Review: The Wide-Awake Princess by E.D. Baker

Title: The Wide-Awake Princess
Author: E.D. Baker
Source/Format: Purchased, ebook
More Details: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Retellings
Publisher/Publication Date: Bloomsbury USA Childrens, May 11, 2010

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

In this new stand-alone fairy tale, Princess Annie is the younger sister to Gwen, the princess destined to be Sleeping Beauty. When Gwennie pricks her finger and the whole castle falls asleep, only Annie is awake, and only Annie—blessed (or cursed?) with being impervious to magic—can venture out beyond the rose-covered hedge for help. She must find Gwen's true love to kiss her awake.

But who is her true love? The irritating Digby? The happy-go-lucky Prince Andreas, who is holding a contest to find his bride? The conniving Clarence, whose sinister motives couldn't possibly spell true love? Joined by one of her father's guards, Liam, who happened to be out of the castle when the sleeping spell struck, Annie travels through a fairy tale land populated with characters both familiar and new as she tries to fix her sister and her family . . . and perhaps even find a true love of her own...

I don’t recall ever having read a book by E.D. Baker. However, The Wide-Awake Princess has been sitting unread for a long time. So, since I’m trying to get to some of the older releases this year, I decided to give this one a try.

The story is focused on Annie, who after an unfortunate incident is left awake while everyone else in the castle is asleep. She sets out in search of her sister's one true love with the hopes that she can help her family. I really do enjoy retellings. The Wide-Awake Princess had many common attributes I look for in these kinds of books. Baker included details common to stories like Sleeping Beauty, but she also added enough changes to keep the story from seeming too close to the original tales.

I liked the fact that Baker decided to put a different spin on the various princes, and focused on the fact that being magically gifted wasn’t everything. That magic also wasn’t the miraculous fix for poor personalities, and even worse habits (and questionable sources of motivation). The first few pages were enough to grab my interest, and I kept reading to see how the story turned out. Right off the bat, I had questions regarding who the true culprit was. I really had no idea who it could be. In that way, Baker did a good job of setting up the mystery and presenting a plausible situation suited for Annie’s involvement.

Annie made the best of her so called gift. She was often left to be by herself, just based off circumstance she couldn’t control. I did like her attitude about it and how she focused on the things she could do, rather than the things she hadn’t been given through magic. Along Annie’s adventures was Liam, a guard. He was perfectly caring, and ready to help where he could.

Basically, I really enjoyed The Wide-Awake Princess, and I would definitely consider checking out the other books in the series.

Review: The Illustrated Compendium of Amazing Animal Facts by Maja Säfström

Title: The Illustrated Compendium of Amazing Animal Facts
Author: Maja Säfström
Source/Format: Blogging For Books, Hardcover (review copy)
More Details: Nonfiction, Nature, Animals, Illustration
Publisher/Publication Date: Ten Speed Press, March 29, 2016
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Synopsis from Goodreads...

An artfully playful collection of unexpected and remarkable facts about animals, illustrated by Swedish artist Maja Säfström. Did you know that an octopus has three hearts? Or that ostriches can't walk backward? These and many more fascinating and surprising facts about the animal kingdom (Bees never sleep! Starfish don't have brains!) are illustrated with whimsical detail in this charming collection...

When I finally got my copy of The Illustrated Compendium of Amazing Animal Facts, I couldn’t wait to read it. So, I put aside everything else, and read it in one sitting—literally. The book was fantastic. It was short and full of fun animal facts and cute illustrations. I knew some of the facts, but there were other’s I was surprised by—such as the one I picked for this Fridays 56. I never wanted to know that much about spiders, because ew, gross. Still, the book had many other interesting facts, and Säfström did a good job with the illustrations, which were done all in black and white.

All around, The Illustrated Compendium of Amazing Animal Facts was a cute, but also informative book about animals. Some of my favorite facts involved Beavers, Owls, Crocodiles, and an interesting piece of information about Moose antlers. This is the first time I’ve heard about Säfström, but I would consider checking out more of her work when it becomes available.

