Bonnie Ferrante's Blog, page 88

Second, improved, edition of Rumpelstiltskin’s Child is now available on Amazon. http://amzn.com/1928064124

Second, improved, edition of Rumpelstiltskin’s Child is now available on Amazon. http://amzn.com/1928064124

I love the premise of the story. A little girl who was called a prejudiced by her father, likes to pretend to be a different kind of princess every night. She is fearless and capable. The illustrations were bright and charming, but the quality was inconsistent. The story was a typical pirate adventure but I […]

The story is about Eric, a little boy who resists going to bed. His mother convinces him that if he leaves out cookies and does a special chant, a monster will come and play with him. Eric becomes compliant and gets to play with a monster. In the end, Eric lets it slip that he […]

Alynia Sky, The Beginning and the End (Book 1) by Ben Herr This book was listed as a young adult but I believe it is better suited for children in the middle grades. Although the protagonist is thirteen, in some ways she seems younger but more importantly the story itself and the writing style is […]

The illustrations in this picture book are absolutely wonderful. Weepy, the dragon, is an endearing character. Jones effectively demonstrates the little dragon’s dilemma. The theme is be yourself and find people who appreciate you as you are. The author, Hebert, effectively uses the structure of three to tell Weepy’s story. There are a few spots […]

Juliet’s nurse was engaging from the very first page. The story is told from the point of view of Juliet’s nurse, Angelica, beginning with the rather odd childbirth and subsequent death of her infant girl. Her voice is at times compelling, sensitive, humorous, and profound. She is a character that will stay with you long […]

My first impression was that this would be a cute book from the cartoon illustration of the little boy on the first page. But then I started to read, awkward, broken rhyming and dis-jointed, confusing sentence structure. “For one little boy, this summer was going to be really exciting! He and his whole family were […]

A copy of this novel was given to me in exchange for an honest review. The first few pages I thought I was going to enjoy the High King’s Embalmer. I love paranormal histories and thought this was going to take place in ancient Egypt. However it turned out to be a fantasy that takes […]

Cote’s drawings are cute and straightforward. They are a mixture of double-page spreads and two drawings on a page seemingly done with pastels and watercolor on textured paper. She manages to effectively convey emotion with simple lines. Bob gets a ghost for his birthday but is disappointed. The ghost won’t behave like a dog. Feeling […]