Early Reader Review: Who Stole my Hazelnuts? by Marcus Pfister

Source: From Netgalley and NorthSouth Books in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion or review.

Who Stole my Hazelnuts? by Marcus Pfister
Publisher: NorthSouth Books
Publication Date:  September 3, 2019

 

Format: Ebook


Rating:








Goodreads Synopsis: 

A new book from the author of the bestselling Rainbow Fish series!
The peace and quiet of the forest are shattered by a scream. Someone has stolen the squirrel’s three hazelnuts! Who could have committed such a terrible crime? The squirrel begins his investigation, and no one is above suspicion. 

Review: 
This book was hilarious! Squirrel has lost his hazelnuts and he is very upset about it. He is trying to figure out who stole them, but is probably going about it in the worst possible way. He is running around accusing all of his forest friends, and it not a good sight. 

This book was so much fun. The illustration throughout was lovely and vivid and wonderful to look at, I think young readers will really enjoy them. The story itself, while hilarious, has a great conclusion and while it might be easy to figure out, it is still funny. 

The most fun was reading this aloud to people, being about to be the very upset squirrel yelling about his nuts was absolutely laugh-out-loud funny... but that being said it might also seem a bit crude. Either way, I loved this book and will be buying for friends with kids.

Recent Reads: The Little Grey Girl by Celine Kiernan

Source: From Librarything Early Reviewers and Candlewick Press in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion or review.

The Little Grey Girl by Celine Kiernan
Series: The Wild Magic Trilogy #2
Publisher:  Candlewick Press
Publication Date:  Sept. 3, 2019

 

Format: Paperback ARC

Rating: 








Goodreads Synopsis: 

In the second book of the Wild Magic trilogy, courageous young Mup and her family are trying to heal and restore the kingdom when they uncover an ancient and powerful anger.
The old queen and her raggedy witches have fled Witches Borough, and Mup’s family has moved into the cold, newly empty castle. But the queen’s legacy lingers in the fear and mistrust of her former subjects and in the memories that live in the castle’s very walls. While Mup’s mam tries to restore balance to a formerly oppressed world, Mup herself tries to settle into her strange new home with her dad, Tipper, and Crow. When an enchanted snow blankets the castle, Mup’s family is cut off from the rest of the kingdom, and the painful memories of the old queen’s victims begin to take form, thanks to a ghost whose power may be too much for even Mup and Mam to handle. Celine Kiernan weaves a timely and essential truth into the second book of her trilogy: that dismantling oppression means honoring the pains of the past, and perhaps the most potent magic of all is encouraging joy and hope wherever possible. 

Review: 
The Little Grey Girl is the second book in The Wild Magic trilogy. It follows a girl named Mup as her family is moving from the normal realm to the magical realm. 

This book seemed much darker than the first in the series and it was pretty spooky. Mup and her friend Crow are trying to figure out what is happening at the castle - there is a weird presence and it has people acting funny. I really liked the world building in the first book, this book does not have too much of that, but it worked more on the character development of Crow and some other characters which was nice.

The story, like I mentioned, was a bit spooky and dark, but very interesting and the pace was good. I really liked how it all wrapped up and am excited for the final book in the series.

Building the Book Pile #312

Welcome to Building the Book Pile!  A Weekly meme inspired by Stacking the Shelves

Hello Readers, Bloggers, and Awesome people! 

Hi. So much has happened in the last few weeks, I feel like I have been a bit MIA. 
It has been many...many weeks since my last book pile so I am trying my best to think about everything that has come in and out.

But, it is busy time at work, I am halfway through another course,it is time for all the Fall activities... and we adopted another dog :)

His name is Gus and he is a 2 year old French Bulldog. He joins our 10 year old Frenchie/Boston mix and our cat who hates this plan. 
  

If you enjoy the blog and want to share some love and caffeine, you can buy me a coffee via Ko-fi

Share about your week with me in the comments below!

