Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling
Published: September 5th, 2017 by Sterling Children's Books
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Format: Ebook, 262 Pages, Scribd
Rating: 4.5 stars
My Thoughts:
Aven is a middle schooler with some different abilities. She can do almost anything with her feet since she was born without arms. Her life is good. She's got friends who understand her and a life that she's used to...until her parents uproot their lives to Arizona in order to manage a run-down desert and cowboy theme park. That means a new school and new people who don't know her and aren't used to her amazing abilities. Along the way she meets some other differently-abled friends and they set out to solve a mystery about the park and her past.
I read this aloud with Gabe and we both enjoyed it immensely. Aven is hilarious! She faces life's obstacles with humor and insight while making mistakes along the way. It's a great book that talks about people who are differently-abled and what some of their experiences both good and bad and in between are as they interact with humans in this crazy world.
The Shadows by Alex North
Published: July 7th, 2020 by Celadon Books
Genre: Horror, Crime Thriller
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages, Library
Rating: 4 stars
My Thoughts:
I loved most of this book. It was super creepy. It had a great atmosphere. This one takes place in the same world as "The Whisper Man" that North wrote last year, I think. The same detective comes to town to investigate. It's a really creepy premise that ends up being pretty lackluster, unfortunately. The ending was a bit of a letdown. But overall, I'm enjoying the worlds Mr. North puts down. I look forward to the next one.
Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker
Published: October 22nd, 2019 by Oni Press
Genre: Graphic Novel, Supernatural, Fantasy, Romance, LGBTQIA
Format: Paperback, 256 Pages, Library
Rating: 4 stars
My Thoughts:
This was a fun supernatural fantasy with witches, ghosts, demons, and werewolves. Throw in some romance between the two fantastic leads and it's quite a fun story. The illustrations were pretty and detailed as well. I look forward to more in this series.
The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander
Published: April 2nd, 2019 by Versify
Genre: Children, Poetry, History
Format: Hardcover, 40 Pages, Library
Rating: 5 stars
My Thoughts:
This was a beautiful book to read out loud with Gabe. We learned so much about many diverse Black artists, activists, athletes, musicians, writers, etc. Alexander had little bios of each person in the back we were able to read after the book. The illustrations are gorgeous. This is a must-read for all ages.
Published: June 16th, 2020 by Del Rey Books
Genre: Horror, Sci-fi
Format: Hardcover, 286 Pages, Library
Rating: 4 stars
My Thoughts:
This was a really fun book. It's very similar to World War Z but not as long or detailed, and a little more tongue-in-cheek, I think. But the brother of Kate Holland hires a reporter to look into her mysterious disappearance after Mt. Rainier explodes and chaos ensues in her little commune of Greenloop, Washington. Looks like Bigfoot and her brood are chased out of the mountains and attack Holland and her group. We get her firsthand account with the reporter adding in details about sasquatch and its many myths, and park rangers, and Kate's brother. I also enjoyed Brooks' social and political commentary, which is very relevant. Overall, it's a quick, fun read. Just what I needed right now.
I really enjoyed Devolution, it was totally daft but it did me reappraise my view of Big Foot!
ReplyDeleteI haven’t read you other books but they all sound really good, I want to read the Shadow, it looks creepy!
Right? Totally ridiculous but so fun! I enjoyed The Whisper Man a bit better but both are excellent thrillers. Hope you get to it soon!
DeleteI own two book from Alex North but haven't read them yet. I need to change that soon!
ReplyDeleteI hope you get to them. I really enjoyed his first one. Both are so atmospherically creepy!
Delete