A Maisie Dobbs Novel

by Jacqueline Winspear

Pub date: March 23, 2021

I have loved the Maisie Dobbs series since the very first named title that was simply called Maisie Dobbs. That first in the series took place during WWI. By the time of the newest novel, Britain is heavily involved in WWII and Maisie is involved in her sixteenth investigation. Over the course of the books, all of which are excellent, Maisie evolves and grows. She goes from being a very bright housemaid to an independent woman who investigates a wide variety of cases, both those that are private and those that are for the government. While most of the books take place in England, Maisie has also been to Gibraltar and Germany. Her relationships deepen and grow and this is one facet of the stories that always brings me back. There are also love, loss and a little girl called Anna as one makes their way through the series.

In this entry, a young boy witnesses a murder. However, he is not believed by everyone. Maisie becomes involved in trying to determine what exactly happened. The concept of honor becomes important to the solving of the case. At the same time, Maisie is interviewing potential agents who, if approved, will be dropped into France as saboteurs and intelligence agents. How will she make decisions when some of the candidates are people she knows? How strained will she be by the constraints of the official secrets act? What will happen with the romantic relationship that has more recently come into her life?

Ms. Winspear has a talent for creating engaging characters. The setting of wartime London also is quite evocative. These are just some of the pleasures that are here for the reader.

This title will be eagerly welcomed by fans of Ms. Dobbs. New readers can jump in too but they may then want to go back to the beginning to see how Maisie evolves and to fully enjoy and engage in her life.

I very much enjoyed this novel. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

by Liz Fenwick

In this sampler, readers begin to know two sisters, Adele and Amelia. The story begins in the WWII era. The opening scene is of a wedding in 1945. Which sister is getting married? She is pregnant and about to wed an American. The story then flashes to 2015 and goes on to take place in the two time periods. I think that the character in 2015 is the granddaughter of one of the sisters. The novel’s Cornwall setting was appealing. To find out more, I will need to read the full book. Other readers may want to do the same.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this sample of the novel. All opinions are my own.

Classified

The Secret Career of Mary Golda Ross, Cherokee Aerospace Engineer

by Traci Sorell, illus. by Natasha Donovan

One thing that I love about kids’ non-fiction titles is that I often learn about something or someone previously unknown to me. That was certainly true with this book. I had not heard of Mary Golda Rose who was a twentieth century aerospace engineer. This Native American’s story is told here and it is intriguing.

Young reader’s learn that Mary’s Cherokee values shaped the person that she was. Her love of Math and Science led her to a successful career. From teacher to becoming an engineer at Lockheed, Mary worked hard and accomplished much.

This title includes helpful sections including a time line, a list of Cherokee values, source notes and a bibliography. Interested readers can thus look deeper into the life and times of this remarkable woman.

STEM education is a focus now. This book will encourage students, especially girls, to reach for the careers that they want. They will be impressed by what Mary achieved and, hopefully, will learn that they, too, can be successful.

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

True Stories of Animal Heroes: Onyx

The Wolf Who Found a New Way to be a Leader

by Vita Murrow

The illustrator of this title clearly loves and closely observes nature. The pages are a delight to view.

The book tells the story of the wolves who were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park after a number of years of absence. In particular. readers get to know Onyx, a somewhat timid wolf when the story opens but…as the author notes, he had his own way of thinking. Watch what happens when Onyx gets to know Bravo, a wolf from a family not his own and look to see what Bravo does when he becomes a grown wolf.

This title should be enjoyed by young animal lovers and conservationists.

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

A Georgia B&B Mystery

by Anna Gerard

Pub Date 11 May 2021   |

This title is the third in this cozy mystery series featuring Nina Fleet that is set in Georgia. Nina has become an inn keeper. Hoping to increase her business, she decides to look into becoming a destination wedding site. This leads her to her town’s bridal expo. Readers of cozies will not be surprised to learn that there is a murder at the bridal fashion show. Who wanted to kill a young wedding planner? To make things harder, the victim was a friend of Nina’s. Naturally Nina investigates and, of course, the case will be solved. Along the way readers will enjoy a story that is what a cozy should be. It is not too violent, the protagonist is likeable and there is a male for Nina to relate to. He is her tenant and an out of work actor.

Come and enjoy a visit in Georgia. Readers don’t need to have read the other books in the series. They can just begin here.

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

Meet the bees of the world, with Buzzwing the honey bee

by Moira Butterfield

Pub date: April 20, 2021

Children will enjoy learning more about bees in this title. Buzzwing the honey bee is their guide to many things bee related. Buzzy shares facts about bees’ anatomy, their jobs, how honey comes to be, and their homes, for example. There are also stories in the book; these include a tale from ancient Greece and others from India India and Thailand, among others.

This book has enticing illustrations. They are bright and colorful. In some of these, children are asked to find something as, for example, ladybugs.

Some young children learn to fear bees at a young age. Spending time with this book should help to lessen fear and to intrigue. I can imagine some kids will be looking for bees after spending time with this title. All in all, this is a very appealing book.

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

Busy Spring

Nature Wakes Up

by Sean Taylor; Alex Morss

Where I live it is snowing today. So, what a perfect time to think about spring. This picture book shows the many changes that occur over the course of the season. With charming illustrations, this title shows two children and their dad exploring nature. There are additional sections at the end of the story about plants, animals, things kids can do and ways to find out more. All in all, a nice book for young children about the beauty of the world.

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

Readers may know David Nicholls from his earlier novels, One Day, and Us. He has a knack for telling stories about characters for whom readers will care. This is true for the protagonist of Sweet Sorrow.

Charlie is the character around whom the book revolves. There is present day Charlie. He is thirty-eight years old and about to marry. However, he is spending a lot of time thinking about sixteen year old Charlie. What was his relationship with Fran? Why is he still thinking about it all these years later? Where does a production of Romeo and Juliet fit in?

Readers will enjoy finding out in this often funny and sometimes poignant story. It will remind adults of what it was like to fall in love for the first time.

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

60 Playful Projects, Games, and Exercises to Make Friends with Your Feelings

by Louison Nielman

#TheMindfulKidsActivityBook #NetGalley

This book will help kids to feel better through the use of mindfulness. Sixty activities are included. They are divided into three areas: How to Calm Your Anger; How to Concentrate; and How to Relax. There is an animal for each category; Bailey the Bear, Katie the Kangaroo and Ricky the Rabbit accompany children as they participate.

This book is a useful resource for all of the adults in a children’s life including, but not limited to, parents, teaches and mental health professionals, to use with a child they know. An adult and child may want to work on this book together. The activities may be done in any order that makes sense.

All of the activities in this book can be done by fairly young children. The illustrations throughout are inviting and will encourage kids to become involved. Some of the activities involve art work or mazes while others involve physical activity.

This title will help hildren to better understand themselves and they will have some fun along the way. What could be better!

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