Amy's Book Review: 

Eddie the Elephant and the Pirate Treasure

-by Colin Ridyard

Eddie the Elephant and the Pirate Treasure is the second book in the Eddie the Elephant picture book series.

Eddie is invited to a Beach Party in which there is a lot of food and even an elephant-proof bouncy castle. He and Jackie go to the party with Jackie’s parents, Mummy and Daddy. But at the beach, it starts raining, so Eddie, Jackie, Mummy, and Daddy go to a museum in which the four see a pirate with a closed treasure box. 

Daddy says that the pirate and his team would have hidden the treasure if that pirate was even real, which he said it wasn’t. Despite what Daddy said, Eddie still thought that the pirate was real. So when they came out, Jackie and Eddie started digging to find the hidden treasure. Can they find the treasure? Read this book to find out!

I recommend this book for children 3+ as it is a fun and easy-to-understand picture book.

I give this book 5/5 stars as it is a great read.

-Amy

P.S. I would love to read more by the author Collin Ridyard.

  

Amy's Book Review: 

Princess for a Day

-by Pragya Tomar

Princess for a Day is about Bina Trunk. One night, she sees a show about a princess. So the next day, she makes herself look like the princess. After breakfast, Bina and her brother Babu go to Grandma Trunk’s tea shop.

Pretending to be a princess doesn't allow Bina to be herself. Will she realize this soon and help her grandparents and play with her friends? Read this book to find out!
The illustrations are very colorful and the cover is beautiful. The illustrator has done a wonderful job on all the pictures and the cover.
I recommend this book for children 3+ as it is fun and easy to read.
I give this book 5/5 stars as it teaches us to be ourselves.
Happy reading!
-Amy
P.S. I would love to read more by this author.

     

Ayan's Book Review
Monster Problems

-by Jason R Lady

Monster Problems by Jason R Lady is an engaging middle-grade read.

Brad Micheal is a normal kid who loves to draw. When he receives a pen delivered by a mysterious black crow, he feels compelled to draw with it, so he draws a picture of a Daley-Destroyer, a monster that can destroy Brad’s annoying little brother. But the pen Brad was using turned out to be a magic pen...and the monster turned real. Can Brad and his friends save Daley, defeat the Daley-Destroyer, and protect the magic pen...all before it’s too late? Join Brad in this captivating escapade to find out!

The pacing of this book is awesome, and the book gets more and more suspenseful as you read through it.

I recommend this book as a read-aloud for 5+ and as a reader for 7+ as I think it will be easy even for younger readers.

I give this book 5/5 stars as it’s sure to glue your hands to the book.

Happy reading!

-Ayan

P.S. It would be good if you read this book first and then its prequel (Super Problems) to better understand the story.

     

Ayan's Book Review
The Verdigris Pawn

-by Alysa Wishingrad

The Verdigris Pawn by Alyssa Wishingard is a fantastic middle-grade novel that is hard to put down.

Beau is the heir to the throne, and trouble is brewing. Evidence of the talk of rebellion has been coming up, a charmer is supposedly using natural disasters to create havoc, and people are forced to send their children to work due to high taxes. Beau doesn’t know about any of this until a nursemaid informs him. Seeking to fix this, he sets out to try his hand at killing three birds with one stone.

This book is similar to The Kingdom of Secrets as both have a kingdom with the notion of a rebellion that the main character sets out to investigate.

This book’s plot is suspenseful right from the start and kept me captivated till the end. But in the middle, there’s a surprising set of plot-twists…

I recommend this book as a read-aloud for 9+ and as a reader for 10+ as there were some scenes at the end that younger readers might not be able to handle.

I give this book 5/5 stars as it’s a great middle-grade read.

    

Ayan's Book Review
One if by Land, Two if by Submarine

-by Eileen Schnabel

Are you ready for an action, adventure, and time-travel book? One if by Land, Two if by Submarine by Eileen Schnabel is one such middle-grade novel.

For Kep Westguard, the Revolutionary War reenactment camp was torture. But that was nothing compared to when he, Max, Tela, and T.J. were sent back in time to the beginning of the real revolution. 

