Charlotte's Web

Hey everyone,
I'm going to be reviewing the classic children's book, Charlotte's Web by E.B. White, today.
When Fern saves a little piglet called Wilbur from being killed, she lovingly takes care of him. But when he gets older, he is sent to Fern's uncle's farm. He is snubbed by the other farm animals- there is no one to talk to- except for Charlotte the spider.
Soon afterward, Wilbur discovers that while he may have been saved by Fern from being slaughtered when he was a baby, Fern's uncle still plans to slaughter him.
Can Charlotte help save Wilbur?
And will things end happily?
Admittedly, the ending of the book can be tear-jerking, but it is still a lovely, simple book for children, and for that matter, almost anybody.
Charlotte's Web is enjoyable, and easy to read. I enjoyed the book and it made me feel sad and happy at the same time.
E.B. White was an American writer who wrote many other books, such as Stuart Little.
I recommend Charlotte's Web for ages 7 and above.

It's Not Easy Being the Tooth Fairy

Hey fellow bookworms!
Today I'm going to be reviewing You Think It's Easy Being the Tooth Fairy? by Sheri Bell-Rehwoldt and illustrated by David Slonim.
This book is about the tooth fairy- yes, the tooth fairy. But she's not a princessy fairy wearing dresses and heels- no, instead she's the action queen who braves everything from pets to bad weather to stinky socks in order to get you your money.
In this very funny book, the tooth fairy is far from you typical, princessy fairy. She's tough, high-tech and smart, and also gives you rules on how to make her job easier!
I really liked the book- the illustrations are spot on and the tooth fairy's narrative is funny and easy to read. This is a fun picture book, and I adore it.
Sheri Bell-Rehwoldt is an award-winning magazine writer who has written a middle-grade novel and non-fiction children's books.
I recommend this book for children till age 7.  

What Would YOU Wish For?

Hello everybody!
I'm pretty sure a lot of us have read books about genies- people finding genies, about genies, magic carpets and lamps...but this book, Genie Us!, is a little different from all the others!
When step-siblings Milly, Michael, Jess and Jason move to a house in the middle of nowhere, they certainly don't expect that their lives are going to change forever.. magically! So when they find a magical book that tells them how to become genies in just six steps, along with Skribble, a talking bookworm, they sure are surprised.
Following the book's steps to become genies, they enter the world of genies, lamps, magic and wishes, where anything can go wrong! But is becoming a genie really safe and worth it? Wishes soon become dangerous and goes wrong quickly, and everything becomes chaotic! And with a mysterious couple watching the siblings in a shadow wherever they go, things just become even more scarier!
Will the siblings ever adjust to their new life? Will they be able to find out what the mysterious couple want from them? And will they ever become genies and have their biggest wish granted?
Genie Us! is the first book of a series written by Steve Cole and Linda Chapman. Linda Chapman has written the My Secret Unicorn series and Steve Cole has written the Astrosaurs series.
Genie Us! is fast-paced and interesting. It has a good plot and I did not see the ending coming!
I recommend this book for ages 8 and above.

The Misadventures of Greg Heffley

Happy New Year everyone!
This year my New Year Resolution is to do more book reviews than last year- that means I want to do at least 18 book reviews this year. And I'm starting 2017 with a book review on the bestselling series Diary of a Wimpy Kid! Diary of a Wimpy Kid is written by Jeff Kinney.
Greg Heffley has a few problems. His mom gave him a diary- sorry, journal- to write in, he's in middle school, he has problems with his best friend Rowley Jefferson and his life is a mess in general.
How do you deal with the pressure of school, friends and a crazy family? These books portray a normal boy's life in a hilarious journal and cartoon format. The drawing are extremely funny and the things that happen to Greg Heffley are bound to keep you in stitches.
Although some of the incidents that happen to Greg are normal and have happened to all of us, and some are straight crazy and unthinkable, everything is funny and relatable, even if we don't have two brothers and a school that cuts down on playground equipment.
Although Diary of a Wimpy Kid is not exactly an example of great literature, it is funny and easy to read but at the same time is not absolutely ridiculous. Greg is a humorous character and even though he does some unlikable stuff (like making his friend carry all his books, and rewrite his homework for a peanut-butter cracker) he is somehow likable and also teaches us what NOT to do and the dire consequences of procrastinating and not thinking before acting.
I personally like Diary of  Wimpy Kid and think it is extremely funny and relatable.
Jeff Kinney is an online game developer and is the creator of Poptropica (poptropica.com) and is the author of Rodrick Rules, The Last Straw, Dog Days, The Ugly Truth, Cabin Fever, The Third Wheel, Hard Luck, The Long Haul, Old School and most recently, Double Down, all Diary of a Wimpy KId books.
I really enjoyed Diary of a Wimpy Kid. I recommend it for ages 8 and above.
Did you read Diary of a Wimpy Kid? What are your thoughts on it? Write them in the comments section below, or give your own book review that I will publish in my blog. For more information, click on the 'Reviewed by friends' subheading near the top of the page.

