The Diver by Veronica Carratello | Book Review #147

The Bookish Island's Book Review:
The Diver by Veronica Carratello

Are there spoilers?

Yes, there are some spoilers.

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Disclaimer:

This book was sent to me by the publishing company (Nobrow) in exchange for an honest review.

Title: The Diver

Author: Veronica Carratello

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Pages: 32

Published: 2018

Publisher:  Flying Eye Books

Genre: Children's Book, Picture Book

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Date Read: I can't remember but it was in 2018

Rating: ★★★★★

A young girl and a penny coin share an unlikely dream to become divers in this enchanting tale from award-winning Italian illustrator Veronica Caratello.

The moment a penny sees a diving competition on television, it is determined to become a diver itself. Discarded by most, the penny is picked up by a girl who just so happens to be a young diver in training. Will both of them be able to achieve their dream with the power of a single wish? 

The Rating:

My Review:

The Diver is about a little girl who is scared she won't do the best dive that she can in her next competition and with the help of a penny she wishes and it helps with her dream. 

As always I first look at the illustrations that these picture books have. And I notice how vibrant the pastels are and how great the colors pair up with each other. The pallet is perfect for the mood this book gives off. The illustrations of the characters and the backgrounds are clean and kid friendly. By that, I mean that they are easy to distinguish. 

The end pages are super bright (almost blindingly) and I love the illustrations there too.
The front cover. For the longest time, I thought that the girl had some sort of headband with cat ears. But it was just a fountain behind her.
The back cover is adorable with the little girl and the coin about to take a dive.

It's not a very diverse book unless you count background characters that don't arent in the story. In fact, the MC and her family are all white, blonde, and have light colored eyes. So that was something that I wish could have been different. Considering that we are in modern times and interracial couples DEFINITELY exist.

I loved the penny and their story. They were a complete character. They had a dream and had some troubles achieving them. They were even going through some bullying. And in the end, got what they wished for the most. 

One thing that bothered me was how no one wanted the penny. The dad even said it wasn't worth anything. And it bothered me because all my life my mother has taught me the value of money. Especially of a penny. We would even spot change on the street and pick it up. Because she taught me that even if its one cent of a nickel or a dime in the end when you pick up a bunch of them you are going to have some money you didn't plan for. I've bought books saving up like that now. And when I was a kid I used to save up for toys. And I know that I am definitely going to teach my kids the same lesson.

In the end, this is a children's picture book so I loved the illustrations. The story was motivating and about not giving up on your dreams of doing your best. And It's a good read and easy to read to others. I've already read it more than 4 times since I got it. So I recommend it.

Goodreads

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The Bookish Island
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The Secret of the Black Rock by Joe Todd-Stanton | Book Review #115

The Bookish Island's Book Review:
The Secret of the Black Rock by Joe Todd-Stanton

Are there spoilers?

No.

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Disclaimer:
This book was sent to me by the publishing company (Nobrow) in exchange for an honest review.

Title: The Secret of the Black Rock

Author: Joe Todd-Stanton

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Pages: 40

Publisher: Flying Eye Books

Published: 2017

Genre: Picture Books, Children's, Fantasy

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Date Read: July 5, 2018

Rating: ★★★★★

This surreal modern folk-tale tells the story of an adventurous young girl who must protect a peaceful living creature.
Erin is fascinated by the stories of Black Rock: a huge, dark and spiky mass that is said to destroy any boats that come near it! But are the tales really true? One day Erin sneaks on board her mother’s fishing boat to find out…

The Rating:

My Review:

The Secret of the Black Rock is a beautiful story that grabbed my attention and took my heart for a ride.

I was truly taken by this book and its magnificent illustrations. I cried and smiled and felt I had -no! I must read this book again sometime soon.

Goodreads    |    Get it

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The Bookish Island
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Out, Out, Away From Here by Rachel Woodworth & Sang Miao | Book Review #114

The Bookish Island's Book Review:
Out, Out, Away From Here by Rachel Woodworth & Sang Miao

Are there spoilers?

No.

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Disclaimer:
This book was sent to me by the publishing company (Nobrow) in exchange for an honest review.

Title: Out, Out, Away From Here

Author: Rachel Woodworth, & Sang Miao

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Pages: 32

Publisher: Flying Eye Books

Published: 2018

Genre: Children's, Picture Books, Mental Health

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Date Read: July 5, 2018

Rating: ★★★★★

An elegant, poetic text accompanied by enchanting illustrations that shows children how to cope with strong feelings through creativity and imagination.

