Book Chat- The Innocent, Why My Third Husband Will be a Dog

The Innocent by David Baldacci
****
"Right from the start this story had me hooked! The characters are well developed and fun to root for.  The action is fast and the dialogue witty.  A GREAT choice for Baldacci fans!" - Gretchen Montgomery

Why My Third Husband Will be a Dog by Lisa Scottoline
****
"Need a good laugh? This book is full of them.  Bestselling author Lisa Scottoline open up about her life with four dogs, cats, chickens, a pig, her daughters, and Mom Mary.  No topic is too small or mundane - from spanx to interrupting to toasters. " - Carol Hirsh

Book Chat: We're Just Like You..., The Glass Castle, The Hundred Secret Senses, 11/22/63

We're Just Like You, Only Prettier (Confessions of a Tarnished Southern Belle) by Celia Rivenbark
****
"I found this book very comical. (I actually did laugh so hard I cried.) Each chapter is a short story in itself, so it is a fast and easy read.  Although some references are "southern," as the title implies, you don't have to  be from the south to enjoy these anecdotes." - Tracy Sitz


The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
****
"A memoir of survival in a dysfunctional family.  The book provides an insight into life on the move, often homeless and frequently hungry.  A great story." - Megan Knowles

The Hundred Secret Senses by Amy Tan
****
"What a storyteller Tan is!  Sometimes though,  I got lost between the present and the past.  The relationships of the two sisters and the extended Chinese family were a great part of the book." - Karla Armbrister

11/22/63 by Stephen King
****
"I am not usually a Stephen King fan, but I enjoyed this book very much.  It definitely has many surprises that you don't see coming.  It certainly doesn't turn out as you expect, but of course it makes perfect sense."  -
Kristen Book

Hayley's Children's Book Reviews

Kids will enjoy riding a rocket through the solar system as they read Zoom, Rocket, Zoom! by Margaret Mayo.   Travel along with the astronauts as they have many exciting adventures exploring new terrain, riding in moon buggies, living in space stations, flying in space shuttles and much, much more.

You can only begin to imagine what would happen if wild animals came inside a house.  Read Eric Pinder’s, If All The Animals Came Inside, and join one family’s wild adventure as animals of every shape and size take over their house and make themselves right at home.  This rhyming story comes to life with colorful collage illustrations by Marc Brown the creator of the bestselling Arthur Adventure book series.    

Zorro is a cute little pug that has a pretty good life.  Then one day, Zorro’s owner gets him an outfit.  Zorro doesn’t want to put it on.  He’s embarrassed!  When he goes out on a walk, other dogs laugh at him.  Even Slim, the cat, makes fun of him in his new super hero cape.  While he is at the park, someone new shows up.  Read Zorro Gets An Outfit by Carter Goodrich and see if Zorro changes his mind.

Book Chats: Neverwhere, Fallen in Love, and The Doctor's Wife

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

*****

“Incredibly imaginative. It is a quest not unlike Lord of the Rings mixed with Alice in Wonderland. The plot is a complex puzzle, every time you think you’ve figured it out, it twists and shows you the opposite. High recommendations to all fantasy lovers.” – Emily Gibson

Fallen in Love by Lauren Kate

****

“Good ‘companion’ story to the ‘Fallen’ series. It expanded on the supporting characters a lot more than the books in the series. Loved that the story was set up in a medieval city on Saint Valentine’s Day. The book ended too soon!” – Danielle Greenfield

The Doctor’s Wife by Elizabeth Brundage

*****

“This being the author’s debut novel, she hit it with a psychological suspense thriller. There were twists and turns that held the reader spell bound. The only disappointment I felt, was the ending. She was very detailed with the entire story, then at the end she shut it down quick. But I think I was so engrossed in the storyline, I wanted it to continue a few more pages.” – Charlotte Kraft

Hayley's Children's Book Reviews

Beep beep! Bow wow!  Pug puppies load up in their green bug and take to the road headed for The Pooch Parade.  Carolyn Crimi’s, Pugs In A Bug, is a playful, rhyming read aloud book with plenty to see and count.  Kids will enjoy traveling along with the pugs through city and country as they head to the parade. 

Bat and Rat are best friends living in the big city together.  These two friends love doing everything together especially playing in a jazz band.  Bat plays the piano and Rat sings.  One night they are having trouble coming up with new song lyrics to sing at an upcoming show.  Read Bat And Rat by Patrick Jennings and find out how ice ream helps them solve their problem and teaches them what friendship is all about.       

