Friday, March 1, 2013

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: The Magical Car

Alright adventure seekers of all ages! Fasten your seat belts and get ready for the ride of your life! Guess who's back....

 Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: The Magical Car
By: Ian Fleming
Ages: 9+

She's back and taking you places you've never been before! Join the Potts family as they restore Chitty back to her old glory. With her in charge, never fret when your favorite beach picnic spot is full. Instead of sharing your lunch at an overly crowded beach, Chitty takes you to an island in the middle of the English Channel! However, just mind the tides and don't stay too long.

Once you're picnic afternoon is done, you won't believe what Chitty has in store for you next! 

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: The Magical Car is a cute, fun read. It's perfect for bedtime reading. Going on all the adventures will be a wonderful addition to any family story time. I had so much fun exploring the cave and having a picnic on a remote island. Ian Fleming is known for his 007 writing, but he's great at children's works, too!


The Cupcake Club: Winner Bakes All

The Cupcake Club: Winner Bakes All
By: Sheryl Berk & Carrie Berk
118 Pages
Ages: 9-12

The third book in The Cupcake Club series has Saddie Harris, Kylie Carson, Jenna Medina, & Lexi Poole facing a challenge like no other: can they win a baking contest?

With business drying up a little, the girls are looking for a way to bring in money. Enter the contest Battle of the Bakers. With the grand prize being $5,000, the Cupcake Club is aiming to win. What they didn't count on was going against seasoned professionals. Nor would they expect the surprise guest judge to be a recent disgruntled client. Can they pull it off and win?

While the club battles professionals  Saddie is fearing her parents are heading for a divorce. Money has been tight, and the stress has her parents fighting a lot more. Is Saddie worried about nothing, or is she fated to be the newest addition to the divorced family statistics at her school?

This book is the 3rd in the series, and the first one I ever read. Having said that, it doesn't affect the story line at all. The authors give you all the information you need, so you don't go through the book feeling like you're missing key details. Had it not been for a couple of instances in the book, you wouldn't know it's the middle of a series. 

I found the book to be cute and charming. I enjoyed meeting each of the girls. Mrs. Lila Vanderwall was a character written to be dis likable  and she is. I was mad when she refused to pay the girls for baking a ton of cupcakes at the last minute for her. Yes, they made a mistake with the decoration, but they fixed it. 

This is a series I would love to read more of. I'll definitely be seeing if my library has the first two books in the series. Very cute and enjoyable.