Emotions can be strange, sudden, and even overwhelming at times. With thoughtful words and expressive images, this book guides us on a journey through our imagination… to a place where everything feels calm again.

The Rating:

My Review:

Out, Out, Away From Here is one of those children's books that make me which I was a kid again. To be sitting in a corner reading this book and feeling all the beautiful emotions this book makes me feel now. 

That, or to have a little one of my own and share this brilliant little, but ginormously enchanting story and just see their reactions.

I cried and felt happy when I finished reading this. It's that good. 

Goodreads    |    Get it

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The Bookish Island
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The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene | Book Review #113

The Bookish Island's Book Review:
The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene

Are there spoilers?

No.

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Title: The Secret of the Old Clock

Author: Carolyn Keene

Series: Nancy Drew Mystery #1

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Pages: 180

Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap

Published: 1987

Genre: Mystery, Young Adult, Classic, Children's, Fiction

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Date Read:  From June 22 to June 27, 2018

Rating: ★★★★☆

This is a facsimile reprint of the first ever Nancy Drew book, published 1930.
Nancy Drew's keen mind is tested when she searches for Mr. Crowley's missing will.

The Rating:

My Review:

There were too many characters being introduced to keep track of. And they were oddly in sets of two. 

The mystery was good. Not great but good. Everything was obviously there in plain sight. I did not expect the will being at a security deposit box though. And Nancy trying to figure out which bank it was in was actually cool.

I dont know who I feel about Nancy as a sleuth or even as a character. For someone who liked being involved in mysteryes and getting in trouble, why doesn't she know how to defend herself. I believe that ladies who sleuth should know how to kick ass and get out of it alive.

I also discovered/found the Get a Clue, Nancy Drew Podcast and fully agree with them. They are great and I recomend you listen to them if you like the Nancy Drew books.

Goodreads    |    Book Depository

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The Bookish Island
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Blooming at the Texas Sunrise Motel by Kimberly Willis Holt | Book Review #102

The Bookish Island's Book Review:
Blooming at the Texas Sunrise Motel by Kimberly Willis Holt

Are there spoilers?

A few ones may have escaped me.

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Title: Blooming at the Texas Sunrise Motel

Author: Kimberly Willis Holt

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Pages: 336

Publisher:  Henry Holt

Published: 20l7

Genre: Middle Grade, Fiction, Family, Childrens

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Source: Borrowed.

Date Read: Nov. 21, 2017

Rating: ★★★★★

Twelve-year-old Stevie's world changes drastically when her parents are tragically killed and she is forced to live with her estranged grandfather at his run-down motel. After failed attempts to connect with her grandfather, Stevie befriends the colorful motel tenants and neighbors. Together, they decide to bring some color and life to the motel by planting a flower garden, against Stevie's grandfather's wishes. It will take Stevie's departure before her grandfather realizes just how needed she is by everyone.

The Rating:

My Review:

Stevie lost both her parents when car hits their produce stand. Leaving her alone, till she finds out she will be sent to live with her grandfather. Someone she knows little about. He lives in Texas where he lives in and runs a small motel. There she meets Mrs. Crump her elderly tutor, and fellow tutoree, Frida. Violet, the head house keeper, Roy, the handyman's son And long term residents, Horace and Ida. Then she gets to visit her fathers sister and her family. Finding out somethings about her parents that her grandfather wouldn't tell her.

I loved the characters. All of them seemed to stand on their own and in their own way they influenced Stevie's life in a good way. Of course Roy was very adorable as a character. And throughout the book Stevie grieves by gardening and wanting to help those around her. Finding out things about her parents along the way and getting along with her grumpy quiet grandfather.

This is a well written book with great characters and although its slow I enjoyed every page.

Get a copy at:
Barnes&Noble  | Amazon

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Book Depository

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The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester | Book Review #81

The Bookish Island's Book Review for:
The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester

Will there be spoilers?

Only a little.
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This is one of the books I read after the passing of Hurricane Maria here in Puerto Rico. With no water, electricity or internet I took to reading my books.
I read this one on September 21. 1 days after.

Title - The Girl Who Could Fly 
By - Victoria Forester
Publication - October 27th 2015 by Square Fish
Copy - Paperback, 352 pages


Genre - Fantasy, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Fiction, Science Fiction, Children's Books

You just can't keep a good girl down . . . unless you use the proper methods.
Piper McCloud can fly. Just like that. Easy as pie.

Sure, she hasn't mastered reverse propulsion and her turns are kind of sloppy, but she's real good at loop-the-loops.