Two Magical Sisters

Namasthe, everybody!
I'll be reviewing Mister Jeejeebhoy and the Birds by Anitha Balachandran today.
When Tara and chip-obsessed Diya move into their aunt Ninamasi's house, they hardly expect strange noises, living photographs, strange mirrors and weird noises coming from all over the house!
But no one in the town wants to be their friend. They have ten thousand excuses and claim that Ninamasi's house is strange.
At least Diya and Tara have Mr. Jeejeebhoy's sweet shop next door, filled with yummy sweets- gulab jamuns, burfis, rasmalai and everything in between!
That's when the sisters find out that they have magical powers!  But when Mr. Jeejeebhoy's sweet shop closes down for a strange reason, will Diya and Tara be able to use their magical powers to help him? And will they ever make friends with all the other kids?
This i a sweet story about two sisters who manage to use their peculiarities to do something good and to help people. The illustrations are very colourful and vibrant as well as beautiful. However, this book may have to be read by parents to younger children as some of the words may be unknown. This book is very creative and the detailed pictures are guaranteed to keep kids enraptured in the story. This is the perfect read-aloud book and can be read young children who have begun to read.
Anitha Balachandran is an Indian author, animator and artist.
I recommend this book for preschoolers and ages 5 and above. 

The Adventures of Pinky and Rex

Hi!
Today I'm going to review the Pinky and Rex series by James Howe, with delightful illustrations by Melissa Sweet.
Pinky is a boy and Rex is a girl, but they are still the best of best friends. This series follows them and their other friends through hilarious misadventures.
See Pinky and Rex fight off a bully, Pinky getting a cat he does not want, Rex getting jealous of Pinky's cousin Abby at a pumpkin patch, Rex getting a new addition to her family, and so, so many more!
These books are small and have big font, divided into chapters, making it ideal for a child starting chapter books. These books are also good to read to a preschooler because they use simple language.
It's easy to understand the characters' feelings.
Even if you are out of picture books, these books are still a short, delightful read.

There's Mischief at Malory Towers!

Hey friends,
Have you ever wanted to go to a boarding school? In the Malory Towers series, young Darrell's wish is fulfilled.
Off to Malory Towers, Darrell Rivers can't wait to do her best and have fun. At Malory Towers she meets the clever, tricky Alicia Johns whom she greatly admires, the vain Gwendoline, shy Mary-Lou who offers her hand in friendship, scatterbrained genius Irene, irritable Sally Hope and many more classmates.
But life is not all fun and games at Malory Towers. Darrell does terrible on her first tests. She lets loose her dangerous, hot temper on a fellow classmate and is punished by the head of her form. She hurts Sally Hope. And then she is blamed for something that she didn't do!
Will Darrell make new friends and be able to convince her fellow classmates that she is not all that bad as she seems?
The series follows Darrell from the first form to the sixth form.
A follow-up series written by Pamela Cox is also available, and it is about Darrell's younger sister Felicity Rivers and her friends at Malory Towers.
The original books are written by Enid Blyton, a well-known British author who has also written the St. Clare's series, The Faraway Tree, The Wishing Chair and many, many more!
These books talk about school life and friendship.
I like these books because they not only show things from Darrell's point of view but from her other classmates' as well. These books are a fun and easy read.
I recommend these books for ages 7 and above.

I LOVE PURPLE!

Hey guys!
How much do you like purple? Is it your favorite color or your least favorite color? Or is it somewhere in between? For Annie in 'The Purple Hat' by Tracey Campbell Pearson, it is her favorite color!
Annie loves purple. She has purple clothes, a purple room and she loves ALL THINGS PURPLE. So when she sees an amazing purple hat in the catalogue, she knows it'll be perfect for her. And soon, lucky for her, she does get a purple hat. Annie loves her purple hat.
So one day when she takes it to school, it goes missing. The entire town is searching for it!
Where could her lovely purple hat go?
This book is sweet although it is a little strange that the entire town would be searching for Annie's purple hat. The illustrations are very cute too.
Tracey Campbell Pearson has also written and illustrated Elephant's Story, Myrtle, Bob, Where Does Joe Go?, The Howling Dog and many more.
I think this book will appeal more to ages 3-6.

