[Graphic Novel Review] The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner

Sabrina the Teenage Witch meets Roller Girl in this hilarious, one-of-a-kind graphic novel about a half-witch who has just discovered the truth about herself, her family, and her town and is doing her best to survive middle school now that she knows everything!

Magic is harder than it looks.

Thirteen-year-old Moth Hush loves all things witchy. But she’s about to discover that witches aren’t just the stuff of movies, books, and spooky stories. When some eighth-grade bullies try to ruin her Halloween, something really strange happens. It turns out that Founder’s Bluff, Massachusetts, has a centuries-old history of witch drama. And, surprise: Moth’s family is at the center of it all! When Moth’s new powers show up, things get totally out-of-control. She meets a talking cat, falls into an enchanted diary, and unlocks a hidden witch world. Secrets surface from generations past as Moth unravels the complicated legacy at the heart of her town, her family, and herself.

In this spellbinding graphic novel debut, Emma Steinkellner spins a story packed with humor and heart about the weird and wonderful adventures of a witch-in-progress.

[Book Review] Tunnel of Bones by Victoria Schwab

Goodreads Synopsis:

Trouble is haunting Cassidy Blake . . . even more than usual.

She (plus her ghost best friend, Jacob, of course) are in Paris, where Cass's parents are filming their TV show about the world's most haunted cities. Sure, it's fun eating croissants and seeing the Eiffel Tower, but there's true ghostly danger lurking beneath Paris, in the creepy underground Catacombs.

When Cass accidentally awakens a frighteningly strong spirit, she must rely on her still-growing skills as a ghosthunter -- and turn to friends both old and new to help her unravel a mystery. But time is running out, and the spirit is only growing stronger.

And if Cass fails, the force she's unleashed could haunt the city forever.

[Book Review] Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

Goodreads Synopsis: 

The heroic son of Poseidon makes an action-packed comeback in the second must-read installment of Rick Riordan's amazing young readers series. Starring Percy Jackson, a "half blood" whose mother is human and whose father is the God of the Sea, Riordan's series combines cliffhanger adventure and Greek mythology lessons that results in true page-turners that get better with each installment.

In this episode, The Sea of Monsters, Percy sets out to retrieve the Golden Fleece before his summer camp is destroyed, surpassing the first book's drama and setting the stage for more thrills to come.

[Book Review] Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend

Wunder is gathering in Nevermoor ...

Morrigan Crow may have defeated her deadly curse, passed the dangerous trials and joined the mystical Wundrous Society, but her journey into Nevermoor and all its secrets has only just begun. And she is fast learning that not all magic is used for good.

Morrigan Crow has been invited to join the prestigious Wundrous Society, a place that promised her friendship, protection and belonging for life. She's hoping for an education full of wunder, imagination and discovery - but all the Society want to teach her is how evil Wundersmiths are. And someone is blackmailing Morrigan's unit, turning her last few loyal friends against her. Has Morrigan escaped from being the cursed child of Wintersea only to become the most hated figure in Nevermoor?

Worst of all, people have started to go missing. The fantastical city of Nevermoor, once a place of magic and safety, is now riddled with fear and suspicion...

[Book Review] Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend

A cursed girl escapes death and finds herself in a magical world - but is then tested beyond her wildest imagination

Morrigan Crow is cursed. Having been born on Eventide, the unluckiest day for any child to be born, she's blamed for all local misfortunes, from hailstorms to heart attacks--and, worst of all, the curse means that Morrigan is doomed to die at midnight on her eleventh birthday.

But as Morrigan awaits her fate, a strange and remarkable man named Jupiter North appears. Chased by black-smoke hounds and shadowy hunters on horseback, he whisks her away into the safety of a secret, magical city called Nevermoor.

It's then that Morrigan discovers Jupiter has chosen her to contend for a place in the city's most prestigious organization: the Wundrous Society. In order to join, she must compete in four difficult and dangerous trials against hundreds of other children, each boasting an extraordinary talent that sets them apart - an extraordinary talent that Morrigan insists she does not have. To stay in the safety of Nevermoor for good, Morrigan will need to find a way to pass the tests - or she'll have to leave the city to confront her deadly fate.

