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Flavia does it again! (Speaking From Among the Bones review)

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It's been awhile since I posted last, but I finally found a book a rather liked! Bradley, A. (2013) Speaking From Among the Bones. New York, NY: Delacorte Press Flavia de Luce is at it again. When the patron of their local church, St. Tancred, is set to be exhumed from his tomb below the church, it's no one's surprise that Flavia is going to be there.  It is a surprise though that before they even get to fully open the tomb, the body of the missing organist is found within!  So using her knowledge of chemistry, and deductive reasoning, Flavia is set to solve another mystery.    This is the 5th book in the series, so that gives some credit of how much I enjoy these novels.  Not only do the murder mysteries continue to draw me in, but the intrigue generated from the characters of this small town as well.  In this particular book there are a couple of bombshells revealed.  As a science teacher, I love the bits of chemistry and other sciences th...
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Adventure on the high sea! (Seafire review)

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Parker, N. (2018) Seafire. New York, NY: Penguin Random House LLC On the Bullet Seas, the only thing you can trust is your family.  For Captain Caledonia Styx, that refers to her crew, her sisters.  She had another family once, but that was taken away by Aric Athair bullets.  Her family was murdered, her ship burned, and she was left for dead.  She didn't die though.  Instead she grew stronger, rebuilt her ship, and raised an all girl crew to sail it. Now her new family is being threatened, but this time she's going to give it right back. I absolutely loved this book!  I laughed, I cried, I got angry, I felt tense, and I lusted for adventure.  This book took me for a ride that I'm not ready to get off from.  I can tell you I'll be checking out the sequel, Steeltide, as soon as I can.  The characters are engaging and the setting is so interesting.  It' s sort of a post apocalyptic world, in which those errors of the previous civiliza...
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Dinosaurs don't have to be alive to still be dangerous

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Taking a short break from the Bluebonnets, I decided to read a more adult level book from one of my favorite authors, Michael Crichton. Crichton, M. (2017) Dragon Teeth . New York, NY: Harper Collins If William Johnson seems to be nothing more than a rich, spoiled, Yale college student, that's because he is.  However, a bet with a fellow will have him traveling to still wild west of the late 1800s, and it will change him forever.  He signs up on an expedition to find dinosaur bones, but what he finds is  a whole lot of trouble. Michael Crichton has an amazing way of blending fact with fiction, reality with fantasy, that really gets your mind wondering "could this be real?".  Dragon Teeth is no exception.  Crichton does so much research into his novels, they always have a factual feel to them.  That feel makes the adventure within that much more thrilling.  If you like the wild west, paleontology, or just a good adventure, this could be the book...
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Boo-Boos that Changed the world

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  Wittenstein, B. (2018) The Boo-Boos That Changed The World : A true story about an accidental invention (really!). Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge This book is about the invention of the most important medical advancement in history: The Band-Aid!   Earle Dickson was a cotton buyer for Johnson and Johnson.   His wife was an accident-prone homemaker.   When Earle continuously came home to an injured wife, he knew he had to do something.   That something led to the invention of the Band-Aid! A really fun book, with a really true history lesson.   The story is written in a humorous way that makes you want to keep reading (even with the multiple fake endings).   This is a great book for anyone who likes to learn fun facts, read silly stories, or likes Band-Aids!
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Haircuts and Donkeys (Crown & Saving Winslow review)

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  Creech, S. (2018) Saving Winslow . New York, NY: Harper Collins  Louie doesn’t have a great track record with pets.   Each animal he has tried to care for has either run away, disappeared, or died.   But when his dad shows up with a tiny baby donkey, Louie knows things are going to be different.   While everyone else tells him the donkey won’t make it, Louie refuses to listen.   He’s determined to do everything in his power to save Winslow, and beat the status quo. This was a nice short story.   It touches on loss, family, and friendship.   Louie’s determination to be there for the donkey, is often reflected in his loss of companionship from his brother, who went off to the military.   A nice feel good story.   Barnes, D. (2017) Crown . Evanston, IL: Agate Publishing This book is all about a boy’s trip to the barber shop and how it makes him feel.   It’s very poetic in how it describes the processes,   t...
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Fantastic Adventures in the Cardboard Kingdom!

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  Sell, C. (2018) The Cardboard Kingdom . New York, NY: Alfred A Knopf. The wicked sorceress and her minions are attacking once again!   Luckily we have the superb knight, and his team of good to combat her evil forces!   When that epic battle finishes, we can all relax at the Dragon’s Head Inn.   What?   Is it time to go home already?    In this amazing graphic novel by Chad Sell and friends, we see the stories of a bunch of neighborhood kids and their summer adventures.   Each kid has their own story, and their own challenges to face.   Even with those real life challenges, they can find solace and kinship just outside in the Cardboard Kingdom.  Everyone can find someone to relate to in these stories, and have a good laugh as well.   The art is great enough to move the story on its own, regardless of dialogue.   I recommend this to any kid, and anybody else who enjoys a heartwarming tale.
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Slaying Latin Dragons (the Dragon Slayer review)

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Another Bluebonnet! Just ten more to go! Hernandez, J. (2017) The Dragon Slayer: Folktales From Latin America . New York, NY: Toon Graphics The Dragon Slayer is the retelling of three folktales from Latin America.  Specifically, the stories are: The Dragon Slayer, Martina Martinez and Perez the Mouse, and Tup And The Ants.  Each of these traditional stories is told in a comic format.  The art is well done, finding a balance between cartoony and realistic; which is just right for these sort of stories.  It's interesting to see the morals in the story and get a sense of the time when these stories were created.  Even though they are old stories, they are still relatable.  My 8 year old daughter very much enjoyed this book and so did I.
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