This copy of the book was provided by Blogging For Books (publisher) for this review, thank you!

About the Author...

MAJA SÄFSTRÖM is a Stockholm based architect and illustrator who has gained international recognition for her quirky animal drawings. For more of her works, visit: www.majasbok.se

Review: Flora Segunda by Ysabeau S. Wilce

Title: Flora Segunda
Author: Ysabeau S. Wilce
Source/Format: Purchased, Paperback
More Details: Fantasy, Young Adult
Publisher/Publication Date: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, May 1, 2008

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Flora knows better than to take shortcuts in her family home, Crackpot Hall--the house has eleven thousand rooms, and ever since her mother banished the magickal butler, those rooms move around at random. But Flora is late for school, so she takes the unpredictable elevator anyway. Huge mistake. Lost in her own house, she stumbles upon the long-banished butler--and into a mind-blowing muddle of intrigue and betrayal that changes her world forever...

I’ve had my copy of Flora Segunda for a very long time. I don’t know why I haven’t read it till now, but all I can say is that I’m happy I finally did. Flora Segunda was a wholly adventurous, and delightful novel with the perfect blend of mystery, action, and magic.

The story is about Flora who makes the mistake of taking the elevator in her house, which doesn’t work properly since the butler was banished. The resulting trouble served as one of the main conflicts of the book. The idea of a house with eleven thousand rooms, diminished into disrepair, was very interesting and handled quite well. I did enjoy Wilce’s writing style. It had the right amount of descriptive language and dialogue, and had a nice flow to it, making it easy to get into the story.

Flora’s adventures were pretty cool, even if she spent half the novel trying to hide her secrets to keep out of trouble. She had a lot to worry about—everything from her upcoming birthday, to her future (which was basically planned out for her, according to family traditions), a mountain of chores, and, of course, magical trouble. Flora’s friend, Udo, was an interesting side character. It was easy to see that he cared a lot about her, as a friend. And, as far as characters go, Flora and Udo made a pretty good team when they needed to.

The setting was centered on the house and the surrounding area, which fit perfectly with the story. Wilce spent some time building up the setting, giving it a history that was imaginative, and added an extra layer of depth to the story. So, despite the synopsis, the book wasn’t only about the magical houses and their impressive—sometimes mischievous—butlers. Flora Segunda was also about Flora learning how to speak up for herself—to say what she really meant.

Flora Segunda is the first book I've read by Wilce. Suffice to say, I was pretty impressed. Overall, it was a really good book, and I would be interested in the rest of the series.

Review: A Spy in the House by Y.S. Lee

Title: A Spy in the House
Author: Y.S. Lee
Source/Format: Purchased, Paperback
More Details: Young Adult, Historical, Mystery
Publisher/Publication Date: Candlewick Press, March 9, 2010

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Rescued from the gallows in 1850s London, young orphan (and thief) Mary Quinn is surprised to be offered a singular education, instruction in fine manners — and an unusual vocation. Miss Scrimshaw’s Academy for Girls is a cover for an all-female investigative unit called The Agency, and at seventeen, Mary is about to put her training to the test. Assuming the guise of a lady’s companion, she must infiltrate a rich merchant’s home in hopes of tracing his missing cargo ships. But the household is full of dangerous deceptions, and there is no one to trust — or is there? Packed with action and suspense, banter and romance, and evoking the gritty backstreets of Victorian London, this breezy mystery debuts a daring young detective who lives by her wits while uncovering secrets — including those of her own past...

I first read A Spy in the House by Y.S. Lee several years ago, but I didn’t remember much about what happened. So, I was really excited to give the book another read, and I have to say that I still enjoyed it just as much as I did before. Rereading the book basically reminded me why I got into the series in the first place.

For starters, the plot was incredibly interesting. A Spy in the House was definitely a mystery at heart, intertwined with historical elements based in 1850s London, and the concept of a secret agency made up of women, exclusively. Lee did a relatively good job capturing the time period, and portraying what it was like for women of the time, through the eyes of the main character, Mary Quinn.