[Top Ten Tuesday] Middle Grade Books Recently Added To My TBR

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish but is currently being run by That Artsy Reader Girl. A prompt is given each week, and I hope to do it every week so I always have something going up on Tuesdays. This week I am talking about ten books I recently added to my TBR list. All of them being middle grade because I want to get into more middle grade books this year! I almost always enjoy middle grade books and I love being able to recommend them to younger readers. I don't have much to say for each other than "wow this looks good" so I am going to let the summaries of each book talk for me.

Let's jump into my list!

[Book Review] Coraline by Neil Gaiman

The day after they moved in, Coraline went exploring....

In Coraline's family's new flat are twenty-one windows and fourteen doors. Thirteen of the doors open and close.

The fourteenth is locked, and on the other side is only a brick wall, until the day Coraline unlocks the door to find a passage to another flat in another house just like her own.

Only it's different.

At first, things seem marvelous in the other flat. The food is better. The toy box is filled with wind-up angels that flutter around the bedroom, books whose pictures writhe and crawl and shimmer, little dinosaur skulls that chatter their teeth. But there's another mother, and another father, and they want Coraline to stay with them and be their little girl. They want to change her and never let her go.

Other children are trapped there as well, lost souls behind the mirrors. Coraline is their only hope of rescue. She will have to fight with all her wits and all the tools she can find if she is to save the lost children, her ordinary life, and herself.

Critically acclaimed and award-winning author Neil Gaiman will delight readers with his first novel for all ages.

[Book Review] The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding by Alexandra Bracken

I would say it's a pleasure to meet thee, Prosperity Oceanus Redding, but truly, I only anticipate the delights of destroying thy happiness.

Prosper is the only unexceptional Redding in his old and storied family history — that is, until he discovers the demon living inside him. Turns out Prosper's great-great-great-great-great-something grandfather made — and then broke — a contract with a malefactor, a demon who exchanges fortune for eternal servitude. And, weirdly enough, four-thousand-year-old Alastor isn't exactly the forgiving type.

The fiend has reawakened with one purpose — to destroy the family whose success he ensured and who then betrayed him. With only days to break the curse and banish Alastor back to the demon realm, Prosper is playing unwilling host to the fiend, who delights in tormenting him with nasty insults and constant attempts trick him into a contract. Yeah, Prosper will take his future without a side of eternal servitude, thanks.

Little does Prosper know, the malefactor's control over his body grows stronger with each passing night, and there's a lot Alastor isn't telling his dim-witted (but admittedly strong-willed) human host.

[Book Review] Goosebumps: Be Careful What You Wish For by R.L. Stine

Make a wish! Samantha Byrd is a klutz. An accident waiting to happen. She's the laughingstock of the girls' basketball team. And that mean, rotten Judith Bellwood is making her life miserable on and off the court. But everything's about to change. Sam's met someone who can grant her three wishes. For real. Too bad Sam wasn't careful what she wished for. Because her wishes are coming true. And they're turning her life into a living nightmare!

[Book Review] Goosebumps: Say Cheese and Die by R.L. Stine

Greg thinks there is something wrong with the old camera he found. The photos keep turning out . . . different.

When Greg takes a picture of his father's brand-new car, it's wrecked in the photo. And then his dad crashes the car.

It's like the camera can tell the future--or worse. Maybe it makes the future!

[Book Review] City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab

Cassidy Blake's parents are The Inspectres, a (somewhat inept) ghost-hunting team. But Cass herself can REALLY see ghosts. In fact, her best friend, Jacob, just happens to be one.

