Afterworlds (9.23.14)

I read Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld
My coworker let me borrow her ARC so that we could discuss it
A VERY strong 4 stars



Darcy wrote a story; a paranormal romance that starts with a terrorist attack and continues with a non-dead girl who can totally talk to ghosts. A publisher paid her big money for her story. Now, right after graduating high school, she is off to New York to start a career, and her life, while putting college on hold. One chapter of this novel is Darcy's life story, and the next is her written novel. Essentially this is two complete novels in one.

What do you do when an author you like writes a book that doesn't sound like it could possibly be written well? You have someone else read it first of course! Now, I really didn't have a say in that. My coworker was going to read it first anyway. If she told me it was a flop, I would have skipped it. She ended up loving it and passing it along to me.

If I had read it without talking to my coworker first and had low expectations, I probably would have given it 5 stars. Just reading the premise, I wasn't sure how he was possibly going to be able to essentially write 2 stories in one novel. I often hate dueling chapters, getting them confused or forgetting parts from chapter to chapter. If that somehow doesn't happen, I always end up loving one part and hating the rest. Since I was assured that it worked well, I think my expectations were raised a bit.

Westerfeld accomplished something I didn't think possible. He wrote two completely different stories and managed to tie them together in a way that really worked. I liked both stories. I didn't have a hard time keeping details separated, but each story definitely had enough detail to paint pictures in my head.

Now, why did I only give it 4 stars? It is over 600 pages. Somewhere in the middle, I put the book down and forgot about it for a couple days. No, it wasn't a huge break, but the fact that I wasn't pining to read more means it wasn't an A+. At one point, I was a bit over Darcy. I still liked her life story and wanted to know what happened, but I was ready for it to just happen already. Her novel never quite got that way, but it wasn't quite perfect enough to raise the whole novel up.

I'm glad I read this one. I think a lot of teens will like the story of Darcy and how she grows into her adult self. Her novel will draw you in from the first chapter, no doubt about that. A warning to parents, there are girlfriend/girlfriend relationships, some major curse words, and underage drinking without any kind of consequence whatsoever. None of these bothered me or would even bother me as a parent, but it is something that definitely needs mentioning.

Franklin and the Case of the New Friend (8.1.14)

I read Franklin and the Case of the New Friend by Caitlin Drake Smith
I received a free ARC from Kids Can Press through NetGalley
4 Stars



Franklin and his friend find a picture of a skunk family, but there is no skunk family nearby. They have to figure out who this mysterious skunk is so that they can give her picture back, so they call on their friends, and the Super Clupers are soon on the case.

I have had the opportunity to read a few Franklin books lately. I have been so happy with the morals of the stories, how kids can really learn lessons. This book was more for entertainment. Yes, there is the slight story about being a friend, but the story is more of a mystery for preschoolers. This doesn't make it a bad book at all. Many kids will enjoy it, and it might start them down the path to reading mysteries later. It was still a good book, just not what I was expecting.

Franklin and the Radio (8.1.14)

I read Franklin and the Radio by Caitlin Drake Smith
I received a free ARC from Kids Can Press through NetGalley
4 stars



Franklin's family is cleaning up by donating unwanted items and throwing away the ones that aren't good enough to donate. When he takes his radio, along with the rest of the junk, to Fox's Junkyard, his friend Fox asks if he can try to fix up the radio. The next day, Fox's cool-io new radio is all the talk. Unfortunately, this makes Franklin sad. Fox is such a great friend though, and Franklin gets the radio back. What follows is a lesson in appreciating what you have and being okay with letting things go.

I think kids today will like the illustrations. They are very crisp and clear, computer generated but done well. The story is a good one for small children to hear. It would be good to tell to someone before donating old toys and clothes. It is well done and with characters that kids will recognize.

Super Red Riding Hood (8.1.14)

I read Super Red Riding Hood by Claudia Davilla
I received a free ARC from Kids Can Press through NetGalley
5 Stars



Ruby is an ordinary girl, except when she turns into the super hero known as Super Red Riding Hood! She is excited to take a mission from her mother, even if it turns out to only be a stroll through the woods to pick berries. She uses her super skills to avoid danger and not be scared, until she hears the growling of a wolf. Keeping calm, she works through the problem and makes a new friend.

I love fractured fairy tales. This one isn't necessarily a fractured fairy tale, as the story isn't really anywhere near the same. There is a girl with a red hood, and there is a wolf. That's about it. Still, the characters being similar will get the attention of the kids that like fairy tales. The story is cute. Seeing a strong little girl who uses wit and thinks through a problem is always a good sign. I plan on adding this one to our "girl picture book" list whenever we get it at our library.

The part that really won me over on this one was the illustrations. They are classic looking. They really look like an old-fashioned fairy tale. Adding in the extra superhero pizazz just makes it that much better. A fun, strong story with amazing illustrations, I might just be adding this one to my own personal collection.

If Kids Ruled the World (9.1.14)

I read If Kids Ruled the World by Linda Bailey
I received a free ARC from Kids Can Press through NetGalley
4 stars



This is a delightful story about all of the fun things that might happen if kids ruled the world. Of course there would be no bedtimes, no making the bed, and no monsters in your closet. There would also be fun stuff like trampolines for sidewalks and pirate ships to take adventures in. Every day would be amazing, if kids ruled the world.

