A Bookworm's Book Reviews

Dazzle the Dinosaur – Marcus Pfister

Title: Dazzle the Dinosaur

Author and Illustrator: Marcus Pfister

Genre: Children’s Book, Picture Book

Plot: Dazzle and and Maia are little dinosaurs who are the best of friends. But Dazzle has always stood out from the other dinosaurs. He has a sail on his back that shines and glitters. One day Maia and Dazzle are playing and get separated from everyone else. While they’re playing, a Dragonsaurus finds the two little dinosaurs. Dazzle and Maia hid in a cave. Then they have an idea. Dazzle can use his shiny scales to scare away the Dragonsaurus. Will it work? Can Dazzle and Maia find their way home?

Rating: 4.2 – a cute story about being brave and smart

Opinion: I loved this book growing up, as I was one of those kids who loved all things dinosaurs. I loved Dazzle’s shiny scales. This was a cute book and it still is now. It’s book that lets kids know it’s okay to be different. It shows them ways to be brave, too. The book shows how to use your differences to be brave. It’s got beautiful drawings and a good message. It’s not one of this author’s more famous books, but still a great book to have.It’s a great book to have in the classroom or at home. Great for a dinosaur lover or dinosaur classroom unit.

The Invisible String – Patrice Karst

Title: The Invisible String

Author: Patrice Karst

Illustrator: Joanne Lew-Vriethoff (new version), Geoff Stevenson (old version)

Genre: Children’s Book, Picture Book

Plot: Jeremy and Liza go wake up their mom because they miss someone who’s far away. Their mom explains that everyone’s connected by an invisible string made of love. It can stretch as far as the person is away. The string doesn’t go away if the person has past away. The string will never go away if they love someone.

Rating: 4.3 – a sweet story about how everyone’s connected

Opinion: This was one of the last books I got to read at the daycare. One of the kids was talking to their dad about it when they got dropped off. The family brought it to the daycare the next day. It was super sweet and I loved it. The kids seemed to connect with it, too. It’s a simple way to remind kids that no matter where someone is, that you’ll always be with them in their, and your, heart. I loved that the author added the fact that the string won’t disappear if someone passes away. This is a great story for kids who’ve moved away from family and friends or lost family. I’d recommend this book for a classroom or at home. Also while looking online, I found lots of activities to go with the book.

Darling Girl – Liz Michalski

Title: Darling Girl

Author: Liz Michalski

Genre: Fantasy

Plot: Jane Darling is the granddaughter of Wendy Darling. The same Wendy who went to Neverland. In the present day, she’s the owner of a skincare company. Everything changes when she gets a call from her daughter, Eden, who’s been in a coma for 10 years. When Jane gets to Eden’s care home, Eden’s vanished. Now Jane’s got to find her, but not sure who she can trust. Trying to be discreet, Jane hires a private detective, Christopher Cooke, who turns out to have a hook for a hand. Jane’s trusts even others less when she sees signs of Peter Pan again. And he’s not as nice as the stories will tell you. Will Jane be able to find Eden in time? Can Christoper Cooke be trusted? Or will Peter Pan keep what he wants?

Rating: 3.5 – an interesting take on Peter Pan

Opinion: This was an interesting story. I’ve always liked the idea of Peter Pan as a kid. Now I see him as immature and bratty. This idea took Peter Pan as more of a bad guy, and as a bratty kid in a grown up body. It was interesting mystery because you can guess who did it, but the author gives minor clues at other characters to throw for a little bit but all of the clues still point to who really did it. The main thing was finding out where Eden was being hidden away. Overall, this was not a bad story, just kind of slow. There were some minor plots that didn’t really go anywhere but still got wrapped up at the end. I was also kind of hoping it be closer to the original story but it’s not. This is an interesting story for those who like Peter Pan.

Guest Post – The Elephant Whisperer

Thank you Shannon of Happy Life Safari for this review.

Title: The Elephant Whisperer

Author: Lawrence Anthony

Genre: Biography / Animal Conservation

Plot: Telling his true story about how a herd of elephants changed his life, animal conservationist, Lawrence Anthony, was asked to take 9 elephants on his Zululand reserve “Thula Thula”. Due to the nature of these rogue elephants, Lawrence was the herds last chance of survival. With the turn of each page, you discover how wonderful these creatures are, and how through the work of Lawrence Anthony, how important animal conservation is.

Opinion: With the assistance of journalist Graeme Spence, this story is told in a way that makes you feel you are standing within the reserve and experiencing the elephant’s emotions with Lawrence Anthony. You cannot help but want to research this story further after you finish reading the last page. I am hoping to head to ‘Thula Thula’ in the next couple of years to see the herd and feel the magic I did throughout this story, and Lawrence Anthony’s other stories of animal rescue and conservation.

