Music Boxes by Tonja Drecker – Book Review

Posted on February 16, 2019

Music Boxes

By Tonja Drecker

Middle Grade Fantasy / Performing Arts

158 pages

March 5, 2019

Dancing Lemur Press

Ages 9 to 12

• ISBN-10:1939844568
• ISBN-13:978-1939844569

About The Book:

“I only desire your talent…”

Twelve-year-old Lindsey McKay’s biggest dream is to be a famous ballerina. But after moving to New York, she ends up at the Community Center with a teacher who’s a burly bear in tights.

When she meets Madame Destinée, the teacher of a top dance school who offers her classes for free, Lindsey can’t believe her luck. In exchange, she must perform in the school’s exclusive midnight shows, ones sure to make her a star. But something’s not right…

One by one, the other dancers disappear. Each time they do, a music box with a figurine just like the missing ballerina joins Madame Destinée’s growing collection. If Lindsey doesn’t discover the truth about the dance school, she might end up a tiny figurine herself.

What I Thought:

Lindsey McKay is a wonderful main character: adventurous, passionate, caring, talented, and a girl who, unintentionally, will becomes the sleuth in solving the mystery of the missing ballerinas at Madame Destinée’s dance school. Madame Destinée’s is a well-portrayed villain and a force to be reckoned with, but through Lindsey’s sheer bravery and willpower, she must find a way to beat Madame Destinée and the powers of her evil magic.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Music Boxes. The adventure, suspense, and twists of plot were well paced. The characters become real to the reader in the first pages. And once the adventure began, it didn’t stop until the end.

Author Tonja Drecker has created a spellbinding and magical journey in Music Boxes; a journey every reader will be delighted in talking.

Sale Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Music-Boxes-Tonja-Drecker/dp/1939844568

Barnes and Noble : https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/music-boxes-tonja-drecker/1129391447

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/music-boxes

Author Biography:

Tonja Drecker is a writer, blogger, children’s book reviewer and freelance translator. After spending years in Germany exploring forgotten castles, she currently resides in the Ozarks with her family of six. When she’s not tending her chickens and cows, she’s discovering new adventures, nibbling chocolate and sipping a cup of tea.

Author website: http://tonjadrecker.blogspot.com/

Review blog: https://bookwormforkids.blogspot.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TDrecker

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TDrecker/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJhQ1T8dLx1v9xkiLzlJSnA

Book Video:

https://youtu.be/ww_RY4lVg3w

A Turtle's Magic Adventure - Book Review

A Turtle's Magic Adventure
by Wanda Luthman

• Grade Level: 3 - 4
• Paperback: 62 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (March 31, 2016)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 153083256X
• ISBN-13: 978-1530832569

About The Book: 

"My students were spellbound with Tad's adventures to a magical land."

A Turtle's Magical Adventure is a charming, heart-warming story of a turtle who doesn’t like his shell because it makes him too slow.
Tad asks other slow animals if they also mind being slow. Each one gives an answer that helps Tad feel better, but, still he wants to be fast.
He happens upon a snake who tells him there is a wizard that can make him fast. He goes on an adventure into The Magical Timberwood Forest to meet the wizard and hopefully get his wish fulfilled.
He encounters delightful, magical creatures along the way but also meets with danger and choices. Will Tad get his wish or will the wizard turn him into turtle soup?

Join Tad, the turtle, on his adventure in this cute chapter book that helps children learn self-esteem and confidence as they experience Tad's search for self-acceptance and learning to love himself. This fun and cute read aloud book subtly addresses social skills as Tad makes new friends with a gnome, lightning bugs, a worm, a duck, and a snail. Children will enjoy this magical fantasy adventure with an evil wizard that has a heart. A beautiful story that reads like an Aesop Fable that teaches an important life lesson.

"Fun fast-paced. It srikes right at the heart of every person's tendency to compare themselves to others."

What I Thought:

 This is a charming story with a strong message for children. Tad the turtle doesn't like something about himself. He wants to change and become more like others he admires. Tad is willing to risk a lot to change himself and become what he thinks will make him happy, even venture into the forbidden forest to seek out the magician's help.
On Tad's adventure, he meets a snake, a snail, a duck, a lame gnome girl, and the not-so-accomodating magician; and all the character's opinions weigh on Tad's view of himself and help him decide what is right for him.
Children will love this story because it delightfully shows why it's okay to be who you are.

