After their first graphic novel adventure, Phoebe and Marigold are back for another collection of comics.
In this collection Phoebe and Marigold write fan letters and Marigold babysits Phoebe.
We learn that shimmering is better than glimmering. Marigold gets into a grooming competition with the cat and Max outnerds Phoebe.
We visit Marigold’s home for the first time. Phoebe and Marigold attend a dragon Halloween party where I learned I need rainbow-flame jack-o’-lanterns in my life. We meet Ralph, a kid in Phoebe’s class who isn’t Max or Dakota.
Dakota is still cool and rubbing Phoebe’s face in it and Marigold took a short break from admiring her own reflection to reflect on her friendship with Phoebe.
After absolutely adoring the graphic novel format, adventure and introduction of a wonderful new character, Voltina the dragon, in The Magic Storm, this collection of comics felt like a let down. Christmas, Halloween and summer seem to be covered in the majority of the collections I’ve read so far and a lot of the themes and jokes are repetitive. The actual target audience may not have a problem with this but I’m eager for material that feels new.
I was especially disappointed that Voltina didn’t make an appearance in this collection, which meant adorably nerdy Max is essentially alone again. Yes, he sort of has Phoebe sometimes but she’s not a good enough friend to even notice he’s being bullied when it’s happening right in front of her face. He deserves better.
Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the opportunity to read this collection.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Marigold Heavenly Nostrils is no ordinary unicorn. She has Wi-Fi-enabled appendages. She’s the most enchanted babysitter of all time. She’s published numerous scholarly articles on the “shimmering” versus “glimmering” debate. She is, in short, a unicorn of many hats.
Phoebe and her exceptional hooved pal are back in this all-new collection of comics! Laugh alongside the lovable duo as they question the idea of “coolness,” gain a deeper appreciation for the power of friendship, and put off summer reading assignments for as long as physically possible.
Although I’ve had the best of intentions I haven’t studied science as an adult. I had an amazing science teacher in my first year of high school who inspired me and made me want to pursue a scientific career. This dream then disintegrated over the next three years as all my subsequent science teacher managed to inspire was the desire to sleep through their classes. While I still intend to one day be able to have an informed and intelligent conversation about string theory, I currently sit firmly in science nerd wannabe territory.
My wannabe status is probably what drew me to this book and its conversational tone and lack of complex mathematics equations makes it accessible to readers without prior knowledge of the scientific discoveries and theories it explains.
There’s a smorgasbord to enjoy within each of the seven parts:
Biological Things
Human Things
Terrestrial Things
Solar System Things
Fundamental Things
Extraterrestrial Things, and
Cosmic Things.
Given the bite size chunks of information each contain, they provide a taste of some of the marvels the universe has to offer. (Why, yes, it is almost dinner time. Why do you ask?! 😜)
While I learned enough about some topics to satisfy me I was able to narrow down some areas of interest to explore further. Each of the fifty chapters begins with a single sentence statement that may or may not give you a clue about what’s to come, followed by a quote and then several pages of explanation.
A lot of the initial statements are pretty incredible without any further explanation, for example,
“Today your body will build about 300 billion cells”.
Beginning the explanation the author makes a comparison to put this into perspective, noting that’s
“more cells than there are stars in our Milky Way galaxy.”
For those of us without scientific degrees, a cell is explained as
“a tiny transparent bag of gloop.”
Then you learn some amazing facts about your cells that should make you appear smarter than you actually are when you find a way to casually pass this information along to some unsuspecting bystander.
My favourite opening statements of the book were:
“You are born 100 percent human but die 50 percent alien”
“In the future, time might run backwards”
“The universe may have at least ten dimensions”
“Time travel is not ruled out by the laws of physics”.
My main problem with this book was its repetitiveness. I don’t mind when an author reminds a reader that a topic was previously explored in whatever chapter number so you can review that if need be but in this book some pieces of information were repeated almost verbatim. For example, in chapter 25, when talking about quantum theory, the author notes
It is fantastically successful. It has given us lasers and computers and nuclear reactors. It explains why the sun shines and why the ground beneath our feet is solid.
This is repeated in chapter 43, where the only difference is “our” becoming “your”. If you are only reading single chapters over a significant length of time or if you’re quoting a specific chapter to said bystander, this would not be a problem. However, if you’re reading from cover to cover, the multiple instances of repetition become tedious.
Thank you to NetGalley and Diversion Books for the opportunity to read this book.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Bestselling author Marcus Chown explores some of the most profound and important science about us, our world and beyond by examining some astonishing facts that reveal the vast complexities of the universe.