Do you like using your imagination and creating your own story?  A Ball For Daisy is a book about a dog and her ball but the rest of the story is up to you.  Caldecott Medalist, Chris Raschka, illustrates a delightful wordless picture book, fun for kids or adults who enjoy making up their own story line.  Check this book out and let your imagination run wild! 

Hayley's Children's Book Reviews

Suppose You Meet A Dinosaur A First Book Of Manners is a fun, humorous book to help teach kids manners written by Judy Sierra.  In this book a little girl is shopping at a grocery store when she runs into a dinosaur.  The conversation between the girl and the dinosaur is entertaining yet helps kids learn how to respond politely with all the right words for different real life situations.

Rob Scotton’s, Secret Agent Splat!, is the perfect book for any kid who loves mysteries.  Splat the cat has an awesome collection of toy ducks in many different shapes and colors.  However, Splat notices something is wrong when his ducks begin to go missing and then are returned without their beaks.   Who could possibly be responsible for all this trouble?  Help Secret Agent Splat rise to the challenge to solve this cat-and-mouse mystery.

It’s Time To Sleep, My Love written by Eric Metaxas is a sweet, loving poem which helps convey to children how much they are loved.  Beautiful illustrations by Nancy Tillman and the rhyming verse make this poem a perfect bedtime story.

 The race is on!  A heavy-duty freight train pulling a half a mile of freight cars and a little red race car decide to have a race to Chicago.  Read I’m Fast! by Kate and Jim McMullan and see who wins the race through the desert, the mountains, a blizzard and more.  Will it be the speedy little race car or the enormous heavy duty freight train?

Hayley's Children's Book Reviews

Sally Sutton grabs young kids’ attention with the clever use of sound words and rhyming verse in Demolition. Kids will have as much fun reading and learning about the massive machines used to knock down buildings as well as the equipment used to construct new structures. Machine facts at the end of the book help kids learn the purpose of different pieces of equipment.


Meeow And The Little Chairs by Sebastien Braun is a simple story for young kids about Meeow a black cat and his friends. Meeow introduces little kids to different colors, his friends who are different types of animals and the sounds they make. Read this clever book with bold, colorful illustrations and see how Meeow and his friends use their imaginations.


Dora Duckling is late for her very first swim and can’t find her brother anywhere. Many different tracks around the barnyard lead Dora on an adventure but will they lead Dora to the pond? Find out in That’s Not My Brother! a beautifully illustrated book with fun fold-out flaps written by Peter Bently.

Book Chat: The Siege

The Siege by Stephen White
***
"The plot involves homeland terrorism and all the alphabet agencies: CIA, FBI, SSG, and local law enforcement. The reader gets to know the personal stories of the characters (protagonists). Really more about the protagonists than the plot of the antagonist. 'What if' thriller, that makes you think about the possibilities of future terrorism plots." -Caroline Hale

Hayley's Children's Book Reviews

Baby Bear wakes up in his dark den. When the light creeps in, he is ready to go exploring and see what wonders await him in the colorful forest where he lives. Read Baby Bear Sees Blue written and beautifully illustrated by Ashley Wolff and see what Baby Bear discovers. With Mama Bear by his side, together they explore and Baby Bear discovers the great big wonderful world outside his den.


Ava discovers a beautiful red poppy growing in the field in front of her house. Ava becomes friends with the poppy and spends time with it every day. She protects the flower from the sun and too much rain but one day the petals begin to fall anyway. Ava is very sad when winter comes. Read Ava’s Poppy by Marcus Pfister and find out what surprise awaits Ava when spring comes.

Otto is a bear who lives in a book and loves having kids read his story. When no one is looking, he has fun coming out of the book and exploring the house he lives in. One day when he is out exploring someone takes the book away and Otto is left without a home. Otto decides to pack his bags and find a new home. Otto is surprised how big the world really is and begins to miss his home. Read Otto The Book Bear by Katie Cleminson and find out if Otto finds a new home.

Book Chat: Enrique's Journey

Enrique's Journey by Sonia Nazario
*****
"A very enlightening true story of a thirteen year old trying eight times to make the trip from Honduras through Mexico to the U.S. to find his mother. Mothers come to the U.S. to earn money to send home to help support their children." -Donna Moyer