Kersten HamiltonReseñas

reviewed

Never underestimate a goat, especially a tuggoat who is determined to accomplish its goals and knows how to have fun along the way.

Cordelia loves to gaze at the tugboats in the bay at the foot of the grassy hill. She dreams of being a tuggoat and decides it's time to give it a try. When she runs across a tire with a rope attached, she finally has her chance to show what she can do. Tugging her best friend around the barnyard is so much more fun than she ever expected, but the other goat won't just let her be and constantly criticizes her every effort. Still, Cordelia isn't about to give up her dream.

Giggles and smiles are sure to come during this cute tale. Cordelia is such a fun goat, which becomes clear with even the very first scene. She's sitting straight up on a hill right next to her best friend, a small pig, as they watch the boats in the bay below, while the other goats behave like normal goats around her. This tight balance on the border between realistic and fantasy holds throughout the read and gives it an interesting atmosphere. But then, the entire read doesn't head quite where a person might think, and the reactions from other characters even surprise...in a good way.

The story flows well and holds quite a bit of humor. Cordelia is an active goat, and her pig friend is ready to join right in. This fun slams against the more serious goats to work in a dual message surrounding the importance of helping others as well as the golden lining life holds, when we don't take everything overly seriously. If this read felt like it was heading into a serious message direction toward the end, the author quickly shifts gears to make sure the fun holds strong.

It's a lovely read for story times and I think readers might even hope to see this goat again in future reads. I received an ARC and enjoyed this tale even more than I thought I would.

Not quite what I was expecting but still an excellent book.

First sentence: It's cleanup day in Tumberton. There's lots of hard work to be done. "Call in Orange Excavator!" Boom swings, bucket bites, gobbling all the trash in sight.

Premise/plot: Spend the day with Orange Excavator (and his human operator) doing multiple tasks in the city.

My thoughts: I wanted to like this one more than I actually did. Orange Excavator has a face--clearly--and a human operator. The book's narrator solely addresses Orange Excavator--as a person--and not the human operator. That was a little odd, for me. Do I think little ones--toddlers, the target audience--will be equally bothered by that??? Probably not. (Some may. But probably not).

This Is the Ocean follows the cycle of rainfall. The story begins with the ocean mist that rises to the sky, to the clouds that drop rain to the earth, and the water that eventually flows back to the sea. I found this book very interesting and it was a new way to learn about the water cycle. Growing up, I always learned about the cycle of rainfall through a cloud. I think this book does a great job explaining where the water goes during each part of the cycle . I enjoyed the engaging illustrations from Lorraine Siomades. I felt like I was under water with the sea creatures. I would like to use this book with my kindergarten class to help explain the water cycle.

I fell in love with Tyger, Tyger (review here) back when I first started this blog. Kersten Hamilton approached me to review her book and I was swept away into a world that I really really didn't want to come back from.

Time went by, and I patiently waited to hear news about the second book so I could have more Teagan, Finn and Aiden in my life. Imagine my excitement when I opened a mysterious package, only to find that In the Forests of the Night was sent to me to review! I won't lie, I did a happy dance. Then I sat down, opened the book, and was swept away once again. Even after all that waiting, it was worth it.

All the characters are back in this second book. Aiden's big heart shines through even more than it did before. Abby's opinionated self is back, along with her mafia-esque siblings. Finn, the self named sexy beast, is back and even sexier than ever! Finally, and of course my favorite, Teagan is the star of this book and in all honesty it made me love her even more. See, Teagan has a tough decision to make. Honor her blood and become the killing machine that she is bred to be. Or fight instinct and do what she thinks is right? That is...if there is a "right". Teagan came alive to me in a big way during my read of this book.

In fact, all the characters really come to life so much more in this installment. There is a lot more time spent in the "real world" than in Tyger, Tyger. This allows the reader to get to know every character on a much deeper level. What I loved most is that Kersten Hamilton places all of them under one roof in this book. Yup, every single one! Their interactions range between completely random, to utterly sarcastic, down to beautifully sweet. Getting to see them as a family really struck me right in the heart. I loved it! After this, I'm not sure I have the willpower to wait for the next book. I am totally committed to these characters.

Lest you think that the book is all sarcastic comments and sunshine interactions, let me set you straight. There is action packed into In the Forests of the Night as well. Besides Teagan's inner battle, there is a goblin war brewing, and each character is trying to find their place. Darkness is coming, it's just not quite there yet. Under the surface is the tension filled relationship (or non-relationship) between Teagan and Finn. Then ever further under the surface is so much more. This is a deep book, and I adored it for that. The more you read, the more you see. It's fantastic.

