Mini Review: Operation Chaos

 

X-Men meets Spy Kids in the fifth installment of The Forgotten Five middle-grade fantasy/adventure series by the New York Times bestselling author of The Unwanteds.

The Forgotten Five and their friends are reeling in the aftermath of the raid on Magdalia Palacio's campaign rally—an attack masterminded by her corrupt opponent President Fuerte and his henchmen. Birdie is in the hospital with a head injury, and under arrest for stealing a police horse in her attempt to evade capture. Separated from her friends—and not even allowed to see her mother—how can Birdie escape when she is utterly alone? Then the Librarian is taken captive in the heavily guarded palace dungeon after Fuerte discovers she's been acting as a double agent. What will they do without their trusted mentor? Luckily, the five have been honing their supernatural abilities, and it's Brix who takes the lead, forging an unlikely alliance and putting together a plan. Does the group have what it takes to rescue their friends and even the odds in the president's all-out war against Estero's supernaturals? 

- summary from the publisher

My Thoughts: I don't want to go into too many details and give away something from the series.

But...

Obviously, there is a lot of action and danger here

Rescue missions

Talking animals

Trust Issues

I can't wait to read the next installment. This is a such a fun series.

Source: My Library

Cover Thoughts: Love it - it's action packed

Library Recommendation: A must have series for school and public library.

Christmas Romance Review: All I Want for Christmas

Jessica Carrington always wanted her own happily ever after. But, until that happens, she spends her days as a small-time romance writer, penning satisfying Happily Ever Afters to soothe the heartache left by her ex-boyfriend Nick Matthews, a fellow romance writer and now her biggest rival, who has found success writing love stories without happy endings. It's clearly what he's good at, after all . . .

So, when their professional obligations find them snowed in - and forced to share a room! - at the same remote inn a few days before Christmas, Jess and Nick are both fuming. But what's more fitting for two romantic writers in a slump? And when they realise the friction between them might be the only cure for their writer's block, they decide to turn their frustration into fiction . . . and the pages start flying.

Jess can't shake the feeling that Nick is the last guy on earth she should be falling for (again), but, as they both finally get back in their flow, is he actually all she wants for Christmas? - summary from the publisher

My Thoughts: I loved this one. I loved how they were both not over each other. I loved how they both had writer's block but after trading barbs on social media, the words start flowing again. Then they get stuck snowed in at the book event. At breakfast, it comes out that they are essentially writing the same book, an editor suggests they write the book together. There was so much banter and flirting in this book. I loved it so much, I handed it off to a co-worker. And now I need to read the author's other works. 

Cover Thoughts: Cute

Source: My Library

Recommendation: Highly recommended for your romance collection

Christmas Picture Books Review (2)

Showcasing some new to the library Christmas Picture Books part 2! 

Could Randy become one of Santa's reindeer?

Randy learns about all the things one would need to learn to become a reindeer. This is a cute funny story with a sweet ending.

A Christmas twist on the classic novel: the letters are having trouble decorating the tree!

I like how they solved the problem; a great concept book about everyone working together, shapes, and letters. 

One little girl waits to see Santa every year, but she never can stay awake long enough. But this year, her mother is taking her to the city to see Santa. But when she gets there, there are SO many Santas. How will she know the right one?

This is a super cute story - and I loved the ending. So many emotions in this one! 

Nisha can't wait to help her father pick out their Christmas tree this year. Her parents want to make sure the tree fits in their apartment. Nisha wants a giant tree. Her father wants a small one. How will they find the perfect tree?

Nisha's parents come from different countries: USA and India. Their tree's ornaments reflect both. This is a cute story about family and finding the perfect tree.

Lemming hears children singing and wonders what it all means. She asks her friends about the traditions of Christmas.

Lemming discovers the tradition of Christmas with her friends. The author includes a list of Inuktitut animal names.

As a man leaves the store, a child asks him if he is Santa Claus. He tries really hard to convince the child that he is not. Could he be Santa?

This is a funny story about a Santa Claus. 

Enjoy these season's reading!

Top Ten Tuesday: Winter TBR

 This week's topic is our Winter TBR list: books out in January, February, and March

I'm not sure I have enough books on my list for next year.

Graphic Novel:

Middle Grade:

Young Adult:

Adult:

Have you read any of these? Are any of these on your list too????

Also, what am I missing from this list?

Middle Grade Review: Bletchley Riddle

 

With the war ramping up in England, Lizzie is supposed to traveling by ship to her grandmother in America. But at the last moment, she gets off the ship. She's too focused on discovering the truth about her mother. Lizzie doesn't believe that her mother's dead. She shows up at the address her brother gave her - an office in London. Her brother is actually at Bletchley Park working on breaking codes.