There is much about our world that seems to make perfect sense, and important scientific breakthroughs have helped us understand ourselves, our planet and our place in the universe in fascinating detail. But our adventures in space, our deepening understanding of the quantum world and huge leaps in technology over the last century have also revealed a universe far stranger than we could ever have imagined.
With brilliant clarity and wit, bestselling author Marcus Chown examines the profound science behind fifty remarkable scientific facts that help explain the vast complexities of our existence. Did you know that you could fit the whole human race in the volume of a sugar cube? Or that the electrical energy in a single mosquito is enough to cause a global mass extinction? Or that, out there in the cosmos, there are an infinite number of copies of you reading an infinite number of copies of this?
Infinity in the Palm of Your Hand is a mind-bending journey through some of the most weird and wonderful facts about our universe, vividly illuminating the hidden truths that govern our everyday lives.
Before I tell you anything else you need to know there’s a DRAGON in this book!!! 💜💜💜 Okay, now that I’ve gotten that out of my system I can continue.
Marigold’s magical sensitivity is telling her something’s not quite right. This is confirmed when a pixie’s GPS fails and Marigold can only find one bar of magical reception. Meanwhile at Phoebe’s elementary school, the teachers and kids alike are anticipating a half day due to a rumoured ice storm.
Later that day Marigold can’t even sparkle anymore when, horror of horrors, magic and the wifi go down!
This is a job for Phoebegold Detective Agency! Dakota isn’t so sure that Phoebe has enough nerd power to solve this case though.
Because Marigold no longer has magic her Shield of Boringness is down, making the people she walks past actually respond to her unicorn awesomeness for the first time in the series.
Although Max has been Phoebe’s second best friend for a while now (after Marigold, of course) I was so happy that he made a new friend in this graphic novel, one he shares more interests with. He’s consistently one of my favourite characters so it was lovely to have him more involved in the storyline. I loved the gentle, age appropriate way that bullying, loneliness and friendships were addressed in this story.
I can’t get enough of Phoebe and Marigold. Phoebe, who was once a lonely young girl, now has a magical creature that looks at her like this and it’s adorable.
I loved learning that goblins have their own version of a unicorn’s Shield of Boringness called a Bubble of Non-Grossness. Let’s face it, maybe I just love the blarting goblins.
I fell in love with Voltina the dragon and can’t wait to see how much she features in future adventures.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the opportunity to read this graphic novel. After not being quite as enthralled by the last two collections I read, my love for Phoebe, Marigold and the rest of Dana Simpson’s creations has been renewed with this graphic novel. I’m looking forward to bingeing the rest of the series.
P.S. Happy Easter to everyone who celebrates it!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
The first Phoebe and Her Unicorn graphic novel!
Phoebe and Marigold decide to investigate a powerful storm that is wreaking havoc with the electricity in their town. The adults think it’s just winter weather, but Phoebe and Marigold soon discover that all is not what it seems to be, and that the storm may have a magical cause. To solve the case, they team up with Max, who is desperate for the electricity to return so he can play video games, and frenemy Dakota, who is aided by her goblin minions. Together, they must get to the bottom of the mystery and save the town from the magic storm.
Phoebe and Marigold carve pumpkins and Marigold plans a Halloween surprise for Phoebe. Todd the candy dragon provides the Halloween candy again this year and Dakota makes goblins cool when she starts hanging out with Blaartholomew. Marigold goes to the spa with her sister, resulting in unicorn withdrawal for Phoebe.
Naturally my favourite scenes were book related, especially when Marigold casts a Spell of Forgetting on herself so it feels like she’s reading a well read book for the first time. I need to learn how to do that spell! While I wasn’t a fan of the increased focus on nose picking I did enjoy the increased time spent talking about books.
This is the first collection where I’ve noticed a few pages repeated from previous collections. I wasn’t as wowed by this collection but am hopeful the next one, Phoebe and Marigold’s first graphic novel, will shake things up a bit.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Time flies in this fifth volume of Phoebe and Her Unicorn! Follow the lovable duo as they experience somewhat-spooky Halloween parties, ecstatic snow days, and looming summer reading assignments. Although the journey of growing up can sometimes be difficult, along the way Phoebe and Marigold discover something more enduring than goblin fads, unicorn spa vacations, and even a Spell of Forgetting – their one of a kind friendship.
This is a tough book to read. Important, but painful. Lizzie, Hope’s older sister, has been hospitalised after a suicide attempt. She’s not talking so no one knows why she did it. Well, almost no one.
Hope can’t understand what was causing her sister so much pain and she’s at a loss when her sister’s psychiatrist seeks her insight. It doesn’t help that their mother is doing everything in her power to silence both of her daughters.
