Tag Archives: Halloween

A Tale from Hare Wood: Turnip by Nicky Edwards (Book Review)

One memorable Halloween Turnip, a rabbit, finds a hat and decides with the help of her animal friends, to keep it.

But the hat’s owner is a witch, and she needs it back to protect her cat friend, Pudding.

The witch and Pudding hunt for the hat and find Turnip and demand it back but the animals invoke the woodland lore of ‘Finders Keepers’ and call a woodland court to determine who should have the hat.

At the court we discover that the hat speaks, and it tells of being stuffed with magic and used as a cushion and poked with pins. Outraged the court decides Turnip should keep the hat.

That night, after a long talk, Turnip and the hat decide the hat should return to the witch on condition that it is treated well. The witch is so grateful she invites Turnip to become her apprentice.

The story celebrates friendship, compassion, and discovering one’s inner magic.


Amazon Purchase Link
Goodreads Link

 

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Reedsy Discovery. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

 

A Tale from Hare Wood: Turnip is home to many spectacular characters. Pudding is a witch’s cat, her familiar, and a remarkable inventor. They developed a stroking machine to have pets as they lay in their cat’s bed and drift off to sleep. They created a cat-cloak of invisibility and a dog-repellent whistle. Since Pudding was a witch’s cat, every invention possessed some magic; thus, his creations got a mind of their own, like the self-winding ball of wool. Pudding is a very cool cat! 

Esme, the witch, has several problems she’s dealing with as the story progresses. First, she has overstuffed her hat with magic, and now it won’t fit over her thick hair. Not surprisingly, Esme fixed the hairy situation with magic. Next, she had a dreadful time keeping her broom in flight against the fierce easterly winds. Then came the misfortune of losing her hat, thanks to a gust of wind. Esme’s loss did become Turnip’s (the rabbit) gain. Turnip looked oddly adorable in human clothing. Clothing was fair game since humans either left it or lost the articles of clothing in Hare Wood, and the woodland animals live by the rule, “Finders Keepers.”

It didn’t take Turnip long to discover he found a witch’s hat, and with his friends’ encouragement, he invoked the sacred lore of the woodland: “Finders’ keepers, losers’ weepers.” While the three woodsy animals were off to a party, Esme had a major freak-out. This leads to another, more significant problem. 

Esme’s problems seem to compound while at the All Witches Eve celebration. Now, she must retrieve her hat or suffer the consequences. Kids will find the story captivating. The plot was wildly inventive. The sketches add the right amount of visual stimuli to keep all readers’ eyes glued to the pages, curious about who the Court will grant ownership of the magic hat. 

A Tale from Hare Wood: Turnip teaches children that while having magic at your ready might be fun, there’s also a sense of joy, pride, and accomplishment when you construct something with your own hands. In a roundabout way, it also nudges readers regarding the importance of cleaning up and keeping track of your possessions because you don’t want the Finders Keepers rule to happen to you. 

I recommend A Tale from Hare Wood: Turnip to children six years and older. 

 

Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: ❤❤

Amazon Purchase Link

Goodreads Link

 


Meet the Author

Hello, I’m Nic, and I’m delighted to introduce you to the first of my Hare Wood stories. Journey with Turnip as she embarks on an enchanting adventure after stumbling upon a witch’s hat. I’m excited to share the wonders of Hare Wood and eagerly await your thoughts and comments x.

Reedsy Author Link

 

 

 

Leave a Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Haunted House: Day & Night by Jaybie D (Book Review)

Embark on an enchanting journey with Mandy as she bravely confronts her fear of the dark during a thrilling family trip to a haunted house! In this captivating children’s picture book, readers join Mandy on an exclusive daytime behind-the-scenes tour, discovering the intricate inner workings of the haunting spectacle. Marvel at the meticulously placed, spine-chilling props that bring the eerie atmosphere to life. Peek behind the curtains to unveil the fascinating interplay of costumes, make-up, lighting, security, and electrical systems that add a touch of magic to the haunted house.

