Honestly, I was pretty disappointed with this book. I love the idea of superheroes, but often dislike the amount of violence in them. I love cutesy comics and stories, so when I saw this I figured it would be a good fit.

I finished this book in one sitting and for me, it was pretty meh. The comics are short. The artwork is cute. But there isn't much story, humor, or excitement. I really wanted more from this book. 

Really, the only redeeming thing about the book is how adorable the artwork is. Clearly the intended audience is much younger than me, but I was hoping for more from this book. I may try another one in the series. Hoping it's more complex than this one. 

There are a lot of things you should probably know to understand why a bunch of kids decided to climb up a treehouse and not come down.

- First Line

 

Imagine a never-ending sleepover in a treehouse with 9 of your best friends. Just so you know, the treehouse has a bathroom (but no stove), two floors, a craft station, a platform for deliveries, a skylight, and a zipline. The thing is, the kids are staying in the treehouse and refusing to come down until their parents give in to their demands. While a treehouse sleepover sounds amazing (and who wants sleepovers to end), 10 kids in close quarters can become stressful for even the best of friends.

Winnie originally stays in the treehouse every Wednesday - so her divorcing parents can have equal numbers of days with her. When Winnie realizes she is failing 5th grade and the only time she gets any homework done is Wednesdays in the treehouse, she decides to stay there permanently. But, will her parents ever see reason and stop fighting over everything being exactly equal??

The plot touches on issues like divorce, screen time, tv privileges, and other difficulties between parents and children.  It's an engaging story with realistic characters who love and support each other through everything. The format is a group memoir (written by Winnie) and there are cute illustrations and post-its from the other characters throughout the book.

Kids will love the idea of living in a treehouse with their friends and not having to answer to parents. (There is a plot point that prevents the parents or police from entering the treehouse which verges on ridiculous, but the kids won't mind.)

Recommended to: Grades 3 - 8, fans of realistic fiction, and reluctant readers. Fans of James Patterson's Middle School series will enjoy this one. :)

Recently I decided to go on a binge of reading children stories. I was just in a nostalgic mood and ended up reading some books I never got around to reading when I was younger, and some that are newer published.

Ivy and Bean by Annie Barrows, Sophie Blackall (Illustrator) 

#1 (4 stars)

I was browsing through the kid section of the overdrive library, because I was in the mood for some children/middle grade (possibly nostalgic stuff from my past) and I saw the cover for this book. I thought it looked cute, so I checked it out. I liked it. I think it was silly and fun, and of course cute. I'm in my 30s, but I like to believe I still have a firm grasp on my inner child. I can still relate to younger characters. In the case of these two, I can relate to their imagination and how they get along with family; especially annoying a sibling.

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The Adventures of Captain Underpants Dav Pilkey

#1 (5 stars)

I think this book is fun, silly, weird, but I can see why it is a hit or miss with some people. I enjoyed the artwork.

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Scream Street by Tommy Donbavand

Fang of the Vampire #1 (5 stars)

I thought this series looked interesting and it turned out pretty fun and cute.

Blood of the Witch #2 (4 stars)

I'm on the fence if I liked this one better than the first one or not. It was quite silly, but not in a bad way, and the author is obviously going with his own vampire lore of how vampires are made

At least they don't sparkle. ha ha

A fun, quick paced read.

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The Magic Tree House by Mary Pope Osborne, Salvatore Murdocca (Illustrator)

Dinosaurs Before Dark #1 (4 stars)

I never read this series as a kid. It is just one of the ones I over looked and never thought about. But I thought this was cute and fun, especially for the age group it is intended for. The only reason adult me would give it a lower rating is because I would love more details and I believe even as a child reading this, more details couldn't hurt!

The Knight at Dawn #2 (3 Stars)

The only reason I give the volumes after #1 a 3 star instead of a 4 star is because of the repetitiveness. The summery of past books within the new story would be really helpful for a person who hasn't read the series in a long time. I will give this series that! So I understand why it happens, but it takes something from me as an adult reader.

However the books are cute and fun. I can relate to them, even as an adult, because I love books and would love to be in their shoes, to see all the worlds in the books, and who wouldn't want a magic tree house?

Mummies In The Morning #3 (3 Stars)

Now that I have finished the 3rd book in the series, I am starting to wonder... is the magic tree house really there, or are the children making up everything in their heads? Either way, I really like it!

Pirates Past Noon #4 (3 Stars)

So now we know who "M" is. I still wonder if the children are making up everything in their minds. Imagination is a powerful thing! Either way, this series is really fun. Sure, it's simple and short for adult readers, but that is completely fine by me! It is nice to sit down with some books without all the young adult drama. Also, I feel like these "children" books and other nostalgia type books are really good when you are in a reading slump.

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Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

#1 (4 stars)

I think I would have rated this higher if the kid hadn't been such a brat. I know kids can be bratty, but he seemed way over the top! I would even say he has a meanness to him and doesn't care what the coincidences of his actions are. I felt sorry for his so called best friend.

I do like diary format in books. I might read more in the series. I hope he grows as a character as the series goes on.

With an allusion to The Illustrated Man. Excellent timing.

This is a book I read with my son. It also happens to fit well for my Booklikes-oply book. We started it two nights ago  and finished it tonight.

In this Jack and Annie are on a Merlin Mission. They are on a quest to "find happiness." This time they travel back and end up meeting Leonardo da Vinci. I live how Pope spins a great tale for kids while a accurately depicting the time period and history of thd content involving the subject matter.

My kid really likes this series, we have a large collection of these, just missing the few most recent books. I love that he likes these, I do to and don't get too bored while reading. I am so glad he has surpassed the "see spot run" level.

Just under 150 pages

$20 + $2= $22