Tag: 4 stars

Kim Reaper Volume 1: Grim Beginnings – Sarah Graley

Kim Reaper Vol. 1: Grim Beginnings combines the first four issues of this fun new series. Becka and Kim are both studying fine arts at university but Becka’s crush on Kim, which consists of staring dreamily at the back of her head in class, is the sum total of their interaction. Becka’s friend Tyler finally convinces her to ask Kim out so after class she follows Kim, who disappears into a portal in the corridor.

Naturally this is a job for social media so Becka gets ready to capture this moment for internet posterity but then her phone and Becka both get sucked into the portal. It turns out that Becka’s crush has a part time job to help pay her way through uni and to fund her expensive goth clothes. Kim is … 🥁 … a reaper … of animals because she hasn’t been promoted to reaping people yet. 😊

What follows is a process of the two girls getting to know each other, visiting each other’s favourites places and a few other fairly typical getting to know you scenarios, like encountering a cat hoarding gym junkie energy drink addict hulk, zombies 🧟‍♀️ 🧟‍♂️, bed cookies, ghouls, and going to hell via the employee’s entrance.

I wasn’t quite sure what I expected from this collection. I was sucked in purely based on the wonderful cover image and its implied promise of purple tones throughout. I got the purples I was looking for along with a beautiful soft colour scheme. All of the illustrations were really sweet and I was impressed that both girls actually had curves.

The stories were interesting and the budding relationship between Becka and Kim was cute, with arguments along the way before their first kiss. Aww! 😘 While the language used came across as a bit too young for the characters, I was entertained for the entire ride. The strange occurrences in the stories took me deeper into this world instead of the jarring effect I sometimes experience. I had no problem believing anything was possible in this world and I look forward to finding out what’s next for this cute new couple.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Oni Press for the opportunity to read this graphic novel.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Part-Time Grim Reaper. Full-Time Cutie!

Like most university students, Kim works a part-time job to make ends meet. Unlike most university students, Kim’s job is pretty cool: she’s a grim reaper, tasked with guiding souls into the afterlife.

Like most university students, Becka has a super intense crush. Unlike most university students, Becka’s crush is on a beautiful gothic angel that frequents the underworld. Of course, she doesn’t know that.

Unaware of the ghoulish drama she’s about to step into, Becka finally gathers up the courage to ask Kim on a date! But when she falls into a ghostly portal and interrupts Kim at her job, she sets off a chain of events that will pit the two of them against angry cat-dads, vengeful zombies, and perhaps even the underworld itself. But if they work together, they just might make it … and maybe even get a smooch in the bargain.

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Creature Files: Sharks – L.J. Tracosas

🦈 SHARK!!! 🦈

I’ve been fascinated by sharks ever since I first watched Jaws when I was too young to know he couldn’t come through the shower head in pieces, magically reform and attack me while I showered (true story! 🤪), so naturally this is my type of non-fiction kid’s book. There’s enough information to maintain your interest but not so much that you get bored or succumb to information overload.

It’s the sort of book I would have used for school projects in primary school and would have enjoyed reading it just for fun as well. Besides all of the cool shark facts there are plenty of quality photographs of the various sharks and the layout is eye catching. While there’s plenty to look at on each page it doesn’t look overly cluttered.

Of the over 400 types of shark, Creature Files: Sharks provides information and photographs of twenty. I personally learned a lot while reading this book and the facts below are only a snippet of what you’ll discover.

🦈 Great White Shark – My mate Bruce from Jaws is probably the most famous Great White. These sharks can have up to 300 teeth!

🦈 Bull Shark – These are the sharks most likely to attack people and have been found with strange objects in their stomachs including licence plates!

🦈 Mako Shark – The Fastest Shark award 🏆 goes to the Mako.

🦈 Sand Tiger Shark – A sand tiger shark in a New York aquarium lived more than twice as long as the average wild sand tiger shark.

🦈 Nurse Shark – Nurse sharks live at the bottom of the ocean.

