Book Review: Jesper Jinx by Marko Kitti

 

 

Crystal's Rating: 6 out of 5 Cupcakes (No, the "6" is not a typo.)

 

Crystal is an avid reader and aspiring cupcake master. Her love of reading sparked early on when she was just a wide-eyed lil tot. Now a tween, she enjoys stories with more complicated themes (even though she still enjoys a cute illustration here and there).

 

We had the pleasure of reading, Jesper Jinx by Marko Kitti over the weekend. Jesper Jinx is about an eleven-year old boy who has an appetite for trouble whether it is intended or not. This book features a collection of his stories, from pranks on his sister to his new friendship with classmate who has a moustache. It is appropriately targeted for middle grade audiences. This book is a gem!

 

'Jesper Jinx' will leave you wanting more. From the very beginning to the unwanted end, Marko Kitti does a wonderful job making his readers laugh out loud in delight. The illustrations are adorable and enhance this already exciting book. 'Jesper Jinx' engages the readers by talking directly to them and having them swear not to let Jesper know the narrator is telling these stories. In addition, there is a cute rebuff from Jesper's cat that is a creative literary gift from Mr. Kitti.

 

Overall, this book is highly recommend because the voice, pace, and cast of characters are humorous, creative, and exciting!

 

 

***
If you would like your book reviewed for free, please shoot me an email with a Kindle Version or PDF. Books we review are for target audience 0-14 and PG. No Spammers Please!

-Jaclyn

Please "Like" me on Facebook or "Follow" me on Twitter. And don't forget to check out my website.

 

Book Review: Rayne Shines by Bonnie Ferrante

Lilly's Rating: Really Loves it!

Lilly's Rating Scale: It's Okay, Likes It, Loves it, Really Loves It

Lilly is a 3 year old reader, but if you ask her she will always say she is 4 (which will be true in another month). She loves "kitties, and birdies, and ponies". When she is not reading, she is drawing or jumping into a big pile of pillows.

Today, we had the pleasure of reading Rayne Shines by Bonnie Ferrante. Rayne Shines follows a family who only finds the negatives in life. When a new carefree family moves in, Rayne notices the differences between her family and her happy neighbors.

This story is a great read because it teaches kids to look for the good in life and not get caught up in the bad. Otherwise, they will miss out on how wonderful life can be. In addition, Ms. Ferrante includes a list of discussion questions for parents to talk about with their children. Overall, we would recommend this book because this story has a great message and cute illustrations.

If you would like your book reviewed for free, please shoot me an email with a Kindle Version or PDF. Books we review are for target audience 0-14 and PG. No Spammers Please!

-Jaclyn

Please "Like" me on Facebook or "Follow" me on Twitter. And don't forget to check out my website.

Heart Attack--Well, Maybe Not! But I Do Have A Sneak Peek

Yes....a sneak peek...a little raw, but none the less, the scene is still the same! Here is your chance to review me. Please be gentle. :)

The Retired Tooth Fairy:
https://www.createspace.com/Preview/1148905

Don't Be a Scrooge

Earlier this month, as I was walking around the mall with my family, we noticed a kiosk for a local cupcake shop. The baker sat on her chair, with her goodies lined up along the counter, and tended to her customers. My oldest daughter, an aspiring cupcake master, took notice. She pleaded with me to take her over to the baker because she wanted to ask some questions. After milling around, I leaned over to my husband and pointed out our little one's desire.



Image from MS Office Clipart

We trotted over to the kiosk. The baker, an older lady with a bright smile, greeted us. She pulled out a tray filled with mini cupcakes and offered us each a sample. Nerves took over and caused my daughter to remain silent. I had to take control before she walked away disappointed. I scooted closer to the baker and said, "My daughter is an aspiring cupcake maker. Would you be willing to answer a few questions for her?"

"Sure!" she exclaimed before turning to face my little girl. "What would you like to know?"

My daughter quickly opened up and asked her questions. The baker shared what she needed to do in order to get her own bake shop, which includes going to school to learn about business management as well as baking courses. She also shared how she tests her cupcakes in order to create delicious treats everyone likes. When she was finished, she said to my daughter, "When my new store opens up, you can come and help me decorate the cupcakes if you want."

A big smile stretched wide across my daughter's little face, and beams of lights radiated out from her before she replied, "I would like that." The baker handed over a business card to her. "Thank you!" she said to the baker.

"You're welcome! Hope to see you soon!" the baker stated. We walked away, after buying several cupcakes of course, and continued our stroll around the mall. Crystal remained on cloud nine.

