Fiction

The book "Wonder" is about a boy with face abnormalities named August who
goes to public school for the first time as a middle school student. While
going to school he makes friends, enemies, and faces hardships most students
don't face. The source of his bullying throughout the year is Julian. Auggie
deals with Julian and his gang with his own new friends until something
unexpected happens.

I picked this book because the description seemed interesting and "Wonder" is
a battle book. I enjoyed the deep meaningful lesson that the book teaches.
There is actually not a part I did not enjoy. "Wonder" was not at all
predictable. I could relate to August because likes Star Wars and I do too.
It is one of the best books I have read this year. I highly recommend reading
"Wonder" for a heartwarming story with many ups and downs.

The start of a fantastic series. I compare it to Harry Potter with
it's likable characters, journeys, and magic. In this universe all the Greek
gods and stories are real. If you like fantasy you will most likely love this
book. It focuses around the main character Percy and his journey when he
learns he is a demi-god. He goes on a journey meeting other demi-gods like
Annabeth. Another friend he makes is Grover a half goat, half man satire.
Percy must stop a war between the powerful Greek gods before it too late.

Well, we're back to join Seth and Kendra on another adventure as they
search for the hidden artifact at Fablehaven! I enjoyed this book more than
first one to be honest. It has plenty of cliffhangers and exciting moments.
You'll love it if you love Harry Potter!

This is definitely one of my favorite book series. I was in a phase
where I would only read Harry Potter (they're so good tho!) and I had read
the Harry Potter series 7 times because I didn't want to read anything else
until I received this book for my birthday this year. Its an exciting
adventure and if you like fantasy, action, and adventure then this is a
series for you! After reading the first book of the series, you will want to
move on to reading the next book in the series (Fablehaven: Rise of the
Evening Star). Have fun joining Seth and Kendra in this amazing book!

"Wizards of Once" follows the story of a young wizard and a young warrior
princess in a world where magic is forbidden -- and a great adventure ensues.
I loved this book. Cressida Cowell's writing style is delightfully charming
and lighthearted. Xar and Wish were wonderful protagonists that you could
easily root for. This story pulls you in from the very first page and takes
you off on an amazing journey. The only negative thing I can think of to add
is that sometimes the descriptions got a little lengthy -- but, for those who
love well-described settings and characters, this will only add to the charm.
I also highly recommend the audiobook, narrated by David Tennant, that was
equally delightful. If I could give this book more stars, I definitely would!

Chef Queenie Wake can't keep a job because of her abrasive
personality. Finally, she has no where to go but back to the small Texas town
where her mother's reputation as a thieving, loose woman made life miserable
for her and her sister. Queenie takes a job no one wants, cooking the last
meal for death row inmates. Her search for making the inmates' last meal the
perfect memory of the happiest time of their lives changes Queenie. She
learns the importance of forgiveness, family and love. The story will make
you cry and perhaps make you think differently about things that you thought
were straight forward. It's a lovely book.

One of the biggest qualms I have with a lot of modern science fiction is that
it’s not nearly imaginative enough. I believe most of this stems from the
fact that modern sci-fi authors were influenced by franchises like Star Trek
and Star Wars, where even the aliens are basically humanoids with different
skin color. In The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, author Becky Chambers
takes a great leap forward for sci-fi by exploring what it would be like to
work on a spaceship with a variety of different species. Needless to say,
there are plenty of “cultural” adaptations that one would need to make in
such a situation.

Unfortunately, because the characters are so interesting, the main plot takes
a back seat for the majority of the book. Instead, the reader is treated to a
series of almost “episodic” moments between the crew that act as
excellent exposition, but take up most of the space of the book due to the
size of the crew. Aside from that, there were a few crewmembers that
initially didn’t stand out, and it took me a while to realize they were two
different people. I also can see how Kizzy could come across as “cute and
energetic,” but I found her mostly to be childish, obnoxious, and annoying
(she got on my introvert nerves).

In the end, the inclusion of lots of aliens with different cultures allowed
for a simple way to include more non-traditional relationships in the book as
well. With plenty of LGBTQ+ referenced in this book, none of it came off as
judgmental, but it will still be a little jarring for people who aren’t
used to reading books with these themes included in them. Still, the heart of
science fiction is exploring the new and unknown, which this book does
excellently. Fans of Firefly will probably be the most satisfied with this
series, as the eclectic crew presented here seems to mirror that show’s
charm and personality.

A sci-fi book that finally includes aliens that aren’t so human, I give The
Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet 4.0 stars out of 5.

Three separate scenarios are show to illustrate what happens when a boy kicks a beach ball into the ocean. This story, told mostly through the pictures, examines the possibilities and encourages imagination and language.

It’s bedtime on the farm. When pig goes to his sty, he finds cow there and
tells him to “Go sleep in your own bed!” This sets off a chain reaction
as animals are relocated to their own beds. The simple repetitive text
encourages children to “read” along and the pictures are delightful

Do you like math & logic puzzles? If so, you can solve puzzles along with
twins, Lulu and Elizabeth. They’re on a grand math adventure inspired by
Lewis Carroll’s poetry. Do you have the ability to solve the puzzles and
outwit the Bandersnatch? Check out this book and find out.