Resolved by Kandi J. Wyatt

 

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

 

This fifth book in the series is awesome. There is no doubt that this author is a master of world building. There is also no doubt that she has created a series that makes you yearn for the next one.  We find Siobhan in charge of the kingdom, as in queen. The Dragon King has not returned.  Mairead their young daughter has grown up learning how to fight, just as her mother did. But now, those who have tried so hard to destroy her kingdom have ramped things up.  Siobhan must put her own life on the line if she is to save her kingdom. A new threat to all, and everyone she holds dear is on her doorstep. We see the tension between the one the Dragon King charged with taking care of Siobhan and Siobhan. You can tell that they love each other, yet she doesn’t know if she should.

I loved her daughter Mairead as she is just as stubborn and forceful as her mother. She trains to fight. She questions her mother about her father. Siobhan has withheld the information from her for many reasons. The excuse she gives is that she will tell her when she is older.

You must read this book to find out what happens next in this wonderful series.  As far as I’m concerned she can’t write them quick enough for me.  

Bouquet of Wisdom: Reflections From the Garden by Deanna Nowadnick

 

Genre: Christian, Devotions
Source: I received a copy from the author to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

This is one of those books you don't just read; you interact with it. Through personal stories that connect with certain types of flowers, she tells us what they symbolize to her. It goes much further than that. She connects it to scripture and the teachings of the Bible. I made so many connections to her stories.  One thing that made this book so special was the three questions she asks at the end of each chapter. The first question is usually in reference to the story she wrote, asking you about a time something similar happened in the reader's life.  The second and third questions usually connect to the message, scripture, and faith.  After reading through this book the first time, I have started reading it again using the questions to journal responses. Through journaling, I have learned so much more about my faith and my personal walk with God. This book also made me think back on times when flowers influenced areas of my life. This is a book that makes us take a look at our lives and our walk with God.  Highly recommended.

Shelve Under C: A Tale of Used Books and Cats by Jenny Kalahar

 

Genre:  Middle Grade, Young Adult, Adult, Realistic Fiction

Source:  I own a copy

This is a wonderful book. I love cats and books and thought, why not.?  Mr. and Mr. O'Malley own and run a used bookstore. They buy and sell used books. With no children of their own they welcome orphaned cats into their bookstore. These aren't just any cat's. They work with the local animal shelter and foster cats where they would have a great chance of interacting with the public and then become adopted. This bookstore has two cats ready for adoption. Stomper who reminded me in personality of Garfield.  He was grumpy, wanted to be left alone and learned how to steal food from the small fridge inn the front room.  Buglit is the most recent addition. She had belonged to an older lady who had passed away. She hated the shelter. When brought to the shelter, she felt a connection to Mrs. O'Malley. Both cats have their own personality.  There are a variety of humans who play a big part in this book as well. You have the man who owns the music store down the street. There is young Kris who loves spending time in the bookstore. His love of books is obvious. It seems to go beyond the normal love of reading. He and Mr. O'Malley become very close. Like Buglit and Stomper he is a foster kid. Read this book to see how the three of them, Stomper, Buglit, and Stomper help each other through the ups and downs of everyday life.

Run Girl Run by Ellen Y. Mueller

 

Genre:  Young Adult, Realistic Fiction

Source: I won a copy from LibraryThing. The opinions expressed here are my own.

 

This is a wonderful yet heart wrenching story. Tracie is a sixteen-year-old girl who wants nothing more than to survive another day without her father beating her.  After escaping her father’s wrath she meets up with her friend. He lets her stay with him. She learns he has some of his own issues. When he suggests they pack up  and he takes her out of state to his mom’s place, she learns just how messed up he is. She has exchanged one bad situation for another. 

This is a story about beating the odds. Tracie learns how much strength she really has and learns she must find a way back home. But, how do you define home? Why is she unable to contact her mom? As I read this emotional roller coaster of a read I kept thinking about students I have had over the years. How many of them were like Tracie and hid it well? Where were the people they knew that could have helped them. I then wondered, how far are most people willing to go to help those they don’t’ know real well? Who are the heroes who will help save a life or turn it around.  Definitely a book I would love to have on my shelves at school if allowed. However, I will definitely recommend it, especially to the counsellors at school to have in their arsenal to help kids.

