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annettebooksofhopeanddreams's review against another edition
4.0
Niks zo leuk als de lokale boekwinkel, Roojboek in Venray, binnenspringen om een nieuw recensieboek op te mogen halen. Ik had dit boek nog niet langs zien komen, maar de achterflap klonk al veelbelovend en de cover zag er heerlijk kleurrijk uit. En aangezien ik momenteel in het ritme van een boek per dag zit, kon ik vanochtend gelijk aan dit boek beginnen.
En wat een ongelooflijk tof boek is dit! Het boek is overduidelijk een kinderboek, geschikt om voor te lezen aan de allerkleinsten, maar ook leuk voor oudere kinderen om zelf te lezen en zelfs leuk voor de ouders. Het boek kenmerkt zich door lekker grote letters en een hele vlotte schrijfstijl. Vooral de vertelstem van Bloem, waarbij ze commentaar geeft op haar eigen gedrag en de gebeurtenissen, is heel leuk en zit vol met humor.
In het boek wordt ook een hele leuke sfeer geschapen. Ik zie al helemaal voor me hoe ouders 's avonds, samen met de kinderen, voor de spiegel staan om te kijken of er al planten uit hun hoofd beginnen te groeien. Door het boek met een serieuze waarschuwing hiervoor te beginnen, is de toon eigenlijk meteen gezet en daardoor werd ik alleen maar nog nieuwsgieriger naar het verhaal.
Het verhaal is een spannend avontuur. Door de inleiding weten we natuurlijk al dat er iets spannends gaat gebeuren, maar de schrijfster vergeet niet om ons eerst kennis te laten maken met het stadje, de mensen die er wonen, hoe deze mensen zich gedragen en welke normen en waarden ze hebben. En pas als de context goed is neergezet, dan wordt het plot in beweging gezet als een bal die steeds sneller en sneller gaat rollen.
Daarnaast zit er, zonder het er duimendik bovenop te leggen, een hele mooie boodschap in dit verhaal verborgen. Het boek barst van de liefde voor de natuur, voor planten en bloemen en dieren. Het is een ode aan de groene parken en de bossen, aan de rivieren en aan de frisse lucht en de stralende lentezon. En het is ook vooral een geheugensteuntje voor ons: Als we zorgen voor de natuur en de planten en de bomen, als we hen onze liefde geven, dan worden wij daar ook gelukkiger van. Want net als planten hebben mensen ook frisse lucht en zonlicht en genoeg slaap nodig.
En goede verhalen. En dit is er daar zeker één van!
En wat een ongelooflijk tof boek is dit! Het boek is overduidelijk een kinderboek, geschikt om voor te lezen aan de allerkleinsten, maar ook leuk voor oudere kinderen om zelf te lezen en zelfs leuk voor de ouders. Het boek kenmerkt zich door lekker grote letters en een hele vlotte schrijfstijl. Vooral de vertelstem van Bloem, waarbij ze commentaar geeft op haar eigen gedrag en de gebeurtenissen, is heel leuk en zit vol met humor.
In het boek wordt ook een hele leuke sfeer geschapen. Ik zie al helemaal voor me hoe ouders 's avonds, samen met de kinderen, voor de spiegel staan om te kijken of er al planten uit hun hoofd beginnen te groeien. Door het boek met een serieuze waarschuwing hiervoor te beginnen, is de toon eigenlijk meteen gezet en daardoor werd ik alleen maar nog nieuwsgieriger naar het verhaal.
Het verhaal is een spannend avontuur. Door de inleiding weten we natuurlijk al dat er iets spannends gaat gebeuren, maar de schrijfster vergeet niet om ons eerst kennis te laten maken met het stadje, de mensen die er wonen, hoe deze mensen zich gedragen en welke normen en waarden ze hebben. En pas als de context goed is neergezet, dan wordt het plot in beweging gezet als een bal die steeds sneller en sneller gaat rollen.
