My UnderSlumberBumbleBeast by Zoje Stage, illustrated by J. E. Larson ~ a Review & Giveaway

by MK French

Nine-year-old Pru is interested in many things, and right now she wants to find the source of the strange noises under her bed. UnderSlumberBumbleBeasts only come out in the dark, she had never seen one. When her mother asks her to clean her room, Pru's life changes.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.i

What's the Hurry, Helma? by Verena Zannantoni ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

Are you looking for a new bedtime story for your youngest reader?  I don't read a lot of picture books these days as my niece and nephew are now in college, but during the A to Z Challenge I visited a couple of bloggers featuring children's picture books and they piqued my interest. 

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. Free books were provided for an honest review.

K is for Kid Lit #AtoZChallenge

by Donna Huber

For the A to Z Challenge, I'm discussing different book genres/categories. Each day, I will give a few details about the genre/category and an example or two. I would love to know your thoughts on the genre/category and if you have any reading suggestions. Be sure to check out all of my A to Z posts.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. 

Sci Fu Volume 2: It Takes 2 by Yehudi Mercado ~ a Review

by MK French

Aspiring DJ and sci-fu artist Wax defeated the Five Deadly Dangers and became the rightful king of Discopia. Wax and his crew don't want the throne, but a return to normal life in Brooklyn. Unfortunately, a new villain in Discopia wants the throne and is willing to take it from him. Wax must increase his hip-hop and sci-fu training, and learn how to ask for help to save his neighborhood.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Tiny Fox and Great Boar Book One: There by Berenicka Kolomycka ~ Review

by MK French

Tiny Fox relaxes under his favorite tree and finds exploring scary. Great Boar loves exploring and the different seasons. They're very different, but the two are great friends and learn how to be brave.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

2 Books for Young Readers

by MK French

Are you a teacher looking for new classroom books or do you have children at home in need of entertainment? Here are two books that our young readers will enjoy.

Amazon affilate links are used on this site. Free book were provided for an honest review.

Tea for Dragons by Kandi J. Wyatt, Illustrated by Ishika Sharma ~ a Review

by MK French

What if dragons were real and you could invite them over for tea and snacks? What would you serve? What would dragons like to eat?

Amazon affiliate inks are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

3 Books for Kids

by MK French

Are you looking for something fun to put in your kids' Easter baskets that's not full of sugar? Or perhaps you would like for them to take a break from screens this spring break. Well, today I have 3 books that should entertain your kids.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. Free books were provided for an honest review.

A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat ~ a Review

by MK French

A monster of a mango tree grew in the courtyard of Namwon Prison. Its fluffy green branches stretched across the cracked cement and hung over the soupy brown water of the Chattana River. The women inmates spent most of their days sheltered under the shade of this tree while the boats glided up and down and up again on the other side of the prison gate. (p. 1)

Legends from Mom’s Closet by Sasha Olsen ~ a Review & Interview

by MK French

In Legends from Mom’s Closet, 10-year-old Sasha Olsen documents how she spent a rainy summer indoors using her creativity and imagination.

The Fantastical Exploits of Gwendolyn Gray by B. A. Williamson ~ a Review

by MK French

Gwendolyn had helped to save her City, but it left its mark behind as well. She is angry and lost, and not very satisfied with how her City is now. When the Faceless Men return to menace her, she escapes to one of the Fae realms. It's dangerous there as well, and Gwendolyn has to learn how to control her magic, rediscover Sparrow and Starling, and then save those she has grown to love.

The Slug Queen Chronicles by S. O. Thomas ~ a Review

by MK French

Cricket Kane discovers that tooth fairies are now kidnapping entire children, not just collecting teeth. Her brother is taken, leaving behind a changeling and a toxic black dust that affects her family. She’s immune to it and follows a mysterious cat to the land where magical creatures are real. Cricket has to harness the power of that dust to rescue her brother and the other missing children, but it might cost her life.

