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Down By The River by Tricia Gardella – Review by Candice Estes

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Down By The RiverDown By The River by Tricia Gardella
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is targeted toward a young audience, and I would definitely recommend it to parents and teachers and even children’s librarians. The illustrations are vibrant and beautiful. As I was moving from page to page, I felt almost like I was near the river, seeing the animals described and drawn. This book is short, making it a perfect bedtime story, or quick read for a squirmy kid. Themes covered within the book are “hard hitting”, such as pollution, yet touched on lightly in a way that won’t confuse young children and may even go unnoticed but be a good jumping off point for further discussion.

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Detective Dylan and the Thief of Camp Leaf (A Youth Sleuths Chapter Book Series) by MJ Murray – Review by Candice Estes

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Detective Dylan and the Thief of Camp Leaf (A Youth Sleuths Chapter Book Series 3)Detective Dylan and the Thief of Camp Leaf by M.J. Murray
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is the 3rd in the Young Sleuths Chapter Book series, but can be read as a stand-alone if you choose to. Dylan is a little boy who has a detective kit, a trusty dog and a younger sister as a side-kick to help him solve all kinds of mysteries. In this particular story, Dylan and his younger sister, Emily, are camping with their family when the Camp Leaf golden trophy comes up missing. Dylan and Emily and their dog, Theodore, set off to try to find it, with other friends along the way. This book is great for young children just learning to read on their own, or for parents or teachers to read to the youngsters in their lives. The story is cute, and the illustrations are fun to look at. Join Dylan, Emily, Theodore and their friends on an adventure to solve who stole the Camp Leaf golden trophy, but remember, be careful who you trust!

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Knight On Edge (Jorja Knight Mystery Series) by Alice Bienia – Review by Candice Estes

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Knight On Edge: A female detective mystery (Jorja Knight Mystery Series Book 7)Knight On Edge: A female detective mystery by Alice Bienia
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is part 7 of the Jorja Knight Mystery Series, and is no less amazing than the other 6. Jorja is a private detective in Canada. Her cases are usually run of the mill investigations into missing people, adultery or similar situations. Her latest case, however, turns into a mess that is most assuredly not what it appears from the outset. Sherrie Langcaster hires Jorja to find out if her husband is cheating, and when she discovers the truth, Jorja assumes she is done with Sherrie’s case. What neither of the women could possibly foresee is just how connected their lives would be from that point, and just how twisted everything around Sherrie and her husband was just about to get, when his mistress turns up dead, and Sherrie’s missing gun is the murder weapon. This mystery is great and will pull you in from beginning to end, but there is plenty of story line to remind you that Jorja is more than just a detective.

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It’s Cool To Be Kind by Shermaine Perry-Knights – Review by Candice Estes

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It's Cool To Be Kind: A Children's Book on Kindness and FriendshipIt’s Cool To Be Kind: A Children’s Book on Kindness and Friendship by Shermaine Perry-Knights
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is intended for young children around the ages of 7 to 9 years old, but can probably be read and understood by children of other age ranges as well. This book tells the story of a group of friends who are trying to find what they are best at. As the friends explore and try to figure it out, they discover that for each of them, what they are best at is helping others. The illustrations were well done and colorful, making them engaging for young readers. I would recommend this book for any parent or teacher of young children who is trying to promote kindness and friendliness in the little humans around them. Toward the back of the book, there is even a guide on discussing kindness along with a couple of “games” that can be played with dice to help get the point across even more.

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Decisions Matter (Buddy the Blue Corgi Series) by Suzanna Lynn – Review by Candice Estes

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Decisions Matter: A picture book about learning right from wrong (Buddy the Blue Corgi 3)Decisions Matter: A picture book about learning right from wrong by Suzanna Lynn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is a part of the Buddy the Corgi series, but can absolutely be read as a stand-alone. This story is about Buddy and the cats that are a part of his adopted family. When it seems like there is a midnight bandit who keeps getting into the trash, Buddy tries to stay awake to catch the bandit. The first night doesn’t quite go as planned, and the second night Buddy gets caught in the middle of a mess that he didn’t make, but does get blamed for. When he finally catches the bandit, the bandit is more than happy to let Buddy take the blame, until he is convinced that the decision to do the right thing is the most important one. This is a great book for helping to teach children about how important it is to take responsibility for your choices. I would recommend this book for any parent or teacher of young children, or children’s librarian.

