The Quest for the Diamond Sword (An Unofficial Gamer's Adventure #1) by Winter Morgan

★★★

Sebastien is a huge fan of Minecraft, and he gives this book 5 stars. I would normally give it 2 stars based on my actual opinion of the book, but I'm giving it 3 stars for its motivating-kids-to-read factor. (The author is a GENIUS for being the first to corner this niche market!) Sebastien, however, technically didn't read this book himself; I read it aloud to him.

The writing is dry and matter-of-fact and lacks any kind of style. A lot of sentences are explanatory rather than narrative. On the one hand, I wonder if the author purposely wanted to make the book sound like something its target audience (kids in grades 1 to 7) would write. On the other hand, shouldn't published books serve as examples of good writing, rather than be reflections of what the book's intended audience can write themselves?

Mostly, though, I was bothered by how the events in the book do not adhere to the "rules" of Minecraft. For example, at one point, a zombie snatches a sword out of Steve's hands. I don't think that's possible in the game. Also, the characters find 40 diamonds in one place. Again, I'm no expert in the game, but that doesn't sound right. There are all sorts of examples like these, but admittedly, Sebastien - who arguably is a Minecraft expert! - didn't mind the inconsistencies at all.

Finally, I found the mistakes in editing to be distracting. Page 2 refers to "iron ignots". On page 14, one line reads, "...there was one only way to escape," and on page 39, a character shouts, "Looks a cave!"

On the plus side, there is actually some nice character development. The main character Steve is a homebody, but when his villager friends get attacked by zombies, he is motivated to go exploring in order to acquire a diamond sword, which will help him to defeat the zombies and save his friends. Steve meets new people, makes new friends, and learns to be brave and adventurous.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

★★★★★

I don't know how it is that I managed to not read this book - or any Roald Dahl book! - until now. I know it's a classic and I know Roald Dahl is one of the greats, and I'm glad I finally got around to reading this one.

Right away, this book struck me as one that is meant to be read aloud, with events unfolding as if they were being described by a storyteller, not just a narrator. Willy Wonka's exclamation-point-filled dialogue is great fun to read! I suppose the Oompa-Loompa songs might be hard to pull off, but they could just as well be chanted, I suppose.

The book is a light-hearted read, which at first seemed a bit odd when paired with the fact that Charlie Bucket and his family were starving! But then the breezy tone became an asset as the other children got into quite shocking and somewhat disturbing predicaments. It's a humor-filled morality tale, and the other children got justly punished for their naughty behavior. I don't know that gum-chewing and TV-watching are quite as bad as gluttony and greed, but the lessons are clear.

A Highly Sensitive Person's Life: Stories & Advice for Those Who Experience the World Intensely by Kelly O'Laughlin

★★★

A "light read" that is very informally written. The author makes clear that the book is basically drawn from her blog and podcasts, and indeed, reading the book feels like reading a series of blog posts.

At the beginning of the book, you can follow a link to Dr. Elaine Aron's online test to see if you are a "Highly Sensitive Person", or HSP. According to the test, I am. I don't fit every description in the checklist, but certainly a good number of them describe me.

I could identify with many of the author's anecdotes, such as those about obsessing over conversations; trying to manage your life to minimize or eliminate stress and anxiety; preferring to do activities alone partly because it means not having to inconvenient others, or not having to worry about messing up in front of others or letting down a team; the weight of commitments and schedules; the difficulty of decision-making.

Other aspects did not ring true for me personally, like being over-affected by caffeine, instantly regretting restaurant orders, or having super-sensitive smell or hearing.

This was the first book I picked up after hearing about the idea of a "Highly Sensitive Person", and I think it was a good place to start. It hooked my interest enough for me to find out more. Certainly there was a sense of comfort reading some of the anecdotes and thinking, "Yes! That's just how I feel! You mean, that kind of behavior is really a 'thing', and I am not just being a crazy person?!"

Circle of Heroes (The Familiars #3) by Adam Jay Epstein & Andrew Jacobson

★★★★

I am really enjoying this series! I love how all the different magical animal species have unique talents, and how they live in areas specifically suited for them. This installment had a number of twists and unexpected revelations, making it an even more compelling read than the previous two books.

I think I would have given this book 5 stars if not for the explicitly gruesome descriptions of zombie animals! The target audience is grades 3-7, so I guess the content is mostly appropriate for that age range... Isabelle seemed less bothered by the Dead Army than I was, so maybe it's my own prudish sensibilities that make me a little wary of the violence and gore in this book. Also, I didn't understand the point of the short-lived re-introduction of Grimslade.

Secrets of the Crown (The Familiars #2) by Adam Jay Epstein & Andrew Jacobson

★★★★★

Okay, I'm not crazy about the illustrations in this series - they just don't seem to do the story justice, in my opinion. But what a story this one is! Aldwyn, Skylar, and Gilbert set off on another quest that takes them to unfamiliar lands and through all kinds of adventures.

Both Skylar's and Aldwyn's family histories are fleshed out, and there were quite a few unexpected twists and turns. A really entertaining read that ends with a cliffhanger!

One note about the recommended audience. Even though we're dealing with anthropomorphized animals, I think the upper elementary grades would be best, as there are references to death, murder, betrayal, and of course, the Dead Army that the evil Paksahara intends to raise.

Humphrey Roundup

Sebastien has absolutely LOVED having this series read to him!