City Spies by James Ponti ~ a Review

by MK French

Sarah Martinez hacked into the New York City foster care system to expose her foster parents as cheats and lawbreakers, but she was the one that would be punished. Mother, the man collecting troubled tweens and teens with extraordinary skills that can be useful for MI6, recruited her right out of the courtroom. Operating out of Scotland, Mother and his team have to use their unique skills to get Sarah up to speed in joining them on their next mission. The group has to go to Paris for an international youth summit, protecting the summit’s sponsor and try to stop the terrorists attacking similar meetings.

5 Books to Entertain Young Readers

by MK French

People seem to think that children need watered down stories and can't handle hearing about potentially serious topics. Children are often far more aware of these issues than adults think and can face their own struggles and triumphs even without an adult present. In these stories, the fantastic elements of the story don't detract from those themes that children often have to deal with: bullying, fear, self-confidence and discovering who they are under pressure.

An Unexpected Exploit by Kandi J. Wyatt ~ a Review

by MK French

Franklin follows a Sasquatch through a portal from Myrtle Beach, Oregon to the realm of Shinwano. There, he discovers a world full of mythical creatures and vows to protect the land. He doesn't realize how difficult it is to keep that promise, especially when a poacher, an NSA agent, and his friends are interested in the portal for different reasons. The poacher threatens his family, forcing Franklin to reconsider that promise and still try to keep his family safe. The consequences of that decision is more than a rift in the space-time continuum.

Simon Grey and the March of a Hundred Ghosts by Charles Kowalski ~ a Review

by MK French

The seventh son of an English family, Simon Grey became a cabin boy on a voyage to Japan in 1620. The ship was involved in a mysterious shipwreck, and he is able to see the yokai, the spirits, and monsters of Japanese mythology. While there had been some trade with English and Dutch ships before, the Tokugawa shogunate is less willing to have these people within the country. The Shogun's main advisor is also a magician interested in the secret of seeing ghosts and yokai and will do whatever it takes to steal the ability from Simon and Oyuki, the daughter of an English merchant that became a samurai years before.

Keep Your Kids Reading During the Summer

by Donna Huber

Image by Виктория Бородинова from Pixabay

A local literacy organization that I support is committed to ending the "summer slide" by providing students in low-income areas with books that they take home at the end of the school year. Studies have shown that children can lose a grade-level or more in reading comprehension in what is known as "summer slide". However, reading every day can prevent this slide and can even improve a student's reading ability. (Learn more about Books for Keeps and how you can support them, too).

Meet Ana from An Unexpected Escapade by Kandi J. Wyatt

This middle-grades fantasy is releasing on April 9th! Pre-order now for just 99 cents!

Today, we get to know Ana, one of the characters in this new book from Kandi J. West. Keep reading after the interview to enter the giveaway.

Ruby in the Sky by Jeanne Zulick Ferruolo ~ a Review

by MK French

Ruby Moon Hayes and her mother Dahlia have arrived in the small Vermont town that Dahlia had been born in. She remains quiet, hoping that people won't ask her what happened to her father, or why Dahlia was arrested after being in town for a week, or why she never has new clothes to wear. She doesn't want to make friends and wants to go back to where everything had been normal for her before. But Ahmad Saleem keeps trying to be her friend, and Ruby is drawn to the strange woman living in a shed and feeding the animals of the forest near her new home. The elitists in town have terrible things to say about Ruby and her new friends, and she has to figure out what she wants out of life in this town.

The Beat on Ruby's Street by Jenna Zark ~ a #KidLit Review #MondayBlogs

by MK French

In the summer of 1958, Ruby Tabeata is proud of being a Beat and not like the "average" eleven-year-old. She lives in New York City with her Beat parents and older brother, writes poetry, hopes to attend a Jack Kerouac reading and make her way through Greenwich Village. When she's accused of stealing fruit, it starts a cascade of events that sends her a children's home and shows her the power of art and protest.