When The Inspectres head to ultra-haunted Edinburgh, Scotland, for their new TV show, Cass—and Jacob—come along. In Scotland, Cass is surrounded by ghosts, not all of them friendly. Then she meets Lara, a girl who can also see the dead. But Lara tells Cassidy that as an In-betweener, their job is to send ghosts permanently beyond the Veil. Cass isn't sure about her new mission, but she does know the sinister Red Raven haunting the city doesn't belong in her world. Cassidy's powers will draw her into an epic fight that stretches through the worlds of the living and the dead, in order to save herself.

[Book Review] In The Hand of the Goddess by Tamora Pierce

Disguised as a boy, Alanna of Trebond becomes a squire, to none other than the prince of the realm. But Prince Jonathan is much more to Alanna; he is her ally, her best friend, and one of the few who knows that she's really a girl. Now it will take all of Alanna's awesome skill, strength, and growing magical powers to protect him from the mysterious evil sorcerer who is bent on his destruction, and hers!

Here continues the story of Alanna, a young woman bound for glory who is willing to fight against enormous odds for what she believes in.

[Book Review] Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce

And so young Alanna of Trebond begins the journey to knighthood. Though a girl, Alanna has always craved the adventure and daring allowed only for boys; her twin brother, Thom, yearns to learn the art of magic. So one day they decide to switch places: Thom heads for the convent to learn magic; Alanna, pretending to be a boy, is on her way to the castle of King Roald to begin her training as a page.
But the road to knighthood is not an easy one. As Alanna masters the skills necessary for battle, she must also learn to control her heart and to discern her enemies from her allies.

Filled with swords and sorcery, adventure and intrigue, good and evil, Alanna's first adventure begins - one that will lead to the fulfillment of her dreams and the magical destiny that will make her a legend in her land.

[Book Review] Rapunzel and the Lost Lagoon by Leila Howland

Rapunzel is not your typical princess. For one thing, she has returned to her kingdom after eighteen years spent trapped in a tower and she's still getting to know her parents. For another, she has to get used to royal customs, like the proper ways to sit and curtsy, when she'd really rather climb a tree and paint. Plus, she hates wearing shoes.

Cassandra is not your typical lady-in-waiting. As the daughter of the captain of the guard, she has grown up fascinated by security and weaponry. It has been her life's goal to become a soldier in the guard, and princess-sitting doesn't really fit into her plan-especially when that princess's aggravating boyfriend is always hanging around.

But when Rapunzel and Cassandra stumble upon a secret lagoon said to hold the key to the kingdom's greatest power, it will be up to them to solve the mystery before someone more sinister does.

Follow this tale of adventure and intrigue, love and destiny, and, most important, friendship.

[Book Review] Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

The Dursleys were so mean and hideous that summer that all Harry Potter wanted was to get back to the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. But just as he's packing his bags, Harry receives a warning from a strange, impish creature named Dobby who says that if Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts, disaster will strike

And strike it does. For in Harry's second year at Hogwarts, fresh torments and horrors arise, including an outrageously stuck-up new professor, Gilderoy Lockhart, a spirit named Moaning Myrtle who haunts the girls' bathroom, and the unwanted attentions of Ron Weasley's younger sister, Ginny.

But each of these seem minor annoyances when the real trouble begins, and someone -- or something -- starts turning Hogwarts students to stone. Could it be Draco Malfoy, a more poisonous rival than ever? Could it possibly be Hagrid, whose mysterious past is finally told? Or could it be the one everyone at Hogwarts most suspects . . . Harry Potter himself?

[Book Review] Harry Potter and the Sorcerers's Stone by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter's life is miserable. His parents are dead and he's stuck with his heartless relatives, who force him to live in a tiny closet under the stairs. But his fortune changes when he receives a letter that tells him the truth about himself: he's a wizard. A mysterious visitor rescues him from his relatives and takes him to his new home, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

After a lifetime of bottling up his magical powers, Harry finally feels like a normal kid. But even within the Wizarding community, he is special. He is the boy who lived: the only person to have ever survived a killing curse inflicted by the evil Lord Voldemort, who launched a brutal takeover of the Wizarding world, only to vanish after failing to kill Harry.

