Book Review: The Willoughbys

 

















 The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry

Summary: (amazon)

The Willoughby's—Timothy; his twin brothers, Barnaby A and Barnaby B; and their little sister, Jane—are old-fashioned children who adore old-fashioned adventures. Unfortunately, the Willoughby parents are not very fond of their children, and the truth is that the siblings are not too keen on their parents either. Little do the Willoughby kids know that their neglectful mother and father are hatching an evil plan to get rid of them! Not to worry—these resourceful adventurers have a few plans of their own. But they have no idea what lies ahead in their quest to rid themselves of their ghastly parents and live happily ever after.

My Thoughts:

I really love Lois Lowry's writing, especially in this short little book. It's fun and whismical. The book itself was alright. It was really unique, unusual, and unsuspecting. I never really fell in love with any of the characters, and all in all was weird but fun. It took me under an hour to read so it's a good nighttime book, and it will keep you hooked.

Content: Cautious--neglectful parents, abandoning

My Rating: 3 stars (it was decent)

PG, 12 and Up

Writing Prompt

Turn to page 37 in the book nearest to you right now. Look at the last three words on that page. Write a story with the three words as a title.

What I got was: "THE FIFTH TIGER" I'm thinking a drama set in the 1920s in Asia ...what about you? (If your curious, the book nearest to me is My Fathers Dragon)

See? I have an idea, just because I'm curious, I looked at the last three words of the 37th page in some other books.

THE STORY OF DOCTOR DOLITTLE: THINGS THEY NEEDED (DRAMA)

HOLES: To HIS SHOULDER (Romance)

The Guinness book of World Records 2012: Two Paying Guests (Mystery?)

Soldier Boys: Lucky To Be (Romance?)

Hope this helped to launch a new idea!

 

Book Review: The Mother-Daughter Book Club

 
















The Mother-Daughter Book Club by Heather Vogel Frederick

Summary: (amazon)

Even if Megan would rather be at the mall, Cassidy is late for hockey practice, Emma's already read every book in existence, and Jess is missing her mother too much to care, the new book club is scheduled to meet every month.

But what begins as a mom-imposed ritual of reading Little Women soon helps four unlikely friends navigate the drama of middle school. From stolen journals, to secret crushes, to a fashion-fiasco first dance, the girls are up to their Wellie boots in drama. They can't help but wonder: What would Jo March do?

Acclaimed author Heather Vogel Frederick will delight daughters of all ages in a novel about the fabulousness of fiction, family, and friendship.

My Thoughts:

I read these back in fifth grade and thought they were great. But then as I read the later ones they became just plain obnoxious. First of all, the writing is terrible, she obviously didn't edit the last book. Also, the characters are so not believable. The first few books were okay in that sense, but teenagers DO NOT sound like that whatsoever. On the other hand the first three were cute and fun. Overall, I would recommend the first three to elementary school girls. The others are just obnoxious.

Content: Cautious--drama, kissing in the later ones

My Rating: 3 stars (they were decent)

PG, 10 and UP 

Book Review: The Fablehaven Series

Fablehaven by Brandon Mull

Summary: (amazon)

Kendra and her brother, Seth, have no idea that their grandfather is the current caretaker of Fablehaven. Inside the gated woods, ancient laws keep relative order among the greedy trolls, mischievous satyrs, plotting witches, spiteful imps, and jealous fairies. But when the rules get broken, powerful forces are unleashed, and Kendra and her brother face the greatest challenge of their lives. To save their family, Fablehaven, and maybe even the world, Kendra and Seth must find the courage to do what they fear most...

My Thoughts:

Instead of reviewing each individual book, I'm going to review the entire series. The age recommendations say 8 and up, but my six year old brother loved it! They are the perfect mix of whimsy, adventure, suspense, and action. All ages will love them, whether if your six or ten. I loved the writing, it was amazing! But, the plot was kind of unbelievable and cheesy and don't listen to the audiobook. It's pretty terrible :) Overall it was fun and I would recommend it to all Elementary school readers.

Content: Cautious--action, scary scenes, could be scary for younger readers

My Rating: 4 stars (I really liked them)

PG, 8 and up

Book Review: Dairy Queen

 

















Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

Summary:(amazon)

When you don’t talk, there’s a lot of stuff that ends up not getting said.
Harsh words indeed, from Brian Nelson of all people. But, D. J. can’t help admitting, maybe he’s right.
When you don’t talk, there’s a lot of stuff that ends up not getting said.
Stuff like why her best friend, Amber, isn’t so friendly anymore. Or why her little brother, Curtis, never opens his mouth. Why her mom has two jobs and a big secret. Why her college-football-star brothers won’t even call home. Why her dad would go ballistic if she tried out for the high school football team herself. And why Brian is so, so out of her league.
When you don’t talk, there’s a lot of stuff that ends up not getting said.
Welcome to the summer that fifteen-year-old D. J. Schwenk of Red Bend, Wisconsin, learns to talk, and ends up having an awful lot of stuff to say.

My Thoughts:

This has been on my list for a long time. It definitely got me hooked at the beginning but it kind of fell apart after that. There was some language that bothered me and some crude parts. I really couldn't connect with any of the characters, but I liked the writing. Don't listen to the review and the cover makes no sense. The idea is jumbled and I thought the book was going to go one day but it went in a totally weird direction. Overall it was nicely written and generally pretty clean, and it was a decent Saturday read.

Content: Cautious--drama, language, gay mentioning, drinking, crude parts

My Rating: Three Stars (it was decent)

PG, 12 and Up

Middle School Don't-Reads

These are books I have had recommended for middle schoolers, but I found them not appropriate or just plain dirty, or boring.

1. The Fault in our Stars--this was one I was way excited about. It was so not okay for middle school whatsoever. There was a lot of language, and sexual stuff, I had to stop reading it early.

2. The Clique--these series were boring, obnoxious, and crude.

3. The Absolutely True Diary of a Real Life Indian--what I had heard was this book was hilarious and great for middle school. There was way do much language and it was really crude.

4. The Phoenix Five--it was too crude and obnoxious, don't waste your time.

5. Summer of my German Solider--too crude.

6. Fateful--I stopped reading it. Weird, creepy, and not clean.

7. Blue is for Nightmares--this novel would have been awesome. But it was too crude, too gross, and too much language.

Book Review: Persuaded

 Persuaded by Jenni James

Summary: (amazon)

 Will he take her back, or fling her aside like she deserves?

Three years ago, Amanda made the biggest mistake of her life, she let her friends persuade her to reject the guy she loved. They were convinced he was a loser and wasn't good enough for her.

Now Gregory's back in Farmington . . . taller, stronger, hotter than ever, and worth millions. Those gorgeous girls who snubbed him before are now falling at his feet, and he's enjoying every moment of it.

Can he see past the pain Amanda caused him and give her a second chance? Or will she forever regret losing the only guy who truly loved her?


My Thoughts:

The whole book I was thinking "Oh gosh, what's gonna happen?!" which is awesome in a book. I really liked the characters, especially Amanda, they were really realistic. It's a really surprising (and awesome) ending. But the writing wasn't anything special, and I didn't really like the guy in this one. This is the third book in the series I have been reading and my third favorite. Overall it was a fun, cute, easy read like all of the Jenni James books. This are awesome for any Jane Austen lovers.

Content: Cautious--drama, kissing

My Rating: 4 stars (I liked it a lot)

PG, 12 and Up