Fancy Nancy: Ooh La La! It's Beauty Day - Julie O'Connor & Robin Priess Glasser

Fancy Nancy: Ooh La La! It's Beauty Day
Jane O'Connor (Author)
Robin Priess Glasser (Illustrator)
Harper Collins
Browse Inside
ISBN 9780061915253

The Fancy Nancy Series is very well written and also extraordinarily well illustrated. In this latest installment, Fancy Nancy decides to treat her mother to a day at the spa, because her mother's birthday is the next day, and Nancy wants to give her a makeover for her big date out with daddy. The book has wonderful recipes for both snacks to serve on a spa day, and for items used for the spa treatments. There are also step by step instructions to perform some of the spa treatments that a child and parent could do together. As always this book will help expand your child's vocabulary in a fun and playful way. It will be fun both to read and try out.

Fancy Nancy Picture Books:
Fancy Nancy (2005)
Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy (2007)
Fancy Nancy Loves! Loves!! Loves!!! (2007)
Fancy Nancy: Bonjour, Butterfly (2008)
Fancy Nancy: Let's Get Fancy Together! (2008)
Fancy Nancy's Fashion Parade! (2008)
Fancy Nancy's Favorite Fancy Words: From Accessories to Zany (2008)
Fancy Nancy: Explorer Extraordinaire! (2009)
Fancy Nancy: Tea Parties (2009)
Fancy Nancy: Halloween...or Bust! (2009)
Fancy Nancy: Splendiferous Christmas (2009)
Fancy Nancy: Heart to Heart (2010)
Fancy Nancy's Elegant Easter (2010)
Fancy Nancy: Poet Extraordinaire! (2010)
Fancy Nancy and the Sensational Babysitter (2010)
Fancy Nancy and the Late, Late, LATE Night (2010)
Fancy Nancy Ohh la La! It's Beauty Day (2010)
Fancy Nancy and the Fabulous Fashion Boutique (2010)

Fancy Nancy I Can Read Books Level 1:
Fancy Nancy and the Boy from Paris (2008)
Fancy Nancy Sees Stars (2008)
Fancy Nancy at the Museum (2008)
Fancy Nancy: Poison Ivy Expert (2009)
Fancy Nancy: Pajama Day (2009)
Fancy Nancy: The Show Must Go On (2009)
Fancy Nancy: The Dazzling Book Report (2009)
Fancy Nancy: The 100th Day of School (2009)
Fancy Nancy: Every Day is Earth Day (2010)

The Live-Forever Machine - Kenneth Oppel

The Live-Forever Machine
Kenneth Oppel (blog)
Harper Collins
ISBN 9780006485605

This story is told in a classic science fiction style. It reminds me of early Robert A. Heinlein or Piers Anthony. It is very well written and draws the reader in and captures the imagination; you keep turning the pages wondering what will happen next, and often it is not what you first expected. If it was written in homage to Sci-Fi masters from old it achieved its goal, and if it was just written as a story, it was exceedingly well done.

It is the story of Eric, a fourteen-year-old who is tall and gangly - a bookworm and history buff. He lives across the street from the museum of history and spends time there every day. It started when he was young, as trips with his father, and now is just part of his routine. Each trip he tries to find 5 new facts to memorize. On one such visit he witnesses a confrontation between a museum curator and an intense young man, who smells of smoke, and oil and machines. As the two war, first with words and then ancient weapons, Eric realizes something is off. The curate dropped something in their tussle, and Eric retrieves it; it is a locket painted on wood and dated from 1445 and is a beautiful woman named Gabriella della Signatura. The picture captivates Eric, and though he doesn't want to return it, he does, only to discover that the curator is named Alexander and he has been wagering a war with his young adversary Coyle across centuries and around the globe, going back to when both of them worked at the great library of Alexandra. Eric tells what he is discovering to his friend Chris, and together they end up going on an adventure in the underworld below the city in the tunnels, pipes and shafts to save the history Eric loves, and to retrieve Alexander's Life-Forever machine. Soon they find they are just pawns in a life and death game that has played out across time. Can a bookworm and a jock save their city?

This was a wonderful book, and I know it will become one of my favorites and be read again and again over the years.

