Wee Reads: The Magic Treehouse Collection books 1-8

Ever since Finn was born, and even before then, we would read to him. We wanted to show him reading from an early age. Now he loves us to read the same books, over, and over, and over. But it is the sweetest thing, when he likes to pick out a book and climb into our laps. 

The Magic Tree House Collection 1-8 by Mary Pope Osborne

   

Books 1-8 of the New York Times bestselling Magic Tree House series plus an interview with Mary Pope Osborne!
Meet Jack and Annie!
Jack and his younger sister, Annie, are just regular kids. But when they discover a tree house in the woods, something magical happens. In books 1-4, Jack and Annie are whisked back in time to the Age of Dinosaurs, a medieval castle, ancient pyramids, and treasure-seeking pirates. In books 5-8, Jack and Annie's friend, Morgan le Fay, is in trouble! They must find four "M" things to free her from a spell. Their adventures take them to meet a ninja master in ancient Japan, flee a crocodile on the Amazon River, discover the cave people of the Ice Age, and blast off to the moon in the future. It's a difficult and dangerous mission, but Jack and Annie will do anything to save a friend!
Audiobooks in this set include: Dinosaurs Before Dark (#1), The Knight at Dawn (#2), Mummies in the Morning (#3), Pirates Past Noon (#4), Night of the Ninjas (#5), Afternoon on the Amazon (#6), Sunset of the Sabertooth (#7), and Midnight on the Moon (#8).
Mary Pope Osborne brings together just the right combination of history, magic, and fast-paced adventure to satisfy kids, parents, teachers, and librarians all over the world with her New York Times bestselling series.

Do you like this book?
I really like the Magic Tree House books. The dinosaur one was my favorite! They got to ride on a Pterodactyl! I want to ride on a Pterodactyl. I love dinosaurs. 


What's your favorite part of the book?
When they rode on the dinosaur! And they got to meet a ninja! I also really liked reading about the sabertooth tiger!


What do you think of the cover?
I like all of the covers but the Sabertooth book is my favorite.

I had never read The Magic Tree House series, even as a kiddo. I got a few of these gifted to me for Finn and decided to get them on audio because I could get the collections for him. 
He loves these books and honestly so do I. When we're all in the car listening to them even John and I get into the books.
They're written well, have lots of action and adventure, but they're not too scary for kids. They have something very magical and fun about them. I love how each book is something new, so it teaches them something about history too.

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James Howe has written more than eighty books in the thirty-plus years he's been writing for young readers. It sometimes confuses people that the author of the humorous Bunnicula series also wrote the dark young adult novel, The Watcher, or such beginning reader series as Pinky and Rex and the E.B. White Read Aloud Award-winning Houndsley and Catina and its sequels. But from the beginning of his career (which came about somewhat by accident after asking himself what kind of vampire a rabbit might make), he has been most interested in letting his imagination take him in whatever direction it cared to. So far, his imagination has led him to picture books, such as I Wish I Were a Butterfly and Brontorina (about a dinosaur who dreams of being a ballerina), mysteries, poetry (in the upcoming Addie on the Inside), and fiction that deals with issues that matter deeply to him. He is especially proud of The Misfits, which inspired national No Name-Calling Week (www.nonamecallingweek.org) and its sequel Totally Joe. He does not know where his imagination will take him in the next thirty-plus years, but he is looking forward to finding out.

Review: Wizard for Hire by Obert Skey

Title: Wizard For Hire

Author: Obert Skye
Publisher: Shadow Mountain

Publishing Date: March 6th 2018

Pages:  416
Genre: Modern Fantasy

Series: Wizard For Hire
Source: Hardcover

Fourteen-year-old Ozzy lives near Portland, Oregon, and is desperate for help. His scientist parents have been kidnapped after discovering a formula that enables mind control. Their work was so top secret Ozzy is afraid to go to the police, but without help, he fears he'll never find his parents. Then he stumbles across a classified ad in the local newspaper that says "Wizard for Hire. Call 555-SPEL." Ozzy has read about wizards in books like Harry Potter, but wizards couldn't actually exist today, could they? After Ozzy meets the wizard Labyrinth--aka Rin--he's even more skeptical.Sure, Rin dresses like a wizard, but the short robe and high-top tennis shoes seem unorthodox, as does Rin's habit of writing notes on his shoes and eating breakfast for every meal. Plus, Rin doesn't even cast any magic spells, which means that the unexplained coincidences that start happening around Ozzy are just that--coincidences.With the help of a robotic-talking raven invented by Ozzy's father, a kind and curious girl at school who decides to help Ozzy, and, of course, a self-proclaimed wizard who may or may not have a magical wand, Ozzy begins an unforgettable quest that will lead him closer to the answers he desperately seeks about his missing parents.

