Reading: CODING CAPERS: LUCI AND THE MISSING ROBOT - Angela Cleveland & Tamara Zentic (authors), Juan Manuel Moreno (illustrator)

Luci and her friends are into science; really into science. They're smart kids with a passion for technology who are readily on-board when they get to school one day ... and are told by their science teacher that her robot is missing! Using coding terminology and their combined knowledge of computer science to solve various clues they are given, the three kids form one of several teams challenged to play a sort of scavenger hunt through the school in search of the missing robot - the reward for the winning team being no less than each member receiving his or her own robot to keep! This children's book is a quick, fun, easy read that should appeal to kids not even into computers or science - while at the same time potentially creating such an interest in those who do read it, as coding and computers here are seen through the eyes of students who understand what technology can do to help both people and the planet. Good messages here that never come across as messages, but rather as a genuinely enjoyable mystery that brings what - for some - may be a hard-to-understand subject down to a readily-understandable level, while also being fun.  3.5/5 stars

Note: I received a free ARC of this title from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

Reading: SKELETITOS: MAKE EVERY MOMENT COUNT - Susie Jaramillo

Complete with a movable clock to help children learn how to tell time, Skeletitos is a beautifully-illustrated and written kids' book consisting of twelve rhymed verses - one each for every hour on the clock - with a Day of the Dead theme that uniquely and comically portrays to children the different events that these lively characters partake in throughout their day and night. The artwork is extraordinary and kids should be totally hooked on the rhymes that mom and dad read off - but even if they aren't, as an extra bonus said parent can, within minutes, head over to the website or download the app ... and actually sing along, with their child, to each day's rhyme set to music and sung by a joyously ghoulish narrator! Even as an adult with no kids, after one read-through I went to the website and must have listened to/re-read the book another four times to the musical/singing accompaniment, smiling like a goofy kid the entire time. Author/illustrator Susie Jaramillo has packed a lot of fun and humor - even joy - into such a small space, and if anything could make me happier it's that this projects to be only the first in a series. A truly great surprise I'd buy for any child; absolutely loved it.  4.5/5 stars

Note: I received a free ARC of this title from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

Reading: HASHTAG: DANGER VOLUME 1 - PANIC ON DINOSAUR MOUNTAIN! - Tom Peyer (writer), Chris Giarrusso and Randy Elliott and Andy Troy (illustrators)

The best thing about this volume of multiple stories about three inept scientists and the various dangerous missions they go on is the genuine love the artists had in recreating the 1960's-style artwork and cover art found within this graphic novel. Truly, each page was like walking down memory lane, as I grew up with Archie and Casper and comics that looked just like these. From there, while the book is okay in its sarcastic, definitely-for-adults humor, this reviewer just didn't find the situations or jokes all that funny after awhile, even as a lot of potential existed in the fact that these goofballs find a way to louse up nearly everything they do. Not a bad book by any means, just not as funny as I'd hoped; though each mission's tale was super-short, I still found my attention wandering from time to time, and found myself only chuckling when I wanted to (sometimes at least) laugh out loud.  3/5 stars

Note: I received a free ARC of this title from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

Reading: THE LITTLE FIR TREE - Christopher Corr

Corr's "modern retelling" of the famous classic Hans Christian Andersen tale about a beautiful little fir tree who always longs to break free of his forest and see the world is a bit of an odd jumble of trying to put a positive spin on what is ultimately a slightly unsettling message. Here, a young fir tree, ever since he (she?) was just a little tree among much bigger trees and always never chosen as a family's Christmas tree because he was too small, has only wanted to be one of the chosen ones, and see what the world is like beyond his forest. Finally, once fully-grown himself, the tree gets his wish and is cut down and taken by a family who then set him up in their home and decorate him on Christmas Eve, and the tree is immeasurably happy. But we know what happens to live Christmas trees once the holiday is passed, and while author/illustrator Corr does his best to put a positive spin to the story, the bottom line is obvious upfront and logic never comes into play as the tree continues to live on for some time, even after being cut down and honored for the holiday. Corr's folk art-style illustrations are at once charming yet feel a bit "off" at times, and once finishing this short book for kids I immediately went back and read it again, only to ask myself Is this really something younger kids would get, much less enjoy? Even to this adult, the story and illustrations come off a bit unsettling in the end.  2/5 stars

Note: I received a free ARC of this from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

Reading: BATMAN: NIGHTWALKER (THE GRAPHIC NOVEL) - Stuart Moore (writer), Chris Wildgoose (illustrator):

In this entertaining adaptation of the Marie Lu novel, a young Bruce Wayne - literally traveling home on the evening of his eighteenth birthday - has a brush with the newest crime syndicate to terrorize Gotham City: the Nightwalkers, a gang of avenging vigilantes who are murdering some of Gotham's richest citizens after relieving them of their fortunes. Bruce's rash decision to try and stop a particularly daring Nightwalkers crime lands him in trouble with the law, and from there to a stint of community service if he's to avoid trouble with the cops. To make an example of the newly-minted millionaire head of Wayne Enterprises, the cops make Bruce serve his sentence at none other than Arkham Asylum, where Bruce finds himself drawn to Nightwalker member Madeleine Wallace - a heartless murderer with her own plans for Bruce Wayne, even as he tries to use her to break up the Nightwalkers gang for good, though it becomes clear pretty quickly that it's up in the air who is using who. Though a bit slow in spots (while still building up to a more-than-satisfying climax), I genuinely liked the story here; another bit of character background for Bruce Wayne, pre-Batman, that develops and spotlights the personality that would become the Dark Knight. Madeleine Wallace got on my nerves from time to time, yet I think she was supposed to; for most of the graphic novel she seems always two steps ahead of both Bruce and the cops, which is quite vexing for Wayne himself. Artist Chris Wildgoose's depiction of Gotham and young Wayne are spot-on and dark in tone, though I would have liked a bit more variety of color in the book; that said, having read this first I am more than anxious to dive into Marie Lu's novel now, while the graphic novel itself is definitely a worthy addition to the story of Bruce Wayne's road to becoming Gotham's only hope of redemption.  4/5 stars

Note: I received a free ARC of this title from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

October Wrap-Up: The End of the Road?

October. Good God, when I thought things couldn't get worse in the personal life: tah-DAH! Certainly enough to ruin  my October birthday, but also even trashing Halloween (my second-favorite holiday) in my heart. Maybe that's why I focused on some more Christmassy titles in October.

(I was also without wi-fi through the majority of October, which gave me more time to read, and even write some reviews and get them up; please scroll down, if interested).

Cozy mysteries, graphic novels, and kids books dominated. Also tried to get up to date with some ARCs I was overdue in reading, and to my happy surprise discovered a few of my favorites of the month (maybe even year) that way (click any image to enlarge). 

Even upped the film watching to three for this month. Talk about variety there though, woof.

Please keep checking back, but just a head's up: this may be my last blog post. Without going into detail, I can't say when or even if I will be back. Should that happen - if this is the end of my road - my heartfelt thanks to all who've ever read a post here, or followed me via email, or made a comment. Ya made this goofball feel important. Much love.