It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

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How did this book miss the big release with publicity and blog tours? It’s amazing! I started it YESTERDAY and after about 30 pages I went to order it for the library. Amazon only has it in ebook or paperback version… Barnes and Noble is the same way. I want a couple of hardback, preferably library bound, versions. This book is going to be a hit!

It reminds me strongly of The Night Circus and what a fanfare that one got! I personally like this book better.

Genre: Fantasy

Grade appropriate: 4th and up

RATING BREAKDOWN:

Overall: 5/5--AMAZING! One of the best books I’ve read in a while.

Creativity: 5/5-- What can I say? A store that houses countless magical places and people? Yea… it’s creative.

Characters: 5/5-- The odd Lucien Silver put me in mind of Johnny Depp. I could just picture him darting around and looking deeply and uncomfortably into customers’ eyes, grandly sweeping them into his Wonders.

Engrossing: 5/5-- I was immediately sucked in from the first sentence. I stopped reading everything else that I had been reading and finished this one. Every time I put the book down to do something else I wished I was back in the Emporium. I didn’t get anything done until this book was finished!

Writing: 5/5

Appeal to kids: 5/5-- They’ll love it as soon as I can get my hands on a copy.

Appropriate length to tell the story: 5/5

CONTENT:

Language: none

Sexuality: none-- there is a kiss, not graphic. There is never any hint of more but later a baby is dropped off. There’s never any discussion of a physical relationship.

Violence: mild-- there is magical fighting with the bad guy and the characters do sometimes get hurt. Two people die but it is not overly disturbing.

Drugs/Alcohol: mild-- the adults have wine with dinner one night. One of them is drugged so that he can be robbed.  

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I thoroughly enjoyed this little nineteenth century murder mystery. I read another book recently with the same basic plot (a guardian dies, the children bury the body & hide the death so they won't be sent away.) The other story was very disturbing! It was too realistic & too serious to be entertaining.  I thought this one was much less disturbing. The author handles it with a light hand & while my stomach was in knots for the girls at the end, hoping they wouldn't get in too much trouble, this tale was lively & fun.

Genre: historical

AR level: none yet

Grade appropriate: 4th & up

RATING BREAKDOWN:

Overall: 5/5-- I love murder mysteries & this adolescent one was just fun!

Creativity: 5/5

Characters: 5/5-- the girls were realistic & the author describes them by their most obvious traits but by the end the readers know them as so much more than "smooth" Kitty or "dull" Martha.

Engrossing: 5/5

Writing: 5/5-- I loved the adjective tagged onto the beginning of each girl's name (Dear Roberta or Disgraceful Mary Jane) with so many girls it really helped keep them distinctly different in my mind.

Appeal to kids: 5/5

Appropriate length to tell the story: 5/5

CONTENT:

Language: none

Sexuality: none

Violence: mild-- the headmistress of the boarding school & her brother are poisoned in the first chapter. Another elderly man dies of poison later in the book as well.

Drugs/Alcohol: mild-- the girls find the head mistresses empty wine bottles, the local rector indulges in port. 

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Genre: Fantasy

AR level: 4.0

Grade appropriate: 2nd and up

RATING BREAKDOWN:

Overall: 5/5-- This series has been very popular in the library since I started. I had never heard of them before becoming a librarian. A new one in the series just came out so I finally made the time to read one.

This is absolutely the kind of book I would have loved as a kid! I have already recommended one of my childhood favorites (People of Pineapple Place) to a fan of this series.

Creativity: 5/5

Characters: 5/5-- Dolls that are alive and can’t move when people are looking. (reminiscent of Toy Story)

Engrossing: 4/5

Writing: 5/5

Appeal to kids: 5/5-- The 3rd-4th grade girls DEVOUR them!

Appropriate length to tell the story: 5/5

CONTENT:

Language: none

Sexuality: none

Violence: none

Drugs/Alcohol: none