 

  Giveaways  on Cover2CoverBlog! 

More soon!!


Coming up on the Blog

Early Reader Review: The Little Grey Girl by Celine Kiernan (MG)
Early Reader Review: Who Stole My Hazelnuts? by Marcus Pfiser (Youth)
Audible Originals Freebies Review
Blog Tour: Harley Quinn Breaking Glass by Mariko Tamaki and Steve Pugh (YA, GN)
Recent Reads: The Library of Ever by Zeno Alexander (MG)

Books Received Recently...
For Review

          

Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass by Mariko Tamaki and Steve Pugh (GN) - from DC Ink for review and blog tour

Red Yellow Blue by Lysa Mullady (Youth) - from Netgalley and Magination Press for review.
Snitchy Witch  by Frank Sileo (Youth) - from Netgalley and Magination Press for review.
A Daily Dose of Dad Jokes: 365 Truly Terrible Wisecracks (You've Been Warned) by Taylor Calmus and Peter Harmon (Adult, Humor) - from Callisto Publishers Club for review
Thorn by Intisar Khanani (YA) - from Edelweiss+ and HarperCollins for review.

Have you missed anything lately?

Most Recent are First...
Early Reader Review: The Unadjusteds by Marisa Noelle (YA) - 4 stars
Early Reader Review: The Starlight Claim by Tim Wynne-Jones - 3 stars 
Early Reader Review: Texts from Mittens by Angie Bailey - 4 stars
 TBR Pile - September 2019 
Monthly Re-Cap: August 2019 
Early Reader Review: The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner - 3 stars 
Early Reader Review: Don't Let the Beasties Escape This Book! by Julie Berry - 3 stars 
Recent Reads: The Big Book of Silly Jokes for Kids by Carole Roman - 5 stars
Blog Blast: Thaddeus of Beewicke by Louis Sauvain (YA)
Waiting on Wednesday: Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell (YA)
Blog Tour w/ Excerpt: Claiming T-Mo by Eugen Bacon (Fantasy, Sci-Fi)

Comment and leave me a link to your Round-up/ STS/ Weekly...anything, post and I will happily stop by and say hello!

Happy Reading!

Early Reader Review: The Unadjusteds by Marisa Noelle

The Unadjusteds by Marisa Noelle
Publisher:  Write Plan
Publication Date:  November 1, 2019

 

Format: Ebook
Source: From the Author in exchange for review. This in no way alters my opinion or review. 

Rating:







Goodreads Synopsis: 

Sixteen-year-old Silver Melody lives in a world where 80% of the population has modified their DNA. Known as the altereds, those people now possess enhancements like wings, tails, and increased strength or intelligence. Although Silver’s parents created the nanite pill used to deliver these genetic modifications, Silver is proud of her unadjusted state.
However, when the president declares all unadjusteds must take a nanite, Silver has no choice but to flee the city with her father and some friends to prevent the extinction of the unadjusteds.
With Silver’s mother in prison for treason, Silver’s father is the unadjusteds’ only hope at finding a cure. But time is running out as Silver’s father is captured by the president’s almost immortal army. Vicious hellhounds are on Silver’s trail, and her only chance to recover her father involves teaming up with a new group of unlikely friends before all humanity is lost. 

Review: 

The Unadjusted is a book about a teen girl living in a world where you can take a pill and it alters your DNA so that you essentially become superhuman. Her parents are the inventors of this miraculous science but she is very against it, especially now that taking too many of the altering pills can kill a person. Sadly not everyone thinks this is bad and the current president has just instated a law saying that everyone has to take one and be an adjusted human, splitting the population and creating all out war. Silver is now on the run from this fate and hoping to stay an unadjusted. 

This was an action-packed novel. Silver is on the run from the very beginning and people are dying and there are crazy monsters everywhere. The paces is set pretty well in the beginning and then in the middle kind of lags a bit, there is less action and a lot of planning and reflection, which is great for the plot, but I found it a bit slow-going. In the end though it is just as intense as before. 

