A Net in Time

Curriculum and book reviews, faith, homeschooling and more!

Reviews

Children of Anguish and Anarchy

By Leave a Comment

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product Children of Anguish and Anarchy through Raincoast Books. Affiliate Links will be used, thank you for your support of my blog, costs you nothing to do so, and it is so much appreciated. 🙂

Sometimes you read a book that is part of a series and you enjoyed the book but keep thinking, man, should have read this series in order.   THAT is how I feel about Children of Anguish and Anarchy.  Good story, but reading this series out of order didn’t work for me.  I keep thinking, I’m missing something here, there is stuff I don’t quite understand. DO NOT misunderstand me… It’s worth the read.  Sacrifice, determination, a fair amount of grit, mistakes and misunderstandings, and so much concern for each other.  It’s a good team. With a real enemy you can dislike intensely.  All these things make a story work.  This story works, I just wanted to know more.  🙂 

Children of anguish and anarchy by Tomi Adeyemi

General Info for Children of Anguish and Anarchy

Title: Children of Anguish and Anarchy
Author: Tomi Adeyemi
Series: Legacy of Orisha, book 3
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
Pages: 368
Intended Audience: grade 10-12, 14-18 years
Genre: Epic Fantasy, Prejudice & Racism, Sword & Sorcery Fantasy
Available formats: Kindle, Hardcover, Audio, Paperback
Received: ARC Paperback
Reviewed for: Raincoast Books

About the Book and Author

Tomi Adeyemi an American whose parents came over from Nigeria. She is a Hugo and Nebula Award winning author.  At the Writer’s Roadmap she teaches writing skills. Children of Anguish and Anarchy is the third book in her series, Legacy of Orisha.  Children of Blood and Bone and Children of Virtue and Vengeance are the first two books in the series. 

This last book in the series outlines the final battle against Baldyr and his forces. Zelie, Amari, and Tzain need to find their way through turmoil, pain, and uncertainty to fight to save civilization.  

Children of anguish and anarchy by Tomi Adeyemi

Looking More Closely

You will discover highly developed characters with their own quirks and foibles.  These people for the most part felt very real to me, though, I didn’t always find them like-able.  BUT one doesn’t need to like every character right?

Whose point of view we were witnessing changed among the main characters.  Chapter headings clearly let us know who was speaking.  They switched between Amari, Inan, Tzain, and Zelie, and not always in the same order. Through each of them we saw different aspects of the situation facing them. 

The writing style was very clear showcasing the danger they faced.  The images given were not always pretty or easy to read.  They faced some solid danger. 

I did find the end result to be disturbing.  Just left me feeling like “meh, shouldn’t have read that”, but at the same time I’m glad that good prevailed over evil. 

For those curious, there is some same-gender relationships happening, but it wasn’t pivotal to the story or made to be a central theme. 

Overall, I think I would have enjoyed the story more if I had read the previous two books in the series.  I felt like there was too much that I missed, that wasn’t satisfactorily explained in this one.  Some books do an excellent job of rehashing the previous story, this one left me hanging a bit.   

If you have read Children of Blood and Bone and Children of Virtue and Vengeance, be sure to snap up this compelling final installation in the Legacy of Orisha.

Four Eids and a Funeral

By Leave a Comment

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product Four Eids and a Funeral through Raincoast Books. Affiliate Links will be used, thank you for your support of my blog, costs you nothing to do so, and it is so much appreciated. 🙂

So take the Islamic community, add a fire, a death, opposition from important folk, and conflict between friends.  Before you know you’ll have an interesting book called Four Eids and a Funeral.   Can the conflict between the friends be resolved?  Can the Islamic community be helped?  What will happen with the opposition presented to them?  And what’s with the funeral?  All these things will be answered as you read through Faridah Abike-lymide and Adiba Jairgirdar’s novel. 

