by Elizabeth Dale

#DelightfullyDifferentDilly #NetGalley

The illustrations are the best part of this book in my opinion. They are engaging, detailed and fun. They perfectly accent the text.

This is a story about a penguin who is different. What makes Dilly different is that Dilly has just one foot. Dilly is cheerful and inventive. Dilly’s positive attitude and playfulness are enjoyed by the other young chicks who start trying to do some things differently as well. What will happen? Should things be done Dilly’s way or is conformity best? Adults who are reading this title to a child surely know the answer.

Many times stories use animals as stand-ins for humans when trying to relate a message to young children. I would love to read this book with children both able and with challenges to see what they think. I hope that they would enjoy this story and its message. I do wonder a bit if a child with challenges would feel that this story makes everything look just a bit too easy though. Always though, books can be used to open up discussion and that is a good thing.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

The Dog Sitter is a light summer read. It is a romance novel that tells the story of Becky. She wants a change from her current life so accepts a job out of the city as a dog sitter. However, things don’t go exactly as planned. This becomes clear from the opening sentences. Told in Becky’s voice, she struggles to arrive at the job. For another, there is some confusion about whose dog Bella is. Does she belong to the person whose house Becky is staying in or does she belong to Ash who claims that Bella is his? Romantic and comic mayhem ensue before all is resolved.

This is not a deep read by any means. Still, it may provide that kind of momentary pleasure that readers look for when they want a break.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.

nyti.ms/3BOMKW9

Rule the music scene like Queen

#WorkItGirlBeyoncéKnowles #NetGalley

Pub Date: 24 August 21

Work It, Girl is an excellent biography for young chapter book readers. It tells the story of Beyonce beginning when she was a shy child. Beyonce’s parents accepted her personality but hoped to bring her out of herself a bit, so suggested a dance class. In many ways, the rest is history! With her family’s support Beyonce kept moving forward.

One thing that I very much like in this book is its emphasis on how hard Beyonce worked and what she gave up to achieve her early goals. When others in her school were dating or playing sports, she and her group members practiced and focused on school work with no time for anything else. This message is helpful for young readers who may think that Beyonce’s success was easy or automatic. It was not.

Readers follow Beyonce from her first girl band, through Destiny’s Child and on to her solo career. Beyonce continued to work hard and have big dreams. She also had a personal life and some of the book is devoted to this as well as Jay Z and Beyonce’s desire to become parents. In addition, readers watch Beyonce as she becomes active with Black Lives Matter.

The biography is illustrated with collage like pictures. There are also some photographs. The end of the book includes extras like a maze, a section titled “Rule the music scene like Beyonce” and more. There is so much to Beyonce’s story. Readers will realize this. This book would make a great choice for a biography book report as it is a good read and about a popular current figure.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

A Novel

by Darynda Jones

This title is the second in a series, following on A Bad Day for Sunshine. I have not read the first book but think I may need to go back to it.

In this entry, Sunny’s hands are really full. While she would like for said hands to be full of cups of coffee or glasses of Chardonnay, Sunny instead has a lot of work to do. There are a serial killer case, issues related to Sunny’s past, a bar fight and more. Surely enough to keep any reader glued to the pages. Plus, there are humor and different voices in the novel as readers spend time with those around Sunny.

Fans of the series will be clamoring for entry three.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. all opinions are my own.

Sunrise on Half Moon Bay by Robyn Carr

by joycesmysteryandfictionbookreviewsMarch 21, 2020

Robyn Carr is a prolific writer of women’s fiction; to name just a few there she has written the Virgin River, Grace Valley and Thunder Point series.  Her many fans will pretty much always read what she writes.

This title is a standalone.  It tells the story of Justine (in her fifties) and Addie (in her thirties), sisters who, due to their age difference, were not especially close.  Addie, for reasons that the book makes clear, left her degree program to care for her parents while married mother Justine went from success to success with the support of her house parent husband.

However, as we all know, novels often have an arc.  Characters have experiences, struggle, grow, learn and, if they are lucky, find themselves in a better place.  As Justine’s marriage implodes and Addie tries to figure out what to do with her life, what will happen?  At the end of the novel, will the sisters be closer and happier?  (Readers will hope so).

In following the Justine and Addie’s stories, Ms. Carr explores social issues including women who return to the workforce insecure after years away and men who face partner abuse.  The author clearly wants her readers to know that there is help for those who suffer. She also wants toshare what makes for a good relationship in her estimation.

This book is an easy read that fans of the author will welcome.  The small town setting is very appealing.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

#SunriseonHalfMoonBay #NetGalley

by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara

#RosalindFranklin #NetGalley

Pub date 24 August 2021

Young (future) scientists will surely be inspired by this story about Rosalind Franklin. What becomes clear in reading this title is that Rosalind was not only a good chemist but also a good person. She believed in helping others. While Rosalind did not always get the credit that she deserved for her pioneering work, she took pride in what she accomplished. Her discoveries around DNA were seminal. Rosalind Franklin ranks right up there with the most preeminent female scientists. She was a trailblazer at a time when there were few females studying chemistry.

This is another excellent entry in the Little People, Big Dreams series. The illustrations enhance the text and are engaging.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.