Review: Grandma's Garden by Sudeep Bhuller

Grandma’s Garden by Sudeep Bhuller is a very cute book and I could see it being given as a gift to a grandma who likes reading to her grandchildren. The book states that it is a great visual treat for babies discovering shapes and colors. While it is very colorful the images have soft edges and the shapes are not very well defined.

In this book, children are walked through Grandma’s Garden. The bright flowers and fruit trees are pointed out early on. Everything from cats and birds to tiny snails and millipedes are shown. Children also get to see ladybugs, bees, and even butterflies that may be harder to see up close in nature.

I really liked how bright and colorful the book is. It offers many opportunities for parents to have children point out what is being talked about on each page. Reading this book offers opportunities to “find the cat or snail” and  “count the ants or birds”. Reading this right before taking a child out to plant a seed might be a fun activity. What I didn’t like was that at times while reading it out loud it felt as if there should be rhymes when none were present. The flow of the book is disrupted if you try to read it as a story. If you read each page as an individual and not part of a whole it is not as bad.

For target readers for this book, the author was correct in saying that infants and toddlers will enjoy having this book read to them. I know my two years old seemed to enjoy it. I rate this book 3 out of 4. While the book is beautifully illustrated and walks children thought the things they may find in a garden, I can not give it a perfect score. The problem with how the book doesn't flow very well did cause it to lose points with me.

https://www.austinmacauley.com/book/grandmas-garden

Review: Bad News Belinda by Stewart Martin Johnson

Bad News Belinda by Stewart Martin Johnson is an amazingly cute little children’s book of only about thirty pages or so. Each page only has an average of about one sentence which makes it a very easy read. For some reason, it brought back memories of Amelia Bedelia from my childhood, but that may just be because of the name.

Aunt Belinda coming to stay for a visit is one of those visits that we all come to dread. In some way, most people can probably relate to having a relative that they are less than enthusiastic to see but hopefully they are not as bad as Belinda. When Belinda is around the children have to hide their candy and clean while Belinda either sits around or makes a mess of things.

Belinda doesn't do fun things with the children like the other aunts do, instead, she makes things miserable for them. The other Aunts help the children plan to get rid of Belinda, but Belinda overhears them. After everyone tells Belinda what they really think of her she leaves on her own and the children have a party with the good aunts.

What I liked best was how the artwork and the story worked very well together. For children’s books, I feel it is very important that the artwork and the story work together. This book is a wonderful example of that. When Belinda is around the coloring is darker, messy, and has a negative feeling, but it is bright, happy, and cheerful when she is gone. If I had to choose something that I didn’t like it would be how everyone told Belinda they did not like her. However, seeing as how Belinda being a problem was kind of the whole point of the book it's not really a negative.

The target readers for this book are any children who like to be read to and young beginning readers. As an adult I also found this book to be fun and enjoyed reading it to my children. That being said I rate this book to be a perfect 4 out of 4. This is because everything about this book is great. The short sentences and overall length do not intimidate young readers. The artwork is spot on with the tones of the book. It has some funny and silly moments such as Belinda eating a goldfish and some very nice rhymes.

https://www.austinmacauley.com/book/bad-news-belinda

Review: The Wailing Snail by Claire Walker

The Wailing Snail by Claire Walker is a cute little rhyming book about a chain reaction caused by a little garden snail. It reminded me of a similar book by Dr. Seuss called Because a Little Bug Went KA-CHOO! but with a much darker ending.

In a garden, a little snail wails so loudly that it causes a major chain reaction. This reaction at one point causes a cat to get mad at a bird and chase after it. Once the bird escapes it is so tired and exhausted that it goes in search of something to eat. The story then comes full circle with the bird finding the snail in the garden that started the whole thing in the first place. The snail then once again lets out a wail…

I really liked the illustrations by Diane Bonham. They are cute with simple shapes and colors that ultimately do not overwhelm children. The subject matter of the page is always depicted in a way that draws full attention to it. The rhymes give the book a solid rhythm and the rhyming words being bold and all caps puts emphasis on them for learning and teaching points for new readers. What I did not like was that while the story comes full circle it dose so it a dark and almost morbid way with the bird eating the snail. The back of the book does hint at something bad happening so I might just be used to children’s books have a feel-good ending.

