InkyThink

Written by Linda DeMeulemeester

Cover Illustration by John Shroades

Cat is thrilled she's been picked to be on the Darkmont soccer team. Finally, after starting at her new school, she's becoming popular, her teachers love her, and she's quite the soccer player to boot! Everything seems to be going very good for Cat until her little sister, Sookie, starts acting weird, and telling Cat she should not play in the Halloween soccer match. Does Sookie know something Cat doesn't? And why does Sookie always hang out with the creepy girl in black clothes on the bleachers? Soon, Sookie disappears, and Cat finds herself caught up in mysteries both in her world, and a world not her own! Will Cat be able to find Sookie? Or will the mysterious Fairy world capture her forever?

Winner of the Silver Birch award - an award where children read the nominated books and cast the votes themselves - it's no wonder The Secret of Grim Hill made its mark on the children who read it. It is fun, intriguing, and mysterious. The characters are relatable, smart enough to figure out what's going on, and yet real enough that readers aren't left in any doubt as to whether, or not, this could have played out the same had it been happening to them. It's frustrating in the right moments, and relieving in the next. I really liked this first book, and was even lucky enough to have it signed by Linda herself! The Secret of Grim Hill is a great adventure, and I'm thoroughly looking forward to starting the next book.

Written and Illustrated by Peter McCarty

It's Hondo and Fabian again! This time, Fabian is the one to have fun outdoors when he sneaks out the window. He gets into all kinds of trouble. Does Hondo get into trouble inside, too? 

Another great bedtime read from Peter McCarty. This book tells the tale of Fabian escaping from the house and having adventures of his own outside. It is light and fun with that usual Peter McCarty humor we've all come to love. You'll love Fabian Escapes just as much as Hondo and Fabian. I'll never get the image of Fabian jumping the fence out of my head as long as I live... and I like that idea! 

5.0 kitties out of 5.0

Written and Illustrated by Peter McCarty

Hondo is a dog, and Fabian is a cat. You would think they lead different lives, but we learn they have similar thoughts and even act the same way sometimes. What adventures will they have today?

There was a very cute kitty on the front cover. You know kitties are a good way to get my attention. I picked up Hondo and Fabian and almost immediately fell in love with it. Who had been keeping Peter McCarty's books from me? My heart warmed as I turned each page. The story is sweet, contrasting in the right places, and simple, yet pleasantly uplifting. The illustrations are soft, amusing, and portray, truthfully, the fun a dog can have at the beach, and the trouble a cat can get into if left to it's own devices. I adore this book, and give it nothing more than the highest praise. 

5.0 dogs out of 5.0

Written by Laura Numeroff 

Illustrations by Felicia Bond

 

If you give a cat a cupcake, well, he’ll want more than just the cupcake of course! He’ll get easily distracted too. Soon you’ll find yourself in a boat on the river, and he’s the captain! What will happen next? If You Give A Cat A Cupcake, you'll find out! 

 

I’ve always had a fondness for cats and being silly. If you put them together, you pretty much get what this book is about! Though it is lacking in the lesson department, it has a nice round storyline that comes back on itself nicely. Readers will definitely enjoy the cat doing many different things, and it will entice their imaginations. As for illustrations, I rather enjoyed them. They weren’t as memorable as I like illustrations to be, yet I have no huge complaints either. All in all, a good book for young readers.

 

4.0 cupcakes out of 5