Erica says...
Hello, Universe is a sweet story about a timid boy named Virgil, a boy named Chett who acts like a bully, a girl named Valencia, who is deaf and has accepted the idea of not needing friends, and a girl named Kaori, a self-proclaimed psychic. The story line is simple, but engaging. This story is largely about friendship, the connection between people, and the idea that good things are not just coincidences. It's a very feel-good read with positive messages. Rating: 5/5
0 Comments
Erica says...
Wow. This is just a beautiful book! The story is beautiful, the writing is beautiful, the characters are beautiful. This story is written by author Katherine Applegate, and is told by a peaceful gorilla named Ivan. Ivan is such a lovable character and this is a surprisingly deep, meaningful, emotional story- all conveyed through the simple and sincere Ivan. I highly recommend this book to readers of all ages. The story contains messages of courage, love, loyalty, emotional awareness, friendship, acknowledging trauma/hurt, healing, and selflessness. This is a great family book. It does contain sad instances of animals being injured or killed, but without graphic descriptions. Rating: 5/5 Erica says...
I've been in a graphic novel craze recently, and the Zita the Spacegirl trilogy have been the best graphic novels I've read so far! These books are exactly what I've been looking for in a graphic novel- clean, fun, exciting, neat characters, great artwork, positive messages, family-friendly, and enjoyable for any age (probably starting around 8 years old +). I was reluctant to try these books at first because of all the hype! But now I see that these books get a lot of attention for very good reason! Zita is a very caring girl who is loyal to her friends, is strong and courageous, and wants to get back home (after being transported onto another planet to rescue her friend- who she accidentally sent into outerspace...) Love these books! I'd rate the series 5 out of 5! Rating: 5/5 Erica says...
Crush by Svetlana Chmakova is a wonderful graphic novel about a middle school boy navigating his first crush. At first he is in complete denial, but eventually he comes to terms with the situation and tries to navigate it the best he can- often resulting in awkward silences and blurting out whatever words first come to mind. This was a fun, great read, with positive messages about forgiveness, friendship, and respecting others. It also addresses the issues of respecting other people's bodies and speaking respectfully about others. The main character, Jorge, is a positive role model who is very respectful and stands up for others who get picked on. The graphic novel was very family friendly, but did contain 2 or 3 instances of swearing (used in positive slang describing how cool something was). I'd recommend this to middle school aged kids and up. It was a very enjoyable read for me, as an adult! I'd give it 5 out of 5 stars! Rating: 5/5 Erica says...
Pashmina is a beautiful graphic novel by Nidhi Chanani that explores the complexities of living between two worlds- two cultures, two countries, two identities. The artwork is beautiful and I love the messages in this book. The pashmina shawl is an especially beautiful symbol of how our idealistic, yet sometimes unrealistic, hopes and dreams motivate us to make major life decisions, which turn out to be essential in creating our life path and our personal character... even though the path turns out to have it's own struggles and isn't always as perfect as we had imagined. Pashmina is an authentic and sweet story. Erica says...
I loved this graphic novel by Jen Wang. It is a juvenile fiction and I think it would be a great book for kids (8-10ish or older), teens, and adults! I thought it was a beautiful, touching, and very real story. It left me feeling very uplifted and satisfied, and was a relaxing 1-2 hour leisure read! You know the books that just leave your heart feeling warm, content, and inspired? This graphic novel was one of those for me. The story is about Christine and Moon, two young girls who form a beautiful friendship. But their friendship doesn't go perfectly smoothly. The bumps along the road they experience, as well as how they learn to deal with a range of challenges (from jealousy, personality conflicts, insecurity, parents' expectations, and even financial and medical challenges), make the story beautiful and meaningful. I'd definitely recommend this one! And I'd rate it 5/5! Rating: 5/5 Erica says...
Dealing with Dragons is the first book in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia Wrede. There are four books total in the series. I'm on a bit of a dragon kick and have been searching for my next dragon read! This one peaked my interest because of this combination: family friendly, fun for kids and adults, strong female lead character, and dragons! Cimorene is a fun lead character. She is a princess who is utterly fed up with her royal lifestyle, and the boring routines and limitations of being a "good" princess (one who doesn't defy any traditions and stereotypes). She'd much rather go to work for a dragon than marry a shallow prince and live her shallow princess life. Her interests lie in fencing, studying latin, cooking, and learning everything she can! (All things which her parents banned her from doing, since apparently they are not proper things for a princess to do.) I read several reviews about this book in which readers stated that this book series was their entry way into fantasy as a child. I've also read several comments along the lines of "Before there was Harry Potter, there was Princess Cimorene..." Some even claim to enjoy this series more than the Harry Potter books. I personally really did enjoy this first book! But I'll have to read the rest of the series before comparing it to Harry Potter! The audiobook is really fun because the narrators are super theatrical. The voices of the dragons are especially entertaining. My three-year-old son even seemed to enjoy listening, although I’m not sure to what degree he was able to follow the story. I’d definitely recommend this book (or the audiobook) if you are looking for a family read that is fun, light, and appropriate for young children. It definitely felt light and easy- so more of a relaxing read than a deep thought-provoking read. But I do think it contains valuable lessons for young children- including thinking for yourself and creating your place in the world, rather than blindly following stereotypes and prejudices. I think it’s really best described as a fun, creative, easy read. I’ll be continuing the series and am excited about reading the books aloud to my kids. Erica says...
This book was an impulsive Amazon buy! The cover looked so fun that I had to click on it! Then I was amazed to see what great reviews it had! I was also happily surprised to find that it is written by a Christian author, Andrew Peterson, who I found out writes incredible worship music as well as religious books and materials. Based on the reviews, this is an amazing family book, appropriate for children, although with some deep, meaningful, and potentially intense themes. I've just started the book and the book literally had me laughing out loud on every page- before even getting to the beginning of the first chapter! I'm excited to dive into this one! I had to momentarily postpone reading it today because it was making me laugh so hard that I wanted to read every line out loud to my hubby, distracting him terribly from working at home... Whoops! |