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: 

Trouble with Parsnips

-by Laurel Decher

'Trouble with Parsnips' is about a nameless princess who lives in the Cochem Kingdom. She’s the fifteenth child of her family. She doesn’t have any actual name, but when the king or queen wanted or needed her, they would call ‘Fifteenth’ or ‘Sibyl #8’. 

All the princesses in the Cochem Kingdom got the name Sybil, and all the princes got the name Harold. So the nameless princess ended up being Sybil #8. 

Sybil #8—the unnamed princess—is the youngest, and she feels forgotten by her family. She can’t speak up for herself, and she has only fifteen days to find herself a name, else she would become invisible forever.

Can she save the Kingdom and find a name for herself in time? Or will she become invisible forever? Read this amazing realistic fairytale to find out. But wait! Read the rest of this review first. 😊

I loved Sybil #8 as she was very smart and intelligent. 

In Trouble with Parsnips, there are very funny instances. There is a palace agriculture library (PAL) and a ventriloquist league (VVL), which I liked very much.

The themes in this book include family relationships, believing in oneself, and speaking up for oneself.

I give this book 5/5 stars as there were no confusing or boring parts.

'Trouble with Parsnips' isn’t like any other book I’ve ever read. I would love to read more by the author.