. And the story is once again focused on values and learning to treat others well, and you know, Bea adapting to being a witch secretly, or how to balance her friendships between magical and non-magical friends.

There are some very good moments of considering that not everyone approaches things the same way and that maybe we all do it a little differently and still manage it and how easy it is to forget your privilege or that your view may be quite narrow. And obviously, there is a good party at the end because apparently, witches love parties.

Oh and I read this for #Februwitchy which I forget to say I have been doing because I am a distracted being, but yeah.

Anyway, I recommend you buy this one and the prequel because you’ll have a good laugh with adorable illustrations and it reads just like a diary, good for young readers and slightly older readers, or maybe an adult like me who loves to read and sometimes needs fun soft stories with low stakes and a lot of childhood bliss.

Book Review

Moon Reads: Nevermoor

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Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend

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

Read before: No

Ownership: Part of my library and had been there for ages

I read this in January because it was part of the bookclub from Wonder and honestly, I felt it was long overdue to read.

The story follows Morrigan as she expects to die on her birthday because she is a cursed child that brings bad luck. This is definitely an interesting premise but turns out she gets offered an opportunity to participate in some trials and show her magic, but she is sure her only magic is to curse people and bring bad luck, and that is definitely not special enough magic to pass trials. Unless the plan is to curse everyone with bad luck so she wins?

I enjoyed the humour of it, which is slightly dark but also quite funny and touches on harder topics. [Why is it that children’s books sometimes can touch on topics of death, bad luck and bad stuff in such a way that it leaves a mark and yet it feels light and not too bad?] And the place of Nevermoor is awesome, and her sponsor who is trying to get her to win the trials, and honestly, it is a cute interesting story, I think the main key thing is that it is about trusting yourself, and seeing yourself how others see you.

Morrigan was on top of it all,a good character to go along with, she isn’t perfect but then she isn’t obnoxious or trying too hard. she had accepted her fate in life and was doing her best and suddenly everything changes, and I understood in some level that,it was a fresh opportunity, like a breath of fresh air for her and it takes her a while to figure out what to do with this opportunity and change.

Overall, a recommended book about magic, friendship, self confidence, and making the most of life. You could give this you middle grade readers, read it aloud with your little ones or en joy it yourself as a teen or adult and it is basically a book that hopefully becomes a classic.

Subscription Boxes

Moon Hauls: Very Nice Villains Tales by Mail

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Subscription box: Tales by Mail

Theme/Month: Very Nice Villains, October 2021

Ownership: Subscribed on their 6 boxes option. If you are interested in purchasing a Tales by Mail subscription, you can do it on their website.

Tales by Mail is a bi-monthly middle-grade book box that comes with two books, some activity pages you can collect, or copy or use in various ways, a pin and one or two items.

Again, still behind with the unboxing but I want to talk about them and the contents so here we go with one from back in October! Starting from the left and going clockwise as usual:

  • His Royal Hopeless bookmark
  • Hi Royal Hopeless by Chloe Perrin, this book looks hilarious and fits the title quite nicely.
  • Theme card and set of activity pages, I love collecting these in the little ring binder.
  • Rules for Vampires by Sara Ogilvie, also an interesting funny read to fit the theme.
  • Very Nice Notes mini notebook, which is utterly cute
  • A little card/postcard
  • The collectible monthly pin
  • A Very Nice Villain patch with a cute bat
  • And finally a promotional bookmark for Rules for Vampires

Overall, as usual, one of the best things about Tales by Mail is that there isn’t a lot of items and therefore it is more about the books with a tiny treat and I love that. Alongside the fact that it sticks to the theme and provides me with some interesting middle grade book choices!

Book Review

Moon Reads: Star

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Star by Holly Webb

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

Read Before: No

Ownership: Review copy provided by the publisher in exchange for a review. This does not affect my opinion of the book nor do I receive any other compensation for reviewing it beyond the book.

As I mentioned in the Frost review, Star was my first Holly Webb book, which I read in December and honestly, I loved it. It was the right kind of cute and gentle but also had a little adventure, a little bit of moving in space to another area or in a way living someone else’s experiences.

The story follows Anna, who wishes for snow and borrows a little wooden tiger from her Russian grandmother while she hears stories of her cousins back in Russia. But as she goes for a walk, she wonders about a loose tiger cub in Russia near the village where her cousin lives. As such, we suddenly are now in that village and being the cousin Anna.

The story follows Anna as she tries to save the tiger cub but also not be in danger, and it is very cute, very intriguing and cares about the little animal and just shows how things can affect life, but also to be safe. I really liked some of the measures Anna took to be sensible before leaving her house and a few of the things she cautiously does before approaching the tiger cub.

Overall, the story was enjoyable, made me want to have a few wood-carved animals to display somewhere and just to think about animals and the roles they have and what can happen when we disrupt them.

Recommended for readers that can read on their own or a family read to slightly younger readers with some guidance on topics and explanations on the content, nothing untoward or anything like that but it does deal with hunters and animals and other little things. The illustrations are absolutely stunning and it is so worth reading.

Book Review

Moon Reads: Frost

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Frost by Holly Webb

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

Read before: No

Ownership: Gifted by a friend since I love books about foxes.

I had never read a Holly Webb book before I read Star, review to come, and then I was organising my middle grade shelves and realised I had this one by her too, so it felt right to read it and review it.

Frost is a story about a young girl who starts feeding the fox cubs that live near their apartment complex, but she has to do so secretly because you know, urban foxes = bad. The story focuses a little on the present and our main character interacting with eh foxes but also interacting with her family and one of the neighbours in the complex. This part was at first a bit generic but got more particular and showed a lot of character and growth for our little girl.

On the other hand we have the “fox” story, which focuses on a slight time travelling, like being in another body after she listens to a story and decides to feed the fox on a cold snowy night. This somehow means she is in a much older age, 1600s if I remember correctly, and her fox friend is still around but there is also a historical and cultural lesson on snow fairs and the roles of children and life in general.

I really enjoyed the story, and obviously because it has a fox, it was nice to read and just be part fo the fox love shared here.

This book is probably for readers that have a good comprehension level as the story is cute and meant for probably 7+ but it also has a little of historical value and it has illustrations which I loved.