🦈 Cookiecutter Shark – The bellies of these sharks glow in the dark.

🦈 Tiger Shark – Tiger Sharks have the nickname “garbage can of the sea”.

🦈 Greenland Shark – The Slowest Shark award 🏆 goes to the Greenland Shark.

🦈 Spiny Dogfish – These sharks have been overfished and are in danger of extinction.

🦈 Lemon Shark – Their eyesight is poor so they need to rely on other senses to find food.

🦈 Sawshark – Their prey include shrimp, worms and shellfish.

🦈 Basking Shark – They form groups (schools) that can range from a couple up to 100 sharks, unlike most other sharks who are loners.

🦈 Frilled Shark – Rarely seen alive by humans, Frilled Sharks live at the bottom of the ocean.

🦈 Blue Shark – World travellers, these sharks swim about 1000 miles (1609 kilometres) each year.

🦈 Wobbegong Shark – They have flat bodies and are a type of carpet shark.

🦈 Leopard Shark – Groups of leopard sharks are social and are known to hang out with other types of sharks.

🦈 Great Hammerhead Shark – Their favourite food are stingrays but will also eat sharks, including other hammerheads.

🦈 Goblin Shark – Only 50 Goblin Sharks have been seen since they were first discovered in the late 1800’s.

🦈 Megamouth Shark – Megamouths are filter-feeders.

🦈 Whale Shark – The Largest Fish in the Sea award 🏆 goes to the Whale Shark.

Each shark file provides ‘fast facts’ which include the length of the shark and a picture showing the size comparison of that shark and a person (in feet and metres), how much the shark weighs (in pounds and kilograms) and a world map highlighting where it lives. I love that each shark file contains a Shark Bite that explains what that type of shark eats, what its teeth look like and for the majority of sharks an accompanying close up photo of its smile.

Included with the book are three replica teeth that kids can identify using their new knowledge and they can make a shark tooth necklace with the cord that’s also included. I would’ve loved wearing that necklace as a kid.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – becker&mayer! kids for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Peek into the jaws of 20 of the ocean’s most dangerous predators with the next title in the Creature Files series! Creature Files: Sharks features photos, facts, and maps that provide up-close tours of some of the most terrifying sharks in the seas.

Did you know that a shark can grow over 20,000 new teeth in its lifetime? Or that some sharks will eat anything, from tiny fish to license plates from cars?

An incredible amount of information about sharks can be revealed by examining the teeth and jaws of the 20 jaw-snapping species covered here, in Creature Files: Sharks. From aggressive sharks like the great white to the truly weird ones like the goblin shark, this book is packed with awesome photos and fascinating facts about the ocean’s most amazing predators.   

Three specially molded replica teeth are included in the front cover, so you can feel the power of a shark’s real bite – and deduce which sharks the teeth come from using your new shark-bite expertise.

This book also includes a breakaway cord to make your own shark-tooth necklace! 

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Under Dogs – Andrius Burba

When I saw the cover photograph of Under Dogs and read in the blurb the comparison between this book and previous favourites like Underwater Dogs and Shake it was a no brainer for me. I had to have this book and start it immediately!

I’ll admit it. I’m a dog person. I also love cats that are happy to hang out on your lap for hours while you read and cuddle them but the pets who have always owned me have been dogs. I practically melt each time a dog comes up to me and deems me worthy of giving them a cuddle. I met the most adorable 14 week black labrador on the beach yesterday. His name is Jet and he’s at the soft puppy fur, slightly nippy but surprisingly well behaved stage.

He came right up to me for a cuddle and I considered dognapping him on the spot. He was so big and brave when a big dog came to say hi until the big dog got too close and little Jet’s bravery ran out. He ran to me, put his front paws on my knees, leaned against me and asked without saying a word for me to protect him from this scary giant.

Incidentally the scary giant was actually a grown lab and so placid and adorable itself, but this puppy didn’t know that and he trusted me, a stranger he’d met less than 5 minutes earlier, to protect him. Aww! 😍 Why did I tell you that story? I don’t know. I guess looking at the photographs in Under Dogs reminded me of the most recent canine I’ve fallen in love with.

