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The Sneetches and Other Stories

Dr. Seuss

9.0 (4 Ratings) Rate It

Book

Illus. in full color. "Four funny easy-to-read stories all with subtly planted moral...

Sidereus Nuncius, or the Sidereal Messenger

Galileo Galilei

(0 Ratings) Rate It

Book

Galileo Galilei's Sidereus Nuncius is arguably the most dramatic scientific book ever published. It...

Kristy H (1252 KP) rated She's Got a Way (Echo Lake, #3) in Books

Feb 13, 2018

Gabi O'Brien has spent nearly her entire life at Briarwood Academy, an elite all-girls private school. She grew up there, went away to college, and then returned as a "housemother"-- living in a dorm with a group of girls who need Gabi 24/7. But when four of Gabi's girls get into major trouble, the only thing standing between them and expulsion is a four-week stay at Camp Echo. Camp Echo used to be a boy's camp for foster and needy kids, but was recently bought by Briarwood. Upon arrival, Gabi and her girls find only two employees left: its founder, the elderly Oliver, and its young handyman, Luke. The two are charged with a to-do list a mile long from Briarwood to get the camp in shape and have no interest in the plight of a group of snobby rich girls. Gabi, meanwhile, wasn't planning to spend her summer playing camp counselor and immediately finds herself in over her head, trying to care for her charges in the middle of the wilderness. Further, she realizes she's immediately attracted to Luke. The two are both fiercely independent individuals held back by their pasts. Can they get over these pasts and work together to save the four wayward girls, who desperately need them?

This novel contains the typical romance silliness with a somewhat crazy plot, but it's fun and enjoyable. It came at the perfect point in my reading schedule, where I needed a break from thrillers and intense fiction where all the characters hate each other. Some of it should be silly, but really Gabi and Luke (and the four girls) are endearing. There are certainly moments where Gabi's indecisiveness, fear, and bickering with Luke grow old; you find yourself needing her to just grow up a bit and control her own destiny a bit more. Still, the book is fun, even poking fun at romance novels with it's tongue-in-check rom/com allusions.

Luke and Gabi's building romance is enjoyable to watch, with added drama thrown in from their four teenage charges. As I said, Gabi can be a bit frustrating, but you can't help but feel for her plight (would you want to be trapped with four angry teens in the woods?), and Luke is rather charming. The novel does an excellent job of speaking to how the past can strongly influence one person's character, as well capturing the angst that comes with class differences (think Briarwood versus foster care). It gives the romance an added depth and surprising heart.

All in all, a fun, quick read. 3.5 stars.

Kudos

Lindsay (1717 KP) rated The Christmas Blanket in Books

Nov 24, 2021

Are you looking for a book that might help a child or children find the meaning of Christmas? The Christmas Blanket is a good one for children to read. The story starts with a boy named EJ who wants to see the Rockefeller tree.

The way this story signifies told is lovely. It is the view of the EJ. Does your child or children know the meaning of Christmas? The real meaning of Christmas? This book can help a child or children with this question.

The pictures are down wonderful. There is only one error I found in the ebook format, and that was that the sentence on pages 8 and 9 was on the wrong pages. Other than that, it was a pretty good read; This is why I put the rating at 4.5 Moons (stars). If you see a four-star rating, I could not put the rating at four and a half stars.

I loved the pictures. The hand-drawn images are beautiful; I enjoy looking and looking at the pictures. If I had a hard copy or print copy, I would love to reread it and hold it. I probably would read again yearly. It's a good one to do just that. Parents could make that a tradition of reading this book every year or near the holiday season.

I don't want to give away how the plot of the story and how the story ends. Parents and children will enjoy this book. It would be a great gift or even good to have on the bookshelves around the holiday season. You could even use this book in the advent calendar if you wanted to.

Kudos

Dana (24 KP) rated Coraline in Books

Mar 23, 2018

I thought that this was a pretty good book! From what I had heard from other friends, however I thought it would be more creepy. Unfortunately, this was not the case. I think that I may have a different sense of what is creepy than they do, though. It was a fun, quick read with really cool illustrations. If you want a good read that will only take a couple of hours. I highly suggest this book. There were a lot of moments I found predictable, but I was still intrigued by the ideas of the novel. I gave it a four out of five stars because I wanted it to kick up the creepy factor a notch, but all-in-all it was a really good book!

Kudos

Gail (4 KP) rated Going Places in Books

Jun 4, 2018

Going Places by Kathryn Beria

Four Stars

This story is about a teenage boy trying to find himself. Hudson was going places according to his teacher. When life throws off Hudson balance he seems to stop wanting to go places. School became unnecessary and helping others a priority. I’m not a boy so I don’t completely understand what he was going through. But I did understand not knowing what your future would hold and not finding confidence within yourself. His relationship with Fritzy was hilarious and true. She did give him sweet words or half truths. I didn’t like Love all that much. Overall the author did good and I was excited to be in the mind of a more realistic teenage boy on the journey of maturity.