The Cats in the Doll Shop by Yona Zeldis McDonough and Illustrated by Heather Maione
Published by Viking Juvenile
Pages: 140
Ages: 8-11
Buy It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Powell’s Books | Indiebound | Book Depository
Publishers Summmary:

When Anna spots a cat in the yard behind her parents’ doll shop, she is excited. Then she realizes the cat is about to have kittens-even better! And Anna has something else to look forward to: her cousin Tania is coming from Russia to stay with Anna’s family. Anna already has two sisters, but she and Tania are the exact same age-eleven-and she imagines they will get along perfectly. But Tania doesn’t respond to Anna’s friendly overtures, and her sisters don’t seem to like Tania at all. Luckily, Anna finds a creative way to use her love of dolls and cats to bring everyone together.

In a family of three girls the news of an addition to the family comes with mixed feelings. When Anna discovers her new cousin Tania is coming from Russia to spend the year with their family she’s thrilled, though their shared age seems to be the only similarity as of yet. Anna’s sisters find Tania’s quietness and the food she hides odd and instantly dislike her, but Anna quickly accepts her by offering her a new doll she created specifically for Tania. With the addition of Tania the last thing the family needs is a pet, but it may be just the thing to bring Tania out of her shell and potentially solve another problem altogether.

Charming. Absolutely charming and beautiful storytelling are found within the pages of The Cats in the Doll Shop by Yona Zeldis McDonough. Generally speaking I’m not incredibly fond of historically based novels & books for one reason or another, but this story was written so well that I couldn’t help but be taken in by the lovely Anna. Her parents are recent immigrants to the US and have found a way to provide for themselves by creating and selling a line of dolls to companies like FAO Schwartz. For a ten or eleven year old girl I can think of no better place to be than in a family that has a never ending supply of dolls to create and play with, making it the perfect setting for the intended audience.

Obviously Anna’s family is frugal though and the story isn’t simply about the dolls and the doll shop, but about their cousin Tania and the cats that accompany her arrival. Anna was so welcoming to her cousin and it was wonderful to read about not only her desire to make her feel at home but her thoughts about her two sister’s feelings about Tania. It’s the perfect message for a young reader, one of welcoming and comforting those who may be in need of a friend. In addition to Tania the compassion Anna shows toward a family of cats is heartwarming and in the end turns out to help not only the cats but Tania as well.

It would be a shame to fail to note the historical and religious aspects of the story in my review because both were handled incredibly well. In both cases they were so well written that they became more a part of the fabric of the story than an over-arching theme making it accessible for all varieties of readers. Anna and her family are of Jewish descent and there is even a short story about the history of Chanukah, but I never felt as though it was a boring history lesson or preachy in any way. Instead the story and the background shared throughout work to enhance Anna’s character and her family making it all the more enjoyable.

The Cats in the Doll Shop by Yona Zeldis McDonough is delightful historically based middle grade fiction novel. Not only would educators benefit from sharing it with their students, but young readers will thoroughly fall in love with Anna and her charm. Though it’s the second in the series it easily stands alone, but those who haven’t read the first will be clamoring to get their hands on Anna’s first story as well. The Cats in the Doll Shop is a story about kindness, acceptance, giving and friendship all told through the eyes of one delightful young girl who welcomes all with open arms.

The1stdaughter Recommends: Ages 7 to 12. A charming historically based middle grade novel that young readers will enjoy and learn the importance of compassion from. Highly recommended reading for young readers and educators alike!

Find The Cats in the Doll Shop by Yona Zeldis McDonough and Illustrated by Heather Maione at the following spots:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Powell’s Books | Indiebound | Book Depository | Goodreads

Thank you so much to the publisher, Viking Juvenile, for providing a copy of this book for review and giveaway! Connect with them on Twitter and on Facebook!
Purchasing products by clicking through the links in this post will provide us a modest commission through our various affiliate relationships.

Worst-Case Scenario Ultimate Adventure #2: Mars! by David Borgenicht
Published by Chronicle Books
Pages: 208
Ages: Middle Grade (8-12)
Buy It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Powell’s Books | Indiebound | Book Depository
Publishers Summmary:

Join the youngest crew of astronauts ever to make the trip to Mars! Faced with fearsome dangers and difficult decisions, your choices will determine your fate on the Red Planet. Will you achieve the mission and return home to Earth safely, successfully earning the title of the youngest astronaut ever to make it to Mars? Or will you be forced to turn back early? This thrilling adventure offers twenty-two possible endings, but only ONE leads to the ultimate success! With eye-catching comic book–style illustrations and information based on scientific facts related to Mars and space exploration, young readers will be over the moon with this entertaining addition to the Worst-Case Scenario series!

