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Nicole Hadley (380 KP) rated Cats Aloft (Anton and Cecil #3) in Books

Jun 18, 2018

Anton and Cecil, Book 3, by Lisa Martin, and Valerie Martin is the third book in the Anton and Cecil historical fiction series. After traveling by ship and train in the first two books, they get an opportunity to travel in the air in this outing. Anton and Cecil hook up with a bloodhound, Ruby LaNez in Chicago, to try a solve the mystery of the stolen white puppies. After helping to capture a bank robber, they head off to the fair to track down half a dozen missing white puppies. When they think they know who the culprits are, Cecil accidentally ends up in a hot air balloon. After a disaster in the sky, he ends up at the circus where he locates the missing puppies. With the help of some of the circus animals and a group of overgrown rats, he comes up with a plan to free a Siberian tiger and rescue the puppies. Anton and Ruby follow their noses and also end up at the circus.
What an enjoyable adventure for a pair of adventurous cats. The illustrations are scattered throughout this early chapter book and add just enough visual appeal that children will enjoy. For readers who love animal adventurers this is a fun series. This is an early chapter book that would be great for those late primary, junior readers to enjoy.

I received an advanced copy this book via NetGalley and Algonquin Young Readers. Thanks so much.

Kudos

Sarah (7800 KP) created a post

Jun 22, 2018

Yesterday evening I went to watch War Horse at the Lowry Theatre - there has been a lot of hype about this for quite some time, and after seeing it myself I can understand why.

This was a fantastic show. Everything from the folk music interludes (the guy singing had a fantastic voice) to the script which had a lot more humour in than I expected. It's been a while since I've seen the film, so I'm not sure right now how closely this follows the story but it was such an enthralling show. The acting was great, they even did the French and German language barriers very ingeniously.

By far the best bit about this show though is the set, props and the animal mechanics. The set is minimal but very well done, and the animals and horses are truly amazing. It feels strange to begin with seeing how the horses work, but you soon get used to it and by the end, you begin to think they're actually real. And there's also a well done goose that's absolutely hilarious, a great addition to an other serious show.

I'm just annoyed that for half of the show people behind us were loudly rustling & eating sweets, and it really spoils your enjoyment when they're louder than the dialogue. Why is there no consideration any more?

Anyway despite the moan, this is a fantastic show and I'd highly recommend going. 10/10

Kudos Comment

ClareR (5996 KP) rated Elefant in Books

Jul 24, 2018

Elefant

Martin Suter | 2018 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry

7.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

A morality tale with a glow in the dark, pink elephant....

An alcoholic, homeless man (Schoch), wakes up to see a small pink, glow in the dark elephant in his sleeping place. He puts it down to the drink, and goes back to sleep. The thing is, it's still there when he wakes up. Schoch later discovers that the small pink elephant has been genetically engineered solely to make money, and those who created it couldn't care less about it's welfare. These people want their elephant back and will do anything to get it.
This is a story about the ethical treatment of animals (and of the way that the homeless are treated and regarded), friendship, and what people will do to save the vulnerable.
I really liked all of the characters in this book: Schocha homeless man who takes on the responsibility of caring for the elephant; Kuang the elephant trainer and 'oozie' (I've never heard of this term before), the vet who gives up her house and job to care for the elephant, Roux the immoral geneticist (now he was a rather amusing character at times!).
I liked the style of this - I think that may be partly from the translation process (it was originally written in German). It was a fast, easy and very entertaining read.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.

Kudos

Hazel (1853 KP) rated The Case of the Paranoid Panda: An Irwin Lalune Mystery in Books

Dec 14, 2018

<i>This eBook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

The Case of the Paranoid Panda</i> is a delightful children’s story by Bruce Murphy about a skunk detective who enjoys solving mysteries. Irwin Lalune is a skunk on a mission after he is informed about a panda at the zoo that has been acting strangely. The panda – Ling Ming – has not been eating or sleeping and has become very paranoid; Irwin is determined to find out why.

With the help of Larry the squirrel, Irwin investigates and interviews a variety of animals as he slowly pieces together what it was that scared the panda so much. The more Irwin probes into the case the more dangerous it becomes.

<i>The Case of the Paranoid Panda </i>is an enchanting little story that will amuse both children and adults. It is full of wit and adorable characters that everyone will be able to appreciate. Some of the humour may not be detected by younger readers, therefore readers of ages eight and upwards are the most appropriate target audience for this book.

Christian Paniagua has provided charming illustrations of the characters throughout the book, which will greatly appeal to youngsters. Although this is the only Irwin Lalune mystery so far, there is great potential of developing a series of stories with animal related cases for the skunk to crack.