Jill's Book Blog

Title: Tales of the Spectacular Spectacles: Theodore and the Enchanted Bookstore
Author: K. Kibbee
Genre: Children’s
Publisher: BooksGoSocial
Source: NetGalley
Release Date: October 5, 2017
Rating: ★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Living life as a bumbling breadbox with fur, was hardship enough for Theodore the Corgi, but when the young dog finds himself cold and alone in a frightening animal shelter, it’s clear that his struggles have only just begun.
Labeled “unadoptable,” by shelter staff, Theodore mires in the gloom until a kind-eyed stranger with a pocket full of handcrafted jerky and a quirky smile, rescues him with the intent of making Theodore the newest addition to his curious Bookstore. Though overwhelmed at first, Theodore soon finds both his new friend and the odd bookstore are welcoming hosts, despite the Corgi’s run of clumsy mishaps. And while Theodore’s formerly dull and lonely life fades to memory, a new, adventurous one blooms before him—for hidden amongst the dusty stacks of books and things at the Enchanted Bookstore, waits a peculiar little man with a set of the most magical, Spectacular Spectacles imaginable.

Review:

Corgis are my favourite dog breed. I had to read this book when I saw one on the cover!

Theodore is a very cute puppy. I felt so sorry for him when he was left at the shelter. His owner thought he was too clumsy so she didn’t like him anymore. But luckily he was adopted by Sam, who owns a bookstore.

The narration was third person. But sometimes it gave Theodore’s perspective. Theodore noticed some things that he probably wouldn’t have recognized. For example, he saw girls walking down the street and he knew they were selling girl guide cookies. There was no reason for him to know what they were when he could just see them from across the street. It would have been funnier if he had to guess what different things were. That kind of confusion can create humour in kid’s books.

The story ended very abruptly. The “enchanting” part had just begun, and then the story ended. I was disappointed that there wasn’t more enchantment in the story since it was promised in the title.

Title: Honey Moon: Not Your Valentine
Author: Sofi Benitez
Genre: Children’s
Publisher: Rabbit Publishers
Source: NetGalley
Release Date: January 30, 2018
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

A Sleepy Hollow Valentine’s Day dance with a boy! NO WAY, NO HOW is Honey Moon going to a scary sweetheart dance with that Noah kid. But, after being forced to dance together in PE class, word gets around that Honey likes Noah. Now, she has no choice but to stop Valentine’s Day in its tracks. Things never go as planned, and Honey winds up with the surprise of her Sleepy Hollow life.

Review:

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! Here’s a Valentine’s themed review!

This is a great Valentine’s story. Honey Moon is hilarious and gets into lots of trouble. She doesn’t want to go to the dance with a boy, so she does everything she can to make them not like her. But this backfires on her. The dance at the end also provided a great twist. It wasn’t what Honey was expecting.

This story reminded me of when my class would celebrate Valentine’s Day when I was a kid. When picking out the cards for everyone, you had to make sure that the saying on the inside was appropriate. You wouldn’t want a boy in your class to get the wrong impression because you gave him a romantic Valentine. Honey takes that idea to the extreme by writing nasty things in the boys’ cards. That ends up backfiring on her because the boys like the gross things she wrote! Valentine’s Day is a fun holiday but it can also cause problems in the classroom.

I really liked this story. It gives a different perspective on a typical Valentine’s Day story, because Honey does everything she can to avoid getting a date to the dance.