I liked Mary as a character. Her life wasn’t easy, but she grasped the opportunities that came to her. She had a desire to do more with her life than take up a profession more common to the time period, which significantly limited her options to things like teaching or being a governess. There was also a slew of interesting character that came from a variety of backgrounds. As such, I liked the way Lee showed the different characters and their interactions with Mary throughout the course of the novel.

The case handed to Mary was interesting. It dealt with missing cargo ships, questionable merchants, and a great deal of playing the part of a lady’s companion. From the very first page, there was enough suspense and action to keep me interested. There was romance, but it was nicely balanced with the mystery and never took the focus away from the plot.

So, A Spy in the House keeps its place as one of my favorite books, and I look forward to getting to A Body at the Tower and The Traitor in the Tunnel. And maybe, finally, I’ll get around to picking up the last book to see how the series ends.

Review: Earth Girl by Janet Edwards

Title: Earth Girl
Author: Janet Edwards
Source/Format: Purchased, UK Paperback
More Details:  Science Fiction, Young Adult
Publisher/Publication Date: Harper Voyager, August 16, 2012

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

2788. Only the handicapped live on Earth... 

Eighteen-year-old Jarra is among the one in a thousand people born with an immune system that cannot survive on other planets. Sent to Earth at birth to save her life, she has been abandoned by her parents. She can’t travel to other worlds, but she can watch their vids, and she knows all the jokes they make. She’s an “ape,” a “throwback,” but this is one ape girl who won’t give in. Jarra makes up a fake military background for herself and joins a class of norms who are on Earth for a year of practical history studies excavating the dangerous ruins of the old cities. She wants to see their faces when they find out they’ve been fooled into thinking an ape girl was a norm. She isn’t expecting to make friends with the enemy, to risk her life to save norms, or to fall in love...

I first heard about Earth Girl a couple of years ago, when it was still a new release and not out in the US yet. I did mark it as one I wanted to read just based off the synopsis alone. Honestly, I sort of forgot about it. However, recently I purchased the entire trilogy. And even more recently, I finally read Earth Girl. I’m glad I did, because Earth Girl turned out to be a really good book.

The story follows Jarra after she signs up for a class that's not based on Earth. She was considered “Handicapped” because she had a disability that limited her to Earth. She couldn’t travel to other worlds, and thus, she and other characters with similar disabilities experienced prejudice just based off things they couldn’t control. So, when Jarra came up with a plan to fool the "Norms", I was sold on the story. I was also really curious to see how Jarra’s scheme turned out.

I absolutely loved Jarra as a character, and I could understand why she would do what she did. Jarra’s disability was one of the main focuses of the book, and I think Edwards did a good job at depicting the prejudice that some “Norms” had towards the majority of the residents on Earth. Jarra was out to prove a point, and I did enjoy seeing her evolve and grow as a character. She showed a wide range of emotion—joy, anger, and even bitterness—while also maintaining her passion for history and her enthusiasm to study it.

The setting was really cool. I liked getting to see common places in a new way. Edwards did an excellent job reimagining such locations as excavation sites, rather than as they are today. I enjoyed the vivid details, and it made it easier to picture the sites. Another aspect I liked happened to be the world itself. There were a lot of cool ideas, and for me it just worked.

In the end, I ended up enjoying Earth Girl, and I’m glad that I finally got around to reading it. I'm looked forward to reading the rest of the trilogy soon.

Review: The Night Has Teeth by Kat Kruger

Title: The Night Has Teeth
Author: Kat Kruger
Source/Format: Purchased, ebook
More Details: Young Adult, Paranormal
Publisher/Publication Date: Fierce Ink Press Co-Op Ltd., September 23, 2012
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Synopsis from Goodreads...

There’s a darkness that lurks in the City of Light...

