Book Review - The Hurricane Child

About the Book
Caroline Murphy is a Hurricane Child.

Being born during a hurricane is unlucky, and twelve-year-old Caroline has had her share of bad luck lately. She's hated and bullied by everyone in her small school on St. Thomas of the US Virgin Islands, a spirit only she can see won't stop following her, and -- worst of all -- Caroline's mother left home one day and never came back.

But when a new student named Kalinda arrives, Caroline's luck begins to turn around. Kalinda, a solemn girl from Barbados with a special smile for everyone, becomes Caroline's first and only friend -- and the person for whom Caroline has begun to develop a crush.

Now, Caroline must find the strength to confront her feelings for Kalinda, brave the spirit stalking her through the islands, and face the reason her mother abandoned her. Together, Caroline and Kalinda must set out in a hurricane to find Caroline's missing mother -- before Caroline loses her forever.


My Take on the Book
This author does an amazing job at creating a world that is tangible for the reader. Caroline is a character that you feel compelled to know more. You feel the emotions that she shows and it is through these real emotional triggers that you as a reader come to connect with the book itself. The book is filled with vivid descriptions that make you feel like you are there. The book is deep, yet sets the reader up for an experience that they will remember for a long time to come.


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Book Review - The Parker Inheritance

About the Book
When Candice finds a letter in an old attic in Lambert, South Carolina, she isn't sure she should read it. It's addressed to her grandmother, who left the town in shame. But the letter describes a young woman. An injustice that happened decades ago. A mystery enfolding the letter-writer. And the fortune that awaits the person who solves the puzzle.

So with the help of Brandon Jones, the quiet boy across the street, she begins to decipher the clues. The challenge will lead them deep into Lambert's history, full of ugly deeds, forgotten heroes, and one great love; and deeper into their own families, with their own unspoken secrets. Can they find the fortune and fulfill the letter's promise before the answers slip into the past yet again?


My Take on the Book
This was a powerful book that really brings racism into the limelight. You get transported back to the 1950's and see the world through the eyes of Candice and Brandon. The book is true and real and lets the reader see the reality of the time. For me, as a father, this was a great book that really allowed me to share this time in history with my kids. I am so glad that this was written and that it is made for a younger reader to understand. On top of the historical and current importance, there also was a great mystery that you are challenged to figure out which made the book even more enjoyable to read.

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Book Review - Drawn Together

About the Book
When a young boy visits his grandfather, their lack of a common language leads to confusion, frustration, and silence. But as they sit down to draw together, something magical happens-with a shared love of art and storytelling, the two form a bond that goes beyond words.

With spare, direct text by Minh Lê and luminous illustrations by Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat, this stirring picturebook about reaching across barriers will be cherished for years to come.



My Take on the Book
This is a wonderful picture book that brings you amazing images that brings you into the story page by page. It was a heartwarming story that explores how family ties can surpass a lack of language and how common experiences can allow you to grow closer with someone even if you do not have words that you can share. This is a wonderful book I would encourage all to read!

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Book Review - This Story Is for You

About the Book
A simple "It's nice to know you" holds so much power in this tender picturebook by acclaimed author-illustrator Greg Pizzoli. Finding value in others as a matter of course, the narrator accepts and appreciates difference as the foundation of a life-long friendship. This Story Is for You celebrates moments of kindness throughout, from the small to the grand in a heartwarming tale of human connection.

The warm, comforting text shares the tone of a Ruth Krauss classic and is balanced by Greg's energetic color palette and signature visual humor. This book is sure to be a special read for parents, children, and their friends for years to come.



My Take on the Book
This was a great book that really allows kids to see that it is important to value others in so many ways. Though this book is short and sweet you will find that it holds a lot of weight. Images were fun and inviting and with the humor and touching tale you and your kids will be able to really explore the bonds that hold us together.


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Book Review - The Ambrose Deception

About the Book
Melissa is a nobody. Wilf is a slacker. Bondi is a show-off. At least that's what their middle school teachers think. To everyone's surprise, they are the three students chosen to compete for a ten thousand-dollar scholarship, solving clues that lead them to various locations around Chicago. At first the three contestants work independently, but it doesn't take long before each begins to wonder whether the competition is a sham. It's only by secretly joining forces and using their unique talents that the trio is able to uncover the truth behind the Ambrose Deception--a truth that involves a lot more than just a scholarship.

With a narrative style as varied and intriguing as the mystery itself, this adventure involving clever clues, plenty of perks, and abhorrent adults is pure wish fulfillment.



