Month: October 2019

Review: DC Super Hero Girls: At Metropolis High

Title: DC Super Hero Girls: At Metropolis High
Author: Amy Wolfram, Yancey Labat
Genre: Middle Grade, Graphic Novel
Publisher: DC Zoom
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: October 15, 2019
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

A new era of DC Super Hero Girls begins in DC Super Hero Girls: At Metropolis High!

Batgirl, Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Green Lantern, Bumblebee, and Zatanna are continually late to class because of their crime-fighting, and Principal Chapin is tired of hearing their excuses. These girls need to show more school spirit…or else they’ll be suspended!

Principal Chapin’s demand that they each find an after-school club and stick with it for a whole week seems easy, until the girls get kicked out of the clubs they choose. Instead, they must think outside the box and step out of their comfort zones. As if having secret identities and balancing school with super-heroics didn’t offer enough challenges!

Review:

I love the DC Super Hero Girls graphic novels. It’s great to see these familiar characters interacting in their high school. 

This graphic novel was a little different from the other DC Super Hero Girls books I’ve read because the girls were divided into groups of super heroes versus villains. They are usually a big group of friends, not divided. This was part of the storyline, because the superhero girls were getting in trouble for being late at school, but the villain girls somehow always made it there on time, even when they were wrecking havoc. 

A funny part of this graphic novel was that the teachers were never shown. They weren’t even given dialogue. This reminded me of Charlie Brown, where the teachers and adults only make noises, but we never actually understand what they’re saying. This made the students the focus of the story, rather than what the teachers were telling them. 

I really enjoyed this graphic novel!

Thank you DC Comics for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

What to read next:

DC Super Hero Girls: Finals Crisis by Shea Fontana, Yancey Labat

Have you read DC Super Hero Girls: At Metropolis High? What did you think of it?

TBR Thursday – October 31

TBR Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly Faye Reads, where you post a title from your shelf or e-reader and find out what others think about it.

My pick this week is The Last of August (Charlotte Holmes #2) by Brittany Cavallaro.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Watson and Holmes: A match made in disaster.

Jamie Watson and Charlotte Holmes are looking for a winter-break reprieve after a fall semester that almost got them killed. But Charlotte isn’t the only Holmes with secrets, and the mood at her family’s Sussex estate is palpably tense. On top of everything else, Holmes and Watson could be becoming morethan friends—but still, the darkness in Charlotte’s past is a wall between them.

A distraction arises soon enough, because Charlotte’s beloved uncle Leander goes missing from the estate—after being oddly private about his latest assignment in a German art forgery ring. The game is afoot once again, and Charlotte is single-minded in her pursuit.

Their first stop? Berlin. Their first contact? August Moriarty (formerly Charlotte’s obsession, currently believed by most to be dead), whose powerful family has been ripping off famous paintings for the last hundred years. But as they follow the gritty underground scene in Berlin to glittering art houses in Prague, Holmes and Watson begin to realize that this is a much more complicated case than a disappearance. Much more dangerous, too.

What they learn might change everything they know about their families, themselves, and each other.

Have you read this book? What did you think of it?

Review: The Very, Very Far North

Title: The Very, Very Far North
Author: Dan Bar-el
Genre: Children’s
Publisher: Atheneum
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: September 3, 2019
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

An inquisitive polar bear named Duane befriends an array of animals as he discovers where he belongs in this charming classic-in-the making that’s reminiscent of Winnie the Pooh.

In the Very, Very Far North, past the Cold, Cold Ocean and just below the hill that looks like a baby whale, you’ll find Duane and his friends.

Duane is a sweet and curious young bear who makes friends with everyone he meets—whether they’re bossy, like Major Puff the puffin, or a bit vain, like Handsome the musk ox, or very, very shy, like Boo the caribou. For these arctic friends, every day is a new adventure!

Review:

This book is a bunch of stories about a polar bear named Duane, who lives in the very far north of Canada. He meets a variety of friends in his adventures, such as a pelican and a musk ox. They all have names based on how they look or act. For instance, the musk ox loves looking at himself and refers to himself as Handsome. 

Duane and his friends reminded me of Winnie the Pooh and his friends. Duane is figuring out life in the Arctic, just as Winnie the Pooh is learning about life in the Hundred Acre Woods. Both bears have a youthful, innocent way of looking at life because they are both still learning. 

This book paints a beautiful image of life in the north of Canada. There aren’t many children’s books that are set in that cold climate. This book is a fun way to learn about the animals and environment in northern Canada. 

I loved this book! I highly recommend it for young and older readers. 

Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for providing a copy of thia book in exchange for an honest review. 

What to read next:

Audrey (cow) by Dan Bar-el

Have you read The Very, Very Far North? What did you think of it?

‘Waiting on’ Wednesday – October 30

This is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine. In this post we highlight a book that’s highly anticipated.

The book that I’m waiting on this Wednesday is Day Zero by Kelly deVos. The expected publication date is November 12, 2019.

Goodreads Synopsis:

If you’re going through hell…keep going.

Seventeen-year-old coder Jinx Marshall grew up spending weekends drilling with her paranoid dad for a doomsday she’s sure will never come. She’s an expert on self-heating meal rations, Krav Maga and extracting water from a barrel cactus. Now that her parents are divorced, she’s ready to relax. Her big plans include making it to level 99 in her favorite MMORPG and spending the weekend with her new hunky stepbrother, Toby.