This book had quite a few plot twists that kept me on my toes and there was also a bit of romance in the drama filled plot, but it wasn't super heavy. It kind of felt like an afterthought to be honest. 

Overall, I liked the novel. Silver seemed real, although a bit whiny at times but she was trying to survive so some whine is acceptable in her visitation.. If you like books about dystonian society, superheros, and a lot of trying to survive the crazy, this book is exactly for you.

Early Reader Review: The Starlight Claim by Tim Wynne-Jones

Source: From Librarything Early Reviewers Program and Candlewick Press in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion or review. 

The Starlight Claim by Tim Wynne-Jones
Publisher:  Candlewick Press
Publication Date:  September 10, 2019

 

Format: Paperback ARC

Rating:








Goodreads Synopsis: 

Fast-paced, evocative, and intensely suspenseful, Tim Wynne-Jones's latest psychological thriller finds a teenager setting his wits against the frigid wilderness and a menacing crew of escapees.
Four months after his best friend, Dodge, disappeared near their families' camp in a boat accident, Nate is still haunted by nightmares. He'd been planning to make the treacherous trek to the remote campsite with a friend -- his first time in winter without his survival-savvy father, Burt. But when his friend gets grounded, Nate secretly decides to brave the trip solo in a journey that's half pilgrimage, half desperate hope he will find his missing friend when no one else could. What he doesn't expect to find is the door to the cabin flung open and the camp occupied by strangers: three men he's horrified to realize have escaped from a maximum-security prison. Snowed in by a blizzard and with no cell signal, Nate is confronted with troubling memories of Dodge and a stunning family secret, and realizes that his survival now depends on his wits as much as his wilderness skills. As things spiral out of control, Nate finds himself dealing with questions even bigger than who gets to leave the camp alive.

Review: 
Nate and his best friends have been planning a trip up to the cabin for months, but not one of them is dead and the other cannot come. Nate decides to go it alone, and in the process finds himself in the middle of a prison escape. When he arrives at the cabin, there are men already there and he is now in danger. Nate must fight for his survival in the cold months and try not to be found.

This was a very interesting book. Nate is still tormented by losing his best friend in a horrible boating accident and sees him in nightmares and hallucinations pretty often. He feels somewhat responsible for his friends death and cannot shake that feeling. There was a lot of these hallucinations -come to life in the story and it was a bit weird but it put some things into perspective I guess.  I found the survival of Nate through this ordeal with the prison escapees to be a pretty good story but the addition of the PTSD over the friend was a bit much. It feels overly sophisticated for what it needs to be, then again I have not read anything else by this author and that might just be his style. 

Final thoughts - I think this was a good adventure, a bit of a coming of age tale, of a boy in the wilderness trying to survive, but done in a way that is a bit more complex. I think Young Adult readers will be the right age group for this one, especially those that like books about the outdoors.

Early Reader Review: Texts from Mittens by Angie Bailey

Texts from Mittens by Angie Bailey
Series: The Friends and Family Edition
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Publication Date:  September 3, 2019

 

Format: Ebook
Source: From Netalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion or review.

Rating:







Goodreads Synopsis: 

The Internet’s favorite text-happy cat is back at it—with a little help from his friends. 
Follow along with Mittens as he enjoys hilarious, snark-filled text volleys with his cast of quirky friends and family: Earl (the “filthy hound”), Stumpy (the best friend), Drunky Patty (the usually tipsy next-door neighbor), Grandma (giver of treats), and Fiona (Mitty’s girlfriend). Based on Angie Bailey’s virally popular blog, Texts from Mittens: The Friends and Family Edition is feline humor at its finest.

Review: 
This edition of Texts from Mittens is a book collection of text message from Mittens the cat to and from friends and family. Just to be clear, this is a sequential art book for more mature audiences because Mittens is not the nicest cat and he tends to be very snarky ...all of the time. 

