Review: Nerdycorn by Andrew Root

The second I heard this title, I had to get my hands on it. A unicorn who is a nerd and loves science...gosh, yes! So, today's review is a picture book for unicorn lovers? Well, not only. (Thank heavens because I'm one of those who cringes when unicorns fart rainbows and burp glitter). But this a unicorn seems like it could be right down a unique lane. 

Let's see if it is.

NERDYCORN

by Andrew Root

Illustrated by Erin Kraan

Beach Lane Books

Picture Book

ages 4 to 8

40 pages

Fern isn’t your usual unicorn… she loves chemistry and math more than glitter or flowers—and she refuses to change who she is in this sweet and empowering picture book about being yourself—and standing up for yourself, too!

Meet Fern! She’s a smart, creative unicorn who prefers building robots and coding software to jumping through shimmering rainbows and splashing in majestic waterfalls. Even though Fern is a good friend and always willing to help others, the other unicorns tease her and call her a nerdycorn.

One day, Fern has had enough and decides to stop fixing her friends’ broken things. But then the confetti machine, the rainbow synthesizer, and the starlight bedazzler all go haywire during the biggest Sparkle Dance Party of the year! Fern can certainly fix them… but will she?

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BOOK BLINK

                                           * unicorns

                                           * mentions all sorts of 'real life' devices never said in picture books

                                           * bullying

                                           * staying true to one's self

                                           * kindness and forgiveness

MY TIDBITS

The image of unicorns gets tossed on its head as a special unicorn steps in to save the day.

All unicorns prance on rainbows and do happy, glittery, unicorn things. All of them except Fern. She loves to calculate, create, build and calibrate...and she's a super helpful unicorn. But no matter how kind she is, the other unicorns still poke fun at her. When enough is enough, she closes her door and stays in her lab, refusing to help those nasty unicorns...until they knock on her door.

The idea of a Nerdycorn won me over immediately. Add the cover with a blowtorch and experiments bubbling in the background, and this unicorn had to be a creature after my own heart. This book is definitely original and is one that will capture unicorn fans' attention as well as anti-unicorn peeps, who actually would kind of love to love unicorns...if each one didn't fart rainbows and such. 

Let's start with the text, shall we? The story is well written and adds humorous as well as original sparks. The main text tells the tale, while little added words in the illustrations bring thoughts and humor to life. The vocabulary is, in general, very age appropriate, but this author goes further and allows terminology from the mechanical, science, and engineering world to dribble in. I couldn't help but smile as computer coding, multimeters and arc welders mixed right in with pure imaginative items like zero-gravity ice-cream experiments. 

The illustrations are brightly colored, pulse with energy and hold so many amazing, quirky details to add gazing enjoyment. But then, this is about unicorns and science, experiment-loving ones. 

And there's a message. Now, if anything, it was this part which left me just a tiny bit less enthusiastic. While the idea of bullying and not fitting in fits to the age group and is an important message, Fern's sour attitude and sudden (out of nowhere) desire to change it hit strange. But that is really only a slight stutter and doesn't really effect the rest of the sparkle and shine...or, in this case, calibrating and grind. This is a read young listeners are sure to enjoy as a read-aloud or simply gaze at on their own.

And here they are...

The Author...

Andrew Root is an author and a trained therapist, active in community mental health and the public education system in Portland, Oregon. Andrew works as the clinical manager of a therapeutic school serving youth and adolescents with a variety of behavioral and mental health needs. His experiences working with children have led him to realize the importance a good book can have both socially and academically. Andrew enjoys playing soccer and chasing his wife, two kids, and dog around his backyard.

The Illustrator...

Erin Kraan grew up in a family of woodworkers, sewers, and painters, crafters who greatly influenced her chosen illustration medium, woodcut printing. She loves the process of carving her characters into the wood and seeing how their quirky and whimsical identities come to life through the ink in the prints. When she isn’t making woodcuts, she loves going hiking through the woods with her German Wirehaired Pointer, Freya. She adores big mugs of milky coffee, cozy socks, chickadees, smelly candles, and the color green.

Happy Mommy and Daddy's Day with A Quick Spell by Patricia Josephine and Patricia Lynne!

It's time for a Mommy and Daddy's Day post! Every so often, I post about a book intended for adults and not kids. Why? Because parents love to read, too! These books are ones that I personally enjoy and usually they aren't any worse in content than a Young Adult novel. 

Today's is the second in a series and is a collection of very short tales, perfect for those short breaks. Each tale is maybe a page or two...really not much longer. So, parents can read it between washing dishes and laundry, or while the kids play in the sandbox. I love these because they really are a tale and don't leave me stuck in the middle of a great scene when I have to put them down.

Anyway, here it is! 

A QUICK SPELL

A Quick Tale #2

by Patricia Josephine, Patricia Lynne

Fantasy / Short Story Collection

60 pages

Magic.
Myths.
Fantasy.

We are bewitched by what we can't see.