The target readers for this book are young children, infants to toddler age range who would enjoy having this book read to them as the rhymes make it fun. Older toddlers and/or children just starting their first few years of school may question the ending. The ending is an interesting twist for adults though. I rate this book a 2 out of 4 because in the vast amount of children’s book available I would not go out of my way to recommend this book. At the same time, I also would not discourage anyone from it either, but I would warn them about the ending. This book sits firmly as a mid-range book, not good and not bad.

https://www.austinmacauley.com/book/wailing-snail

Review: The Adventures of Pugalugs: The Beginning by Jessica Parish

The Adventures of Pugalugs: The Beginning by Jessica Parish and with artwork by Helen Poole was amazing. This is the first in what the author hopes to be a set of over thirty books about a little pug puppy. These books are even based on a pug’s real adventures. There are some “Coming Soon” titles on the inside of the book that I look forward to seeing because I have a lot of hope for this series. 

 Pugalugs is a pug puppy born in early November along with his brother and sister. Like many puppies he was so small he could fit in his owner’s hand when he was born. Most of the time Pugalugs spent his time cuddled up in a little bed with his siblings, all nice and warm, even if they did occasionally kick each other in the head. Then one day Pugalugs opens his eyes for the first time and the fun really begins. 

 He tries so many new things while exploring the seemingly huge house he lives in. While little puppies do sleep a lot he also tires puppy food for the first time and attempts to eat a slipper. He also slides across the kitchen floor and attempts to climb the staircase with his brother’s help while his sister watches them. Then like all puppies (and children) do he imagines all the fun things he will be able to do outside when it is warm out and he is a little older and bigger. 

 What I like best is that the entire design is great for children. It contains a medium about of text on each page, but it is broken up into smaller sections. The bright, bold colors mixed with the simple artwork shows children exactly what the story is trying to tell them about without unnecessary details. The only thing I can think of to complain about regarding this book was the fact that two of the three puppies are the same color. Since one of these is the main character it may have been a good idea to give him a distinguishing characteristic besides saying that he is bigger than the other. 

Toddlers who love animals, especially dogs will enjoy having this book read to them over and over again. It may also quickly become a favorite of the beginning reader. Adults will enjoy seeing their children’s reactions to the silly adventures of Pugalugs. With all that being said I rate this book a perfect 4 out of 4. Animals hold the attention of most children very well and this book takes full advantage of that. The story is so sweet while teaching children fun facts about puppies (such as being born with their eyes closed). It also may be interesting to note that both of my daughters, who I normally can’t get to sit through the shortest book, sat with me until I finished reading the entire thing and then my oldest asked me to read it again. That alone is the best review I can give any book. Altogether this book is wonderful.

 https://www.austinmacauley.com/node/add/53169/review

Review: Lithium by Asina C

Lithium by Asina C is not the typical book style that comes to mind when I think about a fiction book based in Chernobyl. Normally I would expect such a book to be full of zombies or mutants who go around terrorizing a group of tourist that get lost but that is not the case with Lithium. Instead, this book mixes truth with science and a little bit of fantasy and gives readers a different type of story altogether. This book also talks about the Red Forest in Chernobyl and it sparked an interest in me to look up some pictures of the forest. I also did not notice too much that widely away from the actual facts about Chernobyl, though I would by no means consider myself to be well informed on the subject.

Zurin has lived with her mother for all of her twelve years in a small shack in Pripyat. Her mother has always kept Zurin inside her home for fear of radiation sickness and being seen. This is in part because the area in which they live is believed to be uninhabitable because of all the radiation still in everything following the explosion. Zurin has always been obedient to her mother’s rules until one day when her mother goes to get supplies and Zurin decides to step outside for the first time but may have been seen by someone.

Then one day, shortly after her birthday Zurin wakes up to find her mother gone and blood on the floor. Zurin then ventures out into the Red Forest in search of her mother but gets extremely lost and succumbs to radiation sickness. Luckily she is found by a young couple who work for a travel company and snuck into a restricted area of Chernobyl to take pictures for their website. The couple takes Zurin to the hospital and adopts her once she gets better. As fate would have it months later Zurin returns to Pripyat in search of her mother yet again and finds herself in an abandoned hospital. It is in this hospital that she learns the truth about her mother and her life up to this point. Her only hope is to team up with a doctor she is not completely trusting of, the young couple, and a man she has never met before.