Though Harry's first year at Hogwarts is the best of his life, not everything is perfect. There is a dangerous secret object hidden within the castle walls, and Harry believes it's his responsibility to prevent it from falling into evil hands. But doing so will bring him into contact with forces more terrifying than he ever could have imagined.

Full of sympathetic characters, wildly imaginative situations, and countless exciting details, the first installment in the series assembles an unforgettable magical world and sets the stage for many high-stakes adventures to come.

[Top 5 Wednesday] Middle Grade Books

It's time for this week's Top Five Wednesday! This has been created by gingerreadslainey and it also has a Goodreads group. I am hoping to do these posts (or other weekly Wednesday posts) more often as long as I am interested in the current prompt! This week's prompt I am discussing five books that I think would be great for middle grade readers.

[Book Review] The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman

3.5 STARS

The Subtle Knife is the second installment of the His Dark Materials series written by Philip Pullman. His Dark Materials is a fantasy series which follows our main character Lyra Belacqua, a feisty little girl who starts her story with trying to save her friend from this evil group and ending up on a much bigger adventure. Because The Subtle Knife is a sequel I won't get into too many specifics of the events that happen in this book but know that I definitely think it's worth picking up.

The first book, The Golden Compass, was a five star book for me and I was completely blown away by it. However, I definitely think that The Subtle Knife wasn't as good. I am not sure if it's because I didn't listen to the audiobook or because the book was smaller with less things going on. Or if the book just suffers from the infamous "second book syndrome" where second books in series don't live up to the hype surrounding the first ones. The first book had so much going on and so much buildup that by the end I felt like I had gone on this epic journey. The second had me feeling "is that it?"

For me, the story seemed so short. I know the book is about 300 pages, which isn't bad, but the first book felt so much longer. In reality, the books only had about 70 pages difference, but the amount of stuff that is jam packed into the first book made it seem so much longer, in the best way possible. Maybe that is because I listened to it on the audiobook, I am not sure, but when I read the second one I felt like I was missing the other half of the story, even if I know there is a third book.

Like last time, I absolutely loved Lyra. Her determination and her bravery is something I admire but I also love the idea of younger readers looking up to her. I would have absolutely loved her if I read this book a kid, she would have been up there with Hermione for me. However, I wasn't sold on Will as a character. I was definitely interested in his part to play in the story but I didn't really connect with him as a character. I think not connecting in general is a problem I have as a whole with this book. I didn't feel as edge of my seat invested as I was with The Golden Compass, which definitely was a let down because I loved how invested I was with the first book. There were chapters that I found myself skimming because I wasn't as interested, and other times where it picked up, but not to the extent as book one.

The writing, as it was in the first one, was amazing. I think Pullman is such a masterful story teller and I love this story so much. I plan on picking up The Amber Spyglass in the next month after I get through some of the books I have lined up to read and review currently. I recommend this series to anyone who wants a great fantastical read. I am hoping The Amber Spyglass gets me back in love with the story as I was with The Golden Compass. I am both excited and a little terrified that it's the last book in the trilogy.

Thanks for reading!

Have you read this series? Do you agree that This Subtle Knife is not as wonderful as The Golden Compass or did I have a totally different experience?

[Book Review] The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

5 STARS

The Golden Compass follows a young orphaned girl named Lyra Belacqua and her daemon Pantalaimon who both live in Jordan College at Oxford. She gets herself and Pan into a sticky situation with her uncle Lord Asriel that sparks a curiosity in Lyra. On top of that, there is rumor going around about a group of people called The Gobblers that take children in the middle of the night and they've seemed to have arrived close to Oxford.

[Book Review] George by Alex Gino

4 STARS

George is a middle grade novel about a transgendered girl who knows that although she was born with boy anatomy, she identifies as a girl. Currently George is really excited because her class is doing a school play of Charlotte's Webb and she wants to try out for the role of Charlotte despite everyone around her from her best friend Kelly, her bullies, her teachers, and even her family seeing her as a boy.