Cupcakes, Anyone?

I know cupcakes are the rage right now.  How do I know?  I own a cupcake business with my best buddy.  We love to put smiles on the faces of our customers.  Here are some cupcake books that I think will make you smile.

Baby Mouse, Cupcake Tycoon by Jennifer and Matt Holm

The title says it all.  I think I am a little jealous of Baby Mouse!

Cupcake Diaries:  Alexis and the Perfect Recipe by Coco Simon

This is a whole series of cupcakes stories.  I just picked that one myself.

Peanut Butter and Cupcake by Terry Border

One of the favorite flavors of our friend, TJ.

Who's My Cupcake? by Elissa H. Giest

This one is for the babies.

The Really Rotten Princess and the Cupcake Catastrophe by Lady Cecily Snodgrass.

I love it when someone else has a cupcake catastrophe!

Camilla the Cupcake Fairy's Magic Sprinkles by Tim Bugbird

Who wouldn't love a cupcake fairy in their life??

Fancy Nancy and the Delectable Cupcakes by Jane O'Connor

Anything to do with Fancy Nancy is ok with me.

Now that is a lot of choices, just like when you pick a cupcake.  So pick your favorite and until next week, keep on reading.

The Horse Rescuers by Patricia Gilkerson

Rated 4 STARS

These short stories were presented to me at one time and I really enjoyed them.  Piper Jones is the heroine of the stories and she and her friend Addie keep coming upon horses that need their help.  They live in a small rural town which may seem an unlikely place but the author made the circumstances believable.

I liked the relationship between Piper and Addie.  It wasn’t perfect and they had to learn to accept each other as they were.  Piper and her parents, who were divorced, have pretty normal teen/ parent relationships.

Piper’s dad showed up more often to help since he was a veterinarian but her mom was there for her too even when she embarked on a new relationship with a man Piper liked.

Sometimes, I thought that Piper was a little immature but by the third story I could see her growth and appreciated that the author took her time to bring in romantic relationships as these stories were really about the horses.

Gilkerson has a nice way of writing and the characters in her stories are easy to like.  She shows an understanding of horses and the meaning of owning one of these beautiful animals.

If you have a horse loving preteen or teen, these stories should be of great interest to them.

Animal Antics

Not everyone is as they appear.  Sometimes a bull just wants to smell the roses.  Sometimes a giraffe just wants to dance.  Here are some animals that break the stereotypes!

Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae

Gerald Giraffe can’t dance because of his skinny legs and crooked knees but is longing to do so.  Find out how Gerald finds his own style in this book.

Ferdinand the Bull by Munro Leaf

When men come looking for a bull for the ring, Ferdinand, who only wants to smell the flowers, is bitten by a bee and is chosen for being the most fierce.  He gets to the ring and there is not much of a show especially when the ladies throw flowers at the toreador.

Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin

Dragons love all kinds of tacos but watch out if they get into the spicy salsa!  There are hilarious results.

Are You My Mother? By P.D. Eastman

A baby bird hatches right after mom has left the nest to find a worm so he goes on a quest to find his mother.   He thinks every animal might be her up until the very end of the story.

Where’s Spot? By Eric Hill

Spot needs to come to supper and his mother is looking for him everywhere.  In this classic lift the flap book, Spot could be anywhere and so could some other animal friends.

Reading about animals is always fun.  I hope you enjoy these and until next week, keep on reading!

Her Secret by Tara Fox Hall

   

                                                                                         
  Rated 4.5 STARS

ADULTS ONLY!!!!

Wow, Sarelle is back in a steamy continuation of her story.  She is still married to Theo but she misses Danial like crazy and finds herself totally attracted to Danial’s brother, Devlin in spite of the evil things he has done to her.

I don’t want to go into detail but let it be said that Sarelle has a difficult time making up her mind between these three.  She makes a lot of rash decisions and seems to be easily seduced by either of the brothers.

I’m keeping this review short because it is definitely not a book for anyone under eighteen and as you know, I usually review young adult books.

Just because it’s short on words, doesn’t mean I didn’t like it.  I did, indeed.  I am such a Devlin fan.  He is what he is.  He never makes excuses or pretends to be something he isn’t.  That’s my biggest concern about Danial.  He seems like a perfect lover but he has forced Sarelle into some choices that she might not have made without his influence.

Theo is turning into a not so good husband and it breaks Sarelle’s heart.  They even try a marriage counselor which amused me to no end.  I guess even paranormal couples have their challenges.

If you like to read romantic and erotic encounters, believe me, this is the book for you.

Very Artsy

I love art and artists.  I don't think you can encourage creativity in your child too soon.  I think I gave my son his first crayons as soon as he could hold his spoon! Giant pieces of paper on my kitchen floor gave him the opportunity to explore his creativity.  He continued to use that creativity and does to this day.  So give these books about creativity and artists a try.

