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Kimmic (814 KP) rated Why Mummy Drinks in Books

Apr 12, 2019  
Why Mummy Drinks
Why Mummy Drinks
Gill Sims | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
9
8.1 (7 Ratings)
Book Rating
Something a bit different!
A real laugh out loud read! One of those "it's funny because it's true!"
I think that most mum's can relate to most of this book and can appreciate the sarcasm and fun behind the main character.
Would recommend for any parent or soon to be parent, I don't have children but I still found this highly amusing and relatable!
Warning - do not read or listen to when you are in public by yourself and you will look like a crazy person when you randomly burst into fits of laugher! Also don't recommend reading while drinking tea... unless you want it to come out of your nose!
  
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gayga (2128 KP) rated Perfect People in Books

Sep 14, 2018  
Perfect People
Perfect People
Peter James | 2018 | Thriller
9
7.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
A departure from Peter James normal books (1 more)
Really good, unexpected ending
Slow starter (0 more)
Wow!
Contains spoilers, click to show
Dr John Klaessson and his wife Naomi lose their son Halley to a genetic disease.

They decide to go to Dr Dettore who creates “designer babies” where you can choose sex, eye colour and much more. They ask for a boy without the genetic issues and end up with twins, Luke and Phoebe, but all is not as it seems.

Add to this a group, Disciples of The Third Millennium who want to kill anyone who goes to Dr Dettore and their children. Did the Klaessons make a good decision?
  
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019)
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019)
2019 | Drama
Wonderful, heartwarming movie
Just finished watching and had to write a review. This was so beautifully done. It was about the man who interviewed Mr.Rodgers for a magazine article and the lessons he learned from him. Tom Hanks was amazing as Mr. Rodgers. It also made me remember my childhood and the things I loved about Mr.Rodgers. I had a tough time as a kid, i had seizures and kids made fun of me. I remember Mr. Rodgers having children on the show with disabilities and it made me not feel alone. I really loved this movie. It had a good lesson to it too.
  
<i>This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review</i>

One day in Ohio Adam Meltzer is celebrating his twelfth birthday when suddenly he dies from a fatal be sting. Then he comes back to life – sort of. Jeff Norton’s children’s book <i>Memoirs of a Neurotic Zombie</i> is a comical tale narrated by Adam who is, as the title suggests, a zombie.

Three months after his death Adam claws his way out of his coffin and heads home where he attempts to carry on with life (afterlife?) even though his sister has taken over his bedroom and all his clothes have been donated to charity. Oh, and his body had already started decomposing. However it is not long until he discovers that he is not the only unnatural being in his neighbourhood. Connected by their weirdness, Adam becomes firm friends with Corina (a half-vampire) and Ernesto (a chupacabra). Inspired by a school science project (being half-dead is no reason for exemption, apparently) the three of them set out to track down the bee that killed Adam and solve the mystery concerning his return from the grave.

<i>Memoirs of Neurotic Zombie</i> is full of humour targeted at nine to twelve year olds, so reviewing this from an adult’s perspective if rather difficult. As people get older child humour becomes less funny, particularly in relation to certain bodily functions – namely poo. Even though being a children’s book limits the amount of seriousness, some of the story line did not feel quite right. Adam’s parents and sister were far too accepting of the situation and the lies he told at school to explain what had happened were rather farfetched.

An important element to the story was that Adam was suffering from OCD and as a result was gripped by a fear of dirt, bacteria and disease – rather ironic considering his physical condition. There is nothing wrong with writing for children about characters with disorders such as OCD, however there was no explanation about the seriousness of this mental illness. Adam’s behaviour was used to make him appear less “normal” than other children his age – something campaigners are encouraging people <u>not</u> to think!

There were some deliberate inaccuracies in Adam’s narrative, which added to the hilarity, although how much the reader will benefit from these will depend on their own intelligence. On the other hand there were one or two errors that may not have been intentional. “I lurched forward like a tweenage Frankenstein” – surely that should be “Frankenstein’s monster”? Unless, of course, Norton intended Adam not to be aware that Frankenstein was the scientist?

The storyline overall is enjoyable and something children, particularly boys, would enjoy. Then again it may not be suitable for the more sensitive child as it deals with themes of death and paranormal creatures. Adam comes across as rather intelligent for his age – despite taking some things too literally – so there are footnotes to explain definitions of difficult words or to clarify something further. In spite of a few misgivings I would recommend this book to its intended target audience.
  
    How to Make Electricity

    How to Make Electricity

    Education and Book

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    "I never knew learning about electricity can be so fun... It is one of the most interesting science...

Spine Chillers: Empty Eyes
Spine Chillers: Empty Eyes
Nancy Gray | 2018 | Children, Horror
10
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Well Written Plot (2 more)
Believable Characters
Lots of Spookiness
A Spooky Read
I'm a sucker for a good horror story. When I saw that Spine Chillers: Empty Eyes by Nancy Gray was available for review, I knew it was a story I would be interested in. Luckily, it was a great read.

Empty Eyes is a short read, and the chapters are also fairly short. Combine that with a book that has great pacing, and you've got the recipe for a winner. I found myself so enthralled in this book that I never wanted to stop reading. I was always wanting to know what would happen next. Not once did I find myself becoming bored with Empty Eyes, nor do I think it's too fast paced where it becomes difficult to understand what's going on. The pacing was perfect and consistent throughout.

This is a middle grade novel, and the world building suits this age group. Even though I'm not in the middle grade age group, the plot still felt realistic and spooky! There were a couple of plot twists which I enjoyed, and all my questions were answered by the end of the book. Everything is explained perfectly throughout the book for a middle grade student. Nothing was dumbed down either. I did enjoy the plot immensely. Ian is at a school carnival one night when he encounters some bullies. Desperate to get away from them, he runs into an abandoned house. While hiding in the house, he is confronted by two children wearing gray hoodies with black eyes. They want to be Ian's friend, but Ian is terrified. The children decide they will be Ian's friend regardless of if he wants them too. He develops a black mark near his heart that pulses. Grown ups can't really see the mark, but Ian and his best friend can. Soon, Ian is behaving in a way that he never has before. Will Ian ever return to his former self or are the black eyed children controlling him?

I found the characters in Empty Eyes to be enjoyable. They also acted their age instead of coming across as sounding younger than their actual ages. I think many children (and adults) can relate to the character of Ian who is constantly bullied in school. I admired Duane, Ian's best friend. I loved how loyal he was to Ian throughout the whole ordeal. The black eyed children were very creepy characters, and I was really impressed with how they were written.

Trigger warnings for Empty Eyes include some swearing, some violence, thoughts of murder (although this isn't graphic), sneaking out, and bullying.

All in all, Empty Eyes was a very enjoyable spooky read. Even though it is written with a middle grade audience in mind, I found myself really getting pulled into the story. I would definitely recommend Spine Chillers: Empty Eyes by Nancy Gray. I believe any age group aged 12 and above would find this story to be a creepy read that will draw them in immediately from the very first page and not let go until it's over.
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(A special thank you to Lola's Blog Tours for providing me with an eBook of Spine Chillers: Empty Eyes by Nancy Gray in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.)