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The Places We Call Home by Kim Ann – Review by Candice Estes

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The Places We Call Home: A picture book to remind us that home is where all love begins.The Places We Call Home: A picture book to remind us that home is where all love begins. by Kim Ann
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is an adorable book for young children about all of the different kinds of places that people call home. The illustrations are well done and colorful, and the story is easy to understand and digest for youngsters. I would definitely recommend this for parents and teachers of preschoolers or early elementary age children, and possibly even those who are going through an adjustment at home, such as a divorce or moving to a new location. My children are a bit old for this one, but they still liked looking at it with me. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a way to speak to their child about how families and their homes can look and feel different, but still make them happy.

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You Are Special (Buddy the Blue Corgi Series) by Suzanna Lynn – Review by Candice Estes

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You Are Special (Buddy the Blue Corgi, #1)You Are Special by Suzanna Lynn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is a part of the Buddy the Corgi series, but can absolutely be read as a stand-alone. This book gives us the story of Buddy’s early life on the farm he was born on. We get to meet many of the different animals that Buddy lived with before being adopted by his forever family. The illustrations can almost make you wish to spend time on a farm…almost. With adorable pictures at the end of the book of the real life Buddy, what’s not to love? I would recommend this book to any parent or teacher of young children, or even children’s librarian.

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Good Things Take Time (Buddy the Blue Corgi Series) by Suzanna Lynn – Review by Candice Estes

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Good Things Take Time: A picture book about learning patience (Buddy the Blue Corgi)Good Things Take Time: A picture book about learning patience by Suzanna Lynn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is an adorable way to teach kids that not everything is instant gratification. The story introduces you to Buddy, a blue Corgi and explains his adoption story. This book is great for all kids, but I could definitely see it being especially meaningful to a child just getting their first pet or a child who is adopted at an age that they are old enough to understand its meaning. Buddy is an adorable puppy and the only blue Corgi in his whole litter. Once he’s adopted, he has two cat siblings and a whole family that loves him. I would recommend this for any elementary age child, or younger, though even as an adult, I enjoyed it myself. The illustrations are adorable, and the back even includes pictures of the real Buddy for a bonus. This book is part of the Buddy the Corgi series, but can absolutely be written as a stand-alone.

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Forever to Fall (Buckeye Falls Book 5) by Libby Kay – Review by Candice Estes

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Forever to Fall (Buckeye Falls Book 5)Forever to Fall by Libby Kay
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the fifth book in the Buckeye Falls series, but is no less easy to fall into and want to not put down. Mallory Lawson has been in love with Beckett Fox, her younger brother’s best friend, since they were kids. Beckett is trying to cope with the recent loss of his grandfather, who raised Beckett from a young age, alongside Beckett’s grandmother, after Beckett’s parents’ divorce. While Beckett tries to piece his life together now without two of the most important people in his world in it, he gravitates back to Mallory and her brother, Evan for friendship and comfort. When Evan gets engaged, and uses the ring that belonged to Mallory’s grandmother and had been used in a pretend wedding between Mallory and Beckett when they were children, Mallory struggles with the situation, because while she loves her brother and soon to be sister-in-law, she had always held out hope of Beckett proposing with that same ring. When Beckett gets injured, Mallory swoops in to help him recover, giving them a chance to reconnect after all the times things haven’t gone right in the past, the couple finally find their happily ever after. This book is a GHEA with characters you will come to love. This book can be read as a stand-alone, but the whole series is too amazing to miss!

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Falling Down (The Rockstar Series) by Anne Mercier – Review by Candice Estes

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Falling Down (ROCKSTAR)Falling Down by Anne Mercier
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is book one in the Rockstars Series, and I can’t wait to read the rest of them. We first meet Lucy and her cousin, Sera, they are 17 and in an airport waiting for a delayed flight. They never expected to meet a member of their favorite rock band, Jessie Kingston. While Lucy is nervous and confused, Sera handles it well and they all board their flights. Years later, Lucy, who is now an actress, and Sera, who is a model, are slated to work on a music video without knowing who they’re working with. They are surprised to learn that they are working with Jessie and his band. The sparks fly almost immediately, and Lucy and Jessie begin dating, while Sera and Lucy decide to start a whole new career. This is a GHEA with a lot of sex and a good bit of cursing, but also a lot of heart and characters you grow to care a good deal about.

