Juvenile Fiction, Middle Grade Fantasy, Clean Christmas Romance, Christian Nonfiction, a DNF
The movie was better
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In this article:
The Story of Doctor Dolittle by Lofting
The Library of Ever by Alexander
His Stand-in Holiday Girlfriend by Stockton
DNF: A Natural History of Dragons by Brennan
The Story of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting
3 STARS, Kid Lit Fiction, My format: read aloud to 9-, 7-, and 5-year-old girls
Goodreads Synopsis | Buy on BookShop
Dr. Dolittle learns to speak the language of animals and the adventures ensue from there.
Personal Review:
This was completely unexpected. I grew up watching the movie starring Eddie Murphy. I really enjoyed that as a kid and had hoped that the book would be similar but more kid-friendly. While my children seemed to enjoy it, I really did not. The adventures were very strange, the animals even stranger, and the "exciting" parts were not very entertaining.
My kids like the idea of the animals helping out with all of the circumstances they get into, as well as the pushme-pullyu, but I was just annoyed by everything. Ah, well, so it goes sometimes and I'm glad I got to enjoy this and discuss it together with my children.
Content Warnings:
some chasing scenes - once by a king’s guards and another time by a pirate ship, a little boy is found after being neglected
The Library of Ever (Library of Ever #1) by Zeno Alexander
4 STARS, Middle Grade Light Fantasy, My format: pre-read for 9-year-old girl
Goodreads Synopsis | Buy on BookShop
Lenora is bored out of her mind, until she ditches her nanny at the new library and discovers an entire hidden fantasy library world where she works to become a librarian.
Personal Review:
A whimsical little tale of a fantastical library where just finding it gives you the ability to become a librarian! I really enjoyed this cute little story. It reads like a classic fairy tale, not delving too deep into any one adventure. But all the adventures come together in a lovely way at the end. I loved, loved, loved the fights against darkness and the role that books play in fighting it. The message that books are important was presented in such an interesting way.
The "scary" parts weren't too intense, but I still plan to warn my sensitive reader about them so she can skip a couple pages as needed. Overall, this is a creative story that I really enjoyed and is a middle grade book that is actually suited for middle grade readers.
Content Warnings:
the forces of darkness have a couple of moments of trying to destroy Lenora (in unrealistic ways that fit the fantasy world), one reference to evolution and old earth theory
His Stand-in Holiday Girlfriend by Kasey Stockton
3.5 STARS, Clean Christmas Romance Novella, My format: YouTube audiobook
Goodreads Synopsis | Buy on BookShop | Listen on YouTube
What could go wrong when your new boss asks you to pretend to be his girlfriend for the Christmas season?
Personal Review:
This was my first audio book ever, and I have mixed feelings about it. I think the narrator was fine but listening to it kind of stole some of the magic of reading a story. Like she would emphasize different phrases than I would have in my head and it kind of changes the atmosphere of the book.
The story itself was cute. I really liked the main girl (names are apparently hard to remember when I don't read them) but the main guy was not my favorite. He was often rude and had zero self-control when it came to female influences. Knowing his inner world really didn't help things either. Like I would probably strongly advise my own daughters to stay away from a man like him, even if he was kind and "hot" (hate that word by the way, wish it wasn't a part of the dynamic).
However, I am trying to listen to Christmas books this year instead of watching Hallmark movies, and in that sense it was a good replacement for that former obsession of mine.
Content Warnings:
couple of non-detailed kisses
Untwisting Scriptures Book 2: Patriarchy and Authority by Rebecca Davis
4 STARS, Christian Nonfiction, My format: paperback
Davis examines Scripture that has been used to ensnare women into believing they are under authority other than Christ.
Personal Review:
I really enjoyed the easy-to-read format of this book. It strives to show us a way of believing Scripture without taking extremist views or claiming man's teachings as God's rules. The history she provides about how the movements of patriarchy started were also really helpful.
My only complaint is that I wanted her to go more in depth at certain points. There are also specific verses that I would have liked to see her address for my own personal situations.
But all in all, she continues to point us to Christ and shows us how legalism is never the answer to our questions. While reading this I encountered the reminder that the New Testament is not prescriptive for us like the Old Testament was for the Jews. I had some clarifying moments and I'm glad I read the book.
Did Not Finish
I quit reading A Natural History of Dragons at about 120 pages. It is beautifully written but I had a hard time getting into the memoir style of writing as well as reconciling all of the unfamiliar places, languages, and people groups that were in this fictional historical setting. It had me stuck in a rut and I just needed to move on.
Do any of these sound interesting to you? Have you or your children read them?