This is the kind of book I know will have a happy ending and I like to read these in between heavier content books.

This illustrated chapter book was such a delight! In this meta collab between two powerhouses, fifth graders J and K go from rivals butting heads to friends who work together to win the annual writing contest. This book is insanely clever, fun for readers of all ages, and memorable. Some moments have just the right amount of cringe- other moments are surprisingly tender and kind. I loved the dialogue, the vocab infusion, the art, and the humility of it all. This is just the book I wanted to read with my elementary daughter!

Not long enough

This was a silly book. I liked when they fell into the water ??

Helen Cartwright, 83 y/o, has returned to her family home in a small village in England after 60 years in Australia to die. Not that she has a diagnosis beyond being old. She has been back for 3 years, but returned still actively grieving the abrupt loss of her husband and the tragic loss of her son. She is very lonely and isolated. She does the same thing most days and memories do not give her comfort. Then she unwittingly brings a 5” male mouse into her house. He decides to stay with her and she decides to care for him. (This is not a talking mouse or an anthropomorphic rodent). To care for him she starts meeting a few people she can connect with as she moves from removing the mouse by trapping to naming Sipsworth and hoping wildlife rescue group will take him to making Sipsworth a housemate. Eventually it is revealed that Helen has done significant things. Slow start. A comforting book. Perhaps this book raises awareness of long term grieving, loneliness, sadness and isolation in people in our lives (or in ourselves).

Although this book is considered a “middle reader” book, it is a delightful story of a fourth grade girl and her friends response to book banning in the elementary school library. The audiobook narrator was very good. Is the response engineered by Amy Ann, et al something fourth graders could pull off? Maybe. The banned books include Harriet the Spy, Matilda, Is That You, God? It’s Me, Margaret and other classics. This book has been banned in Florida? Is there any other reason necessary to read this book?

12 to 22 is a really good book about time traveling and social media, it had an awesome plot except for the fact that it was a bit slow in the beginning

This book brings Jack and Annie to Australia. They obtain the final gift they need to help the dog Teddy and finish their four-part quest. We learned about kangaroos and there was a scary wildfire.

The last present is about how Amanda and Leo go back in time because Grace Connors sister gets into this coma because Angelina doesn’t want these powers that she’s given because of the vortex selects every century and Grace was one of them Amanda and Leo go back in time and try to help Grace but it turns out Angelina just wanted to get rid of her power .

Pulse quickening! Mo Hayder truly out did herself with this one!