"I cannot believe I got to talk to a real baker!" she kept exclaiming, as she floated from store to store. When we got home, the happy little girl proudly displayed the business card on her treasure board.

So, as you can see, it is very important to take time to help others. The baker could have easily shooed us away, but she welcomed the chance to help a little girl with a big dream. It was a moment that I am sure my daughter will never forget for the rest of her life. Again, thank you, cupcake baker, for taking the time out of your day and teaching all of us the importance of helping others.

Dear Reader, who will you help today? Tell us your story below!

Peace and love, my friends!

~Jaclyn

Please "Like" me on Facebook, "Follow" me on Twitter, or connect with me on G+. And don't forget to check out my website.

Book Review: Dr. Knowz-Psych Up Your Soul!

Today, I am providing a rare review. My children and I normally review kidlit; but, the artist in me jumped at the chance to read this book.

Dr. Knowz: Psych Up Your Soul by Wendy Goldstein Davis is a witty, creative take on everyday life. This comic strip book follows multiple shorts of a psychiatrist while he tries to help patients with their issues. Using famous quotes, Ms. Davis carefully crafts delightful and humorous takes on human behavior. Overall, this is a great book for anyone looking for a few laughs. I like to consider it the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" in comic form.

My rating: 5 out of 5 "Containers of Floss"

If you would like your book reviewed for free, please shoot me an email with a Kindle Version or PDF. Books we review are for target audience 0-14 and PG. No Spammers Please!

-Jaclyn

Please "Like" me on Facebook or "Follow" me on Twitter. And don't forget to check out my website.

Book Review: Prophency of Enchantria by Mary DeKok Blowers

 

 

Crystal's Rating: 4 out of 5 Cupcakes

 

Crystal is an avid reader and aspiring cupcake master. Her love of reading sparked early on when she was just a wide-eyed lil tot. Now a tween, she enjoys stories with more complicated themes (even though she still enjoys a cute illustration here and there).

 

Today, we have the pleasure of reviewing Prophecy of Enchantria--a Christian-Themed Fantasy Novelette. The story follows an awkward, meek girl named Pandora as she discovers a portal into a new world full of fascinating creatures and scenery. There she learns about a conflict between two mystical lands and a revealing fact about herself. This story has a good message and is full of twists and turns.

 

The story started out with a great attention getter, forcing the reader to become emotionally invested in the main character, and it helps set the fast pace. The author does an amazing job bringing the reader into her exciting new world through her descriptions and unique characters, such as two talking peacocks. Overall, this is a cute short story full of excitement and adventure.

 

Find the Prophency of Enchantria by Mary DeKok Blowers on Amazon.

 

If you would like your book reviewed for free, please shoot me an email with a Kindle Version or PDF. Books we review are for target audience 0-14 and PG. No Spammers Please!

-Jaclyn

Please "Like" me on Facebook or "Follow" me on Twitter. And don't forget to check out my website.

Book Review: Lily Lemon Blossom-Welcome to Lily's Room

This book can be found on Amazon.
Lilly's Rating: Really Loves it!

Lilly's Rating Scale: It's Okay, Likes It, Loves it, Really Loves It

Lilly is a 3 year old reader, but if you ask her she will always say she is 4 (which will be true in another month). She loves "kitties, and birdies, and ponies". When she is not reading, she is drawing or jumping into a big pile of pillows.

Today, we read Lily Lemon Blossom: Welcome to Lily's Room. Of course, she picked this book because she shares the same name as the main character.  When we opened the book, we were greeted with many wonderful illustrations. The story takes you through a day in Lily's room. The story is written in rhymes, and flows nicely. Each drawing is dynamic and enhances each passage.

Lilly enjoyed looking for the kitty in the pictures, and she thought the illustrations were "very pretty".  Naturally, she asked me to read it again, and again, . . . and again. (Meaning she really loves it!)

It is appropriately targeted for audiences 3-5. As a Mom, I liked how the main character makes a point to clean her room and keep it tidy. Overall, the story is about a girl showing off her room and the things inside. It is nicely done and I thought the author did a clever job with her word play. I would recommend it for anyone with a little girl in this age group.



If you would like your book reviewed for free, please shoot me an email with a link or PDF. Books we review are for target audience 0-14 and PG. No Spammers Please!

Free Book Reviews

Are you looking to reach your target audience? If so, I have three children ready to read your book. Hello, my name is Jaclyn. I am a writer, blogger, illustrator, and mommy of three. The books I review are for ages 0-14 and PG. Any genre is fine. I regularly review on Amazon, but I am starting a section on my blog for reviews. If we don’t like a book, we will not review it; however, if we do chose your book, I will tweet and share it on my SM sites. Feel free to message me at theretiredtoothfairy@outlook.com. Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and G+. And of course, don’t forget about my blog. Hope to talk to you soon!