As night descends, a whole new level of enchantment unfolds. Mandy and her family immerse themselves in an extraordinary evening experience where the previously observed prop stages burst into vivid life. Prepare to be mesmerized by a symphony of special effects that will enchant your senses, casting an otherworldly glow over the surroundings. Vibrant colors dance in harmony with haunting melodies, amplifying the eerie atmosphere to its fullest.

Throughout the pages of this book, Mandy’s journey takes her into never-before-seen rooms that will captivate and ignite the reader’s imagination. It’s an unforgettable tale of bravery, imagination, and self-discovery as she discovers the transformative power of overcoming her fears.

Amazon Purchase Link

 

 

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Reedsy Discovery. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

 

Haunted House: Day & Night was a visual masterpiece! Jaybie D.’s graphic design skills knocked my socks off. Words glowed on the pages. Objects glowed as well, breathing life into unanimated objects. The lanterns, flashlights, twinkling lights, jack-o’-lanterns, moon, ghosts, the strange beast spitting fire, each illuminated object captured my attention, and it will capture your child’s too. They’ll be mesmerized by the swirling fluorescent orbs of lights, the sparkling night sky, and the fog that appears to be lifting off the pages so much they might forget there’s a story to read. Oh, they should read the story! 

Besides its enormous visual appeal, the book captures all the excitement and spookiness surrounding a haunted house. During the day, a behind-the-scenes view of a haunted house is quite remarkable. The author shows readers what it takes to pull off a scary night. Costumes, make-up applications, setting up props, scary sounds, display monitors, it’s quite the production. The house you just saw during the day takes on a new form when the sun sets. You must remind yourself that it’s all fake like Mandy did. 

If your family loves Halloween and haunted houses, you must read Haunted House: Day & Night. With radiating words, words written in wacky fonts, and wavy lines, young readers will love practicing their reading skills using this spooktacular story. Teachers and parents will love that the story blends beginning sight words and advanced text. Everyone will love the illustrations. 

Haunted House: Day & Night is a thrilling read for children five years and older. It’s the ideal book for October. If you have a child under five who understands monsters are not real, I would also share this book with them. It’s not scary, and I’m sure they love the pictures and storyline! Outstanding from beginning to end (family photo). 

 

Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: ❤❤
Amazon Purchase Link

 

 

Meet the Author

It is a privilege to write and illustrate children’s picture books, encouraging them to explore their imagination! It fills my soul.

Reedsy Author Link

 

 

 

Leave a Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Alicia Connected: Tricked with Treats by Derek Fisher (Book Review)

Picture

 

Halloween is here, and it is Alicia’s favorite time of year. What’s not to like about dressing up in a costume and getting free candy? But there is something even more exciting happening this year. For the first time, Alicia and her friends are throwing a virtual party in TullyTown!

Putting together a party in TullyTown isn’t easy, and Alicia and her friends want to do the best they can to make sure it is enjoyed by plenty of avatars in TullyTown. For one of Alicia’s friends, getting ready to throw a TullyTown party leads to looking for easy treats. But what if it’s a trick?

Alicia has been using her tablet for a while and is getting more used to how to use the technology. However, there is always something new for her and her friends to learn.

 
 
 
 
 
 
I received a complimentary copy of this book from iRead Book Tours. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.
 
 
Online gaming is fun, but kids must learn the dangers they’ll face and how to protect themselves. In Alicia Connected Tricked with Treats, Derek Fisher has Mr. Mark use props to demonstrate the importance of online safety. I won’t detail what he used or how he used them because they are vital parts of the story. However, I will say Mr. Mark emphasizes the importance of securing your phone and tablet with a strong password. Of course, he informed the class never to give it out to strangers online. Hackers do not care what age the victim is — they only want to steal your information and accounts. 


