Heartwood Hotel: A True Home by Kallie George

This book is so sweet!  

Mona the mouse has lost her home, again.  Alone and with only a suitcase she makes her way through the dark forest trying to find a safe place to wait out the storm.  Mona comes across a large tree with a heart carved in the bark.  When she puts her hands on the heart to inspect it more closely, because it looks like the heart on her suitcase, a door swings open allowing Mona to enter the tree.  Mona hasn't just found a refuge from the storm, she has found the Heartwood Hotel, a place where all animals are welcome to rent a room for the night. 

Unfortunately for Mona, it's the annual Acorn Festival and all the rooms are taken.  Luckily the owner, Mr. Heartwood the badger, agrees to let Mona stay the night with one of the maids in exchange for her help cleaning up after the festival.  When Mona goes to leave the next day, Mr. Heartwood asks her to stay on through their busy season, much to the dismay of the current maid Tilly.  Joy quickly turns to disappointment as Mona is bossed around and teased by Tilly.  

When danger comes to the Heartwood Hotel, it's up to Mona to be brave and save all of her new found friends. 

This is such a cute story of friendship and found families.  Mona is so much smaller than everyone else at the hotel but her desire to fit in and prove herself makes her the bravest of them all.  At 162 pages, at least for my edition, it would be great for young readers Grade 3 and up or an advanced Grade 2 reader.  While there is a threat of bears and wolves, no animals are harmed in the story so you can reassure your sensitive readers.  This is also the first book in the series so if your reader enjoys Mona's adventures, there are two more books available.  

You can get your copy here:

Heartwood Hotel, Book 1 A True Home

By Kallie George

Buy on Amazon

Rebound by Kwame Alexander

Library copy of Rebound, available now from Kwame Alexander.

From the Publisher:

Before he's Chuck "Da Man" Bell, proud father of Jordan and Josh Bell, Charlie is a kid who dreams of basketball glory.  In his mind, he can steal, jump, dunk, and make the crowd go wild just like a pro baller.   But when tragedy strikes, Charlie can't help but make all the wrong moves.  Will a series of missteps keep him benched, or can he learn how to rebound?

The first book by Kwame Alexander that I read was Solo.  I loved the characters in Solo.  They pulled you in to their lives and made you want to care about them.  That book was beautiful and heartbreaking and I couldn't put it down.  Rebound  is the follow-up to his book The Crossover, also on our YA shelf-and still on my TBR list and I guess I better go get that read so I can get this one started! 

You can get your copy here:

Rebound (The Crossover Series)

By Kwame Alexander

Buy on Amazon

Baby April

The Fat Farm welcomed its newest member Wednesday afternoon!  Baby Goat April was born while everyone was at work so we were very lucky there weren’t any complications.  April will be the first baby we’ve had here in almost 5 years. Unfortunately, just like with humans, not all pregnancies end with happy healthy babies.  

Baby April was born to Emily, The Kid’s first 4-H show goat.  She has been such a good mother and it’s been fun having a new baby on the farm.  We've lucked out so far-it doesn't look like bottles are in our future.  Emily will be our only baby this year so I’m sure she’ll end pretty spoiled!

The Matchstick Castle from Keir Graff

The Matchstick Castle available now from Keir Graff.

From the Publisher:

Brian can think of a few places he'd rather spend his summer than with his aunt and uncle in Boring, Illinois.  Jail, for example.  Or an earplug factory.  Anything would be better than doing summer school on a computer while his scientist dad is stationed at the South Pole.  Boring lives up to its name until Brian and his cousin Nora have a fight, get lost, and discover a huge wooden house in the forest.  With balconies, turrets, and windows seeming stuck on at random, it looks ready to fall over in the next stiff breeze.  To the mad-cap eccentric family that lives inside, it's not just a home-it's a castle.  Suddenly, summer gets a lot more exciting.  With their new friends, Brian and Nora tangle with giant wasps, sharp-tusked wild boars, and a crazed bureaucrat intent on bringing the dangerously dilapidated old house down with a wrecking ball.  

