Reviewed by Olivia


Rating: High Five
Who I'd Recommend to: Fans of Erin Hunter, and Percy Jackson, Cornelia Funke.
Fav Quote: 
Synopsis (From Amazon):
Peace has come to Pyrrhia . . . for now.

The war between the tribes is finally over, and now the dragonets of the prophecy have a plan for lasting peace: Jade Mountain Academy, a school that will gather dragonets from all the tribes and teach them to live together, perhaps even as friends.

Moonwatcher isn’t sure how she feels about school, however. Hidden in the rainforest for most of her life, the young NightWing has an awful secret. She can read minds, and even see the future. Living in a cave with dozens of other dragons is noisy, exhausting--and dangerous.

In just a few days, Moon finds herself overwhelmed by her secret powers and bombarded by strange thoughts, including those of a mysterious dragon who might be a terrible enemy. And when someone starts attacking dragons within the academy, Moon has a choice to make: Stay hidden and safe? Or risk everything to save her new friends?

Reviewed by Olivia


Rating: High Five
Who I'd Recommend to: Fans of Erin Hunter (or, the Erin Hunters - actually, Tui T. Sutherland is one of the Erin Hunters), Percy Jackson, and Cornelia Funke. 
Fav Quote: 
Synopsis (from Amazon):
Deep in the rain forest, danger awaits...

Glory knows the dragon world is wrong about her tribe. After all, she isn't "as lazy as a RainWing" -- she isn't lazy at all! Maybe she wasn't meant to be one of the dragonets of destiny, as the older dragons constantly remind her, but Glory is sharp and her venom is deadly... except, of course, no one knows it.

When the dragonets seek shelter in the rain forest, Glory is devastated to find that the treetops are full of RainWings that no dragon could ever call dangerous. They nap all day and know nothing of the rest of Pyrrhia. Worst of all, they don't realize -- or care -- that RainWings are going missing from their beautiful forest. But Glory and the dragonets are determined to find the missing dragons, even if it drags the peaceful RainWing kingdom where they never wanted to be -- in the middle of the war.

Reviewed by Olivia

Rating: High Five!
Who I'd Recommend to: Fans of fractured fairy tales, and the Whatever After series. 
Fan Quote: (coming soon)
Summary (from Amazon): 
Fairy tales are just the beginning. The Masked Man is on the loose in the Land of Stories, and it's up to Alex and Conner Bailey to stop him ...except Alex has been thrown off the Fairy Council, and no one will believe they're in danger. With only the help of the ragtag group of Goldilocks, Jack, Red Riding Hood, and Mother Goose and her gander, Lester, the Bailey twins discover the Masked Man's secret scheme: he possesses a powerful magic potion that turns every book it touches into a portal, and he is recruiting an army of literature's greatest villains! So begins a race through the magical Land of Oz, the fantastical world of Neverland, the madness of Wonderland, and beyond. Can Alex and Conner catch up to the Masked Man, or will they be one step behind until it's too late? Fairy tales and classic stories collide in the fourth adventure in the bestselling Land of Stories series as the twins travel beyond the kingdoms!

Rating: High Five
Who We'd Recommend to: Fans of Whatever After and fun, creative new takes on babysitter stories. 
Fav Quote: (coming soon)
Summary (from Amazon):
The Association Linking Intergalatics and Earthlings (hereby known as A.L.I.E.N.) has a new member. After months of investigation, Gabby Duran, Associate 4118-25125A, has proven herself to be a babysitter extraordinaire. Her celebrity clients fly her around the country to care for their rambunctious little humans. Our spy, Associate 4118-23432B, otherwise known as Edwina, believes Gabby can be trusted with the truth: aliens are living among humans on Earth. And here at A.L.I.E.N we believe that even extraterrestrials need a babysitter now and then. No one was up to the task until now.

After accepting the top-secret position, Edwina has paired our new associate up with her first charge, a little girl from the planet Flarknartia. The timing for associate 4118-25125A is less than ideal. It's a school day on Planet Earth, Gabby's audition for the solo part in the band is tonight, and this tiny alien is a bit more than meets the eye. 

Can Gabby Duran, Associate 4118-25125A, First Sitter to the Unsittables, keep her otherworldly charge safe in the unpredictable halls of middle-school and keep A.L.I.E.N hidden?

Reviewed by Olivia


Rating: High Four (and 1/2) 
Who I'd Recommend to: Gosh, probably every girl under the age of ten. Also, fans of Chris Colfer's The Land of Stories. 
Fav Quote: "Cinderella's Crownies!" 
Summary (from Amazon):
Tonight the mirror swept us into Cinderella's fairy tale. Now, we are NOT messing this story up. No way. Cinderella is going to marry her prince just like she's supposed to.

Uh-oh.  Cinderella broke her foot and there's massive swelling. The glass slipper won't fit, the prince won't know she's the one for him, and they won't live happily ever after. And it's all our fault!

To save the day we'll need to:
- Learn how to use a dustpan
- Stay out of jail
- Find Cinderella a job
- And make sure true love finds its way.

We just have to get it all done before the clock strikes twelve and the chance for a happily ever after is gone . . . forever!

My Thoughts: First of all, I flew by this series. Major hint that I'm in love. Second of all, I'm reviewing this book today because it was my favorite out of all the books, and I doubt I'll review any others. And thirdly, this was by far the most inventive ending to a Whatever After book yet. Cinderella giving up the prince for Kayla, her evil stepsister, who turns out to not be so evil, was even more an act of kindness than shown in any Cinderella story I've seen. Plus, I love how Cinderella learns to be self-reliant and finds her real passion in Cinderella's Crownies, her "crownie" (brownie) bakery (there are no brownies in Cinderella's world, Floom). Also, I like how the author made Cinderella a little mean, too, to make the story more realistic. And another thing I love: the play on words and the humor. I was laughing out loud practically every other page. For example, the "parriages" (public carriages, like a bus). An amazingly fun, creative story that will leave you smiling! I need more, Sarah Mlysnowski!

This review has 1 "like" on Goodreads
This review has 1 "helpful vote" on Amazon

Reviewed by Olivia


Rating: High Four
Who I'd Recommend to: Fans of Erin Hunter
Fav Quote: (coming soon)
Summary (from Amazon): 
Canine heroes Max, Rocky, and Gizmo return in this exciting series finale! As the trio travel south, following a trail of beacons left by Dr. Lynn, they encounter a stampede of horses. The horses urge the dogs to turn back, warning about a "silver wall of doom" that lies ahead.
But the warning only serves to motivate Max. Could this be the wall from his dreams? The wall keeping Max from his family? Helped by animals along the way -- including bats and armadillos -- the dogs find themselves deep in the desert, where they face a new enemy: coyotes. They aren't the only danger, though. Dolph and his wolf pack lie in wait -- poised for a final showdown.

Reviewed by Olivia


Rating: High Three
Who I'd Recommend to: fans of Erin Hunter's Survivor series, and people who enjoy stories that are action packed and non-stop. 
Fav Quote: "You have a chip in you? Like a potato chip? How? Did you eat one?" (Rocky after hearing that Max had a microchip in him). 
Summary (from Amazon):
A science experiment gone horribly awry has granted Max, Rocky, and Gizmo the unique ability to read and understand human words. Armed with this know-how, they continue to journey south, on the lookout for beacons planted by a trusted friend's owner -- beacons that promise to lead the trio to their people.

When the companions reach the ocean's edge, they find a free-spirited beachfront community. Reunited with long-lost friends (and introduced to a new delicacy -- cat kibble), Max, Rocky, and Gizmo gain the motivation they need to keep going. But danger lies ahead. . . . As their travels take them deep into the spooky swampland, can they discover what's driven the humans away? Or have they finally reached the end of the long road?

My thoughts: I started this series when I was 8 (I'm currently 11) when it had just come out. I've waited on the edge of my chair for the next ones to come out, and I finally got my hands of this one. Unfortunately, this book was a little bit too much of one thing and not enough of the other. The first half of the book had WAY too much action packed into something not very exciting. For example, when Max, Rocky, and Gizmo were in the swamp, just walking on and on, the author tried to put in action that just made the story seem too dull. The whole first half of the story went on that way until the threesome got out of the swamp. When they did, I felt as much in relief as Max did. From then on, Christopher Holt did a great job of putting in just enough action (what was needed) while still managing to keep us interested in the unexciting parts. I loved Julep, Dixie, Georgie, and even Flicktail was funny. (I really liked how Holt brought back something hilarious from book 1 that I thought I'd never hear again.) However, Dolph was almost too two-dimensional in this story, constantly going back and forth between being fair to Max or killing him. And in the end, when Dolph says he'll let Max go for good, I thought I'd seen the last of him, but in the next book, Dolph is a threat again. It was very confusing. But overall, a great series and a good book with highs and lows. 

Reviewed by Olivia

Rating: High Five!
Who I'd Recommend to: Fans of fractured fairy tales, but especially unique ones. 
Fav Quote: (coming soon)
Summary (from Amazon):
Conner Bailey thinks his fairy-tale adventures are behind him--until he discovers a mysterious clue left by the famous Brothers Grimm. With help from his classmate Bree and the outlandish Mother Goose, Conner sets off on a mission across Europe to crack a two-hundred-year-old code.

Meanwhile, Alex Bailey is training to become the next Fairy Godmother...but her attempts at granting wishes never go as planned. Will she ever be truly ready to lead the Fairy Council?

When all signs point to disaster for the Land of Stories, Conner and Alex must join forces with their friends and enemies to save the day. But nothing can prepare them for the coming battle...or for the secret that will change the twins' lives forever.

The third book in the bestselling Land of Stories series puts the twins to the test as they must bring two worlds together!