​​​​Genre: Children

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Author Guarducci had a good idea when she decided to write Spiky with an important message for children of all ages, but the graphic descriptions of Spiky’s bad behavior was troubling to me. The animal was trained to be bad. “His father, Mr.Spikington, had sent him to the best school for badness in the whole world.” He used his spikes as protection, and he soon became a bully. Although a bit dark, I realized it was building to a moralistic point, but then it went a bit over the top for me to recommend it without a warning. Before he learns to be good, Spiky pulls wings off butterflies and captures robins and chickadees in glass jars. I worry that this is a bit much for young children to read or be read about.

Spiky does learn the pleasures of being kind when he loses his spikes and is accepted as a friend to other animals, and the illustrations were well done. Children do experience other children behaving badly at times, and this book could definitely be used as a discussion starter, but mom or dad needs to pre-read this story and make sure that they present it in a way that their child learns the correct lesson.

- Beverly
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Publisher - Amazon Crossing Kids
Date of Publication - ​​​July 1, 2019

​​Genre: Children's

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Apparently, Josh Funk doesn’t want people to tell him how stories should end (or begin for that matter) so he decided to write fairy tales the way he imagined them. Move over Hans Christian Anderson, I have become a Josh Funk fan girl. I suspect that this tale, It's Not Hansel and Gretel, illustrated by Edwardian Taylor, is aimed for the mommys and daddys who spend endless hours reading to their children. While the dialog between Hansel and Gretel is witty enough, it is the lines where the author tries to get these two lost children to listen to him that made me laugh out loud.

I also enjoyed the current issues that author Funk wove into his fairy tale. Feminism was front and center when Gretel wants to know why the story isn’t called Gretel and Hansel, and food waste is frowned upon when a bread crumb trail is mentioned.

The illustrations in this book were fun to look at, and the author threw in characters from other stories (hello Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk) to keep his audience interested. This is the first Josh Funk book that I read, but I guarantee that it won’t be the last.

- Beverly

Publisher - Two Lions
Date of Publication - ​March 1, 2019

Genre: Children/Biography

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Through the years I have enjoyed reviewing Brad Meltzer’s adult novels. He weaves intrigue into history and keeps the readers on the edge of their seats. I must admit, I am equally enthralled with his children’s series, Ordinary People Change the World.  We have reviewed several books in this series, each one informative and charmingly illustrated.

I am Billie Jean King (Ordinary People Change the World) is the latest in his series, and tells the story of the tennis champion’s introduction and further adventures in the sport she excelled in. The first pages introduce us to a very young Billie Jean who is mesmerized by all kinds of sports. Unfortunately, growing up in the forties and fifties made it difficult for her, as a female, to be accepted into the world of sports.

Meltzer shows us how, with the support of her family, she discovered her talent in tennis and never looked back. There are so many lessons in this well done children’s book, that I think it should be required reading for young children facing a world that isn’t always accepting of them. The author seems to have a talent for picking out “heroes” that ultimately change our world for the better.

I enjoy the combination of narration and dialogue that should definitely keep children interested as they learn more about working hard and achieving their goals.

- Beverly

​Publisher - Dial Books
Date of Publication - February 5, 2019

​Genre: Children's Book/Non-Fiction

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Brad Meltzer has been writing his Ordinary People Change the World books for several years now, and I believe that this “ordinary” author is changing the world with this series. He makes these people so relatable that children start to imagine that they might change the world too.

I Am Sonia Sotomayor introduces us to the first Latina Supreme Court Justice, and this book is just as charming as the fifteen previous ones. We see her as a young girl always getting into mischief. From her family's favorite refrain - “ Sonia, what have you done now?"  - I related to her dreams of being the next Nancy Drew, as I watched her mature through the pages.

These books are exceptionally well written for young children who will learn so much about these individuals in Meltzer’s pages. History is easy for young ones to grasp when they see it through the eyes of the characters themselves. Christopher Eliopoulos does an excellent job illustrating Meltzer’s ideas through the colorful pages of the life of one of America’s top justices.

If you are buying gifts this year for children in grades K-3, I strongly recommend all of the books in the Ordinary People Change the World Series.

​-Beverly
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Publisher - Dial Books
Date of Publication - ​​​​November 13, 2018

Genre: Children's Book

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One of the biggest mysteries of childhood is what our parents get to do after we are put to bed. My own children pictured us dancing, laughing, partying and never going to sleep. Jeff Mack does a wonderful job of bringing children’s fantasies to life in Duck on a Disco Ball (A Duck in the Fridge Book).

Mack’s small hero fights going to sleep because he fears that he is missing something. Then one morning he finds a disco ball in his kitchen with his toy duck draped over it. His imagination goes for a wild jaunt and takes us along for the ride. He narrates his story as he shows us his parents doing all of the wild things that he would love to do. The illustrations are bright and each page is packed with points of interest that will keep children fascinated as they turn the pages.

Although it is primarily a children’s book, the puns and double entendres make it a joy for grown ups as well. With the holiday season around the corner, this is a perfect gift for the young ones in your house.

​-Beverly


Publisher - Two Lions
Date of Publication - ​​​​November 1, 2018

​Genre: Children's Book

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Kindness seems to be in short supply now, and as always we must look to the children to bring us a future filled with kindness. Every few months I review a children’s book for the mommys and daddys who join me at madderlyreview.com, and What If Everybody Said That? by Ellen Javernick (author) Colleen Madden (illustrator) was too apropos of the time to pass.