Books by Kenneth Oppel:

Half Brother (2010)
The Devil's Cure (2000)
Dead Water Zone (1992)
The Live-Forever Machine (1990)

Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein
This Dark Endeavour (2011)
Such Wicked Intent (2012)

The Silverwing Saga
Silverwing (1997)
Sunwing (1999)
Firewing (2002)
Darkwing (2007)

Airborn Series
Airborn (2004)
Skybreaker (2005)
Starclimber (2008)

Children's Fiction:

The King's Taster (2009)
Peg and the Yeti (2004)
Peg and the Whale (2000)
Emma's Emu (1995)
Galactic Snapshots (1993)
Cosmic Snapshots (1993)
Follow That Star (1992)
Cosimo Cat (1990)
Colin's Fantastic Video Adventure (1985)

Barnes and the Brains
A Bad Case of Ghosts (1993)
A Strange Case of Magic (1994)
A Crazy Case of Robots (1994)
An Incredible Case of Dinosaurs (1994)
A Weird Case of Super-Goo (1997)
A Creepy Case of Vampires (2002)

Stress Family Robinson - Adrian Plass

Stress Family Robinson
Adrian Plass
Harper Collins
ISBN 9780551029446

The Robinsons are supposed to be a normal Christian family - mom, dad, two teenage boys and the youngest, a girl. But they soon have a friend of the family staying with them and the perfect Christian family may not be so perfect. Elizabeth Reynolds, 'Dip' to her friends, comes to stay with them. Mike Robinson is the patriarch, Kathy is really the boss and is the matriarch. Jack is the oldest, Mike Jr. is next and Felicity is the youngest. This is a look at a life inside a Christian family, an honest look at people who struggle in life and in their faith. It is presented with a keen perceptive and a generous dose of humor.

(As a note there is now a second and third volumes in this series.)

Alex O'Donnell and the 40 Cyber Thieves - Regina Doman

Alex O'Donnell and the 40 Cyber Thieves:
A Fairy Tale Retold
Regina Doman
Chesterton Press
ISBN 9780982767702

The more of Regina Doman's writings that I read, the more impressed I am with her as an author and as a storyteller. Her ability to draw the reader into a story and capture their attention is amazing. Her skill at wrapping morality and fairy tales together is incredible. G.K. Chesterton states: "Not only can fairy tales be enjoyed because they are moral but morality can be enjoyed because it puts us in fairy land, in a world at once of wonder and of war." I think if he were alive today he would enjoy these stories for their sense of wonder, morality and the representations of the war between light and darkness, and between good and evil.

This is a modern retelling of the fable of Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves. It is set in and around Washington DC, and in south Virginia. It is the story of Alex O'Donnell and Kateri Kovach, two young Catholics, who are trying to figure out if their relationship has a future. Kateri has just graduated and needs to find a job. Alex needs to finish a few courses to finish his schooling. Kateri is an activist, farm girl, hard-working and early-rising girl. Alex is a modern samurai, a martial arts expert, gamer, computer guru (though not as much as his dad) and very laid back and easy going. Kateri comes to visit and meet the O'Donnells. But the O'Donnells have mysteriously come into some money and are trying to figure out how to take advantage of it, without actually using it. Soon they have bought a motel and enlisted Kateri as the assistant manager. Then they find themselves interviewed by the FBI, and entangled in a conspiracy with 40 Cyber criminals. That is when life really starts getting interesting.The story has generous doses of family life, faith, hope, discernment and computer espionage. The technical aspects of the story are very solid. Regina does a great job of detailing what is done without going into minutia of how it is done. The story starts a little slowly, then it builds the drama and then it races forward. I read the book in two sittings and the second time I picked it up I just could not put it down. This is a great story that almost any reader could enjoy. It is very well written with strong characters and a brief appearance of some characters from her other books. The pace is good, and the research impeccable.