What I liked best was the idea of people still being able to live in a highly irradiated area such as Pripyat with few side effects was interesting. The book also offered some mystery as to who Zurin and her mother are and why they chose to continue to live in an isolated area such a Pripyat. What I liked least was a little more complicated. I understand the fact that people exposed to nuclear radiation and or uranium may mutate both physically and/or mentally if they survive. What I did not understand was Nikolav’s goal by purposefully mutating the patients who survived the explosion but were trapped in the mental ward of the hospital.

This is definitely a young adult book, but for many, after high school, I feel like it would quickly lose its strong appeal. It is a good book but I feel like it would need to be a little more detailed, making the book a bit longer in order for it to have more of an appeal to adults. I ended up rating this book a 2 out of 4. This is because while I enjoy books set around Chernobyl (especially if mutated people or zombies are involved because it offers a plausible explanation for it) this book fell short of my expectations. One of the main issues I had was how the book fails to give solid reasoning and jumps from one topic to another.

This book can be found here : Lithium | Book| Austin Macauley Publishers

Review: Freiyon Fables: Hooked on Power by Justin Hunt (SNEAK PREVIEW BEFORE RELEASE)

WARNING: PLEASE NOTE THE CONTENTS IN THIS REVIEW MY NOT BE COMPLETELY ACCURATE. THIS REVIEW WAS DONE ON THE BOOK BEFORE IT WAS COMPLEATED FOR RELEASE AND THE AUTHOR MAY CHANGE THINGS BETWEEN NOW AND THEN. KEEP THIS IN MIND AS YOU READ ON.

Freiyon Fables: Hooked on Power by Justin Hunt is the third and I believe the final book in the Freiyon Fables series. Right from the start, the book promises to answer some questions that I had from the start of the series. I have noticed some inconsistencies in formatting or writing style, such as the first book being broken into three separate parts, the first book being one whole book, and now the third being broken apart again. However, I did not notice any problems with the timeline between the three books.

The story starts out with a letter to the reader from an unnamed author (that is until the very end). This author claims that the reader would not recognize him or her from previous stories about Freiyon but intends to “explain the many different mysteries of the World of Freiyon”. It then starts with the story of some pirates who find themselves in Freiyon by mistake. These pirates then capture and torture poor Quasapoor (who you may remember was evil in a previous book) until he goes insane. They then run into Sybil and Helen Rochester and the creation of the Rochester Runes is explained as well.

Adam, a young boy who heard of Freiyon from his mother then and his battle with Captain Liberty (an evil power-hungry pirate) becomes the main focus of the story. He soon finds that time runs differently in Freiyon from the human world and the events his mother told him about are yet to happen. Adam is even present for the creation of Lord Libertas, but I am not going to ruin how that happened for the curious reader. As Adam travels Freiyon and the surrounding lands the reader also learns about how Freiyon itself came to be along with the Wise One and Lightning Tail Island. Will Adam with the help of some new friends and some well-known favorites be able to protect Freiyon from Captain Liberty or will Freiyon be destroyed once and for all?

What I liked best was how the book answered major questions that arose during the first two books, even if some of the explanations seem a bit far fetched. I really enjoyed the appearance of Adam as I had been looking forward to finding out his identity for quite some time. My main problem was with the time difference between Freiyon and the human world because it made things really confusing. I don’t really understand how Adam could even be in Freiyon before his mother and the events she tells him about, even if it was because of a spell gone wrong. Time travel always gets me confused. Also Adam frequently reminds himself that he is in Freiyon’s past and if every time he dose that is mixed with all the times the story backtracks over what a character just did or what happened in a previous book about a third of this book could be completely removed.

The target readers for this book changed a bit from the previous two books in this series. This third edition to the Freiyon Fables is directed more towards middle school readers. While previous Freiyon Fable books may have been appropriate for even some elementary students I feel as if they would get bored after the first one hundred pages or so of this one. Staying consistent with the first two books I rate this one as a 2 out of 4. Originally this final book was going to be given a three for explaining some of the strange things that happened in the first two. However, because of all the repetition (entire paragraphs and pages seemed directly taken from one of the first two books) and how it felt like it was dragging for the final third of the book, I felt like a two was better deserved once again.