This sounds so fun!  This book was selected as an Illinois Reads 2018 selection and I just got it in for my Youth Department.  It was actually published last year and I'm glad I was able to add it my growing middle grades section.  The cover is absolutely delightful and wouldn't it be amazing to wander through the woods and come across a castle that looks like that? And how does that boat end up on top?  So many questions! 

You can get your copy here:

The Matchstick Castle

By Keir Graff

Buy on Amazon

Wrong to Need You by Alisha Rai

I mean, that cover!  

Wrong to Need You, book #2 in the Forbidden Hearts series is the steamy follow up to her book Hate to Want You.  Both books are amazing and I can't wait to get my hands on the third book, Hurts to Love You which just came out last week.  I listened to so many people rave about the first book and the author that I had to find out what was causing such a fuss.  They were all correct-the author and the book are both incredible.  I first heard about Alisha on episode 271 of Smart Podcast Trashy Books which caused me to look like an idiot while walking the dogs in the hay field all while constantly giggling.  Alisha is also a great person to follow on social-I follow her on Twitter.  

So, the book.  It's not entirely necessary to read #1 before reading #2 but it's also an amazing book so just read it first.  

Jackson Kane is back in town after years of traveling the world and avoiding his family.  Between a false accusation, family drama, and small town pettiness, Jackson had good reason to stay away.  But he came back for his twin sister Livvy and had no intention of staying for long.  After seeing his sister-in-law Sadia, who is now a widow, he realizes that his feelings from years ago never left.  Unfortunately for him, Sadia lets loose ten years of anger and frustration at his lack of communication both when his nephew was born and when his brother died. 

Sadia also does not have time to deal with an incredibly handsome older version of her former best friend.  Between being a restaurant owner, part-time bartender, and full-time single mom, Sadia doesn't have time for anything.  But her restaurant needs a new chef and it just so happens that is what Jackson has been doing for the last decade-traveling the world with his successful pop-up restaurant business.  

Alisha Rai has this amazing ability to write incredibly real and authentic characters.  I spent most of the book nodding along with Sadia's character thinking, "Oh yes, I hear you!"  Being a mom is hard! Owning a business is challenging enough without having a second job on top of that.  Feeling guilty about wanting to take care of yourself-completely relatable.  I just love her characters.  I really loved the dynamics of the big families and all the drama that comes with them.  Sadia has a lot of sisters.  A lot.  All of them are beautiful and highly successful and more than willing to help out with taking care of their nephew.  But trying to balance everyone's expectations can be emotionally and physically draining. 

Jackson's family is very complicated.  Very.  

And steamy.  This book is so steamy! 

So Sadia finds life easier with Jackson working at the restaurant and Jackson finds being an uncle is actually a great gig.  When old secrets are revealed, both have to figure out how to handle the consequences and how to move forward.  

This book was amazing! Highly recommend! 

You can get your copy here:

Wrong to Need You: Forbidden Hearts

By Alisha Rai

Buy on Amazon

Hate to Want You: Forbidden Hearts

By Alisha Rai

Buy on Amazon

Hurts to Love You: Forbidden Hearts

By Alisha Rai

Buy on Amazon

Half World by Hiromi Goto

Inter-library loan copy of Half World by Hiromo Goto.

Some of the best books I’ve read lately have been recommended by people I’ve never met.  This one, for example, came from a member of a Facebook group for the Books & Brews podcast.  It’s a book that I never would have found on my own and probably would have passed up had I seen it.  It was also a simple post-here’s a book I like and has anyone else read it? Sometimes those low-key testimonials are the best endorsements for a book.  I tend to shy away from books that become too popular too fast. I haven’t read Gone Girl or The Girl on the Train.  They must be good-everyone else has read them.  Which is why I probably won’t. Make sense? I know it doesn’t.  It’s just how I am.

In Half World, we follow young Melanie on a life changing journey through the realms.  Melanie is always on the outside, lonely, unpopular, and living with her unstable mother.  Living on the edge of poverty and without any family, Melanie is barely hanging on to her mother who is spending more and more of her time drinking.  While trying to avoid the mean girls at school, Melanie finds herself at home in an empty apartment. Her mother, who barely leaves the apartment is now missing.  

Following a string of mysterious clues, Melanie learns of the three realms:  the Realm of Flesh, the Realm of Spirit, and Half World. With the help of a kind neighbor and her magical gifts, Melanie makes her way to Half World to find her mother.  Once there, Melanie finds a world of unlikely human-animal hybrids, impossible buildings, and nightmares come to life; a world ruled by the evil Mr. Glueskin. Melanie must believe in herself in order to find the strength to rescue her mother from the evil ruler and free all of those who are stuck in his vicious cycle of half living.

I’m not usually one for coming of age stories.  They tend to be overly sweet and angsty. This one really hit the right balance for me.  Melanie is fourteen. She’s overweight, unpopular, and not the best at school. Yet, she is still able to find her way to another realm, defeat every obstacle that comes her way-barely, and save the world.  It’s the barely part that I appreciate. She nearly gives up over and over again.

In to YA Fantasy?  Try this one out. It doesn’t disappoint.  

The City on the Other Side by Mairghread Scott and Robin Robinson

Available from First Second Books on April 24, 2018!

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. 

There isn't much  that makes me happier than seeing strong female lead characters in a kid's graphic novel. Set after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, Isabel is raised to become a proper little lady by her emotionally detached mother. Isabel would like to stay in the city surrounded by familiar sights instead of heading off to the country to stay with her artist father.  She would also like a little adventure, a little independence, and to get her hands dirty once in a while.  Her first night spent alone at her father's house doesn't end up a lesson in loneliness and patience, but instead lands Isabel on a journey that tests her bravery.  

Isabel meets her first faerie, a Seelie messenger on a mission to deliver an important and magical necklace.  After becoming gravely injured, Isabel is tasked with continuing the mission with the help of Button, a sort of mushroom-looking faerie.  Together, they travel through both sides of the veil to outrun the Unseelie guards and to find the mysterious Miyori who is believed to be able to change the course of the war.  Along the way, Isabel and Button befriend a human thief named Benji who is living on the faerie side of the veil.  Throughout all the twists and turns, dangers and fears, Isabel and her two friends work together to finish out their mission.  

A fun adventure story with relatable characters and beautiful artwork, City on the Other Side, is a great read for younger children.  The story moves on quickly enough to keep kids interested and Button's humorous character keeps the story from becoming too dark.  

The City on the Other Side

By Mairghread Scott

Buy on Amazon

Church of Marvels by Leslie Parry

Illinois Reads is an initiative by the Illinois Reading Council to encourage readers of all ages to try out books by Illinois authors.  Contrary to popular belief, Illinois does have some positives.  We have amazing state parks-not necessarily well funded, but beautiful, you can experience all four seasons within a day, and we have great authors.  Leslie Parry is one of them. 

I typically spend most of my time reading through the children's selection of the Illinois Reads list.  I mean, there's a lot of books to get through and I do have to plan the events that go along with the books for the Library.  But this book from the Adult list looked too good to pass up.  It's amazing! It's completely bananas!  It's also completely engrossing and beautifully written.  There are so many twists that spoilers are very difficult to avoid.  

Odile and Bella Church are twin sisters raised amongst the lights and noise of the circus.  Surrounded by colorful characters, the talented twins grow up to be strong and independent young women until tragedy destroys their family. 

Sylvan was found as a small child, alone and ill in a cellar.  Raised by his rescuers, he faces loss and struggle throughout his early life.  Now as a young man, he finds an infant in a privy.  Barely alive, the baby stirs in Sylvan a sense of duty and protectiveness that he didn't know he had. 

Alphie, a young woman in a strained marriage, wakes up confused and scared in a mental asylum.  Thinking it has to be her overbearing mother-in-law, she waits for her husband to come rescue her.  While at the asylum, she meets a beautiful but extraordinary young woman who will be vital to her continued survival.  

The characters were so well written-each one with a story that is both tragic and inspiring in some way.   Odile and Bella grew up as performers in The Church of Marvels, a Coney Island sideshow that is owned by their mother.  Surrounded by performers, lions, and thrill-seeking crowds, their world is turned upside down after a tragic fire.  When Bella leaves shortly after learning of their mother's death, Odile firmly believes she'll return home soon.  But months go by and there is no word from Bella.  Using what little clues Bella left behind, Odile meets Sylvan, a young man who is also looking for her sister.  After learning her sister may have had a child, Odile becomes even more intent on finding her sister. 

