What's good: It's a funny and entertaining read. The switches of viewpoint and voice between the four different girls, all interesting and likable, work surprisingly well, as do the variations in ...
peony’s profile
- California
- 2 kids: ages 8, 10
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Titles You’ve Reviewed
Book: Beacon Street Girls: Worst Enemies/Best Friends
I rate this titleiffyand give itreally good for middle school girls; iffy for younger girls
Book: 100 Cupboards: The 100 Cupboards, Book 1
I rate this titleonand give itfresh and interesting, but a bit too creepy for younger readers
This fantasy had a fresh take (other than the villainess, who stuck me as having wandered in direct from Narnia -- unless the author is intending this to be a reference to the White Witch of Narnia, ...
Book: Runemarks
I rate this titleonand give itFor strong readers who are Norse myth fans
For those with an interest in Norse mythology, this could be a lot of fun. For others, it may be just a bit too long and insufficiently engaging. To my taste, less would have been more in terms of ...
Book: Thirteen Reasons Why
I rate this titleiffyand give itinfuriating and compelling -- sort of like the teen suicide herself
The topic of teen suicide would probably put this into the "iffy" category for me regardless. But beyond the topic, the concept of the suicide getting power over the living by coercing them into ...
Book: Thirteen Reasons Why
I rate this titleonand give itinfuriating and compelling -- sort of like the teen suicide herself
The topic of teen suicide would probably put this into the "iffy" category for me regardless. But beyond the topic, the concept of the suicide getting power over the living by "forcing" them to ...
Book: One Beetle Too Many: The Extraordinary Adventures of Charles Darwin
I rate this titleonand give itAppealing depiction of the man, and the formation of a revolutionary idea
The attractive, contemporary illustrations have kid appeal. I give it four stars, rather than five, because in places it's rather jumpy: clarity of expression and narrative got sacrificed for ...
Book: Ghostgirl
I rate this titleiffyand give itGreat concept, but the writing comes up short
Great concept, really sharp graphic design on the book, good looking website, and the author's background in TV writing shows in the pacing and scene setups: it could probably make a good movie. But ...
DVD: Coraline
I rate this titleonand give it"horror lite" is iffy for pre-teens; scary/charming for young teens
Visually enchanting eye-candy, with a smart, loyal, determined heroine their own age, this is a movie that I'd consider a fine choice for young teens: it's scary without any gore and with almost no ...
Book: Found: The Missing, Book 1
I rate this titleonand give itGreat fun: engaging suspense, with very little violence
This is a catchy, very fun read, likely to appeal even to non-enthusiastic readers. And it has little violence, and some nice characters and family relationships! There's a good relationship between ...
Book: Eleven
I rate this titleonand give itsweet
This is a book where the reviews really helped -- I would have passed on it (expecting, from the first few pages and cover art, a darker, scarier story than it turns out to be) if I hadn't seen the ...
Book: Marshmallow
I rate this titleonand give itauthentic cat and bunny behaviors light up lovely illustrations and story
Super sweet but not saccharine due to how grounded the story and illustrations are in believable, true-to-life cat and bunny behaviors -- feels like the author could have drawn it straight from real ...
Book: Sipping Spiders Through a Straw: Campfire Songs for Monsters
I rate this titleonand give itThrilling illustrations; songs mostly so-so
The premise and great illustrations caught my eye...but once my kids and I looked through the book more carefully, we agreed that only some of the songs were really funny/clever enough. Not quite ...
