The Unbearable Book Club For Unsinkable Girls

The Unbearable book Club For Unsinkable Girls

By: Julie Schumacher

238 Pages

Summary:

Adrianne, CeeCee, Jill, & Wallis are spending their summer in a book club thought up by their moms. The only thing these 4 girls have in common is that they don't want to be there. While reading 5 books from their AP English Class the girls will get to know one another much better.

Julie Schumacher is riding the wave of successful Mother/Daughter Book club books that have been coming out lately. However, I am sorry to say, this one isn't as good as the others. While it was a fun read, there really isn't much to separate it from the previous books that have already come out. This book does go further in the drama department than the others I've read, but that may not be a good thing.

CeeCee is the popular girl who loses out on going to Paris over the summer because she drove her parents car- without a license or permission. She's also the one who influences Adrienne into a summer she'll never forget. Adrienne is the girl trying to recover from a bad knee injury that cost her a white water rafting trip with her best friend. Jill is the smart girl who has a summer job and her whole life already mapped out. Wallis is the unknown factor- and I mean that in more ways than the obvious.

This book is targeted for 12 years and older, but it deals with some issues a 12 year may, or may not, be ready for. While CeeCee gets Adrienne to spread her wings a little, she also gets her drunk and kisses her. Wallis is believed to be a girl, but it's brought into question towards the end of the book. Her home life is unknown and the subject of great theory. By the time the book ends, you never really know what the story is. Adrienne is the fatherless child who is starting to struggle with that and have questions. None of her questions are asked and you never find out what the deal was with her Dad. You are told he was a one-night stand and that Adrienne's Mom didn't even know his last name.

Overall, the book was a good read but I had a hard time not getting all the answers to the many questions the story raises. I felt The Unbearable Book Club For Unsinkable Girls wasn't nearly as good as Heather Vogel Frederick's The Mother-Daughter Book Club series.

Rating: Borrow From The Library

Facing The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Facing The Hunchback of Notre Dame

By: L.L. Samson

141 pages

Ages: 9-12

An attic once used by a scientist becomes the place where literature and real life can interact.

Qusaimodo is brought out of his book and into modern day time. How does he adjust? Can he even get back to his story?

14 year old twins Ophelia and Linus Easterday have been sent to live with their Aunt Portia and Uncle Augustus- who happen to be twins, as well. The twins' Aunt and Uncle live in a townhouse that also holds their rare bookstore. Oddly, the building once belonged to Cato Grubbs, but he mysteriously disappeared one day.

While getting to know their new environment, the twins both stumble upon an abandoned attic. Closer inspection shows it was the previous tenant's old scientist lab. However, this is no ordinary lab holding ordinary lab equipment. Ophelia finds this out when she's reading in the attic one night and strange things start to happen.

At exactly 11:11pm on the 11th day of the 11th month, the room begins to vibrate. A circle that was painted on the floor by Cato Grubbs begins to glow and white sparks start to fly up. When everything stops, Quasimodo, himself, is there in the middle of the circle.He's come right out of the book Ophelia had been reading.

The twins read from a book they find called Imaginary Realms and discover they have their literary guest for the next 60 hours. But that's not all they have. Soon enough they discover that Cato isn't the dead former tenant everyone thinks he is. He and Frollo, also from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, have come to retrieve Quasimodo- though for very different purposes. Now the twins are in a race to keep Quasimodo safe and return him to his story and they get help from a Priest and a boy from the school next door.

This book was a fun read. I enjoyed how L.L. Samson brought a well-known character to life. She made the thoroughly misunderstood outcast into someone of wisdom and knowledge. I loved reading how the two worlds melded. She has created a series to be read by many and introduce the classics to a new generation.

I Don't Believe It, Archie

I Don't Believe It, Archie
By: Andrew Norriss
128 Pages
Ages: 7-10

Summary:
Life is anything but predictable and boring for Archie. You never know what will happen. However, you do know that if you hadn't seen it with your own eyes, you wouldn't have believed it.

Every day it's something new. From a piano delivery going wrong, to being mistaken for a kidnapped boy who looks just like him, to getting his hands glued to the library door handles. The possibilities are endless.

Now you get to spend a week with Archie. On Monday you'll see the craziness that involves a piano, a little girl stuck in a car, and tons of stones. On Tuesday you will see a misunderstanding involving Archie and a dog take one bizarre turn after another. Wednesday will have an innocent trip to the library end up with a protest involving superglue. On Thursday, a case of mistaken identity will occur. Friday will show you how a toy rescue involves a real lion and a real leopard. On Saturday will interrupt a real robbery when he tries to watch a staged robbery. When Sunday arrives, while it pails in comparison to the other days, chaos arrives no less.