As the youngest member of a crew of astronauts headed to the planet Mars you have a lot to prove. Not only will you be faced with keeping your crew alive, but potentially aiding in the continued survival of the human race that will soon be colonizing the red planet. You will have to read up on the many conditions of space travel as well as the environmental aspects of Mars in hopes that you will survive to return home to planet earth as a successful adventurer and astronaut.

It seems as though I’m making up for lost time with my recent reads of the “choose-your-own-adventure” style books. In the past two years I’ve read a minimum of two a year and sometimes more. As an adult I find them incredibly fun though obviously not my first choice for my personal reading I can absolutely see how they appeal to young readers. If I had been exposed to these type of books as a ten (or so) year old I’m positive I would have devoured as many as I could have gotten my hands on. Worst-Case Scenario Ultimate Adventure #2: Mars! is no exception to this and I’m thoroughly excited to share the series with my own kiddos, the Turkeybird especially.

So, what exactly about Worst-Case Scenario Ultimate Adventure #2: Mars! in particular do I think would appeal to the Turkeybird specifically? Without a doubt I know the non-fiction aspects of the story would grab him right away. At some point they may appeal to Littlebug as well, but her interest in non-fiction type material has yet to emerge. The Turkeybird on the other hand is constantly on the lookout for new bits of information to devour and this would be perfect. In the back of Worst-Case Scenario Ultimate Adventure #2: Mars! there is a helpful “Expedition File” that includes information about everything from the way to determine north and south while on Mars by the stars to how to survive a dust storm to the types of robotic machines and more. It’s fantastic! With the addition of the story you determine by making certain choices this is easily a book that could be read over and over and over again for hours of reading fun.

Adventures in space and an outcome determined by the reader, the edition of Worst-Case Scenario Ultimate Adventure #2: Mars! by David Borgenicht is sure to be a hit with young readers who love learning. Having myself only read a couple of the choose-your-own-adventure type books I can only judge them based on my limited exposure to them and husband’s experiences reading them in his youth. But having said that I’d easily say this would be a top choice among today’s versions of the chose-your-own-adventure books! Worst-Case Scenario Ultimate Adventure #2: Mars! was captivating as well as educational and each of the scenarios you are placed in require more than simply guessing which way to go. I’d highly recommend this as well as the other books in this series by Chronicle Books to young adventure seekers who love a little bit of fun learning mixed with their reading!

The1stdaughter Recommends: Ages 9 to 15. A “choose your own adventure” style book that non-fiction fans who love adventure stories will absolutely fall in love with. Fantastic for hours of reading fun!

Find Worst-Case Scenario Ultimate Adventure #2: Mars! by David Borgenicht at the following spots:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Powell’s Books | Indiebound | Book Depository | Goodreads

Today’s post is part of our month long celebration of Chronicle Books for our monthly feature “Book Publishers 101“. Make sure to stop by the Chronicle Books for more information about this title and more. For more information about our Book Publishers 101 feature take a look at this month’s opening post.

Make sure to take a look at this month’s Book Publishers 101 feature giveaway as well, for your chance to win some fantastic books from Chronicle Books!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Chronicle Books, for coordinating many of this month’s features and reviews! Connect with them on Twitter and on Facebook!
Purchasing products by clicking through the links in this post will provide us a modest commission through our various affiliate relationships.

Ivy and Bean No News Is Good News by Annie Barrows and Sophie Blackall
Published by Chronicle Books
Pages: 128
Ages: 8-12
Buy It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Powell’s Books | Indiebound | Book Depository
Publishers Summmary:

Ivy and Bean need some money. Ten dollars, to be exact. Never mind what for. Okay, it’s for low-fat Belldeloon cheese in a special just-for you serving size. Don’t ask why. How are Ivy and Bean going to make ten dollars? Hey, maybe they should write a newspaper about Pancake Court and sell it! Great idea! And easy, too. All they have to do is snoop around the neighborhood. Wow…It’s very interesting what they can find out. It’s even more interesting when the neighbors read about it in the newspaper.

Ivy and Bean are at it again, but this time it’s all in the name of cheese. Well, maybe not cheese, but definitely the delightfully fun and very versatile red wax wrapper around the outside of low-fat Belldeloon cheese in a special just-for-you serving size. Everyone at school has them with their lunch except for Ivy and Bean, but they’re on a mission. After Bean’s dad suggests a neighborhood newspaper the girls set out to discover exactly what goes on in the lives of their neighbors, even if that means peeking in a few windows.