All the Light We Cannot See – Anthony Doerr

Title: All the Light We Cannot See

Author: Anthony Doerr

Genre: Historical Fiction

Plot: Marie-Laurie is a 12 year old blind girl in 1942 in Paris. Her father works at the Museum of Natural History. They both flea to Saint Malo when the Nazis occupy Paris. They find shelter with Marie-Laurie’s great uncle Etienne. Her father returns to Paris after some time when he feels it’s safer, but disappears. After much convincing, Etienne and Marie-Laurie help with Saint Malo’s resistance movement. But with the Nazis occupying Saint Malo, how long will their help in the resistance? Will they be caught? Or can they survive?

Werner Pfenning is an orphan living with his sister, Junta, in a orphanage in a small mining town in Germany. He’s wary of the growing Nazi party. He has a knack for fixing radios which gains the notice of the commanders in the Hitler Youth. Werner goes through military training and soon is sent to the front. His job is to help find resistance movements using his skills as a radio station finder. He knows he can’t get out of the service easy, and doesn’t love what he’s doing. Slowly he starts delaying finding radio signals. Near the end of the war, Werner finds himself in Saint Malo. He knows about Marie-Laurie’s signal but delays telling anyone about it. What will happen when they meet? Will both survive?

Rating: 3.5 – a good story about ordinary people in WW2

Opinion: This was a great book. I can see why everyone loves it. I really enjoyed learning about more about the resistance moments during WW2. It was also nice to see more about ordinary people during WW2. Though I found the book a little dull in some parts. It was a little long for me. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the time jumps back and forth. I felt like one or two of the characters weren’t as necessary for as much of the plot as they were in. They were annoying for me. But overall I really did enjoy the plot. I did like how the author wrapped up everyone’s storyline at the end. That was one of the few times I didn’t mind the time jumps. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves historical fiction.

Guest Post – The Tidewater Bride

Thank you Daphne of Free at 50 for this review

Title: The Tidewater Bride

Author: Laura Frantz

Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance

Plot: Selah Hopewell is young by today’s standards but surprisingly unwed in 17th century Jamestowne, a couple decades after the “starving time” when the colonists are building a thriving community. This book focuses on the stage in Selah’slife when she is questionably alone, helping her family’s business, and active in the community, supporting the brides brought in from England to increase the population of the Tidewater region through marriage and family. It is the story of both her and a widower landowner, loosely based on Pocahontas’ husband John Rolfe.

Rating: 4.5 – The Tidewater Bride explains 17th century Virginia well.

Opinion: Romance books are not my go-to read. However, this is the second book by Laura Frantz I’ve read and more will be on my list! After 30 years working for others, I left corporate life to be a blogger. And moved. We left Michigan and came to Williamsburg Virginia because we love history. I can feel it all around me every day and Tidewater Bride was a book I had to read. Selah’s story, as the daughter of one of Jamestowne’sinitial entrepreneurs/colonists, weaves romance with history. The Hopewell family takes in a “bride,” and we watch the process of how the brides were courted and wed in 17th century Virginia. It spans several seasons, examining the relationship with “the naturals” including the powerful chief, and exposes family life and the political climate as well as the physical one in the Tidewater.

You can feel the humidity, hear the sounds along the James River, and experience the history by reading this book. I highly recommend it, especially if you are visiting our area- bring it with you as your vacation read!

Daisy Darker – Alice Feeney

This is an early release book I got from Book of the Month. It’ll be available on August 30.

Title: Daisy Darker

Author: Alice Feeney

Genre: Thriller

Plot: Daisy Darker is the youngest of three girls. She was born with a heart defect. Her family thinks she’s broken because of it. Everyone except her grandma. Her parents divorced when Daisy was young and her family’s drifted apart. After many years of avoiding each other, they finally meet up for their grandma’s birthday at her island home. Slowly their old routines and fights return. At the stroke of midnight, someone turns up dead. Then someone else dies an hour later. With no escape, the Darker family is stuck on the island with a killer. Who could it be? Will anyone escape alive?

Rating: 4.5 – an exciting murder mystery

Opinion: This was a great book. I was curious about who did it the whole time. I had my suspicion about who did it but was caught by complete surprise and the twist at the end. I’m sure I could’ve seen part of it coming by the hints throughout the book but I wasn’t looking at those hints. I got caught up in different clues. It’s easy to see why each of the family members could’ve done it because of all the disfunction. This book keeps you interested through the whole thing and leaves lots of clues and misleads about who could’ve done it. I’d read this book again to see if I can find all the hints again. This is a great book for anyone who loves a good mystery.

Guest Post – The Essential Habits of 6-Figure Bloggers

Thank you Daphne of Free at 50 for this review.