Andrius Burba’s photography is gorgeous! While it’s very difficult to take a bad photo of a dog regardless of your skill level, Andrius’ perspective and composition was wonderful. I loved the stark black background as there was nothing to distract me from the sweet, quirky and interesting expressions on the dogs.

There are fluffballs with feet, dogs who couldn’t care less that there’s a photographer and/or camera equipment beneath them and others who are peering down with bemused, intrigued or dorky looks on their faces. There are a couple who look to me like they have fear in their eyes and I can only hope if this is true that someone was there to cuddle them in my absence after their photo was taken.

I have two favourite dogs in this book. The first is a Basenji who looks a little like it’s been jumping on a trampoline and is currently midair. It’s got the cutest little tummy wrinkles and head wrinkles. Its pads are still mostly new puppy pink with the beginnings of the darker patches that come with experiencing the world. The look on its face is one that appears to be a mix of curiosity and a wary concern about what’s going on beneath their feet. With a shiny black nose and eyes that seem all pupil, this is the dog I most wanted to cuddle and borrow forever.

My second favourite is an Italian Greyhound momma that’s sitting with her back left leg lifted in the typical ‘I’m about to lick my genitals’ position. I’m sure I’m not the only one that makes up stories about what’s really happening in pictures I see and what I loved about this photo is the timing and the angle that shows her lifted paw directly in front of her eyes. Her head is turned to the left. You can almost imagine that she’s camera shy and is hiding her eyes in the most awkward way possible in an ‘if I can’t see you then you can’t see me’ moment.

A couple of elements were missing in this book that I’ve appreciated in other dog photography books. While each portrait is accompanied by the breed of dog it features, at no point do we learn the name, age or any fun facts about any of the dogs. There also isn’t the introduction I’ve come to expect from the photographer explaining why they chose this perspective, how they accomplished it or any anecdotes about misbehaving or funny outtakes.

I expect this is going to be one of the more popular gift books of 2018 and I am almost positive I’ll be buying it myself once it’s released. For those of you who aren’t dog people, I’ve found a cat version by the same photographer, Unter Katzen, that you may want to check out. I wouldn’t be surprised to see an English version of this one printed soon.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the opportunity to be one of the first to adore this book.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

An adorable book of dog photography showing our furry friends from an unexpected perspective – from underneath.

In the vein of bestsellers like Underwater Dogs and Shake, Under Dogs is a heartwarming and unique look at man’s best friend. Photographer Andrius Burba’s striking images of dogs taken from below are by turns surprising and hilarious – providing readers with a little-seen view of the pets we love.

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The Altered History of Willow Sparks – Tara O’Connor

I love a story that makes me think about what I’d do in a character’s position. In The Altered History of Willow Sparks Willow is essentially a book nerd. She is regularly tormented by the school’s resident ‘mean girl’, she loves to read, she works after school at the local library and her friends, Georgia and Gary, don’t appear to be winning any popularity contests either. Oh, she also has pimples, thinks her hair makes her look like a boy and sucks at dodgeball.

Willow accidentally comes across a hidden room filled with books, including one with her name on the spine. Naturally she takes ‘her’ book home and discovers that by writing in this book she can rewrite parts of her life. Of course nothing this magical comes without a price.

I flew through this one. Yes, it was predictable but it was also an entertaining read. Because it’s one of my all time favourite movies I did wonder if Twin Pines High School was a nod to Back to the Future.

I adored the use of blue tones in the illustrations and art critic that I am (ha!) I really liked the feel of the artwork. Perhaps it’s because the same person wrote and illustrated this graphic novel but there wasn’t the jarring I’ve felt recently with other graphic novels. I’m not quite sure how to explain this but it was as though there was a harmony between the words and pictures, so the story flowed seamlessly for me.

When you see Willow making changes to her life your mind naturally does a stocktake of your own life. Circumstances outside of our control aside, we basically do write our own lives anyway, but it is kind of intoxicating to think of the what ifs.

