EDITING TLC

Amazon invited me into their AMAZON VINE review program. I truly do not know what it takes to participate, but some folks value the distinction. I hope to review more books this upcoming year for Amazon Vine. The fun part of Amazon Vine is that I will be able to review products other than books.

Bless This Mouse by Lois Lowry was well received by my classroom of third graders. They really enjoyed the story and begged for story time each day. Not being familiar with the Catholic terminology in the book, I did have to do a bit of research to be able to explain a few things, but that never hurts, to let children know that we're all learning new vocabulary words. The story of the community of mice that lived in the church is heartwarming. I would recommend this book for 8-12 year olds.

The Jamba Strawberry Banana Energy Drink was a surprisingly good tasting drink. I was pleased with the calorie count and the taste, but I should say that strawberry-banana combinations have always been a favorite of mine. I must confess that I haven't had the experience of drinking too many energy drinks so I can't really compare it to much else. It did give me the boost that I needed to get through that "tough" time of the evening. Since I'm not a coffee drinker, it is nice to have an alternative caffeine source.

The Spindlers would make a fun read for most children ages eight and above, in my opinion. The “evil, spiderlike beings” call spindlers can steal a soul, which is the premise of this book…so just an awareness for parents who might take issue with the “dark” side of this book. The story is enjoyable and will take readers to an underground world of mystery and adventure. The fact that Liza is concerned about her brother makes the book endearing to me. The heart of the matter being…we can “bug” our siblings as much as we want, but let someone or something else do the same…and we’d go to the ends of the earth (or below the earth, in this case) to save our sibling. Compared to many other books for children this age, I feel this one has a lot to offer for young readers.



Happy Birthday, Mrs. Millie! is a fun book for children, both in listening to an adult reading it to them, and also when learning to read. The size of the book and the colorful, exciting illustrations will keep kids wanting to read it time after time. The play on words will get kids to giggle and I can imagine they will want to make up their own silly sentences. Having rhythm and rhyme always is a benefit for children's books. As a former school teacher, I am confident that children will enjoy Happy Birthday, Mrs. Millie!



Don’t Be Silly, Mrs. Millie! is another in the Mrs. Millie series. These books make great read-alouds and the predictability of the vocabulary makes it super fun! The inclusion of the animals truly brings it right into the world of a child’s imagination. The artwork that complements the fun story just puts it over the top for a wonderful children’s book.



Judy Cox strikes again with another in the Mrs. Millie series. This time she takes her class of kindergarteners to pick pumpkins for their harvest party. Children LOVE these books because of their silliness and the fun they have in predicting the rhyming words. The illustrations pull children right into the story. I highly recommend these books for young readers.

As a retired third grade teacher, I am still on the lookout for children’s books to share with students at my local elementary school. Linda Urban’s The Center of Everything is recommended for kids in grades 4 through 7, which I feel is on target. The book is dealing with the main character, Ruby, on a grief journey due to losing her grandmother, Gigi. Although there are several negatives brought up by other reviewers, I feel that all mentioned would be topics of discussion for parents and their children. Ruby’s processing her feelings shows the reader that even when terrible things happen, people don’t always share their feelings with those that are closest to them. It is only at the end of the book that Ruby discovers that her father is missing Gigi, also…but he had appeared to be “normal” after her death. This is a complicated subject…but it is interesting to see how Ruby handles it. A number of reviewers didn’t like her best friend, Lucy…but in fact, there are people just like her in the world, and I’m guessing they each have a friend. I enjoyed the way that Linda Urban shared Ruby’s thoughts with her readers. I think preteens would be able to relate to many of her thoughts. Even though Lucy could come across in a cruel manner, I felt that one of her responses to Ruby just might make us think before we speak to others when hit in the face with something that hurts. Here is the quote from the book that will stick with me: “This is not a stupid pebble, Ruby Pepperdine! This is a meteor! You have hurled an enormous meteor into the lake of our friendship. You’ve caused a tsunami!” Just one more reminder to “think before you speak.” 

Young Fredle is a fun story shared from the perspective of a house mouse. As an adult reader, I thoroughly enjoyed the story. There are some portions that might read a bit slowly for kiddos, but ones who love animals will especially get into the story and all the adventures that Young Fredle encounters. It is amazing that this little guy could endear himself to me, being that if he were living in MY house...we'd have to do something very serious about the situation.

Young Fredle does a lot of teaching in a fun way regarding so many other animals that live both within the house and outside, where he learns about the world of predators and allies. Cynthia Voigt does a beautiful job of painting the new sights and sounds that Fredle falls in love with--which he later shares with his family, when he finds his way back into the house after having not following the rules and finding himself outside.

I would recommend this book for readers who can independently handle chapter books. It would also be a fun read-aloud in the classroom or at home. The discussions with children listening to the story could be a lot of fun for all involved. 

It has taken me a while to complete my review of this book because I had a difficult time getting into the story. I was determined to read it through, and as I got further into it, I began to connect with the characters and wanted to know how the story would work its way through. I think that the thing which impressed me the most was getting to look at the people who are left behind when others are serving directly in a war. So many stories deal with the war heroes, but we don’t know about the loved ones left behind. In My Dear I Wanted To Tell You we see how both those out in the field and those serving at home are affected by the war. I appreciate this about the book. 

Nibbles’ Garden is a fun book that will keep children’s attention. The storyline with its “mystery” will be interesting for all children due to their sense of curiosity. This book also provides a teachable reading session revolving around the life cycle of a butterfly. The size of the book as well as the beautiful illustrations will make for a keepsake book for children’s personal libraries. 

Rosetta, Rosetta, Sit by Me! is a book for third graders and beyond for inde- pendent readers. Rosetta, Frederick Douglass’s 9-year-old daughter, learns the realities of attending an all-white Quaker school. This is a well-written piece of history that gives valuable lessons for young and old. I wish there would have been more books like this when I was a young reader…as bio- graphies were high on my reading priority list.