Degas and the Little Dancer by Laurence Anholt

Marie is a little girl who poses for Degas so she can earn money for her dance lessons.

Mix It Up by  Herve Tullet

Just what the title implies.  Colors get mixed together for some beautiful results.

The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds

Start with a dot and see what happens to Vashti's empty paper.

Beautiful Oops by Barney Saltzberg

Mistakes are OK if you use your imagination and make something new and unexpected.

Claude Monet: Sunshine and Water Lilies by Steven Packard

A little boy's school report on Claude Monet brings the artist to life for kids.

Beauty and art are all around us, so keep looking.  And until next week, keep on reading.

Roberto's Return by Paul Ferrante

RATED 4.5 STARS

Once again, my three favorite teen ghost chasers are back with a new adventure.  It seems there is a ghost in the Baseball Hall of Fame and the team is called in to find out what is going on and get rid of the ghost before a big event.  T.J., Bortnicker and Louanne travel to Cooperstown to find this ghost and try and help him.  It seems to be the ghost of the baseball great, Roberto Clemente.

I wondered how in the world this ghost was going to behave.  The other encounters have been scary and I couldn’t imagine that the ghost of Clemente could be terrible when he was known for his humanitarian efforts.  Luckily, I need not have worried.  Clemente’s ghost is confused and lost and just wants to go home but he needs a special something to help him on his way as well as the help of the ghost hunters.

Just because this ghost isn’t scary doesn’t mean this isn’t an exciting story.  It is!  I kept wondering how they were going to get Roberto home and what was going to get in the way. 

I also learned a ton about the Baseball Hall of Fame and Clemente.  I taught third grade a long time ago and in the kids’ reader was a short story about Roberto Clemente so I was a little familiar with his story but Ferrante delves deeper and exposes the man behind the legend.

The three kids have continued to grow too.  T.J. is becoming aware of his sensitivity to the paranormal.  Louanne has come with a huge problem that is weighing her down and she is trying to deal with the best she can.  Bortnicker is his usual self and gets himself an admirer in 11 year old Fiona, niece of the President of the Hall of Fame.

All in all, I really liked the story of Roberto’s Return and have already recommended it to several people.  If you are a baseball fan or a ghost busting fan, this is the book for you.  Any aspiring young baseball player would enjoy it too.  Not to mention, it sure got me wanting to go and visit the town of Cooperstown and see the Hall of Fame for myself.

KIDZ KORNER IS BACK!

 





KIDZ KORNER












It's finally snowing here so I guess it's time to talk about books that include snow.  Here are some that are new to me and I hope you enjoy them.

Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner

A little girl and her dad go cross country skiing and discuss the world under the blanket of snow. A lovely way to learn a little about nature.

The Three Snow Bears by Jan Brett

Aloo-ki chases her sled dogs to an igloo, steps inside and you can guess the rest.  Based on the well known story of Goldilocks, Brett gives hers a different slant.  She even visited the Inuit people to lend realism to this story.

A Flower in the Snow by Tracey Corderoy and Sophie Allsopp

Luna and her polar bear friend find a golden flower in the snow.  It starts to fade so the polar bear sets off to find another for his good friend, Luna. An interesting story about friendship and the lengths one goes to for it.

The Biggest Snowman Ever by Steven Kroll

Two mice build a snowman for the town contest and learn a valuable lesson about friendship and working together for a common cause.  Even mice know a thing or two about teamwork.

For me, snow has its pluses and minuses.  Beauty is a plus, driving a minus.  So stay  home, enjoy the beauty and until next week, keep on reading!

The Sorcerer's Apprentice by Daniel Diehl

                                RATED 4.5 STARS

                                                                                     

Jason and Merlin (yes, that Merlin) are back in the continued fight against the evil Morgana LeFay.  She has hatched a plan to allow the race of demon dragons into Earth through a special opening that Merlin has kept locked for all these thousand of years.

Merlin is determined to stop her.  Morgana is determined to kill Merlin so the door will open once more. Jason is caught in the middle of this fight but he is completely on Merlin’s side in this battle.  He has become fond of the old man.

Their adventure takes them to Ethiopia where the the Ark of Covenant is supposed to be.  He is helped in his quest by a native boy who is as smart as he is starving.  The ark needs a key to open it and Jason and Merlin are pretty sure they know where it is.

This time, Jason’s girlfriend, Beverley, refuses to be left behind and she helps the pair in their endeavors.

In the continued battle, only one can survive.  Will it be Merlin or Morgana?

I really liked this book. I was familiar with the characters from the first book in the series and was happy to read about them again.  I love the way Merlin is portrayed and that he only used magic when other wiles didn’t work.

Jason and Beverley are a typical young couple in very untypical situations.  They both handle themselves well and their love grows through the story.

Again, I don’t want to give too much away. If you enjoy an adventure story wrapped up in some magic, you will really enjoy this book.

Great News!!!

Coming soon!

January 1, 2015