What would you write into your life if you had the power?

What would you write out of it?

Would the consequences outweigh the benefits of the changes?

Personally I can think of a number of things I may consider rewriting but I don’t think I actually would in most instances. While the sucky things in life obviously suck, good can come out of the suckiest of situations. It’s certainly an interesting concept to play around with at any rate.

It’s probably the caffeine flowing through my veins but I loved that there’s a tally in the ‘special features’ section at the end of how much caffeine was consumed by Tara O’Connor during the writing and illustrating process. In case you’re curious, she drank 1460 cups of coffee, 730 cups of tea and 12 espressos. There’s also a list of some of the music that she listened to. It’s the inclusion of this sort of unique quirkiness that makes me love a book even more and feel like I could sit down and have a chat to the author.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Oni Press for the opportunity to read this graphic novel.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

What if you had the power to rewrite your life?

Willow Sparks and her best friend Georgia Pratt are at the bottom of the social ladder at Twin Pines High School, just trying to get through each day relatively unscathed. But when Willow finds a mysterious book that allows her to literally change her life, it feels like her luck is finally turning. 

As she becomes more popular with each entry into the book, her old life, including her friendship with Georgia, seems miles away. Yet as Willow will soon discover, every action has a reaction, and the future has unusual – even dangerous – ways of protecting itself.

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Mysterious Monsters #2: Alien – David Michael Slater

Illustrations – Mauro Sorghienti

🛸 The Truth is in Here! 👽

The Mattigan kids (Maddie – 12, Max – 10 and Theo – 8) accidentally disproved their sceptic father’s belief that Mysterious Monsters aren’t real in Mysterious Monsters: Bigfoot. Bigfoot now lives in the basement of the family’s mansion and their father is none the wiser. Unfortunately a video of the three children hunting Bigfoot went viral and put their father’s show in jeopardy, so in order to salvage both his reputation and television show the four Mattigans are on a family road trip to Las Vegas.

Rumour has it that the government have had an alien at Area 51 helping them understand alien technology and the Grey alien, J-Pod, has now escaped. The race is on to find J-Pod, with alien hunters coming out of the woodwork and taking over the desert in their search. Combine that with an extraterrestrial convention and Las Vegas is now overrun with people dressed up as Little Green Men and all of the other alien races.

While their father conducts his own investigation to disprove once and for all the existence of aliens, kids Maddie, Max and Theo are determined to find J-Pod themselves.

I enjoyed Alien almost as much as the first book in the series. There’s something special about a first book that’s difficult to recapture as the characters are all strangers to the reader and you’re not quite sure what’s in store for you story wise. Theo was the stand out character in this book but I still think Max will be my favourite of the series. How can I not favour the bookish sibling?!

This book felt more like I was an invisible fifth wheel with a family I’ve known for years but for some reason doesn’t acknowledge my presence. Perhaps it’s my invisibility? I didn’t see Mulder or Scully while I was in Vegas but it’s highly probable they were wearing alien costumes and blending in at the convention.

Besides too many aliens to count the Mattigan children also come across some zombies in Vegas, but not the type you’re thinking of. I thought the social commentary regarding the zombies was quite clever and dealt with in a child appropriate way.

I had to giggle each time the kids would encounter a new situation and Maddie pondered if that’s what is meant by ‘what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas’. Naturally I expect (well, hope) this would go straight over the heads of kids reading this book but if your kid is reading it you may want to have an answer ready if you’re asked what it really means.

The family’s catchphrases that I’d been concerned would be nauseating by the end of this book were still cute and funny. While they were all still used in this book they don’t appear as frequently so they blend more into the rest of the conversations. There was the same sort of cringeworthy but fun dad humour as the first book and some good funny bits throughout; my favourite being the sign at the gas station. ‘EAT HERE, GET GAS FREE’ 😁

Easter Egg 🥚 : For those of you old enough to remember the movie Harry and the Hendersons, I found its inclusion in this book to be a lovely nod to the first book in this series. I won’t tell you how old I was when that movie was released but I adored it!

