Fairytale Retelling, Middle Grade Mystery, Kid Lit Fiction, Classic Author, 2 DNFs
Nonfiction is not my friend
In this article:
The Warrior Maiden by Melanie Dickerson
The Dead Man in the Garden by Marthe Jocelyn
Lamb in the Laundry by Ben M. Baglio
Kilmeny of the Orchard by L.M. Montgomery
DNF: Essayism by Brian Dillon
DNF: Kind is the New Classy by Candace Cameron Bure
The Warrior Maiden (Hagenheim #9) by Melanie Dickerson
3 STARS (synopsis on Goodreads or StoryGraph) Young Adult Fairy-tale Retelling, Christian Themes, My format: Libby e-book
This story is based on the story of Mulan. A young woman named Mulan heads into battle, pretending to be a man, to save her mother and her home.
Personal Review:
This being the 9th book in the same series by the same author has me getting bored. The first half of the book is exciting, while Mulan is fighting in battles, taking daring risks and showing her bow-shooting skills. The friendship that she forms with Wolfgang as they fight together is really very nice.
The second half of the book was less than I was hoping for. Mulan and Wolfgang have a romance that seems to take forever. The battles were so fast-paced that the slow pace of the second half made me feel off-balance. This story also includes more kissing than I like to see for YA.
The writing style of Dickerson also seems to be a little one-dimensional to me. The sentences are typically short, the depth of the characters is basically the same regardless of their history and experience, and the faith element is pretty static. This is the last of the series that my library has in Libby so I think I’m done with it for now.
Content Warnings:
semi-detailed kisses (more than the previous books), characters avoiding seeing naked bodies, fairly descriptive battle injuries
The Dead Man in the Garden (Aggie Morton #3) by Marthe Jocelyn
5 STARS (synopsis on Goodreads or StoryGraph) Middle Grade Historical Mystery, My format: paperback
Aggie and Hector are on a vacation with Aggie’s mother and Grandma Jane at a spa in Herrogate where they discover a dead body in the garden. They set out to discover if this incident is related to the murder that happen just days before they arrived.
Personal Review:
It was so great to be back with Aggie and Hector as they happen to be in the right place at the right time (for murder mystery lovers, that is) and get into their childish but brilliant sleuthing adventures.
Aggie’s inner dialogue is more entertaining than ever, and her friendship with Hector is seriously the best. They meet a new friend in a wheel chair named George, and he adds a new enjoyable element to their antics. Aggie even has some thoughts about George, questioning her own motives for why it was sometimes difficult to include him in their activities. I thought that was a great way to encourage readers to observe their own intentions with similar interactions in their lives.
I really enjoyed the part with the undertaker’s daughter because she has similar interests as Aggie and showed how a woman can be of use in a career field typically only for men. I also loved the detective in this story. He was more accepting of what the children had to share with him (than detectives in the previous books) and his cooperation with the children at the end made for an epic reveal of the murderer.
Grandma Jane was wise and lovely to read about, of course. My only complaint is that she was not included in the story more than she was. I was also hoping for an appearance of Mr. Fibbley and was not disappointed on that front!
As a murder mystery, this does involve the children interacting with dead bodies and being sneaky as they conduct their investigation. There is also an intense scene as they are caught snooping by who ends up being the murderer. If those issues aren’t a problem, I would be fine with my middle grade readers enjoying this book. But some may prefer to wait until they are teens to read it.
Content Warnings:
cussing (Aggie says variations of “God’s teeth” about 4-5 times), discovery of a dead body, observation of a cadaver, **spoiler: an intense confrontation where the kids are trapped and left to die, end spoiler**
Lamb in the Laundry (Animal Ark #12) by Ben M. Baglio
3 STARS (synopsis on Goodreads or StoryGraph) Kid Lit (Juvenile) Fiction
Mandy and her friend James engage on an adventure to help a neighbor during lambing season and help him save a little lamb that is rejected by its mother.
Personal Review:
My two oldest daughters have started a book club for our family. Their plan is to choose a different book for each person and then talk about the story and give our ratings at the next meeting. This book they chose for me is one of the Animal Ark series that they have really been enjoying the last couple of months.
The parts of the story that involved the animals were really great; we learn a lot from Mandy's veterinarian parents and the adventures they go on. Mandy and James really care about the animals and they love to help their parents and their neighbor (and the project that Mandy’s Grandma has going on). All of the children in the book are kind to each other and respectful in the way they talk.
However, there were a couple of things that made this not my favorite. One is the use of the expletive "Oh, Lord" (used at least twice, once by an adult and once by a kid). Another is that the kids get themselves into some trouble at the end and weren't held responsible in any way but were actually rewarded for their sneakiness.
I also cringed when a parent told his kids that parents blame kids when they are worried about them and that kids need to “just get used to it”. Even though I saw these things, I don't think my children have noticed them, and we will continue to enjoy the series!
Content Warnings:
descriptions of animals giving birth, near-death moments for animals, **spoiler: a dangerous scene where an old building collapses on a child End spoiler**
Kilmeny of the Orchard by L.M. Montgomery
3 STARS (synopsis on Goodreads or StoryGraph) Classic Author, Romance, My format: Gutenberg e-book, MontgomerMay group read
Eric stumbles upon a mysterious mute girl, Kilmeny, in a neighboring orchard who captures his affection through her beauty and music.
Personal Review:
I had expected quite a bit more from one of the most beloved authors of all time. What could have been a sweet and moving story was one that disappointed me. This review is full of spoilers, so if you don’t want any, skip to the next section now.
As usual for Montgomery, the writing was lovely and the setting was beautiful. The orchard felt magical and cozy, as did the violin-playing that Kilmeny shared with us.
However, Eric is really kind of a creepy dude. He is basically bored and stumbles across Kilmeny and watches her without announcing himself because she is so beautiful. (We hear about her beauty incessantly throughout this book. All anyone has to do is look at her once to understand why Eric fell in love with her. Kind of gag-worthy for me.)
I was really hoping for a message of inclusion and acceptance, considering Kilmeny’s inability to speak. And, for a while, it really seemed we would get that message in a lovely way since Eric was determined to marry her despite her muteness. BUT things don’t go as planned for him and Kilmeny will not accept him unless she is able to speak. MAJOR SPOILER: A situation does cause her to speak and they end up happily ever after! How disappointing! It sent the message that one is not fit for marriage unless they are perfect in every way. I would have loved to see Kilmeny accept herself in spite of her ailment. *Sigh* maybe next time.
The content would be fine for my girls as teens, but I don’t particularly like the message it sends.
Content Warnings:
memories of emotional abuse from a parent, extreme focus on Kilmeny’s beauty, attempted murder (not too intense)
Did Not Finish
I started the book Essaysim by Brian Dillon, hoping to glean some practical advice or inspiration on writing my own short-form works. However, the writing was somewhat stream-of-consciousness and difficult to follow. I was planning to continue anyway, until I encountered cussing I’m not comfortable with and sarcasm using sexual innuendos. It just wasn’t for me.
This has not been my month for nonfiction. I also started the book Kind is the New Classy by Candace Cameron Bure. I have read a couple of her other books and thought they were okay so wanted to give this a try, too. Unfortunately, I was getting really bogged down by her personal anecdotes. I know she has unique experiences to share but I just wasn’t finding myself invested in her stories about being in the spotlight and how hard it was to quit that to be home with her kids. I like the concept but not the stories.
Do any of these books interest you? Have you read any of them? What did you think?