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Shadowed Storm: A Shadow Defense Security Thriller Book 4 (Shadow Defense Security Series) by Mavery Ellscott – Review by Candice Estes

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Shadowed Storm (Shadow Defense Security, #4)Shadowed Storm by Mavery Ellscott
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Dr. Alexis Hayes is an oceanographer who discovered dangerous algae on a boat during a dive during one of her dives for research. When she tries to figure out who is behind it and why, she finds herself on the run from some dangerous people and literally running for her life, in an attempt to solve the mystery and possibly save the worlds clean water supply. Alexis’s friend, Sebastian Tremblay, who is a former Navy SEAL and part owner of the security firm, Shadow Defense, meets up with Alexis to try and protect her and keep her safe once she reaches the United States, after she arrives from her sailboat trip from Paris. While the pair tries to stay ahead of those who wish them harm and want to keep them quiet, they must also figure out who is responsible for the algae and how to stop them. Neither expects to fall in love along the way. This book is part of the Shadow Defense Security series, and can be read as a stand-alone, but is definitely better when read as part of the series and you will definitely want to read them all. The characters and world feel real and like friends you never want to leave. I can’t wait to see what is next for this series and these characters.

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Word Play by Tricia Gardella – Review by Candice Estes

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Word PlayWord Play by Tricia Gardella
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a cute book for young readers, with cute illustrations throughout. Joe finds the letters to spell his own name every morning in his cereal bowl. He’s excited to get to start school, so he can learn how to spell other words and start to find them in the letters of his cereal as well. When Joe finally starts school, he discovers that he doesn’t immediately start learning new words and how to spell them, but starts with other skills instead. At lunch, Joe wanders off to try and find someone and somewhere that will teach him how to write and read other words. Joe wanders from place to place on the main road of his town, from business to business trying to find help, until someone contacts the school, and they come to get him.

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“Absurd,” Said Bird : A Fun Children’s Adventure About a Mouse Who Dreams of Travel (Mouse Traveler) by Tricia Gardella – Review by Candice Estes

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“ABSURD,” SAID BIRD.: A mouse plans a trip to the moon. by Tricia Gardella
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Mouse wants to go to the moon, because he believes it is made of cheese. Most of his friends seem to be supportive of his plan to build an airplane to fly to the moon, and ask him questions about his planned trip. That is, other than, Bird. Bird says that the whole plan is absurd and that it won’t work. Mouse thinks he is wrong, and decides to try it anyway. When his initial plan doesn’t work, Bird explains why he had said the plan was absurd to begin with. The story is cute, with rhyming and a fun and silly storyline. The illustrations are colorful and eye-catching, which is great for a younger audience.

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Dinopotamus Solves a Mystery (Dinopotamus Series) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Candice Estes

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Dinopotamus Solves a Mystery: A scientific method bookDinopotamus Solves a Mystery: A scientific method book by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a cute book, for young kids who love dinosaurs. Dinopotamus is a dinosaur who attends school with human children. Though he cannot talk, he finds ways to communicate with his teacher and classmates. When he realizes that his spot on the floor is warmer after he wakes up from naptime, he sets out to figure out why it’s happening and how to help his classmates to have a warmer spot for their naps. First he tries trading spots, but finds that to be unhelpful. Then he figures out how to help them all. The illustrations are cute, and look to be hand drawn, and the story is easy for children to understand while teaching children a little bit about science and sharing.

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Raccoon Reunion by Terri Sabol – Review by Candice Estes

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Raccoon ReunionRaccoon Reunion by Terri Sabol
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Rocky the Raccoon is scared because his family is going on a trip to a family reunion hosted by his family outside of the city he lives in. He’s nervous because he’s never been out of his hometown, and because he’s the only family member that’s never met the rest of the family. At first, Rocky feels left out and uncertain, but eventually, he is able to help his family and bonds with them. By the end of the trip, he almost doesn’t want to leave. This is a great book for young kids, especially those who are about to go on their first trip, or have a big change coming. The illustrations are cute and engaging, and the story is easy to follow.

