Hello readers! I’m back at it with another review!! (Oh god, why do I keep using the same intros? I’m a creative person, I write books for heaven’s sake, and I CAN’T FIND AN INTRO??)
Here I am, writing about another Geronimo Stilton book. “The enormous pearl heist”.
Straight up on the cover, we can see Geronimo the mouse leaning out of a ship or a boat, I don’t know which, looking in wonder at a very large clam. Beside him is Bugsy (don’t mind her name, I don’t know why the author gave that) and his nephew Benjamin whose age never goes higher or lesser than 9 years old.
From the back cover where the blurb is written, we can already tell what will happen, as in general case only one plotline is followed, but I get it, it’s a children’s book, and younger kids enjoy it. (even I used to gobble these up once upon a time)
Geronimo was just feeling like having a relaxing holiday when he and his friends made an ‘amazing discovery’. They had gone scuba diving, and while doing so this mouse spotted an enormous thing that he first thought was the jaws of a predatory animal. In the end, it turned out to be an Oyster.
(seriously, how do you mistake an OYSTER for jaws? Okay whatever.)
And that oyster contained an ‘enormous’ pearl which was very expensive and precious.
And someone wanted to steal it! (I know right, no one would have ever guessed it!) And it was their duty to uncover who it was and protect the pearl at all costs.
Will they be able to?
The book follows Geronimo and co. ‘s adventure in exceptional detail. It’s a little childish. The illustrations are awesome though, it’s not all books that can give you a beautifully detailed picture on every page. I get a lot of inspiration from how they detail all the stuff!
Another good thing is that the book or so, meaning it will be a quick read. Younger children might feel that big books are overwhelming, so such stories are good choices for them.
However, after a certain age, you might begin to feel the stories are getting too silly.anage to wrap up the mystery in only 100 page
One thing about Geronimo Stilton’s books is that while all the titles and stories are written differently, the plot more or less stays the same.
And when someone generously offers them a prize of money or gold etc, they all decide to be noble and decline it. Not in one single book will you find them
taking anything. I suppose it’s a good thing, to teach children not to be greedy.
I like how the story in this book was about something slightly different, I haven’t read a Geronimo Stilton book that talks of sea treasures before. And also the innovative way they free the oyster from the clutches of the evil thieves. It’s very unique, and I found it interesting.
I would suggest that this book is for younger children, who haven’t started middle school yet, because after a certain age, they will start to find it a little silly.
Anyways, see you all in another post! Goodbye now!
Book Review
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (Review)
Hello dear readers!! I am back at it after quite some time with another book review. I’m quite sure you have heard it before. It’s one of the most famous Y/A, or, a ‘young adult’ fiction book. Written by Holly Jackson, I present to you- ‘A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder’’s review.
Firstly, let me just give a disclaimer that Young adult books refer to books read by people between the age groups of 12 and 18, but of course, older people can read them too. However, children younger than this age will have difficulty reading and understanding such books because they contain more mature content they wouldn’t understand.
A Good Girl’s guide to Murder- you know what, let’s just call it AGGGTM (partly because of convenience and partly since the internet calls it that and I want to be ‘#relateble’) tells us a story of a teenage girl, Pippa Fitz-Amobi who is investigating a cold case murder for her final year report.
Five years ago in the town of Little Kilton, Salil ‘sal’ Singh had allegedly killed Andrea ‘Andie’ Bell for reasons unknown. Why the ‘reasons unknown’ part? Because when Andie Bell went missing, a few days later the police claimed she was dead, as they found a supposed confession note in Salil Singh’s phone.
They closed the case.
Why?
Because Sal Singh was dead. He had killed himself.
And Andie Bell, after her death, was believed to be a Martyr, an ‘angel taken too soon’.
Or that’s what they thought.
Pippa believes Salil is innocent and wants to prove it. She, along with Ravi, Sal’s brother, investigate the case together. But, someone doesn’t want her to find answers. She’s being spied on. Left threatening notes. But she still doesn’t stop.
Will she be able to uncover this mystery and handle the horrifying truths she finds along with it? Or will her stalker manage to scare her into stopping?
I found this book awesome, and it’s something you can read again from the beginning just because of the beautiful way it’s written. I like how the author managed to weave the mystery into the story along with the casual teenage drama that occurs in life. And one good thing about it is that it’s exceptionally intriguing, and makes you want to read page after page without stopping.
Pippa’s production log and report drafts are included in the book, so you can read how she interviews everyone and collects information from both her point of view as well as third person narrative. It made me feel like I was solving the mystery alongside her.
I liked how her two best friends, Lauren and Cara play such an important role in the story. While at first you might think that they are just side characters and would have no sort of connection to the mystery, later on you discover just how well they are involved. Naomi, Cara’s elder sister, is also a major part in the story. We can see how Pippa is attached to them both and will do alot to protect them.
Ravi Singh is a crucial aspect in the story, as he is Sal’s brother and can connect better to the case than anyone else. Without his character most of the story would change drastically. He and Pippa grow closer and have a better bond because of this case-solving.