Conjure delight with a fantastical collection of tales. Each story is told in exactly 200 words and designed to delight your imagination no matter how busy your day is.

WILL YOU BELIEVE?

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MY TIDBITS

I read the first in this series and enjoyed it quite a bit. So, of course, I picked up this one too. The title says it all: quick. The stories all are very, very short and rotate around magic. Some are funny, some serious, some dark, some romantic...a little of everything for every mood. It's fun to pick the book up, read one or two or three, and put it don't without the feeling of halting a tale. Then, when picking it up again, a bunch of new tiny adventures await. Some are better than others, but that's the allure. It's a bit here, a bit there, and something for everyone.

And here she is...

Patricia Josephine is a writer of Urban Fantasy and Sci-Fi Romance books. She actually never set out to become a writer, and in fact, she was more interested in art and band in high school and college. Her dreams were of becoming an artist like Picasso. On a whim, she wrote down a story bouncing in her head for fun. That was the start of her writing journey, and she hasn't regretted a moment. When she's not writing, she's watching Doctor Who or reading about serial killers. She's an avid knitter. One can never have too much yarn. She writes Young Adult Paranormal, Science Fiction, and Fantasy under the name Patricia Lynne.

You can learn more about Patricia at her blog: https://www.patriciajosephine.com/blog

Review: The Owl Apprentice and the Trees of Myth and Magic by Erik DeLeo

Today's review is something for animal tale friends and fantasy fans, who love quick, fast-paced adventures. This book is one in a series of adventures, each with a different animal character in a very different setting and tale. In other words, these can be read as stand-alones without any problem since they don't seem to connect. Not only did this one catch my eye...isn't that owl amazing? But the titles on the others definitely sparked my interest: The Ninja Cat and the Cabal of Shadows and The Squirrel Squire and the Tournament of Oaks. It's a cute looking series, which might be just right for your young reader's summer...if they love fantasy and animals.

Anyway, I'll just let you read on and see for yourself.

THE OWL APPRENTICE

AND

THE TREES OF MYTH AND MAGIC

Fantastic Tails Adventure, #3

by Erik DeLeo

Middle Grade Fantasy

155 pages

ages 8 to 12

A young apprentice. A magical grove. And an ancient spell that threatens it all.

More than anything in the world, Screech wants to become a wizard. But his dreams of wielding magic are shattered when he’s stripped of his scrolls, wand and robe. With his future uncertain, Screech discovers a hidden and dormant power. Can he learn to control it? Will his new found talent be able to help the sequoias before it's too late? Or will dark forces triumph and overrun the grove?

If you like talking animals, enchanted forests, and unbound magic, then you’ll love The Owl Apprentice. This chapter book deals with many themes including resilience, perseverance, discernment and belief. Perfect for fans of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, Redwall by Brian Jacques and The Green Ember by S.D. Smith, along with other fantasy series including The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander.

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BOOK BLINK

                                                 * fast-paced adventure

                                                 * magic 

                                                 * animal characters

                                                 * quick read

MY TIDBITS

High tension and never-ending adventure make this into a quick read in a world where owls, trees and ravens battle to control the magic.

Screech is an owl apprentice, and not a very good one. He's a bit clumsy, doesn't seem to barely have an ounce of magic in his wings, and makes more mistakes than he has feathers. When he accidentally ruins the owl's ceremony, they decide enough is enough and remove him from his duties. Forever. Having no friends, he wanders into the forest to discover a sympathetic a tree, and more importantly, that he discovers that he seems to be able to talk to trees. While the talent is unheard of to those he knows, it sparks the interest of the wrong magic wielders and sets off a chain of events which will destroy the world as Screech knows it if he doesn't figure out who to trust and how to stop the evil.

This book starts out with a bang and throws the reader right into a first, plot important scene. But then, these pages leave little time for boredom from start to finish and keep the reader hooked the entire way through. There's just enough time to gain sympathy with him as he's questionably removed from his position and left to sulk alone without a single friend. But after that, the plot propels forward and Screech faces increasing danger...as do those around him. There's intrigue, very dangerous battles, tons of magic, a bit of bullying, friendship, and lies. And for a short adventure at only around 150 pages, it weaves quite the tale.

This is a short read and will be great for those with little patience for scene descriptions and thought. While keeping the tale racing forward, it does leaves some things lost on the sidelines. The first pages are a bit too sudden and introduce the catapulting event for the rest of the tale without any background. While Screech is easy to like, the rest of the characters carry quirky personalities but don't really have time to connect with the reader. Some moments go by too fast and small things are skipped over. Still, the tale is well-woven enough to be forgiving, and the writing does pull in.

Young fantasy friends, who want a quick, imaginative read, which is packed with action and magic will enjoy this one quite a bit.

