Dragon Slippers

By: Jessica Day George

Genre: Young Reader Fantasy

Pages: 324

Published: 2007

Told in: First Person

Series: Dragon Slippers, #1

Compare to:

Dealing with Dragons, Patricia Wrede

A Tale of Two Castles, Gail Carson Levine

Once Upon a Marigold, Jean Ferris

In a nutshell:

After Creel is given to a dragon to help make her family rich, she strikes a bargain and ends up with a pair of shoes instead of gold. Creel makes her way to the capital city to start her own dress shop, eventually learning that her shoes are anything but normal and could even be the downfall of the entire kingdom.

What you may enjoy:

If you like Patricia Wrede’s classic Enchanted Forest series, then odds are that you’ll enjoy this book as well. As Goodreads reviewer, Small Review, stated, it’s “like cotton candy…light, sweet, and happy.” It’s a wonderfully fun read for older children to pre-teen.

What you may NOT enjoy:

This is not a groundbreaking story. It is similar to many other young reader dragon books, using common tropes and ideas. The characterizations are a little forced with the villain being too unforgiving and the heroine being too perfect.

Warnings:

Violence and Disturbing Images:

Men tackle girl; window smashes man; girl gets slapped (3 times); girl’s hair is pulled; people die from dragon flame (mentioned); girl gets punched (2 times); girl gets kicked in the face; two girls wrestle; man’s arm is cut; dragon dies.

Sex and Nudity:

Girl kisses a boy

Language and Profanity:

Damned

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Austenland

By: Shannon Hale

Genre: Romance (20-somethings)

Pages: 197

Published: 2007

Told in: Third Person

Compare to:

Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict, Laurie Viera Rigler

Bridget Jones’s Diary, Helen Fielding

Twenties Girl, Sophie Kinsella  

In a nutshell:

Jane has never had much luck with relationships, which is why she resorts to fantasies about her own “Mr. Darcy.” But when she inherits a trip for a full 1819 immersion experience in England she decides to get her Austen obsession out of her system. But as Jane encounters new romances, she begins to question what is real and what is just pretend.

What you may enjoy:

You don’t need to know or love Jane Austen books/movies to enjoy this. It is a fun, quirky romance that mixes past with present in a unique twist. The main character is relatable for women who were ever single in their twenties. It’s a cute story that will make you giggle.

What you may NOT enjoy:

This is not an Austen novel, it is not hot and steamy, and the main character is not very witty or snarky. If you are expecting these things, do not read this book. It reads like watching a romantic comedy. It is predictable and sometimes cheesy, with characters who think too much on love.

Warnings:

Violence and Disturbing Images:

Two men fist fight

Sex and Nudity:

Woman mentions her past affairs; man has an affair; boy kisses a girl 7 times; mentions breasts (at least 9 times throughout the book); man and woman kiss passionately, mildly graphic (twice); man kisses woman’s neck (twice); boy talks about kissing; boy puts hand up a girl’s skirt; woman wraps her legs around a man; man asks to have sex; man tries to force himself on a woman; man kisses woman (at least 4 times throughout the book); man attempts to unhook a woman’s bra; man kisses a woman’s hand (twice).

Language and Profanity:

Dammit (twice), damn, jackass

Drugs and Alcohol Abuse:

Drunk man corners a woman 

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Terrier

By: Tamora Pierce

Genre: YA Fantasy/Mystery

Pages: 584

Published: 2006

Told in: First Person

Series: Beka Cooper, #1 (A Tortall Legend)

Compare to:

The Seer and the Sword, Victoria Hanely

Graceling, Kristin Cashore

The Blue Sword, Robin McKinnley

In a nutshell:

Beka is training in the city’s law-enforcement, known as “the Provost’s Dogs.” She works in the roughest part of town, the Lower City. Life in the slums is worse than ever as children and workers are going missing and only Beka can solve the mystery because she has a secret of her own―she can hear the voices of the dead.

