Such a Fine and Natural Sight

Published:  October 2nd, 2012
Tilly's Moonlight Garden
By: Julia Green
Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
ISBN-13: 9781402277306

Tilly just moved into a drafty old mansion, away from all her friends. She spends her afternoons wandering around her new backyard in order to escape the cold, dusty rooms of the house. But one night, Tilly follows a fox she has seen from her bedroom window and he leads her deep into a hidden garden that is nothing short of mesmerizing in the moonlight. This mysterious garden and the special friend she meets there help her rediscover the magic in her own life.

This is the story of an unforgettable time in one girl's life and how a new home, a secret garden, and a little fox can change someone in the most unexpected ways.

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Review

 

     Tilly is a little girl who is feeling lonely and left out, when her family moves to a new house away from her old friends.  Also, Tilly's Mother isn't feeling well and is on bedrest for the remainder of her pregnancy with Tilly's soon-to-be baby brother or sister.  Dad is always distracted and taking care of something else and Tilly is too shy at first to become friends with anyone at school.  So she amuses herself playing in the hidden garden behind her new house, making friends with the fox who leads her there.  Can Tilly learn to appreciate what she has and how to make the best of it with the help of a very special fox?  This was not my usual read, especially upon discovering that Tilly is under the age of 10.  I usually read upper middle grade and YA and wasn't expecting much from this to touch me personally.  It was darker than I expected, for a book aimed at children that young.  The illustrations were gorgeous and I loved that they were black and white.  They sort of reminded me of the ones from my childhood, in books like Sarah, Plain and Tall and The Wizard of Oz.  Being of the age that I am, I just couldn't connect with Tilly and as I never shared her apparent obsession with foxes, the magic of that eluded me as well.  Probably a fun book for second and third graders, and maybe children's librarians who still posesss the magic.  As for me, my magic doesn't reach back far enough anymore to be included in the target audience for this one.  A sweet, if dark book but not the one for me.

 

VERDICT:  2.75/5  Stars

 

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book was published October 2nd, 2012.*



Magic In Your Eyes

Published: August 1st, 2012

Hocus Pocus Hotel

Written by: Micahel Dahl, Illustrated by: Lisa K. Weber

Stone Arch Books

ISBN-13: 9781434242532



Ever since it was built by the great magician Abracadabra, the hotel Tyler Yu lives in has had its share of mysterious events. Ghosts wandering the halls, a magician who vanishes into thin air – Ty can’t figure these things out on his own. But Charlie Hitchcock, with his photographic memory, might just be the partner the school bully needs. Together, they’ll solve magical mysteries beyond your wildest imagination.

Review

   Charlie Hitchcock is a total geek, with a photographic memory.  Tyler Yu, the school bully, is saving up to buy a motorcycle working in his parents' hotel (called the Abracadabra).  But Mr. Madagascar, one of the tenants, has gone missing without paying his rent.  He is a retired magician and most of the hotel guests are former performers of some sort or another.  With the help of a very curious Charlie, the elevator operator Mr. Brack and the uncovering of some illusions that are too 'magical' to possibly be actual magic, can the boys find the missing magician in time to get the rent before Tyler's parents notice?  This was a fun book for me, as someone who never really read mysteries as a kid - it's something that I've gotten into a lot more now that I'm an adult.  But I loved the illustrations and Tyler's inept bullying, that isn't quite mean-spirited enough to be taken seriously.  Mr. Brack was alternately creepy and a wise old man who is still sharper than a tack.  The story was fun, even if the mirror set-ups do make it a little over complex to try any of the tricks at home.  The ending was cute and I look forward to future books in the series, just to see what places Charlie and Tyler go next.  Although, as an older reader I like a little bit more of an intricate plot to my stories nowadays.Overall I'd recommend this mostly for elementary and middle school aged readers and their teachers.

VERDICT:  3/5  Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book was published August 1st, 2012.*

Wednesday's Child Is Full Of Woe

Expected Publication: August 14th, 2012
The Wednesdays
By: Julie Bourbeau
Random House Children's Books
ISBN-13: 9780375868900

Max’s village is absolutely normal in every single way and on every single day—except Wednesday.
Most of the townsfolk shutter their windows and lock their doors to hide away from the many peculiar things that happen—things like cats getting stuck in the vacuum cleaner and birthday cakes meeting fiery and horrific ends. But Max is too curious for that, and so, breaking every rule in the village, he searches out the cause of all the Wednesday weirdness.
What he uncovers is a secret so devious—so dastardly and mischievous—that life as he knows it will never be the same. Max himself is not the same. Suddenly the mysterious little accidents so common on Wednesdays are happening to him on Thursdays, Fridays—even Saturdays!
What’s come over Max? And more importantly, is there any cure for a case of the Wednesdays?
Mystery, magic, mischief and monsters abound in this slightly fantastical story of a human kid who wants to stay that way.

Review

   Max lives in a village that is completely average in just about every way - except on Wednesdays.  Everyone closes up their homes and they refuse to come outside again until it's Thursday, which means it's safe.  Bad things, strange, unexplainable things happen on Wednesdays - Max's brother getting his hair soaked in black shoe polish, the TV getting broken, Max's birthday cake meeting a fiery end.  But none of this can stop Max's curiosity, which leads him outside on a Wednesday, perilous though it might be.  This time curiosity catches up in a bad way, when Max gets a bad case of the Wednesdays that lasts throughout the week.  After an encounter with the actual, gargoyle-like creatures who cause the mischief Max begins to change physically.  Max tries to get the Wednesdays to tell him what's happening, but Two is in charge and he has plans for Max, really nasty plans...His parents send him to parapsychologist Dr. Conkle-Smoak, desperately trying to cure him before he becomes one of the Wednesdays forever.  Can Max and his friends Noah and Gemma figure out a way to block the Wednesdays from their town forever or is Max doomed to become one of them?  This book was an interesting mix of Roald Dahl-esque humor, quirky illustrations and a hero with some oddness and major heart.  I did enjoy the idea of an entire town closing up for the day because of gremlin-like mischief makers.  The Wednesdays themselves were interesting, all them once human and now varying degrees of horrible.  They all had numbers instead of names, which was little sad to me but very in keeping with the children's book M.O.  Dr. Conkle-Smoak was absolutely useless and completely hilarious so of course he was one of my favorite characters.  I liked the smooth progression of the plot and the resolution, which ended up being fairly creepy for a middle-grade fantasy book.  Overall it was a very amusing book with interesting, well written characters and a fresh story in a world where that is hard to come by.  My only complaint would really be the illustrations - they just didn't quite match what was in my head.

VERDICT:  4/5  Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book's expected publication date is August 14th, 2012.*