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Trusting Love (Clumsy Little Hearts Trilogy Book 1) by Julie Navickas – Review by Candice Estes

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Trusting Love (Clumsy Little Hearts Trilogy Book 1)Trusting Love by Julie Navickas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Tess Browning is bored running the newspaper she bought after her marriage fell apart. She feels stuck in her job, until Ryan Prescott comes in to put an ad in her paper, and she offers to trade him space in her paper for work in her offices. When the pair fall for each other quickly, all seems well until Ryan is told about Tess’s history, something she deeply regrets. Due to an unhappy marriage, she made the mistake of cheating on her now ex-husband, who was in love with his ex-girlfriend the entire time they were together. Ryan has his own history with being cheated on and manipulated, and finds it hard to truth Tess after learning the truth. The pair must figure out how to work through their problems, and make it all work. This is book one in the Clumsy Little Hearts trilogy, but can be read as a stand-alone.

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Finding Love (Clumsy Little Hearts Trilogy Book 2) by Julie Navickas – Review by Candice Estes

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Finding Love (Clumsy Little Hearts Trilogy Book 2)Finding Love by Julie Navickas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After saving her brothers relationship, Rachel is unexpectedly greeted with the end of her own relationship. While she wasn’t in love with her now ex-boyfriend, Ian, the breakup itself still hurts all the same. When she tries online dating, again, and is stood up by her first date, she is lucky enough to meet the owner of the restaurant, Miguel, and spend time with him. The pair discovers that they are neighbors, and that they have a lot in common. Their relationship moves quickly, until Ian decides he made a mistake in letting Rachel go, and tries to get her back. Rachel has no interest in this, and when Miguel walks in on what he thinks is Rachel kissing Ian, the pair must figure out how to fix their relationship and work through their different problems to make it work. This is book two in the Clumsy Little Hearts trilogy, but can be read as a stand-alone.

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The Puppy Adventures of Porter and Midge: Out and About (Porter and Midge Children’s Book Series) by Jennie Chen and Giselle Nevada – Review by Candice Estes

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The Puppy Adventures of Porter and Midge: Out and About (Porter and Midge Children’s Book Series)The Puppy Adventures of Porter and Midge: Out and About by Giselle Nevada
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is part of a series, but can be read as a standalone. This is a great book for young children who have pets or are a part of a family that is thinking about getting a pet. In this book, CJ and Lora are set to participate in a parade for the 4th of July. They want to bring their dogs, Porter and Midge, respectively, with them for the parade. They are then told all of the things that a dog needs to be able to do, such as not being distracted by new things, not barking excessively, and sitting and behaving well, as well as about the vaccinations that need to be done in order for their dogs to be able to participate. CJ and Lora train their dogs and work to be able to include them in the parade. The illustrations are great, and the book includes a check list of things to help children with training their dogs as well.

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Double Delight (Double Delight Series) by Julie Castle – Review by Candice Estes

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Double Delight: The Complete SeriesDouble Delight: The Complete Series by Julie Castle
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

April Love:

April Brooks just returned to her hometown to help her aunt after a health scare, and to recover from having her heart broken. April has decided that since her ex cheated on her, the issue in her relationship was that she was a virgin, and sets out to remedy that. When she happens across Will Sheppard in a bar, after her friend’s wedding, she intends for their relationship to be a onetime thing, but Will has other ideas. This book is steamy and a guaranteed HEA that I didn’t want to end.

Monica’s Manhunt:

Monica Landers wants to find happiness, after the failure of her first marriage. She, along with her friends, has started working on a manhunt to find her a husband from the eligible men in town. When she comes across Matt Sheppard, she knows he is less Mr. Right and more Mr. Right Now, but she can’t resist him, and he seems to feel the same. When all of the guys she goes out with are even more wrong that Matt, and she and Matt can’t seem to resist each other Monica gives up on her hunt for the time being and discover that the right one was right there all along. This book is steamy and a guaranteed HEA, with characters from April Love, and I didn’t want to leave their world by the end.

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Ten Little Sea Turtles (A Counting Collection) by Kim Ann – Review by Candice Estes

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Ten Little Sea Turtles: Ocean and Marine Life Books for Children (Marine Life Counting Collection)Ten Little Sea Turtles: Ocean and Marine Life Books for Children by Kim Ann
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is part of the A Counting Collection series of books. I loved the illustrations in this book. It is intended primarily for young children, just learning how to count. However, my children liked it as well, because of the illustrations and their love of sea turtles and the beach. I would highly recommend this for parents of young children, but truly feel that anybody of any age can enjoy it. My suggested ages would be birth thru first or second grade, for educational purposes, but I am sure that older elementary school children would enjoy it as well.

