Reseña: Alanna: The First Adventure (Song of the Lioness 1) by Tamora Pierc

Alanna: The First Adventure (Song of the Lioness 1)

 by Tamora Pierce

249 pages

Published December 7th 2010 by Turtleback Books (first published September 1st 1983)

Titulo en español: Alanna la guerrera

ISBN: 0606361030 (ISBN13: 9780606361033)

Series:Song of the Lioness #1, Tortall (Chronological Order) #4

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Tenia curiosidad por este libro que aparece de repente en comentarios de otros libros, y, también porque sale en un fanfic que lei. La historia es sencilla, asi como el lenguaje, y la novela es cortisima, en buena parte porque al parecer el manuscrito original era para adultos, pero por instancia de los editores fue dividida en 4 partes y puesta a nivel de los niños.

Reseñade ARC: Secrets of Camp Whatever Vol. 1

Secrets of Camp Whatever Vol. 1 

by 

Chris Grine

 272 pages

Expected publication: March 2nd 2021 by Oni Press

ISBN: 1620108623 (ISBN13: 9781620108628)

Language: English 

BLURB: Eleven year-old Willow doesn't want to go to her dad's weird old summer camp any more than she wants her family to move to the weird old town where that camp is located. But her family—and fate itself—seem to have plans of their own. Soon Willow finds herself neck-deep in a confounding mystery involving stolen snacks, suspected vampires, and missing campers, all shrouded in the sinister fog that hides a generation of secrets at Camp ... Whatever it's called.

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

+Digital ARC gently provided by Netgalley and publishers in exchange for an honest review+

3.2 stars

A soft version of Eerie Indiana.

Willow family moves to "Nowhere", and the first thing they do ,before to go the house, is drop the daughter into the camp "Whatever" for a week. The camp is situated in an island surrounded by a creepy fog, with suspicious stories about monsters and missing people. Yeah, the perfect place for your beloved children! Willow use hearing aid and she is able to use sign language.

 

Reseña de ARC: Rewritten (Unwritten 2)

+Digital ARC gently provided by Netgalley and publishers in exchange for an honest review+ {English|Spanish}

Rewritten (Unwritten #2)

by  

Tara Gilboy

 200 pages

Published April 7th 2020 by Jolly Fish Press

ISBN: 163163433X (ISBN13: 9781631634338)

Edition Language: English

Series: Unwritten #2

BLURB: After learning the truth about her own fairy tale, twelve-year-old Gracie wants nothing more than to move past the terrible things author Gertrude Winters wrote about her and begin a new chapter in the real world. If only things were going as planned. On the run from the evil Queen Cassandra, the characters from Gracie’s story have all been forced to start over, but some of them cannot forget Gracie’s checkered past. Even worse, Gracie discovers that as long as Cassandra has her magical book, the Vademecum, Gracie’s story is still being written and none of the characters are safe, including her mom and dad. In a desperate attempt to set things right, Gracie finds herself transported into another one of Gertrude’s stories—but this one is a horror story. Can Gracie face her destiny and the wild beast roaming the night, to rewrite her own story?"

3 manage-your-storyline stars

This is a middle grade fantasy very much in the vein of "Once Upon a Time". {Even if Cassandra wish for in her best day to be like Regina (maybe she is more alike Cruella) ...

and Gracie wish for to be like Henry}

Gracie is a 12 year old that, after the first book, has abandoned the literary world of Bondoff to the real world. 

Reseña de ARC: A Girl, A Raccoon, and the Midnight Moon.

 +Digital ARC gently provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review+

A Girl, a Raccoon, and the Midnight Moon 

by  

Karen Romano Young

392 pages

Expected publication: January 7th 2020 by Chronicle Books

ISBN: 1452169527 (ISBN13: 9781452169521)

Edition Language: English

BLURB: In a slightly fantastical New York City, one very special library branch has been designated for possible closure. Bookish, socially awkward Pearl, the daughter of the librarian, can't imagine a world without the library—its books, its community of oddballs, its hominess. When the head of their Edna St. Vincent Millay statue goes missing, closure is closer than ever. But Pearl is determined to save the library. And with a ragtag neighborhood library crew—including a constantly tap-dancing girl who might just be her first friend, an older boy she has a crush on, and a pack of raccoons who can read and write—she just might be able to. 
 Age Range: 9-12 years

4.5 let's enjoy to read stars

I don't know but I loved it.