Shame makes a person keep their lips pressed tight together. I know.
Never tell no one, Momma says. And I don’t.
Lizzie’s psychiatrist thinks there may be clues about what was happening in Lizzie’s life and mind in the lead up to her hospitalisation in her diary, but they don’t know where it is.
We Chapmans stick together. We don’t tell nothing about our lives. Not to doctors or nurses.
This book’s content, while I found it predictable, was so painful to read, yet at times I was overwhelmed by gratitude that these sisters had Miss Freeman to love them and Hope had her best friend (other than her sister), Mari.
While it would have been heartening to read a happily ever after ending, I found the actual ending realistic. Although I’m certain there’s still plenty of therapy to come for the Chapman girls I was also hopeful that, with ongoing support and their individual and combined strength, they would begin to heal. While it’s not necessary for the story I would like to read what happens next, probably from Lizzie’s point of view.
I became a fan of novels in verse because of Ellen Hopkins. While the format worked for this book at times, I felt a lot of the time as though I was essentially reading prose where someone had added random line breaks. I’d like to read one of this author’s novels that’s not in verse for comparison as she really got inside the characters and swept me along for the entire journey.
April is Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. If you are experiencing sexual assault or have in the past, please know that you are not alone. There is help available, which you are worthy of. If you need to talk to someone about this and you don’t know who to contact in your country a good place to start is http://www.hotpeachpages.net.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
In one moment, it is over.
In one moment it is gone.
The morning grows thin, grey and our lives – how they were – have vanished.
Our lives have changed when I walk in on Lizzie my sister
holding a shotgun.
Twelve year old girl Hope’s life is turned upside down when her older sister Lizzie becomes an elective mute and is institutionalized after trying to kill herself.
With raw and haunting writing reminiscent of Ellen Hopkins and Elizabeth Scott, Carol Lynch Williams is a promising new YA voice.
Her new job as a nurse at the animal hospital allows Weir’s mother to bring home sick animals so they can be rehabilitated before returning to the wild. Weir, Sally and Roger love helping out.
The family pets, Blockhead and FiDo, aren’t as happy about this arrangement. The star of this book is a joey called Joey (naturally) with an injured foot that needs time to heal before being reunited with its mother.
Meanwhile, Weir and Bella pair up to complete Miss Franklin’s newest assignment, to make a short film about friendship. They’re happy to be working together but can’t decide what to film.
I love all of the WeirDo books and although this wasn’t one of my favourites I really liked the focus on friendship in this book. Jules Faber’s illustrations are priceless as always. I enjoyed them all but had a good chuckle at the brainstorm.
This is a great series for kids, from the humour (yes, even the dad jokes!) to the couple of fold-in pages in this specific book to the fun lenticular covers. If you read this book, make sure you keep an eye on Granddad’s false teeth!
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Mum’s got a cool new job at the animal hospital … but now Weir’s house is like a ZOO! How can Bella and Weir help look after all the animals AND finish their school project?! It won’t be easy … but it will be FUNNY!
Marigold’s name earned plenty of nerd points for me when I read Dana Simpson’s introduction to this collection. Dana explains she put her name into an online unicorn name generator and what popped out was … Marigold Heavenly Nostrils! Best story of the week!
After forcing myself to have a short break from this series I needed to know what was next for this girl and her unicorn (or perhaps that should be ‘this unicorn and her girl’).
Phoebe decides she doesn’t want to rule the world. Marigold learns that humans are better with a soundtrack. Todd the candy dragon, a goblin, Dakota and Max were back, but my new favourite superhero and villain were absent. Phoebe starts a journal. Marigold comes down with sparkle fever. Phoebe’s room disappears. Then Phoebe and Marigold return to music camp and get to hang out with Sue and Ringo, the lake monster.
Phoebe’s father solved the ‘hiding the Christmas presents’ dilemma.
Though this isn’t my favourite collection and some comics have become a tad repetitive I still really enjoyed this read. It already feels like I’m reading about old friends and I wish I had a kidlet to enjoy this series with.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Get ready to be bedazzled!
Dana Simpson’s Phoebe and Her Unicorn is back with more sparkles than ever! In this fourth volume, join in the adventure as Phoebe and Marigold confront messy rooms, trouble at school, and a nasty case of “Sparkle Fever.” Follow the pair back to Camp Wolfgang, where their old pals Sue (a.k.a. “Monster Girl”) and Ringo, the lake creature, remind them that being weird is WAY more fun than being normal.