Review: Pizazz by Sophy Henn

I have something 'super' special for today's review, and I don't only mean that this one is about superheroes and a superheroine. It steers toward the younger end of the middle grade audience...although even I found it entertaining. The young heroine in this one reminded me of a few girls I've known, and maybe, that's what made it endearing...although none of them had superpowers. Plus, it packs tons of illustrations, and I'm a huge fan of illustrations.

Ready to blast off and save the world? 

PIZAZZ

by Sophy Henn

Aladdin

Middle Grade Humor 

208 pages

ages 7 to 10

Discover the annoying side of being a superhero from snarky, reluctant hero Pizazz in this hilarious and highly illustrated new series for young middle graders—perfect for fans of Dog Man and Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

Most people think superhero work is awesome and fulfilling. Pizazz knows better. Whenever she’s in the middle of a movie or having fun with her friends, she has to dash off the save the world. And she’s always in the same outfit, including an embarrassing glittery cape, and the wedgies are unreal. Plus, being the good guy all the time is so not easy. Superheroes have bad days like everybody else, but Pizazz always has to be cheerful and noble and brave. More than anything, she just wants to be normal. 

GOODREADS   /    KOBO    /    BOOK DEPOSITORY    /     AMAZON    /    B&N

BOOK BLINK

                                 

                                        * tons of illustrations

                                        * great for even more reluctant readers

                                        * first in a series

                                        * snarky but nothing over the top

                                        * sibling/family relations w/ attitude but still love

MY TIDBITS

Mix pre-teen attitude, learning to like one's self, and usual family 'ups and downs' with superhero awesomeness (or not always so awesome?), and it rolls into tons of humor with a bit of more serious undertones.

Pizazz is a superhero and was born, like many superheroes, into a superhero family. Yep, she has superpowers, which should make everything kind of awesome...well, in compared to 'normals' that is. But not everything is bombastic pows and victories in the life of a superhero, especially when that hero is about to attend a new school and already knows she won't fit in.

The blurb on this one hooked me in right away. The idea of a pre-teen superhero, who battles not only with super villains but with usual, middle grade problems sounded golden. And it is. This book packs tons of attitude (the eye-roll kind) with the problem of learning to like one's self. It's over the top...but it is about superheroes...and while addressing all sorts of humorous problems that being a superhero might mean, also allows the very usual problems of being a middle grader to flow in. It's a silly mix, which causes thought and yet, has the reader snorting, wondering, and raising the eyebrows the entire way through.

Pizazz's sour somewhat attitude is pretty clear, and while it might almost hit the point of being overbearing at times and hangs right on the border, the ridiculous situation makes it work. Plus, her strife to make the best out of things is heart-warming. Her embarrassment at her superpower...to the point she refuses to mention what it is and only repeatedly says it's embarrassing...also pushes to the point of being overly extreme, and then, at that moment, she lets it come out. And it is something that girls that age might really find embarrassing. (I know a few). And yet, in its own way, it's neat. But this plays wonderfully on the same tone as self-doubt, since what many kids see as horrible, may not really be that bad after all.

The illustrations make this one shine and give it a comic book atmosphere without turning it into a graphic novel. Plus, there are tons of superheroes...who always run around in the same outfit (although they have many of them to keep it from becoming gross). And there's a funny dog...and irritating but a sometimes, cool sister...and bad guys with the weirdest ways to take over the world...and irritating, popular girls...and even some environmental issues are thrown in because saving the Earth as a superhero obviously isn't enough (is it?). So, this one packs the pages well, guaranteeing a quick-paced, never boring read.

I definitely do see young middle graders grabbing this one up and enjoying it quite a bit.

And here she is...

Sophy Henn is an award-winning picture book author and illustrator with a master’s in illustration from the University of Brighton. She is the creator of the much-loved Bad Nana series, the Pom Pom series, the Ted board book series, and the nonfiction titles Lifesize and Lifesize Dinosaurs, among others. Her debut picture book Where Bear? was nominated for the Kate Greenaway Medal and shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize. Sophy was the World Book Day Illustrator in 2015 and 2016.

Sneak Peek: Sedition by EM Wright with Giveaway

 

Sedition

by E.M. Wright

Children of Erikkson #1

Published by: Parliament House

May 18th 2021

YA Steampunk

She was created for more than slavery; she was built for rebellion.

In an alternate Victorian England, clockwork cyborgs provide the primary source of labor for the upper class. Known as biomatons, they are property by law and have been manipulated and mind-controlled into subservience.

Taryn Roft, a 17-year-old girl, attending classes at Grafton’s School of Mechanicks in London has a secret. What’s even worse—she cannot remember anything before her twelfth birthday.

When a mysterious privateer discovers her secret, he offers her an ultimatum: accompany him to his airship, or her secret will be revealed to everyone. For Taryn, it’s not much of a choice. Facing prejudice and cruelty may be nothing new to the only girl at an all-boys’ school, but the further from home she gets, the darker her situation becomes.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo

And here she is...

E.M. Wright is an author from Portland, OR. She writes science fiction and fantasy novels set in original worlds.

 

Website / Instagram / Twitter

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