Daarnaast zit er, zonder het er duimendik bovenop te leggen, een hele mooie boodschap in dit verhaal verborgen. Het boek barst van de liefde voor de natuur, voor planten en bloemen en dieren. Het is een ode aan de groene parken en de bossen, aan de rivieren en aan de frisse lucht en de stralende lentezon. En het is ook vooral een geheugensteuntje voor ons: Als we zorgen voor de natuur en de planten en de bomen, als we hen onze liefde geven, dan worden wij daar ook gelukkiger van. Want net als planten hebben mensen ook frisse lucht en zonlicht en genoeg slaap nodig.
En goede verhalen. En dit is er daar zeker één van!
mehsi's review against another edition
4.0
A lovely written book about nature, about magic, and about finding who you are.
I read this book in Dutch but I want to write a review in English. I will be using the Dutch names though, as I have no clue what the characters English names are. I started this one yesterday evening before I went to sleep, and then, since my ear hurt like hell (I got a helix piercing yesterday) I couldn't sleep and decided to continue reading this book. Cue about 1 1/2 - 2 hours later and I was finished. I was done! What a book!
I want to write a good/not so good review as my ear still hurts and I am tired as hell.
Good:
-The Woekerkoppen or gardenheads. I wouldn't mind a garden on my head though. I wonder what kind of plants or garden would grow on my head. Since each person gets their own that fits their personality which had me delighted and laughing. How perfect that it matched people so wonderfully, even though some may want to deny their rotten nature. :P
-The curse was quite interesting and while it brought chaos (more on that later), it also brought unity and a chance for a better future.
-I loved how the illustrations started with just small strands of plants and then BOOM, burst into full bloom. It really looked like the book came to life, and I was delighted that they added this.
-Neena. While she was a bit too much the opposite of Bloem, I just adored her and how she wasn't agreeing with the things Mr. Grittelsnert did and how she tried to stand up for her (and her schoolmates) rights. Plus, I just love an inventor (albeit she is a bit of the crazy sort).
-The ending made me smile so much.
-I loved seeing the symptoms of the seeds. How it started with needing darkness and sleep, then water, then light, and so on until things bloomed. Dear Lord though, I don't want to know how much it hurt to have things bloomed out of your head. But I guess it is worth it.
-The way it all spread and the chaos that brought. First it was just 3 people, but quickly it became more and more. Yay for seeds. I had a laugh at the chaos that happened though.
-Sid! At first he was a bit of a grumpy/strange old man, but I loved how he stood his ground and stayed where he was despite getting into trouble with Valentini who wanted the land. Go Sid, go!
-The story of Agatha. Poor woman. :(
-Bloem, and she will be back in the not so good part as well. At times I quite liked her and how she was discovering there was more to life than rules and being a stuck-up. She was quite brave at times, and I just adored how much she loved her mom and tried to be there for her.
-Bloem's plan at the end, oh my how sneaky!
-The cover!
-The fourth wall breaking at some points in this book. It is one of those things that I just adore when it pops up in books. The MC (or a narrator) talking directly to the reader. Warning them, telling them things, making sure they are on the same page.
Not so good:
-How so many people spelled Bloem's name wrong. Instead of Bloem they used Blom. At times I thought it was a mistake on the author's behalf as it kept happening.
-That Bloem betrayed Neena for a point. What the hell? This is your best friend. And I get you are all drooly and OMG OMG rules, but friendship should trump that all.
-Bloem was quite boring at times. I am glad that eventually she let loose a bit more, but for most of the time... she was a bit stuck-up and OMG rules are life, rules are oxygen. I get that she was doing it for her mom, but I already had a feeling mom just wanted her kid to be happy, but that it wasn't making her happy per se. I won't tell you if my feeling was true or not, you will have to read.
-Why is this guy (Mr. Grittelsnert) a principal? He is just the worst. Setting up kids against each other, caring more about exams and tests instead of happiness.
-Who the hell takes a report on the situation to the school when everyone is having a witchhunt on the whodunnit? I am sorry, but that was just the most stupid thing ever and I don't get why it was added.
-Chrissie. I just don't like bullies, and she was just the worst.
-The witchhunt for the one who had anything to do with the Woekerkop/garden heads. That was just a bit over the top and I was actually thinking how hurtful it was to do all that to an eleven year old. Yes, she unleashed something that wasn't really OK, but to just do all that? No. People were overly rude and hurtful.