I really enjoyed this book. I mostly picked it up because of the cover, but I was pleasantly surprised. I not only laughed a lot over theses messages, I also read a few aloud to colleagues and my husband, and they too got a kick out of Mitten's craziness. This is a fun book if you are looking to just pick up and put down something easy to read. The sequences are only a few pages at most, and most end with some funny reaction from Mittens. I really enjoyed how snarky he was and then the love that sh tried to show to his girlfriend, a cat named Fiona. It was all a lot of fun and if you like comics like this - note it is all text - then I think you will enjoy this compilation. 

TBR Pile - September 2019

THE BOOKS 
I need to get organized again now that the busy season at work is about to hit me, so here is my TBR for this month. I am still taking classes and I will probably be working a lot of overtime this month so hopefully I can push through.

  
      

  

What do you want to read this month?
Have you read any of these yet? 
If so, let me know what you thought! 

Monthly Re-Cap: August 2019

Hello Readers, Bloggers, and Awesome people! 

Where did summer go? It was here for a few weeks really... I am fine with the hot weather going away but I am dreading the chaos that work brings in the fall. 

August was and still is a busy month though, we had our work 'offsite' which I planned - which was meetings, mini gold, and pizza 😀, it was orientation for the new class of students and we were very involved in that for two weeks, plus finishing 2 classes and starting a new one. My sister came to visit for an afternoon, (she is at Boston University this fall, and is excited for her transfer ... now in the big city), on Saturday I am planning to have a yard sale - I need to purge some junk and also probably some books 😕

All that said, Sept and Oct are my happy place - Ren Fest🍂, Corn Maze🌽, Apple Picking🍏, Pumpkin Carving🎃, HALLOWEEN💀!

~~Books I Read in August~~

not all pictured
                     

Still didn't post a TBR list, but again I kept myself somewhat on track... while taking 2 summer courses, I call that a win. 

I think for September I will post one though...

~~Links to Some Reviews from Books Read in August ~~ 

Dessert Cooking for Two by Robin Donovan (Cookbook) - 3 stars
Challenge Accepted: 100 Word Searches by Andy Kravis (Puzzle) - 4 stars
How to Make a Mom by Claressa Swensen (Youth) - 3 stars
Wild Horse by Kyle Richardson (YA, Novella) - 4 stars

The Big Book of Silly Joke for Kids by Carole Roman (MG) - 5 stars

~~ Reviews from previous recaps ~~
The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner (MG, GN)- 3 stars
Don't Let the Beasties Escape This Book! by Julie Berry (MG) - 3 stars


~~Coming Soon Still~~ 

September
The Starlight Claim by Tim Wynne- Jones  (YA)
Snug Harbor Stories by Will Henry (GN)
Rivals! Frenemies Who Changed the World by Scott McCormick (MG)
Jukebox Joyride by Jacob Stein, Jason Rabinowtiz and the Pop Ups (MG)
Harley Quinn Breaking Glass by Mariko Tamaki and Steve Pugh (YA, GN)
Texts from Mittens by Angie Bailey (Comic, Adult)


October
Bird Count by Susan Edwards Richmond and Stephanie Fizer Coleman (Youth) 
Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu (YA, GN)

November
You are Home with Me by Sarah Asper-Smith (Youth)

Early Reader Review: The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner

Source: From Netgalley and Aladdin in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion or review.

The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner
Publisher:  Aladdin
Publication Date:  September 3, 2019

 

Format: Ebook

Rating:







Goodreads Synopsis: 

Sabrina the Teenage Witch meets Roller Girl in this hilarious, one-of-a-kind graphic novel about a half-witch who has just discovered the truth about herself, her family, and her town and is doing her best to survive middle school now that she knows everything!

Magic is harder than it looks.