Four Eids and a Funeral

The Basic Details for Fours Eids and a Funeral

Title: Four Eids and a Funeral
Author: Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé and Adiba Jaigirdar
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Pages: 336
Intended Audience: grade 10-12, 14-18 years
Genre: romance, Islamic, religious fiction, contemporary fiction,
Available formats: Kindle, Hardcover, Audio, Paperback
Received: ARC Paperback
Reviewed for: Raincoast Books

About the Book and Author

The Story:
These days, Said Hossain spends most of his time away at boarding school. But when his favorite hometown librarian, Ms. Barnes, dies, he must return to New Crosshaven for her funeral and for the summer. Being home makes it harder to avoid facing his ex-best friend, Tiwa Olatunji, or facing the daunting task of telling his Bangladeshi parents that he would rather be an artist than a doctor.

Tiwa doesn’t understand what made Said start ignoring her. Though he’s unexpectedly staying at home through the summer, she’s determined to pretend he doesn’t exist. Besides, she has enough going on anyway, grieving her broken family and helping her mother throw the upcoming Eid celebration.

But when the Islamic Center accidentally catches fire, it turns out the mayor plans to demolish the center entirely.  Tiwa needs Said’s help if there’s any hope of changing the mayor’s mind, and on top of everything, Said needs a project to submit to art school.

Will all their efforts be enough to save the Islamic Center, save Eid, and maybe even save their relationship?

Authors Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé and Adiba Jaigirdar

Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé hails from Britain where she writes novels.  A Muslin, she has written for various publications and received a number of awards.  

Adiba Jaigirdard is also a British author, and has won a variaty of awards.  She enjoys playing video games and collecting lipstick. 

Four Eids and a Funeral

Let’s Take a Closer Look

I enjoyed learning more about Said and Tiwa’s lives. 

I found the story kept me interested, though, it did take me a while to get into the story.  The characters were varied in scope, age, and interests which adds depth to lives you are reading about. 

I am not a Muslim, nor an I familiar with their culture and celebrations, ergo, I don’t know if they presented the culture well in regards to celebrations, mannerisms, etc.   I do have to wonder about the lesbian in a Muslim family being accepted.  This is not what I’ve seen as accepted within the culture.  So that is something I wonder about for accuracy.  I wonder if it’s part of the “Americanization” of the Muslim culture influencing this. 

Chapters vary the voice of the speaker, alternating between Said and Tiwa.  The chapters are simply decorated, no variations beyond whose voice you are hearing.   The two main characters are unique in their sound and their viewpoints on life.  Both have had their struggles, and the reason for the distance between them is explained as the book progresses.  

There is some jumping back and forth between the past and the present, but not enough to cause difficulty in keeping track of where you are. 

four eids and a funeral

My recommendation

Four Eids and a Funeral is well-worth reading.  Watch as two friends go from a hurt relationship to building a stronger friendship with each other.  Some romance is involved, but it’s a boy-girl relationship with teens, somewhat to be expected eh?  🙂   

It’s not a perfect story, as there are things to tighten up, but it’s a story that takes you away for a bit, and that’s what a good story does.  Said and Tiwa’s tale kept me interested and I wanted to to know how it would all turn out in the end.  I was not disappointed. 

The Plan by Sinclair B. Ferguson

By Leave a Comment

So, I’m choosing to review The Plan by Sinclair B. Ferguson.  I got it out of my church library and I think it’s a fantastic book for Christmas.  Therefore, I wanted to take a moment to share it with you.   I’m not being paid or reimbursed in any way to share this with you, I just love it as a Christmas story.  I KNOW you will love it too!  🙂 

The Plan by Sinclair B. Ferguson

The Basic Details for The Plan by Sinclair B. Ferguson

Title: The Plan: How God got the World ready for Jesus
Author: Sinclair B. Ferguson
Illustrator: Angelo Ruta
Publisher: Christian Focus Publications
Pages: 40
Intended Audience: 5-11 years
Genre: picturebook, Christmas, Children’s devotional Christianity, Children’s Jesus books, Jesus
Available formats: Hardcover

The Author: 

Sinclair B. Ferguson is a teacher with Ligonier Ministries.  Author of several books, some of which are for children. He is a man with a deep understanding of the scripture.  He seeks to impart this knowledge regardless of his audience.