1 2 3 Ultimate Preschool Math by MamTalk Publishing

 

Genre: Children's Workbook

Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

As a former kindergarten teacher I learned that small kids are like sponges. If you give them the opportunity and guidance they can learn much more than people think they can. By the end of the year my kindergarteners could read an analogue clock. They could read and write small stories. Why? The curriculum we used pushed them. Some of them needed more encouragement or needed to be retaught like everyone does in something. But they all succeeded

That is what this book does. The very first page does this. It shows a blank hedgehog ( one with zero needles) The student draws the needles on it, trace the zeros then trace the word zero, then they practice writing it on their own. Then of course they get to color the animal associated with it. After they have finished tracing, writing and coloring they can count the number of each animal.

Next they are asked to count objects up to ten. A certain number of shapes are placed in boxes and the child must count them and then color the correct number choice. Then they count and write the number under each picture like a graph.  Then there are pictures with different objects. Children color the count scattered objects and write the number in a box that corresponds to the pictures.  They learn to count one more or one less, then match the number to the objects. They learn the concept of before, between and after, inside and outside, right and left.  This is all followed by simple addition and subtraction. Once again they get to practice on basic shapes.  As always upon completion there is a certificate.

These are fun, engaging math concepts that are sure to keep the youngest child busy and actively learning

Large ABC and 123 Learning My First Big Tracing Workbook for Kids by Kidsup Publishing

 

Genre: Children's Workbook

Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

One hundred and eleven pages of tracing fun for the young child. The very first page shows each letter and the numbered directions for writing each letter. Like your typical preschool/kindergarten letter tracing book they use cute animals for each letter. What I loved about this page was they used animals such as an alpaca, a narwhale, a sloth, a vulture and a yak. These are not the same ordinary animals we usually teach  them first. I know with my own grandchildren, if I showed them something they had never hear of before then it was a teaching moment for me.

Kids start off tracing single lines that are horizontal, vertical, slanted, the V-shaped before they ever start tracing letters.  In the beginning each letter takes up one full page.  Then you move onto the next section where you have one animal for the capital letter and one for the lower case letter.  The letters are followed by numbers then shapes that have positive statements attached to them. They even get into a rhombus, trapezoid, pentagon, hexagon and octagon.  As always, when your child finishes this book they get a certificate that you can print out and they can color.

Escape to the Everglades by Edwina Raffa and Annelle Rigsby

 

Genre:  Middle Grades, Upper Elementary, Historical Fiction

Source:  I own a copy.

I have owned this book for a long time. As we neared the end of the school year and I had packed away my books for the year, I found this book. It had been left on one of my bookcases.  I decided to take it home then give it to my grandson to read. I am so glad it was left behind. I loved this book.

Running Boy receives his adult name at the naming ceremony and hopes that will end the bullying by Tiger. He is also eager to join Osceola's group to fight against the injustice being done on the Seminoles and other Native Americans. Tiger doesn't consider him a true Seminole because his mother was Seminole and his father was white. That is why he was given his father's name, Will Cypress.  His uncle agrees he is a man now and can decide on his own to join Osceola. He reminds him to remember who he is. He isn't just a Seminole he is also white. His uncle tells him that things are not always as black and white as we think. 

Will understand these words when he meets a woman and her three sons who help him hide out and point him in the direction of Osceola's camp. The few days he stays with them he learn what it means to be both white and Native American. He learns what his uncle means when he says he belongs to both worlds and he learns to accept who he is as a man and what it means to "do the right thing."