It is said that a village is needed to raise a child, well what do you think of a library? In this beautiful story about a girl, the librarian's daughter, and where we are in a world that points strongly towards globalization maybe we lost some things, we here recover the sense of love of a small community that represents a family, about friendship, facing together and with imagination to the difficulties, and besides, of course how our little world can be much bigger thanks to the books.

Pearl is a complicated , bookish, precocius girl, and the Lancaster Library is all her world. She never thought something will change. Well, sometimes the change come with a bang, or with a inconcebible act that led to more changes, not all bad.

Reseña: Escape from Mr Lemoncello's Library (Mr. Lemoncello's Library #1)

 Reto Popsugar 2019: #38: libro que gire alrededor de un juego o puzzle.

Escape from Mr Lemoncello's Library (Mr. Lemoncello's Library #1)

by 

Chris Grabenstein

 294 pages

(first published June 25th 2013)

ASIN: B01N10Z43M

Series; Mr. Lemoncello's Library #1 

BLUB: Acabas de ganar una invitación especial a la nueva biblioteca del señor Lemoncello, donde varios participantes vais a encerraros para pasar la noche y competir en un evento secreto lleno de increíbles desafíos. Pero ¿podrás salir y volver a casa? ¡Acción y aventura al más puro estilo "Charlie y la fábrica de chocolate"!

Literary Awards:

Anthony Award Nominee for Best Children's or Young Adult Novel (2014), Young Hoosier Book Award, Agatha Award for Best Children's/Young Adult Novel (2013)

2 estrellas 

Hay una version en castellano, pero yo la lei en ingles.

A pesar del monón, al parecer, de premios y nominaciones que obtuvo este libro, a mi no me gustó. Asi de simple. Puede que no sea para mi. Puede que sea sólo una copia sin gracias. Eso queda a gusto del lector. 

El asunto es que sigue fuertemente la misma idea de Charly y la Fábrica de Chocolates de Dahl, ejem que Dahl tampoco sea de mi agrado puede que les de una pista del porqué no me gusto el libro, claro esta. Lo cierto es que lo lei como parte del desafio Poposugar de este año: Un libro que gire alrededor de un juego o puzzle.

La idea de que un millonario excéntrico, famoso por sus juegos de salon de caza de tesoros y de videojuegos , decida abrir una biblioteca nueva y renovada en recuerdo a la infancia pasada alli junto a su bibliotecaria favorita es linda. Que un monton de mocosos sean sorteados para pasar alli la noche antes de inaugurarla, pasando desafios para ganar premios de videojuegos y otros.... no es tanto. 

Reseña de ARC: Little Witches: Magic in Concord

 +Digital ARC gently provided by publishers and netgalley for an honest review+

Little Witches: Magic in Concord 

by  

Leigh Dragoon

160 pages

Expected publication: August 27th 2019 by Oni Press (first published August 2019)

ISBN:1620106485 (ISBN13: 9781620106488)
Edition Language: English

 BLURB: A charming and magical graphic novel adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's LITTLE WOMEN!
Jo, Beth, Amy, and Meg March are four sisters living in Concord with their parents—Father, who's tending to soldiers fighting in the Civil War, and Marmee, who teaches the girls simple but effective witchcraft. The Marches have to keep their craft quiet, as there are many in Concord who see magic in a bad light—especially after things have begun disappearing.

 When Mr. Laurence, a witchfinder, moves in next door to investigate the missing objects, the girls fear for their livelihood. But he turns out to be a kind old man, and his grandson, Laurie, quickly befriends the Marches. As the cold winter blusters on, the girls continue their education, even as missing objects soon turn into missing people.
Things take a turn for the worse when Jo and Laurie try investigating on their own, and a dangerous storm takes hold of Concord. There's powerful magic at play here—stronger than anything the Marches, or even Laurie, has ever seen before. Can they hope to defeat it? Or has the magic already become too strong for them to fight against?

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Age Range: 8 and up

Grade Level: 3 - 4

I was curious to read this book, which is an adaptation of the beloved classic Little Women by L.M. Alcott, with the proviso that the March sisters here are witches. Good witches, mind you, keeping even their ideas of Transcendentalism.

The plot is similar: four sisters living with their mother in Concord during the Civil War; the father is absent in the aforementioned war minding the wounded. The fact that they are witches is a fact known to all, as well as the existence of magues. So this is a historical fantasy / alternative reality. 

