Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Rise and Shine Little Child by Leigh Ann Hrutkay
This book is a cute and wonderful book to read to children. It follows a child and his mother as they experience a snow day. Though it is about a snow day, it is fun to read all year round. It's rhyming sentences and wonderful illustrations make it a real treat that should be on any child's bookshelf! What's more, the way the narrator speaks to the child conveys a parent's love for his/her child. The things that the mother does with her son are things that almost every parent will remember doing with their child. Whether a child, a parent, or just someone looking for a quick, heartwarming read, this book is a great choice.
Sherlock Holmes and the Heir of Albion by Ronan Coghlan
The books starts out with a reporter, Hector Wace, being hand-picked by Holmes to conduct an interview of the famous detective. Wace soon finds out that Holmes actually wants the reporter's help on a case. Moriarty (who survived from Reichenbach by falling on a goat) is the client. Moriarty has obtained a full pardon by promising to care for an infant. The professor wishes for Holmes to discover the origins of the child and take him back to his parents as soon as possible. Together, Holmes, Wace, and Gyratt (Holmes' friend. Watson is away on vacation) must unravel the mystery of this mysterious baby.
This book is so-so and, while it is not a complete waste of time, I would try checking it out of the library rather than spend money on it (if I could go back in time). I cannot find any mention of whether the author intended this to be comical or serious. If he did intend for this to be comical then he succeeded, but added enough seriousness in it to make the reader wonder what his intentions in writing it were. For examples:the Giant Rat of Sumatra is revealed to be a human/rat hybrid that talks and dresses as a human (Gyratt= Giant Rat). Moriarty is a petulant old man, who seems to lack the wits to be the "Napoleon of Crime". Watson's first wife died by falling into the bear pit at the zoo and one spectator remarked that one bear wasn't getting as much of Mary as the other bears.
As well as the book's plot line being slightly ridiculous, the book also has several typos and more than a few sentences that are awkwardly phrased. One example of the latter is, "Had it not been for your father's quick thinking by emptying the rock that was supposed to produce water when struck all over me, I might not be in this chair today"(Coghlan 155- Holmes to Wace). This could be more accurately worded as, "Had it not been for your father emptying upon me the rock that was supposed to produce water when struck, I might not be in this chair today." or "If your father hadn't put out the fire with water from the rock(that was supposed to produce water when struck), I'd be dead.".
If one is looking for something to laugh at, while this will not leave one gasping for air, it will give one more than a few chuckles. However, be prepared for numerous grammatical/spelling/structural errors. If one is looking for something Doyleish or is unable to look past said errors, look further
This book is so-so and, while it is not a complete waste of time, I would try checking it out of the library rather than spend money on it (if I could go back in time). I cannot find any mention of whether the author intended this to be comical or serious. If he did intend for this to be comical then he succeeded, but added enough seriousness in it to make the reader wonder what his intentions in writing it were. For examples:the Giant Rat of Sumatra is revealed to be a human/rat hybrid that talks and dresses as a human (Gyratt= Giant Rat). Moriarty is a petulant old man, who seems to lack the wits to be the "Napoleon of Crime". Watson's first wife died by falling into the bear pit at the zoo and one spectator remarked that one bear wasn't getting as much of Mary as the other bears.
As well as the book's plot line being slightly ridiculous, the book also has several typos and more than a few sentences that are awkwardly phrased. One example of the latter is, "Had it not been for your father's quick thinking by emptying the rock that was supposed to produce water when struck all over me, I might not be in this chair today"(Coghlan 155- Holmes to Wace). This could be more accurately worded as, "Had it not been for your father emptying upon me the rock that was supposed to produce water when struck, I might not be in this chair today." or "If your father hadn't put out the fire with water from the rock(that was supposed to produce water when struck), I'd be dead.".
If one is looking for something to laugh at, while this will not leave one gasping for air, it will give one more than a few chuckles. However, be prepared for numerous grammatical/spelling/structural errors. If one is looking for something Doyleish or is unable to look past said errors, look further
100 Cupboards by Nathan D. Wilson
In this book, Henry York is sent to live with his Aunt, Uncle, and cousins, after his overprotective, yet distant, parents are kidnapped. Once there, he finds that not every one lives the way that he has been raised. For example, some people play sports without wearing helmets! Other kids are allowed to drink soda! And many children are raised by their families, not nannies. However, these delights are nothing compared to the mystery of the house Henry now lives in. In the house, there is a door that won't open, even for a chain saw, and one wall that contains numerous cupboards, all of which have been plastered over. As he and his cousin, Henrietta, peel the paint off the cupboards, they realize that some of these cupboards lead to strange and possibly dangerous places.
This book is a great one to start a series with. It's one of those things that sounds like it has been done before but, when one reads it, the author has put an interesting twist on things. The characters seem like real people and each has his or her own quirks. One can imagine meeting this family in real life. The only thing that prevents me from giving it a five star review is that it leaves too many questions unanswered. i know that the first book in a series often raises more questions than answers, but this does so to a degree that it gets to be a bit confusing.
I look forward to the next book and hope that it answers some of these questions. However, I have to give this book a four out of five.
This book is a great one to start a series with. It's one of those things that sounds like it has been done before but, when one reads it, the author has put an interesting twist on things. The characters seem like real people and each has his or her own quirks. One can imagine meeting this family in real life. The only thing that prevents me from giving it a five star review is that it leaves too many questions unanswered. i know that the first book in a series often raises more questions than answers, but this does so to a degree that it gets to be a bit confusing.
I look forward to the next book and hope that it answers some of these questions. However, I have to give this book a four out of five.
About the Book Review Corner Spot
Like many people, I love to read. I also love it when people share what they think about the books they read, letting other people know what good books are out there. The Book Review Corner Spot is a blog that's dedicated to posting reviews for books so that all the readers out there can get an idea of what book they should look at next.
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