The Watchman's Keep by Alfred M.Struthers

 

Genre: Middle Grade, Young Adult, Mystery

Source:  I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Each book in this series gets better and better. The amount of research that goes into the details in the book are extensive. In this story we find Nathan once again in the thick of things. After the man who had tried to kill him is put in prison, Nathan goes back to his old job of sorting books.  His best friend and side-kick Gina is once again helping him solve a riddle.  Nathan's mentor in all things regarding the bookcase has flown to Europe. He is hot on the trail of Ginette, the sister of Edouard Dampierre who now sits in prison.  Tobe expected she is not there, but in the United States looking for Nathan. One call is all it took to keep Gina and Nathan confined to their house.  Jamieson is sure Ginette is after Nathan and to take over the business her brother was running in the states. Unfortunately for her things are not going to go as planned.

One thing I absolutely love about the books is the massive amount of research that goes into each one. The author has compiled information in the back of the book to help those less acquainted with fine art. I may not have known the artwork of many of them mentioned, but understood what sgrafitto and slump molds were. Both have been used by my husband and myself when we owned a ceramic business and my husband worked with glass.  The complexity of each book increases, which is why I said it is for young adults as well.  The danger level rises, more secrets are unpacked. I look forward to reading the next one in this series, "Tears of the Empress".  To learn more about this author and his wonderful books, check out his website.

Cover Reveal: Resolved

 

Blurb

If you had to lose everything, what day would you choose?

When ten-year-old Mairead asks about her father, Siobhan falters. How can she expose Mairead to the pain and rejection that shattered her world leaving them both with wounds Siobhan can’t find the strength to face? But keeping that loss at bay has also kept her daughter at a distance, and the future queen’s childhood is rapidly slipping away.

As if that wasn’t enough, their kingdom is on the brink of civil war, with discord being sown in its border regions and powerful magic-users threatening their dreams. Amidst the chaos, Siobhan finds that an old friend has become Mairead’s surrogate father—and Siobhan’s closest confidant—but trying to discern between her heart and the best interests of the realm has left her torn. It seems that whatever she chooses will require a courage she doesn’t possess.

With war on the horizon and a second chance at love awaiting her decision, Siobhan seeks peace in the pages of an old journal, but the first dragon king’s words convey a faith in Jeeah that defies anything Siobhan has ever experienced. Can she give up her fear and entrust herself—and her only child—to the one who has seen her this far? Or will the cost be too great to bear?

Resolved is the fifth book in the coming-of-age fantasy series, Four Stars over Ardatz: Sovereigns. If you like action, multi-dimensional clean romance, and addictive stories, you'll love Kandi J Wyatt's book.

Where to purchase Resolved

All outlets

About Kandi

Kandi J Wyatt lives with dragons, most in human form--and some even blow fire! She spends her days providing space for teens to be themselves, inspiring them to be more than meets the eye, and spilling hope into their world. When she's not hanging out with fictional characters, Kandi's chilling with family watching anime or playing games. Her toddler granddaughter keeps her running--often in circles--and full of joy.

Where to Find Kandi

Her website

Her weekly emails of hope

Bookbub

Goodreads

Instagram

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Student Saturday: Alone by Megan E. Freeman

 

 

Student Reviewer:  Alicia M.

Genre:  Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction

     Maddie was a 12-year-old girl. She was normal and had a great relationship with her stepparents and her parents. She adored her siblings. Everything was fine, her routine was the same, her friendships were good. She lived in a town called Millerville.

    Unfortunately, something occurred causing everyone to evacuate. Maddie planned something with her best friends, but they couldn’t go. While Maddie was at her grandparents alone, everyone left without informing her. Maddie was left to take care of herself and thrive through major weather and disasters. In the end of evacuation, Maddie sought shelter at her mother's house and noticed her neighbor’s dog, George, was left behind unattended. She took him with her as a friend and for protection. They went through different obstacles together. At the end, something unexpected came. She finally reached her successful conclusion after 3 years of surviving alone.

    I didn’t expect to like this book a lot because of how thick the booked looks but it’s interesting. I recommend this book to anyone who feels discouraged when they feel alone. This book made me surprised when I read the big events that occurred. I really enjoyed reading this and I will be more than happy to read this again.