My Take on the Book
Emily Ecton has written an interesting and exciting chapter book which your child will enjoy. There is mystery and until almost the end of the book, the reader is still wondering how this will all end.
Melissa, Wilf, and Bondi are students at the same school. They are chosen to compete for a $10,000 scholarship. In order to win the scholarship they must solve three clues each. The story takes place in Chicago and the students find locations in Chicago to solve their clues.


As they begin their competition they work independently but something unusual happens. The students figure out that they are being scammed by two individuals who are the children of Enoch Ambrose. He was a millionaire who was supposed to have died. So they join forces as a team and things begin to happen.


Yes, supposed to have died. As the students begin to work together so they win the inheritance instead of just the $10,000, they find out that those helping and not helping them are not who they thought they were.


It is an exciting chapter book with lots of twists and turns. The students prove their teamwork wins and guess what,  Enoch Ambrose is not dead either!
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Book Review - The Phoenix Colossal Comics Collection: Volume One

About the Book
A collection of different comics content taken from the issues of The Phoenix, this bind-up pulls together different humorous, informative, action-packed, and brain-teasing stories into one mega-comic bind-up!

A practical buffet table for kids to enjoy, brought together in a tailored format and with in-house favorites like Bunny vs. Monkey and Evil Emperor Penguin alongside all-new characters and properties for them to love. The Phoenix Comic Bind-Up provides the unique experience of reading a great comic or magazine... but with loads more material!


My Take on the Book
This book has a ton of great comics from the pages of The Phoenix. Being someone that has not read much from The Phoenix before, but I can tell you that this book was a ton of fun to read through and all of the collection that was shared offered humor, adventure and more. The artwork was beautiful throughout and each was unique from each other. If you love graphic novels and comics, this collection is a must have!

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Book Review - We Don't Eat Our Classmates

About the Book
It's the first day of school for Penelope Rex, and she can't wait to meet her classmates. But it's hard to make human friends when they're so darn delicious! That is, until Penelope gets a taste of her own medicine and finds she may not be at the top of the food chain after all. . . . Readers will gobble up this hilarious new story from award-winning author-illustrator Ryan T. Higgins.


My Take on the Book
This was a very fun book that looks at what it is like for someone to start at a new school and be different than so many others. I love that the T-Rex says that humans are tasty and has to keep her tendencies to eat humans under control! The book was a ton of fun and has some great messages included within it as well that any parent will love to share with their own kids!

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Book Review - The Itchy Book!

About the Book Triceratops has an itch. . . so does Pterodactyl. . . and Brontosaurus. . . and T-Rex! But Dino-Mo reminds them all of the BIG rule: Dinosaurs do not scratch! What's an itchy dinosaur to do? Find out in this hilariously charming beginning reader by author/illustrator LeUyen Pham.


My Take on the Book
This book had a fun story that was accompanied by so many amazing images. My daughter and I loved that this book really looks at having an itch in a whole new way and it helped my daughters to think about how they would itch if they were a dinosaur too! You will get lost in this fun short story, but even more, the images will bring you deeper and deeper into the story and really engage you as well! This was a fun story for the whole family!

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Book Review - There Was an Old Mermaid Who Swallowed a Shark!

About the Book
There was an old mermaid who swallowed a shark. I don't know why she swallowed a shark, but it left no mark!

Scholastic's bestselling Old Lady is starring in a brand-new adventure series that will make you laugh AND learn! In this new spin-off, the Old Lady turns into an Old Mermaid, travels down into the ocean, and swallows a shark . . . and a squid, and a fish, and an eel, and a crab, and a sea star, and a clam . . . Why? Well, it was fun to cram her mouth with a clam!

Two new characters lead the reader through this hilarious adventure while exchanging some awesome facts about the creatures down under for a light take on nonfiction that's perfect for this age. With expanded sea creature back matter and a search-and-find game at the end, this Old Mermaid is making quite a splash!


My Take on the Book
This was a fun book that uses repetition and bring forth a fun new character that is sure to be one that you will remember for a long time. I love how there is a bit of a twist at the end of this book that was also so fun too. I love these books and so do my daughters!

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Book Review - Let's Stop Meeting Like This: Tools to Save Time and Get More Done

About the Book

Ugh—meetings. They’re where productivity goes to die, right? There has to be a better way. According to leading consultants Dick and Emily Axelrod, there is.