Once again I was in awe of Mauro Sorghienti’s incredible illustrations. I don’t have a favourite in this book but they’re all wonderful and match the feel of the story so well. I’m keen to see more of this artist’s work.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Incorgnito Publishing Press imprint Corgi Bits and Smith Publicity for the opportunity to read this book.

I’m looking forward to the third book, Vampire 🧛‍♀️ 🧛‍♂️, scheduled for release in fall. Woohoo!

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

With Bigfoot safely stashed in their basement, Maddie, Max, and Theo Mattigan are off to Las Vegas with their dad. His plan is to prove there are no aliens on the loose there. But now that his kids know that Mysterious Monsters are real, they’re making plans of their own. 

They’ll need clever disguises, well-hidden walkie-talkies – and more than a few broken eggs – to find out, once and for all, what’s hidden in the notorious Area 51. 

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The Seal Garden – Nicholas Read

Photography – Ian McAllister

This is the second of the My Great Bear Rainforest series that I’ve read. Having previously fallen in love with A Bear’s Life I looked forward to reading The Seal Garden. Once again Ian McAllister’s photography is gorgeous! I noted (and appreciated) in the fine print at the beginning of the book that there has been no digital manipulation of the images.

Although this book is nonfiction the conversational tone and story about a storm and what the animals do to protect themselves during it pull the reader in. I liked the link between this book and A Bear’s Life, where we’re told how the animals of the forest will be taking cover during the storm before the seal garden is introduced. The story of the protection that the seal garden provides seals and other smaller animals from predators such as orcas gives readers an interesting overview into the lives of these beautiful mammals.

This book is for readers from 5 to 8 years and both the writing style and content are appropriate for this age group. When the orcas came on the scene I was personally dreading a scene out of a David Attenborough documentary (you know the type I’m referring to) but am pleased to report that no seals are harmed in the narrative or photographs in this book. Phew! 😅

In some photos you get the impression that the seals know all about cameras and are hamming it up for the photographer. In others I just about melted as I gazed into their huge, dark eyes. 😍 I don’t have a favourite photo of the seals because they’re just so darn loveable.

I do, however, have a favourite orca photo. It shows two orcas, one with its head above water. The composition and lighting are perfect. The movement of the orcas is evident through the ripples in the water and the fine spray in the air above them. It’s a truly stunning photo.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Orca Book Publishers for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

When storms roar and orcas are on the prowl, it’s the seal gardens of the Great Bear Sea that provide safety and shelter to sea lions, otters, a variety of seals and other sea mammals. Ian McAllister’s glorious photographs reveal the beauty and mystery of this rarely seen place of refuge. This is the third title in the My Great Bear Rainforest series, following Wolf Island and A Bear’s Life. 

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Shark Island – Donna McGough

Shark Island is an entertaining adventure story for readers from 9 to 12 years. With a shipwreck, shark infested waters, an island that may or may not be inhabited and the possibility of hidden treasure, there is plenty of action and potential danger in store for our characters.

We start this story on board a deep-sea fishing expedition off the Florida Keys coast. On board are best friends Charlie and Jake, Jake’s cousin Natalie, an old sea captain with an artificial leg that is rumoured to have resulted from a shark attack, and the ship’s Australian first mate, Nathan. Natalie’s personality reminds me a bit of Hermoine Granger.

I’m not sure whose responsibility it was to check the weather radar before they set off for the expedition that day but before too long they’re in the middle of a huge storm which results in a shipwreck. The three children and Nathan wind up together at Shark Island, where many before have tried and failed to find the rumoured ancient treasure that’s buried in shark guarded caves.

While there isn’t a focus on character development in Shark Island the reader is given sufficient detail to be able to picture each character. There’s enough information given so when decisions are made throughout the book they line up well with what the reader knows about that character’s personality or motivation. I would have liked for some off page action to have been described more but at only 96 pages there’s only so much detail you can go into.