Meanwhile, Alphie has worked hard to survive on the streets of NYC.  Once she marries her soul mate, she believes her life can only become better.  But her oppressive mother-in-law has other plans for the woman who is definitely not good enough for her son.   Snide comments about her choice in clothing, food, and a lack of a first born child make Alphie's newlywed days very grim.  It's after Alphie hatches a plot to give her mother-in-law a grandchild, that Alphie's life becomes even more unbearable. 

There are so many spoilers in this book that it's hard to discuss without ruining the ending.   This book was both absolutely amazing and bizarre.  How the author was able to weave the different story lines together to create this novel is beyond me.  Each situation the characters find themselves in becomes more complex and fantastic but still manages to remain completely plausible.  Highly enjoyable and an incredible read.  Definitely recommend! 

Church of Marvels: A Novel

By Leslie Parry

Buy on Amazon

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

One of the most gorgeous covers!

The cover!  This is a gorgeous book and has one of the prettiest set of endpapers I've ever seen.  I'm trying to find a way to display it face out because it deserves better than to be hidden on a shelf.

The Hazel Wood lived up to all the hype.  A book of mysterious and dark fairytales that creates and destroys a family fortunes and causes a decades long family rift will also lead Alice Crewes on a deadly adventure to discover who she truly is.  

Alice Crewes and her mother Ella spend close to two decades moving from one friend's guest room to the next.  Crisscrossing the country and leaving behind a wake of bad luck, Alice and her mother never return to the Hazle Wood, her Grandmother's mythical mansion bought at the peak of her career.  After disappearing for an unknown period of time during the 1960's, Alice's grandmother Althea publishes a collection of dark fairy tales that becomes a successful best seller. The book creates a cult following, especially after it was turned in to a film.  However, in the present day, there are very few copies of the book and Alice has never read the book herself and her mother does all she can to keep it that way.

When Alice and her mother receive a letter about Althea's death, they both believe that their lives will change for the better.  Ella marries the wealthy Harold in order to provide Alice with a comfortable life. Along with her snotty new stepsister, Alice is now living in a luxurious apartment and attending an expensive private school.  But Alice is still on the outside and is wary of all friendships and questions why another student, Ellery Finch, would try to be friends.

After returning home from school, Alice finds the apartment empty and smelling suspicious.  Having no one else to turn to, she goes to Ellery for help. After returning to the apartment with Ellery, she is confronted by her gun wielding stepfather and a very irritated step sister-but no mother.  Convinced her mother has been kidnapped, Alice sets out to save her.

Alice and Ellery find themselves facing the Hinterland-a mythical gang of fairytale characters who want Alice.  Alice is now faced with an enemy that she knows nothing about but that her family is intricately tied to.

Throughout her adventure, A lice has to rely on Ellery for his knowledge of the fairytales and his seemingly bottomless wallet.  There are a few points where you have to suspend belief to allow the teenagers to do what they do, but it’s also a book about evil fairy tales coming to life.  So. You know.

Alice and Ellery have a very interesting relationship.  It’s very hard to determine if one is using the other-and this changes directions over and over again.  Of all the random books, Ellery is obsessed with Tales from the Hinterland.  That reminded me of Lev Grossman’s The Magicians.  A favorite childhood book that leads to a world that isn’t quite what they hoped it would be.  

I wish I had better lighting and knew something about photography so you could see how beautiful these end papers are! 

Overall, I loved this book.  It is fast paced and full of complex characters and feels very much like it could be the start of a series.  

The Hazel Wood: A Novel

By Melissa Albert

Buy on Amazon

The Girl with the Red Balloon by Katherine Locke

The Girl with the Red Balloon available now from Katherine Locke

Yes, it also requires many flags.

Fantasy novels are supposed to make you rethink your surroundings.  Magical doorways, fairy circles, talking animals, and superpowers can all be found in our everyday lives masked by the ordinary.  Will you travel through time by walking up the back staircase? Can eating the perfect apple freshly picked from the tree lead to magical sleep?

