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Wednesday, February 10, 2021

NewsPrints Series



Summary: Blue is an orphan who disguises herself as a newsboy. There's a war going on, and girls are expected to help the struggling economy by selling cookies. But Blue loves living and working at the Bugle, the only paper in town that tells the truth. And what's printed in the newspapers now matters more than ever.

But Blue struggles with her secret, and worries that if her friends and adopted family at the Bugle find out that she's a girl, she'll lose everything and everyone she cares about. And when she meets and befriends Crow, a boy who is also not what he seems, together they seek the freedom to be their true selves... and to save each other.

Thoughts: I fell in love with the first book, just really adored the art and the characters. The second one ran around a lot and was occasionally hard to follow, especially when it brought in a character purely for gender association but really didn't develop them enough to make much impact in the overall story, but still good. All in all a good series, I was a little disappointed the sequel tried to pack so much into the story that, while it managed, it lost some of the beauty that the first created. Still, a great read with a great cast, nice art, and good writing.

Content: Some tough topics in the sequel like gender and equality along with some deep (not graphic but insightful) points on war. So, clean for al ages but children may need help understanding some of the topics discussed here. 

Wednesday, February 3, 2021

The Spiderwick Chronicles



Summary: After finding a mysterious, handmade field guide in the attic of the ramshackle old mansion they’ve just moved into, Jared; his twin brother, Simon; and their older sister, Mallory, discover that there’s a magical and maybe dangerous world existing parallel to our own—the world of faerie.

The Grace children want to share their story, but the faeries will do everything possible to stop them...

Thoughts: It took me forever to find the whole series and decidedly less time to read them. I'll be honest, I've found I have a hard time being impressed by most modern settings with fairies, sometimes they just feel like they're trying too hard. The Spiderwick Chronicles is definitely not that. Composed in five short books, they manage to pack a whirlwind of adventure and magic that I did not expect. Needless to say, I loved them immediately! Great writing, great storytelling, even better cast, and soaked in magic!

Content: Magic and some mildly frightening scenes with encounters with the fairy world. All in all though, good for all ages.