Wouldn't you like to hire a wizard? Need an A on that exam coming up this week? How about a clean house? Or perhaps you need sleep or wake up faster to get to work on time. In a pickle and need magic to help you out? I know there are many times I could have used a wizard there to help me through something difficult situation or the knowledge to use magic. But would you like to be abandoned at 7 years old in a thick, forest in a small cabin on huge land all alone with no human interaction at all.

  

That is exactly what Ozzy is faced with as his parents are taken from him. Luckily his parents came to the area with lots of canned food so he can eat food. While exploring the house he discovers Clark the mechanical bird that is solar powered that can fly and also talk to Ozzy. Clark was invented by Ozzy's dad, and he has a crush on other birds and also all metal things. Ozzy eventually decides to explore the forest and beyond the creek nearby. He comes to discover a beach and a young attractive girl named Sigi. With limited communication skills due to his isolation, he doesn't really say much to her.

This discovery leads Ozzy to seek out more ways to interact with other kids his own age. He then discovers that there is a place called school where there are other kids his own age. So then he tries to find a way to get to school. Once he gets to school he finds that Sigi who also goes to school there. 

Ozzy still wants to find his parents and from reading mystery books he knows that the police should be able to help him. So he goes to the police to see if they can help, but he is not fully honest because he is afraid if they find out he has no parents that he will not be able to go back to the cabin in the woods. Or cloaked house as he likes to call it. But as the police start asking questions Ozzy does not want to answer he runs out of the police station.

Ozzy then finds a paper that has an ad for a wizard. He believes that the wizard who has magic will be able to help him on his quest to find his parents. The wizard's name is Rin and at once Ozzy and his bird Clark are unsure of his methods or if he really is a wizard. Maybe he is just a crazy old man. He wears a felt hat like a wizard but also wears a short bath robe and he seems to really love breakfast.

As the story progresses the interactions between Ozzy, Clark, and Rin become more intertwined. With some funny humor and  a very interesting cast of characters the story whizzes by. And as Ozzy gets closer to the truth about his parents things become rather dangerous. It seems Ozzy's parents had a major breakthrough with a science experiment and hid to escape the consequences of what their experiment could bring about.

"Sorry- Clark sort of gets a crush on anything bird-related or made of metal."

"Sort of?" Clark said with disgust. "This could be a grown-up relationship."

"It's a trash can."

"Don't tell me who to love."

A fun fantasy novel that has some interesting and well developed characters. The story takes the reader on a journey of mystery, adventure, and danger. I recommend this book to fans of Harry Potter and those who like adventure/fantasy novels. I think boys might like it better than girls, but I think there is stuff girls might enjoy as well.

Obert Skye read his first book at age two. He wrote his first story at age four. And he was nearly trampled by a herd of water buffalo at age six. For a short time, he lived on the Isle of Skye in Scotland, where he spent time as a candy-taster. Several years ago, Obert Skye says, he discovered the existence of Foo. Publishing his story as a fictional series was not Obert’s first choice. Nevertheless he is content that the “history” is being told. Hobbies and other interests: Collecting old maps, water polo, roller coasters.

Review: Chantress by Amy Butler Greenfield

Title: Chantress

Author: Amy Butler Greenfield 
Publisher: Margaret K McElderry

Publishing Date: May 7th, 2013

Pages: 324
Genre: YA Historical Fantasy 

Series:  Chantress Trilogy #1
Source: Audio

 

This warning has haunted fifteen-year-old Lucy ever since she was eight and shipwrecked on a lonely island. Lucy’s guardian, Norrie, has lots of rules, but the most important is that Lucy must never sing. Not ever. Now it is 1667, Lucy is fifteen, and on All Hallows’ Eve, Lucy hears a tantalizing melody on the wind. She can’t help but sing—and she is swept into darkness.

When she awakes in England, Lucy hears powerful men discussing Chantresses—women who can sing magic into the world. They are hunting her, but she escapes and finds sanctuary with the Invisible College, an organization plotting to overthrow the nefarious Lord Protector. The only person powerful enough to bring about his downfall is a Chantress. And Lucy is the last one in England.

Lucy struggles to master the song-spells and harness her power, but the Lord Protector is moving quickly. And her feelings for Nat, an Invisible College apprentice and scientist who deeply distrusts her magic, only add to her confusion…

Time is running out, and the fate of England hangs in the balance in this entrancing novel that is atmospheric and lyrical, dangerous and romantic.

