Insects in the Infield

Insects in the Infield

Nancy Oswald

 

Buster is not crazy about his younger sister, Maggie's insect collection. Living insects just aren't his thing. But Buster is in a real jam. His math grades are terrible and he can't play on the baseball team unless he brings up his math grade. So super smart Maggie steps in to help him grasp the math concepts. She uses baseball to make the math relate-able. 

I'm an adult, but I still enjoyed reading this chapter book. The author brought several things into play in this story geared towards middle-school age children. Bullying, grades, friends, and family are all discussed in a story that kids will find entertaining. I'll be passing this book on to my son and I hope it sparks some conversations about the topics presented. My only complaint, and it's a tiny one, is that the issue of the bullies never seemed to be resolved. The incidents happened, but weren't addressed by a parent or teacher. The issues just faded after the ball game. 

I received this book free of charge from Goodreads in exchange for my honest review.

Pearl in the Sand

Pearl in the Sand

Tessa Afshar

Rahab is feeling empty and has a great sense of longing. She just isn't sure what she's longing for. When she hears about the God of the Israelites she wants to get to know this God who is so loving and forgiving. Her opportunity comes when two men show up at the gate claiming to be merchants. Her life, and the life of her family, is forever altered because of that split second decision to save some lives. Can Rahab let go of her past hurts and accept the love and forgiveness of the God of Israel.

What a beautifully written story. I'm always reluctant to read Biblical fiction. It is so easy to detract from the real story. But this author has not only written a story that sticks with you long after you've finished the book, she has written it in such a way that I wanted to go back and read the story in the Bible as well. The story came alive as Rahab dealt with the guilt form her past and her unworthiness. The two main characters were flawed, but likeable and inspiring. The book really made me think about the whole story in a completely different light. I was also impressed with the amount of research that went into this book. It gave the story a very authentic feel. I enjoyed the book and the author's writing style so much that I've already purchased several of her other books.

The Mouse Who Ate the Moon

The Mouse Who Ate the Moon

Petr Horacek

Little mouse is lying in bed looking at the moon through the hole in her little house. She makes a wish to have just a tiny piece of the moon. The next morning when Little Mouse looks out of her hole she sees a slice lying on the ground. It smells so good that she eats half of it. She's horrified when she realizes that because of her appetite the moon will no longer be round. Her friends try to cheer her up, but it isn't until the moon comes out that night that she begins to feel better again.

The peep through design with the adorable illustrations will delight children and parents. The pictures contribute and help tell the story. Children will love the lyrical text and fun plot. The print is large and easy to read. The moon and bedtime theme make this a perfect fit for a bedtime story.

I received this book free of charge from Children's Lit in exchange for my honest review.

The Viscount Who Lives Down the Lane

The Viscount Who Lives Down the Lane

Elizabeth Boyle

Louisa doesn't want to go to London for a season. But their late mother's friend has agreed to sponsor both Louisa and her sister, Lavinia. Lavinia is determined to go, so Louisa goes with her to help her find a husband. She insists on bringing her cat Hannibal. Hannibal is a crazy, demented cat who escapes the carriage upon arrival and races into the neighbor's house. That simple mishap helps to shape the girls entire time in London.

I was gifted this book as an ebook. I'll admit that I would never would have picked up this book with this cover. But since I was reading this as an ebook I didn't see the cover until I went to leave the review.

The plot was fun and light-hearted. The two main characters fit well together and were entertaining. But the secondary characters really added depth to the story. I'm a huge fan of romance and the author did a great job of mixing the romance with a little bit of drama and a whole lot of humor. My favorite parts were the parts with the crazy cat. Definitely a cute and funny book that made me want to check out the author's other books. Just ignore the cover!

Ten Rules of Being a Superhero

Ten Rules of Being a Superhero

Deb Pilutti

Every little child knows there are rules to being a superhero. Follow one little superhero, called Lava Boy, as he shows what all ten of these rules are. His little sidekick, Captain Magma, is with him on every page.

Young readers will learn about the rule of helping others, super powers, and other rules. Fun and colorful illustrations fill each page as the superhero learns how each of these rules fit into his everyday life. Parents will love some of the lessons learned from the rules, such as picking up after yourself or being considerate of other people. The author was also able to slip in several examples of good manners. Since each of the rules are numbered the book would be a fun way for preschoolers to learn their numbers. Children will love the whimsical drawings and little captions included with the rules. The print is large and the vocabulary will work well for the young reader.

I received this book free of charge from Children's Lit in exchange for my honest review.

God Loves Broken People

God Loves Broken People

And Those Who Pretend They're Not

Sheila Walsh

As human we are all broken in some way. And God loves each of us in and through our brokenness. The author, herself, has experienced the pain of being broken and has used her experiences to share how her brokenness brought her closer to God and allowed her to help others in their time of darkness.

My Bible study group picked this book out for one of our studies, since the book comes with discussion questions in the back. I was not impressed. We couldn't connect with the author and her presentation of the material felt stiff and un-relatable. She was so vague about her depression issues that even I, who suffers from depression, didn't feel a connection. She makes assumptions about the reader in both the book and the questions that aren't always true. The questions in the back were often closed and didn't really leave room for open discussion or other differences of opinion. But the last few chapters really picked up and I enjoyed them. I thought the author was able to connect better and was able to pull some thought provoking issues into the material. I'm not sure how an author can write a book that is so bad for two-thirds of the book and then end on such a strong note. The discussion questions never got better, but we were able to talk about what we'd read and take it from there. Because of this, I can't really recommend the book to anyone. But since it ended on a good note, I would be open to trying another book by this author.

Masterpiece Marriage

 Masterpiece Marriage

Quilts of Love Series

Gina Welborn

Mary is desperately looking for someone to draw some illustrations of her beloved tomato plants. She needs the illustrations as soon as possible so she can get a job. Very few botanists are women and she wants to get a job in her field. But when she asks her neighbor to help she is roped into helping with a quilt. She's also taxed with working with the neighbor's nephew, an infuriating man.

The story begins with quite a few details and a complex story line. It doesn't appear to be a part of a series, but some of the details were vague. The characters were entertaining and the plot picked up pace towards the end. The ending was romantic and the book cover is gorgeous, both pluses to me.

I received this book free of charge from Goodreads in exchange for my honest review.