Check out the author's page at https://martinvsmicklang.wixsite.com/justinthunt?fbclid=IwAR1R2QUxJuFxRnsvu_jKZ6lq-7bn_gSo205XpHupNOBD2VxRbL4mDT9wMj4
and
https://www.facebook.com/pg/JustinHuntartist/posts/?ref=page_internal

Review: Freiyon Fables: The Rochester Runes by Justin Hunt

The Rochester Ruins is the second book in the series Freiyon Fables by Justin Hunt, too which the first book only received a 2 from me. The timeline this book and the first appear to overlap to some extent at the beginning. Old friends and foes, as well as new, make an appearance in this book as well.

Unlike the first book that detailed a lightning-tailed squirrel's journey through Freiyon this story follows the three human Rochester siblings. The three siblings., Robert, Charles, and Sarah move with their mother into their grandparent’s old manor. None of the children are exactly thrilled about the move and are surprised to find the manor to have traps in it. After finding a mysterious stone that unlocks a door at the end of a secret passage the children find themselves in Freiyon.

It is in this world of talking animals and sentient trees that they search for the rune stones that will lift their family’s curse. The rune stones, once gathered together also have the ability to grant wishes. The Rochester siblings. use these wishes to aid them in protecting Freiyon from The Grabbers, who are also in search of the rune stones. This is an adventure that will bring their entire family together, but it may also tear some of them apart.

What I liked best was Freiyon still feeling a lot like Narnia. Then there is also the fact that this book is tied very nicely in with the first one. Some of the human characters even made me question if they are in any way related to the unnamed boy at the end of the first book, but that is just speculation on my part. What I did not like is just like the first book the writing felt oversimplified. At times it did seem like maybe this was on purpose with the goal of preventing the book from being too long. If that is the case than the book suffers from it. The ending also felt very confusing and as if it was unnecessary for things to turn out the way the did, but I don’t want to give any major spoilers.

Once again I would suggest that middle school-aged children and some elementary students can visit the would of Freiyon. The violence that made me question how some parent’s of younger children might perceive this series even appeared to be a little less graphic this time around. I rate this book a 2 out of 4 just like the first. Once again the book seems to jump from one major sequence of events to another with only minimal transitioning. Still, the world itself is intriguing if only it was given a better description. The ending of this one also made it lose major points.

Check out the author's page at https://martinvsmicklang.wixsite.com/justinthunt?fbclid=IwAR1R2QUxJuFxRnsvu_jKZ6lq-7bn_gSo205XpHupNOBD2VxRbL4mDT9wMj4
and
https://www.facebook.com/pg/JustinHuntartist/posts/?ref=page_internal

Review: Freiyon Fables: A Tail to Remember by Justin Hunt

Freiyon Fables: Tail to Remember by Justin Hunt was a book that I could only compare to one other book and that would be Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. The Prologue promises an amazing tale, yet I feel as if the book doesn't quite live up to it. So even thought I compare it to Narnia in style it is nothing like it when it comes to the actual material. The complete book itself is separated into three smaller books (or parts) that is then spread out into chapters.

In A Tail to Remember a squirrel by the name of Micklang escapes from a zoo and in the process is electrocuted, giving his tail a lightning-bolt shape. He then falls into another world in an Alice in Wonderland – down the rabbit hole style. In this new world Micklang receives dreams about his warrior-self telling hi how to become that version of himself. During his journey Micklang makes some surprising new friends, and is reunited with some he has met before in the human world. It is with these friends that Micklang travels this new world, mapping it out.

At one point Micklang comes across an island where his traveling companions are captured and must rescue them before their captors harm them. Then after abandoning ship in a bad storm Micklang finds himself on yet another island, but this one is home to only other lightning-tail animals. Towards the end Micklang goes back to one of the first islands that he visited in this new world, now called Freiyon. It is there that Micklang and his friends fight in the first battle in a war between The Grabbers and King Karel. It is during this battle that Micklang’s story ends but it is not the end of the stories about Freiyon. This is because a little human boy is told about Freiyon by his mother and decides it is time for him to visit this land of talking animals.