Using the same principles that make video games so engaging and that transformed the numbing assembly line into the dynamic shop floor, the Axelrods outline a flexible and adaptable system used to run truly productive meetings in all kinds of organizations—meetings where people create concrete plans, accomplish tasks, build connections, and move projects forward. They show how to design every aspect of a meeting—from the way you greet people at the beginning to how you sum up at the end—so that real work actually gets done. Those who have adopted this system will never go back. Neither will you.



My Take on the Book

As someone that conducts many meetings I have to say that this book was a great book that really provides you with a clean plan for how you can prepare well and conduct great meetings. I found the book to be written in a way that was very practical and definitely provided a manager like myself with great tools that could be put to use right away.

The book was short and engaged the reader from beginning to end. There are great examples shared throughout the book that make the concepts tangible.

If you want to transform your meetings this book will help you do just that!


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Book Review - Toy Academy: Some Assembly Required

About the Book
Playing is serious business.

Welcome to Toy Academy: where toys learn to play. This is where action figures train to battle, stuffed animals study the art of the hug, and collectibles practice standing very, very still.

Though Grumbolt isn't really any of those things, he's determined to fit in. But when the Evil Toy Academy threatens to bring down his school, it's up to Grumbolt to go where no good toy has gone before and prove he's truly a great toy after all.

This laugh-out-loud chapter book by Brian Lynch, the writer of Minions and a writer of The Secret Life of Pets, is a classic in the making.




My Take on the Book

This was such a fun book. My daughter read this with me and we had a blast reading it together. As a father I loved the these surrounding the idea of finding where you belong. The images throughout the book were engaging and draw the reader further into the story. My daughter flew through this book and even as an adult I found this to be greatly enjoyable. The book has a great balance of adventure and humor and it is geared toward kids that are in at least third grade.


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Book Review - Bunny vs. Monkey: Book Three

About the Book
It's quiet in the woods today. Isn't it lovely? Really quiet. Really, very--

WHAMMMM! KER-THWUMP!

What's that?! It's Bunny and Monkey fighting with all sorts of crazy inventions...

The Vacuphant!

The Stench!
A carrot!

But wait! Something else has just arrived in the woods--something new. Something called "Hew-Mans"...

It's Bunny vs. Monkey: Book Three!




My Take on the Book
This was such a funny book! The story was fun, the characters were memorable and the artwork simply jumps off the page. The book was a quick read and my daughter and I reading this together got through this very quickly! This is a book that was perfect for elementary-age kids. The humor and topics were definitely appropriate. Get ready to laugh out loud in this fun book that you will want to read along with your own child!


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Book Review - Mazecraft Adventure

About the Book
Your adventure is about to begin right here!

This fun book is a packed with mazes to explore, hidden characters to discover, and all sorts of things to color. It features a whole cast of characters that offer directions to guide you through weird and wonderful places, including:

• Magic Grotto
• Jungle Run
• Gorilla Gang
• Rodeo Ranch
• Pirate Isle
• Dragon's Lair, and more

Find intriguing mazes, fun spot-the-difference tasks, complete the puzzle challenges, and more. Encounter everything from dragons and dinosaurs to wizards and werewolves as you explore the world's most dangerous mazes in this amazing Mazecraft Adventure!



My Take on the Book
This is a great book filled with some very fun mazes. What was fun was that they are not your typical mazes, instead you get fun ones with wearwolves, dragons and more! Some of the mazes do take a bit of effort to get through, but they were a ton of fun to do by yourself or with a friend!

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Book Review - There Was An Old Pirate Who Swallowed A Map

About the Book
There was an old pirate who swallowed a map. I don't know why she swallowed a map--ARGH!--but it wasn't a trap!

Scholastic's bestselling OLD LADY is starring in a brand-new adventure series that will make you laugh AND learn! In this new spin-off, the OLD LADY turns into an OLD PIRATE who travels across the seas, swallowing a map . . . and a rope, and a sword, and a spyglass, and an anchor, and a flag, and a treasure. . . Why? Well, it was a pleasure to swallow that treasure!

Two new characters lead the reader through this hilarious adventure while exchanging some awesome facts about life on the open seas for a light take on nonfiction that's perfect for this age. With expanded back matter about life on a ship and a search-and-find game at the end, this OLD PIRATE definitely has sea legs!



