The Trouble With Violet is the first book in the Sister Magic series, and it sets up the books that follow. It’s a cute story of two very different sisters. Mabel is eight, and she’s very organized. She knows how things ought to be, and prefers that everything go according to plan. Violet is five […]
Puppy Love
May 2, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Puppy Love is the third novel I’ve read from the Romantic Comedies from Simon Pulse. Like Dancing Queen, I think it’s definitely for older readers. It’s the story of high school senior Alana—chronic volunteer—and her friend Stella—evangelistic environmentalist—and the boys in their lives. Alana works as a dog-walker for the very wealthy in New York […]
Exile
May 1, 2012 by Leave a Comment
The story of Aurelia and Robert continues in Exile. After Aurelia’s younger half-sister Melony tried to have her killed and their father refused to hold Melony accountable for her treachery, Aurelia flees both to escape assassins and to see the rest of the country she still hopes to rule someday. I enjoyed this book and […]
Eleven
April 30, 2012 by 2 Comments
Eleven is a fine little novel about Winnie’s 11th year. She’s dealing with growing up in different ways than her best friend of many years. Imagination starts to give way to boys and fashion. Nothing earthshattering happens, which is kind of nice. It’s just school, friends, boys, parents, and siblings. It’s full of stuff like […]
My Very UnFairy Tale Life
April 27, 2012 by Leave a Comment
In My Very UnFairy Tale Life, Jenny is an adventurer—her job is to go into the world of fairy tales and help them solve their problems. Her primary skill seems to be spouting self-described cheesy aphorisms, but the magical critters think she’s wise. She’s apparently the best adventurer they’ve had for a long time. At […]
Dancing Queen
April 20, 2012 by Leave a Comment
In Dancing Queen, Liv—who just finished her junior year of high school in Ann Arbor, Michigan—spends her summer working as an intern with Music Mix in London, where she’ll be wrangling celebrities and helping plan concerts, all in the name of hopefully getting a future job in the entertainment industry. She’s living in a flat […]
My Sister the Vampire, Books 1-7
April 19, 2012 by 2 Comments
Honestly, I can’t remember what happened in each individual My Sister the Vampire book and it’s hardly worth writing individual reviews. They’re relatively short and should ideally be read in order—each one picks up where the last left off. They’re cute and sweet and my daughter loves them. My only complaint is that they’re so […]
Fairy Wings
April 18, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Fairy Wings: A Fairy Tale is the story of Tamisin, a girl who doesn’t fit in; eventually she learns it’s because she’s actually half fairy. She befriends Jak, another halfling—he’s half cat goblin—and they end up having adventures in the land of the Fey. The story’s take on goblins is interesting—they’re all affiliated with different […]
Love on Cue
April 16, 2012 by Leave a Comment
I’ve been looking for age appropriate romantic stories for my 11 year old. Simon Pulse has put out an entire line of them, and Love on Cue is the first one I checked out. I suppose it’s harmless enough, but I was really hoping for a better story and a main character I really cared […]
Snow in Summer
April 13, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Snow in Summer: Fairest of Them All is a variation on Snow White set in the late 1940’s in the hills of West Virginia. Snow in Summer, our Snow White analogue, is a farmer’s daughter instead of a princess. She reads books and fairy tales, including Snow White, and often compares herself to characters in […]