Reading this story, as odd as it may sound, put a big smile on my face. Yes, I was frustrated as all get out when I got to the end and realized that there is a cliffhanger. Then again, what more could I expect? All I know is that I want more Teagan, more Finn, more goblins, and lots more from Kersten Hamilton. Her books fill the void of fantasy with a purpose. I'm hooked and I think, if you give these books a chance, you will be too.

*Any political comments will be deleted immediately.*

‘’Magic flows through Epoch, New Mexico. It seeps from the bones of Puerta de la Luna, a village that was hundreds of years old before the United States invaded Mexico and took this territory for its own.’’

Puerta de la Luna...an imaginary place born from the culture of the towns and the natural environment of New Mexico. Glorieta has a sad duty as the mystical Días de los Muertos approach. She has decided to bury her mother’s ashes and give her peace after her tragic death three years ago. The young girl, born of an American father and a Mexican mother, represents the best parts of both cultures, her ancestry is a beacon that leads her to connect with the nature and the people around her. Hamilton creates a beautiful character and a book that is ideal for the approaching celebrations of October, in a world that seems to have lost all sense of equality and tolerance.

‘’What if my skeleton comes out while I’m asleep? What if it walks around in the dark?’’

Hamilton succeeds in creating a novel that is equally tender and dark, in a colourful background of mystical tradition and an extremely harsh reality, set within the period of the Días de los Muertos, one of the most famous and fascinating world celebrations, when the dead souls visit their relatives. The butterflies that grace the beautiful front cover of the book depict this belief. The traditions of the Espinosa family, the guardian angels, the talisman that will lead you to Heaven, the sins and confessions, the warmth and bonding of a family that is hard and persistent, almost cruel at times. All aspects of the centuries-old, rich Mexican tradition.

Magdalena’s death has cast a heavy shadow over the entire community. Hamilton makes a special reference to depression and the misconceptions associated with it. The oldest woman of the family cannot comprehend it and goes on talking about ‘’unforgivable sins’’ and ‘’the fires of Hell’’. The knowledge of psychological conditions is hard to be attained when unemployment and uncertainty rule. When danger coming from lack of reason lives among the citizens. The sensitive issues of immigration and blind persecution are discreetly but effectively touched. Racism is also a central theme. The minority of the ‘’faithful Christians’’ of certain parts in the Southern states hate every tradition that isn’t ‘’theirs’’, the epitome of new racism, the ones who act like the best representatives of fascism and the evil notion of white supremacy. However, don’t come into this book thinking that it is an endless gloom and doom. Far from it. There are so many beautiful moments, full of warmth and togetherness. I loved the description of the custom of the blessing of animals in the day commemorating Saint Francis of Assisi, a Catholic tradition still held in many parts of Italy and Spain. I adored the references to the one and only Frank Sinatra.

The characters are excellently drawn. You’ll love or hate them but you’ll be equally interested in all of them. Glorieta is such a gem! Determined, braved, kind, intelligent. Angus is such a cute, gentle soul. Francis is a beautiful character. A brave man of principles and with a firm sense of justice and equality. A man who wants to fight a regime that punishes acts of mercy towards children and helpless women. To stand up to a state that says ‘’our children are better than your children.’’ Now, Glorieta’s father is the exact opposite. A rather weak person that didn’t lose time to remarry after his wife’s tragic death. He is one of those who refuse to face the problem using the same old excuse of ‘’but I am only one person!’’ Yeah, mate, if more people thought like that, we would still hanging people. Lilith is the typical spoiled teenager. It is easy to hate her very soul but in truth, she is a troubled, wounded child full of bitterness because of the way she has been brought up.

This is a beautiful novel, direct and honest, at times painful and terrifying. Will it be too difficult for teenagers? Perhaps, it doesn’t matter. Difficult suits them. Children should be taught acceptance, tolerance, togetherness. Literature is there to help them because their parents are often elsewhere occupied...My profession has taught me this over the years and it is a sad realization but one that applies to a significant minority. How can the world survive the cruelty of children being taken away because of racist, fundamentalist laws? No excuse of so-called security can justify this. Yeah, sure, I mean, let us create the concentration camps of the 21st century...Fortunately, History will remember the so-called ‘’leader’’ of today as she remembers Hitler and Stalin. The question is what happens until then? What happens now? I am sure the quote below encloses the very essence of the problem...

‘’Their lives don’t matter to people who haven’t listened to their stories.’’

Many thanks to Skyhorse Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com

This was a very cute book that took the readers through the water cycle. I loved that the book rhymed. This book has brightly colored illustration throughout the book.. This author does an amazing job explaining the water cycle. I also liked how in the back of the book they had more explanation to certain words and how they are involved in the water cycle.

Hamilton did a fantastic job at describing the water cycle through the way animals and humans interact with the environment. The simplistic writing style she used allow the reader to enjoy the illustrations and soak up the beauty of nature. One of the biggest science lessons this book can teach children is the differences between oceans, rivers, and streams. Children might get confused on the three different bodies of water. Hamilton does an excellent job and portraying the similarities and differences of the bodies of water while all tying them back into the ocean and making the connection with the water cycle.

