Athena and the Magic Land (Little Goddess Girls #1)

Athena & The Magic Land (Little Goddess Girls #1) Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams. Illustrated by Yuyi Chen. 2019. Simon & Schuster. 96 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: Tap. Tap. Athena pushed the buttons on the tablet she held.

Premise/plot: Athena, the heroine, is transported from the 'real' world to a magical one--Mount Olympus--in this early chapter book published by Simon & Schuster.

The first chapter is called "Hello Brick Road!" That should give readers a BIG, BIG, BIG, BIG clue as to what the plot is in this one. 

My thoughts: My true first reaction was WHY?!?! I guess I was expecting MORE (actual) Greek mythology and less imitation Wizard of Oz. Because let's be honest, the story, the characters, everything is essentially just a remix of Wizard of Oz. Medusa stars as the Wicked Witch. And she's after the SANDALS with wings that have tied themselves to Athena's feet. Athena, meanwhile, just wants to GO BACK HOME. So she's told by a good goddess--not a good witch--to just follow the road to see the great god, Zeus. She's told she'll make A LOT OF NEW FRIENDS if she stays on the road.

Perhaps if I was seven or eight. Perhaps if the writing was A+++. I don't know. It shouldn't come as a big surprise that as an adult I found this one a little lacking. I am not the target audience. And reading is subjective. There is nothing inappropriate or "wrong" with this one. I am just a little confused as to why this story needs to be retold with "Greek" inspired names.

© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Board book: Scratchie: A Touch and Feel Cat-Venture

Scratchie:  A Touch-and-Feel Cat-Venture. Maria Putri. 2019. Simon & Schuster. 2019. 24 pages.

First sentence: Hi there, human! I'm Scratchie, the cat. And just like my name, I like to scratch stuff to keep my claws super sharp! Let's scratch things together.

Premise/plot: Touch-and-feel board books are nothing new or particularly unique. But this one has a fun premise. It is inviting readers to SCRATCH things along with the cat hero, Scratchie.

My thoughts: Don't expect the objects that you are "scratching" (aka touching/feeling) to remotely feel like what they are supposed to be. With a few minor exceptions. The textures aren't bad; they just don't correlate with their objects. Probably my favorite textures were the one on the cover and the "paper towel" (aka wash rag.)

I love the premise of this one. I do. But I was slightly disappointed. This does not mean that little ones won't like it.

© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Board book: Twinkle, Twinkle Dinosaur

Twinkle, Twinkle, Dinosaur. Jeffrey Burton. Illustrated by Zoe Waring. 2019. Simon & Schuster. 16 pages. [Source: Review copy]

 First sentence: Twinkle, twinkle, dinosaur, how I love to hear you roar.

Premise/plot: This is a rhyming board book starring dinosaurs. It is loosely inspired by the children's classic "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star."

My thoughts: Probably the best thing about this one is how thick and sturdy the pages are. Board books have thicker pages, of course, that's what makes them board books. But these are extra-super-thick pages. And the pages do not stick together. Of course, in a perfect world, all board books would have pages that easily turn and never get stuck. But the world we live in, alas, is fallen. This one I thought was better than most in that regards.

As for the actual content, well, I'm no dinosaur enthusiast. Little ones who love, love, love dinosaurs will certainly find it more appealing. The rhyming and rhythm of this one did not annoy me which must mean it gets it right.

© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Texas Trail to Calamity

Texas Trail to Calamity: A Miss Mallard Mystery. Robert M. Quackenbush. 1986/2018. Simon & Schuster. 80 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Miss Mallard, the world-famous ducktective, was on vacation at a dude ranch in Texas.

Premise/plot: Miss Mallard is vacationing in Texas this time; she sure does LOVE to travel, doesn't she?! When a horse-riding accident leaves her stranded in the prairie, Miss Mallard takes refuge with a family living in an old house. It turns out this family is descended from one of the first duck families to settle in Texas. There is even a celebration the next day at the Alamo to recognize the first THREE HUNDRED (duck) families. But all is not as it seems, someone is out to steal an important document. Will Miss Mallard find out WHO wants to sabotage the event?

My thoughts: I liked this one. Quackenbush has created an interesting world peopled entirely by ducks. I'm not sure it does the real Texas justice--but I'm willing to overlook that I suppose. I prefer other books in the series to this one. But it was fun to imagine how different history would play out if ducks ruled the world. But one thing we know--they'd be crimes to solve. 

© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Bicycle to Treachery

Bicycle to Treachery: A Miss Mallard Mystery. Robert Quackenbush. 1985/2019. Simon & Schuster. 80 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: While on a bicycle tour of Holland, Miss Mallard--the world famous ducktective--took a wrong turn. She became separated from the other cyclists.

Premise/plot: Miss Mallard stumbles--or perhaps I should say cycles--into this mystery quite by accident. She never intended to stay at an inn or meet Julia Pintail. Julia is in danger; she's being followed by ducks in trenchcoats! She lets Miss Mallard know that she has something important to tell her...soon. Miss Mallard later discovers Julia has been ducknapped! She also discovers that Julia slipped her a little black book--written in code. Will Miss Mallard be able to decode the message and save her new friend?

My thoughts: I really LOVE this one. I love, love, love Miss Mallard. The series is just too much fun.

© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers