Review: The Girl and the Witch's Garden by Erin Bowman

THE GIRL AND THE WITCH'S GARDEN

by Erin Bowman

Simon & Schuster

Middle Grade Fantasy

ages 8 to 12

COMING...

JUNE 23rd!!!

Mallory Estate is the last place twelve-year-old Piper Peavey wants to spend her summer vacation. The grounds are always cold, the garden out back is dead, a mysterious group of children call the property home, and there’s a rumor that Melena M. Mallory—the owner of the estate and Piper’s wealthy grandmother—is a witch.

But when Piper’s father falls ill, Mallory Estate is exactly where she finds herself.

The grand house and its garden hold many secrets—some of which may even save her father—and Piper will need to believe in herself, her new friends, and magic if she wants to unlock them before it’s too late.

         

MY TIDBITS

In a mix, which somewhat reminds of The Secret Garden and Miss Pergine's Home for Peculiar Children, this is an adventure packed with magic and friendship.

Piper hasn't seen her mother since the divorce, despite the fact that her mom still lives with her grandmother on the mysterious Mallory Estate. All of this is fairly fine, until Piper's father falls ill with cancer, and she moves in with her grandmother while he undergoes treatments. She's met with a shocking surprise, not only does her mother dislike her (for no apparent reason), but her mother has adopted several other children instead. With her grandmother out of the house, and the other children seemingly possessing magical talents, life begins to get strange. Soon, she finds herself wrapped up in a mountain of secrets...many which shouldn't even be possible.

This is a solid, fun, fantasy read for kids, where magic abounds and secrets lay lurking behind every twist and turn. It's not as carefree as the cover might suggest but carries weighted moments and dark mysteries. But with these characters, it's a worthy adventure. Piper is obviously out of her comfort zone and has a lot to learn and deal with. But she has the personality which makes it easy to root for her. The other children at the Estate stretch over a nice variety of quirks, making each one a treat in their own way. Some are easy; others are not. It's a lovely mix.

Mystery and secrets fly as imaginative as the magic. The garden is a wondrous and perfect place to hold at the center of the tale. But then, there are all sorts of surprises, which keep these pages turning. The writing is just right for the age group, and while I did find that the first chapters jumped into things a bit quick (leaving getting to know Piper a little better first behind), the start does dive right into the action and capture attention. I was a bit disappointed with the mother's character. Her meanness to her own daughter seemed to come out of nowhere and held on without explanation. Still, it's a nice read and definitely worth picking up.

And here she is...

Erin Bowman is the critically acclaimed author of numerous books for teens, including the Taken trilogy, Vengeance Road, Retribution Rails, and the Edgar Award–nominated Contagion duology. The Girl and the Witch’s Garden is her middle grade debut. A web designer turned author, Erin has always been invested in telling stories—both visually and with words. When not writing, she can often be found hiking, commenting on good typography, and obsessing over all things Harry Potter. Erin lives in New Hampshire with her husband and children.

Review: The Adventures of Gunner the Poodle Pony by Lynne McGlothlen

THE ADVENTURES OF GUNNER THE POODLE PONY

Gunner Meets Stella

by Lynne McGlothlen

Illustrated by David Gnass

Mascot Books

Picture Book

38 pages

ages 4 to8

Gunner is a special poodle. He’s what you might call “amazing,” even! Gunner can do all kinds of tricks, but his most important job is to help others when they are sick or sad. When Stella’s grandmother is sick in Hospice, Gunner is there to comfort her.

GET IT DIRECTLY FROM MASCOT BOOKS HERE!

          

 

MY TIDBITS

 This therapy dog holds many surprises and is sure to touch readers' hearts.

Gunner isn't any poodle; he's a specially trained therapy dog...and an extra-special one, at that. Not only can Gunner do flips and tricks, which guarantee to fetch smiles, but he can speak too. Gunner uses his special abilities to cheer patients and their families up, when they are facing tough times. When he meets Stella in the hospice, he gives his best to comfort her, too.

It's fun to note that Gunner is based on the author's own therapy poodle, who enjoys performing his tricks to bring cheer and comfort to hospitals, hospices and anywhere else he's needed. And this love radiates from every page.

Gunner is quite the dog, and his tricks and wonderful attitude are an inspiration. Young readers learn not only about the job of therapy dogs in these pages, but also more about Standard poodles. The fact that Gunner speaks caught me a little off guard, but it adds a nice dab of fantasy to the otherwise serious situations.

Despite the fun and humor Gunner brings with him, the book hits upon more difficult topics such as hospice visits and loved ones, who are passing away. The author hits these themes with care and gently shows that it's important to hold on to the good memories and cherish them. By keeping Gunner at the center-point, the tale maintains the necessary gentleness that such topics need to keep them from becoming overwhelming while still bringing across messages of encouragement, hope and love

It's a lovely book for young readers who are either facing similar situations themselves or for those, who simply have a love for dogs. At the end of the book, there are several facts about Standard Poodles and other details of the story, adding a lovely swing of more information.

Review: Seacity Rising by Elika Ansari

SEACITY RISING

A Tale of Unwatery Adventures

by Elika Ansari

Black Rose Writing

Middle Grade Adventure

238 pages

When the underwater animals of Seacity pond learn that their home is in danger, they decide to investigate further by doing something no one has ever done before - go up to land to seek the answers they need. An unlikely team of two royal turtles, a genius goldfish and a timorous frog are then assembled to embark on a series of adventures. Whether they are racing the fastest tortoise on earth, falling in love with travelling mice theatre, or bringing peace to warring ant colonies, each unique experience is taking the group of friends closer to the heart of what is really going on. But will they make it back in time to save Seacity before the Winter’s Slumber?

         

MY TIDBITS

Water animals head to an exciting adventure on land in order to save their world in this book packed full of thought and heart.

Babak is a satisfied frog, who does his own thing and loves to seek out small adventures. When one leads him to a mysterious message written in a special language, he heads to the King. Soon, he finds himself part of a group of three, who need to leave the only home they know, head out onto dry land, and do their best to try to find away to thwart the danger that could destroy the place they love.

Although not completely fitting, this actually hit me somewhat as a mix between Watership Down and Frog and Toad are Friends...but yet, nothing like these at all. In the first chapters, we meet Babak and the creatures of the pond. He's a kind frog with a lot of heart. Sometimes he comes across as mature beyond his years, and sometimes, very young. But if there was ever a frog for adventure, it's this one. He's looked down upon by the other creatures (although I was never sure why), and has quite the adventure before him as he's thrown into a group with two other, very obviously capable companions. 

These first chapters drag a bit and I found myself drifting away more than once, but once the tale does get going, it is packed with adventure. There are several themes including self-confidence, working with others, and friendship, but the main one centers around environmental issues. It was interesting to take the side of the animals and see how they might view such changes. It does have food for thought for young readers and opens up to discussions.

The illustrations are a bonus and make it fun to flip through the pages just to find them. They add a nice, whimsical touch and bring the characters to life. This also adds a nice pause, since the writing itself leans toward the upper end of the middle grade with slightly tougher vocabulary and a more mature wording. While older, sure middle graders readers won't have a problem with it, the plot and theme slides more toward the younger end. So, I'm not sure what ages to recommend this one to.

Animal friends who love adventure will want to pick up this one. And I especially could recommend this one to homeschoolers or those who would like to explore environmental issues with middle grade readers, since it does do a nice job at bringing some tougher topics down to a level younger readers can understand.

Sneak Peek: Prodigal by Samantha Sanchez with Giveaway

Happy Book Birthday, Jules vs. The Ocean by Jessie Sima

JULES VS. THE OCEAN

by Jessie Sima

Simon & Schuster

Picture Book

48 pages

ages 4 to 8

From the creator of Not Quite Narwhal comes a story about a young girl determined to impress her older sister by building elaborate sandcastles, even if that means standing up to the ocean and its smash-happy waves!

Jules is going to build the biggest, the fanciest, and the most excellent sandcastle. Her sister will be so impressed.

But the ocean has other plans.

Jules keeps building bigger, fancier, and more excellent castles, and waves keep smashing them.

And when the ocean takes her bucket, that is the final straw.

Jules is going to take a stand!

From beloved storyteller Jessie Sima comes the tongue-in-cheek story of the sand, the sea, and sisterhood—told with her signature warmth, timeless humor, and delightfully playful illustrations.

    

MY TIDBITS

Determination mixed with tons of sand makes this a cute and inspiring summer read for young beach lovers, who are ready to take on the sea.

Jules is going to impress her older sister. She's going to build the most amazing sandcastle ever. If the ocean would stop messing things up for her with its frustrating waves. Splashes and splats hammer at Jules' enthusiasm until it's her against the ocean. And either might win.

Any one who has tried to build a sand castle as a child will immediately find themselves in Jules' flip-flops. Her desire to impress her older sister...a very pure one...already makes her easy to cheer for. It's hard not to root for her as she gives her best, time and again. And defeat despite best intentions and hard work is something young listeners can relate to. The ending pulls through with a lovely and encouraging message. Plus, there's a tiny jab of humor built in.

Sun and fun radiate from every page and bring beach fun to life in these bright illustrations. Young listeners will wish they could hit the sand themselves and enjoy gazing at each page. The expressive text and font makes it a fun read-aloud, and the wording is very fitting to the age group.

It's a summer read beach fans and sand dreamers are sure to enjoy.



And here she is...

Jessie Sima is an author/illustrator living and working in New York City. She grew up in a small town in southern New Jersey, unaware that she was a story teller. Once she figured it out, she told her family and friends. They took it quite well. She is the author of Not Quite Narwhal, Harriet Gets Carried Away, and Love, Z. You can visit her at JessieSima.com