Another girl, Natalie D’Silva, is also included in the ‘major people’ list I have. Her backstory and relation with Andie is NOT good. Its reflects on cyber-bullying and harassment and brings you back to reality. This book also focuses on more of the modern problems in this world, like cyber bullying, backstabbing, fake friends, drug-dealing and alot more.
While the plot is actually serious and contains scary life truths, somehow it still contains humour and sarcasm, put in just the right places.
One thing to understand, however, is that because so many people, including Andie herself, her father, her sister, Naomi, etc were involved in different aspects of crime, there are a lot of clues, leading to a little confusion.
Most of it is very ground breaking and majorly theory-changing, which is impressive since I don’t know how the author managed to get so many ideas in the first place. It’s initially confusing how everything is linked to everyone. Towards the end of the story, we get to see who the real killer was, and I’m sure no one expected that, however, it fits perfectly.
A small problem was that I felt the author put too much evidence against everyone, and in the end, I feel some clues were unchecked, some leads were not followed up on, and some stories not match at all. It’s like: “OOOHHHH, So THATS why this was like this-” and then suddenly, out of the blue “oh wait, no.”
Otherwise, though, this book was one of the best murder-mystery-thrilller I’ve ever read. Would most definitely recommend it!
Well ‘fare thee well’, my dear readers! See you later in another review. Cheerio 🙂
Sharing is good Karma!
11 Favorite Books of 2024 Perfect for Christmas Gifting #BlogchatterWrapParty
Books are my all time favorite.Authors are my friends as well as teachers and the biggest reason behind everything I do.If there’s something I want to learn,I always research a book on the topic.But this year was amazing. I managed to read a large number of both fiction,nonfiction,children and books for Adults.I also bought books on painting and that’s always a pleasure .
My favorite books for 2024 for Adults
- Under the Influence by Malini Agarwal
- Enid Blyton the Biography by Barbara Stoney
- The Treasure Hunters by Enid Blyton
- Career of Evil (Cormoran Strike 3) by Robert Galbraith
- Little Book of Serenity by Ruskin Bond
- Bonus book –Human body for Kids
For kids curated by my daughter who is also a contributor on the blog -Young Reader Book Review
- Frost Heart book 2 Escape from Aurora by Jamie Litter
- The Midnight Gang by David Walliams
- The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill (one of my favourites too).
- Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief (Percy Jackson Book 1)
- The False Prince by Jennifer A Nielsen
Sharing is good Karma!
The Treasure Hunters by Enid Blyton Book Review
I read this book on the Internet Archives as it wasn’t available on Amazon for sale.Imagine an Enid Blyton book being out of print!
But strangely enough ,the standalone adventure books are rarely found in paper back editions.I bought a yellowed hard backed Cherry tree farm last year and it’s like a heirloom .
The pictures are how I remember them from my childhood and not strange androgynous stick figures .But I am meandering from this book review.
Name of the book The Treasure Hunters
Author Enid Blyton.
Blurb:
The Greyling children Jeffrey,John and Sarah are visiting their grandparents at the Greyling farm.It’s going to be their last visit since there’s money trouble and the farm is for sale.While at the farm they find a tumble -down forgotten cottage and an ancient treasure map.But will they find the Greyling treasure and save the farm or will the horrible Mr.Pots take it all away!
Book Review:
A typical Enid Blyton treasure hunt adventure.Its full of good food,fun times,family love and a delicious treasure hunt.Its not too complicated but gives a good sense of solving a mystery in a feel good way.I am not the target audience and still loved it.
Who is this for?
It’s perfect for the 8 to 12 year old adventure lovers who like treasure hunts (who doesn’t)
Cons:Out of print and only available in the Internet Archives.
Sharing is good Karma!
Midnight Gang by David Walliams :Book Review by Young Reader
Hello dear readers! This is Miss A. Misra here after quite a while. (I really need to change that intro) I have read a good number of books while I was offline, and one of them includes The Midnight Gang by David Walliams. (please note that I did not buy this book though I have read it. How? I borrowed it from a friend)
I started reading it yesterday and it ended today.
Basically, I had just finished watching the first of “Attack on Titans” and decided that, well. Since I have nothing else to do, I’ll just finish the book real quick.
Firstly, the book is illustrated almost every few pages, which makes it easier to read and more fun for children. The drawings are quite decent and given in just the right places.
Second of all, the plot is very wholesome and sweet. It’s about a gang of children who are admitted in the children’s ward in Lord Funt’s hospital. They set about, fulfilling each other’s dreams in the most creative methods possible. For example. one boy wanted to fly. The children took all the helium balloons in the hospital and tied it to him so that he could float safely up the stairs and after popping a few balloons, float down again. There’s George, who loves eating and had his tonsils removed. Amber, who broke all her limbs because she fell off her bunk (don’t ask me how, I don’t know how.) Then there’s sarcastic Robin, who got some operation on his eyes and has to wear a bandage around them and can’t see. There’s Sally, who is so ill she almost always sleeps and has the tiniest amount of hair left. (I’m serious, almost all the hair on her head has fallen off) Then the new patient, Tom, who got hit by a cricket ball on the head. Together they form the midnight gang who set about at midnight (which is why they are called the midnight gang, as you probably have guessed by this time, it’s pretty obvious to me, but anyway-) And there is also last but not the least Porter, whose real name is unknown, who helps the children in their work. He has a lopsided face and one leg which is shorter than the other, however is very kind and generous even though he has no home of his own. Of course, there HAS to be an evil antagonist in a plot like this, who in this case is the matron, who hates children but takes care of the children’s ward. (???, I’m sorry, that makes no sense to me either, but it is what it is.)
