List of Books mentioned in "Mr. Lemoncello's Great Library Race"

No where online can I find a list of the books mentioned in Chris Grabenstein's Mr. Lemoncello's Great Library Race, the third book in the fantabulous, "wondermous" Mr. Lemoncello's Library series. I've read the first book several times to 3rd, 4th and 5th grade classes.

Here's the list as recorded on pages 276 and 277 of the book:

• The Age of Edison: Electric Ligth and the Invention of Modern America by Ernest Freeberg
• Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
• Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett and Ron Barrett
• The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
• The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm by Nancy Farmer
• The Encyclopedia Brown series by Donald J. Sobol
• Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein
• Everything on a Waffle by Polly Horvath
• Finding the Worm by Mark Goldblatt
• Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman
• Frindle by Andrew Clements
• The Gollywhopper Games by Jody Feldman
• The Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling
• Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
• The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron
• Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss
• Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
• Laughing at My Nightmare by Shane Burcaw
• Lawrence of Arabia: The Authorized Biography of T. E. Lawrence by Jeremy Wilson
• The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
• Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton
• Oh, the Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss
• Penny from Heaven by Jennifer L. Holm
• The Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan
• Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie
• Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi
• The Puzzling World of Winston Breen by Eric Berlin
• Roget and His Thesaurus by Jen Bryant
• Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand
• Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made by Stephan Pastis
• Unstoppable by Tim Green
• The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
• The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
• Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire
• Wonder by R. J. Palacio
• The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
• A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck

P.S. Take a look at this List Challenge to see how many you have read! 

Draven’s Light by Anne Elisabeth Stengl

Draven’s Light by Anne Elisabeth Stengl. Rooglewood Press, 2015. 189p. (9781942379027) Series: Tales of Goldstone Wood, #7.5

One day the Tales of Goldstone Wood are going to be a classic in the fantasy genre. In the mean time you should start reading the books so that you can enjoy this fabulous world before everyone else! This novella is an easy place to start and is a great example of the author’s talent for storytelling. 

Goodreads Summary:
In the Darkness of the Pit
The Light Shines Brightest

Drums summon the chieftain’s powerful son to slay a man in cold blood and thereby earn his place among the warriors. But instead of glory, he earns the name Draven, “Coward.” When the men of his tribe march off to war, Draven remains behind with the women and his shame. Only fearless but crippled Ita values her brother’s honor.

The warriors return from battle victorious yet trailing a curse in their wake. One by one the strong and the weak of the tribe fall prey to an illness of supernatural power. The secret source of this evil can be found and destroyed by only the bravest heart.

But when the curse attacks the one Draven loves most, can this coward find the courage he needs to face the darkness?

My Review:
This is a story within a story and not until the very end are we told the connection – one that I didn’t see coming. It’s a smooth transition between the two stories and just like the little girl who carries the water gift up to the Brothers building the Great House and who is being told the story of Draven and the tribe across the river, so the reader will keep returning to hear the story being told by the Kind One.

Akilun as A.E. Stengl
imagines him

Fans of the series will recognize the Kind One as Akilun and the other brother as Etanun. This tale takes place before the events of Dragonwitch though it could be read at any point.

The story itself is a tale of despair, turmoil, pain yet hope and yearning for Something. Of cruel raids on neighboring tribes (not told about in detail), of stark courage to show compassion, of enduring despite pain and a fight for life against an unseen evil. It is an amazing story that never preaches about good vs evil and the courage to do what is right even though it goes against everything they’ve been taught.

Even though this is Draven’s story, his sister Ita is the real heroine of the story. But I can’t tell you more because that would spoil the story.

If you enjoy adventure and brave heroes and heroines than this is a novella worth reading.

 

Go read it! Buy it from Amazon ($2.99/$9.49) ; Buy it from ChristianBooks.com ($8.90 pb); Buy it from Barnes & Noble ($2.99/$9.49); Buy the ebook from iTunes ($2.99)

(Ebook/paperback prices good as of June 24, 2015 always double check for yourself)


Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission.

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Remember - Anytime you visit Amazon.com or BarnesAndNoble.com or ChristianBooks.com or Independent Bookstores use an affiliate link to get there. Any purchase you make from a link on my site generates a small kickback. You need not purchase the item I'm featuring, any purchase counts. It costs you nothing extra and is an easy way to support this site.

