What I love about Steve Sheinkin's books are that they explore little known events in history and weaves them together in a fascinating informational narrative which is exactly what holds a reader's interest.
I had never heard of this incident and what I find horrifying is that the 50, who have now all died, are still considered mutineers.
Most of my reviews are for my work on the Maine Student Book Award. While I think this book is fabulous I think it is too mature for the majority of our readership but I will highly recommend it to upper level librarians.
I am really sorry but this book made no sense to me. As a member of the MSBA committee I have to read the whole book so I can do a review. I just didn't get it at all and the ending just left me more confused... Not sure what else to say.
This was the first time I was approached to review a book. I was honored and a bit surprised. I should have done my homework though. I did not realize that The Unicorn Thief is a sequel to Wonder Light. If I had known that I may have declined. It is really hard to review a sequel when you haven't read the first one and I just don't have time to do that.
It took me awhile to get into the book because I lacked the background knowledge from the earlier book. I would say I was a good third of the way through the book before I really got into it and started figuring it out.
The premise was good. Ben works as a unicorn herder with the help of Twig. But then a unicorn thief strikes and steals Ben's unicorn. The evidence points to someone in Terracornus, the land of unicorns. Once they get to Terracornus the action picks up and there is some good surprises.
In the end I liked the book and for my kids who enjoy unicorn stories I would probably recommend this book...after they have read the first one :)
I have wanted to read this for a long time so although it isn't a 2014 title I snatched it up when I saw it at the library. It was very good and a nice way to spend Mother's Day - finishing the book out on the hammock, by the pond, with a wonderful breeze...
Samantha and Jessica are going with their parents on a cruise on the Titanic II. But first they stop at the Haunted Museum. While there they glimpse not only a cute boy but also a locket and although they have been warned not to touch anything they touch the locket. Unfortunately the locket is cursed and ends up "following" them on the cruise bringing with it a jealousy and a mystery from the first voyage.
This was a pretty good story actually - kind of creepy and I am not sure how young I would give this to. It wasn't too long which was good but I felt the ending was a bit rushed. I did like the fact that although it looks like The Haunted Museum will be a series it appears that each installment will take place in a different location which is good. Not sure if it will be the same main characters...why they would visit another Haunted Museum after what happened as a result of the first one, not sure. One thing that bothered me about the book was the absence of the parents...while mentioned a bit they really left the girls alone a lot.
Anyone who has followed me knows I am not a big fan of graphic novels. But, the kids like them and thus I read them. In this one we meet Cleopatra who finds a mysterious tablet and is sent zooming through space and time to a galaxy in trouble. According to an ancient prophecy she will be the one to save the galaxy from Xaius Octavian. But first she needs some training from her teacher Khensu, who is a cat and she needs to prove herself.
This was a quick read and I know my students will enjoy it...especially he younger ones. Whether it is good enough for MSBA remains to be seen...
This is another one that after I read it and looked at some of the listings for it I am unsure if it is just a reprint or new in paperback and not a new title. For the MSBA committee it needs to be a new 2014 title. I am also thinking that it is really too young for the intended audience of MSBA.
That being said, it was a cute book. It was short enough for my younger readers - 2nd and 3rd grade so I would consider buying it for them. My school library is top heavy and needs more of these easier reads.