The Other World...

Hey everybody!
Have you watched or heard about the movie Coraline? Well, that amazing movie is based on an amazing book written by Neil Gaiman, called 'Coraline.'
Coraline Jones is bored. She always is at her new house. There's nothing to do, her parents are always busy, and all the neighbors pronounce her name wrong. It's Coraline. Not Caroline. Coraline. The least she can do is explore. But she can't even do that when it starts to rain one day. So, when her father suggests she explore the flat, she finds a strange door. It doesn't open to anywhere and behind is a bunch of bricks. After further unearthing and digging up she finds out that it's closed because when the house was divided into flats, the door was blocked. At least that's the story... but maybe there's something more to the bricked-up wall.
When her parents aren't home, Coraline finds out that the door does open out to somewhere. Going through the dark musty corridor, she finds a world eerily similar to her own... but better. This world is way more interesting and fun.
But there's another mother there, and another father, who want Coraline to stay and be their little girl... but that can't happen... can it? When the history of this world starts to unravel and her parents disappear, Coraline finds out that she's in grave danger...
This is the first book I've read written by Neil Gaiman and I certainly look forward to reading more. This book is eery and never really frightening and I love it. It's truly one of my favorite books! I recommend this book to ages 8 and above.
I love this book and rate it 5 stars!

Bow Down to the New Generation of Princesses!

Hello guys!
 Today I'm reviewing the Tiara Club series which has more than thirty books in it. These books are rather simple and easy to read. They are written by Vivian French.
In a magical world with kingdoms and Fairy Godmothers, princesses are so common that the Princess Academy is set up. This academy is divided into numerous stages, such as the first Tiara Club, Silver Towers, Ruby Mansion, Pearl Palace and Emerald Castle. In the Princess Academy, lots of things happen.
There are magic potions, baby dolphins, horses, the sea and, of course, princesses. In each stage, there are a different set of princesses, which makes  it a little hard to remember all those princess names. At the beginning of each book, a note is written from the princess to the reader, saying that both of them are best friends, but it does not seem that way in the story itself.
If you are a reader older than 9 years old, you will probably not find the books satisfying to yourself, even for a short read. These books are mostly for younger girls who have just started to read chapter books and like princesses because the plots are very simple and won't appeal to older readers.

Favorite Blast #9: Sleepover Girlz...

Hey guys,
Today I'm going to review Sleepovers by Jacqueline Wilson.
All the girls in the Alphabet club (Amy, Bella, Chloe, Daisy and Emily) can't wait to have sleepover parties. That is, except for Daisy. Poor Daisy is new to the school and doesn't have a best friend. Then she meets the rest of the Alphabet club and finally starts to settle down. Everybody seems to like her, except for mean Chloe. Chloe torments Daisy and doesn't let her take part in activities. She's a cheater and the main problem is that she's Emily's best friend. Daisy wants to be Emily's friend and she can't bear Chloe.
Chloe gets meaner and meaner to the extent that Emily doesn't want to be her best friend anymore either. Then when the sleepovers start, it's a chance that Daisy can become Emily's best friend... But that's not Daisy's only problem. She's embarrassed and won't let anybody come to her house because of her sister.
Daisy's sister isn't well and Daisy's embarrassed about her... But maybe she can help Daisy in beating Chloe...
This story is a very heartwarming tale about friendship, standing up for friends and understanding that you shouldn't be embarrassed by someone you love..
I recommend this book to ages 7 and above.
Jacqueline Wilson is a British author who has also written The Suitcase Kid, The Lottie Project, Clean Break, The Diamond Girls, and many more.
Well, this review is almost over. The LAST Favorite Blast review, reviewing another Jacqueline Wilson book, Clean Break, is coming soon! Stay tuned to A Wonderland of Books!

Favorite Blast #7: As Easy As 'ABC...'