While I am happy with what kind of illustrations we got, they really gave the book something extra, I would have liked other illustrations as well.
So as you can see good and not so goods! Normally with such a balanced good/not so good I would have rated it a bit lower (more like a 3 star), but the writing style (and the translation) was just so nice and it just flowed well. I just couldn't stop reading, had to know what would happen to the seeds, and then had to find out how it all would end. It is definitely a book one cannot put down once they start, and that is why I am rating it higher. I would definitely recommend it to all in need for a fun book about magic, friendship, and tons and tons of nature, oh and a couple of baddies to conquer and show them that they were wrong.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
I read this book in Dutch but I want to write a review in English. I will be using the Dutch names though, as I have no clue what the characters English names are. I started this one yesterday evening before I went to sleep, and then, since my ear hurt like hell (I got a helix piercing yesterday) I couldn't sleep and decided to continue reading this book. Cue about 1 1/2 - 2 hours later and I was finished. I was done! What a book!
I want to write a good/not so good review as my ear still hurts and I am tired as hell.
Good:
-The Woekerkoppen or gardenheads. I wouldn't mind a garden on my head though. I wonder what kind of plants or garden would grow on my head. Since each person gets their own that fits their personality which had me delighted and laughing. How perfect that it matched people so wonderfully, even though some may want to deny their rotten nature. :P
-The curse was quite interesting and while it brought chaos (more on that later), it also brought unity and a chance for a better future.
-I loved how the illustrations started with just small strands of plants and then BOOM, burst into full bloom. It really looked like the book came to life, and I was delighted that they added this.
-Neena. While she was a bit too much the opposite of Bloem, I just adored her and how she wasn't agreeing with the things Mr. Grittelsnert did and how she tried to stand up for her (and her schoolmates) rights. Plus, I just love an inventor (albeit she is a bit of the crazy sort).
-The ending made me smile so much.
-I loved seeing the symptoms of the seeds. How it started with needing darkness and sleep, then water, then light, and so on until things bloomed. Dear Lord though, I don't want to know how much it hurt to have things bloomed out of your head. But I guess it is worth it.
-The way it all spread and the chaos that brought. First it was just 3 people, but quickly it became more and more. Yay for seeds. I had a laugh at the chaos that happened though.
-Sid! At first he was a bit of a grumpy/strange old man, but I loved how he stood his ground and stayed where he was despite getting into trouble with Valentini who wanted the land. Go Sid, go!
-The story of Agatha. Poor woman. :(
-Bloem, and she will be back in the not so good part as well. At times I quite liked her and how she was discovering there was more to life than rules and being a stuck-up. She was quite brave at times, and I just adored how much she loved her mom and tried to be there for her.
-Bloem's plan at the end, oh my how sneaky!
-The cover!
-The fourth wall breaking at some points in this book. It is one of those things that I just adore when it pops up in books. The MC (or a narrator) talking directly to the reader. Warning them, telling them things, making sure they are on the same page.
Not so good:
-How so many people spelled Bloem's name wrong. Instead of Bloem they used Blom. At times I thought it was a mistake on the author's behalf as it kept happening.
-That Bloem betrayed Neena for a point. What the hell? This is your best friend. And I get you are all drooly and OMG OMG rules, but friendship should trump that all.
-Bloem was quite boring at times. I am glad that eventually she let loose a bit more, but for most of the time... she was a bit stuck-up and OMG rules are life, rules are oxygen. I get that she was doing it for her mom, but I already had a feeling mom just wanted her kid to be happy, but that it wasn't making her happy per se. I won't tell you if my feeling was true or not, you will have to read.
-Why is this guy (Mr. Grittelsnert) a principal? He is just the worst. Setting up kids against each other, caring more about exams and tests instead of happiness.
-Who the hell takes a report on the situation to the school when everyone is having a witchhunt on the whodunnit? I am sorry, but that was just the most stupid thing ever and I don't get why it was added.
-Chrissie. I just don't like bullies, and she was just the worst.
