This book is everything I love in a fantasy novel! It had the fascinating magic system, the heart-pounding action scenes, and the sheer joy of living in another world for all-too-short a time.
But it also had a main character I cried for and a romance that gripped my heart with its simple beauty. Plus a charming narrator that was just pure fun to experience.
This is not just my favorite read of the year—it’s my favorite read in a long, long time.
This book hurt my heart in the best of ways. It tackles very difficult issues that teenagers face every day—depression, broken families, social pressures, and even suicide.
Despite that, it was not bleak; it was hopeful. It lifted my heart and made me grateful I spent the day with these fictional characters so that maybe, just maybe, I can help real people in my life.
Journal entry: Heading to school. I know what everyone will say. There goes the girl who tried to kill herself.
Addison is no stranger to feeling stressed, insecure, and sad. Her therapist recommended she keep a journal to help her understand those feelings better, which she really needs today. It’s her first day back to school, several weeks after she survived her suicide attempt. She knows there are rumors about why she did it: A lousy home life? Bullying? Heartbreak? None of them are true, but it doesn’t matter because Addison still feels…
Okay, that’s certainly not all this book had going for it, but my heart, those descriptions. This book sucked me in and did not let go.
With all the fae creatures, haunting folklore, and monster slaying, it was spookier than I expected and made for a perfect Halloween read—also, Jack might just be my new favorite book boyfriend.
Faeries. Knights. Princes. True love. Think you know how the story goes? Think again ... From the New York Times bestselling author of The Spiderwick Chronicles comes a dark, dangerous and utterly beautiful faerie tale, guaranteed to steal your heart.
Hazel lives with her brother, Ben, in the strange town of Fairfold where humans and fae exist side by side. The faeries' seemingly harmless magic attracts tourists, but Hazel knows how dangerous they can be, and she knows how to stop them. Or she did, once.
In the forest of Fairfold, lies a glass casket. Inside the casket lies a…
When Beauty catches the attention of the lord baron’s heir, she is swept away by his charm, his wit, and his passionate declarations of love. But she doesn’t see the truth of Stephan’s intentions until it is too late.
She locks away the secret of Stephan’s abuse, and when her father emerges from the enchanted forest with a stolen rose in his hand and the tale of a vicious beast on his breath, Beauty seizes the chance to run as far from her trauma as possible.
She has some experience with beasts, after all. Certainly the one in the forest couldn’t be any worse than the one she’s already encountered. And breaking Beast’s curse might just give her the courage to feel reborn.
He loves pointing at each different vehicle and repeating the names.
This book is often called the “trash car book” in our house when searching for bedtime stories because it has his very favorite garbage truck illustration; he’s nearly worn that page out by turning to it. The descriptions for each vehicle are short and clever, which makes it very fun to read (and Mom didn’t know half these trucks, so it’s informative for me too!).
“Rising above the usual singsong name-checking, Vestergaard celebrates not only the jobs these machines perform but also their marvelous mechanics.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Sixteen boisterous, rhyming poems—each one highlighting the job and personality of a different vehicle, from a backhoe to an ambulance to a snowplow—introduce young children to their favorite trucks face-to-face. Cheerful illustrations show each one in action, digging (or dozing, or dumping) away. Each truck and big machine in these enticing rhyming poems is different, and little readers are invited to find a vehicle that’s like them.