Seventeen-year-old Connor Lewis is chased by a memory. On his first day of kindergarten he bit a boy hard enough to scar the kid for life. Since then he’s been a social outcast at a New York private school. Through an unexpected turn of good fortune, he lands a scholarship to study in Paris, where everything starts to look up. On the first day he befriends two military brats, and he may finally get a taste of what it’s like to be a normal teenager.

It doesn’t last.

His host family — an alluring young tattoo artist and her moody, handsome boyfriend — inadvertently introduce him to the underworld of werewolves where there are two types: the born and the bitten. Those born to it take the form of elegant wolves, while the latter are cursed to transform into the half-man, half-beast creatures of horror movies. The bitten rarely survive. Unfortunately, Connor is on the wanted list of a four hundred-year-old bitten human who’s searching for both a cure and a means of wiping out werewolves for good. Connor’s loyalties are tested as he becomes embroiled in a conflict where werewolves, mad science and teen angst collide...

I didn’t know what to expect when I picked up The Night Has Teeth by Kat Kruger. I’ve had it on my ereader for a long time, and I finally decided to give it a read. I’m happy to say that this book didn’t disappoint me, and by far, it exceeded my expectations. I was impressed by Kruger’s ability to create an engrossing story.

The book is told from Connor Lewis’ point of view, and follows his life after he leaves New York to study in Paris on a scholarship. He ends up right in the middle of some trouble, only, it’s the supernatural kind. At the core of The Night Has Teeth are werewolves. The concept, to me, was handled really well. The supernatural aspects were introduced gradually, and it was easy to get into the story.

Connor was a good narrator. I enjoyed reading from his perspective as the story unfolded. His inner dialogue was really entertaining and I was able to get a clear picture on who he was as a character. The supporting cast of characters were also interesting, but I won’t say much about them. They were complex, with their own stories and secrets. Their personalities were vastly different, which was great.

The Night Has Teeth was just an excellent book. The story, plot, and characters worked really well together. And that ending, oh man, that caught me by surprise—and now, I really want to know how this trilogy ends.

Review: Untamed by A.G. Howard

Title:Untamed
Author: A.G. Howard
Source/Format: Won, Hardback
More Details: Young Adult, Fantasy, Retelling 
Publisher/Publication Date: Amulet Books, December 15, 2015

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Alyssa Gardner went down the rabbit hole and took control of her destiny. She survived the battle for Wonderland and the battle for her heart. In this collection of three novellas, join Alyssa and her family as they look back at their memories of Wonderland.

In Six Impossible Things, Alyssa recalls the most precious moments of her life after Ensnared, and the role magic plays in preserving the happiness of those she loves. Alyssa’s mother reminisces about her own time in Wonderland and rescuing the man who would become her husband in The Boy in the Web. And Morpheus delves into Jeb’s memories of the events of Splintered in The Moth in the Mirror, available in print for the first time.

This collection expands upon Ensnared's epilogue, and includes some deleted scenes to provide a “director’s cut” glimpse into the past and futures of our favorite Splintered characters...

After finishing Untamed I had to carefully think about what I wanted to say. It took me a while to find the right words that fit with what I thought about it. Untamed was one of my most anticipated books back in December of 2015. So, I was really excited to get my hands on a finished copy.

Did I like it?

Well, yeah, sort of. Untamed did have some great content to add to the Splintered series, but I also found myself a little disappointed by some of the stories.

This collection includes Six Impossible Things, The Moth in the Mirror, and The Boy in the Web. Out of the three, I was most excited for Six Impossible Things since it was set in a time after the end of Ensnared. That expanded epilogue was my main reason for getting Untamed. I never really liked Jeb as a character, and I had some problems with the way he treated Alyssa back in Splintered. But I was willing to tolerate some mention of him in Six Impossible Things. The story, for me, was just alright, which kind of reflects how I felt about the whole collection. It wasn't bad. I liked it.

For me, Wonderland was still the best part. I liked Howard's take on Lewis Carroll's classic story, specifically the changes she made to the well-known characters and setting of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

Untamed ended up just being okay for me. I liked it well enough, but I did have a few issues with it. Even so, I still want to check out A.G. Howard’s next novel, Rose Blood.