-The witchhunt for the one who had anything to do with the Woekerkop/garden heads. That was just a bit over the top and I was actually thinking how hurtful it was to do all that to an eleven year old. Yes, she unleashed something that wasn't really OK, but to just do all that? No. People were overly rude and hurtful.
While I am happy with what kind of illustrations we got, they really gave the book something extra, I would have liked other illustrations as well.
So as you can see good and not so goods! Normally with such a balanced good/not so good I would have rated it a bit lower (more like a 3 star), but the writing style (and the translation) was just so nice and it just flowed well. I just couldn't stop reading, had to know what would happen to the seeds, and then had to find out how it all would end. It is definitely a book one cannot put down once they start, and that is why I am rating it higher. I would definitely recommend it to all in need for a fun book about magic, friendship, and tons and tons of nature, oh and a couple of baddies to conquer and show them that they were wrong.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
gareth_beniston's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
mekeisha's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
divinehealer14's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
2.75
I think this was a fun middle grade story about being yourself and caring for nature, but as much as I appreciate these messages I couldn’t quite get into the book. The story is quite simple and direct, and slightly idealistic at times, but I would’ve liked more complexity. Maybe it’s because I’m outside the target age. I still think it would be really cool and inspiring for younger children too.
alongreader's review
5.0
What a fabulous read this book is. A lovely story showing how important it is to keep green spaces and to let children be children. I sincerely hope the publishers are planning to add a few little black seeds to this book. (That'll make sense once you read it, I promise.)
A brilliant read. Buy this one for everyone you know.
I received a proof copy in exchange for an honest review.
Mum picked me up five minutes later.
'Good day?' she asked.
'Not bad. You?'
'It was ok,' she said. 'I had a meeting with my boss. I had this great idea for a new range of pizzas, with fresher ingredients. I even suggested a few of my own recipes, things I'd been experimenting with at home.'
'And?'
'Oh, you know, the usual response. She'd think about it. Then she told me to go clean a gunked up tube that was clogged with processed cheese.' Mum stared at the pavement.
'Cool, Mum!' I said, squeezing her hand. 'If she's thinking about it, that's a good thing, isn't it?'
She bit her lip, then gave me a grin. 'Must be,' she said. 'You never know. Oh, and guess what? I found someone who can fix the patio. He's coming tomorrow, with a fresh load of concrete.'
It was just what I needed to hear. Perhaps things could finally get back to normal.
A brilliant read. Buy this one for everyone you know.
I received a proof copy in exchange for an honest review.
Mum picked me up five minutes later.
'Good day?' she asked.
'Not bad. You?'
'It was ok,' she said. 'I had a meeting with my boss. I had this great idea for a new range of pizzas, with fresher ingredients. I even suggested a few of my own recipes, things I'd been experimenting with at home.'
'And?'
'Oh, you know, the usual response. She'd think about it. Then she told me to go clean a gunked up tube that was clogged with processed cheese.' Mum stared at the pavement.
'Cool, Mum!' I said, squeezing her hand. 'If she's thinking about it, that's a good thing, isn't it?'
She bit her lip, then gave me a grin. 'Must be,' she said. 'You never know. Oh, and guess what? I found someone who can fix the patio. He's coming tomorrow, with a fresh load of concrete.'
It was just what I needed to hear. Perhaps things could finally get back to normal.
ohemgeebooks's review against another edition
5.0
This book deserves ALL OF THE STARS!
Pure JOY!
This is the perfect middle grade for Spring. It was humorous and delightful. The plot is blooming bliss and the characters are just so refreshing.
I can’t wait to pass this along to my daughter once she’s able to read it on her own!
Pure JOY!
This is the perfect middle grade for Spring. It was humorous and delightful. The plot is blooming bliss and the characters are just so refreshing.
I can’t wait to pass this along to my daughter once she’s able to read it on her own!
julie_responsibly's review
2.0
There's nothing wrong with this book, but I found it very slow and dark - and then it got too weird for me to stay engaged. I think it's more a matter of taste, though. It's not objectively terrible, and I could easily see someone more into fantasy thinking it was great.
mariethelibrarian's review
5.0
Urgh this book! I loooooved it. We need more books and more stories like this in this concrete world! Also its a supergorgeous layout on this book!