Reseña de ARC: Unicorn Bowling (Phoebe and Her Unicorn #9)

 +Netgalley ARC gently provided by publishers and Netgalley for an honest review+

Unicorn Bowling (Phoebe and Her Unicorn #9)

by 

Dana Simpson

176 pages

Published April 23rd 2019 by Andrews McMeel Publishing

ISBN:1449499384 (ISBN13: 9781449499389)

Edition Language: English

Series: Phoebe and Her Unicorn #9

BLURB: The NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING series Phoebe and Her Unicorn is back with all-new sparkling tales of best friendship. Whether they're visiting Camp Shimmerhorn or fitting unicorn hooves for bowling shoes, Phoebe and Marigold find magic in every moment. A unicorn in bowling shoes is quite a STRIKE-ing sight. But for nine-year-old Phoebe Howell, it’s just another fun outing with her best friend, the illustrious unicorn Marigold Heavenly Nostrils.

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Cute n' Fluffy.

I think Phoebe and Marigold adventures in everyday school and summer camp are kind of addictive because I had no intention of going for another of this books -again in form of comic strips and other longer short stories with the summer camp- and here I am.

This book is clearly intended for classroom discusion about the changes bringed for modern technology, the virtue of practicing for piano lessons (or rather for the importance of practicing to get better without magical short cuts), about gender roles, and that internet is nice but be careful with the things you post about other people (or the badness of simply bullying when you hurt other people feelings).

Reseña de ARC: Kidnapped by Vampires (The Z Team #2)

 +Digital ARC gently provided by Netgalley and publishers in exchange for an honest review+

Kidnapped by Vampires (The Z Team #2)

by 

D.E. Daly

 64 pages

Published January 15th 2019 by West 44 Books

ISBN: 1538381893 (ISBN13: 9781538381892)

Series: The Z Team #2 

Language: English

BLURB: The Z Team is pretty sure nothing else is coming out of the old railroad station. They're ready to retire. However, when people start going missing in town, the Z Team gets back together to fight their next challenge, which are vampires.

My rating: 2.6 vampires on the railroads stars

Level: 9-12

The Z Team is a party of 3 middle schoolers who are clearly influenced by our remembered Buffy the Vampire Slayer (though here is named as 'Sunny the Monster Masher') in a light version of Eerie Indiana it seems.

The Zephyr Terminal is again the focus of supernatural problems, and the friends Chloe, Malik y Justin have to find it before something worst may happen to their close ones.

It's a cheesy adventure, with preteen and teens problems of homework, tests, and sisters not listening to younger siblings. And of course vampire lore thrown in the mix.

Reseña: Yasmina and the Potato Eaters: Part 2

 +Digital ARC gently provided by publishers via Netgalley. My thanks, and all the thoughts are my own+

Yasmina and the Potato Eaters: Part 2 

by 

Wauter Mannaert

 72 pages

Expected publication: April 17th 2019 by Europe Comics

Original TitleYasmina et les mangeurs de patates

ISBN: 139791032808139

Edition Language: English

Series: Yasmina and the Potato Eaters #2

 Sinopsis: Eleven‐year‐old Yasmina and her dad lead a modest life in a small city apartment. Luckily, the food-loving Yasmina can whip up just about anything in the kitchen, with an assist from her edible herb books and her friends from the community garden. That is, until the day the garden disappears, bulldozed and replaced by a field of potatoes that are both experimental… and completely addictive! The only solution is for Yasmina to track down and eradicate the source of the problem. A fun and colorful tale for all ages.

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The second and final installement of the story of this courageous and asertive young girl fighting against a big company to help her father, friends, and the city.

That of 'you can not eat only one' takes a new look in this story .

For this girl to advocate for community gardens, and for growing vegetables on the terraces of buildings comes to bring a very relevant issue. Not only about pesticides and food with non-natural aggregates, but also because of the scarcity of good food that we are facing, especially with the shrinkage of agricultural land.

Reseña: Yasmina and the Potato Eaters: Part 1

 +Digital Arc gently provided by Netgalley and publishers. The comments are all mine+

Yasmina and the Potato Eaters: Part 1 

by 

Wauter Mannaert

72 pages

Published March 20th 2019 by Europe Comics

Original Title: Yasmina et les mangeurs de patates

ASIN: B07NY98PPD

Edition Language: English

Series Yasmina and the Potato Eaters #1

 

 Sinopsis: Eleven‐year‐old Yasmina and her dad lead a modest life in a small city apartment. Luckily, the food-loving Yasmina can whip up just about anything in the kitchen, with an assist from her edible herb books and her friends from the community garden. That is, until the day the garden disappears, bulldozed and replaced by a field of potatoes that are both experimental... and completely addictive! The only solution is for Yasmina to track down and eradicate the source of the problem. A fun and colorful tale for all ages.