I love the cover illustration of this book. You’re face to face with a shark who’s swimming towards you. In the background there’s a shark fin above the water scarily close to the fishing boat, which looks to be struggling against the power of the ocean in wild weather. Way in the background is just the hint of land.

Before you’ve opened this book you know it’s going to involve a perilous journey and for me the anticipation began as soon as I saw that image. I love shark stories. Rick Sanders has done a wonderful job capturing the tension with this illustration. I really liked the illustration of a shark’s tooth at the beginning of each chapter as well.

The text on Robin Krauss’ cover design stands out without overshadowing or covering up any of the main elements in the illustration. While the font for the author’s name is fairly bland and forgettable, the title font is appropriately rugged and weathered.

I thought the inclusion of the “Your Turn” questions at the end of most chapters was a clever way to pull the reader into the story and to make them think about what they’ve read. Besides ensuring the reader has comprehended the preceding chapter the questions also encourage creative thinking, asking the reader to consider what they would have done in a situation or what they think will happen next.

When I was in primary school some teachers would read portions of books to my class on specific days and tasks were then set based on what was happening in the story at the time. I can definitely see this book being used in classrooms. The questions at the end of chapters would be a perfect starting point for classroom discussions and the final chapter question is just begging to be used as a creative writing exercise.

I wasn’t a fan of the people indigenous to Shark Island being referred to as “savage natives”. Theirs is one scene I would have preferred to happen on page, if only to point out to the reader how wrong that preconception was, as the description made them appear helpful but somewhat cranky.

I would have liked to have known more of Nathan’s backstory and I would have liked some more shark scenes, but I say this as someone just slightly older than the target audience. I expect I would have been closer to 9 than 12 when I would have enjoyed this type of book the most.

For those it’s intended for there’s good dialogue between the characters, enough suspense and potential danger to be exciting but not too scary, and plenty of action to keep the plot moving along.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and thewordverve inc. for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

A boating adventure turns wild! 

Three friends, pre-teens, embark on a deep-sea fishing excursion. Their weathered and wise captain has just one leg – thanks to a shark attack from long ago. Nate, the first mate, dreams of treasures not yet discovered. The kids just want to do some fishing. 

When an unexpected storm comes along, the boat loses course, and with the high waves and furious waters, the passengers and crew are tossed into the ocean to fight for their lives. 

New reality sets in. They are on a deserted island, surrounded by sharks. Hence, its name: SHARK ISLAND. 

Legend says there is a treasure there. And Nate will do anything to find it – including putting the youngsters in harm’s way. 

Will the kids survive the harrowing experience? Will they return home to their families? Will the captain be able to lead his mates to safety? 

And what about those natives?

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Trucks are Terrific! – Jibjab Bros Studios

Now, I’ve never heard of Ask the StoryBots, most likely because I’m one of the last people on Earth that doesn’t pay to watch TV. I selected this little board book at my library because of the adorable little guys on the front cover, StoryBots apparently.

This board book is so cute! With sweet rhymes and colourful pictures of trucks and the StoryBot guys, little kidlets will see some of the different things that trucks can do and what they may have on board. I love the expressions of pure joy on all but one of the Storybots and the cranky red one was fun too. With the array of bright colours this book would be helpful in teaching kids colours.

Besides the expressions on the StoryBots’ faces there are some other amusing moments, like when Mr Cranky Pants gets covered in mud. My favourite is the horse’s expression when he realises a Monster Truck is currently midair above him, already having cleared three cars with the horse shadowed beneath its wheels. Oh, and there’s ice cream!🍦What could be bad about a book with ice cream?!

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

No matter their shape or size or what they’re hauling, trucks rule! Join the StoryBots as they drive trucks both familiar and silly. Toddlers and preschoolers will recognise the signature catchy rhymes and colourful art from the video “Drive a Truck” on YouTube.

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Geronimo Stilton #10: Hang On To Your Whiskers! – Geronimo Stilton

💔 Achy Breaky Heart Month! 💔 Super 🧀 Cheesy 🧀 Edition!

