Two Book Geeks: children

Showing posts with label children. Show all posts

Saturday, July 17, 2021

Review: Pax, Journey Home

Pax, Journey Home by Sara Pennypacker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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Publication Date: 7 September 2021

Publisher's Description

In Pax, Journey Home, Peter, who is mourning his losses while grappling with feelings of guilt and alienation, embarks upon a journey back to his home with two military veterans who are part of a community calling themselves Water Warriors who are working to heal the land from the scars of war. Meanwhile, Pax mates with Bristle and becomes a father. When one of his kits becomes disabled after drinking poisoned water, Pax searches out Peter to obtain his help in saving the kit from certain death in the wild.

Review: Choose Your Own Adventure Eighth Grade Witch

Choose Your Own Adventure Eighth Grade Witch by Andrew E.C. Gaska
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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Publication Date: 24 August 2021

Publisher's Description

The first official Choose Your Own Adventure graphic novel!

From the hit Choose Your Own Adventure® novels comes a newly adapted graphic novel taking readers on their own visual adventure! Enter a ghoulish world of nightmares, witches, ghosts, and dreaded the eighth grade as Rabbit, the new kid on the block! As Rabbit, readers will get to choose which adventure--or nightmare--they'll embark on. From learning about the mysterious witch Prudence Deadly, to trouncing through spooky graveyards, to meeting ghostly ancestors or channeling some witchcraft with classmates, no one path leads to the same destination.

Will you choose a path that leads to the light? Or will the path you choose lead to a gruesome end? You get to decide!

Review: ParaNorthern: And the Chaos Bunny A-hop-calypse

ParaNorthern: And the Chaos Bunny A-hop-calypse by Stephanie Cooke
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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Publication Date: 13 July 2021

Publisher's Description

A witch named Abby and her three friends—a wolf-girl, a ghost, and a pumpkinhead—band together to try and save their supernatural town from an invasion of rabid (but adorable!) chaos bunnies in this enchanting middle-grade graphic novel for fans of Making Friends, The Okay Witch, and Lumberjanes.

It’s fall break in the supernatural town of North Haven, and young witch Abby’s plans include pitching in at her mom’s magical coffee shop, practicing her potion making, and playing board games with her best friends—a pumpkinhead, a wolf-girl, and a ghost. But when Abby finds her younger sister being picked on by some speed demons, she lets out a burst of magic so strong, it opens a portal to a realm of chaos bunnies. And while these bunnies may look cute, they’re about to bring the a-hop-ocalypse (and get Abby in a cauldronful of trouble) unless she figures out a way to reverse the powerful magic she unwittingly released. What’s a witch to do?

In this deliciously humorous, cozy, and bewitching graphic novel, sometimes the most of powerful magic comes from our connections to family and friends (but kicking bunny butt is great, too).

Review: Roar of the Beast

Roar of the Beast by Chad Sell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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Publication Date: 1 June 2021

Publisher's Description

Perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier and All's Faire in Middle School, this sequel to the Eisner Award-nominated The Cardboard Kingdom follows the kids as they solve the mystery of a new neighborhood monster.

A mystery is afoot in the Cardboard Kingdom.

Vijay, the Beast, renounces his title after being bullied by neighborhood teenagers. No one--not his big sister Shikha or his friends--can seem to draw him back out of his shell.

That very night is when it starts. At first, no one believes Nate, who breaks his leg trying to pursue what he saw from his bedroom window. But then there's another, and another. An unknown monster has been spotted roaming the Kingdom after dark. It's ghastly, it's quick, and it might even have giant tentacles. Or claws. Or wings. Okay, there might be some varied testimonies on what exactly this monster looks like.

Forget Halloween--the newly minted Monster Mashers will go to any lengths to protect the Kingdom and uncover this mystery. But how did the monster get here? What does it want? And mostly importantly, who is behind its creation?

Review: Verity Fairy: Sleeping Beauty

Verity Fairy: Sleeping Beauty by D.K. Publishing
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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Publication Date: 1 June 2021

Publisher's Description

This delightful book with beautiful, illustrated characters is a magical retelling of the classic Sleeping Beauty fairy tale with a twist.

In this captivating interpretation of a classic fairy tale, children can rediscover the much-loved story of Sleeping Beauty while exploring the kingdom of the fairies--a place where all of the classic fairy tales coexist and intertwine. In this retelling of Sleeping Beauty, youngsters can follow Verity and her fairy friends in the Fairy-tale Kingdom and see how they help good prevail over evil, making sure everyone lives happily ever after. Verity means truth, and that is exactly what she does: she tells the truth, ALL the time, and it often gets her into a lot of trouble!

Gorgeous characters, simple text, and a splash of humor make Verity Fairy: The Real Story of Sleeping Beauty a captivating book to share. A perfect gift for every young child to enjoy, it will spark curiosity and imagination, while gently encouraging conversation around the difference between right and wrong.

Review: Nightingale

Nightingale by Deva Fagan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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Publication Date: 20 April 2021

Publisher's Description

A plucky orphan girl stumbles into a conflict centuries in the making in this thrilling middle grade fantasy about unexpected heroes, the power of friendship, and one boisterous enchanted sword.

Twelve-year-old Lark is determined to escape her squalid life at Miss Starvenger’s boarding house, but she needs to find the coin to do it. Her grand scheme? To steal her fortune from the Royal Museum.

Unfortunately, her heist goes off the rails, and Lark ends up stealing a magical sword right out from under the nose of Prince Jasper, who’s none too happy to have his plans thwarted. Lark soon discovers that the Sword has a mind of its own, and has chosen her to be the next Nightingale, a fabled hero who must vanquish an ancient evil that is waking after centuries of sleep.

Working alone has its limitations, but relying on others after a lifetime of disappointments feels impossible. Still, Lark will need the help of her boarding house roommates if she wants to defeat the villainous forces that threaten to dismantle everything she holds dear.

Review: Dinosaurs Before Dark Graphic Novel

Dinosaurs Before Dark Graphic Novel by Mary Pope Osborne
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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Publication Date: 4 May 2021

Publisher's Description

The #1 bestselling chapter book is now a graphic novel! Magic. Mystery. Time-travel. Get whisked back in time in the magic tree house with Jack and Annie!

Where did the tree house come from?

Before Jack and Annie can find out, the mysterious tree house whisks them to the prehistoric past. Now they have to figure out how to get home. Can they do it before dark...or will they become a dinosaur's dinner?
For the first time in graphic novel--live the adventure again in the very first Magic Tree House book, with new art from comic artists Kelly and Nichole Matthews!

Have more fun with Jack and Annie at MagicTreeHouse.com!

SLP 2021: Animal Live Cams

During my presentation this morning for NCKLS & NEKLS, we had a small chat about Live Cams and, as promised, here's a list of some of my favorites. These would be fantastic to promote on your own social media. I'm focusing on the free (but donations are quite welcome) options.

SLP 2021: Trivia

With this summer most likely being virtual for us, we are definitely going to be embracing some trivia challenges. Our favorite part of trivia? That we can use the same themes and topics and adjust the questions for any age group. So with that in mind, here's a round-up of some of the areas that we are exploring to coincide with this summer's animal theme for CSLP.