Angela and Jonathan are foster carers who have also completed training to become specialist carers for “teenagers with complex needs”. The latest addition to their family is Melissa, who requires a short term placement. Melissa is a sweet, polite and seemingly young twelve year old, yet she has a history of running away from foster care.
While Angela and Jonathan have fostered children for several years, Melissa is the first “runner” that’s been placed in their home. They don’t know if she’s running from or to something and are given very little information about her history so they’re not quite sure what’s in store for them.
Though their experiences with Melissa are central to this book, Ryan and Marty, whose time in their home overlapped Melissa’s, are also discussed. Vicky, who I presume is the same girl in Angela’s previous book, Terrified, also appears briefly.
I vacillated between feeling like a voyeur, wanting to know more about this young girl’s life, and treating the story as fictionalised in order to assuage the intrusiveness I felt. I was glad to read that “Certain details in this story, including names, places and dates, have been changed to protect the family’s privacy” although at the same time I knew the horror I would feel if I learned a foster parent (even using a pseudonym) had published my story without my consent, regardless of how much it had been altered to de-identify me.
Given the author states she has had no contact with Melissa since the final time she ran away, there’s no indication permission was granted by her for her story to be published, which concerned me. It also seemed incongruous to be consistently reading about how the author wouldn’t divulge private details about any of her foster children to current or prior foster kids or even her mother, who was babysitting them, when I was reading all about them (albeit de-identified) in a published book.
I’ve been hesitant to read books based on real foster care experiences because of my concerns about privacy but can also see their benefit, as they provide insight into this often hidden world. It was the recommendation from Torey Hayden, whose books I devoured in my early twenties, that made me finally bite the bullet.
Good foster carers really should be praised for their tireless efforts in providing stability and a safe place for some of the most vulnerable young people. I hope books like this spur people into action who have considered fostering, as more foster carers are always needed.
I was frustrated by the rules that foster carers were expected to follow in the 1990’s when the events of this book are said to have taken place; rules that are supposed to protect foster children but instead leave them vulnerable to additional harm. I can only hope this broken system has been changed for the better in the UK since that time.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bluebird, an imprint of Pan Macmillan, for the opportunity to read this book.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Melissa is a sweet-natured girl with a disturbing habit of running away and mixing with the wrong crowd. After she’s picked up by the police, and with nowhere else to go, she is locked in a secure unit with young offenders. Social Services beg specialist foster carer Angela to take her in, but can she keep the testing 12-year-old safe? And will Angela ever learn what, or who, drove Melissa to run and hide, sometimes in the dead of night?
The Girl in the Dark is the sixth book from well-loved foster carer Angela Hart. A true story that shares the tale of one of the many children she has fostered over the years. Angela’s stories show the difference that quiet care, a watchful eye, and sympathetic ear can make to those children whose upbringing has been less fortunate than others.
I’m not usually a fan of unreliable narrators, on the page or in the flesh. I also don’t tend to seek out stories that include potential changelings, so I’m not entirely sure what drew me to this book. Whatever the reason, I’m so glad I found it. I love any book that challenges me to want to read outside of my comfort zone and this one succeeded.
Lauren and Patrick are first time parents to twins, Morgan and Riley. Despite some initial hesitation as she waited for the instantaneous motherly love for her babies to arrive, Lauren is smitten. Exhausted, but smitten. After terrifying encounters with a strange woman who threatened to steal her perfect bundles of joy and replace them with her own creatures, Lauren refuses to let her twins out of her sight. The staff at the hospital are certain that Lauren’s experiences are mental health related and DS Joanna Harper is the only police officer who isn’t entirely convinced they’re correct.
Weeks later, Lauren’s babies are missing and when she sees them again she knows they’re not her babies. They’ve been switched but, because they look identical to her own, there’s little she can do to prove it. She knows what she needs to do, but if she’s wrong there’ll be no turning back.
I know what I believe happened but I can’t give you definitive evidence to prove my point. I could just as easily argue the opposing view and that, to me, is proof of how well Melanie Golding writes. It’s not only what really happened that is up for grabs in my eyes; I could argue motives of different characters as well, chiefly Lauren’s husband.
I didn’t trust him from the very beginning and I still don’t. I felt he was a condescending, manipulative slimeball but I still don’t know if it was my instincts kicking in or if I’m judging his actions through Lauren or Joanna’s eyes. Regardless, I love a book that messes with me like this.
I had anticipated this story ending during a specific series of events and was surprised when it continued for another couple of chapters, but would have been satisfied either way. I do have a couple of niggling outstanding questions, mostly relating to the book with the old-fashioned gold lettering and Natasha.
