Nessie and the Celtic Maze is Book Three in the Nessie’s Grotto series. This delightful children’s chapter book continues the adventures of siblings Craig and Linda, and Nessie, The Loch Ness Monster. Craig and Linda’s parents have taken them to Canada so they can be far away from Nessie. However, when the children learn that Nessie’s daughter, Princess Sheona is in trouble, they know they must find a way to save her. Luckily, there is a secret underwater passage that goes from Canada to Loch Ness. On the other side, in Scotland, is a young lad named Angus who is also trying to help Princess Sheona. Encouraged and supported by his mom, Angus learns to be brave. A cute story with whimsy, magic, mystery, adventure, and fun. A great addition to this series.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Tara Johnson Barneshttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngTara Johnson Barnes2024-03-03 19:15:582024-03-25 11:34:42Nessie and the Celtic Maze (Nessie’s Grotto) by Lois Wickstrom and Jean Lorrah – Review by Tara Johnson Barnes
The Reluctant Spy is a children’s chapter book full of mystery, suspense, excitement, a mad scientist, a rat trainer, and mysterious earthquakes. The story centers around Timmy, his grandma, and their pet rat named Hildegarde who is smarter than the average rat. Timmy and his grandma set out to uncover what is causing mysterious earthquakes in their small town. The adventure sees Timmy setting Hildegarde off to the mad scientist’s house outfitted with special spy gear. Hildegarde might be the only one who is able to find out the truth. The story is fun, entertaining and enjoyable with a mix of quirky characters added throughout. Timmy and Hildegarde have a special bond even though he was uncertain about having a rat in the house in the first place. Grandma is quite an interesting character with her sense of humor and witty attitude. An enjoyable read.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Tara Johnson Barneshttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngTara Johnson Barnes2024-03-03 18:22:132024-03-25 11:32:04The Reluctant Spy by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Tara Johnson Barnes
Book two in the Virus of Beauty series continues the story from the first book and centers on teen wizard Wilf. In Book One we learned about Wilf who has no interest in magic and all he truly wants to do is play soccer. However, life has other plans for him, and he now finds himself caught in the middle of a long-held dispute between the witches and the wizards. The ongoing dispute has somehow destabilized the Magical Realm and it is up to Wilf to find the antidote for the Virus of Beauty that many of the witches have been plagued with before it is too late.
When Wilf’s stepsister, Myra, disappears it is left up to Wilf to find her and bring her to justice. In his quest to find her the defensive barrier known as the Veil between the witch and wizard cities becomes corrupted and Wilf is blamed. The corruption of the Veil allows the virus to spread and affects both wizards and witches throughout the magical realm. When evil strikes and his witch friend, Katryna, is kidnapped Wilf will do anything to save her even if it means that he risks his own life in doing so. He is the only one that holds the key to saving both his friend and the Magical Realm from certain disaster.
Book Two in the Virus of Beauty Series did not disappoint. The reader is transported to places all over the world as the wizards and witches fight to stabilize the magical realm before it destroys them all. Our teen wizard Wilf has to really step into his role as wizard because this unlikely hero is the only one who can save them. Wilf must put aside his thoughts and feelings on what his perception of a normal life may be and embrace his wizard side while fighting evil head on. Wilf really discovers who he is and what he is capable of as he becomes stronger as both a person and a wizard. It was interesting to read how his relationship with Katryna unfolded and how her family slowly came to terms with it.
This book has everything a YA reader can hope for in one place. Magic, self-discovery, adventure, suspense, unlikely heroes, family drama, young romance, and even some witty banter. It held my attention and kept me reading until the end. The overall most intriguing part of the story for me, since Book One, has been what the witches perceive as beauty in their realm. For them to catch a virus that makes them beautiful by our society standards is horrifying. In their realm ‘beauty’ is defined entirely different and for the witches you are ‘beautiful’ if you have warts, hairy chins, and large noses. It truly goes to show how perception can change everything and what one sees as normal, or beautiful, is not necessarily the same way another person may view it. Fascinating concept! I highly recommend!
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Tara Johnson Barneshttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngTara Johnson Barnes2023-03-03 12:04:262023-03-10 13:36:24The Veil of Corruption (The Virus of Beauty Book 2) by C.B. Lyall Review by Tara Johnson Barnes
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Nessie and the Celtic Maze by Lois June Wickstrom