Lizzie gets herself a job as a messenger in the park. During her nonworking hours, she's desperate to uncover information about her mother's whereabouts. She must work fast because there's someone from MI6 hanging around the Park talking as if her mother were a spy - a traitor. Lizzie's determined to get answers and she's not afraid of asking for help - even if her brother isn't interested.

When a coded message appears, Lizzie knows the truth. Her mother isn't dead. A meeting is set. Could it actually be her mother or is it a trap?

My Thoughts: I loved this book! It's the perfect blend of mystery/thriller and historical fiction. It's set-up as a dual narrative between the siblings. I loved how different they were - and yet how they did come together. I loved the moments at Bletchley Park. I found them fascinating. I loved reading about the real people and how things worked at the Park. While this is a longer book, I didn't want to put it down. I needed to see how everything turned out. 

Cover Thoughts: Fantastic

Source: My Library

Library Recommendation: A must have middle grade historical mystery for your school and public library's collection. 

Christmas Board Books

Just a few new to me board books for Christmas

It's the first Christmas for Baby and Dog. They do all the things together to get ready for the holidays.

This is a sweet and funny book. There are so many cute moments. Just amazing.

Parent's love for their child at Christmas.

I love these books - for the puns, for the touch and feel pieces, and because they are so cute. The illustrations are charming. This will make a great read aloud and will make the perfect gift. 

A child is excited to become Santa's helper and help ring in the holidays.

Another touch and feel book for a child who wants to be independent. A super cute book. 

Everyone is busy at the North Pole getting ready!

This cute book starts off with a big star, which gets smaller with each turn of the page. I love how the colors change. A nice story about holiday preparations and traditions. 

Another counting down book - with elves this time.

This series is a little strange but awfully cute at the same time. I do love the chunky toys on each page. The countdowns are great for reading with others because they can participate! 

The snowman and the monster have fun in the snow!

This is another interactive book that's so much fun to read. This is a hugely popular picture book series at my library and I love how they are creating board books now. This isn't a picture book turned into a board book. This charming book also makes a good read aloud for storytimes. 

Picture Book Review: Let's Meet Taylor

Happy Taylor Swift Day to all who celebrate!

This picture book biography is the story of Taylor Swift.

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this picture book biography. I learned something from this story. The illustrations are super cute. I love how friendship bracelets made it into the book. This book is super cute for any young fan. Although I confess, I enjoyed this one too. 

Cover Thoughts: Adorable

Source: My Library

Library Recommendation: A must have picture book for your school or public library

* this book would make the perfect holiday gift

Christmas Romance Review: Christmas is All Around

Charlotte is not a holiday person. She hates all the hype, the activities, and especially the movies. She was a child star in one film - Christmas, Truly. After that experience, she never wanted to act again. So, when people want to create a sequel, she turns them down flat. Which annoys all the fans, so much so, that she's get death threats on social media and is accosted in the park. Charlotte flees to London to visit her sister for the holidays. 

There, she meets Graham. He has an idea that might help both of them. The more time she spends with him, the more she begins to fall for him. Could a Christmas romance change her feelings on the holiday? Will she be able to flee her past?

My Thoughts: The title is reminiscent of Love, Actually. And the book is set up that way too - there's a weekly countdown to Christmas. I Loved this book. I enjoyed that Charlotte hated all things Christmas because she was snarky about it all. But she did participate in so many Christmas activities. I love Christmas and Hallmark, but the snark was fun. I loved her family - baby Alice was very funny. I loved that Charlotte was an artist and you saw both her sketching and the business side of it. I loved the banter between Charlotte and Graham. The sheep! The carolers! This was such a fun read that I didn't want it to end. 

Cover Thoughts: Cute

Source: My Library

Library Recommendation: Highly recommended for your romance collection! 

Christmas Picture Book Review (1)

 

Just a few new to the library this year:

Carrot and Cookie are best friends - but they haven't figure out what to give each other for Christmas yet. They're friends are not helpful. But when disaster strikes, presents are the least of their worries.

This is a cute story about friendship, helping, and saving the day!

Santa released these letters from his files. 

These letters are funny and the illustrations are cute. This is a great book to pour over together. 

Betty realizes that she doesn't have money for Christmas presents. She's so unhappy. But she has a brilliant idea, In the summer her lemonade stand was a huge hit. She decides to create a cookie station. But disaster strikes and she's forced to rethink everything.

This is a cute story, and I love how it turns out. The illustrations are charming. 

Santa Mouse and Santa are out spreading Christmas cheer when they hear a little kitten. 

This is a sweet story about a unique friendship!

All the ways kids travel to their grandmother's house for the holidays and what they do there.

I love all the families in this book - each other is different and each is in a different location. This is a fun book to pour over and see all the details. 

I love new holiday books! It's my favorite season of books.