Today's read is the first in a series, which came out a few weeks ago, intended for the younger side of chapter book readers. Since I'm always on the look-out for books, which support growth in reading, I'm hoping that this series is interesting, truly easy-to-read, and has characters to enjoy.
In other words, I have certain expectations...so let's see if those are met.
THE MISSING BOOK
Ariana Treasure #1
by Jacqueline de Rose-Ahern
Illustrated by Karen Eramus
Chapter Book
64 pages
ages 5 to 7
Join Ariana at the Treasure Chest – the best thrift shop in town!
Ariana is excited to hear there is a new kid in town.
She can’t wait to show him around the Treasure Chest.
Can Ariana use the treasures from the thrift shop to help make a new friend and find her missing book?
The Missing Book is the first book in Ariana Treasure early reader series.
Ariana is excited to hear there is a new kid in town.
She can’t wait to show him around the Treasure Chest.
Can Ariana use the treasures from the thrift shop to help make a new friend and find her missing book?
The Missing Book is the first book in Ariana Treasure early reader series.
MY TIDBITS
Making new friends isn't always easy, but sometimes, life surprises.
Ariana's mother runs a thrift shop, one that was owned by her grandfather, too. When Ariana discovers a book with a message inside from her grandfather, she's curious and, at first, slightly confused. A message her wrote inside encourages anyone who finds themselves in possession of the book should return it to the shop and will receive an item of their choice instead. As if the book wasn't interesting enough, there's also a new boy in town. Shen he comes to the shop with his parents, he's anything but friendly. And he buys the book! Now, Ariana has a huge task to see if she can get him to warm up to her enough to return the book.
The thrift shop setting lays out a wonderful realm of possibilities for a series, carrying a curious magic of its own. Ariana's openness and kindness makes her a lovely fit and a character to enjoy. She's not perfect, which also leaves plenty of openings for this tale and future ones, but her heart is definitely in the right place. Plus, who wouldn't want to discover the treasures the shop holds? Her mother offers support at the right times while leaving Ariana plenty of room to do her own thing. It's a lovely foundation, which will have readers wanting to visit the shop too.
The story follows a situation many readers will be able to identify with in one way or another. The difficulty of making new friends is the most obvious theme. The other one surrounds Ariana's desire to retrieve her grandfather's book, although someone else already rightfully has it. This later one is a more difficult problem to steer, and Ariana's mother does offer a nice, possible path to a solution. Plus, the warmth of Ariana's grandfather's odd message, which demonstrates how much a small act of generosity can mean, is a golden one as well.
This book snuggles into the early end of the chapter book audience and acts as a transition between picture books and true chapter books. The vocabulary is kept light, and the sentences run heavily on dialogue with just enough in between to keep the story flowing. There is plenty of spacing between lines and the font is large. There are also quite a few illustrations sprinkled in.
It will be fun to see what awaits Ariana and the shop in the next books to come.
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