 

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Cautionary tale - be careful with what you eat.

Yasmina is an 11 years old muslim girl living with her widowed father who works in a fast food chain. Yasmina loves to cook. Her dream is to become a chef, a vegan chef, so she reads about herbs and veggies , and her friends help her with free vegetables from their vegetable gardens.

Reseña: Theo Paxstone and the Dragon of Adyron

Theo Paxstone and the Dragon of Adyron 

by 

James Turner

 412 pages

Published October 8th 2017

ASIN: B076B6MCPB

Edition Language: English 

BLURb: Young Theo Paxstone aspires to a better life. A mechanic at a steam mech repair shop, he slaves away under the sharp eye of the ruthless Master Grimes, along with dozens of other orphan boys. The biggest and meanest of them, Grant, has in it for Theo and his best friend, Ollie, the shop’s parts-spotter cockatoo.

When the largest dragon ever seen descends out of the night sky and sets the royal tournament aflame, Theo escapes to help. He saves a crippled steam knight, Sir Bentham, from the blaze, assisted by Bentham’s pugnacious squire, Riley.
Together, they decide to hunt the monstrous dragon down — before it can kill again.
But nothing is as it seems, and Theo soon finds himself caught up in an adventure that will turn his entire world upside down...

My rating: 3.5

 Situado en una suerte de mundo post-apocaliptico fantástico , con máquinas a vapor, caballeros y reinos, dragones y toda suerte de criaturas peligrosas, y con mecha (esto un robot que funciona a vapor piloteado por un caballero que es un noble).

Theo Paxstone es un huérfano que con 13 años de edad trabaja como aprendiz en un taller de chatarra bajo las órdenes de un abusivo maese Grimes. No recuerda padres ni vivir en la calle, sólo el taller y todos los otros chicos que viven como él, arreglando y puliendo maquinaria para venderla. 

Pero los sueños de Theo son de caballeros, de su héroe Sir Drake, y de manejar un robot inventado por él mismo, y vivir aventuras según el código de honor.

Reseña: Chengli and the Silk Road Caravan

+Digital arc gently provided by author and editors via Netgalley. My thanks, and my thoughts all mine+

Chengli and the Silk Road Caravan 

by 

Hildi Kang

 200 pages

Published August 23rd 2011 by Tanglewood

ISBN: 1933718544 (ISBN13: 9781933718545)

Edition Language: English

Literary Awards:Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature for Children (2012)

 Chengli is an orphaned errand boy who lives in Chang’an China in 630 A.D. His mother has died from illness and his father is presumed dead after disappearing into the desert when Chengli was a baby.
Now thirteen, Chengli feels ready for independence. He is drawn to the desert, beckoned by the howling of strange winds and the hope of learning something about his father— who he was and how he died.
Chengli joins the caravan to travel down the merchant route known as the Silk Road, but it is a dangerous life, as his father knew. The desert is harsh, and there are many bandits, particularly drawn to Chengli's caravan because a princess, her servants, and royal guards are traveling with them.

My rating: 3.5 estrellas viajeras

Chengli es un niño huérfano de 13 años en la China de 630 dC, en la ciudad imperial de Chang’an, sirve como sirviente de un mercader de seda. Sus idas al mercado atraen sus ansias por viajar hacia el desierto, atraido por el llamado de los vientos, de modo que decide dejar todo lo que conoce en un intento por averiguar qué fue de su padre, quien segun le contaron fue un inspector imperial que murió a manos de bandidos cuando él todavia era un bebé quedando luego al cuidado de una vieja cocinera tras morir su madre.

Debe convencer al jefe de una caravana de camellos para que le deje acompañarlos laborando. A partir de allí se dearrolla un viaje que describe este viaje por la mítica ruta de la seda camino al oeste. Bandidos, tormentas de arena, el duro clima, meses de trabajo duro del amanecer al anochecer, y la sed son cosas diarias. 

Reseña: The Music Box - Volume I: Welcome to Pandorient

+Digital arc gently provided by Netgalley and publishers in exchange for an honest review+

The Music Box - Volume 1: Welcome to Pandorient 

by  

Carbone

Gije (Art) 

66 pages

Published June 20th 2018 by Europe Comics 

Original Title: Bienvenue à Pandorient (La Boite à Musique, #1)

ISBN13: 9791032805817

Edition Language: English

Serie: La Boite a Musique

BLURB: For her eighth birthday, Nola receives a marvelous present: her late mother Annah’s music box. It has the most enchanting melody, and inside the globe… is that a little girl waving? And calling for help?! Before she knows it, Nola has shrunk down size, slipped through the keyhole, and entered the world of Pandorient, where even the most ordinary-looking citizens can have extraordinary powers—and where danger could lurk down every hallway. Nola must help her new friends save their mother from a mysterious malady—all the while making surprising discoveries about Annah’s past, and—maybe—her own future…

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

¡Que bella portada!

Introductory book to the Pandorient fantasy land - inside a music box.

In Nola eighth birthday her father gives a music box , memento from her deceased mother. When she winds it up, she discovers to her surprise a small figure, another girl apparently asking for help.




Inside, she discover another very diferent world, full of fantasy beings, strange and maybe dangerous. And... her mother seems to hide many secrets as well. What in the world is this world, and why is Nola's mother hiding it? (a sort of Superman botle of Kandor)

Beautiful colorful art. Potential friends Neighbors, delinquents, police and hard laws, forbidden relationships. Many more stories to explore, apart from this strange world.

Reseña: A Calf Named Brian Higgins: An Adventure in Rural Kenya

 +Digital ARC gently provided by Netgalley and publishers in exchange for honest review+

A Calf Named Brian Higgins 

by  

Kristen Ball

272 pages

Expected publication: July 1st 2018 by One Elm Books, an imprint of Red Chair Press

ISBN: 1947159003 (ISBN13: 9781947159006)

Edition Language: English

 

 

 BLURB: Thirteen-year-old Hannah Higgins is convinced her summer is ruined when she is forced to travel to Africa and work in a remote village with her mom and uncle. Never having been to a developing country, she finds the food gross and the community filthy. She has to live without electricity or running water. Then she is told she must attend school.
Just when she thinks nothing could make this trip any worse, she learns people there are dying of hunger and preventable disease. Hannah becomes frustrated and wants to help, but when poverty threatens the lives of people she loves, all she wants to do is go home. This story is an adventure of discovery.

My rating: 3.5 nyoyo stars

When Uncle Brian , her favorite uncle, invited Hannah to Kenya to meet his friends invested in humanitarian goals and the school in Sauri, she is not specially thrilled at first but despite no water, no much food choices and the gross incoveniences she discover cheerful people and a place in her heart.

When you lived harsh conditions day-by-day -even for few weeks- is totally another matter. Water and food are grossly underestimated for granted for most of the kids, until is not.

Reseña: The Marvelous Adventures of Gwendolyn Gray

+Digital ARC gently provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review+

The Marvelous Adventures of Gwendolyn Gray 

by 

B.A. Williamson

 300 pages

Expected publication: May 15th 2018 by North Star Editions/Jolly Fish Press

ISBN13: 9781631631726

Edition Language: English

BLURB: Gwendolyn Gray faces an overwhelming battle every day: keeping her imagination under control. It’s a struggle for a dreamer like Gwendolyn, in a city of identical gray skyscrapers, clouds that never clear, and grown-ups who never understand.

But when her daydreams come alive and run amok in The City, the struggle to control them becomes as real as the furry creatures infesting her bedroom. Worse yet, she’s drawn the attention of the Faceless Gentlemen, who want to preserve order in The City by erasing Gwendolyn and her troublesome creations.

With the help of two explorers from another world, Gwendolyn escapes and finds herself in a land of clockwork inventions and colorful creations. Now Gwendolyn must harness her powers and, with a gang of airship pirates, stop the Faceless Gentlemen from destroying the new world she loves and the home that never wanted her—before every world becomes gray and dull.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My bookshelves: netgalley, children-protagonist, fantasy, adventure, steam-punk, dystopia, alternate-reality

Gwendolyn Gray is a twelve-year-old girl living in a gray city, under gray skies, with gray clothes and gray buildings. She doesn't want to grow up, after all the adults look all the same and didn't do anything different ... ever. But Gwendolyn has something that they don't - she has imagination.

This is a middle grade fantasy-adventure story. At the start it reminds me a bit of Momo de Ende. But later some characters invoke different imagenery like the scifi-noir-film Dark City. There are chase, and ships, and pirates, and strange and beautiful cities.