Problem is, the good folk of Lowland County are afraid of Piper. And her ma's at her wit's end. So it seems only fitting that she leave her parents' farm to attend a top-secret, maximum-security school for kids with exceptional abilities.

School is great at first with a bunch of new friends whose skills range from super-strength to super-genius. (Plus all the homemade apple pie she can eat!) But Piper is special, even among the special. And there are consequences.

Consequences too dire to talk about. Too crazy to consider. And too dangerous to ignore.

At turns exhilarating and terrifying, Victoria Forester's debut novel has been praised by Stephenie Meyer, author of the Twilight saga, as "the oddest/sweetest mix of Little House on the Prairie and X-Men...Prepare to have your heart warmed." The Girl Who Could Fly is an unforgettable story of defiance and courage about an irrepressible heroine who can, who will, who must . . . fly.

The Rating:

My Review:

The Cover:

Although they say never judge a book by it's cover I believe the cover should represent what the book is going to be like or at least some aspect of it.

The cover is beautiful. ❤

With Piper flying in the clouds over the icy mountains on the cover. Helping make a visual of what she looks like as a character. Which is always good. Its also a scene from the book too. Then there's the title which is on a badge type. And it's so cool. 😀

And to be honest it was the whole reason I got it in the first place. 😜

The Story:

Piper McCloud has always been different. From the day she was born she's had an ability to float. Despite her parents telling her not to float or levitate she just cant help it. Its who she is. Till one day she learns to fly and everything changes in her life from there. 


Relationships:

Piper x Conrad
Piper and Conrad have such an interesting relationship in this book.  They each don't know the other and yet Piper wants to be friends with him and Conrad just wants to use her abilities. So you get to see their progress as they get to see the strengths and stubbornness they both have. 

Piper x the McClouds

Their relationship is very much what your expect from a family that grew up on a farm they are hardworking people a that truly cared about each other and it showed. 

But with Piper's powers there was a fear her parents had of what people would think. Which is to be expected since they've never heard of a girl who could fly. But they get better at understanding her and her abilities which is very important because if her parents don't believe in her then she'd be alone. Even if there are others. You know?

Overall:

The characters in this book were insanely good. 

Each great in their own way. Well written and fully their own person. I was impressed by how amazing they all were. All that made me adore Piper even more because it felt like I was cheering for someone real. I wanted her to get her happy ending. 

Then there was the world. 

The world in this story was super. Not only did it smoothly transition from a quaint southern town to secret underground government but it was done in such away that I never questioned what was happening. 

As for the fantasy element in this story. 

It was well done mostly because it wasn't done in such a way that it made you question it. Like does every kid have powers and they just suppressed them or what? No, you quickly learn what the situation is with the powers the children have and what is being done with and about them. 
And as the blurb Stepahanie Meyer wrote for this said. I did get that X-Men vibe from this story as well. 

I truly wish I could talk more about this book but I really don't want to spoil it.

Get a copy at:
Barnes&Noble  | Amazon

Or get it here using my affiliate link. Please:
Book Depository

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Arthur and the Golden Rope by Joe Todd Stanton | Book Review

Book Review:
The Brownstone’s Mythical Collection: Arthur and the Golden Rope by Joe Todd Stanton

Spoilers?

Maybe.

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Title - The Brownstone’s Mythical Collection: Arthur and the Golden Rope
By - Joe Todd Stanton
Publication -  February 14th, 2017 by Flying Eye Books
Genre - Children's Book, Mythical, Picture Book, Fantasy, Graphic Novel

Imagine a vault so cavernous that it could contain all the world's greatest treasures and relics, from mummified remains of ancient monarchs to glistening swords brandished by legendary warriors. Who could be in charge of such a vault and how did he come into possession of such a unique collection? Who is...Professor Brownstone?

The Rating:

My Review:

via GIPHY

I want to say that this was sent to me for review from publisher and that, as all my reviews, this one is full of my honest opinions.

The Cover:

Although they say never judge a book by it's cover I believe the cover should represent what the book is going to be like or at least some aspect of it.

The title and the ribbon are in gold foiling and it's beautiful. The cover art is amazingly beautiful too.


The Story:
A young boy starts his adventures and things start happening. With the things he has picked up and learned he will save the day.


Illustrations:
The illustrations are very vibrant and detailed. I love the warm tones in the colors and how clean and clear everything is. Its simple but its very awesome and I love it. With every page being so different you have to look at them more than once, certainly read the book more than once too, to be able to see everything. Or you'd miss a little detail.

