I remember having several similar toys when I was a child. Either you revved up the cars, you pulled them back, or you has some type of gizmo to perform one of those actions for you. However, those toys were usually cheaply made and didn’t last long. I was prepared to be disappointed by the Ratchet Racers, but I’m glad that I was wrong!

These little cars are fun and fast! Not only that, but they go a respectable distance as well. They are really easy to wind up, even my 5 year old nephew was able to set them up and let them go. He thought it was funny when they would run into a wall and bound and roll to a new direction and just keep going.

I think the ability to “Mix and Match” the front and rear is kind of cool, but I could have done without it. In my experience, kids will take them apart, lose one piece and off to the store we go to buy a new one!

A great new toy that brings back a lot of good memories! I can see this being a big stocking stuffer for the holidays.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Cows Can’t Jump is a sweet and endearing book that I truly believe will become a classic of early childhood literature. The book is simply written with colorful illustrations that are guaranteed to keep a child’s attention. While there isn’t a story, there is a moral: we are all different and it is those differences that make us special.

This book reminds me of the simple, colorful books in my grandmother’s house when I was a young child. 1/2 a sentence per page, illustrations that perfectly match the text, and a simple meaning that has a more profound effect.

Cows Can’t Jump is a new title in a classical style of early childhood literature. This book should be a part of every parents library for their preschooler to enjoy.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I guess I’ve read one too many kid detective books lately. I wasn’t really expecting much from this one after reading the description. It sounded cute, but not anything to rah rah me. And then I read it.

This is an absolutely delightful well-written children’s hard-boiled mystery. Somehow the author has managed to not only give us a good story for adults and children alike, but he also managed to keep the story on pace for both age groups.

I read this myself and when I was done was telling my kids about it. Both my 8 and 10 year old read it and both thought it was really cute. My 8-year-old, in particular, was sure to tell me that it was funny and she really was trying to figure out who the bad guy was.

For myself, I really enjoyed the story and, even more importantly, I enjoyed sharing the laughs, giggles and thoughts about the book with my kiddos.

I would recommend this for 2nd graders on up to great great grandparents. Also for families of book nerds (like mine) who really want to enjoy a book together.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Book count for 2011: 46

My daughter is a big fan of Candy Wars: The Tooth Fairies vs The Candy King so when I told her this one had come in from the author for review, I am pretty sure the entire state of Texas heard her squeal. I couldn’t get it on her kindle fast enough. I was excited too. Candy Wars was one of my fave kiddo books from last year. Adventurous fun with a whole lot of heart.

So, my 8-year-old daughter and I read this one at the same time. I would be sitting there reading and she’d come over and say “OMG, Mom! It’s brown sugar!” or “The archers are back!!!!” or something like that. I don’t want to spoil it, but honestly, it was a lot of fun with some of the characters we came to know and love in the first book and new ones that we love – and love to hate.

I won’t mince words… the author can write. How on earth he’s not been picked up and published traditionally, I’ll never know. The level of fun in this series is over the top. It’s a great age group to target, they are still into magic and fantasy and fun. It’s funny because my 10-year-old, who refused to read it at first, is now reading it from hearing my daughter and I talk about it – so is my husband. To me, this is important… it’s a story that we both enjoyed. I didn’t feel like it was dumbed down for me and she didn’t feel like it was over her head. It really gave us a good bond to be able to talk about it and to have both really completely enjoyed it.

I recommend this book for kids – and adults alike. You don’t have to have read the first one, but I would tell you to go ahead and get ‘em both. They are also available as a set called Candy Wars I and II: The Sugar Hit

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Book count for 2011: 42

When I was a child, I lived in a rural area and my parent had about 140 acres of land that I was allowed to prowl pretty much at will by the time I was 10. I had many adventures (some real, some imagined) and sometimes I wish that I could allow my own children that same luxury. Unfortunately, we live in the city now and I don’t think my neighbors would appreciate my kids prowling around their yards.

George and the Bee is the next best thing! Michael Johnson has written a great book that tells the story of George and his adventures in the “wild” around his home. Every small boy needs a mentor and friend, and George finds his in the person of the Bee.

George is a young boy about to enter Kindergarten, and it is his last summer of “freedom” before entering into school. This book serves multiple purposes: 1.) It introduces children to some basic animals in the wild, 2.) It introduces the change from pre-school years to entering into school, and 3.) it breaches the topic of imaginary friends and making new, real friends.

I love this book and will definitely be reading it to children for many years to come!

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

10 years ago few and far between were the fantasy novels for young kids. Luckily, things have changed quite a bit since then and now there are many series and stand-alone novels in the fantasy genre for pre-teens to choose from. Of course, this can make it easy to miss some real gems.

Born to be a Dragon is one of those gems that I plan to share with my own kids. Set in a sort of “Alternate Reality” where dragons and magic are real, Eisley Jacobs has crafted a story that is on one hand pure fantasy, but on the other easy for children to identify with. The dragons are as big and as powerful as in any series, but what sets this book apart is the protagonist, Meia, is so likeable and easy to identify with that it was hard for me to put this book down.

You see, Meia is different in a lot of ways. But two things really set her apart from the other kids at school: 1.) She is a foster child that never knew her parents at all and 2.) All she talks, thinks, or even dreams about are dragons. And everyone knows, there is no such thing as dragons! Her last foster family definitely didn’t understand, and this new foster family doesn’t even seem to want to give her a chance, they’ve already called her case worker at least once. But soon Meia comes to realize that for her dragons are not just her obsession, they are her destiny.