About The Author:

 A Multi-Award-winning children's author, Wanda Luthman, utilizes her expertise in both mental health and guidance counseling to infuse each of her stories with social/emotional messages such as forgiveness, perseverance, self-acceptance, and love conquering evil. She writes fantasy adventure stories that show lives being changed by the magic of love. She is a former National Pen Women Organization of Cape Canaveral. She belongs to the Florida Writers Association, Space Coast Authors, and Brevard Authors Forum. She lives in sunny Florida with her incredibly understanding and supportive husband of 23 years, their two adorable yorkies, and 15 rescue feral cats (all fixed responsibly and still residing outside and on her porch in their colony)! She loves the outdoors and finds it a great source of inspiration whether she is riding her bike, swimming, or walking. 

Find The Author on Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Wanda-Luthman/e/B00OASC9WU/

Hubert in Heaven- Book Review

• Author: Barbara Roman
•  Print Length: 28 pages
• Publisher: Creativia; 1 edition (December 5, 2016)
• Publication Date: December 5, 2016
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
• Language: English
• ASIN: B01LYD9SNK

Book Synopsis:

 Is there a place in heaven for an accidental angel?

A hologram in a video game, Hubert is accidentally transported to Heaven, where he must stay until he finds his purpose. As an aspiring angel, he must perform many Heavenly tasks which he attempts to automate with his personal computer - to disastrously delightful results.

Only when he learns to “be still - and let God do His work” does Hubert restore Heaven to perfect order, and this hi-tech angel finally gets his wings.

My Thoughts:

This is an uplifting, inspiring, and unique story that children will love and gain confidence by reading.

Hubert learns valuable lessons—that we don’t need computers to live our lives, to believe in ourselves, and to trust in God for guidance. Another important lesson in the story is that we are all unique and have our own valuable traits. A beautiful tale!

About the Author:

Barbara Roman is the author of the children's book, "Hubert in Heaven," and is aka B. Roman, author of The Moon Singer Trilogy, a YA fantasy series, as well as the suspense fiction "Whatever Became of Sin?"

Find out more about all of my books by going to my author page: amazon.com/author/bromanbooks
as well as:
http://www.creativia.org/the-power-of-music-and-magical-adventures-author-b-roman.html

Tweet me @BMoonSinger1 

Author's Amazon Page Kids

Author's Amazon Page Young Adult/Adult

The Adventures of Lovable Lobo: Selfies in the Wild - Book Review

• The Adventures of Lovable Lobo: Selfies in the Wild
• Written and illustrated by C.L. Murphy
• Publisher: Peanut Butter Prose (August 1, 2016)
• Publication Date: August 1, 2016
• ASIN: B01HC76S5O

About The Book

Lobo and his sidekick raven find a trail camera in their neck of the woods, and it attracts the attention of forest friends. Images captured have never been sillier or more candid. Just as their wild dispositions are exposed, the photo shoot comes to an unexpected end and they're all left wondering why. The reason may be obvious.  

What I Thought

 Selfies in the Wild is a TOTALLY FUN BOOK! Lobo, the wolf pup, and his buddies discover a trail camera, and when they realize that the trail cam captures pictures of them (without actually “capturing” them), they come up with some hilarious star-studded poses that are wonderfully illustrated.  There’s lots of clever words too; in Lobo’s world the characters are glutton-free and have feet that are pawsitively stinky. As the characters in this book state: “Let’s make a good impression”, that is certainly what C.L. Murphy did by writing and illustrating this book.

C.L. Murphy’s book are always fantastic, and Selfies in the Wild is the latest book in the author’s string of well written and delightful illustrated books. The author has an incredible imaginative way with words and art that captures the hearts of children and adults alike. This book had me chuckling throughout.  Lobo and friends always make life an adventure–I love that about these books.

Buy the Book on Amazon

Printable activity kit: https://www.dropbox.com/s/a9ovdwr2gdzaix2/Activity%20Kit.pdf?dl=0

Book Trailer https://youtu.be/o95DNZc5xOk

About The Author

C.L. Murphy is a tamer of fictitious wild animals. As the author and illustrator of the children's picture book series THE ADVENTURES OF LOVABLE LOBO, she spends her days managing her overactive imagination. The main character in the series was inspired by a lovable wolf that she raised for over 14 years. She's been a member of SCBWI since 2012. She lives amongst the wildlife in a real enchanted forest with her husband. They have two wildly perfect or perfectly wild sons, depending on the day, and a menagerie of other untamed animals. http://lovablelobo.com

Cathy (C.L. Murphy)

The Adventures of Lovable Lobo

Website: http://lovablelobo.com

Blog: http://lovablelobo.wordpress.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LovableLobo

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lovable-Lobo/265661023552725

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/murphymess/

Google+: https://plus.google.com/+CLMurphyKidLit

                          ************************************************

Diane Mae Robinson is the author of the multi-award winning The Pen Pieyu Adventures series, dragon books for children. www.dragonsbook.com