Will holding a red balloon transport you through time? If you happen to be visiting the Berlin Wall in Germany while on a school trip, beware the red balloons.  

Growing up, Ellie Baum listened to her Grandfather tell the story of how he was rescued from a Nazi death camp by a magical red balloon.  Ellie always played the story off as fantasy and while visiting Germany herself on a class trip, she sees a beautiful red balloon and knows she needs a photo of herself with it.  But once she touches the balloon, she finds herself far away from the Berlin Wall Memorial, and at the Wall itself. Now in 1988 Berlin, Ellie meets Kai and Mitzi, two balloon runners who use the magical balloons to help people escape to West Berlin.  But how did Ellie get here? Where is the original balloon passenger? Who is tampering with the balloons and why?

This book was completely absorbing and incredibly well written.  I loved how quickly the story moved-the action was constantly moving.  The relationships between the characters was very relatable. How do you handle wanting to pursue a relationship or, even a friendship, when you're constantly trying to find your way home?  Through Ellie's discussions with her new friends and the flashbacks to her grandfather, there was a lot of Jewish history that was new to me. At one point, her grandfather Benno is telling the story of the Exodus to his future rescuer, Aurora.  After hearing the story of the Exodus, she complains that Jewish stories are sad and why aren't there any happy stories? Benno tells her, "I've told you two stories that end in freedom," I protested.  "How much happier could you ask for? I just loved that quote.

I really enjoyed this book and cannot recommend it highly enough.  I'm not a highlighter or underliner, but this book had more sticky flags in it than any other book I've read in a long time.  

The Girl with the Red Balloon (The Balloonmakers)

By Katherine Locke

Buy on Amazon

The Diviners by Libba Bray

Library copy of The Diviners by Libba Bray.  I know.  The tape.  I wanted to fix it but it's just not done.  Librarian Code. 

I found my Podcast soulmates!  Joscelyn and Pam host the Books & Brews Podcast which is the combination of my two favorite things, books and beers. It is such a fun listen-these gals love their books!  And, they're Canadian.  Bonus.  Except I can't find some of the beers that they discuss.  Maybe someday I'll have to take another trip up north.  This podcast has made morning chores far more enjoyable and has caused my TBR to topple.  You can find out more about these ladies and listen to their podcast on this book here:

What pairs well with a book about flappers, dance clubs, possessed children, teenagers with powerful magical gifts, and a murderer from beyond the grave? BEER! We dive into Libba Bray's The Diviners, with tasty brews from a magical Strange Fellows and Parkside Brewery collab. We had a LOT to say about this book (in case you can't tell). Hang onto your headbands... this one is pos-i-tute-ly awesome!

Seriously, check them out.  They're a blast!

The Diviners was an extremely fun and fast read considering it clocks in at a whopping 578 pages.  We follow Evangeline "Evie" O'Neill, the wealthy socialite daughter of the Secretary of the Zenith Women's Temperance Society and the town's most successful car dealer.  After getting caught spreading some unwelcome truth about the town's Golden Boy, our partry-loving Evie is shipped off to New York City to live with her bachelor Uncle Will.  Why her parents send her from Ohio to NYC, during Prohibition no less, to get Evie out of trouble is beyond me-but it makes for some really entertaining reading.  Her family is still dealing with death of Evie's older brother James who was serving in the war years before.  Within minutes of departing her train, Evie encounters Sam Lloyd, a young scam artist who steals $20 from Evie and becomes personally acquainted with her knee. 

Smart girl.

Along with his assistant Jericho Jones, Uncle Will is the owner of the Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult.  Full of mysterious objects ranging from spirit photographs to poppet dolls, the only thing the museum lacks is paying visitors.  

Once in the city, Evie meets up with her childhood best friend Mable and goes on to spend her time partying, shopping, and touring the city.  Along the way she meets up with an array of new friends:  an up-and-coming star Theta and her piano playing "brother" Henry, Memphis the number runner, and Sam comes back into picture.  This time though, he's working for Uncle Will.  All of these friends have one thing in common-every one of them has a special gift that they keep hidden.  We learn that they are all "Diviners," people with unique supernatural gifts that are as different as the people who have them.  