Review: The Marvels by Brian Selznick

Title: The Marvels
Author: Brian Selznick
Source/Format: Won, Hardcover
More Details: Middle Grade, Historical
Publisher/Publication Date: Scholastic Press, September 15, 2015

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Two seemingly unrelated stories--one in words, the other in pictures--come together. The illustrated story begins in 1766 with Billy Marvel, the lone survivor of a shipwreck, and charts the adventures of his family of actors over five generations. The prose story opens in 1990 and follows Joseph, who has run away from school to an estranged uncle's puzzling house in London, where he, along with the reader, must piece together many mysteries...

I read two of Selznick’s books before I finally got to the last one I had on my shelf, The Marvels. Following Selznick’s previously established style, The Marvels is told half in pictures and half in words. Thus, the book was a delightful, thoroughly engrossing story from beginning to end.

Half the story belonged to Billy Marvel, the sole survivor of a shipwreck. And the other half belonged to Joseph, a young boy in 1990 who has run away from school. Part of the intrigue with Selznick’s books, for me, is seeing how the stories will eventually connect. And with The Marvels, that was one of my primary reasons for reading the book. Joseph was a good character. I liked his story. He was a boy who caused some trouble even if that wasn’t what he intended. Billy’s story was equally enjoyable and just as integral to the plot. To understand Joseph’s story, Billy’s had to be told as well. The other characters were delightful as well, and their stories tied in with Joseph’s. Their interactions were some or my favorite parts.

The illustrations perfectly conveyed the characters emotions, and were effective at telling a story on their own. The setting was, again, historical, and developed in a way that showed that Selznick knew what he was doing and had done his research. In the end, I am glad that I read The Marvels. It’s easily become one of my favorites.

ARC Review: The Radiant Road by Katherine Catmull

Title: The Radiant Road
Author: Katherine Catmull
Source/Format: First to Read (publisher), EARC
More Details: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher/Publication Date: Dutton Books for Young Readers, January 19, 2016
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Synopsis from Goodreads...

And sometimes the Strange came to visit Clare, and dreams walked through her waking life...

After years of living in America, Clare Macleod and her father are returning to Ireland, where they’ll inhabit the house Clare was born in—a house built into a green hillside with a tree for a wall. For Clare, the house is not only full of memories of her mother, but also of a mysterious boy with raven-dark hair and dreamlike nights filled with stars and magic. Clare soon discovers that the boy is as real as the fairy-making magic, and that they’re both in great danger from an ancient foe.

Fast-paced adventure and spellbinding prose combine to weave a tale of love, loyalty, and the strength we carry within ourselves...

Here’s the thing about The Radiant Road by Katherine Catmull: it was just okay. There was nothing too bad about the book and there were things that I liked about it.

The things I did enjoy were the concept. This was a fairy book; there was no mistaking it since the themes were present throughout the entire book. I have read a handful of books with similar themes, and I did like Catmull’s take on it. The house was especially interesting for many reasons, mainly because it was magical in a natural sort of way. It also contained elements that connected directly to the fairies. So I did like the setting.

Another aspect that I liked were the fairies. They were interesting, and it was the conclusion to that aspect of the story that kept me reading.

Here are some of the things that fell into the gray area for me, between good and bad, just sort of alright. From the start, it was made clear that Clare was special, she could see things no one else could, spoke of magical creatures and sort of believed in them despite being ridiculed for it. Her life seemed typical for this kind of book, and of course, things do take a turn for the worst once her father moves their family back to Ireland—to the house where she was born. In this way The Radiant Road was a little predictable. I could see things happening but Clare still plodded into them anyway despite being warned of the consequences. As often was the case, Clare wasn’t the one paying the majority of the price for her mistakes, but she did suffer some consequences.

Despite that, I found Clare and Finn’s friendships to be nice. And the plot still held some twists. The ending was okay and it wrapped up the story. The majority of the book was spent building up to this end and, I don't know, I was a little disappointed, but despite that it was an okay ending. So the characters and the story were pretty good.