The Story: 

Before the dawn of time a plan was made… a plan to save and a plan to love, a plan to rescue and a plan to send. One after the other people were sent to be where they were needed to be. In the distance wise men ride camels through the desert. A star glimmers in the night sky. They have a long way to go and many months of travel ahead of them. Some shepherds stand guard over their flock of sheep as a young couple struggle the last few miles of a tiring journey desperate for shelter and a place to sleep. All have been sent to one place for one event that will change the world forever. 

the plan: how God got the world ready for Jesus

A closer look to encourage you

I would love for every child under the age of 12 to have a chance to enjoy reading The Plan. Sinclair B. Ferguson does an excellent job of helping children understand God at work.  It starts in the very beginning with all the organizing that God had to do.   God had to plan for his boy to come to earth, and he needed to plan for the wise men, the shepherds, and for Mary and Joseph to make a needed trip. 

I love how Angelo Ruta provides excellent illustrations.  Bringing to life the words on the page as well as providing talking points. Chickens, camels, people, buildings, day and night-time, guards, sheep, and all kinds of little things to keep children engaged. 

The text colour changes depending on the colour of the background.  All pages are fully illustrated. 

And you’ll find a call to repentance and salvation, a call to consider who Jesus really is. Finding prayers at the close of the book helping to bring focus. 

By the end of The Plan by Sinclair B. Ferguson children will receive a good overview of God’s plan regarding Jesus.  Visually, textually, and biblically.  Find it, read it with your children, you’ll be glad you did. 

Reading good Christmas books is just another great part of the Christmas season don’t you think?  Isn’t it great to sit around together remembering the greater importance?   Jesus lives! 

Pup and Dragon: How to Catch a Dinosaur

By Leave a Comment

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product Pup and Dragon: How to Catch a Dinosaur through Raincoast Books. Affiliate Links will be used, thank you for your support of my blog, costs you nothing to do so, and it is so much appreciated. 🙂

Do you like sweet stories about friendship?   Pup and Dragon have their own friendship but they have kid friends too!   And they will help them!   The kids want to catch a dinosaur…. plans are made.  Now the question is… will they be successful?  

pup and dragon how to catch a dinosaur

Basic details for Pup and Dragon How to Catch a Dinosaur

Title: Pup and Dragon How to Catch a Dinosaur
Author: Alice Walstead
Illustrator: Phil Gill
Series: How to Catch, book 2
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Pages: 64
Intended Audience: 6-8 years, grade 1-3
Genre: graphic novel, animal comics, dragons, mythical creatures, dinosaurs, chapter books
Available formats: Kindle, Hardcover, Audio
Received: Hardcover
Reviewed for: Raincoast Books

Alice Walstead has written several how to catch books, in this one she features Pup and Dragon.  In the past I have review How to Catch a Mamasaurus, and How to Catch a Daddysaurus.   There are five other Pup and Dragon books, featuring different animals they are out to catch. 

pup and dragon how to catch a dinosaur

Looking Closer

Check out the simple illustrations!   Are they great?  They tell the story without getting in the way, showcasing the relationship between Pup and Dragon. Pup is a high-energy character who comes up with different plans quickly.  They aren’t always so well-thought out so it’s a good thing his friend Dragon is more thoughtful. 

They went through many ideas, which all failed, in how to catch a dinosaur.  So how could they help their friends with the science project?   Could one of the traps work???? 

One of the plans was a dinosaur catching robot, and readers are given a tutorial on how to draw one.

Would I Recommend

Pup and Dragon How to Catch a Dinosaur exemplifies friendship.  Offering to help, and doing so in the background, I think it’s fantastic.  I love friendship that doesn’t have to be in the spotlight, that seeks to help without saying HEY, Look at me!!  

I love Dragon’s low-key balancing act of Pup’s energetic plan making. Sometimes that’s how the best friendships are made right?   In the end the friends find a way to use one of the plans to help the children with the science show.    Give it read eh?   Encourage your children in their friendships by showing them what friendship can be like!

Doggo and Pupper Search for Cozy

By Leave a Comment

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product Doggo and Pupper Search for Cozy through Raincoast Books. Affiliate Links will be used, thank you for your support of my blog, costs you nothing to do so, and it is so much appreciated. 🙂

Doggo and Pupper Search for Cozy is a fun read.  It is somewhat about Doggo and Pupper but more about one of their household companions.  Child friendly prose and short chapters make this an appealing book for young elementary students.   I laughed because everything was so on point and children (especially those with cats) would totally get it.  

doggo and pupper search for cozy

The basic details for Doggo and Pupper Search for Cozy

Title: Doggo and Pupper
Author: Katherine Applegate
Illustrator: Charlie Alder
Series: Doggo and Pupper, Book Three
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Pages: 96
Intended Audience: 6-9 years, grade 2-3
Genre: dog books, children’s friendship, chapter books
Available formats: Kindle, Hardcover, Audio
Received: Hardcover
Reviewed for: Raincoast Books

About the Book and Author

Katherine Applegate also wrote Willodeen which I adored.  She lives with her husband and family in California.  She has written a lot of children’s books.   Doggo and Pupper Search for Cozy is the third in the Doggo and Pupper series.   This one (I don’t know about the first two) brings Cat into the story.  Cat has a new situation in his life that leaves him searching for cozy and his friends step in to help. 

doggo and pupper search for cozy

Looking more closely

This is such a cute story.   Starting off with Cat telling his pals that something new has occurred in their lives, and a guessing game commences.  Oh, the things that Doggo and Pupper come up with!   Wouldn’t it be fun to ask children what they think might be new?  To think from the viewpoint of a cat or pup?

The facial expressions on all the characters really help to tell the story.  Can’t you just see Cat’s distress in the picture above?  And Pupper, in the picture below, looks so interested in what Cat has to say. 

The graphics and text work well together.  Easy to see details (including dastardly squirrels) and to read with a child at your side or as part of a group. 

Pupper and Doggo go all out (after a nap) to help out their friend Cat.  I love the community feel.  There is no Cat vs Dog vibe.   It’s just a very sweet story about friendship and caring about each other.  And working hard to see a need met.  Don’t we all need those kinds of stories?

I encourage you to check out the story of Doggo and Pupper Search for Cozy.  Your youngsters will be glad you did! 

Butterfly on the Wind

By Leave a Comment

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product Butterfly on the Wind through Raincoast Books. Affiliate Links will be used, thank you for your support of my blog, costs you nothing to do so, and it is so much appreciated. 🙂

Imagine growing up deaf and choosing to be part of your hearing school’s talent show.  Now imagine being young and unsure of yourself and needing to be bolstered by your family.  A father’s statement encourages the heart of a young girl to sending butterflies around the world.  This is the heart of Butterfly on the Wind by Adam Pottle. 

Butterfly on the wind

Basic Details for Butterfly on the Wind

Title: Butterfly on the Wind.
Author: Adam Pottle
Illustrator: Ziyue Chen
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Pages: 40
Intended Audience: 3-6 years, grade preschool to one
Genre: children, picture book, deaf, children friendship, children disability
Available formats: Kindle, Hardcover
Received: Hardcover
Reviewed for: Raincoast Books

About the Book and Author

Adam Pottle grew up deaf in a hearing family, so learning sign language didn’t happen until he was older.  He has loved butterflies since he was young (including Mothra from the Godzilla movies).  Butterflies are a symbol of the death culture with their fluttering wings creating small winds of their own, just as the fluttering sign language hands create small winds.  Sign languages from around the world have their own way of saying butterfly. 

Ziyue as a deaf illustrator was perfect for helping to bring this story to life.  Showcasing butterflies and their wind circling the world. 

In Butterfly on the Wind Aurora takes hope from her father’s words and upon seeing a butterfly in her garden decides to send the wind of her butterfly sign around the world. 

Butterfly on the wind

Looking More Closely

I love the bright colours that fill the pages of this delightful story.  And oh, how I love that the words of her papa made such an impact on her.  🙂  AND then on people all over the world.  Did people know the impact they were passing along?  But nevertheless… aren’t the colours marvellous?  And the details, don’t they provide lots of little talking points? Can you spot the butterfly?

The text is a good size for reading to a child sitting at your side or to a group gathered round.  The words easy enough for young ones to understand, and yet rounded out enough to broaden vocabulary. 

At the close of the book, Adam Pottle includes an American Sign Language alphabet and tells a bit of his story.  He includes the why of how this story came about.  I thoroughly enjoyed the glimpse into his life. 

Would I recommend?

The beauty and magic of this read make it so worth while reading through.  🙂   The illustrations fit the story so well.  The heart-warming nature of Butterfly on the Wind is fantastic.  We need more of this empathy and compassion in the world you know? Spreading the butterflies from one point to the next, and not letting them die from lack of wind.  

I adore that she took her inspiration from her father, it shows a closeness in her family you know?  And throughout the butterflies being passed along you see communities in action.   Just a lovely book. 

Agents of S.U.I.T. From Badger to Worse

By Leave a Comment

Do you remember the Investigator books that I reviewed a while ago?   The Investigators and The Investigators Take the Plunge.  Agents of S.U.I.T. From Badger to Worse continues the series by John Patrick Green.  In this particular case the Badger InvestiGators need to learn to keep within a budget while going about their investigating.  Hmm… Wonder if they can see their way through? 

Agents of S.U.I.T; From Badger to Worse

The Basic Details for Agents of S.U.I.T. From Badger to Worse

Title: Agents of S.U.I.T. From Badger to Worse
Series: The InvestiGators
Author: John Patrick Green & Christopher Hastings
Illustrator: Pat Lewis
Publisher: :01 First Second (Roaring Brook Press)
Pages: 208
Intended Audience: 3-4 grade, ages 6-8
Genre: animal comics, mystery, detectives, children’s book, graphic novel
Available formats: Kindle, Hardcover, Paperback
Received: Hardcover
Reviewed for: Raincoast Books

About the book and Author

Agents of S.U.I.T. is a series written by John Patrick Green and Christopher Hastings.   This series, which continues The InvestiGators Series has a website devoted them.   Animal Characters that take on Human jobs and the lessons they learn whilst doing so.   The Badger investigators have much to learn, you’ll have to read to discover if they learn it in time! 

John Patrick Green and Christopher Hastings have written several Agents of S.U.I.T. books.  John Patrick Green has loved comics and cartoon strips since childhood.  Being silly and including puns as he writes about animals doing human things is something he very much loves to do.  To discover about his quirkiness with lego, check out his website. 

agents of S.U.I.T - FROM BADGER TO WORSE

Taking a Closer Look

In this second book, of a three book series of Agents of S.U.I.T, we again see colourful images light up the pages.  Combined with easily written text, this makes of a graphic novel that is quick to read.   

The first part of the book started off a bit slowly, but quickly built up speed as Bongo and Marsha go undercover to solve the bungalow burglaries in Bora Bora.

agents of S.U.I.T. - badger to worse

The text is very much geared to upper elementary/middle school humour.   I admittedly didn’t really enjoy the humour, but I can see how younger minds might enjoy it.   For an instance of the humour used.  At one point the badgers were called honey badgers (due to some honey they were covered in) and they responded with “We’re European badgers”.  The on-lookers responded with “If You’re a-peein’, find a restroom!  You’ve made enough of a mess already!”

Would I recommend?

I can’t really recommend this book.  I suspect that upper elementary/middle school kids would have a lot of fun reading these books but I didn’t enjoy i.  It bounced around alot and didn’t really make a lot of sense to me. 

But I’m not the target audience.  Agents of S.U.I.T: From Badger to Worse does introduce us into the characters of Bongo and Marsha.  Puns are very much in evidence, and there was a lot of off-beat humour.  I was reading some other reviews and some folks called it “dad-humour” but I would not classify it as such.  More like low-grade kid humour. 

I guess, for me, the book was trying to much to be funny and fun-filled, that it forget to tell a solid, coherent story.  

I’m fairly disappointed that I didn’t really like From Badger to Worse.  I liked the first one in the series if you may recall from my review last week.  Perhaps the third one in the series will be as good as this one.