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Rise of the Hearts
Rise of the Hearts
Antoine Bonner | 2018 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
2
2.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I am having a difficult time writing a review for Rise of the Hearts by Antoine Bonner. The premise of this book is not new but the summary was worded well enough that I was looking forward to reading it. The cover caught my eye and made me want to read it even more.

Unfortunately, it was a challenge to finish it.

I did not relate to or care about any of the characters. The story did not flow well. I had trouble following the story and was confused about what was going on. I reread sections to see if I could figure out the story. I was never able to follow the plot.

This is NOT a young adult (YA) book. Based on the description, I had mistakenly thought it was appropriate for younger readers. It is not and it is marketed as an adult book. There are several passages that are not appropriate for young adults.

The book was only 198 pages. I was not very far in when I was considering stopping. I continued and struggled through the entire book. On the last few pages I allowed myself to just skim it because I was so lost.
  
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Hair-Pocalypse
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Hair-pocalypse by Geoff Herbach is a wonderful, funny picture book of a boy named Aiden who has wild. Aiden is a little boy with hair that has a mind of its own. This story takes us through a day in Aiden’s life with his wild hair and how he was able to deal with it. The overall message of the book is about compromise and understanding.

Aidan has wild and crazy hair. Aidan’s also a bit on the “grubby” side, as young boys are inclined to be. The book opens with Aidan’s hair in full on rebellion. With what appears to be a mind of its own the mop of hair undertakes to make Aidan’s life embarrassing and difficult.After yelling and screaming and fighting with his hair Aidan finally has a calm conversation with the unruly mop and works out an accommodation.

The illustrations are wonderful and help enhance the story. The pictures depict the personality of the hair and show its rebellion, and then it’s eventual abandon. The pictures show the support and energize the story, which helps the reader with getting into the story.

Thank you to Capstone and Capstone Young Readers via NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
  
IS
Illustrated Stories From Shakespeare
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I recently purchased this book from Usborne and am SO in love with it! I have always had a deep appreciation and fascination with Shakespeare's work. (So much so that one year for Christmas all I wanted was Barnes & Noble's The Complete Works of William Shakespeare.) But I admit that at reading Shakespeare was a challenge when I was younger. Struggling to understand the language, I missed much of what was happening in the storyline. I am thrilled to have found this book for my kids. I thought, if they grow up knowing the stories, then maybe when it comes time to read the original plays, they will have an easier time. So far, my three year old LOVES this book! He has sat through Hamlet and was in high dudgeon that I had to borrow it to write this review. The illustrations are beautiful! And even though all of the plays are written so that young readers can understand them, some of the more famous lines from Shakespeare's works can still be found. I am thoroughly impressed and am so excited to introduce my kids to Shakespeare at a young age. Hoping to nurture and grow their love of literature.
  
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ClareR (5784 KP) rated Underdogs in Books

Jul 2, 2019 (Updated Jul 2, 2019)  
Underdogs
Underdogs
Chris Bonnello | 2019 | Dystopia, Fiction & Poetry, Young Adult (YA)
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A big thumbs up for neurodiversity!
I liked this - it’s such a positive, uplifting book, set in a world where cloned soldiers have taken over the country. The seemingly only free humans (the rest of the population are crammed into overcrowded citadels) are all young people with autism, anxiety, PDA, developmental delays and ADHD (I may have missed some conditions!), and they are fighting to stay alive.

This story shows how these young people’s conditions affect them, and how they cope with them - how they use their conditions, which are seen as a weakness by many, to their advantage. Neurodiversity is so well described by the author, and it was really interesting to be in the heads of the main characters. I honestly think that this book should be read in schools (year 6 and above, it’s a bit too graphic in places for younger readers, I think). With more inclusive education in schools, I think that this book could help students to understand their fellow classmates. And really, as an adult I learnt something about them too.

I’ll be interested to read any other books that follow this, and I’ll be keeping an eye out!
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole and the author for serialising this book.