In this book we see children doing and saying what children quite often do and say, but the author shows the reader exactly how much his/her words can hurt another person. If we lie,  make fun of others or don’t allow them to join our group of friends, we are inflicting unnecessary pain. The main theme of Javernick’s book is to think before we speak, realize the power of our words, and use them wisely.

I found the story-line simple and important, and it seemed to capture many moments that children face. The illustrations were colorful and appropriate to the theme, but I found the expressions on many faces harsh and perhaps a bit unsettling for younger children.

All in all Javernick gives us a book on the importance of kindness at a time we most definitely need it.

- Beverly


Publisher - Two Lions
Date of Publication - ​​​​August 1, 2018

​Genre: Thriller

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Although I don’t review many of James Patterson’s books, I never miss his Women’s Murder Club series co-authored with Maxine Paeto. The four friends in the series, Prosecutor Yuki, Reporter Cindy, and Medical Examiner Claire, much like the women of "Sex in the City", make you want to be part of their group. All bright and successful, these women work together to make San Francisco a better place.

The seventeen books in this series take the reader through the personal lives of these women, even as it has us anxiously trying to solve the mysteries along with them. The authors always give us a minimum of two major events occurring and intertwines each woman's professional duties with the outcomes. In this latest novel, The 17th Suspect, prosecuting attorney Yuki is dealing with workplace rape. In this case, however, it is a man coming to her with a taped recording that shows him being raped at gunpoint by his female boss/lover. 

Detective Sergeant Lindsay Boxer, meanwhile, is approached by Millie, a homeless woman who fears for her life. Homeless people are being gunned down on the streets of San Francisco, and the police don’t seem to be interested in finding the culprit. Lindsay and her partner go against police politics as they try to save Millie and find themselves being turned away from the case.

The authors do a wonderful job of interspersing the stories and bringing the main characters together. This book focused on Lindsay and Yuki however, and I would have liked to see a bit more involvement with Cindy and Claire. All of the women have interesting men in their lives who help to round out these quick reading novels.

Patterson/Paetro’s mixture of first and third person writing is a difficult style to get right, and they seem to have perfected it. Lindsay’s chapters are always in first person, while the rest of the book is written in third person. This seems to make Lindsay stand out, but she never overshadows the other three.

These books are never really original, yet they always capture the reader's attention and keep us wondering throughout. The 17th Suspect is a definite must for all James Patterson fans.

- Beverly


Publisher - Little, Brown & Company
Date of Publication - ​April 30, 2018

Genre: Children's Book

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It is rare to find a children's book that is authored and illustrated by the same person, but Randy Cecil was able to produce the perfect pictures to make his words come alive in Horsefly and Honeybee.  I felt I had to review this book because it fits in perfectly with my blog this week. 

When the horsefly and the honeybee land on the same flower, neither wants to share.  They both end up running away, get in serious trouble, and find that only cooperating with each other will save them.

This simple story, aimed at pre-schoolers, is so beautifully illustrated that adults can enjoy reading it to their wee ones.  With few words on each page, there is no time for boredom, and children easily learn the importance of cooperation.  Hmmm...maybe we should send copies to the House and Senate!​

- Beverly 
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Publisher - Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); 1 edition 
Date of Publication - March 27, 2012

Genre: Children's Book

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Sharen Peters captured my attention with the theme of loneliness.  We all experience that feeling at times, and it is important to believe that loneliness is temporary and will soon be a distant memory.  I'm Just a Little Someone is a beautifully illustrated story whose pictures and theme will bring a smile to the face of any toddler. When a lonely little girl doll notices a lonely little boy doll, she invites him over.  

The dolls reside in a toy store that is teeming with toys, yet they were lonely until they found each other.  This book is perfect to read to young children who might be experiencing emotions that they don't understand.  The author began writing at an early age to combat her own unhappy moments, and she does a good job bringing her characters to life.

The book ends with a list of questions that the relative or friend who is reading the book can ask the child.  These questions help the child become involved in the story.  The two dolls finding each other, and even finding a lonely toy dog to join them, makes for a wonderful introduction to the world that children inhabit.  That theme, along with the colorful pictures, will cheer up any toddler's day.

- Beverly


Publisher - LifeLong Friends Publishers, LLC 
Date of Publication - March 13, 2017

Genre: Children's Book

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There is nothing quite as active as a child's imagination, so when ten year old Julia tells her family that she is communicating with a bear who visits with her, it is not surprising that they are skeptical.  In fact, Julia was somewhat skeptical herself when Mischa's head first "barely" appeared, but as Micha the bear explained himself, she began to believe. In fact, she asked if she could see more of him, and all six feet of him "barely" appeared.  He was there to watch over her, he explained, and had been for quite some time.

Since only Julia can actually see Mischa, things get a bit awkward when he appears.  She has to make up stories, and life gets complicated.  The Barely Visible Bear is just the kind of story, complications and all, that young children can relate to, and Julia's relationship with Mischa is fun for us to follow. There is a little boating adventure to add spice to the story, and author Pollock ends it on a happily ever after note that will leave young readers smiling.

The author makes us want to be friends with Julia and her entire family as they try to understand what is going on with Mischa, the barely visible bear.  Although the book has a definite ending, it does leave room for a sequel where this furry lifesaver can explain more about his background as he continues to watch over Julia.

- Beverly 


Publisher - CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; 1 edition
Date of Publication - March 26, 2017