This is a fun one. I think it would go well in story time. There isn't really a lot to it, just fun stuff kids would probably like to do. I can see myself telling kids to think about what they would do if they ruled the world, then reading this, then discussing their ideas afterward. That would tie them into the story a bit more. Otherwise, it is just a long list of fun stuff kids would like.

I love the illustrations. The colors are fun. The pictures are full of details. They would help make this a great lap-read book as well a story time. I don't think the pictures are too busy to work for a large group. I will definitely try it out and find out for myself.

Sam's Pet Temper 9.1.14

I read Sam's Pet Temper by Sangeeta Bhadra
I received a free ARC from Kids Can Press through NetGalley
3.5 Stars



Sam picks up a pet temper at the playground when it chases everyone away, giving him the whole playground to himself. He takes the new pet temper home with him to see what fun they can get into. All they end up getting into is trouble! When he takes it to school, the same thing happens. His parents and teachers don't like hearing the excuses he keeps giving, that it was his temper. They tell him he must learn to control it. He uses everything he has learned to try to control his temper at the park, and he win!

I like the theory of this book. Books that teach kids coping skills and how to control their emotions are always a good thing. I am torn on how I feel about the "pet" idea though. For some kids, I think it will work well. For others, I would be afraid that it would just give them something else to blame. Some might take it as an excuse, they can just blame their temper when they do something wrong, and the might think that people won't think it was their fault. Hopefully that isn't the case.

The illustrations are interesting. They are definitely beautiful and intricate. I just don't know how I feel about them for a children's book. For older children, this might be good. If you have a preschooler with a temper that you want to help them work through, I don't think the illustrations will be effective. Still, I am hopeful that there are children out there that will find help with this book.

Stop, Thief! (8.1.14)

I read Stop, thief! by Heather Tekavec
I received a free ARC from Kids Can Press through NetGalley
4 stars



There is a thief on the farm, and Max must catch him! Someone is stealing all of the Carrots, berries, beans, and cherries. The farmer sends Max, the dog, off to find out who it is. He follows the buzzing to chase the thief, running into all of his friends munching on some treats along the way. Will he catch the thief and save the food?

This story was adorable. It seemed a bit long at first, but it flows well and reads quickly. It grew on me as I went. I can hear myself reading it in story time with the kids laughing about the fun animals chomping on the food the whole time. Older preschoolers and kindergartners will probably understand what is happening on their own, but I might have to explain the ending to young preschoolers. The illustrations throughout the book match the cover. It is not my favorite type of illustrations. I could see this one being cuter with more simple, sharper illustrations, but they still might appeal to some people. The illustrations didn't ruin the book for me, and I plan to try it out on a group of preschoolers as soon as I can get my hands on it.

Tickly Toes (8.1.14)

I read Tickly Toes by Susan Hood
I received a free ARC from Kids Can Press through NetGalley
5 Stars



A fun book about a tot discovering his toes, this one has it all. There are large, bright, colorful pictures to catch baby's attention. It is a rhyming story, one that makes it oh-so-easy to read aloud. The story shows Mommy and Daddy interacting with baby, and baby discovering on his own. It is perfect for parents, using fun words and pointing out the best parts of baby (tickly toes, pudgy knees.) Who can resist tickling the tiny toes of cute little babies? No one, and you won't have to when you read this book with your little one.

Goodnight, You (9.1.14)

I read Goodnight, You by Genevieve Cote
I received a free ARC through NetGalley from Kids Can Press
5 Stars



Piggy and Bunny are back in their fourth book, and this one is a nighttime winner. Camping out, Bunny is afraid of Piggy's shadow. Piggy persuades Bunny to not be afraid and brags about how he isn't afraid. In a fun twist, Piggy doesn't want the lights to go out, and Bunny ends up being the brave one.

The illustrations are adorable as always in this series. They are simple, colorful, and cute. The background is darker implying that they are outside at night. The story itself is short enough to read in a story time. It is about the perfect length for 3 year-old kids. I am sure it will be a winner in the nighttime story time at the library where I work.

Landline (7.8.14)

I read Landline by Rainbow Rowell (7.8.14)
I borrowed a coworker's ARC
5 Stars

Long story, short: Georgie McCool (the coolest name ever!) is married to Neal. They have two young kids, Alice and Noomi. Georgie helps write a television show with her long-time best friend Seth. The two of them are amazing together, and they know it. They are working on their own television show, and they have a short period of time to come up with 4 shows. It so happens that they have to do this over the week of Christmas, which is also when Georgie is supposed to be going to Omaha with her family. A story of a struggling marriage and a woman falling apart, in enters the weird part: Her landline (she's using it because her cell phone battery never works but she is too disorganized and doesn't really have enough time to get a new one) magically calls Neal in the past.

Yes, I just told a good amount of the story, yet I really didn't. It is so much deeper than that. So much is going on, and so much happens. I was really worried where this one would go when the phone started calling the past, but it was done so well. It didn't seem silly at all. It was a really realistic story with a strange, unbelievable twist that actually made sense and seemed believable. Also, I love Rainbow Rowell's writing. Her stories usually start so strong, are written so well, and end so blah. This one was strong the whole way through. It was a love story that didn't get on my nerves, which is awesome. Even though I was nothing like Georgie work-wise, I still related to her. I also somehow related to Neal. Overall, I have nothing but great things to say about this one. It is perfect for anyone in a marriage, good or bad. The writing is so perfect that those not in relationships will love it anyway. Everyone should read this book