This first book in the series is really promising and I’m looking forward to more. The book is completely stand-alone; it is a complete story with a great climax. However after reading, I’m sure you’ll be just like me, waiting to continue the journey of Meia and her friend Deglan.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I reviewed this book last week and contacted the author for an interview. I couldn’t wait to hear his answers. You see, Miles is a very good author. He wrote such a great book. BUT… Miles is seven-years-old. I’m not kidding. Check out my review from last week! In the meantime, this is what Miles had to say in response to my questions:

Candy Beauchamp (CB): Thank you, Miles, for agreeing to allow me to interview you! This is my first time interviewing an author as young as you are and I’m looking forward to hearing your unique take on things. My 10 and 8-year-old helped me come up with questions. They are big fans of your book!

(CB): How did you come up with the idea for the story in your book?

Miles Pines (MP): I love action books and movies, so I decided to come up with a book that combined comedy and action.

(CB): I think you really succeeded with that. We thought your book was very funny. The name of your fictional town is “Pumpkinville.” How did you come up with that as the name?

(MP): I named the town Pumpkinville because, when I was writing the story, I ate the world’s best pumpkin pie.

(CB): Oh, pumpkin is one of my favorite pies! Yum! In your book, you mention “juice concoctions.” What is YOUR favorite juice concoction?

(MP): My favorite juice concoction is orange juice mixed with a little cranberry juice and some lemonade.

(CB): Oh, I really do love lemonade! Jamie, my 10-year-old son, said to tell you that your writing was as good as what he’s written in third grade! He wants to know what inspired you to write your story?

(MP): I was inspired to write a story that everybody can read, laugh, and have fun with.

(CB): I think you did a really good job – we all had a great time reading your book! Are you going to write more books? Will they also take place in Pumpkinville and have the same characters or are you going to write something completely different?

(MP): I am planning to write a series of another type of funny story that I hope you will enjoy. I don’t think it will take place in Pumpkinville.

(CB): Oh, we can’t wait to see what you write next! I’m sure it will be great! Cassie, my 8-year-old daughter likes that you dedicate the story to your family and to the color yellow. Is that your favorite color? Is it still your favorite color or will you have a new favorite for your next book?

(MP): No matter what happens YELLOW is my favorite color!

I’m so glad you said that – loyalty is an important trait in a young man! Thanks again, Miles, for letting me interview you. I’m sure you have a long career ahead of you as a writer and I hope you continue to work hard on it. I think it’s amazing that a six-year-old has a book – and on Amazon, no less! I’m sure your parents are very proud of you!

Just a quick break from the reviews to let you guys know of the Summer Reading Programs I’ve found so far this year. I love to read (duh!) and I’m lucky enough that my kids are huge readers too. Each year we do as many of these as we can. I’ve already printed their logs and we’re ready to go… so, join us!

Here’s a rundown of what I’ve found so far (feel free to let me know of others!)

1. Barnes & Noble – read 8 books and a get free book from their list

2. Borders – reading 10 books and get a free book from their selection in store

3. Half Price Books – Read 15 minutes per day (600 total in June and July) and get $5 gift certificate (I was hoping they were doing the weekly thing this year – that was great to go each week – and we always spent way more than the $5 LOL)

4. HEB – Read 10 books and get some prizes (a t-shirt and maybe some other stuff?)

5. Austin Library – Set a personal goal, read that many books and turn it in to get a free book from their selection

You ever finish a book and think “What fun!” as you put it down? Yeah, this book is like this. What fun, indeed. This is a great adventure children’s book for girls (and boys, perhaps).

What I found most interesting about this book is the character development. You don’t see that very often in children’s books, but each character was so well thought-out and well-rounded. It was a standard length book, but felt much longer. Not in a bad way! It felt like a long delicious adventure with good and evil and everything blurred in between.

We follow our main character, Callie, through finding out she’s a princess, supposed to save the people and beyond. While, I will say that the bare bones story is not anything we all haven’t read before, it was the adventure to get there that made it so interesting and so much. There’s plenty of little twists to keep your young child interested.

The writing was really wonderful. It was on level for the age group and flowed reasonably well. It does start out a little rough, but part of that might be that the reader hasn’t quite been introduced to what’s going on so it’s mainly a little confusion, which quickly clears up.

This is highly recommended for ages 8-14. I’ll be sharing it with my daughter on her kindle soon!

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Book count for 2011: 22

I bought this book a while back thinking my 10-year-old son would enjoy it. He hasn’t gotten to it, but I read it and I’m not entirely sure what I think of it. It starts out with… well a bloated dead goat. A little odd and you know you’re in for a bit of a ride.

The writing is pretty well done. I will admit that the introduction of so many characters of different species completely lost me a few times and I had to flip back to remember who was who. Between that and the jumping around in scenes, it kind of felt like a bit of a mess.

Some parts of it are quite brilliant. For instance, the characters talk about the author and to you, reminding you are reading a book, etc. It works, but I think the shtick might have been slightly overdone.

I still think I would recommend this to 7th-8th graders. They might get a kick out of it. I would absolutely let my 4th grader read it as well, but I think some of it might go over his head.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Book count for 2011: 16