What I liked best about this book is that it is a rare occasion when I can honestly say that the ending, specifically the Epilogue is my favorite part. The epilogue tied the entire story together with the prologue when frankly I originally was confused about how it all connected. This actually redeemed the entire book is some ways. What I did not like was that the talking animals and being in a different world or realm gave the book a Chronicles of Narnia feeling. Normally that would be a good thing but in this case the writing style felt simplified and rushed at the same time. Also this book felt like it was intended for children up until book three. In Book Three: The Switch Between Stories the phrases “What the HELL” and “how the HELL” were both used and that doesn't feel kid friendly.

It was hard for me to pick a target audience for this book. My best guess would be for early middle school students and late elementary students, age wise anyway. This is because the length might make it difficult for some elementary students (and some parents may not be thrilled about all the violence, who knows). Yet the simplified writing style may (or may not) appeal to older readers. Most likely it would be dry and boring for anyone out of middle school. That being said I rate this book a 2 out of 4. This is because this story falls in that dangerous zone between being simple enough for young readers and having just enough detail to feel rushed. The action moves from one major event to another without much of a break in between yet the story is sill interesting.

Check out the author's page at https://martinvsmicklang.wixsite.com/justinthunt?fbclid=IwAR1R2QUxJuFxRnsvu_jKZ6lq-7bn_gSo205XpHupNOBD2VxRbL4mDT9wMj4
and
https://www.facebook.com/pg/JustinHuntartist/posts/?ref=page_internal

Review: The Figment Wars: Through The Portals by David R. Lord

The Figment Wars: Through The Portals by David R. Lord is a book that I hope to see a sequel to in the coming years. In fact, the ending of the book suggests at least a sequel if not an entire series. I just wonder how such stories can continue without becoming too far fetched or simplified by the children’s stabilizes in this book, but without giving too much away I have to stop there.

Thomas and his little brother Isaac are visiting their cousin Emily at her house and they are not exactly having a good time. At Emily’s house, the boys don’t even have a TV to watch and they are extremely bored. Then one afternoon when Thomas goes to the woods behind the house to get Emily for lunch something amazing happens. The trees themselves bend and move, forming a portal that all three children fall into. The portal transports the children into the Realm of Imagination, a place where all the things humans imagine come to life.

Almost as soon as the children arrive they are attacked by Monsters but luckily they are saved by Heroes and are taken to the Library in the Impossible City. It is here that they meet Belactacus who believes that the children are Real and not just confused imaginary friends. Sadly the Council who is in charge of the portals that allow beings in the Realm of Imagination to go to the Realm of Reality is corrupted and the children are denied a portal back home. Shortly after this decision Monsters attack the Impossible City and even overwhelm the Heroes. Now the children must find a way to stop the corrupted council member from bringing all the Monsters from human imagination to life in the Realm of Reality, home of the humans.

What I liked best might not seem like much but for a story such as this one, it makes a big difference. I liked how not only was the idea of the Realm of Imagination a great concept but the creation of the Realm was well explained. Also, some of the main people in the Realm were explained to be the result of collective consciousness in humans such as the standard idea of a mother figure which was a very nice touch. What I didn’t like was the budding relationship between Thomas and Emily’s old imaginary friend. I actually thought it was a little creepy. At times I found myself hoping that she would be able to become real and then I thought that it would be way too much like Thomas having a relationship with his cousin.

This book falls solidly into the YA or young adult group of readers. I know this is a broad group ranging from middle school and older, but this book is actually really good and I saw nothing that would make in inappropriate for young readers. The only thing to be careful about is if an advanced reader in elementary school wanted to read this book. I don’t know how well they would take to the idea that monsters such as the Boogeyman are real and just living in a different dimension so to speak. With all that being said I rate this book a 3 out of 4. Everything is extremely well thought out in this book. The idea of the Library and the collective consciousness of humans was amazing. The only reason why this book did not get a perfect rating is that I still felt like it was missing something that gave it that wonderful ability to really stand out, but few books have that.

Available at https://www.austinmacauley.com/book/figment-wars-through-portals