FernGully by Diana Young

4 stars I watching the movie over and over again as a child. It has been years since I last watched it, but from what I remember, the plot and dialogue of the book closely follow that of the movie. Lovely world-building. Some parts felt a bit rushed, but overall I enjoyed the level of…

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The Prince and the Troll (Faraway #1) by Rainbow Rowell

4 stars My favorite in the series so far (I’ve read them hopelessly out of order). This little story is odd and strange, but in the charming way that Rowell does so well. I think Amazon kind of missed in trying to brand this as a series of fairytale retellings. None of the ones I’ve…

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The Jumbies (The Jumbies #1) by Tracey Baptiste

4 stars An interesting read filled with magic, adventure, and elements of Haitian folklore. As Baptiste points out in her Author’s note, in comparison to European fairy tales, there are not a lot of Haitian folklore and jumbie fairy tales in mainstream literature. It’s great to see this series start to fill that gap. The…

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Poetree by Shauna LaVoy Reynolds

Illustrated by Shahrzad Maydani 4 stars A lovely story about making new friends and sharing a love of poetry. This is a gorgeous book. The illustrations are calm and soothing, the narration is splendid, and the story itself is heartwarming. I especially loved all the little callouts to famous poets. A delightful way to learn…

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Iggy Peck, Architect (Questioneers #1) by Andrea Beaty

Illustrated by David Roberts 4 stars Fun blend of humor, whimsy, and problem solving. I really enjoyed the rhythmic narration and smooth rhyme scheme. Nice examples of ingenuity, creative problem solving, and doing what you love. Also has nice messages about not putting down other’s interests because of your own opinions and being open to…

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