Book by Regina Doman:
Fairy Tales Retold:
Snow White and Rose Red (1997)
Shadow Of The Bear (2002)
Black As Night (2004)
Waking Rose (2007)
Midnight Dancers (2008)
Alex O'Donnell and the 40 Cyber Thieves (2010)
Rapunzel Let Down (2013)

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Other Books:
The Story of Job

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Graphic Novels:
Habemus Papam! Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Francis: I Believe in Mercy

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Contributed to:
Catholic Philosopher Chick Makes Her Debut
Catholic Philosopher Chick Comes on Strong
The Mystery of Harry Potter: A Catholic Family Guide
The Chestertons and the Golden Key

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Picture Books:
Angels in the Water (2004)
Fairy Tale Novel Paper Dolls (2009)

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NonFiction:
Our Fairy Tale Romance - Andrew Schmiedicke (2009)

Stations of the Cross for Kids

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Author Profile Interview with Regina Doman

Hello, Vicar! - Fred Secombe

Hello, Vicar!
Fred Secombe
Fount an imprint of
Harper Collins
ISBN 9780006278535

Also in
Chronicles of a Vicar
ISBN 9780006281351

Fred and Eleanor have been married three months. Fred is the newly-appointed Vicar of Pontywen. Fred believes that becoming the Vicar, will make life a little easier. That is not the case. The follies and foibles of Fred's term as a Curate continue and now he must manage his own Curates. Eleanor becomes known as The Vicar's wife and Fred as the Doctor's husband. And Life in Pontywen is as humourous as ever. This is a hilarious book and is worth picking up, either as the single volume or as the 3-in-one collection along with A Comedy of Clerical Errors and The Crowning Glory.

Let It Fall - Maryann Cocca-Leffler

Let It Fall
Maryann Cocca-Leffler
Scholastic
ISBN 9780545208796

This book is wonderfully written and is whimsically illustrated. With the text rolling and weaving through the pages they are fully illustrated, in what appears to be a bight water color style. The story follows a family through the fall season, as they help with a harvest, then attend a fair, spend time outside together enjoying life, nature and each other. My daughter loved it immediately and wanted to do some of the stuff in the story.

The Golden City - John Twelve Hawks - Book 3 The Fourth Realm Trilogy

The Golden City
Book 3 The Fourth Realm Trilogy
John Twelve Hawks
Doubleday an imprint of
Random House
ISBN 9780385514309

Though this book was much anticipated it took me 8 months to read it. Now to be honest I read it in three sittings. The reason it took so long is that when the first book, The Traveler came out 5 years ago, it was one of the best fiction books I had read in more than ten years. Once I started the book, I realized the series would end, I have heard nothing about more books by John XII Hawks, so I did not want the story to end. Then when I sat down and started it again I raced through to the finish. I plan on reading the whole series again soon.

No one really knows who John Twelve Hawks is, his interviews use a voice modulator, he supposedly has never met with his publisher, and only communicates electronically or through a satellite phone. That mystery was intriguing when the first book came out, and rumors have abounded about who he might be. But I do not think that really matters, he writes under a pen name and wants to keep his privacy. What matters is that he is an excellent story teller and has crafted an excellent dystopian trilogy. If you have not read the first books, I highly recommend them.

A battle rages between two brothers Michael and Gabriel Corrigan, but also between two groups, the Brethern who want to control every person on the planet and will use almost any means to achieve that control, and a resistance movement lead my Gabriel Corrigan, a traveler who can leave this plane of existence and travel to other realms, and his Harlequin guardians. The Harlequins have protected the Travelers for generations. Historically the Harlequins stayed out the of Travelers plans and only protected them from the Breathern who want to hunt them down and kill them. Now Michael Corrigan has usurped control of the Breathern and wants to control the whole world and use his power as a Traveler to plan and achieve that control. Gabriel and an interconnected groups of different people do not want to allow that to happen.

The world is being turned upside down, governments are using fear to control people and systematically strip their freedom. There is a vast machine of security camera's, email sniffing programs, facial recognition … growing in our world, and there are dark forces behind the scenes pulling all those resources together into an electronic prison for each of us.

Michael and Gabriel have both experienced the other realms but both come back with a different vision for mankind. Who will win this battle for mankinds hearts and minds.

The story has a fast pace, and a number of surprising twists in the series storyline. It also leave the ending open to a continuation and a few interpretations. One of the best things about the series is that it will cause readers to ask questions! Questions about what really matters in life, how intentional they are about how they live, about freedom and purpose in life. It is a great book and I can only hope for more from the author.

Fourth Reams Trilogy:
The Traveler
The Dark River
The Golden City

(First Published in Imprint 2010-07-30.)