From a kids point of view:
I think children would find Arthur to be a hero. With Arthur being an unlikely hero who ends up saving the day. They would probably say he looks like Harry Potter which would make them like the character more.
That's what I believe.

Overall:
First thing first, I was supposed to write this review after Nightlights but I completely forgot.

Also, I just have to say it but this book smells amazing. Between the smell of books and new shoes, books always win. Especially this one.

Am I curious about what other stories can come out o this world Joe has created? Yes.

This story is intertwined with a little bit of Norse mythology having some of the Norse gods as characters. Like Thor, and Odin.

This is such a beautiful book in every way. An adorable main character whose also an adventurer, a beautiful world full of creatures and magic, and delightful illustrations that make it easily submergible.


via GIPHY

Get a copy at:
Barnes&Noble  |  Amazon US

Get a copy here using my affiliate link. Please:
Book Depository

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Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll | Book Review

Book Review:
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Title - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland 
Author - Lewis Carroll

Format - Paperback, 146 pages
Genre - Children's Books, Classics, Fantasy, Adventure Source - borrowed from a friend

Alice lives an ordinary life, until the day she follows the White Rabbit down, down, down a rabbit hole. She suddenly finds herself in an enchanted world, surrounded by zany creatures like the Mad Hatter, the Duchess, and the Cheshire Cat. Alice is delighted to find that nothing in Wonderland is the least bit ordinary.

Whatever Happened To My Sister? by Simona Ciraolo | Book Review

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Book Review
Whatever Happened To My Sister? by Simona Ciraolo

I had been having some technical difficulties with my laptop. I even thought it was dead but my mom worked her magic and fixed it for me and now I can show you my review for this really cool book I got a couple of days back.

Title - Whatever Happened To My Sister?
Author - by Simona Ciraolo
Publication - November 10th, 2015 by Flying Eye Books
Format - Hardcover, 40 pages
Genre - Picture Book, Family, Children's
Source - given to me by Nobrow in exchange for an honest review Rating - ★★★★★

A young girl sets out to find out exactly what happened to her sister. Who is this new sister? Why does she never want to play anymore? For anyone who has ever felt left behind, Simona Ciraolo, the best-selling author of Hug Me, paints a touchingly sweet portrayal of the transience of childhood and how adolescence and growing up can be a truly mystifying experience.

About Author:

Simona Ciraolo is a Sardinian born author and illustrator whose witty and endearing tales recently won her the Sebastian Walker Award. Ciraolo studied animation at the National Film School in Turin, Italy, before moving to the United Kingdom where she undertook an MA in children's book illustration at the Cambridge School of Art. She has also worked as a freelance 2D animator for children's TV shows and illustrated five picture books for an independent Italian publisher. Simona lives in South London.

My Review:

First of all just look at that cover with the girl being all cute and sneaky and that key next to the spine.
The story on its own is really cute and pulls at the heartstrings with this little girl feeling all sad and curious that her big sister has changed and become more distant and no longer plays with her. That's it that's the story but once you ad the artwork in it then it really becomes its own thing and shines brightly.

I want to talk a bit about the art in this book. As soon as I saw the cover I could tell that I liked the art. The way Simona draws this character really brings her to life and you either feel like that little girl or know girls who are like that. I liked how she mixed what looked like colored pencils with paint and it really inspired me to want to draw more. Recently I've had a kick and have been painting with watercolors and acrylics and pencils so I feel right at home seeing the pages of this book

In some places, the art is very bright in some pages where in others the colors are slightly muted. Like in this particular page above it is all grey except for the big sister and their mom who are highlighted as being the focus on this age. I really like this. There are others like this were the page is mostly red.

I had a lot of fun reading this book in the car right after I got it and I couldn't wait to get home and take photos of it. I remembered I had a bunch of square bright color things so I laid them out and just had fun taking these photos.

Get a copy at:
Nobrow  |  Barnes&Noble  |  Amazon US  |  Amazon UK

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Imelda & the Goblin King and Pablo & Jane and the Hot Air Contraption | Book Review

Mini Update #3 | Imelda & the Goblin King & Pablo & Jane and the Hot Air Contraption Book Review

I had finished reading two great books that were sent to me by Nobrow Press and I wanted to do a review as soon as I got them but the weather hasn't been good here. There's a lot of rain and when there's no rain I have college responsibilities to handle so sadly I haven't been able to take good photos to show these amazingly good books off. But I managed to take one of them inside my bag. I will post a may talk more about these books in the future but for now here is a tiny review.