A Love Like Ours by Becky Wade

A Love Like Ours by Becky Wade. Bethany House, 2015. 352p. (9780764211096) Series: The Porter Family, #3

We finally get to meet tall, dark and brooding Jake Porter! And he is that. Tall. Dark. And brooding. For two books now, Undeniably Yours and Meant to Be Mine, we’ve gotten bits and pieces of his story. And this book doesn’t disappoint.

Goodreads Summary:

Former Marine Jake Porter has far deeper scars than the one that marks his face. He struggles with symptoms of PTSD, lives a solitary life, and avoids relationships.

When Lyndie James, Jake’s childhood best friend, lands back in Holley, Texas, Jake cautiously hires her to exercise his Thoroughbreds. Lyndie is tender-hearted, fiercely determined, and afraid of nothing, just like she was as a child. Jake pairs her with Silver Leaf, a horse full of promise but lacking in results, hoping she can solve the mystery of the stallion’s reluctance to run.

Though Jake and Lyndie have grown into very different adults, the bond that existed during their childhood still ties them together. Against Jake’s will, Lyndie’s sparkling, optimistic personality begins to tear down the walls he’s built around his heart. A glimmer of the hope he’d thought he’d lost returns, but fears and regrets still plague him. Will Jake ever be able to love Lyndie like she deserves, or is his heart too shattered to mend?

My Review:

Real life jockey Chantal
Sutherland, one of
the inspirations for Lyndie
(from Becky's Pinterest)

Even though this is Jake’s story in the Porter Family Novels series, Lyndie is who I remember best. She’s fun, determined, stubborn, creative, caring, strong. The list goes on. She's exactly who Jake needs. He just doesn't want to accept that fact. Her character traits shine through her actions as the author does a nice job of showing not telling us.

Lyndie’s neighbor Amber is another memorable character and I really enjoyed the side story of Amber’s foray back into the dating world. While dragging Lyndie along with her. :-)

Plus she’s the same Amber from book one, Undeniably Yours. Which is also a great book – I just now got sidetracked and read almost half of it because I’d forgotten the details of Amber’s past. And as soon as I’m done posting this I’ll finish the book.

Celia’s bakery from book two plays an important role in the beginning and the Porter family gets together for dinner a number of times, so for all you fans of the first two books, you can see how everyone is getting on. There is a fourth book coming in the series, so hold on to your hats because the lone Porter girl’s story is coming next.

But what I like best about this book is not the romance – though that is very well written and the tension of it drives the book, but the issues that the author brings to light and weaves into her tail. Life isn’t a walk in the park and this book reflects that. Jake struggles with PTSD. Lyndie’s sister has cerebral palsy.

If you enjoy contemporary Christian romance, with an honest take on life then get a hold of this book.

Go read it! Find it at a library near you; Buy it from Amazon ($11.17); Buy it from ChristianBooks.com ($9.99); Buy it from Barnes & Noble ($11.25); Buy it from an Independent Bookstore near you 

(Prices good as of June 22, 2015 always double check for yourself)

Disclosure: I received these book for free from the author and publisher via NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission.

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Remember - Anytime you visit Amazon.com or BarnesAndNoble.com or ChristianBooks.com or Independent Bookstores use an affiliate link to get there. Any purchase you make from a link on my site generates a small kickback. You need not purchase the item I'm featuring, any purchase counts. It costs you nothing extra and is an easy way to support this site.

Rooglewood Press Wriring Contest Cover Reveal

I really enjoyed Five Glass Slippers, not just for the fantastic stories in the book but also because it introduced me to five new authors. Several of which have published some neat books and stories since. This summer I'm eagerly awaiting the Five Enchanted Roses and am quite happy it'll release before I leave the USA to return to my school library job in an African country. The story covers look appropriately creepy and enchanting. But enough about the past contests. Here's what you've been waiting for. :-)

Rooglewood Press is delighted to introduce their third fairy tale novella contest—

Five Magic Spindles

a collection of “Sleeping Beauty” stories

The challenge is to write a retelling of the beloved fairy tale in any genre or setting you like. Make certain your story is recognizably “Sleeping Beauty,” but have fun with it as well. Make it yours!

