Word Play by Tricia Gardella
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Word play: This was such a cute read! Very simple and a quick one. Little Joe is excited for school because he gets to learn how to read, but is disappointed when they don’t dive right in to reading! He actually leaves the school and walks around town looking for someone to teach him to read! Joe is found, goes back to school and happy endings all around.
Wheel of Evil by N.L. Holmes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Wheel of Evil: honestly my favorite book in the series so far! As always, I absolutely love the historical details given for such a fascinating period of time. The characters are so well written and I really feel like I’m actually getting to know them. Once again, Nefet finds herself involved in yet another murder/mystery. This time, however, since the plot involves her uncle with his and the entire families lives and safety at sake, not even her papa can find a valid reason to keep her from investigating. The plot twist at the end on this one threw me! Didn’t see it coming and I love it when that happens. Great read! Don’t have to read the first ones to understand, but I would recommend it.
The Handshake Agreement by A. Akinosho
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
The Handshake Agreement by A. Akinosho is a age gap/ rekindled and second chance love story.
I really wanted to enjoy it, but had a hard time with this one. It is easy to read; however, the lack of punctuation, incorrect phrasing, run on sentences and a litany of other grammatical errors did make it difficult to follow at times.
Without giving spoilers, the plot twist at the end was completely unnecessary and really detracted from the original storyline. Seemed rather disjointed. All this aside, I did have some issues with the leads: the MMC was heavy-handed, stalkerish and obsessive. I’m all for a touch-her-and-die, but this wasn’t pulled off.. for me at least. The FMC was meant to come across as independent and take no nonsense from the man who is used to having his way- which was supposed to be part of the appeal behind his love interest- but it fell short. She had these conversations in her head on how she was not going to let him just have his way. When the actual conversation took place, she resisted and stood her ground-once. Then immediately acquiesced. I feel like both could use some character development.
Overall, it was ok, would not recommend.
“ABSURD,” SAID BIRD.: A mouse plans a trip to the moon. by Tricia Gardella
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
“ABSURD,” SAID BIRD.: A mouse plans a trip to the moon was such a cute book! My girls (5 & 4) were giggling so much while reading it. They thought it was hilarious. Very easy to read and a quick one as well. Perfect for the “one last story” before bedtime.
The Orange Forest Rabbit Mysteries by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Orange Forest Rabbit Mysteries by Lois Wickstrom was a really cute book! A collection of short stories put together, it follows the series of strange events happening on Gregory and Jennifer rabbit’s farms. Wonderfully written and easy to read. Great for young readers (my 4 years olds didn’t have much interest in it though)
Raccoon Reunion by Terri Sabol
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Raccoon Reunion by Terry Sabol was such a fun little book! Very easy to read and entertaining for my kiddos. Rocky is nervous and worried about the family reunion because he hasn’t met anyone there and isn’t having a good time at all. He doesn’t know how to do the things his country cousins know how to do. When they find something that he knows how to do and they don’t, he learns that even though they are different, he has his own skills and they can learn from each other and teach each other.
The Puppy Adventures of Porter and Midge: Out and About by Giselle Nevada
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Puppy Adventures of Porter and Midge: Out and About was such a cute book but also very helpful and informative! Porter and Midge are going to be out and about on adventures, leading up to the Independence Day parade in town. The book walks through the steps on acclimating a dog to loud noises and large crowds, how to teach them to sit and listen and reinforcing good behavior while also covering the importance of vaccinations for dogs. My littles have been asking for a dog so this has been very helpful for them in learning that it’s a big responsibility.