They have to take place of Paul Revere, who was kidnapped by another time-traveler determined to crush America. They face test after test, facing the British army to freeing a captured teammate. Can they battle the British, get the message to Lexington and Concord, and warn Hancock and Adams…before it’s too late? Read this book to find out!

This book teaches about the American Revolution in such a way that you won’t even know you’re learning in the process! You can use this book in school or at home, as a history supplement while doing reading.

The themes in this book include courage, friendship, and patriotism. 

I recommend this book as a read-aloud for 8+ and as a reader for 10+, as the book has war and other topics that might be hard for younger readers.

I give this book 5/5 stars as it’s a captivating time-travel novel.

Happy reading!

-Ayan

    

Ayan's Book Review
Kingdom of Secrets

-by Christyne Morrell

Oren seems to be a normal kingdom. Built on a valley, it had a large wall around it, like a city wall. But on the inside, it had more secrets than you could imagine.

Prismena Reece, the balloonist’s daughter, is tinkering with some odds and ends when Abigail Smeade steals her mother’s scarf. The scarf is the only remnant of Prismena’s mother that she has, so she strikes a deal with Abigail: in return for the scarf, she would send a box to Tulera (another kingdom). Sounds simple, but this trade would not leave them unchanged.

The themes in this book include friendship, trust, and family relations. This book uses these themes to amplify the pacing of the story.

The pacing in this book develops quickly from the inciting incident right in the first chapter all the way to the climax and even in the resolution.

I recommend this book as a read-aloud for 8+ and as a reader for 10+.

I give this book 4.8/5 stars as the end had a few unexplained questions. Well, that didn't stop me from enjoying this book, and I really hope there will be a sequel. I absolutely love it and would love to read more books by the author.

Happy reading!

-Ayan

   

Ayan's Book Review
The King's Ransom

-by Cheryl Carpinello

You know what, if Prince Gavin hadn’t alerted his friends of the Wild Man’s arrest, Sir Lancelot may well have lost his life.

Gavin, Phillip, and Bryan were all great friends of the Wild Man and all shocked when he was accused of committing murder and heisting a priceless jewel—the King’s Ransom. Fueled by the disbelief of the Wild Man’s capture, the three embark on a quest to find the real criminal. None of them will remain unchanged.

The themes in this book include friendship, loyalty, and trust. I find that when these themes are used together, they combine to give a powerful message; that’s one of the things that led me to love this book.

The plot in this book combines with the pace to give a vivid experience as if you were the point of view. Besides, it’s written in omniscient, so you’ll know where the bad guys are, but the good guys won’t!

I recommend this book as a read-aloud for 5+ and as a reader for 8+.

I give this book 5/5 stars as it’s a highly engaging middle-grade read.

Happy reading!

-Ayan

         

Amy's Book Review: 

Beyond the Birch

-by Torina Kingsley

Do you like action and adventure books as I do? Then you'll definitely enjoy this book.

Beyond the Birch is about Macy and her friend, Jay. Macy is a farmer’s daughter, and Jay is a shopkeeper’s son. Being a farmer’s daughter, she takes care of her father’s sheep and his horses. But one of the sheep, Slip, keeps escaping, and her mother, Laurel, has to go on after Slip.

A librarian told Macy and Jay about bad guys, Faeries, who took the place of humans and would have to sacrifice anything to a birch tree. The human will turn into some creature or thing or animal. If a Faerie misses giving an item to the birch tree that Faerie will turn back into its original form. If they kill the actual person, that Faerie will become a human. But if you catch a Faerie lying, its eyes will turn ruby red. And if you touch a birch tree, solve a riddle, and sing it aloud, Faeries will be banished from Earth until the spell wears out.

One night, Macy takes a ride on her horse to the woods her mother, Laurel, always found Slip in. She sees a woman burying a necklace in the dirt near a birch tree. When the woman glances up, Macy sees that she is Laurel, her mother. After that encounter, Macy thinks her mother is a Faerie. Is Macy correct? Is her mother actually a Faerie? If not, where is Macy’s real mom? Read this amazing chapter book to find out!

I recommend this book for children 7+ as there are parts young children might not understand.

I give this book 5/5 stars as it is a great read.

Happy reading!

-Amy