But all that disaster training comes in handy when an explosion traps her in a burning building. Stuck leading her headstrong stepsister, MacKenna, and her precocious little brother, Charles, to safety, Jinx gets them out alive only to discover the explosion is part of a pattern of violence erupting all over the country. Even worse, Jinx’s dad stands accused of triggering the chaos.

In a desperate attempt to evade paramilitary forces and vigilantes, Jinx and her siblings find Toby and make a break for Mexico. With seemingly the whole world working against them, they’ve got to get along and search for the truth about the attacks—and about each other. But if they can survive, will there be anything left worth surviving for?

What books are you waiting on this week?

Review: A Study in Scarlet

Title: A Study in Scarlet
Author: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Arianna Bellucci (illustrator)
Genre: Children’s
Publisher: Sweet Cherry Publishing
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: September 25, 2019
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Body thought to be that of E.J. Drebber discovered last night in empty London house. No obvious cause of death. Address given as Cleveland Ohio. Any information would be appreciated. 
After a mysterious murder leaves the police baffled, the world’s best amateur detective is asked to investigate. 
Along with his fellow lodger, Dr Watson, Sherlock Holmes sets about uncovering a quest for revenge that runs far deeper than anybody suspected. 

A simplification of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, perfect for young fans of mystery books. A great introduction to classics for children aged 7+.

Review:

I love Sherlock Holmes stories! A Study in Scarlet is the first story about Sherlock Holmes. It is a great introduciton to the character. 

This is a simplified version of the story for young readers. There were definitions of some words that kids may not have encountered before, which is a great way to help them understand the story. The story was also shorter than the original, with lots of illustrations for easier understanding. 

This is a great Sherlock Holmes story for young readers!

Thank you Sweet Cherry Publishing for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

What to read next:

The Sign of the Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Arianna Bellucci (illustrator)

Have you read A Study in Scarlet? What did you think of it?

Top Ten Tuesday – Halloween Books for Young Readers

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and it is now hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s theme is a Halloween Freebie, so I decided to choose a list of Halloween Books for Young Readers. Here’s my list:

1. The Berenstain Bears and the Spooky Old Tree by Stan and Jan Berenstain

2. Coraline by Neil Gaiman

3. The Witches by Roald Dahl

4. The Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

5. Kitten in the Candy Corn by Ben M. Baglio

6. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

7. The Berenstain Bears Trick or Treat by Stan and Jan Berenstain

8. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Jane B. Mason

9. Arthur’s Halloween by Marc Brown

10. Clifford’s First Halloween by Norman Bridwell

(All photos taken from Goodreads)

What’s your list of Halloween Books?

Review: Suicide Squad, Vol. 1: Kicked in the Teeth

Title: Suicide Squad, Vol. 1: Kicked in the Teeth
Author: Adam Glass, Federico Dallocchio, Clayton Henry
Genre: Graphic Novel
Publisher: DC Comics
Source: Library
Format: Ebook
Release Date: July 10, 2012
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

As a part of the acclaimed DC Comics—The New 52 event of September 2011, writer and co-creator of the CW show Supernatural Adam Glass rolls out an all-new team of death-row super villains recruited by the government to take on missions so dangerous–they’re sheer suicide! The story begins with the Suicide Squad defeated, imprisoned and being interrogated about their newest mission. Harley Quinn, King Shark, Deadshot and company must make it out alive without revealing who’s pulling the strings behind their illegal operations. Who will be the first to crack under the pressure? More importantly will they make it all out alive?

Review:

This is a great start to this series. 

There is an ensemble cast of a bunch of DC Comics criminals in the Suicide Squad. They join together to fight against bigger villains. Even though this is a big group of people, each one gets their own space in the graphic novel. Harley Quinn is my favourite character, and I was pleased to see how much she was involved. She especially played an important part in the ending of the graphic novel, which was a great cliffhanger.

I enjoyed this graphic novel. I’m curious to see what happens next!

What to read next:

Suicide Squad, Vol. 2: Basilisk Rising by Adam Glass, Fernando Dagnino

Have you read Suicide Squad, Vol. 1: Kicked in the Teeth? What did you think of it?

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? – October 28

This blog meme is hosted by Book Date. It is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week.  It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment, and er… add to that ever growing TBR pile!

What I just finished:

This weekend I finished The Handmaid’s Tale: The Graphic Novel by Renée Nault, Margaret Atwood.

What I’m currently reading:

I’m currently reading The Toll (Arc of a Scythe #3) by Neal Shusterman.

What I’m reading next:

Next I will be reading The Raven King (The Raven Cycle #4) by Maggie Stiefvater.

What are you guys reading this week? Have you read any of these books?

Jill’s Weekly Wrap-Up – October 27

Here are my reviews for the week with my ratings:

I did 9 weekly blogging memes:

How was your week? What did you guys read?

Sundays in Bed With… The Toll

The meme that dares to ask what book has been in your bed this morning? Come share what book you’ve spent time curled up reading in bed, or which book you wish you had time to read today! This meme is hosted by Midnight Book Girl.

This Sunday I’m reading The Toll (Arc of a Scythe #3) by Neal Shusterman.

Goodreads Synopsis:

From New York Times bestselling author Neal Shusterman comes the thrilling conclusion to the Printz Honor–winning series Arc of a Scythe.

It’s been three years since Rowan and Citra disappeared; since Scythe Goddard came into power; since the Thunderhead closed itself off to everyone but Grayson Tolliver.

In this pulse-pounding conclusion to New York Times bestselling author Neal Shusterman’s Arc of a Scythe trilogy, constitutions are tested and old friends are brought back from the dead. 

What book are you in bed with today?