Hello everybody,
Today I'll review Favorite Blast #7, The Suitcase Kid by Jacqueline Wilson. I really love it!
'When my parents split up, they didn't know what to do with me...'
Andy's parents are splitting up. The worst thing is that she has to choose between them! "It's as easy as ABC," they say. But it isn't. Andy doesn't know who to choose. She wants both of her parents, but nobody understands. She wants to go back to her home, Mulberry Cottage. She wants things to stay as they always were. But everything's changing.
So, Andy lives one week with her dad and one week with her mother. She hates her mother's new family, especially Katie and Baboon Bill, although Graham's okay and Paula simply doesn't talk to her. Her dad's new family is okay, with Carrie and the twins. But things aren't easy when you're a suitcase kid and have no place to live.
Things are definitely not easy at school. Andy's grades are dropping and her best friend Aileen has drifted away from miserable Andy and has made friends with Fiona. Her only friend is Radish, her Sylvanian Families rabbit.
But this all changes when she meets Mr. and Mrs. Peters, a kind elderly couple who let Andy into their garden. Perhaps things will look up...
Will Andy's parents get back together? Or will she have to accept this new way of life?
I love this book and I recommend it to ages 7 and above, and this was my first Jacqueline Wilson book.
It's an excellent book and I love the way the story is built up. The characters can be easily related to.
This book is definitely five stars! 

Favorite Blast #5: The Seventh Son of the Seventh Son...

Hello everybody,
Favorite Blast #5 is... the Septimus Heap series! This series is written by Angie Sage, 'who's a bit older than her teeth but the same age as her nose...'
Welcome to the Castle. The Castle is a magical home and hub for hundreds of odd people. Let's go to the Ramblings, which is located in the Castle. The Ramblings is a housing society for most of the people who live in the Castle. In the Ramblings, there is a very odd household... meet the Heaps. The Heaps are a huge family with seven children. Well... not quite. The Heap household has six sons and a very mysterious girl, Jenna. Nobody knows where Jenna comes from. To find out more, let's go a little bit back, to the past...
Ten years ago, the seventh son of Sarah and Silas Heap was born. If he survived, then he would be one of the most powerful wizards of all time, since Silas was also a seventh son. But poor Septimus Heap didn't survive. On that cold evening when Septimus died, Silas found a strange baby with violet eyes in the biting, cruel snow. This child grew up as Jenna Heap. But poor Silas and Sarah couldn't get Septimus out of their mind.
What really happened to Septimus?
Ten years later, Marcia Overstrand, the Extraordinary Wizard, paid a visit to the Heaps, a visit which would change their lives, a visit nobody could ever forget... In the biting snow, Jenna is declared the heir to the throne and a young boy only known as Boy 412 is found under the snow. As the mysterious past of Jenna and Boy 412 are unfolded, a strange connection is found...
This is an epic story of loyalty, legends and power.
Books in this series are Magyk, Flyte, Physik, Queste, Syren, Darke, Fyre and a series companion, The Magykal Papers. The Darke Toad is a short story that covers up the long gap between Magyk and Flyte.
I love this series and I recommend it for ages 8 and above. 

Favorite Blast #4: You Really Are a Wonder, August Pullman

Hey guys,
I recently read this amazing book called Wonder. It was so good that I just had to put it on my Favorite Blast list.
August Pullman (Auggie) isn't normal. Well, he's completely normal- except for his face. It's so terrible that kids scream and run away from him at the park. Auggie lives with his Mom, Dad, and his sister Via, who are probably the only people who see him as normal. He's been home-schooled his entire life. Until now.
Auggie can't wait to go to middle school, although he knows exactly what to expect- screaming, teasing kids, bullies and shocked teachers. Which is exactly what he gets. But Auggie gets one thing that he never ever bargained for: friends. At first, Auggie thinks that Jack and Summer could be his new best friends. But that's before he hears a terrible conversation between Jack and the bully, Julian. This is when August Pullman discovers that life is going to be way, way harder in middle school than he ever thought. To make it worse, he's getting a humongous hearing aid, five times larger than a normal one. 
With one best friend Summer, a feuding school, teasing bullies, and a miserable sister, Auggie is sure that he's never going to survive middle school. That is, until one night at a school outing, when everything changes...
The story is told in six different viewpoints, from Summer's, Jacks's, Via's, etc. This book has different quotes in it. The book is very inspiring and touching. It is written in such a way that you know exactly how the characters feel. You feel as though you are the character. If Auggie's embarrassed, you are too. If Jack's feeling confused, then you'll feel confused too. If Via's miserable, you suddenly feel miserable as well.

The book is written by R. J. Palacio, a wonderful author. She's also written 365 Days of Wonder, which is a quote book, and The Julian Chapter, which is a sequel to Wonder. It explains what happens to Julian later on and how Julian feels. Pluto, an all new sequel, will release in a few days, 10th Feb 2015. This book is about Christopher, Auggie's oldest friend.

I really love Wonder and I recommend it for ages 8 and above.

Wonder is 5 stars, everybody!