When Uncle Will is approached by Detective Malloy to help investigate an unsual murder, Evie charms her way on to the scene.  After accidentally using her gift, Evie comes in possession of clues that will become vital to the investigation.  Evie and her friends become an important part in taking down a sadistic cult and a crazed spirit, all while dodging police raids and pesky newspaper reporters.  But no more spoilers, promise.

There was so much that went on in this book.  I really enjoyed all the characters, and I'm curious to see how much more we learn about the actual history of the Diviners and the stories of all the side characters in the upcoming books.  The setting of Prohibition Era NYC was a lot of fun.  All of the glitzy outfits and the speakeasies and dancing girls.  It seemed like everyone was living in an apartment or hotel of some kind so there were several times that a well placed fire escape came in handy.  This book reminded me of Lev Grossman's The Magicians- a group of young adults who never met before have to come together to defeat a dark magical element all while partying their little hearts out. 

Excellent start to a series and highly recommend!   

The Diviners

By Libba Bray

Buy on Amazon

Ambitions

Most of the 2018 Rebecca Caudill Master List.

Last week, I finally put in the order for the 2018 Rebecca Caudill books I didn't already have on the shelf. Every one of these books looks amazing and now my TBR has been increased, again.  

Rebecca Caudill was an award winning children's author.  Born in Kentucky in 1899, she became a well-educated teacher and writer, earning a bachelor's degree from Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia and a Master's degree from Vanderbilt University.  Her first published children's book went on to become a Junior Library Guild selection.  

Each year schools, teachers, students, school librarians and media specialists and public librarians nominate books to be evaluated by the Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Book Award Evaluator's Committee.  Those nominations are then whittled down to the 20 book Master List that is released each year.  There are many rules about what books can be nominated, such as publication dates, the person nominating the books has to have read it, and all books must appeal to children in grades 4-8.  

While re-shelving last year's books to make way for the new, I noticed several repeat authors.  I have more reading to do before I commit to how I feel about that.  Diversity in authors is always welcome-in fact, it's necessary for a well curated collection.  

It's my goal to read through the entire 2018 Master List this year.  You'll see my favorites in Chick Picks as they get read.  

Alien by David Michael Slater

Thank you to Netgalley for the chance to read and review this title.

The Mattigan family is off on another adventure! This time to debunk the existence of J-Rod, an escaped alien from Area 51.  While Marcus Mattigan is off to Area 51 to meet Colonel Michael Blanchard to prove the disappearance of the base’s missing alien is false, the children head off on their adventure to rescue J-Rod themselves.  With big sister Maddie acting as group leader, the twins Max and Theo go on an adventure that includes a Las Vegas casino, an alien convention, and a fifth-wheel camper. 

There is just enough sibling squabbling to keep the dialogue real and just enough suspended belief to allow the story to work.  Kids running loose in a Vegas casino? A child hiding out in the camper while Dad drives to the secret military base? It’s just kooky enough to keep kids interested.  The interactions between the siblings were just right-not too sweet and not too snarky.  This was a fun read for kids who are just starting out with chapter books and doesn’t contain any offensive language or violence. 

This book is available on March 12, 2018 from Incorgnito Publishing Press. 

Favorite Reads

When I found out I was pregnant with my son, it was mid-summer and that odd  gardening time where there isn't much to do but wait and let things grow.  I was still a teacher then and had plenty of time to myself.  I also needed to take things easy for a few weeks.

So I read. A lot.

I think I plowed through every Amanda Quick, Jayne Ann Krentz, and Jayne Castle book the Library owned at the time.  All three names belong to the same author and they cover her different writing styles.  

Amanda Quick is the named used for her historical novels.  I love these-they are everything that a historical romance should be.  Gorgeous dress descriptions, society rules, rakes and ruined women.  Her latest, The Girl Who Knew Too Much, was set in 1930's California and was an absolute delight to read. 

Just a few Library copies of Amanda Quick's best novels. 

Jayne Ann Krentz writes contemporary romance, mysteries, and thrillers.  Many of her books take place on the northwest coast, especially in Washington state.  Her books always contain a smart and independent female lead.