It's a cute series about a loyal hamster who takes friendship very seriously. Lessons abound in each book.

There is a diverse cast of characters spanning a wide range of ethnic groups, socio-economic classes, and even physical health.

Happily - since I was reading the series to a first grader - there is really nothing objectionable in the series; it's a "safe" series that makes clear what is considered appropriate behavior. Except maybe the second book... It's a good installment because it's the one where we meet Og the frog, but some of the content might be just a wee bit more appropriate for older elementary grades.

• The World According to Humphrey (#1) ★★★★½
• Friendship According to Humphrey (#2) ★★★½
• Trouble According to Humphrey (#3) ★★★½
• Surprises According to Humphrey (#4) ★★★½
• Adventure According to Humphrey (#5) ★★★½
• Summer According to Humphrey (#6) ★★★★★
• School Days According to Humphrey (#7) ★★★★½
• Mysteries According to Humphrey (#8) ★★★★★
• Winter According to Humphrey (#9) ★★★★
• Secrets According to Humphrey (#10) ★★★★★
• Imagination According to Humphrey (#11) ★★★

Imagination According to Humphrey (Humphrey #11) by Betty G. Birney

★★★

Sebastien had been looking forward to reading this book ever since we saw a "Coming Soon!" advertisement at the end of one of the other Humphrey books. We were super excited to finally read it!

In many ways, this book delivers just what you would expect from a Humphrey book. Humphrey pays attention in class, he sometimes leaves his cage during the week when the school is empty, and he goes home with his classroom friends on the weekends and finds ways to help them. But, in my opinion, the overarching storyline is lacking. Mrs. Brisbane is teaching the kids about writing and storytelling, and they each have to write a piece of fiction imagining what they would do if they could fly. Writing came easily for some kids while other kids struggled. I'm sorry to say, it just wasn't very exciting or interesting to me.

Sebastien enjoyed the book as expected, but even he gave it 4 stars - instead of his usual 5 stars for Humphrey books - because the book defined a word inaccurately! On page 45, at the start of chapter 5, Mrs. Brisbane introduces the class to homonyms. According to the book, examples of homonyms are "groan" and "grown", and "ate" and "eight". To be honest, I am pretty sure that's what I remember learning in elementary school myself, about 30 years ago. However, Sebastien's first grade class has been talking about homophones all year, and his teacher made it very clear that "homophones" are words that sound the same, but are spelled differently and have different meanings - like "groan" and "grown" - while "homonyms" are words that sound the same and are spelled the same, but have different meanings - like "weigh on a scale" and "scale the wall". One quick Google search confirms that, in the strictest sense, Sebastien's teacher is correct, but also that some people and some dictionaries do allow for broader definitions of "homonym", which frequently leads to confusion.

The Familiars (The Familiars #1) by Adam Jay Epstein & Andrew Jacobson

★★★★

Even before I read the blurb on the back that echoed my own sentiments, I thought, "This book is like Harry Potter meets Warriors!" It's got the magic of Harry Potter - complete with a Hermione / Ron / Harry trio consisting of book-smart Skylar (a female bird), comic relief Gilbert (a male frog), and "muggle"-raised Aldwyn (a male cat) who has yet to discover his untapped potential - and, of course, the anthropomorphized animals reminiscent of Warriors, mostly because Aldwyn the cat is the main character. But also, their journey to fulfill a quest reminded me of Firestar's Quest, a Warriors Super Edition.

So, a "familiar" is a wizard's magical animal companion with whom the wizard has a special bond. They struck me as kind of like a cross between the pet animals of Harry Potter - like Hedwig, Scabbers, and Crookshanks - and the daemons of the His Dark Materials trilogy.

I enjoyed the book, but I didn't completely love it. I wonder if maybe it just seemed like the book was too derivative, and there wasn't much that was especially new to experience? I'm not sure, but I did like it enough to continue the series!

His Dark Materials Roundup

I just realized that I had never written a roundup post for His Dark Materials.

The books are far enough in my memory now that I'm not sure how I would summarize the series as a whole, though of course my thoughts on the individual books are linked below. I think I can say that the series started out strong, with fantastic imaginary worlds and creatures, but that the series became unnecessarily complex as it progressed.

• The Golden Compass (#1) ★★★★
• The Subtle Knife (#2) ★★★½
• The Amber Spyglass (#3) ★★★

Bobby Roundup

A great read for lower elementary kids, especially boys! Bobby happens to be half Chinese, but that is not at all a focus of the books.

• Bobby vs. Girls (Accidentally) (#1) ★★★★½
• Bobby the Brave (Sometimes) (#2) ★★★

Bobby the Brave (Sometimes) by Lisa Yee

★★★★★

A great follow-up to Bobby vs. Girls (Accidentally). This book picks up right where the last one left off. The conflict in this book focuses on Bobby's relationship with his father. Along the way, he has to work things out with his gym teacher, Mr. Rainerhaus. A really enjoyable read with a happy ending for everyone. I hope more books will be added to this series!

Isabelle wasn't super excited to read this sequel, but she picked it up at bedtime when she ran out of other books to read. An hour and a half later - way past her bedtime! - I had to remind her to go to bed. She loved that Bobby had asthma - "just like her" - and that he had to settle for a goldfish because he's allergic to dogs. (Isabelle really wants a cat, but she's allergic, and Ken promised her a goldfish for her next birthday.)