Thirteen-year-old Moth Hush loves all things witchy. But she’s about to discover that witches aren’t just the stuff of movies, books, and spooky stories. When some eighth-grade bullies try to ruin her Halloween, something really strange happens. It turns out that Founder’s Bluff, Massachusetts, has a centuries-old history of witch drama. And, surprise: Moth’s family is at the center of it all! When Moth’s new powers show up, things get totally out-of-control. She meets a talking cat, falls into an enchanted diary, and unlocks a hidden witch world. Secrets surface from generations past as Moth unravels the complicated legacy at the heart of her town, her family, and herself.

In this spellbinding graphic novel debut, Emma Steinkellner spins a story packed with humor and heart about the weird and wonderful adventures of a witch-in-progress. 

Review: 
This graphic novel is meant for a middle grade audience and is about a girl that is just trying to be herself in a town and school of people that just won't accept her. Then she finds out that she is also a witch... how cool is that?

Moth is hilarious, she knows herself and she knows her limitations and abilities and is really trying to just survive her life when she finds out that she has so much more potential. The problem is, the town is stuck in the dark-ages and she has to be careful. Moth is a bit stubborn and can get into trouble pretty easily.

This graphic novel’s story was interesting and had a lot of drama points to keep the reader interested. Moth has to deal with finding her powers, the problems the cause, a weird town that still lives thinking about the witch trials, a mother that won’t explain things, and a grandmother who happens to live in another realm. So there is a lot going on here, but Moth is true to her age as far as attitude and wants and she is portrayed well. 

I think that some of this story was a bit weird for me to handle, the blend of reality and fantastical was hard to accept, but the illustration was fun and bright and I think that MG readers will love this character because she is relatable and the world is different and interesting. 


 

Early Reader Review: Don't Let the Beasties Escape This Book! by Julie Berry

Source: From Netgalley and Getty Publications in exchange for review. This in no way alters my opinion or review.

Don't Let the Beasties Escape This Book! by Julie Berry

Publisher: Getty Publications
Publication Date:  September 2, 2019

 

Format: Ebook

Rating:







Goodreads Synopsis: 

It’s no ordinary day at the castle! This beautifully illustrated, silly picture book is a fun introduction to the medieval world and the illuminated bestiary.

Godfrey, a peasant boy who works for the lord and lady of the castle, finds a bestiary, or illustrated book of beasts, on the way to do his chores one morning. He begins inventing his own story, placing “Sir Godfrey” at the center of numerous heroic deeds. Sir Godfrey battles a lion, tames a unicorn, defeats a griffin, conquers a bonnacon, and triumphs over a dragon. Godfrey does not realize that each time he says the name of an animal, it magically emerges from the book, causing mayhem and inadvertently accomplishing his chores. 

The laughs pile up and the tension mounts: When will Godfrey realize that all this outrageous stuff is going on? This book also contains engaging backmatter with information on life in the Middle Ages and a mini-bestiary drawn from original 13th-century manuscripts. Don’t Let the Beasties Escape This Book! is a humorous introduction to the medieval world.

Review: 
This was such a weird but interesting book, I think that part of my issue was that my Kindle copy split up the pages and they were out of order because of it. I moved to my computer to view it in Digital Editions and everything was much better.

This book was about a boy that needed to get his chores done but he normally gets distracted. Today however he has picked up a book and when he reads a beasties name it appears and just so happens to help him out which the things he has forgotten to do. The story itself is adorable and a lot of fun, I think both parents ans children will really enjoy it.

However, I think what makes this so much better is the fact that is it also a learning tool that talks about illuminated manuscripts and the beasts that were often found as images in them. For an art nerd like me this is huge, but where I had issues in this book was also this aspect. It is a little hard to tell which age-group this book really is for. It tells this amazing kids story but then gets very technical in the end with all the historical information. 

I think because this book looks like it is for an older audience and because of the historical information bit this might sell best for an older crowd but it is delightful and if you are looking for educational and beautifully illustrated, this is a great addition to your library.