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Stout of My League (Love on Tap Series) by Sylvie Stewart – Review by Candice Estes

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Stout of My League (Love on Tap #4)Stout of My League by Sylvie Stewart
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is the 4th and final book in the Love on Tap series. While you can read this book as a stand-alone, can’t imagine why you wouldn’t want to read them all. In this final book of the series, we finally learn more about Lynne, the youngest Brooks sibling, and only daughter of her family. Lynne is studying to work as a physical therapist, and takes a job at the local professional baseball stadium concession stand, in hopes of connecting with the physical therapists. She meets Joey Martel, a player on the team, and they start to date until things go poorly. They separate for a year, and then fate puts them back together, and they must decide what’s truly important for them and their relationship. During this time, as well, Lynne’s family is having to deal with many unfortunate incidents that they thing are unrelated at first, until they start investigating them further and realize that sometimes the real problem and issues are those closest to you. This book wrapped up this series in a great way, though it does make me sad that it has ended.

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The Big Book of Booper Snoots by Suzanna Lynn – Review by Candice Estes

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The Big Book of Booper SnootsThe Big Book of Booper Snoots by Suzanna Lynn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is a cute way to teach young children the alphabet. One page shows a picture of an animal nose, the next page tells you what animal the nose belongs to along with a fun fact about the animal the nose belongs to. The pictures of the animals are adorable, which makes the book that much more fun to flip through. I would recommend this book for lower elementary or even preschool age children, but older kids may like reading it alone and learning new things about animals too.

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Under Jackson Bridge by Susan Specht Oram – Review by Candice Estes

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Under Jackson Bridge: A thriller (Beyond the Bridge Book 1)Under Jackson Bridge: A thriller by Susan Specht Oram
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When a group of old high school friends goes out on a boat, and come back with one member missing, a mystery begins that will keep you guessing to the end. When Irena goes out on a boat trip to celebrate the promotion of a friend from high school, along with her boyfriend, Buzz, and her ex-husband, Jack, who were all part of the same friend group, and the daughter she shares with Jack, Kelly, she can’t possibly know how much it’s going to change everything for her. While they are on the boat trip, the boat hits a rough spot, and Irena and Jack are thrown overboard. Jack refused to put on a life jacket, and disappears. Irena resurfaces and is rescued quickly by her friends and daughter. Irena and Kelly start searching for Jack, while looking into his apartment, finances, and anything else they think they know, Irena quickly learns that nothing is quite as it seems. The most important thing to remember while reading this book is nothing is as it seems.

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Loris Opens Up His Heart (Courage Tales Series) by Dagmara Sitek – Review by Candice Estes

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Loris Opens Up His Heart: An Emotional Story For Kids (Courage Tales)Loris Opens Up His Heart: An Emotional Story For Kids by Dagmara Sitek
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Loris is a foster child who is not sure who to trust, and prefers to stay to himself. When he comes to live with Cam, Inaya, and their mother, he struggles to adjust to a home life that is so different from the bad home life he is used to. Cam and Inaya try to involve Loris in the fundraiser run that they are organizing for a friend, but he doesn’t feel safe joining in until Cam is being bullied, and then he stands up for his new foster siblings. This book may not have the “warm fuzzies” from the beginning, but by the end, you will find yourself feeling for Loris and his journey. This is a great book for young kids, and for teaching children about foster children situations and the emotions that can come from it. I feel like this is also a good way to help people of any age to remember that you don’t know the full story of someone’s life, so being kind and being there for them, and not leaving them in their time of struggle, is often the most help you can give them.

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The Ghostly Diva (Divine Vintage Series) by Sandra L. Young – Review by Candice Estes

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The Ghostly Diva (Divine Vintage)The Ghostly Diva by Sandra L. Young
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Justine is an Assistant Director for a museum in her small town. When she is contacted about a possible display of items belonging to another native of the town, who was once in Hollywood movies and shows, she jumps at the chance, even if it means having to deal with the now-deceased woman’s cranky son to get there. Jackson is set on getting his mom’s estate settled and getting back to his life in Hollywood as quickly as he can.When Justine first shows up at Jackson’s house to look over his mother’s clothing and decide what would and wouldn’t work for the museum’s display, she definitely doesn’t bargain for meeting the woman herself…not even in ghostly form. When Justine and Jackson get snowed in, sparks start to fly, but neither wants to start anything due to the distance. Sometimes, fate has other plans. This is a great addition to this series, and I didn’t want to put it down. With a mystery to solve, and a ghost to help, and a love story to watch unfold, what more could you want? This book is part of the Divine Vintage series, but could be read as a stand-alone without you feeling like you’re missing out on anything.

