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 #8: The Largest River in the World...

Hello everbody,
It's been more than a month since I posted my last review. So, I'm happy to post Favourite Blast #8, which reviews the amazing book Journey to the River Sea, written by Eva Ibbotson.
Maia has lived in England in a boarding school ever since she can remember. So when some relatives in Brazil, the Carters, are willing to take care of her, she is excited and absolutely cannot wait for the adventure in the Amazon. On the way, she meets Clovis, who works in a theater group. They both become good friends and Maia is certain that her life in Brazil will now be exciting and fun.But, when she arrives at the Carters' large house, she does not get what she expects.
The Carters are ever so prim and posh and do not allow a single speck of dirt on themselves. Maia is shocked because this means that she can't have adventures and she cannot explore the Amazon. Instead, she has to learn from strict governess Miss Minton. Life is ever so boring and dull, with the jungle right outside calling to her. So when she finds out that Clovis is performing on stage in town, she tries to sneak to the theater but is soon lost. Luckily, a young local boy rescues her and helps find her way.
Soon, Clovis, the boy-Finn- and Maia are best friends. That's when Finn tells her that he's hiding from someone, people who want to take him back to England in order to take care of his grandfather's estate....
Suddenly Maia finds exactly what she came to Brazil for: adventure. With the help of Miss Minton and a scientist, will Maia be able to help Finn...and get her dreams?
 This book is written by Eva Ibbotson, a reputed author who has also written Which Witch?, The Star of Kazan, The Great Ghost Rescue, The Dragonfly Pool, Dial a Ghost, Not Just a Witch, and many more.
I recommend this book for ages 9 and above.
It is certainly one of the best books I've ever read!
Don't miss Favorite Blast #9, which is going to review Sleepovers by Jacqueline Wilson.

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 #6: Girls Can Be Boyish!

Hey guys,
Favorite Blast #6 is going to review How I Survived Being a Girl, by Wendelin Van Draanen.

1. Keep your hair too short for ribbons.
2. Get a great dog.
3. Avoid girls with Mary-Janes.
4. Spy on the neighbors. 

These are Carolyn's tips for survival. She swears by them. By looking at these rules, you can probably guess what type of girl Carolyn is. If you're thinking about ribbons, long hair, dolls and kittens, sugar and spice and everything nice, well, you're WRONG! If you're thinking about a tomboy, dirty and messy, digging holes, action and spying, then you're CORRECT!
Carolyn is a tomboy. She wishes she was never a girl. Playing with dolls? Dress-up? Ugh! Football? Spying? Um, yeah! No wonder she doesn't have any friends who are girls.
Carolyn has all sorts of adventures. Digging foxholes, signing a petition against her music teacher, girly-girl girls, stealing books (it was by accident, okay?), and climbing roofs are just part of Carolyn's life.
But during the summer before sixth grade, everything seems to change... Before, Carolyn wouldn't have though much of stealing a book. Now she's frightened out of her wits. She isn't that friendly with her best friend Charlie anymore.
Read about Carolyn's hilarious adventures in the book!
This is Wendelin Van Draanen's first book, but I myself haven't read her other books.
I recommend this book for ages 9 and above.
The book has colorful language and portrays a clear picture in your mind. The problem is that the book seems a little outdated as some features of modern life are missing and sometimes you can't really connect to Carolyn. Other than that, it's a great book that you'll probably love!

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!

  

Favorite Blast #3: Gaia Rising...

Hello friends...
Welcome the the THIRD Favorite Blast. Only 7 more to go!On this review, I'll be talking about the Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan. This series is a continuation of the Percy Jackson series. I've already reviewed the Percy Jackson series in Favorite Blast #2: Athena, Artemis and the Rest of Greek Mythology. If you haven't already read that review, please do, because it will be easier to understand this review...
Long story short: Two demigods lose memory. End up in separate camps. Need to stop Gaia, evil earth goddess. Now what?
The longer, more useful story: Things are completely normal in the demigod world. Suddenly, something weird happens. A mysterious boy with blonde hair is found with a pretty girl and silly boy. On the other side of the country, a dark haired, strong boy with deep sea-green eyes is found by two kids. The strange thing is that these two boys have no idea who they are, but evidence on them says that they are from the opposing camp. The blonde boy, Jason, is a Roman lost in the Greek world and the dark haired boy, Percy, is a Greek found in a Roman camp.
But that's not the only strange thing going on. The evil Earth goddess Gaia is rising and Death has been stolen. A mysterious prophecy unites the two camps and soon, seven teenagers are chosen to go on a journey that will change the world... or destroy it.
Meet Percy, a strong-willed boy who can control water and can speak to horses, son of Poseidon. And Annabeth, one of Percy's closest friends since age 12, a clever, strategic demigod, daughter of Athena. Piper is Aphrodite's daughter who can charm-speak and Leo is the seventh wheel of the group, with magical fingers, son of Hephaestus.
Then there are the Romans: Jason, a strong Roman boy, son of Jupiter. Hazel, a tough magical Roman girl, daughter of Pluto, with a deep secret, and Frank, her best friend, son of Mars.
These seven demigods have a destiny nobody can imagine. Can they defeat Gaia and her evil forces?
This series is very good and I love it. The only catch is that it is easier to understand only if you read the previous series. The books in the series are The Lost Hero, The Son of Neptune, The Mark of Athena, The House of Hades and The Blood of Olympus.
I recommend this series to ages 9 and above.
I really, super-duper love this series and I really want more even though the series has already ended!