Derek Fisher discussed hot topics that parents should be going over with their children before starting online apps. It’s fun to earn credits, buy items, interact with friends online, but children must be prepared for online dangers just as much as they are for real-life ones. 


On a happier note, I loved Alicia’s robot costume. As a mother of a crafty child, this is something she’d make in a heartbeat. After I pass this book onto her, I’m sure she’ll be running off to the craft room to start the process of making her own robo costume. 🙂

 

Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: ❤❤❤
 
 
 
 
 
 
Meet the Author:
 
Picture

 

Fisher is an award-winning author who has spent decades in the computer engineering field, with the last 10 years in cybersecurity as a leader, speaker, and instructor. His passion has been to take complex security topics and make them simple and easy to understand. He holds several security certifications and teaches cybersecurity at Temple University, where he is also an external advisory board member to the cybersecurity program. Alicia Connected: Tricked With Treats is the first book in the Alicia Connected series. The first book, Alicia Connected: The Big Gift, was a second-place recipient of the prestigious Purple Dragonfly Award in the STEM category.
 

Connect with the Author:  Author’s Website ~ Facebook ~ Instagram

 
 
 
 
 

2 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

Bobos Babes Adventures: A Magical Halloween by Karen Bobos (Book Review / Guest Post)

BOBOS BABES ADVENTURES: A MAGICAL HALLOWEED by Karen Bobos

 
It’s Halloween time in the land of Harmony, and the Bobos Babes are ready for some fun!

When Angel Scarlett, Fairy Cora, and Princess Daphne visit Lily the Ladybug’s Boutique to look for Halloween costumes, they find Lily has left aside three special masks for them. The ladybug informs the sisters that they must wait until noon on Halloween to try on the mysterious masks but assures them they will have the best costumes in all of the land of Harmony.
The sisters can hardly wait, counting down the minutes on Halloween until they can don their curious masks. When the time comes, they learn their secret masks are enchanted, and the girls are magically transformed into the costumes of their dreams.

 
​After a fun outing Trick-or-Treating, the little monster, witch, and ghost — or sisters — agree that this was the best Halloween of all.
 
 
Buy the Book
Amazon ~ B&N
Bobos Babes
 
 
 
 
I received a complimentary copy of this book from iRead Book Tours. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.
 
 
Children love Halloween. They adore selecting a costume, the excitement of getting candy, the decorations, and watching their loot grow with each knock on a door. 


While most kids can’t wait to dig into their stash, first, they must select what to wear on the spookiest night of the year. If your child is like mine, they start planning months in advance and change their mind about a thousand times. 


However, when the big night comes, they wake up and immediately dress up. Halloween allows their imagination to flourish, and it’s a magical day and night. 


Bobos Babes Adventures: A Magical Halloween by Karen Bobos made Halloween an even more magical event by allowing the sisters to transform into whatever mask they chose for the evening. 


Imagine if a kid put on a Hulk mask and then became the Hulk. I can already see my daughter transforming into a little Loki. 😀


If you’re like me and love reading holiday stories with your child, then I highly recommend picking up Bobos Babes Adventures: A Magical Halloween. The story is cute, and so are the illustrations. We especially liked the blue monster covered in pink dimples. 
 

Great job, Karen M. Bobos (author) and Jazinel Libranda (illustrator)!

Happy Halloween! 
 
Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Meet the Author:
AUTHOR KAREN BOBOS

 
Bobos began writing poetry and stories at the early age of ten. She is a life-long Chicagoan who now raises her family in the downtown area. During the 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic, Chicago also became a city of unrest. Trying to keep her three young daughters in a world of magic during such scary times, the Bobos Babes Adventures were born. Her goal was to create a world of Harmony for her family and hopefully for others to escape, even if only for a moment. The first book of the series, The Case of the Giggles, was published in December 2020. The Missing Egg launched in March 2021. The The Lion’s Secret was published in June 2021, a tribute to her mother and late father’s incredible love story.  The Lovey that Came to Life and The Bobcat Birthday party will be releasing in the upcoming months.​
 
 
 
 
Creating a Harmonious World During a Life of Chaos
 
 
My family lives downtown Chicago. You can literally see the John Hancock out of our dining room window. During the beginning of the pandemic, we spent months in our condo without a balcony. I was definitely feeling cabin fever once we hit week three of not leaving the house.
 
 fIn May 2020, Chicago became a city of unrest. With the protests and riots directly out our front door, my husband and I packed up the family and escaped to my mother’s home in Northwest Indiana. We had one goal in mind: keep our daughters in a magical, beautiful world when the real world was in a state of chaos.
 
Once we arrived at my mother’s home, I worked night and day to clean her unfinished basement. Then I covered her walls with white rolling paper and put pink plush throw rugs on the floor. Living in a condo, we don’t have a basement or separate play area, so I wanted this to be incredibly special for them. I bought my daughters a pretend store, a little play coffee shop, and a cute kid’s pop-up ice cream shop. I designed signs that said Daphne’s Dynamite Deals, Scarlett’s Sweets, and Cora’s Coffee Shop. I put a Disney Barbie house in the corner and bought princess wall applications to stick to my white paper walls. I made a little lounge area and put tons of books for them relax and read. In the center, there was a little pink and white table. In the back of the basement, I created a little art studio for the girls to be as creative as they liked. At the entrance of it all, I put a sign that said “Bobos Babes’ World,” and we surprised the girls with this fun world to play in when the rest of the word was at a standstill.
 
My wellness company was barely operating. While I probably secretly cried most nights living in fear of the unknown, this was my outlet. Not only was this a project of making “Bobos Babes World” for the girls, but it a huge distraction for me as I wondered what was to come of our life and my career.
 
About a month later, I wrote “The Case of the Giggles” as a night time story to entertain my girls. They were the main characters with magical powers. My dad, who passed in 2016 was a main character and so was my mother. I made our Bernese Mountain dog, Luke, who is abnormally large for the breed, even bigger in my story. The girls rode him all over their magical land. The magical land was called Harmony because I desperately needed to have this land be somewhere where everyone co-existed and got along. We craved a land filled with love especially with what was going on in the world. Scarlett suggested that I write a new story every Friday. Her deadline was just the motivation that I needed to get my Bobos Babes Adventures on their way.
 
So that’s how the Bobos Babes Adventures started. But the best part is, if you ask my daughters about the pandemic and all the chaos that happened in 2020, they just remember our entire family at Gigi’s house, playing in her backyard, running through sprinklers, playing in this magical world their mom created for them in the basement and getting a new story every night starring them. Mission accomplished.
 
 
connect with the author: website ~ facebook ~ instagram ~ goodreads
 

Leave a Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

The ‘Southern Ghost Hunter Mysteries’ Series by Angie Fox (Book Series Showcase)

Check out any or all of these GHOSTLY READS by Angie Fox! 

 

Reading Order:

Southern Spirits
A Ghostly Gift (short story)
The Skeleton in the Closet 
Ghost of a Chance (short story)
The Haunted Heist
Deader Homes and Gardens
Dog Gone Ghost
Sweet Tea and Spirits
Murder on the Sugarland Express
Pecan Pies and Dead Guys
The Mint Julep Murders
The Ghost of Christmas Past
Southern Bred and Dead

The Haunted Homecoming (coming August 2021) 

About Angie Fox

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Angie Fox writes sweet, fun, action-packed mysteries. Her characters are clever and fearless, but in real life, Angie is afraid of basements, bees, and going up stairs when it is dark behind her. Let’s face it. Angie wouldn’t last five minutes in one of her books.

Angie is best known for her SOUTHERN SPIRITS™ mysteries, and for her ACCIDENTAL DEMON SLAYER books.


Visit her at www.angiefox.com.
 
 
HAPPY HALLOWEEN! 
 
 
 

Leave a Comment

Filed under Uncategorized