Amy's Book Review: 

The Rapping Astronaut

-by Sonia Marta

The Rapping Astronaut is about Austro. Austro lives in Quitequietville and is… Rapping! The problem is, people from Quitequietville don’t like to rap, but Austro loves to! One quick tip for later on: people from Quitequietville DO NOT have mouths.

One day, Austro finds out that he has a mouth. After he tells that to his friend Bob, he is tossed out of the galaxy! Will Austro be able to get back to even Earth, forget about Quitequietville? Read this fantastic book to find out!

Austro is a super character, a great kid, and an excellent person to follow as the main character. Bob, on the other hand, is pretty annoying, even to Austro. So my favorite character is Austro. But, to make this book what it is, we need them both.

The cover and pictures in this book are terrific.

I give this book 5/5 stars as I loved the entire book, especially the part where Austro is tossed out of the galaxy.

-Amy

P.S. I would love to read more books by Sonia Marta.

    

Amy's Book Review: 

Maylie and the Maze

-by M.L. Tarpley

'Maylie and the Maze' is about Maylie, who is ten years old. She is at home in her bedroom with her pet cat, Sparkles. Maylie wants to be an author, and she is already trying to write a story.

The problem is, she can’t get past the first page! Maylie lives with her twin brother Camden (who, by the way, is very annoying), her little sister Jayna, her mom, and her dad. Maylie and Camden are going on a trip to United Kingdom with their Aunt Layla and Grandma Suey. 

Maylie is excited about the trip but anxious to travel by the plane. On the other hand, Camden is trying to destroy the trip. Even throughout the trip, Maylie is thinking about how to become a great author. Can Maylie ever get to be an author like she wishes to? Read this amazing chapter book to find out!

I love Maylie’s way of thinking and also how she deals with Camden. Camden is very annoying. Aunt Layla and Grandma Suey are wonderful. Together they make this story very entertaining.

I recommend this book for children 7+.

I give this book 5/5 stars, and I would love to read more books by M.L. Tarpley.

Read more books!

-Amy

     

Ayan's Book Review
The Last Shadow Warrior

-by Sam Subity

'The Last Shadow Warrior' is a compelling start to a new series.

The author Sam Subity has wonderfully woven the Beowulf legend into this action-packed middle-grade adventure. But one doesn’t have to read Beowulf to enjoy this book. 

Abby is a very strong character, and readers of all ages are sure to fall in love with her right from the first page. Abby is still grieving her mother’s untimely death and she wants to become like her mother. Once at her home, she is attacked by someone, whom she suspects as the Grendel. Abby and her dad leave for Minnesota to hide, but they meet with an accident, making her dad seriously injured. 

Abby is admitted to a school that's definitely strange and mysterious. She suspects that Grendels are hunting her, but no one in the school believes that Grendels are real and are hunting Abby.
Can Abby and her friends convince the council that Grendels are real? Can they save Abby’s dad before it’s too late? Read this incredible story to find out.

I loved every character in this book. They are unique and realistic. Grimsby and Gwynn are terrific friends, and they provide help and support to Abby at the time of need. Abby is smart, hilarious, and quick-witted. 

I give this book 5/5 stars as I loved this book right from the first page and remained hooked till the end. I can’t wait to read the sequel of this book.

Happy reading!

-Ayan

P.S. This is a Percy Jackson type of book with Norse mythology spin to it. 

    

Ayan's Book Review
Mapmaker's Mistake

-by Meilani Schijvens

What a wonderful start to a series.

In Mapmaker’s Mistake, Asha is still struggling against her preordained fate of having an arranged marriage with a prince (to let her kingdom Zanzia use aristocracy to ward off attacking warlords) when she is confronted by King Dokar and his ruthless army. 

But as she wins a duel against King Dokar, his army begins to scour Zanzia for Asha, so she escapes to Pome for shelter. Still, King Dokar’s men ravage Zanzia, leaving Asha to choose between her kingdom or herself.

This book taught me a lot about medieval warfare—sword-fighting, longbows, spears, etc. What’s more, the author neatly weaves this into the main plot, so you’ll drown in the story without knowing that you are taking a history lesson. Cool!

I like how the plot of this book flashes by with incredible plot twists and fast-paced action. Besides, it was very suspenseful and kept me hooked from cover to cover.

I recommend this book to readers 9+ as the plot might be a little too complex for younger readers to understand.

I give this book 4.7/5 stars as it has some violence (but that was needed for the plot.) This is a unique story, and I haven't read anything like this one before. 

    

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: 

My Fantastic Stories

-by Monisha Vishwanath

'My Fantastic Stories' is a short story collection, and I loved this book so much.

I’ll just write a review of two of the short stories that I liked the most from this fantastic collection.

Story 1:

Beauty and the Peacock is about a charming girl named Beauty. She lives on one side of a forest that is beside a village. Whenever Beauty dances, the peacocks, who are on the other side of the forest, come to dance with her. 

One day, she trips, falls, and hurts herself. When the villagers who live in the village find her, they say that Beauty can no longer dance with her peacocks. And that makes Beauty very sad. 

Can Beauty ever dance with her peacocks again? Read this story to find out!

I love how the author has woven the beautiful lessons into this wonderful tale. 

Story 2:

Dear Diary is a funny story about Samantha, who complains about everything! Mama (Samantha’s mom) tells her not to complain about everything; she should find solutions. She always complains to Mama until one day when Mama tells her not to complain, and she gives Samantha a diary named Magic Magenta. 

Samantha gives Magic Magenta a nickname—Maggie. And whenever she is sad, she writes in Maggie. But does it help Samantha become a better person? If yes, how?

Read this cute story to find out!

This story teaches us not to complain about small things; instead, we should find solutions.

I recommend this book to children 5+ as a read-aloud and 7+ as a reader.

I give this book 5/5 stars as this is definitely a collection of fantastic stories.

-Amy

P.S. This book can be read at home or in a classroom to teach children many valuable lessons in a fun way.

    

Ayan's Book Review
Axel Rhodes and the Golden Scarab

-by S.W. Lothian

Axel Rhodes and the Golden Scarab is an edge-of-your-seat thriller in which Axel is exploring the Egyptian exhibit when a statue of Horus comes to life! 

Horus tells Axel that Axel is to go to ancient Egypt to retrieve the golden Scarab, which holds the powers of the evil god Seth, and put it in a safer place where Seth can’t steal it. Axel takes the quest, bringing along only his best friend Linc. Horus sends in a girl named Rani to accompany them on this quest. 

Can they survive the challenges they face, find the Golden Scarab, and restore it to its final resting place…all before they are captured by Seth? Read this gripping adventure to find out!

The pacing in this book is impressive. And in the battles and chase scenes, I wouldn’t put it down for anything in the world.

My favorite part was when they entered the Temple of Bast. It had lots of traps and puzzles that affected their mission.

I recommend this book as a read-aloud for 6+ and as a reader for 8+.

I give this book 5/5 stars as it’s the best thriller I’ve ever read.