Title: The Essential Habits of 6-Figure Bloggers

Author: Sally Miller

Genre: Business

Plot: 17 entrepreneurs share the habits they’ve adopted and the reality behind becoming 6-figure bloggers. The format is each habit explained by the author and interviews of the entrepreneurs, one at a time.

Rating: 5 – The Essential Habits of 6-Figure Bloggers is grounded in reality and focuses on the work it takes to be successful as an online entrepreneur.

This is a book I keep on my nightstand! Motivation and inspiration grounded in reality, Sally Miller’s work is one of the best non-fiction books out there in the genre. We see it all the time as online entrepreneurs: the promises that we can “hit 6 figures” fast. The “secrets to 6 figures in 90 days” – right? Wrong. To have long-term, sustainable income, it takes time. The 17 success stories in Essential Habits share the habits it takes to get there. Miller asks each person several questions including how long it was from starting their blog/online business until they were getting $8,000/month consistently. Spoiler: no one said 30 days. Or even a few months. Some took years. Blogging and online entrepreneurship in general is a long game. If you want confirmation that you are ok in slowly and consistently building your business and seeking advice from those that have traveled the same road and “made it,” this book is for you!

The Unquiet Grave – Sharyn McCrumb

Title: The Unquiet Grave

Author: Sharyn McCrumb

Genre: Historical Fiction

Plot: Zona is a young woman in the late 1800’s. She’s a flirt and too trustworthy. At a young age she marries Erasmus “Trout” Shue, a man she barely knows and won’t share much of his past. Her mother cautions against it, but Zona won’t hear any of it. After their married, Trout won’t let her mother visit and Zona starts taking ill. Then, almost three months after their married, Zona dies. Trout swears she fell down the stairs, but he won’t let anyone else near her body. He also doesn’t seem too bothered that she’s gone. Zona’s mother is suspicious. Not long after she dies, Zona’s mother claims to have seen Zona’s ghost. Zona says her husband killed her. Her mother believes it and gets a lawyer to press charges. The corner finds some evidence to back up the charges. Will it be enough to convict Zona’s husband? Or will get away with it? If he even did anything?

Rating: 3.5 – interesting tale of a murder charge

Opinion: This was an interesting book. It wasn’t one of my favorites. While this story was interesting and had lots of interesting facts about West Virginia and some of the real people from there shortly after the Civil War, I didn’t love it. I understand why the author included some of the details, but there were too many irrelevant details and side stories. The author did do a good job switch back and forth between the lawyer and the mother. I thought the story would’ve focused more on the story leading up to the trial instead of side stories that provided details about the characters and how the court case was going to go. Instead the author focuses more on telling stories about some of the characters and the court proceedings. It’s a good story that has lots of details, too much for me though. I’d recommend this book for anyone who loves a book based on a real trial case and loves stories rich in detail.

White Shadow Trilogy – Paula Brackston & Trevor Brackston

Title: Book 1 – The Witch’s Knight

Authors: Paula Brackston, Trevor Brackston

Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction

Plot: Lady Gwen loves her people. When the Norman’s invade her Welsh town, she tries her best to protect them. It’s not enough for a lot of them. A village elder, Magmi, starts to tell Gwen of her unique heritage after the attack. Gwen learns she’s a witch and of her powers. On their way into town, her and her people meet a knight, known as Tudor. He offers her people protection. They sorely need it after a Norman lord wants to see Gwen dead. Tudor helps teach Gwen’s people how to defend themselves. One of Gwen’s guards was captured, then released. He shows his Norman captors they way to their hideout on the promise no one is hurt if he brings them Gwen. But he wishes to save them. Can he save them? Can Gwen and her people defend themselves? Can she and Tudor find a way to stay together?

Rhys Tudor is a former soldier turned bodyguard for a rich family’s kid. He helps the kid move into a hard to get into (even for a rich family) apartment. But a string of unusual murders has everyone on edge. Rhys’s charge’s family asks him to return home. When Rhys and his daughter are attacked, he brings her to the safety of the now empty apartment. Rhys thinks there’s a connection between the attacks and murders and looks into it. But is there a connection? Can Rhys keep everyone he loves safe? Of will whoever wants to harm him, kill him?

Rating: 4.3 – a fun blend of magic and historical fiction

Opinion: This was an interesting book. I like the idea of reincarnation and the book does a good take on it. I still love this author’s take on historical fiction, realistic fiction, and magic. This book kept me interested throughout the book. Everything was well paced. It’s a trilogy so not everything was explained fully. I wish one or two things in the first book were explained a little bit better. But I’ll have to wait until the next one comes out. No date has been announced yet. But I can’t wait until it comes out because the book it ended on a cliffhanger. Everything in the book did a good job leading up to the ending. Hopefully I’ll get the answers I need with the next two books.