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Bad juju is going down and The Dark Council wants Simon and Tristan to investigate. However, the evidence is pointing a finger right at Tristan. But you know what they say? If you are pointing 1 finger at someone then there are 4 more pointing back at you. Or something like that. Because we all know it’s not Tristan who is doing this nasty stuff. Montague & Strong need to find out who is behind the nasty business. Preferably before Tristan is taken out for something he didn’t do.

There’s lots of magic and danger going on and the world is interesting. The writing is a bit sparse. Which is not necessarily a bad thing, it just seems a bit lacking in…I don’t know, filler, for want of a better word. Like I said, not necessarily a bad thing, but I like a bit more fiber to my reading meal. Simon is a smartass and it can get a bit irritating which is also why I don’t rate this higher. However, it’s decent entertainment and enough to keep me going with the series. Also, Peaches is the best character of all. Just sayin’.

Task 2: Music is an important part of a Kwanzaa celebration. Which is / are your favorite book(s) where music plays an important role in the plot?

I've read, watched, and listened to the music of Full Moon repeatedly, so I knew this series had to be the one I went with. The main character is a singer and her music is central to the story.

I read this as part of Halloween Bingo, so the fact that this book could reasonably be applied to about half the squares is woth mentioning. This is the first book I've read which used the singular nongendered they/their as pronouns, which slowed me down a bit at the beginning. But it worked, and never felt gimmicky. Z. was a plausible fourteen year old zombie who's entire family died in an auto accident: only Z reanimated.

There's werewolves and high school bullying and good teachers and bad teachers and a growing movement in favor of shooting all the monsters. As a metaphor, it is terrifying. But it's also the story of school misfits becoming friends, and of teens solving a mystery, so there is significant fun as well as the terror.

I'm delighted it was recommended to me, and I can't wait to read Shrieve's subsequent books. As good as this debut was the next one should be astounding.

Library copy

Author:  Marilyn Hilton

Awards:N/A

Synopsis:Mimi is a half-black and half-Japanese girl who recently moved to a conservative all white town in Vermont.  She dreams of one day being an astronaut and doesn’t let the nay-sayers beat her down. Mimi must face discrimination and prejudice as she learns that even one person speaking up can change things. It is written from Mimi's point of view through poems as she progresses through her first year in Vermont.

Grade:  6-8

Genre:Historical Fiction

Citation:Goodreads, Scholastic Book Wizard

Genre:  Bedtime / Humor / Family / Sequel

Year Published: 2015

Year Read:  2017

Publisher:   Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Series: The Napping House #2

Did you know that it has been over thirty years since “The Napping House” by Audrey Wood along with artwork by Don Wood had been published? Well, did you know that Audrey Wood and Don Wood made a companion book to the “Napping House” called “The Full Moon at the Napping House” in 2015? Well, I did not know this either until I just recently picked up the book and I must say that it certainly lives up to the original book’s expectations!

The story starts off with the full moon coming over the Napping House and its residents (a grandmother, a young boy, a dog, a cat and a mouse) are trying to go to sleep. But, the family has become restless during the night and it seems like they will never go to sleep until an unlikely visitor comes by the house…

Wow! I never would have thought that the day would come when I would see a companion book to Audrey Wood and Don Wood’s classic children’s book “The Napping House!” “The Napping House” has always been one of my most favorite reads during my childhood, especially during bedtime. So, imagine my surprise and delight when I found out that a companion book was being made for one of my most favorite childhood reads and I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised by this companion book! I like the fact that Audrey Wood managed to keep the narrative of this story faithful to the narrative of the original book, while telling a different story in this companion book (such as the fact that in this story, the residents of the Napping House are actually having trouble falling asleep while in the original book, it focuses on them sleeping through the night). It seems like a reverse storytelling method of the original book and I found that approach to this companion book to be extremely creative as I am still reading the narrative of the original book, but from a different perspective. Don Wood’s artwork is as beautiful as ever before as the characters look exactly as they did in the original “The Napping House” book. I really enjoyed the humorous images of the boy, the dog and the cat playing around during the night while the grandmother is trying so hard to go to sleep as I found myself giggling at this display. I also enjoyed the more beautiful aspect of the artwork as we see the full moon shining through the house and making everything in the house glow in such beauty.



Overall, “The Full Moon at the Napping House” is a fantastic follow up to “The Napping House” that fans of the original book will certainly fall in love with! I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since there is nothing inappropriate in this book.

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog