Review: Witch and Wizard

Witch and Wizard by James Patterson

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



Meh. Neat idea but oddly written book. Everything read as a synopsis instead of a story and it doesn't actually end. It's like reading the back of the book except it takes hours of your life and when you're done you feel like you can actually start the story. Except that it's apparently another book. Maybe it's best described as a 300 page prologue.



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Review: Bone by Bone

Bone by Bone by Carol O'Connell

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



If there was an option for 3.5 stars, I would use it for this book. It wasn't a page turner. It wasn't a book I had to read in one setting. It was, however, an interesting book with a good ending. At no point in this book did I expect the book to end as it did.

The characters were interesting. Too bizarre for reality but they added dimension to the book. Isabelle, though, was a distraction. The random violence and consistently odd behavior was too much for me.



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Review: Uncommon Criminals

Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I've become an Ally Carter fan after reading several Gallagher Girl and Heist Society books. Light, fun, engaging reads with interesting characters living lives the average person would never live. Another look at an unlikely Robin Hood of lost art and another treasure restored - great read!



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Review: Airman

Airman by Eoin Colfer

My rating: 1 of 5 stars



I enjoy most Eoin Colfer works and thought this would be another great story. I really tried to like the book, especially because it had a sense of steampunk and ballooning in it, but gave up at the halfway point. I simply couldn't make myself read further and I'm not sure why. I simply couldn't get engaged in the story, perhaps.



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Review: Death in the Clouds

Death in the Clouds by Agatha Christie

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Yet again I was convinced I had had the mystery solved. Once again I was wrong. Love that! So few authors can truly surprise you in a story that includes every detail you need to know but Agatha Christie is fabulous.

Oh, and I love the 'aerodrome' and the 'sewing maid' and all of the other terms that evoke these images of quaint English villages and women in gloves.



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Review: Darke

Darke by Angie Sage

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Big book (641 pages, I think) but surprisingly quick read. I have favorites among the characters and I was thrilled that they were primary in this story - Septimus, Marcia, Beetle, Simon - and also glad that some of my less-than-favorites weren't as involved - Snorrie and Ullr, Silas and the Gringe family. I still can't make myself like Jenna, though, and she isn't more likable in this book. I hope to hear more about the newly introduced Young Army graduates in the next one!



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Review: Space Case

Space Case by Carolyn Keene

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I was a Nancy Drew fan as a child and I love being able to introduce a more modern version to my daughter. We listen to these together and she really enjoys them (Clue Crew books are her favorites) and I just remind myself that the intended audience is children 5-8 years old. The solutions are predictable but my children are always shocked ;-) The narrator does a great job.



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Review: Dream When You're Feeling Blue

Dream When You're Feeling Blue by Elizabeth Berg

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I love reading Elizabeth Berg. She has a way with words that make me feel as if I'm in the story. This book was excellent - the timeline, the story of the women left behind during the war, the life of the soldiers, the letters from the war, the slang. Had the book ended one chapter earlier, it would have been a 5 star book. I am so confused by the end, however, as it makes no sense that the story would have (or even could have) ended that way. A 5 star book with a 2 star ending.



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Review: The ADHD Workbook for Kids: Helping Children Gain Self-Confidence, Social Skills, & Self-control

The ADHD Workbook for Kids: Helping Children Gain Self-Confidence, Social Skills, & Self-control by Lawrence E. Shapiro

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



There are so many ADHD books available but finding one that is designed to help kids is rare. Some try but most simply discuss therapy options or 'parenting ADHD' philosophies. This book, however, includes detailed plans for more than 40 activities. Each one has a story that kids can relate to and uses them as teaching moments. I can sit down with my son, read and discuss the story, talk about the activities and feel like we have accomplished something. NOTE: the activities include writing work and worksheets, we only avoided them because of my son's dysgraphia and dyslexia.



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