Earwig and the Witch by Diana Wynne Jones

4 stars A remarkable tale of an orphaned girl who winds up in the care of two rather strange individuals. Diana Wynne Jones’ writing is wonderful. She creates such amazing worlds, which I love visiting. This book is home to a cast of odd characters from the reluctant familiar, Thomas, to the easy-to-anger mandrake, and…

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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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Amulet Book 4: The Last Council (Amulet #4) by Kazu Kibuishi

5 stars A captivating series featuring dynamic characters, mysterious conspiracies, and gorgeous scenery. As with the previous books, the artwork in this one is absolutely stunning. I am always blown away with the details of the art. Whether its fight scenes, deep conversations, or scenery shots, each panel is so well done. It is a…

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Rise of the Jumbies (The Jumbies #2) by Tracey Baptiste

3 stars A good follow up to the first book. This one starts off right where the last one ended. I was glad to see new characters and situations in this one. It is a completely new adventure while continuing elements and themes found in the previous book. While there are some explanations of what…

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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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Aquicorn Cove by Kay O’Neill

5 stars While I am waiting (not so patiently) for the release of Tea Dragon Festival, I have started reading the rest of the books Kay O’Neill has worked on, because I absolutely love their ideas and artwork. This one is one of my favorites. A) It is gorgeous. The artwork is simply amazing.  B) Wonderful…

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