Amy's Book Review: 

I...Am...Red Panda!

-by Stephanie J. Teer

I…Am…Red Panda! is a fantastic sequel to I…Am…Wolf!

I…Am…Red Panda! is about Cassidy, who has just brought her red panda out of the portal and named her Red. Cassidy's best friend, Gabby, has an older brother, David. David’s friend, Dorian, has brought out his own panda, Spark. 

In one surprising incident, Cassidy was climbing a tree and was on a thin branch when Red nudges her to go on a thicker branch. That makes Cassidy think that Red has chosen her. The problem is, when Cassidy told that she was probably chosen, Gabby wanted to be chosen too. 

The friends have a promise to keep that is to protect the animals that come out of the portal. Will they be able to keep that promise? Read this book to find out!

I love the different types of characters in this book. Cassidy is a wonderful person, but her older sister is mean. Nathan is a nice older brother; he is my favorite character. The other characters are unique and interesting too.

There are some interesting fun facts about red pandas, which makes this book an excellent addition to the wild animal unit studies.

I love this series and can’t wait to read the next book, I…Am…Tiger! I would suggest you read this series in order to understand it well.
I recommend this book for children 7 years and older.
I give this book 5/5 stars as it is a great read.
-Amy

 

         

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

    

Amy's Book Review: 

Eddie the Elephant

-by Colin Ridyard

'Eddie the Elephant' and the Birthday Party is a picture book about Jackie and Eddie. It is Jackie’s birthday, and she has invited her friends to her birthday party. 

One of her friends lost his invitation, but Jackie says that he can still stay at the birthday party. A baby elephant named Eddie finds the invitation, and he comes to the party. 

Eddie has very good manners; he also brings a present for Jackie. Because Eddie is very, very huge, he loves eating a lot. Not only that, he is certainly not a deer. (Everyone said ‘Oh, dear’ when Eddie did something wrong though he didn’t mean to.) 

Later in the party (when Eddie does millions and millions of trouble at Jackie’s house), a thief steals Jackie’s presents! Will Jackie get to see what her friends gave her? Does the whole birthday party gets ruined? Read this wonderful picture book to find out!

The cover and illustrations in this book are very delightful and attractive too.

I give this book 5/5 stars as it is very engaging.

Happy reading.

-Amy

  

Amy's Book Review: 

Lost with Leeks

-by Laurel Decher

'Lost with Leeks' is a middle-grade fantasy about Prince Nero, who lives in the Blackfly Kingdom. 

Nero is out with a bunch of archers when he gets lost because Prince Nero’s godfather gave Nero a magnetic personality that is supposed to make him charming! It works, but it makes Nero a trouble-magnet for compasses, maps, and magical creatures. So when Nero touches a map, gets near a compass, or gets near a magical creature, those things go wonky!

Prince Nero’s mother, Queen Ash, usually does millions of damage in The Seven Kingdoms. That’s why Nero has Damage Control when King Schwartz is in France to bake. Then, Queen Ash puts St. Nicholas in the AirCastle. For Queen Ash, that didn’t work out. Nero was glad it didn’t work out. But because that didn’t work, Queen Ash put St. Nicholas in the water dungeon. That worked out for Queen Ash, but not for Prince Nero. Does Nero save St. Nicholas and his reindeer in time? Read this book to find out!

Prince Nero is pretty smart, and in the time of need, he can think up some pretty good ideas. He is my favorite character. His mother, Queen Ash, is very destructive and might break up The Seven Kingdoms one day. 

I recommend this book as a read-aloud to children 6+ and as a reader to children 9+.

I give this book 5/5 stars as it is a great book, and I loved every single part of it.

Have fun reading!

-Amy

P.S. This book can be read as a stand-alone.

 

Ayan's Book Review
The Ghost and the Greyhound

-by Bryan Snyder

I’ll start by saying that reading this book is like living inside it with the characters. The scenes, descriptions, the woods, the smell, the sound, everything draws the reader into the book to have a vivid cinematic experience instead of just reading a book. I loved the world-building of this slightly fantastical story and the transition from the real world to the fantasy world.

Piers was an average boy living an average life, and he was also bullied by older and stronger boys. Everything changed for him the day, in the woods, suddenly his dog Nixon started talking. Following Nixon, Piers entered deep into the forest and met a ghost girl. The girl takes Piers to her world. What follows next is the gripping tale of ‘The Ghost and the Greyhound.’ 

I loved this book’s themes, which include friendship, perseverance, and that, big and small, everyone can work together. 

This book’s pacing is fast and engaging and made it hard to put down the book each night. 😊 The character development is great, too. 

To summarize, I absolutely loved this book. This is the first book I’ve read by this author, but I can assure you that it won’t be the last. I can hardly wait for the sequel of “The Ghost and the Greyhound.”

I would recommend this book for children 11+ as there are some difficult concepts for younger children to handle, but I think even adults will enjoy this book very much.

I give this book 5/5 stars as this is one of the highly engaging tales I’ve read. This book is nothing like I've ever read. It's one of a kind.

Happy reading!

-Ayan

  

Ayan's Book Review
Guinevere: The Legend

-by Cheryl Carpinello

Right when you think that a series can't get any better than this, you read the next one only to find this the best so far. Well, that's what happened to me when I read the third book in the Guinevere series. 

I felt Guinevere: The Legend’s plot highly captivating. Why? Mostly because of Cedwyn’s sacrifice for the kidnapped children, which plunged Guinevere into a desperate mission to rescue all of them. She discreetly escapes from the castle at Cadbury and ventures out in search of the renegades. Meanwhile, Cedwyn is forced to suffer the harsh life of a kidnapped slave. Can they each survive far from the comfort of home and find each other in time to rescue the others? Read this action-packed book to find out!