What you may enjoy:

This book features a strong female lead. It skips Pierces usual “training” books and jumps right into the action and mystery. It contains a small romantic interest without being a romance. The world and magic system of Tortall are unique and consistent, while the characters are engaging.  

What you may NOT enjoy:

This is not a happy book. There is a lot of death in this, much of it focused around small children. There is little moral fiber since the area is run by thieves and thugs. Beka’s “tragic flaw” is weak and inconsistent. And while the book is meant to be a journal, it does not read like one.

Warnings:

Violence and Disturbing Images:

Woman hangs herself, mentioned; dead baby found (several times), mentioned; man beats woman; 18 people murdered; woman clubbed in the face; men brawl; woman cuts a man’s face; people beaten with batons (throughout the book); arms broken; hands broken; jaw broken; arm cut; face elbowed; brawls; children drowned; children murdered; children strangled; woman murdered; woman held forcibly; man knocked unconscious (2 times); woman bites man’s hand; girl kicks a man between the legs; two dead bodies covered with a sheet; people poisoned; man’s throat cut; woman held at knife point; man hit in the stomach; cat attacks woman; woman poisons herself; man’s skull broken; man’s legs hit; two people lay bleeding; men drowned; man kicked in the stomach; man found dead; man stabs himself in the throat; girl punched; dead bodies unburied.

Sex and Nudity:

Breasts referred to as “peaches”; sex mentioned several times; male prostitutes; female prostitutes; man in a loin cloth flexes; man pulls pants on after implied sex; naked man hides under covers; man walks around shirtless; woman walks around in her underwear; man and woman kiss.

Language and Profanity:

Bitch (3 times), ass

Drugs and Alcohol Abuse:

Drunk woman threatens family; women get drunk; people get drunk and riot. 

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Mystery Math: A First Book of Algebra

By: David A. Adler

Illustrator: Edward Miller

Genre: Children’s, educational

Pages: 32

Published: 2011

In a nutshell:

This book uses a haunted Halloween theme to teach basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

Compare to:

Math Curse, Jon Scieszka

Eat Your Science Homework, Ann McCallum

How Full is Your Bucket? Tom Rath

What you may enjoy:

This is very simplified math that is illustrated and charted. It also gives examples of both word problems and equations. There is even a suggested object lesson at the end of the book.

What you may NOT enjoy:

The problems and answers are on the same page, which doesn’t give children a chance to solve it for themselves. The questions are too simple for children with any bit of algebraic knowledge.

Warnings:

Violence and Disturbing Images:

Comic illustrations of skeletons

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The Freedom Factor

By: Gerald N. Lund

Genre: Christian Fiction

Pages: 295

Published: 1987

Told in: Third Person

Compare to:

Against All Odds, Irene Hannon

A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens

There Will Be Stars, Billy Coffey

In a nutshell:

Bryce Sherwood is a senator’s aide and a key player in getting a new bill passed that will eliminate the checks and balances built in the Constitution. Bryce refuses to change his view on the bill for the girl he loves or even for the spirit of an original Founding Father, until he is thrown into what the country would be like if the Constitution had never been ratified.  

What you may enjoy:

This is a fiction with underlying Christian themes. This book has a little bit of everything: love, action, intrigue, adventure, history, alternate reality. It’s a casual, feel good type of read. The story makes a statement without getting political.

What you may NOT enjoy:

The book is predictable as are the characters. Everything is a little outdated (the computer technology and many uses of pay phones.)  It takes a while to get into the plot of the book, focusing at first primarily on the main character’s love interest.

Warnings:

Violence and Disturbing Images:

Man punched in stomach; man punched in face; man shot in the chest and killed; man slaps woman; man hit over the head; man choked; men knocked down; man shot and killed.

Sex and Nudity:

Man kisses woman (at least 5 times); woman kisses man (at least 3 times); man kisses woman all over her face.