This has got to be one of my absolute favorite chapter book series ever! Annie Barrows understands kids so completely well that it has me second guessing her age; certainly she must still be ten years old? That’s probably not true, but what is true is the fact that each one of the Ivy and Bean books will have you in stitches while remembering either your own childhood or imagining your own children doing some of the whacky things that kids just do. Not only adults love this series, but kiddos absolutely relate even at a very very young age. This was the first book in the series that I’ve read with Littlebug and at only two and a half she loved every minute of it.

In this edition of Ivy and Bean, Non News is Good News, the pair are on a mission to get that waxy stuff around the outside of certain cheeses. At first they start off by simply asking their parents who both tell them no and advise them they need to buy their own. One of my favorite scenes was when Ivy tries to tell her mom to get the cheese for her while she’s sleeping. I couldn’t help but imagine the Turkeybird and Littlebug doing that at Ivy’s age, it’s hilarious! Eventually the girls discover that they could actually make money by working (even if that’s not their original intention). Their newspaper, The Flipping Pancake, comes together after snooping around the neighborhood in search of the next great news story. At the end of it all, though Ivy and Bean’s neighbors may be a little put out by their “dirty laundry” being shared it’s certain that the pair learns a little bit about the importance of earning something through hard work.

No News is Good News is absolutely right. Ivy and Bean, on their mission for cheese, discover that maybe the lives of their neighbors are better left behind closed doors and windows. Fortunately though they also discover that hard work does pay off when they are finally able to enjoy their delicious low-fat Belldeloon cheese in a special just-for you serving size and the pliable wax that surrounds it. This is a series I’ve thoroughly enjoyed and one I’m eager to read through with both my kiddos as they continue to grow up and do the hilarious things that only kids do. Annie Barrows coupled with Sophie Blackall’s fantastic illustrations make for one of the most superb children’s book series out there.

The1stdaughter Recommends: Ages 5 to 13. No doubt young readers and adults alike with love this hilarious duo and the life lessons they learn along the way.

Find Ivy and Bean No News Is Good News by Annie Barrows and Sophie Blackall at the following spots:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Powell’s Books | Indiebound | Book Depository | Goodreads

Ivy and Bean: No News Is Good News

Today’s post is part of our month long celebration of Chronicle Books for our monthly feature “Book Publishers 101“. Make sure to stop by the Chronicle Books for more information about this title and more. For more information about our Book Publishers 101 feature take a look at this month’s opening post.

Make sure to take a look at this month’s Book Publishers 101 feature giveaway as well, for your chance to win a copy of Ivy and Bean No News Is Good News!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Chronicle Books, for coordinating many of this month’s features and reviews! Connect with them on Twitter and on Facebook!
Purchasing products by clicking through the links in this post will provide us a modest commission through our various affiliate relationships.

Open Minds by Susan Kaye Quinn
Pages: 326
Ages: Young Adult
Buy It: Amazon | Amazon Kindle | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | iTunes
Goodreads Summmary:

When everyone reads minds, a secret is a dangerous thing to keep.

Sixteen-year-old Kira Moore is a zero, someone who can’t read thoughts or be read by others. Zeros are outcasts who can’t be trusted, leaving her no chance with Raf, a regular mindreader and the best friend she secretly loves. When she accidentally controls Raf’s mind and nearly kills him, Kira tries to hide her frightening new ability from her family and an increasingly suspicious Raf. But lies tangle around her, and she’s dragged deep into a hidden world of mindjackers, where having to mind control everyone she loves is just the beginning of the deadly choices before her.

In a world where everyone who’s normal has the ability to read minds being special isn’t exactly what Kira was hoping for. As the world around her booms and brightens with the loud cacophony of thoughts Kira’s world is silent, the only noise she hears are the thoughts in her own mind. That is until her best friend Raf attempts to kiss her and immediately ends up falling to the ground completely knocked out. From that point forward Kira’s life changes forever. She learns from a fellow student that she’s a mindjacker, and a powerful one at that. Having the ability to enter and control the thoughts of those around her is the last thing she’d thought she’d be doing during high school, but it may lead to more problems than simply knocking her best friend unconscious.

In a growing pool of young adult fiction Open Minds by Susan Kaye Quinn stands out as a novel with a fantastic premise, excellent characters and an incredibly well executed plot. Being a fan of dystopian and sci-fi in young adult books this was exactly the type of book I was hoping to fall in love with and absolutely did. Quinn took the idea of human evolution and took it one step further by adding an element of involvement from the government. It wasn’t that they were simply involved in the aftermath of the evolution, but the initial development by introducing toxins into the water supply that eventually triggered the first changes to mind reading by all. This was certainly a unique concept, especially since the entire population was affected by it and I’m now interested to see where the idea goes from here in the next two books in the series.

