Blog Posts - Kid Book Reviewer

Jake Lucid Dreamer

3/27/2018

Reviewed by Oscar

Rating: High Five

Who I'd Recommend to: The Unwanteds, Otherworld, and The Land of Stories

Synopsis (from Amazon): 2-year-old Jake has been suppressing his heartbreak over the loss of his mother for the past four years. But his emotions have a way of haunting his dreams and bubbling to the surface when he least expects it. When Jake learns how to take control in his dreams, he becomes a lucid dreamer, and that’s when the battle really heats up.Using his wits to dodge bullies by day and a nefarious kangaroo hopping ever closer by night, Jake learns about loss, bravery, the power of love, and how you cannot fully heal until you face your greatest fear. This uncompromising novel is a magical yet honest exploration of emotional healing after a devastating loss.

Unicorn Quest

3/27/2018

Reviewed by Oscar

Rating: High Five

Who We'd Recommend to: Fans of Peter and the Starcatchers, fractured fairy tales, Keeper of the Lost Cities and the Whatever After series.

Synopsis (from Amazon): Claire Martinson still worries about her older sister Sophie, who battled a mysterious illness last year. But things are back to normal as they move into Windermere Manor . . . until the sisters climb a strange ladder in a fireplace and enter the magical land of Arden.
There, they find a world in turmoil. The four guilds of magic no longer trust each other, the beloved unicorns have disappeared, and terrible wraiths roam freely. Scared, the girls return home. But when Sophie vanishes in the night, it will take all of Claire's courage to climb back up the ladder, find her sister, and uncover the unicorns' greatest secret.

Winter Glass

3/25/2018

Reviewed by Oscar

Rating: High Five!

Who I'd Recommend to: Fan's of the Lunar Chronicles and other fairy tale books.

Synopsis (from Amazon): Aurora, torn from the dream world and Heath, plots to assassinate the faerie queen Malfleur, only to confront temptations she never expected. Isabelle, meanwhile, opens her heart to Prince William as they attempt to unite their kingdoms and wage a winning war against Malfleur’s army of Vultures.
But when the appearance of an unbreakable glass slipper prompts Isabelle to discover more about her lineage, her true identity begins to take shape and her legacy becomes as clear as ice. Devoted half sisters Isabelle and Aurora will grapple with their understanding of love and loyalty as they face a threat even greater than that of the evil queen—the threat of losing each other forever.

Bodyguard Target

3/11/2018

Reviewed by Oscar

Rating: High Five

Who I'd Recommend to: Fans of Spy School, Jason Steed, and Alex Rider

Synopsis (from Amazon): When surfing champion Charley Hunter is assigned to protect teenage rock idol Ash Wild on his sold-out US tour, she soon finds out what it really means to live the rock star lifestyle. Faced with a growing number of death threats, several suspicious accidents, and an unruly celebrity, Charley has her work cut out for her keeping Ash alive on the tour. She knows how to catch a wave--but can she catch a killer before it's too late?

My Rotten Stepbrother Ruined Snow White

2/25/2018

Reviewed by Oscar

Rating: High Five

Who I'd Recommend to: Fans of Land of Stories, School for Good and Evil, and the Lunar Chronicles

Synopsis (from Amazon): Maddie McMatthews has the worst stepbrother ever. Not only does he make fun of her favorite fairy tales, but he somehow breaks the actual stories. Now none of the characters live happily ever after―and that’s the best bit! Maddie and Holden find themselves sucked into the fairy tale world to fix the problems he’s caused. And if they can’t, they can kiss their chance to return to the real world goodbye . . .

My Rotten Stepbrother Ruined Aladdin

2/25/2018

Reviewed by Oscar

Rating: High Five

Who I'd Recommend to: Fans of Land of Stories, School for Good and Evil, and the Lunar Chronicles

Synopsis (from Amazon): Maddie is going to let Holden badmouth Aladdin all he wants. Whenever he makes fun of a fairy tale, the two stepsiblings find themselves sucked into the story to fix the problems he causes. Maddie is so ready to be a glamorous princess. But the part she's actually going to play is . . . no, it's just too cruel!

The Third Kind of Magic

2/24/2018

Reviewed by Oscar

Rating: High Five

Who I'd Recommend to: Fans of Land of Stories, and The Witch of Blackbird Pond

Synopsis (from Amazon): Exiled from her village for using magic accidentally, Suli must either become a wise woman or be shunned as a witch.

Apprenticed to Tala the wise woman, Suli’s magical education is cut short when a witch kidnaps her teacher to learn her secrets. Suli discovers that she shares Tala’s family secret: she and the others who live on Tala’s farm are shape shifters. With the help of her friend, Orion, Suli learns to fly and talk to animals. With Tala gone, Suli is the only one who can protect the animals from the witch, but she knows she needs to learn about the third kind of magic. A wise crow teacher agrees to teach her. Then the witch asks Suli to make a terrible choice: either live with the witch as her apprentice, or she'll never see Tala again. But if Suli agrees, she'll be called a witch for the rest of her life.

My Rotten Stepbrother Ruined Beauty and the Beast

2/19/2018

Reviewed by Oscar

Rating: High Five

Who I'd Recommend to: Fans of Land of Stories, School for Good and Evil, and the Lunar Chronicles

Synopsis (from Amazon): Maddie is ready to strangle her stepbrother. The story of Beauty and the Beast is broken, all because of Holden. He accused the Beast of kidnapping, and now the real Beast is in jail! Maddie and Holden have to visit the fairy tale world of rural France to repair this mess - and neither speak French.

Alex Rider: Stormbreaker

2/18/2018

Reviewed by Oscar

Rating: High Five

Who I'd Recommend to: Fans of Spy School, Jason Steed, and other fast paced spy novels

Synopsis (from Amazon): They said his uncle Ian died in a car accident. But Alex Rider knows that’s a lie, and the bullet holes in the windshield prove it. Yet he never suspected the truth: his uncle was really a spy for Britain’s top secret intelligence agency. And now Alex has been recruited to find his uncle’s killers . . .

My Rotten Stepbrother Ruined Cinderella

1/14/2018

Reviewed by Oscar

Rating: High Five

Who I'd Recommend to: Fans of Land of Stories, School for Good and Evil, and the Lunar Chronicles

Synopsis (from Amazon): It wasn't enough to ruin Maddie's report on Cinderella - her stepbrother, Holden, has somehow broken the ACTUAL fairy tale. The ugly stepsister is marrying the prince, and there's no happy ever after! The only way to fix it is by entering the story. But if Holden and Maddie can't solve the problem, they'll be stuck in the fairy tale world forever.