Well, Tom’s parents live abroad and he feels lonely and unwanted because they hardly ever write to him in boarding school. He settles in the children’s ward quite well and even gets entry to the midnight gang (on the condition that he should always push Amber around on her wheelchair because no one else wanted to do so, on account of her being so terribly bossy. But that’s hardly the point, is it?) They have three main missions left to accomplish, Ambers’ (visiting the South Pole) George’s (flying) and Sally’s (living a wonderful life because she feels that since she’s always so ill, it would be a change for her to finally experience something else rather than lying in bed all day). The mean matron keeps trying to spoil their fun, so George puts a sleeping pill in the chocolates she eats at night, causing her to sleep all the time. That leaves the three children free to do whatever.
But they don’t include Sally in these adventures, since she is too ill and fragile. Tom, however, has no major problem with him, so he could join, as I mentioned before. The whole book is basically run on this whole plot.
The third thing I really liked about this story is that there is a whole lot of humour. Sarcasm, irony, simple jokes, or just random circumstances that appear funny to me for no reason,the full deal is packed into the book. However, the ending was rather too sudden, and I felt sad that (spoiler here) Tom just had to leave all his new friends .The reason you will find out when you read the book.Its unfair that everything just ends right when it was getting interesting. But if you think about it, no one can stay in a hospital forever and ever, no matter how ill you are.Atleast it’s not a good thing then.But since I am not discussing serious issues here this book review ends here.
Well, that was “The Midnight Gang” By David Walliams. I hope you liked this article. See you in the next one! Goodbye, signing off~
Sharing is good Karma!
Enid Blyton The Biography by Barbara Stoney Book Review
Name of the Book:Enid Blyton The Biography. Its an interesting biography. But I felt it’s not a full one because it doesn’t answer the question about the writing process behind Enid Blyton’s success .Saying that it still is the most lucid,interesting and fast paced book I have read on an author’s life and work.
There appears to be,no end to controversies about Enids work .While we thought children’s books were supposed to be simple and feel good ,her critiques feel they are too simple and dumb down kids literature.
For someone like me whose mother tongue wasn’t English ,I thank God her language was that simple .It helped me fall in love with reading and made me a life long booklover .Her popularity and book sales have few competitions.I feel the only thing that’s keeping her down nowadays (somewhat) are the sanitized new version of her work and the new illustrations which don’t do justice to her vision and that of her original illustrators.But every day her fans keep on increasing as kids who grew up reading her books introduce their kids to those treasures, like I did.
Why I picked up the book?
I was looking for a book to know more about how Enid Blyton wrote.Her books have been the greatest inspiration for me , both as a reader and an author.
My daughter too inaugurated her bookworm life,during COVID lockdown with a stash of Famous Five the complete series which I had gifted her two years back.That marked the beginning of re-reading repeatedly those Enid Blyton stories.
When someone has influenced your life so deeply ,it’s a call of the gut to find out more about her.Someone wise once said -you will find your best teachers in the libraries.People who are no longer there continue to inspire from the world beyond and Enid Blyton continues to make children grow up better,stronger,kinder and more willing to make friends with the world.
The book is about Enid Blyton’s childhood,adult life ,author life and the relationships and influences which shaped her writings .
While it’s difficult to write about authors who are as famous as Enid Blyton, it’s even more difficult to write it in a balanced way.
Barbara Stoney does justice to this while retaining the magic of Enids work.While humans are all shades of black, white and other colors. Some influences are the strongest.That of childhood, seems to determine our course in life.
Will the book give an idea about how Enid wrote?
Not in step by step manner but an overview.She was a visual thinker,interested in children and teaching them.She was sincere with keeping a diary ,her ability to draw and her love for nature, all were behind her famous creativity .She was also an extremely hard worker.
Will the book give an idea about Enid Blyton the person?
Yes .Again to some extent as I haven’t found any other Enid Blyton biography, as kind and empathetic to compare against.It’s a well researched and nonsense free look at the life ,work and inspiration behind Enid Blyton the person,author,entrepreneur,and a woman before her time who was self-made before that word became trending.
Who will love the book?
An Enid Blyton fan who grew up reading her books and remembers the happy days curled up with a Famous Five and wants to know more about her.
Enid Blyton’s childhood,her father’s influence,encouragement,complex relationship with her mother,her friends,estrangements,and the lies she had to tell in her childhood were all part of the great magic known as Enid Blyton.She did more in her time than many people do in 100 life times.A woman before her time and a timeless children’s author .Her influence has shaped and saved many a child’s life ,including my own.
But it doesn’t answer the question about the writing process behind Enid Blyton’s success .Why is that?To know the reason behind that you must pick up the book.
Happy birthday Enid Blyton plus my favorites
