Title: The Shadows (The Books of Elsewhere #1)

Author: Jacqueline West

Genre: Children, Fantasy

Published: June 9, 2010

Olive and her parents moved into the old McMartin house and Olive began to notice that not everything was normal about the paintings on the walls especially when she figured out she was able to travel into them.

I found some of the descriptions slightly off beat and therefore they made the book more interesting. "The water was the temperature of warm soda pop or cold soup." Or "Olive half expected a cat that size to make a crash like a dropped bowling ball, but he landed with surprising lightness." Without the slight quirkiness I believe the book would have been a much slower read.

As I have noticed recently in the books I have been reading the best part were the animals. There were three cats who had more personality than the human characters and they were also more fun. At one point I began thinking we hadn't seen any of them for awhile and it was time for at least one of them to make an appearance.

It was a fun story which the target audience should enjoy. I really wouldn't mind reading the next in the series.

Overall I gave this book 4 stars out of 5.

Title: The Little Prince

Author: Antoine de Saint-Exupery, Irene Testot-Ferry (Translator)

Genre: Children, Fantasy, Classics

Published: 1940

The main take aways I got from this book were to appreciate the experiences of life. Look at what I have and what is around me. I don't think you really need to be a child to understand or follow this lesson. In fact I know quite a few children who are too busy to appreciate what they are exposed to either. I also have looked at many of my childhood experiences and realized I didn't fully what was happening until I reflected back on them as an adult, I was unable to appreciate them basically since I didn't have that frame of reference.

Overall I gave this book 3 stars out of 5.

Title: Birdie's Book (The Fairy Godmother Academy)

Author: Jan Bozarth, Andrea Burden (Illustrator)

Genre: Fantasy, Children

Published: August 25, 2009

Birdie went to meet her grandmother for the first time and found out she is a potential fairy godmother. The story followed Birdie as she tried to heal a tree at the center of her grandmothers garden and tried to heal the rift within her own family.

For the intended age group this was a fun book. The illustrations were a little distracting, especially when the words were written over them. The family fight was resolved without any real reason given. I would have liked more detail about Birdie going into the fairy world. It was sudden and I wasn't really sure if she was supposed to have fallen asleep while outside in January or if something else had happened.

I enjoyed the relationship between Birdie and Kerka. I liked how it developed quickly. I liked Granny Mo's character and would have liked to see more of her. The fairy godmother concept behind the book was interesting, but not very much information was given on what they do in the role of fairy godmother, maybe that would come out in later books.

Overall I gave this book 4 stars out of 5.

Review: Gabriel Finley and the Raven's Riddle

Title: Gabriel Finley and the Raven's Riddle

Author: George Hagen

Genre: Children, Fantasy

Published: August 26, 2014

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

After meeting a raven Gabriel and some new friends set off to rescue his father who disappeared three years previously.

I know the book was a fantasy and I am supposed to have some level of suspended belief, but I wondered why almost everyone didn't question why all the birds were able to talk to them. I would have expected more skeptics or at least a couple of characters to find it freaky. Instead they accepted right off and then joined the journey.

Something else did confuse me. The world where the bad guy Corax ruled was underground. Other than a hand full of humans all the characters were birds. I didn't understand why a group of creatures (owls, ravens, sparrows, robins, etc.)  who spend most of their time flying in open air would be not only comfortable, but also would thrive in underground caves.

The characters were interesting. They each had their own problems and their own way of looking at things. I understood the jealousy Abby and Pamela felt towards Gabriel, but it did become a little uncomfortable. I also got tired of Septimus promising one thing after another with not intention of actually following through unless it directly benefited him. It was a little difficult to believe he had survived long enough to be the adult on this adventure. Really the characters were what kept the story interesting.

Overall I gave this book 3 stars out of 5.

Review: The Fourteenth Goldfish

Title: The Fourteenth Goldfish

Author: Jennifer L. Holm

Genre: Children, Science Fiction

Published: August 26, 2014

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When her grandfather shows up at her house looking like a fourteen year old it was just the beginning of the changes within Ellie's life.

The story was a fun read with a good moral. I was impressed with Ellie's character growth. At the beginning she didn't know anything about science, but throughout the story she learned and even became comfortable enough to confront her grandfather, a notable scientist, when she believed he was in the wrong.

There were times where the character's felt a little older than they actually were. Despite that I really enjoyed all the characters except the grandfather, Melvin. He had nothing positive to say about Ellie's mother the entire book. I don't care he didn't agree with his child's life choices, what he found most objectionable was that she had become a high school drama teacher, but really he should have found somethings he liked about her to say in front of her daughter. Sorry, personal soap box.

Overall I gave this book 4 stars out of 5.

Review: Oliver and the Seawigs

Title: Oliver and the Seawigs

Author: Philip Reeve, Sarah McIntyre (Illustrator)

Genre: Children, Fantasy

Published: September 5, 2013

I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Oliver's parents were explorers and he just wanted the permanence of home. When they arrived home Oliver's parents went missing. With the help of a roving island, a mermaid and an albatross Oliver went in search of where his parents had gone.

Oliver was smart and didn't panic when things went wrong. He would think through what was happening to him then come up with a solution. I his solution didn't work he would try something else.