The themes in this book include friendship, loyalty, and trust. Guinevere and Cedwyn are loyal friends who trust each other! This book is actually built on that relationship.

I would like to point out that the pacing is superior—right from the start. This third book is like a sequel to the second, so you can expect this one to start suspenseful. I highly suggest reading Guinevere Book 2 before reading this book.

I recommend this book to anyone aged 8+ as some of the scenes may be too difficult for younger children to follow.

I give this book 5/5 stars as it’s an adventurous and exciting book that’s sure to please all. 😊

Happy reading!

-Ayan

 

Ayan's Book Review
Journey Beyond the Burrow

-by Rina Heisel

Hi,

Are you ready for an adventurous tale? If yes, read this exciting and cute yet edge-of-the-seat action-packed book by debut middle-grade author, Rina Heisel.

'Journey Beyond the Burrow' is a fascinating adventure of how Tobin, Wiley, and Talia—three very resourceful mice—search for Tobin’s baby brother, who was captured by attacking spiders. 

As they pursue the spiders’ lair, they encounter many other dangers of the forest, like snakes, owls, and foxes. With these (and many more) hurdles in their way, they struggle to even survive. Will they be able to defeat the predators, get past the spiders and free the baby? Or will one have to sacrifice oneself for the mission? Read this book to find out!

The themes in this book include teamwork, perseverance, and friendship. The main characters—Tobin and Talia have a lot of perseverance and like working as a team, while Wiley is quick-witted (and sometimes reckless) but also a great friend.

I find this book a lot like the 'Freddy the Detective' series, in which Freddy goes out on dangerous expeditions with his friends (and once almost got eaten by a crocodile).

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 was a fun read.

We received an ARC of this book.

Happy reading!

-Ayan

P.S. We love Tobin's rules, and the best is Rule 1. Want to know what it is? Read the book to find out.

P.P.S. Are we reading or doing Yoga?

  

Ayan's Book Review 

Guinevere: On the Eve of Legend

-by Cheryl Carpinello

I've read a few Arthurian legends before, but this book has a magical touch that takes it to the next level.

'On the Eve of Legend' is an Arthurian middle-grade book about Lady Guinevere. A few days before her thirteenth birthday, there came a visit from King Leodegrance’s (Guinevere’s father’s) neighboring kings. But before leaving, King Arthur made the life-changing decision to marry Guinevere. However, as King Leodegrance agreed to the betrothal without her having a say in it, Guinevere made up her mind to leave that world of Arthur. 
But will she ever come back? And what will happen to the engagement? You must read the book to find out!

If you look at the cover of this book, you’ll find a unicorn. This unicorn teaches Guinevere that the path of life might be ragged, but doing the right thing will always lead to victory. That’s the theme of this story—doing the right thing no matter what.
I particularly liked the illustrations in this book, especially the ones that included Merlyn. Merlyn always had a huge beard, which I found quite hilarious.

I recommend this book to anybody aged 7+ as the plot might be a little complex for younger children to understand.
I give this book 5/5 stars as it’s a great read and will keep anyone engaged.
P.S. I'm reading the next book in this series, and the review of that is coming soon!
Keep reading!!

Ayan's Book Review: 

I...Am...Wolf! 

-by Stephanie J. Teer

In this thrilling sequel of I…Am…Cheetah!, Nathan, David, Gabby, Dorian, and Cassidy have to search for David’s bead: a lost bead that holds the only connection between David and Chase—David’s own cheetah. The pressure of losing Chase forever pushed David to stop trying, but Nathan’s perseverance motivated David to continue their quest.

This book includes multiple themes like friendship, courage, and integrity, all very cleverly woven into the main plot.

I found the illustrations in this book quite realistic, especially the ones of Nathan’s wolf Shadow and the cool drawings of a cheetah and a wolf (by David and Max).

Just like the first book in the Wild Animals Kids Club, I recommend this book as a read-aloud to kids 3+ and as a reader for anyone who can read.

This book also has a sneak peek at the third book of the series, and I can’t wait for its release.

I give this book 5/5 stars as it will make readers fall off their seats because they were too close to the edge.

P.S. I suggest reading the series in sequence to fully enjoy this book.

Start from here: I…Am…Cheetah!

Have fun reading!

Sometimes you just can't put the book down.

 

Ayan's Book Review: 

I...Am...Cheetah! 

-by Stephanie J. Teer

I…Am…Cheetah! is the magical story of five kids—Nathan, David, Gabby, Dorian, and Cassidy—and a mysterious portal. When the portal sends them three cheetahs, they need to go on challenging adventures throughout Safari Park to keep the cheetahs safe. This all leads up to an ultimate climax, and finally, the resolution that is a true work of art.

I found this book’s scenes very hilarious, especially a chase scene in which Dorian chases Chase, Chase chases a poodle, and so on. There are many funny instances like this that will keep the reader interested.

Even though this book is fictional, I learned many interesting and cool facts about this endangered species—the cheetah.

I loved the illustrations in this book. These beautiful illustrations will also help young readers visualize the scenes in this book.

This is a short read but is packed with tons of interesting themes like friendship, compassion, and adventure. And what came as a surprise to me is standing up against bullies.

I recommend this book as a read-aloud for children above 3 years and as a reader for anyone who can read.

I give this book 5/5 stars because if I gave 6/5 stars, it would look silly. I am about to start the next book in the series: I…Am…Wolf!