This was another re-read for me. I found tons of books in my read books that I read the first book and never finished the series. So I had to reread a ton of first books in the series. I didn't remember anything in this book. I see that I rated it a four heart when I first read it years ago. I guess either my rating thoughts have changed or I just didn't get as excited about this book this time around. It was still a good read and I know I want to finish out the series, I just didn't love this book as expected.

Lucy is a 15-year girl stuck on an island with only her guardian. She has been here for years. One day she hums and things start to change. Next, she finds a letter from her mother. Then she sings herself into London. She finds that London is not the place for someone like her. A Chantress. The country is ruled by an evil man, some pretty dangerous birds, and a boy king that does nothing for the state the country is in. The only way this country can be saved is by a Chantress, like Lucy. The only problem is that Lucy has no training and no knowledge of what she can do. She gets some help from an old Chantress, an old man and his apprentice, and an entire secret society. Together they look for a way to take the tyrant of a ruler down and save England.

This book was good. I liked the main story and I enjoyed the world building. The story and the world were well explained and I enjoyed all the small details the writer put into this story. I normally don't like a lot of detail in the world building but this book needed it and it was very interesting. I really couldn't get enough. The story itself was a little slow at times. I really enjoyed what was going on but I felt it took forever to get to the part of actually doing something to start a war. It was a lot of training and a lot of planning not a lot of doing. So that part did hinder my enjoyment just a little.

The characters were great. I loved Lucy and I loved Nat (the boy apprentice) and I absolutely adored Pennyworth. (i think that is the old man's name.)

Lucy was a very headstrong and brave girl. She was thrown into a world where nothing made sense, everything was new, and she was supposed to save it from some pure evil. Nat is a sweet boy that doesn't trust magic easily and now he is living with a strange filled with magic. Pennyworth is just a sweet old man who is smart as the dickens and love for everyone.

The characters were great but I felt there wasn't enough building between the characters relationship wise. I loved them and wanted the best for them but I felt no love between them. I mean there was love between them. They cared deeply for each other. I just didn't have enough scenes with just getting to know each other and stuff. I live in these scenes. I could tell that there was a romance starting between Nat and Lucy but I couldn't feel it. I think there were too much planning and training, not enough living in this book.

Now even though there could have been some things worked out a bit better in this book I still really enjoyed and recommend it highly to those who love historical fantasy. I loved the setting and the world so very very much. It was quite a creative and lovely but dark world. Well built and well explained and so unique.

I did enjoy this story and will get the next book as soon as I can and hope to see some good romance in this next book. 

An amazing world to visit for just a little while. 

Amy Butler Greenfield was a grad student in history when she gave into temptation and became a writer. Since then, she has become an award-winning author.

Amy grew up in the Adirondack Mountains and later studied history at Williams College, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Oxford. She now lives with her family in England, where she writes, bakes double-dark-chocolate cake, and plots mischief.

Wee Reads: The Magic Garden by Lemniscates

Ever since Finn was born, and even before then, we would read to him. We wanted to show him reading from an early age. Now he loves us to read the same books, over, and over, and over. But it is the sweetest thing, when he likes to pick out a book and climb into our laps. 

The Magic Garden by Lemniscates

  

Just like the passing of the seasons, or the mysterious transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly, in this garden, everything is continually changing.
With gorgeous illustrations and a beautiful story of a young girl discovering the marvels of nature, The Magic Garden is sure to delight young readers. At the end, the mysteries uncovered in the story are explained, so children can get their questions about the natural world answered, including sections on how bees make honey, why some animals camouflage themselves, and how a seed grows into a tree. Learning about nature has never been more enchanting!

Do you like this book?
Yeah! It has bugs and lots of animals in it! I really like animals and bugs.

What's your favorite part of the book?
I like the part with the frog and the lizard! They're on a rock! And the momma feeding the baby birds, and they go tweet tweet! I like the tree that has fruits because I like apples!

What do you think of the cover?
I like the pretty flowers. And the little girl looks like Masha!

Do you want me to read it again?
Yeah soon!


This is a very beautifully illustrated and written book. It's definitely very magical. I love that it teaches so much about gardens and the insects that live in them. 
We received an ARC of this book for review

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Lemniscates is an author/illustrator/designer collective that creates children’s books and storybook apps. Established in Barcelona in 2010, Lemniscates has a special interest in books that encourage creative thinking and curiosity about subjects such as nature, the environment, friendship, adoption, fear, and self-acceptance.