My Take on the Book
In this funny story our infamous old lady transforms here into an old pirate swallowing all things that would be found on a pirate ship: map, anchor, line, spyglass, etc. Two children are her companions on her ship and comment on how they can continue on their journey to locate the treasure. There are humorous illustrations by Jared Lee, filled with lots of interesting details. The author writes in rhyme which makes the text fun to read. At the end of the book is a glossary of terms for the items used on the pirate ship and a search and find game for the reader to enjoy. This will be a story to delight your child and read often.

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Book Review - Geronimo Stilton Micekings: The Dragon Crown

About the Book
Geronimo's cousin Trap has been captured by Gobbler the Putrid, the king of the dragons! If Geronimo can deliver the Crown of the Seven Rubies, Gobler will release Trap. Can Geronimo return the crown safely?



My Take on the Book
In this chapter book, once again Geronimo Stilton and his mouse friends and family must be brave as they help each other during their adventures. The authors have taken care to make sure the reader is introduced to the characters with detailed descriptions. I enjoyed reading this early part of the book and it made it easier to understand the characters as I read each chapter.

There is humor and interesting ways that the text has fun with the words and color coding important words for the reader.

There is adventure as Geronimo is captured by two dragons. Thea and Trap set him free , but then Trap is captured. So again, there are plans to be made to help Trap escape.

The story is fast paced and the reader will enjoy each chapter and of course the happy conclusion to the story.

Your second through fourth grader will enjoy this fast action story.
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Book Review - Geronimo Stilton: The Hunt for the Colosseum Ghost

About the Book
The Colosseum is being haunted by a gladiator ghost. None of the tourists want to visit anymore! Geronimo must solve the mystery and rid the site of its ghost.

*Plus BONUS Mini Mystery: The Cheese Burglar

Can Geronimo clear his name and catch the real thief before it's too late?




My Take on the Book
In this Geronimo Stilton book there are two stories. The first one is about the Colosseum ghost and the second one is titled THE CHEESE BURGLAR. I found both stories fun to read with fast paced action and scenes where the reader had to think about what was happening and what might happen next.

In the Colosseum Ghost, the reader will learn facts about Rome, the ancient buildings, and the role of a Gladiator. Geronimo , nephew Benjamin and niece Trappy travel to Rome and become involved in a mystery taking place in the Colosseum. Tourists are afraid to enter the Colosseum because they are frightened by a Galdiator ghost. As this fast paced adventure proceeds, we learn that Madame No wants to purchase the Colosseum and already the reader might be thinking she is behind the mystery. And she is. As the mystery is being solved and Madame No escapes, one will wonder if she shows up again in another story.

In The Cheese Burglar, the reader becomes the investigator and is guided through each chapter to help in solving the mystery of the stolen cheese rinds. Unfortunately Geronimo is jailed because they think he is the thief,but with the help of his family and friends, the real thief is revealed. However the thief escapes. There are many visual clues so make sure as a reader you look at the illustrations. At the end of this section are "cheesy jokes" that your young person will find fun to read.

Your second through fourth grader will enjoy this story.
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Book Review - Talent Magnet: How to Attract and Keep the Best People

About the Book
There is a long-standing truth in the world of organizations: talent wins! But how do you attract the best people? What do they really want? Based on his rigorous and extensive research, Mark Miller learned that top performers are looking for very different things than solid contributors.

In Talent Magnet, Miller uses a clever and entertaining business fable to share these findings. He tells the parallel stories of Blake Brown, a CEO struggling with winning the war for talent, and Blake's sixteen-year-old son Clint, who is trying to get his first job so he can raise money to buy a well for a village in Africa.

Blake reaches out to leaders in other industries and works with his team to solve the puzzle of making his organization a destination for exceptional performers. But he also learns from his son. Listening to Clint and his friends compare notes on the companies they've worked for that summer, ranging from the awful to the inspirational, Blake realizes they want the same three things out of a job as any top performer in a Fortune 500 company.

Miller identifies these three critical aspects of a true talent magnet and explores the deeper meaning of each. He pulls back the curtain on what leaders can do to find and retain the very best people--a strategic need every leader faces.



My Take on the Book
As someone that has to create a team that will move our division and vision forward getting the right people for the open positions that I have is critical. This book is a book that really opens up the world for any manager to better understand what they can do to attract amazing employees. On top of this I will say that this book is very actionable and offers you so many hints, tips and more that you can use right away to make changes that will move your company forward. On top of attracting great people the book also provides you some amazing ideas to retain top talent too. This was a book that I read though quickly at first, but then went back a second time to make sure I did not miss anything the first time. A great book that will make a huge difference in the way you attract and retain employees!

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