Now everyone who knows my reading preferences know that I am not a huge fan of the typical love triangle and at first I thought I was going to be annoyed by Kira’s love intersts, but I absolutely wasn’t. Obvious to anyone who reads Open Minds there’s a huge development at the end of the story that changes everything making the love triangle completely different than those other more typical situations. Between the two I’d certainly say I was much more on the side of Raf, her childhood friend, than Simon, the “bad boy”, but as the story went on I did feel more sympathetic towards Simon and his situation. In many ways I could understand Kira’s desire to be with Simon because of their shared abilities, but at first the way she shunned Raf was a bit irritating since he was always so supportive of her “zero” status. In the end the conflict was perfect and the way all of their relationships progressed were extremely believable.

Open Minds by Susan Kaye Quinn is a brilliant addition to the ever increasing pool of dystopian/sci-fi young adult fiction. There’s something for readers of all types in this fantastic new YA novel, from action to romance to science and more. As many of my readers know, I don’t read many self-published books primarily because I find the stories underdeveloped and poorly edited. To be honest I’m completely shocked Quinn’s Mindjacker series hasn’t been picked up by a major publisher, because it certainly doesn’t fall into either of my dis-qualifiers. This is a novel that’s been extremely well thought out, written beautifully, and it’s obviously been edited professionally. YA readers who love authors like Ally Condie, Veronica Roth, Lauren Oliver and others would be missing out if they failed to pick up Open Minds by Susan Kaye Quinn. Join Kira on her journey to save her fellow mindjackers and potentially change the landscape of her world forever.

The1stdaughter Recommends: Ages

Find Open Minds by Susan Kaye Quinn at the following spots:
Amazon | Amazon Kindle | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | iTunes | Goodreads

Giveaway!

Thanks to the author I’m also offering an eBook copy of Open Minds to one There’s A Book reader thanks to Susan. Thank you! Please fill out the form below and good luck!

Thank you so much to the author, Susan Kaye Quinn, for providing a copy of this book for review and giveaway! Connect with her on Twitter and on Facebook!
Purchasing products by clicking through the links in this post will provide us a modest commission through our various affiliate relationships.

Ashes by Estevan Vega
Published by StoneGate Ink
Pages:
Ages:
Buy It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Goodreads Summmary:

More than three months have passed since Arson and Emery were taken. Taken and then separated.

And experimented on.

Salvation Asylum is more like a prison than a psychiatric facility. Unknowingly, Arson has become a vital instrument in a campaign set to genetically alter mankind. Enraged, confused, trapped, and unable to fully manifest his abilities, he wonders if he will ever see Emery again. His new existence is one crawling with questions. Is Grandma alive? Where does the fire come from? Can he become more than a monster?

In Ashes, book two of the ARSON series, nightmare and reality collide as Arson must embrace what he is and the haunting realization that there may be others out there, others like him.

Locked away with little or no hope of escaping both Arson and Emery are trapped in an asylum that has them questioning their sanity. Is any of it real? And is there any hope that either of them will see each other again? As Arson discovers more fully who he is and what he’s meant for his story becomes one that could affect not only his small family and Emery, but the world as well.

Ashes is exactly the kind of book I would have read in my teens. This may shock some of you, but as a teen I read primarily horror novels. From Anne Rice to Richard Matheson to HP Lovecraft and more, there was hardly a horror book I left alone. As a teen there was no such thing as young adult fiction and I basically read whatever my Dad had & recommended. It worked out great because we shared quite a few of the same interests in books and music. Enter today’s standards and I’m sure the books I read back then wouldn’t make the YA cut. Which brings me to the dilemma with Ashes, is it YA or adult fiction? In my personal opinion I’d easily recommend it to a mature teen who loves a good scary paranormal read, but in that same vein I’d also hand it to an adult horror reader as well. I think that applies to quite a bit of YA fiction, but in the case of horror YA maybe even more so. I’d hate for a reader to turn Ashes down because they thought it was not in the right “category”.

As for the story…it was just as I remembered with Arson, full of action and great characters. This being the second book in the series I was personally looking forward to getting to know both Emery and Arson better and seeing where their relationship went after their abduction at the end of the first book. That certainly happened, but what I didn’t expect was the additional characters including Emery’s parents, Lamount, Adam, Saul Hoven and many more. The addition was great in terms of plot twists and the future of the series, but at times I did wish there were only one or two narrators instead of four or five. Besides that, the story was amazing and I loved the idea of placing much of the story in an asylum. Very creepy indeed.