Rooglewood Press will be selecting five winners to be published in the Five Magic Spindles collection, which will be packaged up with the phenomenal cover you see here. Maybe your name will be one of the five listed?

All the contest rules and information (how to enter, story details, deadline etc.) may be found on the Rooglewood Press website. Just click HERE and you will go right to the page.

Rooglewood Press’s first collection, Five Glass Slippers is available for purchase, and our second collection, Five Enchanted Roses is scheduled to launch on July 27, and is currently available for pre-order. Be certain to get a copy of each and see what previous winners did with their wonderful retellings.

Cover Illustration Credit:

This cover illustration was rendered by Julia Popova, “ForestGirl.” You can find out more about this gifted artist on her website: www.forestgirl.ru

How to Catch a Prince by Rachel Hauck

How to Catch a Prince by Rachel Hauck. Zondervan, 2015. 368p. (9780310315544) Series: Royal Wedding, #3

I quite enjoyed the first two books in this series, Once Upon a Prince and Princess Ever After and was excited to read Prince Stephen’s story. Especially given the summary!

Goodreads Summary:

Prince Stephen came to America to escape responsibility. But what he found complicates his life more than ever.

Corina Del Rey is happy with her life in Melbourne, Florida. She spends her days engrossed in her career as a journalist and has her sights set on climbing the corporate ladder if for no other reason, to distract herself from her dissolving family. But when she is confronted with the past she fought so hard to put behind her, she struggles to make sense of her future.

Prince Stephen of Brighton Kingdom has moved on since the tragic death of his buddies in Afghanistan. A star professional rugby player, he has no intention of looking over his shoulder at what could have been.

But when a notice arrives in the mail requiring his and his wife s appearance before the courts to dissolve their marriage, he must deal with the questions rumbling around in his heart. He thought his marriage had been annulled long ago, but his memories of Corina Del Rey remain close. Does he still love her? Can he even find her? Above all, can he tell her the truth about that fateful night in Afghanistan seven years ago? If he does, he might really lose her forever."

My Review:

This is a very fun story with an interesting twist. I’d recommend reading the first book in the series and possibly the novella A March Bride before reading this one. The second books deals with a neighboring kingdom and while King Nathaniel, Stephen’s brother, is in there I don’t think it’s necessary for enjoying book three.

This book, like the other two, is very sigh worthy. What girl at some point doesn’t daydream of marrying a prince or being an heiress, and being able to wear stunning gowns? But at the same time it deals with difficult and complicated issues: Forgiveness. Survivor’s guilt. And the author guides her characters through those emotions and processing them very well.

I didn’t remember Stephen being such an intense and downcast man from the previous stories but the rest of the royal family were as I remembered them. The family dinner that Corina was invited to was an excellent scene showing how Susanna is making her mark on the royal household!  

The supernatural elements were a bit far-fetched, but it isn’t logical really to want to call it far-fetched since I do believe angels are sent to look after us from time to time and we accept much more fantastical occurrences in fantasy tales.

All in all a fun read, especially if you like modern day fairy tales and royalty.

Releasing Feb 24^th, pre-order it! Find it at a library near you; Buy it from Amazon ($9.99 / $11.95); Buy it from ChristianBooks.com ($9.99/$11.99); Buy it from Barnes &Noble ($9.99/$11.95);

(Ebook/paperback prices good as of January 24, 2015 always double check for yourself)

Disclosure: I received these book for free from the publisher via NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission.

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Remember - Anytime you visit Amazon.com or BarnesAndNoble.com or ChristianBooks.com or Independent Bookstores use an affiliate link to get there. Any purchase you make from a link on my site generates a small kickback. You need not purchase the item I'm featuring, any purchase counts. It costs you nothing extra and is an easy way to support this site.

Cover Reveal: Draven's Light

I may be a few hours late in posting this but I am no less excited for this next book in the wonderful Tales of Goldstone Wood series. It isn't quite a novella - bit long for that, but it's also quite a bit shorter than the other books in the series. This past week Golden Daughter arrived at the library and I was amazed at how fat it was. (I read it as a pdf.)