::::Update::::

I am now a volunteer reviewer for The Midwest Review. Reviews I post on my site will also be submitted to the Reader's Bookwatch--a monthly newsletter by The Midwest Review. It is a great opportunity for extra exposure.

In addition, my first book has been published. If you are willing to exchange reviews--I would appreciate if you can return the kindness- please let me know when inquiring about a book review.

Another thing to keep in mind, since my children help review the books, there is a timeframe to consider.

Early Readers can take 4-6  weeks depending on amount of requests.
Middle Grade Chapter Books will take longer 6-12 weeks depending on size and amount of requests.

Preference will be given to audiobooks since they are easier to review.

In order to make it as a submission for the Reviewer's Bookwatch, these need to be included in your email:

From The Midwest Review site---

Title

Author

Publisher

Publisher's address

13-digit ISBN number (a 10-digit ISBN is accepted if necessary)

List Price (a.k.a. "cover price"), in U.S. Dollars if possible. Please do not give a book's discounted price on Amazon or anywhere else, because "sale" prices are subject to frequent change, unlike the cover price.

Thank you! I look forward to helping you!

 

Guest Blogging Opportunity

Hello everyone. I am sure the reason you are reading this is because you are interested in guest blogging on my site. So let me explain how this will work. The focus of my blog is to provide other aspiring and new authors with tips and encouragement so they can follow their dreams and start their journeys as published authors. In addition, I also provide short stories preferably around 1,000 words. I will only feature a few blogs a month--only the best will make it. If you have a great blog post or short story, please feel free to email it to me--text & pic should be pasted in the message box: theretiredtoothfairy@outlook.com

Dos:

1. Write compelling relevant posts.
2. Include your name with a quick bio and a link to your website.
3. Include experiences related to the profession.
4. Attach a picture because pictures attract more readers.
5. Proper grammar is essential--please revise and edit your post.
6. Send pieces that represent your writing in the best light possible.
7. Be professional.

Don'ts:

1. No profanity, offensive language, or inappropriate topics. I like to keep it as PG as possible.
2. No arguing with commenters. Be respectful of others opinions good or bad.
3. Don't send a blog about flowers when the main topic is about writing. Unless it is used as a metaphor or is a beautifully written short story.
4. Don't send your first draft--I will only make minor adjustments for misspellings and/or punctuations errors.
5. Don't "link-bomb" the guest post.
6. Don't be a spammer--no one likes a spammer.
7. Don't pester--one email will be fine. I'll get to your message, I promise!

List of Topics:

• Plot, character development, setting, dialogue, etc.
• Publishing, formatting, and everything in between
• Marketing, press releases, networking, etc.
• Illustration and cover design
• Humorous and/or informative life experiences as a writer and/or illustrator
• Descriptive narratives, stories with morals, etc.
• Artwork and the story behind them.
• PG short stories, all age-groups. Twists and turns are okay, but don't go gory. And definitely no cursing! Profanity is a no-no. Same with drugs and discrimination.

In the end, which posts make it on here are ultimately determined by me. If I do not feel your post is appropriate for my blog, it will not be shown here. When your blog is featured, I will also include links to it on my Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ accounts. And by submitting your posts, you are giving me permission to use them on my blog and allowing me to post to other sites. Naturally, you reserve all rights to your works. Thank you for the interest. Hope to feature you soon! Peace and love.

Writing Pause

Sometimes, you just need to put the pen down or close the laptop and take a break. What?! Has she gone mad? No, no I haven't.

Well, then what is she talking about? Does this have to do with revision? Nope, there are plenty of articles about that in the internet universe.

Well, tell us what do you mean? Writing is our life! The angry writers shake their fists in the air.

Alright, why do you need to take a break from writing? Simply because there are other things in life screaming for your attention. When was the last time you dropped everything and gave an old friend a call? Or the last time you visited a family member? Did you skip reading your child a bedtime story because you had one of your own to write?

Relationships matter. Spending time with the people you love is an important part of life. Without it, you will become a miserable soul dying for the "good ole days". Yep, the ones you chose to miss out on because you were inspired to write and figured there is plenty of time to make-up. They'll understand, right?

Maybe. Or they may slowly disappear from your life because you chose not to spend a little bit of time with them. Or worse, what if they pass away? Now you are left with the horrible regret that haunts you to your grave.

So take a break, even if it is a small one, and enjoy life. You can always return to your novel tomorrow. Peace and love!