I’m really interested to see how this book translates to film, especially the portrayal of Lauren’s thoughts and whether it encourages the viewer to make up their own mind or if it weighs the evidence in a way that provides a definitive answer. Despite my own (thankfully unfounded) prejudices going into this book, I finished it feeling its early hype is warranted.
Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read this debut.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Everyone says Lauren Tranter is exhausted, that she needs rest. And they’re right; with newborn twins, Morgan and Riley, she’s never been more tired in her life. But she knows what she saw: that night, in her hospital room, a woman tried to take her babies and replace them with her own … creatures. Yet when the police arrived, they saw no one. Everyone, from her doctor to her husband, thinks she’s imagining things.
A month passes. And one bright summer morning, the babies disappear from Lauren’s side in a park. But when they’re found, something is different about them. The infants look like Morgan and Riley – to everyone else. But to Lauren, something is off. As everyone around her celebrates their return, Lauren begins to scream, These are not my babies.
Determined to bring her true infant sons home, Lauren will risk the unthinkable. But if she’s wrong about what she saw … she’ll be making the biggest mistake of her life.
Compulsive, creepy, and inspired by some our darkest fairy tales, Little Darlings will have you checking – and rechecking – your own little ones. Just to be sure. Just to be safe.
I was so excited about this one for a couple of reasons. Obviously the cover was a big one because it’s gorgeous! I loved the elephant and wanted to give it a massive hug; I couldn’t wait to see the rest of the illustrations. Then there was the fact that ‘The Blue Day Book’ and I have history. After much thought I deleted three rambling paragraphs outlining my history with the original. You’re welcome!
Let’s just say I had high expectations for this new edition and it guts me to say that I’m disappointed. The text from the original book seems to be intact but there are also additions; when I read the original I didn’t think it was broken and I still prefer it. Because I loved the cover illustration of this edition so much I assumed I’d fall in love with every illustration but that wasn’t the case.
I really appreciated the introduction to this illustrated edition. I gained some insight into how ‘The Blue Day Book’ came to be in the first place and learned some of the journey of its creator in the years since its publication. I understood why there was one central elephant rather than a zoo of creatures telling the visual story.
No one is immune from painful life experiences. This book acknowledges those and then makes a point about perspective. The author notes in the introduction “but when I really took stock of my life I realized it actually wasn’t that bad”. While I’m a fan of looking at your circumstances from different perspectives and trying to make the best out of bad situations, there are things in life that really are that bad and all the perspective in the world won’t change that.
Twenty years ago I probably would have flung the original book at anyone who had pretty much any crappy life event but I’d be hesitant to do the same now as I know the impact platitudes can have when you’re not in a good place.
My favourite quote is from the introduction, which reads in part
so often it’s the little things that matter most. It’s the endless little setbacks that finally break us, the fleeting gestures of kindness and moments of levity that lift our spirits, and the small personal victories that spur us on to far greater endeavors.
While I’d happily share the photographs in the original book with kids, I wouldn’t put the illustrated edition in their hands. My sensitivity may be showing here but I really didn’t like the wording and illustrations that accompanied the pages that allude to suicide. I also wasn’t a fan of the drunk elephant with bloodshot eyes that’s trashed the bar and don’t get me started on the “pathetic, sniveling victim” page.
I spent more than half of this book glad I wasn’t reading it when I was having a bad day.
Then when the positivity began to trickle in it started with becoming rich and famous before announcing that “best of all, there’s romance.” Thankfully it moved on to positives I can get behind like getting outside and going for a walk but by then the book had lost me. I really hope I’m an exception and look forward to reading reviews written by people who adore this edition.
Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 2.5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
The Blue Day Book Illustrated Edition is a marvelous relaunch of the original collection that conveys inspirational and poignant text, now brilliantly paired with illustrations of a wonderfully expressive elephant. Not only are the words designed to lift the spirits of anyone who’s got the blues, the whimsical illustrations create a beautiful, visual story for readers to follow along. No one who has lips will be able to read it without smiling; it’s guaranteed.
Nineteen years after its first printing, Bradley Trevor Greive’s global bestseller The Blue Day Book has become a modern classic and is still bringing smiles to readers around the world. And because we all still have bad days now and then, the time is right for an illustrated edition of this uniquely funny, compassionate book that inspired an entire genre of uplifting gift books.
This special edition features stunning new illustrations created by Claire Keane, the artist and animator who created the art for Disney’s Frozen. Still included, of course, are the original, warm, supportive messages and humorous insights guaranteed to raise the spirits of anyone feeling down and blue.
Schizanthus Nerd 