Geronimo Stilton: Hang on to Your Whiskers was just as 🧀 Gouda 🧀 as The Curse of the Cheese Pyramid, probably better. In this book Geronimo falls in love at first sight at the Tail Trap Diner over a cup of spilled coffee. ☕️ Geronimo later discovers this 🐭 fabumouse 🐭 new love interest is none other than countess Stephanie von Sugarfur. He thinks she’s the best thing since 🧀 sliced cheese 🧀!

After spending big on an 🧀 Aboundance 🧀 of 🧀 cheesy 🧀 gifts for the countess and realising his love is unrequited he becomes 🧀 Moody Blue 🧀. Geronimo’s sister Thea, cousin Trap and favourite nephew Benjamin decide they’ve 🧀 Goats 🧀 to lift him out of his 🧀 Off Kilter 🧀 state and after reading an article about the mysterious Eighth Wonder, the Valley of the 🧀 Cheesettes 🧀, they are certain they’ve found a way to repair Geronimo’s 💔 Achy Breaky Heart 💔.

The family wind up on a semi 🧀 Impromptu 🧀 trip to search for this Eighth Wonder. Perhaps if they succeed they will become 🐭 famouse 🐭. Naturally it’s up to the 9 year old to save the day because all of the adults are behaving like 🐭 mouselets 🐭.

Some of the best exclamations in this book include:
🧀 Cheese niblets!
🐀 Rancid Rat Hairs!
🧀 Holey cheese!

This book was first published in 2000 so the presence of a camera that has film that needs to be developed makes sense in that context. Ah, nostalgia. I loved my days working in a Photolab! The stories I could tell you – but won’t because this is a review of a children’s book. 📷 😜

This series is aimed at 🐭 mouselets 🐭 from 5 to 8 years who love to read and those who don’t. With splashes of funky formatted font, funny illustrations that complement the story well and maps of New 🐭 Mouse 🐭 City, 🐭 Mouse 🐭 Island and The 🐀 Rodent’s 🐀 Gazette, there’s plenty to keep the reader 🐭 amoused 🐭. I loved the illustrations and I’d just like to point out that on the cover those are glow in the dark butterflies!! 🦋😃 I’d like to place an order for several hundred of those please.

Overall I enjoyed this book more than The Curse of the Cheese Pyramid, probably because this one had a resolution and didn’t do the always irritating ‘Someone told me it would make a great story so I wrote a book about it, and guess what?! This is that story!’ thing.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Sweet Cherry 🍒 Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

P.S. Apologies for recycling the 🧀 cheesy 🧀 names from my previous review but they worked for this one too. You may now press charges against me for excessive use of emojis and crimes against humour. 😊

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Love is in the air! Geronimo has met the mouse of his dreams but he just can’t play it cool. He needs to do something amazing, something incredible to catch her attention! What better way than by searching for the Eighth Wonder of the World: the mysterious Valley of the Cheeselets? 

Will he return home a legend? And will it all be worth it in the end?

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Cranes Lift! – Beth Bence Reinke

Let’s face it, cranes are cool! 🏗 Cranes Lift! is part of a series that also includes backhoes, bulldozers, dump trucks, concrete mixers and front loaders, and is aimed at early readers from 4 to 7 years.

Covering the parts of a crane, what cranes do and where they can be found, this book also asks readers questions like “What do you think cranes help build?” The text is accompanied by full page photographs of cranes in action.

I particularly liked the photograph pointing out the parts of a crane and expect your early reader will eagerly point out all of the parts they know the names of next time you see one together. The font is well spaced, the pages are colourful and at just 24 pages there aren’t too many words so your early reader shouldn’t be overwhelmed.

P.S. I know. I borrow some really random kid’s books from the library. 😃

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

What do construction workers use to lift things high in the sky? A crane! Cranes help builders reach the tops of tall buildings. From apartments to skyscrapers, cranes work on tall jobs. Age-appropriate critical thinking questions, carefully levelled text, and vibrant photos help young readers learn all about cranes.

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