But let me tell you about Draven's Light

~~~

In the Darkness of the Pit

The Light Shines Brightest

Drums summon the chieftain’s powerful son to slay a man in cold blood and thereby earn his place among the warriors. But instead of glory, he earns the name Draven, “Coward.” When the men of his tribe march off to war, Draven remains behind with the women and his shame. Only fearless but crippled Ita values her brother’s honor.

The warriors return from battle victorious yet trailing a curse in their wake. One by one the strong and the weak of the tribe fall prey to an illness of supernatural power. The secret source of this evil can be found and destroyed by only the bravest heart.

But when the curse attacks the one Draven loves most, can this coward find the courage he needs to face the darkness?

Coming May 25, 2015

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Anne Elisabeth has shared an excerpt of this compelling tale on the book's website. And she also tells us how this story came about. Quite interesting with some intriguing hints about what we can look forward to. I just love Anne Elisabeth's work (as you well know if you regularly read this blog), but I'm not the only one. Her novel Starflower was awarded the 2013 Clive Staples Award, and her novels Heartless, Veiled Rose, and Dragonwitch have each been honored with a Christy Award.

Last but not least, here's the link to the giveaway for a chance at one of three advanced reader copies of this book!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. Dutton Books, 2012. 316p. (9780525478812)

I finally got around to reading this last week. What a bleak outlook on life and eternity!

Goodreads Summary:

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

Insightful, bold, irreverent [yep!], and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning author John Green's most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.

My Review:

The story is engaging and terminal cancer patients do tug at ones heart strings; I never even came close to crying though. The writing and vocabulary is at a middle/high school level (for the most part) but the author throws in obscure words (hamartia for one, but its explained) and doesn’t ever talk down to his audience. I think that’s perhaps why so many YAs love this book. The author deals with big issues with candor and grittiness but he also lighten things up with laugh out loud wittiness.

But boy do those kids need their mouths washed with soap. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book with so much bad language. Which is a sad reflection on American society because I highly suspect that’s how a lot of teens talk. Though I highly doubt that even a small fraction could use the college and graduate level vocabulary Augustus and Hazel use and launch into very prosaic and philosophical monologues they way they do, especially if they aren’t widely and well read individuals, just as these two aren’t.

**Spoiler alert – not really, you probably heard by now** Augustus and Hazel have sex. Just a short time after their first kiss. Which is another sad reflection on American society. Why is it assumed that having sex is the only way to prove/show how in love or committed a couple is? That’s baloney!

Especially if the couple is in high school. Especially because he's really just using her. God has good reasons for forbidding sex outside of marriage.

Brains are amazing organs and one of the neurochemicals it releases during sex is dopamine which makes you feel good, it creates an addiction to that feeling. To use Dannah Gresh’s words from her book What are You Waiting for? The One Thing No One Ever Tells You about Sex:

Dopamine emotionally “attaches” you to the source of pleasure – even if that source is “just a friend.” … The limbic system was created to store sexual memory and emotion for us. A little walnut-sized mass called the thalamus…is the seat of our romantic “heart.” The purpose of the limbic system and dopamine is to turn the visceral drives of passion into a deep, lasting attachment – into knowing and being known. But when this gets misused, our system becomes confused and we feel great pain. (p.42)

Out of the 33,000+ reviews on Amazon only 104 mention that the teens (who are underage by the way) have sex (and use the word sex in their review). And well over half of those were 4 or 5 star reviews. Also Hazel’s friend Kaitlyn says some very crude things when she finds out Augustus and Hazel are (semi) dating.

I had obtained this free for the library using book club reward money, but I don’t think I’ll be cataloging it and adding it to the library. The collection development policy states, “All material, particularly fiction, should promote faithfulness to Philippians 4:8. 'Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.'” And this book doesn’t align with that at all.

Read this if you’ve got YAs in your life that love it (or will read it) and if you keep up with pop culture, otherwise don’t bother.

If you must read it: Find it at a library near you; Buy it from Amazon ($2.99/$6.60/$10.70); Buy it from Barnes& Noble ($2.99/ $8.32/$10.75)

(Ebook / paper back / hardcover prices good as of January 7, 2015 always double check for yourself)

Disclosure: I got this from the library. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission.

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Remember - Anytime you visit Amazon.com or BarnesAndNoble.com or ChristianBooks.com or Independent Bookstores use an affiliate link to get there. Any purchase you make from a link on my site generates a small kickback. You need not purchase the item I'm featuring, any purchase counts. It costs you nothing extra and is an easy way to support this site.