Absolutely, Positively love All Night Long

Jayne Castle books are my favorite.  These are sci-fi/fantasy reads that are set in the future.  The Harmony series is one of my favorites.  Humans find an energy veil/rift that they cross through to another world.  A world full of glowing stones, magical amber, and psychic abilities.  And dustbunnies.  Lots of dustbunnies.  

I think she has a type

Many of her books are written as series, giving you time to watch the characters really grow and develop.  Her series that include all three pen names are my favorites.  It's fun as a reader to find clues written in the historical novel that leads to solving the puzzle in the futuristic novels.  

Who is your favorite author?

The Magic Garden by Lemniscates

Available in the US on March 6. 

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The Magic Garden is a beautifully illustrated story about what we can find in nature if we only take time to look.   Informative and with language that is both simple and descriptive, children are introduced to the plants and animals that live outside. 

This book could be taken apart page by page and framed.  The colors are beautiful and the drawings are deceptively simple.  Just gorgeous!

Different kind of Farm Baby...

I get excited about all babies! 

It's not unusual to see slugs in our feed bins,  They especially like the chicken feed-no idea why.  When I find one nearly buried in chicken feed, I scoop him out and stick him out in the flowers.  Never before have I seen them eating the horse feed-or bring a buddy.  Especially a buddy this small.  They were going to town on that chunk of feed and it felt wrong to disturb their lunch so in the shed they stayed. 

Read Across America Day!

Today's the day to grab your favorite kid and read them a book! Since we're celebrating Dr. Seuss' birthday, why not try one of his classics. 

Fox in Socks, Horton and the Kwuggerbug: and more lost stories, and of course, The Cat in the Hat!

Want some really funny books? Try Ame Dyckman.

Horrible Bear!, You Don't Want to a Unicorn!, and Wolfie the Bunny. 

Want some fun children's nonfiction?

Maybe Something Beautiful, The World is not a Rectangle, and Radiant Child. 

Me?  I have a huge stack that I'm anxious to get through.  Here's part of it. 

When you can't decide, you buy them all! 

What will you read today?

The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter

I know, I'm rough on paperbacks. 

Book #1 in the Long Earth series.

The Long Earth opens with three of our most important characters.  Private Percy, a British soldier who finds himself in a field far away from the war.  Joshua Valiente, a newborn just birthed in a field.  I, who lives long ago on a shadow of our North America.  We learn very quickly of the Long Earth-our Earth has become/has always been multidimensional.  With the help of a device called a Step Box, which was invented by the mysterious Willis Linsay, people are able to “step” east or west to a different dimension of Earth. The step box only works for the individual who completes its’ construction and because this book has Terry Pratchett as an author, it’s powered by a potato.  Yep.  Potato.   I love it.

We follow Joshua on his journey with an AI named Lobsang, across more steps than anyone has ever taken before.  There are trolls, variations of every animal imaginable, untouched landscapes, and lands devastated by disaster.   Along the way, Joshua meets Sally Linsay, the daughter of the step box inventor, but it’s where Joshua meets her that is significant.  And the little fact that Sally has been stepping long before anyone else.  And that Private Percy?  He was a soldier from the first world war, presumed dead in battle, and then mysteriously shows up decades later still in his uniform and mumbling about Russians.  Another natural stepper?  How many are there?

Across the many Long Earths, people set out to find their fortunes on untouched worlds while others are left behind because they are physically unable to step.  We learn that government will always be government.  Starting a new life four earths over? That’s still owned by your home country and yeah, you’re paying taxes on it.  Can humans make a new life amongst trolls and unidentifiable species?  What happens to the people left behind?  Will humans destroy a new earth just like they’ve done to our original, Datum Earth? How far should humans go? How far can they go?  Who is I?  How was I created?  Is I influencing all of the Long Earths?

Mysteries.  

This book was so good.  I really liked how the Long Earth was explained within the first few pages so that you can just go along with the story and not have to try and wrap your head around dimensional travel.  It’s more about the characters and human behavior than physics.  It’s a slightly older book, from 2012, but it’s new to me and now I have to wait for book #2 to come so I can keep going.