Usually visitors to the Nowhere Emporium experience a night of wonders beyond their imaginations but don't remember it the next day. But orphan Daniel Holmes is different, not only does he remember but he seems gifted enough to create wonders of his own. So he is apprenticed to the owner, Mr. Silver and starts to learn how it all works. But when Mr. Silver disappears and the Nowhere Emporium starts to deteriorate Daniel must figure out who to trust and how to save what he has come to love.
I enjoyed this quite a bit - a dazzling setting, a bit of a mystery and intrigue, and fun characters.
LOVED this!!!! Patrick and his younger brother Teddy were separated from their parent in the Philippines shorter before Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. They have been in Guam, in orphanages, and have hidden in the jungles to survive. Now with the help of a friendly sailor Benny they have smuggled aboard the USS Indianapolis in the hopes of being reunited with their parents.
Problem is...the USS Indianapolis gets torpedoed and they all find themselves on a pallet on the middle of the ocean trying to survive... oh yeah, and there are sharks.
This story is based on the actual events of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis and was fantastic. Lots of action, fast paced, less than 200 pages. This was very good.
This graphic novel was about a girl Thomasina who lives with her grandmother, aunt, uncle, and cousin. She is lonely and wants something exciting to happen. Then it does - her family turns into pets and her pet snake becomes human. Thomasina must figure out how to make things right with the help of an old friend Smitty, a wizard named Boris, and her parent.
I found the book interesting but the audience for it was unclear. The characters are all teenagers but the text and illustrations made it feel younger. I think my students will like it - quirky and a cute message.
Okay - confession. I never watched Punky Brewster. I have heard a little about it but not much. When I saw this on NetGalley I thought it looked interesting and I am always on the look out for graphic novels. I enjoyed the story. Punky is spunky and the tale of her trying to get adopted by her cousin was interesting. I think kids will actually like it and then maybe rent/watch the show. Is this award winning or list worthy? Probably not - but it has merit.
After the death of his grandparents, orphaned Theo is taken in by his Uncle Raymond. Problem is, Uncle Raymond, a Vietnam War vet holds a grudge against Theo's parents and is angry about having to take in Theo. First order of business, move to Destiny, Florida. With just a few weeks left in the school year Theo struggles to fit in, get used to living with his Uncle, and find a way to stay in Destiny. Interspersed are Theo's love of music and his ability to play the piano and a baseball mystery.
I really wanted to like this. There was a lot of good potential. But...I felt that it didn't really get going. The baseball mystery with Hank Aaron and Destiny Days never seemed fully realized or even solved. The book as a whole didn't really work for me.
This book isn't set to be published until next February according to NetGalley so this is a way early review. This was the story of Minamoto Yoshitsune. I did not know much about Samurai before reading this so I definitely learned a lot. There was a ton of back matter and obvious research. What I found odd at times was the author's voice. At times it was very conversational and modern with even a bit of humor but for the most part the presentation was straightforward. I would have enjoyed more consistency in the way the material was presented. I actually liked the more conversational tone but it was jarring because of the inconsistency. I think students who are interested in Samurai would find this interesting but probably older readers than my particular students.
What is up with the reprints? Do I really need to check every NetGalley book to see if it is a reprint. I thought it was odd as I was reading because I was having trouble with the time period. While it didn't directly state - everything seemed so old fashioned. gee - maybe that is because it was first written in 1941. I also knew something was up when "ejaculated" was used as a synonym for "said" - a bit old fashioned ;0 and not politically correct I am afraid.
While not bad in the long run I can't see buying it for the library.