The story was fun, fast paced and creative. I enjoyed the ride and would recommend this book to children.

Overall I gave this book 4 stars out of 5.

Review: Unlocking the Spell

Title: Unlocking the Spell (Wide-Awake Princess #2)

Author: E. D. Baker

Genre: Children, Fairy tales

Published: October 2, 2012

This book starts about a week after book number one finished. Annie and company set off to try and break the curse and turn Beldegard back from a bear into a human.

I must say I did not enjoy this one as much as the first mainly because I find Gwendolyn to be annoying. The main difference was Gwendolyn was awake in this book. There was all the fun glimpses of fairy tales with little twists just like the first book. I would have liked to see Annie and Liam's relationship build more.

I do look forward to the third book in the series and plan on reading more of this author.

Overall I gave this book 3 stars out of 5.

Review: The Frog Princess

Title: The Frog Princess (The Tales of the Frog Princess #1)

Author: E. D. Baker

Genre: Fairy tales, Childrens

Published: October 7, 2004

I was thirty pages from the end of the book before I realized it was the basis for the Disney cartoon The Princess and the Frog. In my defense I only saw the movie once and other than the girl turning into a frog, then having misshapes, there wasn't a lot the two had in common.

The guy of the story had a major character shift. He started out watching out for her and protecting her. Then as she became more and more self sufficient he became more and more oblivious. It wasn't malicious on his part. It just made it easier for the reader to see the main character's growth.

It was a fun children's story and I look forward to reading the next in the series.

Overall I gave this book 3 stars out of 5.

Title: Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy

Author: Karen Foxlee

Genre: Children, Fantasy

Published: January 28, 2014

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ophelia's father took her and her sister Alice to a museum where he had been given a job to put together a sword display for a big celebration which was going to take place on Christmas. Ophelia ended up finding a boy locked in a room, who had an improbable story and would send her on different missions with the end goal being to save the world.

The story was engaging and most of the characters were likable and quirky. It had everything from snow leopards to ghosts, doll houses to great carnivorous birds, dinosaurs to sword fights. The book was one adventure after another for Ophelia.

I was reminded of the old fairy tales we are all familiar with, but if you think about the words and what is happening in them too much you realize they are really gruesome. One example Hansel and Gretel. A witch is going to fatten them up so she can eat them. As an audience we are kept moving from one scene to the next with little thought and little description of what will happen if the Queen wins. The only real detail we are given is the world will end. That could mean many different things, so it wasn't something we needed to worry about too much.

There is one thing that really bugged me. Throughout the entire book Ophelia was trying to figure out a specific mystery. That was fine, but we are never given the answer. They couldn't just have that be the last line or something?

Overall I gave this book 4 stars out of 5.

Title: Witch Twins ( Witch Twins #1)

Author: Adele Griffin

Genre: Children

Published: January 29, 2013

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Twins Claire and Luna, who happen to be witches, found out their father was getting remarried. They were concerned about the consequences.

Both of the girls were spoiled but not in a mean way. They were a little snotty, somehow this was one of the things I liked about them. Neither of them liked change and were vocal about it. They usually found they liked the change that had taken place.

One of the best parts of the book was the consequences to the cast spells. They weren't always bad, but there was something unexpected about all of them. I liked how they had to use their heads to fix the problems their magic did cause.

The turnaround the girls have is very abrupt and the catalyst for their change of heart was rather small. At one point they felt one way then they looked around and felt the opposite. It could have been a little more involved to be more realistic, but the solution did leave everything warm and rosy.

In the end I gave this book 4 stars out of 5.

Title: Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins #1)

Author: P.L. Travers

Genre: Childrens, Classics

Published: 1934

The stories are fun and imaginative. They are antidotes in the lives of the characters. There was no real story connecting them all together.

I did not like certain characteristics Mary Poppins possessed. Her acid tongue, I believe children's questions should be answered. I think they should feel comfortable enough to ask anything and not get a brush off answer. Mary Poppins refused to answer anything the children asked. Mary Poppins spent half of the book looking at herself just to admire one part after another of her wardrobe. It became tiresome after awhile.

My favorite characters were John and Barbara. I really enjoyed the chapter devoted to them. I believe that is why I felt so bad for them when they reached their first birthday and lost the ability to hear the language of the wind.

Overall I gave this book 4 stars out of 5.

Title: Fortunately, The Milk

Author: Neil Gaiman

Type of book: Childrens

A father goes to the corner store to buy his children some milk and the improbable journey he ended up on.

This book reminded me of reading Shel Silverstien when I was a child. The humor and flow were similar. I had fun reading this and it went really quickly. The illistrations are also great.

I also want to say I believe the father's story just because I think someone should and his children clearly didn't.

I gave this book 5 stars out of 5.

Title: The Mysterious Benedict Society

Author: Trenton Lee Stewart

Type of book: Children

An ad was placed in the paper looking for children to send on a secret mission.

I really had fun with the tests and how each of the children managed to accomplish them. Then the book began to drag. I really got bored. The book did become more and more convoluted. In the end the solution was rather anticlimactic.

I gave this book 3 stars out of 5.