Monthly Archives: April 2020

April 23, 2020 · 7:38 pm

Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar

I read Sideways Stories from Wayside School to my 11- and 13-year-old sons and all three of us found it absolutely hysterical. My boys told other people some of the stories (each chapter is a little story) and couldn’t stop laughing as they did. Some of the stories are downright bizarre, but all of them are quite funny and clever. I highly recommend this book to anyone with a sense of humor. It makes a very excellent family read-aloud!

5 (out of 5) Stars

Books Read in 2020: 26
Pages Read in 2020: 6177
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April 17, 2020 · 7:55 pm

Second Chances by Valerie Tripp

Second Chances is the second American Girl book about Josefina. This one covers several months following the first book. The end is predictable, but exactly how you want it be. American Girl books are historical fiction for kids done right. I highly recommend this book to tweens. It makes a great family readaloud!

5 (out of 5) Stars

Books Read in 2020: 25
Pages Read in 2020: 6014
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Filed under Children, Historical Fiction, Reason: Bedtime Story for the Boys, Reason: Vine Review

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April 14, 2020 · 8:55 pm

Raven Huntress by Andrea Pearson and Nolan James

The fourth book in the Midnight Chronicles series, Raven Huntress picks up where Twilight Rogue left off. So much happens in this book! There’s a fun section for readers of the Kilenya and Mosaic Chronicles with some old friends from some of those books. There’s some great verbal sparring between Coolidge and Abel. There’s some amusing bits scattered throughout giving some much needed lightness to an otherwise rather heavy book. And, of course, there’s more of Abel’s story and his thoughts and feelings. It’s very well-written. I honestly could barely put it down (I was not very happy when I absolutely had to put my kids to bed with only 3% of the story left!). I very highly recommend Raven Huntress to anyone who enjoys urban fantasy (most definitely read the first three books in this series first… reading the author’s other series is not necessary, but will certainly add to the enjoyment of this one).

5 (out of 5) Stars

Books Read in 2020: 24
Pages Read in 2020: 5895
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Filed under Fantasy, Reason: Asked by the Author, Reason: I Like the Author, Reason: I Like the Series

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April 11, 2020 · 7:39 pm

Stop Staring at Screens by Tanya Goodin

Stop Staring at Screens reads like a series of blog posts. There’s not much new and definitely not much in the way of guidance to help families stop being on electronics all the time. There are a few good ideas in there and it reads super fast so it’s not completely a waste. If you are looking for advice to actually stop staring at screens, however, you can skip this book.

2 (out of 5) Stars

Books Read in 2020: 23
Pages Read in 2020: 5723
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April 11, 2020 · 10:59 am

The Miracle and Tragedy of the Dionne Quintuplets by Sarah Miller

It was quite a miracle that five little girls born all at once in 1934 survived. The tragedy came when the country of Canada took custody of the girls, separated them from their family, and exhibited them like a sideshow. The Miracle & Tragedy of the Dionne Quintuplets is a very well-written overview of their lives using primary sources. It attempts to give both sides of the story, but is mostly sympathetic to the quintuplets themselves. It reads fast with lots of short chapters. I found it quite fascinating. I recommend it to anyone curious about the Dionne quintuplets’ lives.

5 (out of 5) Stars

Books Read in 2020: 22
Pages Read in 2020: 5579
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April 6, 2020 · 8:51 pm

Sunlight and Shadows by Valerie Tripp

Josefina, the American Girl of 1824, is coming to terms with the loss of her mother and the addition of her aunt to her life. She lives in New Mexico (part of Mexico) and is learning to run a household. The story is very sweet and surprisingly not nearly as depressing as some of the other American Girl historical books. As with all American Girl books I’ve read to my boys, it’s historical fiction for kids done right. I highly recommend it, especially as a family read aloud!

5 (out of 5) Stars

Books Read in 2020: 21
Pages Read in 2020: 5272
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April 4, 2020 · 6:13 pm

Failure to Communicate by Kaia Sonderby

I found Failure to Communicate to be a very awkward book. The writing was awkward, some of the situations were awkward, it was just not an enjoyable book to read. It was super obvious right from the start who the “bad guy” was. The end made absolutely no sense. I feel like I totally missed something because the resolution did not fit what happened. I just didn’t really like this book and don’t recommend it.

2 (out of 5) Stars

Books Read in 2020: 20
Pages Read in 2020: 5154
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Filed under Reason: LitHub Bingo, Science Fiction

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