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Healing Hearts: Gene & Amanda’s Story (The Echo Series) by C.R. Alam – Review by Candice Estes

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Healing Hearts (Echo #0.5)Healing Hearts by C.R. Alam
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This books is a prequel to a series, though it has come out after the end of the Echo Series. This can be read as a stand-alone, at the beginning of the series, or the end of the series, or really any time while you are reading this series, without you getting mixed up. This book follows Gene Rowland, an E.R. doctor in Atlanta who is headed back to his hometown to try and relax, while helping the local doctor with his clinic. On his way into town, he witnesses an accident involving a single vehicle and a tree. He pulls over to help the driver, only to discover that he knows the driver, Amanda, from high school, and she is claiming that the accident was caused by a child walking out into the road. Gene didn’t see the child that Amanda claims she saw, but he is determined to help her solve the mystery and put her mind at ease. This is a great addition to this series, and I truly didn’t want to put it down, which was true for this whole series.

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Will You (Pretend) Marry Me (Swan Cove Series) by Christi Barth – Review by Candice Estes

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Will You Pretend Marry MeWill You Pretend Marry Me by Christi Barth
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Abigail is headed to a small town in the middle of nowhere to finish her teaching degree by doing her student teaching. Abigail also has a major secret that she desperately wants to keep as close as she can…she has a secret identity, as pop queen Kaia. When she arrives at her new home and school, she finds that the principal is happy to have her because the teacher she’s supposed to be learning from is suddenly out of work. The assistant principal, Everett, agrees to mentor Abigail, and must then be brought into the loop of her secret. When circumstances have them quickly go from barely knowing each other to faking an engagement, and then faking being married, Abigail and Everett must sort out their pasts, as well as their feelings and their futures. This book is the end of a series, but can be read as a stand-alone.

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What Eyes Can’t See (Bold Journeys Series) by Paulette Stout – Review by Candice Estes

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What Eyes Can't See: Spicy contemporary fictionWhat Eyes Can’t See: Spicy contemporary fiction by Paulette Stout
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Barbara is an up-and-coming Black lawyer on the fast track, or so she thinks. When her company is looking for a new general counsel, a position she’s held on a temporary basis for two years, she and everyone else believes that the position is hers for the taking. When she returns from a trip to the wedding of a friend, on what would have been her own wedding day, were it not for the discovery of her ex’s cheating, Barbara finds out that not only did the company not promote her to the position, but they hired the man she’d spent most of her vacation with and had hoped there was a future with. Shortly after Sebastian is hired, the CEO of the company decides to fire several employees, nearly all of whom are minorities, including Barbara. As Barbara’s life starts to unravel, and she learns that the charmed life she thought she had hasn’t been what she thought it was, Barbara decides to fight back against her former employer and help those she was fired alongside to get justice.

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Fay’s Kindness Parade (The Adventures of Cray Series) by G Pa Rhymes – Review by Candice Estes

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Fay's Kindness Parade (The Adventures of Cray)Fay’s Kindness Parade by G Pa Rhymes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

As the chill of winter begins, Fay and her friends start to move to warmer waters. Along the way, Fay and her friends help other marine animals. Once they have been helped, the other animals join Fay and her friends in their pursuit of warmer waters, causing a parade of friends, and kindness. This is an adorable book for young children that not only promotes helping others, but also brings up topics like things in the oceans that are dangerous to the animals, and getting separated from your parents in child friendly ways that parents can choose to expand on as they see fit. The illustrations are beautiful. I shared this with my children (who are admittedly older than the target audience, 4th and 5th grade) and they loved it as well.

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Code Dog by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Candice Estes

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Code DogCode Dog by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Timmy, Beth and Arthur are three friends trying to complete a science project, when they unexpectedly get drug into the middle of a town mystery and hunt for a missing time capsule. When Timmy is tasked with watching their former teacher’s dog while she’s in the hospital, he is also given a map that should help with locating the missing time capsule. With a dog that can wag in Morse Code, and his friends by his side, Timmy embarks on an adventure around town to try and solve the mystery. What none of them could be prepared for is all of the things that discover along the way. The best thing to remember here, is to trust your instincts and be careful what you wish for. This is a fun book that is easy to read and would be good for grade school age children who like a little mystery but aren’t ready for some of the “older” series.

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