Language and Profanity:

Damnable (twice); Damn

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Ross Poldark

By: Winston Graham

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 393

Published: 1945

Told in: Third Person

Series: Poldark Saga, #1

Compare to:

Persuasion, Jane Austen

Outlander, Diana Gabaldon

Tess of the d'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy

In a nutshell:

Set in Cornwall, 1783-1787, Ross Poldark returns from fighting in the American Revolution to find that the girl he loves is engaged to his cousin, and that his father has died leaving him a derelict estate. To forget his past love, Ross throws himself into his work. But when he finds and takes in an urchin girl life for Ross begins to change.

What you may enjoy:

This is a social historical fiction; while it mentions world events that were occurring during the period it is centered on average people instead of a war or politics. It reads like a classic without feeling like a heavy book. The characters feel real and relatable, each with their own set of flaws and strengths. If you enjoy British historical fiction about the social middle class, this book is probably a good read for you.

What you may NOT enjoy:

To quote Goodreads reviewer, Ian, this is “a moderately entertaining book about nothing.” At times there is too much detail about mining or minor characters that can simply be skimmed over. It takes more than half of the book for anything to happen. There is no real draw to encourage readers to continue reading.

Warnings:

Violence and Disturbing Images:

Cock fight, killing one rooster; boys beat girl; boys throw rocks at man; man shot in the ankle, mentioned; man’s face cut with a bayonet, mentioned; dog’s tail cut off; two men fist fight; group of men fight; rocks thrown at man; man beats his daughter, mentioned; man hit and killed wife, mentioned; man shot at; man slapped; man punched; man shot in the hand; man shot in the neck; man stabs baby; man stabs woman; man falls from a house and dies

Sex and Nudity:

Woman seduces man; man has sex with a prostitute, mentioned several times; man looks at a girl’s naked body, non-graphic; man accused of being a pedophile; man kisses girl (mentioned at least 6 times); man takes girl’s dress off; girl wakes up in man’s bed after alluded sex; man slaps girl’s bottom

   

Language and Profanity:

Damnably 2xs; damn 7xs; damned 4xs; damme (damn) 9xs; damnation; bitch 2xs; hell 4xs; God 8xs

Drugs and Alcohol Abuse:

Man and woman get drunk regularly; man too drunk to get on his horse; man and woman passed out from drinking; man heavily intoxicated; drinking throughout; people frequently drunk 

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The Soul of an Octopus:

A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness

By: Sy Montgomery

Genre: Non-Fiction

Pages: 241

Published: 2015

Told in: First Person

Compare to:

The Social Lives of Dogs

       -Elizabeth Marshall Thomas

The Botany of Desire: A Plant’s-Eye View of the World

       -Michael Pollan

Bird Sense: What It’s Like to Be a Bird

       -Tim Birkhead

In a nutshell:

Montgomery explores the physical and psychological world of the octopus primarily through her experiences with the New England aquarium. From her studies she shares what she has learned about marine life, octopus personalities, and their connection to mankind.

What you may enjoy:

This is a very casual non-fiction. The book is written chronologically, a story of the author’s increased exposure to octopuses. Not only does the book contain information about octopuses, but it shares tidbits of other marine life. It is informative without being monotonous.

What you may NOT enjoy:

The philosophy of the book is questionable and is often filled more with the author’s opinions than solid fact. If you’re looking for a solid science book, don’t look here. The book is more of Montgomery’s personal journal of her experiences, riddled with similes.

Warnings:

Violence and Disturbing Images:

2 octopuses eat each other, mentioned; octopuses die, mentioned; octopus swarmed by ants; 2 starfish eat octopus corpse; octopus bits a girl; woman electrocuted by an eel; girl drowns herself, mentioned; octopus suffocates another octopus, mentioned; octopus dries out and dies

Sex and Nudity:

Sexual reference; sexual similes; octopuses mate, described and mildly graphic; sea slugs sexual technique vividly described; describes male octopuses equivalent of ejaculation; woman mentions scraping her nipples

Language and Profanity:

B*tch, H*ll

Drugs and Alcohol Abuse:

Dolphins become intoxicated from a toxic fish; fruit flies drink liquor after not being sexually sated 

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