If you like to laugh and giggle while you read a book, then this is the book for you. I Don't Believe It, Archie was fun from cover to cover. Children will love seeing all the crazy things that find Archie.

Star Wars Jedi: Volume 1 The Dark Side

Okay all you Star Wars fans. A new graphic novel has hit the bookstores and Kids Korner has enlisted our resident Star Wars reviewer to tell you what you should know about it. We present to you...

Star Wars Jedi: Volume 1 The Dark Side

120 Pages

Ages: Teen & Up

Star Wars: Jedi is a graphic novel (compilation of comic books) that takes place in the Star Wars time line before Episode 1. In Jedi, we follow Qui-Gon Jinn and his padawan learner, Xanatos, who are paired with another Jedi master and another padawan. The group must travel to Xanatos' home world of Telos IV where a political assassination must be investigated. Once there, the group is attacked and ambushed, all the while Xanatos must face his biggest trial: choosing between his birth family and his Jedi family.

Jedi is fast-paced, illustrated well, and informative for background knowledge of the characters. It gives more detailed information about the life lessons and struggles between Qui-Gon and the padawan he had before Obi-Wan Kenobi, Xanatos, whom we first really see in the second book in the young adult series Jedi Apprentice. The plot is well thought out, the character interaction is good, and you get to see a younger Mace Windu, with hair! The writing leaves the ending open for future volumes, which, if you are like me, you always want more Star Wars. Anyone interested in Star Wars graphic novels should take a look at collecting this at book stores.



Mrs. Noodlekugel

Mrs. Noodlekugel

By: Daniel Pinkwater

72 Pages

Ages: 5-10

Summary:

What sort of person lives in a small cottage surrounded by tall buildings? What kinds of wondrous things happen there? Find out when you read Mrs. Noodlekugel.

Nick and Maxine live in a tall apartment building. All around them are tall buildings. So imagine their surprise when they notice a small house in the backyard of their building. Curiosity gets the better of them and they go investigate.

As they walk through the gate of the house, they see normal things. There's the birdbath, statues, flowers... and a skinny black cat that talks. Not only does Mr. Fuzzface talk, but he bakes and plays the piano, as well.

Now, if that doesn't surprise you, just wait until you attend one of her tea parties. Among the guests will be you, Mr. Fuzzface, Mrs. Noodlekugel, and 4 farsighted mice. And be come prepared for anything but a normal baking time when she invites you to bake gingerbread mice cookies.

Mrs. Noodlekugel is such a fun, charming read. The way the ordinary becomes the extraordinary will capture readers of all ages. I loved meeting her and spending an afternoon with her. I hope this is the first of a new series, because I would lover to have further adventures with Mrs. Noodlekugel.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again!

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again

By: Frank Cottrell Boyce

214 Pages

Ages: 9-12

The Tooting children are on Summer Vacation and Dad has just lost his job due to his fingers being too big. When Dad's "home improvements" don't work out well, Mom Tooting beings home an old 1966 camper van that is literally falling apart. The idea is to get it up and running, then travel the world in it.

When Dad and Jem take the car for a spin, they realize a little fixing is in need before the world travels can begin. A visit to the auto parts place leads to a discovery that changes everything. Dad finds an old, big engine in a tree. It still works, so the new discovery is put into the camper van. Soon the family is en route to Paris, among other places.

Wacky adventures await the Tootings at each destination. The family discovers that they aren't driving the car, but the car is driving them. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang lands them on top of the Eiffel Tower, in front of the Sphinx, and even plunges them underwater. The question is: what is Chitty Chitty Bang Bang up to?

Kids will enjoy the cute adventures. A little bit of history is thrown in at each destination, so it's a fun way to learn about famous places. It was a cute book.

Isabella: Girl On The Go

Isabella: Girl On The Go

By: Jennifer Fosberry

32 Pages

Ages: 4-8

RELEASE DATE: February 1, 2012

Isabella's Daddy has a list of jobs to be done around the backyard. She can't help him because she is busy with her numerous own jobs. Astronomer, painter, and other careers keep Isabella on her toes. Going all over the world with such jobs helps her decide where her favorite place to be is.

I loved this book. I plan to buy this book for my own daughters. Isabella has such a wonderful imagination and she was a joy to read. I look forward to reading more about this charming character in the future.

Rating: Buy It!