Ashes, the second novel in the Arson series by Estevan Vega, is packed full of action, plot twists and of course a creepy setting. Vega is a fantastic new voice in the world of horror fiction and one that readers will thoroughly enjoy. With the fate of the world at stake I’m eager to see where Adam will lead Arson, if either is truly hoping to save the world and of course who will get the girl in the end. This is a series to watch for and I’m excited to continue reading it as soon as the next book is released!

The1stdaughter Recommends: Ages 16 and up. A perfect young adult horror fiction novel for fans of Richard Matheson and Jonathan Maberry. Be warned, some of the story is not suitable for the timid, but those who love a well written horror story will love it!

Find Ashes by Estevan Vega at the following spots:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Make sure you stop by the rest of The {Teen} Book Scene Blog Tour for more great reviews and interviews!
Thank you so much to the author, Estevan Vega, for providing the eGalley of Ashes for review! Look for my review coming in November!

Can You Survive: Jack London’s Call of the Wild: A Choose Your Path Book by Ryan Jacobson
Published by Lake 7 Creative (Distributed by Adventure Publications)
Pages: 160
Ages: 9-13
Buy It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Powell’s Books | Indiebound | Book Depository
Publishers Summmary:

It’s been called the best dog story ever written, and you can experience it like never before. This is Jack London’s Call of the Wild, masterfully adapted into a choose your path book. You’re the legendary sled dog, Buck. You face his same challenges. You make the choices. You decide what happens. Will you survive?

Can You Survive: Jack London’s Call of the Wild takes a classic piece of literature and turns it into an adventure not only for the characters, but the reader. As you follow along Buck, the part St. Bernard and part Scotch shepherd dog, you are taken into the cold often brutal world of the Alaskan wilderness. As you make choices you decide whether Buck will live or die as he comes up against foes that include other dogs, man, wolves and a variety of other forces of nature. Will you and Buck make it to the end to answer the call of the wild? Only your choices can decide both of your fates. Can You Survive: Jack London’s Call of the Wild is an adventure for readers everywhere.

It’s been almost a year since my last “Choose Your Own Path” read when I read Lost in the Wild also by Ryan Jacobson and I was just as eager to read this one as I was his previous story. This one, obviously based on the classic novel by Jack London, was in my opinion much much more interesting. It did take a couple of chapters before I was really engrossed in the story, but after that I was excited to see how I’d be able to help Buck on his journey across Alaska. Perhaps because I’m not normally an “adventure” reader the original book didn’t hold much appeal to me, but this new take on it actually gave me something to look forward to as I turned the pages by providing me the opportunity to interact with the story.

Author Ryan Jacobson has yet again created a thoroughly engrossing “Choose Your Own Adventure” style story that is not only exciting and entertaining, but very well written. Can You Survive: Jack London’s Call of the Wild is the story of a dog named Buck who struggles to survive against the threats found in the Alaskan wilderness and his only hope is you as the reader. This would certainly be a book I’d recommend to reluctant readers, especially those who love a good adventure or the outdoors. In addition, I’d also recommend this as a companion read with the classic for teachers and students alike as opposed to something like Cliff Notes; it could easily ignite an interest in the story without handing readers all of the details at once. Can You Survive: Jack London’s Call of the Wild by Ryan Jacobson is the first in a new series of “Choose Your Path” books that are sure to be huge hits with young readers everywhere.

The1stdaughter Recommends: Ages 9 to 15. Adventure awaits both characters and readers alike. A fantastic companion read to it’s classic counterpart when read in school. Perfect reading for adventure seekers, outdoors enthusiasts and reluctant readers.

Find Can You Survive: Jack London’s Call of the Wild: A Choose Your Path Book by Ryan Jacobson at the following spots:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Powell’s Books | Indiebound | Book Depository | Goodreads

Make sure to visit all the stops along the Can You Survive this blog tour? beginning with the last post from Teach Mentor Texts and tomorrow’s post at One Librarian’s Book Reviews. You may even be able to win a copy of this fantastic new book from Ryan Jacobson!

Giveaway!

As an added bonus the author, Ryan Jacobson, has provided one Signed copy of Can You Survive: Jack London’s Call of the Wild: A Choose Your Path Book to giveaway to one There’s A Book reader! Please fill out the form below and good luck!

Thank you so much to the author, Ryan Jacobson, for providing a copy of this book for review! Connect with him on Twitter and on his blog, Author vs. Monster!
Purchasing products by clicking through the links in this post will provide us a modest commission through our various affiliate relationships.