Overall, The Radiant Road was a book that I found to be okay. It was fun for the most part with some faults. And if I was ever in the mood, I might consider picking up another book by Catmull.

This copy of the book was provided by Penguin First to Read (publisher) for this review, thank you!

ARC Review: The Love That Split the World by Emily Henry

Title:The Love That Split the World
Author: Emily Henry
Source/Format: First to Read, eARC
More Details: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher/Publication Date: Razorbill, January 26, 2016

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Natalie Cleary must risk her future and leap blindly into a vast unknown for the chance to build a new world with the boy she loves.  Natalie’s last summer in her small Kentucky hometown is off to a magical start... until she starts seeing the “wrong things.” They’re just momentary glimpses at first—her front door is red instead of its usual green, there’s a pre-school where the garden store should be. But then her whole town disappears for hours, fading away into rolling hills and grazing buffalo, and Nat knows something isn’t right. That’s when she gets a visit from the kind but mysterious apparition she calls “Grandmother,” who tells her: “You have three months to save him.” The next night, under the stadium lights of the high school football field, she meets a beautiful boy named Beau, and it’s as if time just stops and nothing exists. Nothing, except Natalie and Beau.

Emily Henry’s stunning debut novel is Friday Night Lights meets The Time Traveler’s Wife, and perfectly captures those bittersweet months after high school, when we dream not only of the future, but of all the roads and paths we’ve left untaken...

So, I tried to read this book, and I’m a little sad that it ended up being a DNF. The Love that Split the World turned out to be a big disappointment for me. I was actually looking forward to this book. And initially, I thought that The Love that Split the World would be my kind of book. The writing was good. However, and this is a big deal-breaking kind of “however”, there were a few minor details in the beginning that I really didn’t like. After that, I kept putting the book down, and I just couldn’t get into the story even though there were numerous details that should have caught and held my interest. I did give this book the first hundred pages, even a little more—I skipped ahead to see if there was anything that would make me want to read on. Sadly, there wasn’t. At the end of the day, The Love that Split the World didn’t end up being for me. But, if it seems like something you want to read, check out other reviews, and don’t let my opinion stop you.

This copy of the book was provided by Penguin First to Read (publisher) for this review, thank you!

Review: Dead is the New Black by Marlene Perez

Title:Dead Is the New Black
Author: Marlene Perez
Source/Format: Purchased, Paperback
More Details: Young Adult, Paranormal
Publisher/Publication Date: HMH Books for Young Readers, September 1, 2008
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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Welcome to Nightshade, California—a small town full of secrets. It’s home to the pyschic Giordano sisters, who have a way of getting mixed up in mysteries. During their investigations, they run across everything from pom-pom-shaking vampires to shape-shifting boyfriends to a clue-spewing jukebox. With their psychic powers and some sisterly support, they can crack any case! Teenage girls are being mysteriously attacked all over town, including at Nightshade High School, where Daisy Giordano is a junior. When Daisy discovers that a vampire may be the culprit, she can’t help but suspect head cheerleader Samantha Devereaux, who returned from summer break with a new “look.” Samantha appears a little . . . well, dead, and all the most popular kids at school are copying her style. Is looking dead just another fashion trend for Samantha, or is there something more sinister going on? To find out, Daisy joins the cheerleading squad...

It has been a long time since I picked up a book by Marlene Perez. Honestly, I kind of forgot that I had this book. It wasn't until I went looking that I remembered I had the first two books of the series. Basically, Dead Is the New Black was a short and fun mystery novel with a supernatural twist, and I can see why I found the series appealing. The story revolves around Daisy Giordano, who lives in Nightshade, California, a place where the residents were less than ordinary, well, at least some of them anyway. This fact is made clear pretty early on with Daisy’s family, who all had identifiable psychic ability. This early setup established the tone of the story. Dead Is the New Black is a supernatural whodunit. The mystery was pretty good, but it was a little easy to see through. The clues were obvious, and the pieces clicked together early on. However, I still liked the book. The supernatural elements added some much need tension to the story. All in all, Dead Is the New Black was a pretty good book.

Review: Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

Title: Wonderstruck
Author: Brian Selznick
Source/Format: Won, Hardcover
More Details: Middle Grade, Historical
Publisher/Publication Date: Scholastic Press, September 13, 2011

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Ben and Rose secretly wish for better lives. Ben longs for his unknown father. Rose scrapbooks a famous silent actress. When Ben finds clues and Rose reads enticing news, the children independently run to New York for what they are missing. Ben's story in words, Rose's in pictures, come together in deafness...

Wonderstruck was wonderful. This book, from start to finish, was absolutely fantastic. Selznick has done it again, perfectly crafting a story through words and pictures.

Unlike The Invention of Hugo Cabret, I went into Wonderstruck without really knowing what I was getting into. But, thanks to my lack of prior knowledge about the book, I was left with moments that I can only describe as surprising. As the synopsis indicates, this story is divided into two perspectives set fifty years apart. The first is Ben, whose story is told mostly through words. And the second is Rose, whose story is told through pictures. One of the main reasons I read Wonderstruck was to see how these two timelines would eventually meet.

I got what I was looking for and then some.

Ben was a wonderful character. His reactions to situations were believable, and really, all I wanted to see was for him to get a happy ending—he went through a lot in a short amount of time, and that’s where the story begins. Ben is adjusting to changes in his life, mainly concerning his family. Rose was also wonderful. Although her story was told through pictures, the images captured her emotion and story so well that words weren’t really needed to tell it. Ben and Rose were great characters, and I enjoyed reading their story.

So, Wonderstruck was great. I have one more unread book by Selznick sitting on my shelf, and I plan to read it soon.

Review: Guys Read: Terrifying Tales edited by Jon Scieszka

Title:Guys Read: Terrifying Tales
Edited By: Jon Scieszka 
Source/Format: Won, Hardback
More Details: Middle Grade
Publisher/Publication Date: Walden Pond Press, September 1, 2015

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Be afraid, be very afraid of Terrifying Tales, the sixth volume in the Guys Read Library of Great Reading.

Eleven masters of suspense—Kelly Barnhill, Michael Buckley, Adam Gidwitz, Adele Griffin and Lisa Brown, Claire Legrand, Nikki Loftin, Daniel José Older, Dav Pilkey, R.L. Stine, and Rita Williams-Garcia—have come together to bring you a bone-chilling collection of original ghost stories with illustrations by Gris Grimly, perfect for sharing around the campfire, reading under the covers with a flashlight, and scaring your friends’ pants off.

Compiled and edited by kid-lit madman Jon Scieszka, Guys Read: Terrifying Tales is a creepy-fun read (if you’re brave enough, that is)...

With any collection of stories I’m bound to have my favorites, while there are some that I won’t enjoy as much. The same goes for Guys Read: Terrifying Tales. It was a very interesting, and at times a spooky collection of stories. I’m going to talk about a couple of my favorites in no particular order.

Don’t Eat the Baby by Kelly Barnhill was a good take on the age-old adage of being very careful with what you wish for. The fine print of something considered to be a simple wish, was clearly highlighted with this story.

My Ghost Story by Dav Pilkey was a really nice story about—as the title suggests—ghosts. The illustrations on this one were incredibly nice, and the story was just a really good one.

Marcos at the River by Daniel José Older was definitely one of my favorites. It wasn’t too spooky, but it was a well-done story.

Disappear! by R.L. Stine was another good one that I really liked. It basically shows that expectations might not be how a person actually is despite the persona they put on for the public eye. While this one wasn’t so spooky, the magic aspect was nice.

And last, but certainly not least, Clair Legrand’s The Mandigore. This story was really spooky and it involved libraries, so, it was right up my alley. There were a lot of aspects that I liked about it, but I don't want to tell too much because it would lead to spoilers.

Overall, I liked this collection, and I would consider picking up books by some of the authors.