kathyellendavis's reviews
74 reviews

Teddy Vs. the Slimy Evil by Braden Hallett

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

Another great Teddy read, this one featuring more of his family, the friends we have grown to love, more monsters, the hamsters, and a rad comic book store owner. Awesome illustrations throughout, Teddy coming into his bravery, some really weird and spooky stuff, cousin and friend dynamics, and more. It's weird and mysterious and gross and cool and I think so many readers would love it!

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

A concise short read about the choices we make and the differences we can make. I appreciate that the main character  reflected so much on his life and wasn't going to look the other way like so many others did. The detail in the book really brings everything to life...you feel like you're there. This books feels ordinary and extraordinary at the same time, and is very accessible.

The Change by Kirsten Miller

adventurous dark hopeful informative mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

A lot of friends read this and enjoyed it before I read it, and I can see why. An excellent story of kick ass women using their power to do good. I wasn't surprised by much of the book, and that didn't matter. The pace picked up in the latter half. Did it feel like a bit of fan fiction to anyone else? Simply because I wish the team of three in the book really existed. 

A Monk's Guide to a Clean House and Mind by Shoukei Matsumoto

informative inspiring reflective relaxing medium-paced

It's always interesting to read about how other people tackle chores and cleaning. I found a few nuggets in here that I appreciated, though it was more of a memoir type read since my life if very different from the life of a monk. I wasn't a big fan of the idea that if your space is a mess you are too or your heart is too; I think that doesn't take into account any issues people may have with cleaning and/or executive function. Overall it was interesting to read. Likely don't change my mind too much about cleaning and chores though. 

Get Outer My Space! (the Cosmic Adventures of Astrid and Stella Book #3 (a Hello!Lucky Book)): A Hello!Lucky Book by Sabrina Moyle

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

My oldest brought this to me and it was such a delight! Love these two space animals and their helpful robot friend. Their ship is called the Friend Ship, which is basically all you need to know. In the three chapters of this book our heroes encounter the importance of kindness, fairness, and setting clear expectations; tools for getting to sleep and overcoming bad dreams; and how to notice when someone might need a little space, plus how to communicate that you do. I know those topics might make it sound like these are heavy handed stories, but they are super fun. The illustrations are really colorful and there tons of puns and funny situation situations throughout. My daughter has read the first two and I just downloaded them to my phone to read tonight because I wanna spend more time in this world.

Mouse Scouts: Make a Difference by Sarah Dillard

hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

This is a sweet fun book about friendship, sharing ideas, working together, looking out for each other, and being creative about ways to make a difference. A fun story that moved right along with chapters from the Mouse Scouts handbook that were super informative: crafts and ideas of things to do included. We want to check out more of the series for sure. 

See the Dog: Three Stories about a Cat by Mike Wohnoutka, David LaRochelle

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

Another great one in this series; Cat has such a funny and clever personality! The three stories are funny and the com conversations between Cat and the book are great. We loved the ending! 

See the Cat: Three Stories about a Dog by David Larochelle

funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

This is a super fun early reader where the book and the character are in conversation, and it's pretty funny! I was surprised at how much we enjoyed this book! Three short stories are the perfect amount to get to know the character of Dog. 

The Secret Garden on 81st Street: A Modern Retelling of the Secret Garden by Ivy Noelle Weir

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

Loved this modern retelling of The Secret Garden. The warm illustrations draw you right in. The kids are such great characters, and the garden is lovely and you can learn a lot about plants by reading. Love that we see representation of interracial marriage and gay marriage in this version too. Colin's anxiety is explained really well and the empathy and understanding the characters have for him will help readers feel the same about people in their world. Managing grief is modeled in a few different ways too. A great read.

Batter Royale by Leisl Adams

adventurous funny hopeful informative lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

A lovely graphic novel perfect for fans of The Great British Bake-off! Rose (Rosemary) loves baking, and is excited to get into a top notch culinary school. It's expensive though, so when she gets the chance to compete for half a million dollars on a reality baking show, she does it, with her best friend from childhood, Fred. The competition is fun and fast paced, there's a cozy romance, and there are recipes for everything too. I really enjoyed this warm hug of a book!