So this was an adventure.  This book was as funny as I expected, but also serious, which I did not anticipate.  It follows several people separately as a government made virus is accidentally released and infects cows at an abattoir in Scotland.  A terrifying government agent is sent to clean up the mess and tie up any loose ends. But a lone cow manages to escape the slaughter and sets off infecting animals along to countryside.

The various characters' stories all merge until they are one group trying to escape Britian and avoid capture, torture and death at the hands of secret government assassin.  All while trying to avoid slavering animals who were hell bent on screwing and then eating the uninfected to death.

There were some parts with the slaughtering that turned my stomach and made me put the book down for a bit.  But this was a good read.  I actually connected with some of the characters and was rooting for them to survive and get the true story out about how the virus was actually spread.  This book was a mess in the good sense. I'm looking forward to diving into the sequel. 

Author:Deborah Hopkinson

Awards:N/A

Synopsis:Clara is a young slave girl who is sold to a new plantation away from her family. She becomes an apprentice to a seamstress in the Big House where she is able to collect scraps for her secret project - a quilt that will become a map of escape through the Underground Railroad. A powerful story to introduce slavery and the Underground

Railroad and one of the little know ways that were used to direct slaves North to freedom.

Grades:3-5

Genre:Historical Fiction

Citation:Scholastic Book Wizard, Goodreads

Honestly, Scribd is the best. It has audiobooks, ebooks and more for one low monthly price of $8.99, but of course if you sign up through my link, you can try it for FREE for two months. It would mean a lot if you gave it a try.

Scribd has everything, from bestsellers, to old and new books and just a large collection in general. Just at a glance, I can see that they do have some new releases as well. I went to one of my  "want to read" list on Goodreads and found a bunch of those books on Scribd! It's pretty amazing.

https://www.scribd.com/gt/4zt6yx 

I recently enjoyed: 

Highly creepy novella, disturbing, but also sad and heartbreaking for several reasons. A trigger warning kind of book.

I've also enjoyed several R L Stine books through Scribd, some Karin Slaughter, VC Andrews & much more!

I am looking forward to listening to:

Mr Rogers & LeVar Burton!? (He's the guy from Reading Rainbow...two things from my childhood coming together.)

**Signing up through my link doesn't give me $, but it does help toward my subscription fee.**

Genre:  Drama / Weather / Inspirational / Children's / Folktale

Year Published: 2014

Year Read:  2017

Publisher:  Reading Rainbow

I have been a huge fan of “Reading Rainbow” ever since I was a child and I have always enjoyed reading the books that were either featured or suggested on the TV series. So, imagine my surprise and delight when I found out that LeVar Burton, the longtime host of “Reading Rainbow” was going to write a children’s book called “The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm,” along with co-writing with Susan Schaefer Bernardo and artwork by Courtenay Fletcher. This book will surely inspire many children to get through hard times themselves!

The story starts off with Mica Mouse sitting with her father during a storm and she became worried about the storm due to a hurricane coming in and destroying her home over a year ago. Mica’s father then went to comfort her by reading her a story about a rhino who also went through some hard times.

In the story, the rhino was living peacefully in his home when all of a sudden, a strong storm came through the valley and started destroying everything that the rhino cared about. The rhino was so upset by all the destruction that it ended up swallowing the storm. After the rhino swallowed the storm, the storm started causing so much disturbance within the rhino and the rhino was at a lost at what to do. The spider then comes by and tells the rhino this verse:

“The world up above is shattered and gray,
But it’s where you belong, so you must find a way
To let that storm out and move through your sorrow.
You’ll find many helpers on your road to tomorrow.”

So, the rhino decided to go on a quest to get rid of the storm that is boiling inside of him.

Will the rhino be successful on his quest?

Read this book to find out!

Wow! I was quite impressed with this inspiring children’s book that was written by none other than LeVar Burton of “Reading Rainbow” fame! LeVar Burton and Susan Schaefer Bernardo did a great job at writing this story as I found this story to be quite inspirational, especially for children who have to deal with the harshness of the real world and need to find a way to go through life in such a negative world. I actually found myself relating to both Mica Mouse and the rhinoceros in the story as I sometimes found myself wondering about how I can deal with all the wars, deaths and prejudice going on in this world and I like the fact that this book tries to encourage children to get through tough times by inspiring them to remain positive and be aware of all the friends and families they have that will help them through tough times. Courtenay Fletcher’s artwork is highly creative and cute to look at as I enjoyed the images of both the rhinoceros and Mica Mouse as the artwork for Mica Mouse and her father are in smooth watercolors while the artwork for the rhinoceros is in cut out figures to help the readers distinguished between the two stories.



The reason why I took off half a star from the rating was because I felt that this story was a bit too lengthy in trying to get its message across and I wished that they would have trimmed out a few verses that the animals were trying to tell the Rhino in order to get to the meat of the story much faster.

Overall, “The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm” is a great inspirational book for children who are also going through hard times and want a good book that can inspire them to remain positive in such a harsh world. I would recommend this book to children age five and up since the length and complexity of this book might be difficult for some smaller children.

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog

Genre: Humor / Animals / School / Field Trip / Farm

 
Year Published: 1980

Year Read:  2010

Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers

Series: Jimmy's Boa #1

“The Day Jimmy’s Boa Ate the Wash” is a truly hilarious story from the creative mind of Trinka Hakes Noble along with illustrations by Steven Kellogg and it is about a girl’s wild adventures at the field trip to the farm. “The Day Jimmy’s Boa Ate the Wash” is definitely one of the most memorable books about farm adventures ever written that many children will enjoy for years!

Trinka Hakes Noble has done an excellent job at writing this story as it details a girl’s adventures at the farm. Trinka Hakes Noble writes the story in a creative and hilarious way as the book’s narration is set up as a dialogue between the girl and her mother, which helps children see the close interaction between the girl and her mother and seeing the story from their perspective instead of through a third person point of view meaning that there is an actual narrator narrating this story. Trinka Hakes Noble’s writing is also hilarious as the girl details her adventures at the farm in a cause and effect fashion as each catastrophic event leads to another. Steven Kellogg’s illustrations are both hilarious and beautiful at the same time as the children always have a smile on their faces and the antics that are caused by the realease of Jimmy’s pet boa constrictor is drawn in a chaotic way as the children and the teacher have wild looking hair and wild expressions as a peaceful trip to the farm takes a turn for the worse.



“The Day Jimmy’s Boa Ate the Wash” is a brilliant and hilarious book for children who enjoy reading about the farm and love crazy adventures and will be a favorite among many children for years. I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since there is nothing inappropriate about this book.

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog