Books I Didn't Get Around to Talking About in 2016

Well the new year is here. I read a lot more than what I was expecting over 2016. I have a long list of books waiting to still be put up to review. The problem is I have so many things that pull me this way and that. I am finding it hard to find any kind of dedicated time to do anything, let alone have some me time on my own computer! If you could see my youtube main page you would just shudder. Paw Patrol, and toy opening videos abound.

So I think going forward I will blog when I can. Hopefully eventually I can be more consistent but for now I can only do what I can do. There may be more blog posts where I talk about more than one book. We will see how it evolves.

Today I am going to post about two books in the middle school age bracket.

from goodreads

The first is a book called Disenchanted: The Trials of Cinderella by Megan Morrison, who also gave us the book Grounded.

This book is about a girl named Cinderella who is trying to find herself and change the world. She grew up poor, but is now thrust into the world of the elites, all who look down on her and her humble beginnings. This is a book about how one person really can make a difference. It is also how pride and prejudices occur on both sides of the economic divide.

This was a wonderful read. This was almost YA instead of middle school, as far as audience. This book deals with difficult home life, labour laws and the importance of protection from workers, this dealt with fashion, school, and finding our own way.

The book was told from three different points of view, which really worked with this story.

In the character of Cinderella we have a strong young woman who sticks to her guns. Though she sees the world in black and white, she is not adverse to trying to see others points of view.

In the character of Prince Dash we see a person who is for the first time in his life vulnerable. He is tentative and unsure, yet he wants to make a difference. It was great to see him evolve and become who he wanted to be rather than someone who a curse was dictating how he should be.

In the character of Serge, we get to see how much we risk losing when we don't stick to what we know to be right. How much are we willing to turn a blind eye to in order to make it to the top.

All of these characters show that introspection of ourselves is a good thing. They show it is good to have morals and to stand by them.

My only complaint and I had that with her last one is the covers. They look so juvenile and really give the story a discredit. When you pick it up you think you are just getting another run of the mill revamp of some fairy tale. When in fact you are getting a really well written, original world, that has dark bits and is not always fun and rosy. So please don't let the cover fool you. This is an amazing book and just one of what is turning out to be an amazing series.

from goodreads

The next book I want to talk about today is The Secret of Valhalla by Jasmine Richards.

This book is about a boy named Buzz and a new friend of his Mary. When people are disappearing around his village, most notably a weather woman, Buzz and Mary realize there is more going on than meets the eye.

This was a classic fun adventure book for middle graders. There wasn't a ton of character development but you got enough to know what these people were like. This was a very fast paced book. Which definitely helped with the action, but sometimes it felt a bit too fast.

I liked that she didn't bog you down in norse lore. You got enough information that you knew what was going on, and she piqued my interest to learn more about different norse legends.

I think this is a stand alone book, but I would love to know more about the unfortunately named Buzz and the village he is living in. I think there could be more stories to explore there. I think anyone 9 and up will love this book.