Tag: neighbors

REVIEW: The Great Pet Heist by Emily Ecton

REVIEW: The Great Pet Heist by Emily Ecton

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Atheneum Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

The pets enjoyed their life with “Mrs. Food.” It was Butterbean the dog, Walt the Cat, Oliver the bird, and the two rats, Marco and Polo.

The animals’ routine is upended when Mrs. Food slips on a mess Butterbean left on the floor. Paramedics come and take Mrs. Food away. The animals start to panic about who will take care of them. Then a girl named Madison arrives with the building manager to be their pet sitter.

The girl means they will get fed and Butterbean will get walked. But at some point the animals will either need to get jobs or find some money to buy food and supplies.

When all of the animals pool their personal treasures, they don’t have much to work with. But Butterbean does have a coin she found in the elevator. If the animals can find the human who dropped the gold coin, maybe they can find more of them. That would keep them all in kibble and litter and newspaper until Mrs. Food comes back home.

Review

This was a hoot! The different animal characters have fantastic voices. I adored them. The premise is wacky, and it helps to have it anchored by these great personalities.

The heist is pretty intricate. The author does a great job of keeping the story within the realms of pet fantasy stories (not reality, but in keeping with some of the basic ideas for the genre) with what fantasy pets are “capable” of.

There’s a bonus mystery to this of a secret that Madison the pet sitter is keeping. It dovetails perfectly into the story and adds a layer of satisfaction to the ending of the book.

This was fantastically fun to read! It’s funny and engaging. There are no slow spots. I hope there will be more books with these characters in the future. Do NOT miss this one!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: The Newspaper Club by Beth Vrabel

REVIEW: The Newspaper Club by Beth Vrabel

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Running Press Kids in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

When Nellie’s dad is out of town for a long term work assignment and her mom loses her newspaper job, her mom’s college friend, Mrs. Kim-Franklin comes to the rescue. She invites them to move to Bear Creek and helps them get set up in the house next door. By default that means Nellie and Mrs. Kim-Franklin’s daughter Min are now “best friends,” at least according to Min.

Nell’s not really had friends before. She’s brilliant and can be off-putting to her peers. But living in a new town, and stumbling onto some mysterious events at the park piques her journalistic curiosity. To get the answers she is looking for, Nell needs to get to know the locals. Nell’s neighbor Thom offers to walk her to the local newspaper office so she can give them the information on the park. Min tags along, and the three discover yet another mystery in this small town that Nell would like to dig into.

But the newspaper office is not what Nell was expecting. Many of the reporters are packing up their desks because they were laid off. When Nell asks the editor how the town is supposed to know what is going on at the park, or when it is safe to return, if there’s no newspaper to tell them, he tells her she might have to write the story herself.

With Thom and Min’s help, that’s exactly what Nell plans to do!

Review

I LOVED this! The six kids at the core of this book are delightful! Nellie is bright and brings the newspaper experience. Thom is loyal and thoughtful. Min is enthusiastic. Gordon is talented. Gloria is passionate, and Charlotte is brave. I loved them. I hope there will be shelves full of books starring these kids.

The mysteries here are kid-friendly – pranks or vandalism at the park and a sad business owner. There are a few serious moments which were especially endearing because I was already so attached to the characters from the rest of the story.

I loved the adults in this – the exasperated police chief who still answers Nell’s questions, Thom’s moms who make Nell feel welcome, Gloria’s dad who gives Gloria space to put her own “flavor” on their restaurant, etc.

The newspaper pieces are well written and informative. Readers could put together their own newspaper with the ideas and examples in this book. But it’s never overly technical.

Do not miss this delightful story! This would be so great as a read-aloud or for book groups. I loved this like I loved Beth Vrabel’s 2018 release, The Reckless Club. I can’t wait to see what happens for these characters next!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Walking with Miss Millie by Tamara Bundy

REVIEW: Walking with Miss Millie by Tamara Bundy

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Alice does not want to be in Rainbow, Georgia. She wants to go home to Columbus, Ohio. How will her dad, who “hates” Rainbow, ever come back to them if they aren’t there?

But Alice’s grandmother is having memory issues. She needs help, so Alice and her mom and brother are in Rainbow for the foreseeable future.

Georgia in June, 1968, means hot and humid weather, “party” phone lines and racial tension. When Alice accidentally eavesdrops on her grandmother’s neighbor, Miss Millie, on the party line, she has to go apologize. That leads to daily walks with Miss Millie and her dog, Clarence. What starts as a burden becomes something Alice looks forward to as she gets to know their elderly African-American neighbor. And their talks help Alice learn some things about herself along the way.

Review

This story was perfection. The heart was present from page one. Alice is an earnest, thoughtful character. Like any good 10-year-old, she jumps to conclusions about folks at times, but she’s also teachable and honest. Miss Millie is wise. And the author does a terrific job of “showing” rather than telling how Miss Millie feels and what she thinks but doesn’t say. The entire cast of characters is fantastic, and I quickly fell in love with them.

The story centers on Alice and the move to Rainbow as well as what that move means to her relationship with her absent father. But it’s also about the evolution of race relations from the late 1800s to 1968. It’s about family and loss and faith. I cried several times in the story as the emotional pieces are pitched perfectly for the characters. I can’t recommend this highly enough!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