I really loved this book! I liked the blending of myth and legend with which I am familiar to new elements, either from the author's own imagining or that I wasn't already familiar with. The characters were pretty well fleshed out for being a YA novel, and most of the time the plot was decently paced. The actual ACTION bits of the plot seemed somewhat rushed, but were interesting. I finished the book and immediately went looking for the sequel, which I think says a lot about a book. A fun read!

I may have liked this second book in the Goblin Wars series better than the first.
Really looking forward to reading the third book!!

The different things a police officer has to do throughout their day.
Ages: 3-5
Source: In class presentation

When Teagan Wylltson's best friend Abby begins to have nightmares involving goblins, Abby shares the dreams with Teagan claiming that they are searching for Teagan. Abby's dreams get worse when Finn MacCumhaill comes to live with Teagan's family. Finn is a Traveler - an Irish gypsy - who has come with a secret mission of his own.

When Teagan's mother dies and her father goes missing, mysterious shadows begin to hunt Teagan and her brother, Aiden. Now, Abby, Tegan, Aiden and Finn must evade the goblins and search for their father in Mag Mell - the sidhe underworld. I really enjoyed this story even though it took me a long while to read it. I give the book an A+!

I enjoyed this one! It provided a really nice blend of Irish mythology and contemporary eras to provide a really great adventure story. I myself didn’t know anything about Irish Travellers so it was a good lesson for me to learn from as well.

Not sure what I can say about the romance aspect in the book. Don’t get me wrong, I love Teagan, Abby, Aiden and Finn. Their characters are fun to read and I loved to comedy aspect that was prevalent throughout the book. However I just couldn’t feel the chemistry they supposedly had. I know there’s other books to follow after this one, so maybe I’ll be able to see the chemistry then.

One other thing I have to say is, a glossary of the Irish terms would have been helpful. Sometimes it’s hard to keep track of every term you came across during the novel. Also a pronunciation guide would have been helpful here too. (We all know Irish terms aren’t read like they look)

However, I loved every aspect of this book. The comedy was great, the adventure/questing part was great to read (anyone felt disgusted as I did about the toe part? Omg lol) greatly recommended and I will be picking up the other two novels after this one.

Blue boat gets a call to help a boat stuck in the storm surge and saves the day
6 books

Red truck gets a call to help a school bus stuck in the snow and saves the day
6 books

Yellow copter gets a call to help someone stuck on the ferris wheel and saves the day
6 books

First you hear the siren, then you see the lights. Soon, a red blur zooms by— it’s a truck of firefighters to the rescue! From practical jokes in the firehouse to legendary bravery, every detail of a firefighter’s life is fascinating. This picture book’s simple rousing text and playful illustrations allow even the youngest firefighter fans to follow their heroes through an ordinary day of cooking, laughing, putting out a fire and rescuing a beloved pet.

The illustrations in this book are so colorful and bright. The story is told using onemonepnoeia. The noises for the helicopter taking off were, "flup flup flup." The teacher being saved said, "Wheeeee!" The main idea of the book was that helicopters are the perfect flight unit for steady air jobs. I recommend using this book for preschoolers or kindergarteners.

This book is a great one to use in a unit about community helpers or specifically firefighters. It has beaitiful illustrations, and though fictonal, is informtional and provides great facts about firfighters responsilities and daily lives.

A yellow rescue helicopter is the hero of the day when a teacher is stuck at the top of a Ferris wheel.½

This is a board book adaptation of a 2015 picture book.

When a teacher gets stuck at the top of a ferris wheel, yellow copter comes to the rescue. The story is sprinkled with a few simple vocabulary words, "tail boom" and "rotors" and some fun helicopter sounds. The simple rhyming text is just right for toddlers and preschoolers. The digital illustrations are minimal and have plenty of color, albeit in soft pastels. Yellow copter is a soft yellow against a blue background with red highlights, while more colors burst out in the fair and other scenery.

The board book is a sturdy 6x5 rectangle and has standard chunky pages and tough binding.

Verdict: Toddlers who are into transportation will happily cuddle up for this simple story. If you're looking to expand your transportation or board book sections, this is a good choice.

ISBN: 9781101997963; Published 2016 by Viking; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library

"4 out of 5 stars!! After waiting for this book for a while ... and reading the book's description again and again ... I wasn't sure I was going to like this book ... however, as soon as I started reading it..."

Check out my review and a TEASER here: http://frommetoyouvideophoto.blogspot.com/2010/08/feasted-on-goblin-wars-book-bo...

3.5 Stars

Hope this is the beginning of a series!