Series of Unfortunate Events Book the Fourth The Miserable Mill by Lemony Snicket

Merry Christmas! Happy Thanksgiving! After that awful event with the leeches and Aunt Josephine 😰, you have to wonder will the Baudelairs ever be happy? That's for me and and Lemony to know and you to find out.
We have made it to the fourth miserable (see what I did there??) chapter of the Baudelairs lives. So this portion of their lives will be monitored by, drum roll please, Sir of Lucky Smells Lumber Mill!👏 I think Mr. Poe is in severe disregard of Child Labor laws, or Sir. Of course Olaf is back with more misfortune for everyone.
I enjoyed this fourth installment from Lemony Snicket. My recommendation is standard for this series. First, you must have read the first three books and have a six grade or above AR reading level.
Merlin:)

Series of Unfortunate Events Book the Third The Wide Window by Lemony Snicket

Merry Christmas all! I know it's a tad early but Christmas Spirit is in the air. So after the Baudelaires escape Olaf's clutches again with Mr. Poe. Onward to the next Unfortunate Event. What will happen next?
So we all know that Olaf killed Uncle Monty. 😢 Next on the list of people to house the Baudelaires is, drum-roll please, Aunt Josephine. Aunt Josephine is grammar obsessed and scared of pretty much every thing. No surprise Count Olaf is back and worse than ever. I know that we all want Olaf to give up and go away but who would be the villain then.
I enjoyed this third installment from Lemony Snicket. You probably already know my recommendation but here it is anyways. They are a) children who have read the first and second books and b) children with a sixth grade or above AR reading level.
Merlin:)

Series of Unfortunate Events Book the Second: The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket

Happy Halloween! Hey y'all! I'm back and rocking a southern accent. So after Violet tricks Count Olaf by signing the marriage license with her left had you have to wonder what will happen next? I am here to give you a simple idea.

So after the Count Olaf as a guardian thing doesn't pan out, Mr. Poe has to find another guardian for the Baudelaire children. As you can guess by the title this one has something to do with reptiles. Guardian number two is, drum roll please, Uncle Monty! I know that we all secretly hope that Count Olaf won't show back up, but what is a villain if he isn't persistent. The children live happily with Uncle Monty for a little while but then Count Olaf is of course back with more plans to steal their fortune and ruin or end their lives.

Very entertaining squeal, to The Bad Beginning! I personally enjoyed this book and would recommend this book to a) children who have read book the first of course and b) fourth to eighth grade children seeking adventure.

Merlin :)

Series of Unfortunate Events Book the First: The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket

Hi guys! I am soooo sorry that I haven't posted in forever. I got really busy. I recently started reading the Series of Unfortunate Events. I wanted to review it for you guys. I'll start with book one of course and go from there.

This book, is as the title suggests is the first in a series of unfortunate events, is hilarious. Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire must face horrible odds to escape the evil Count Olaf. Sadly this is only the first of many encounters with Count Olaf that the Baudelaires will have.

I would recommend this book to children in fourth to eighth grades, but not young girls in love the the name Olaf from Frozen by Disney.

Merlin :)

Where The Light Gets In: Losing My Mother Only to Find Her Again by Kimberly Williams-Paisley

Hey guys! I want to share my thoughts on Where The Light Gets In. I recently read this book and found it heartbreaking and sweet at the same time.
Where The Light Gets In is the story of Kimberly Williams-Paisley's mother being diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia, PPA, which is a rare form of dementia. It also chronicles Williams-Paisley's childhood, the start of her career as an actress, and the time after diagnosis which continues to present day.  Her mother's diagnosis, battle, and decline impacted the entire family.  While reading this book my heart was touched. After reading this book I appreciate what I have more than before. I would recommend this book to more advanced readers who are interested in Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Brad Paisley, or mental illness.
- Merlin :)

Note from Merlin's Mom:  This is a great read for anyone who has a friend or relative battling dementia of any form.  Great for mother-daughter book clubs! The medical terminology may make reading difficult for less advanced readers.  The story also demonstrates how being beautiful, talented, and famous do not exempt one from dealing with the harsh realities of life.

Call of the Wild by Jack London

Hey guys! I am really excited to share my views about Call of the Wild by Jack London. I recently read this for the first time and really enjoyed it. Call of the Wild is the story of a dog (Buck) and his adventures from sunny Southernland to the cold Northernland.
After being sold into work in Northernland, Buck must survive trials to survive in this new world. Through four different sets of owners, Buck pulls sleds until his last owner dies, then and only then is Buck free. I found it similar to Black Beauty  as both are about animals who are sold, have multiple owners, and face many hardships. I hope that if you read this you enjoy it as much as I did. Have you read any other books like these?  I'd love to hear about them!
-Merlin :)

A Week Without Tuesday Review - First Blog Post

           Hi guys, it's  Merlin! I am looking forward to sharing books with all of you. Here is my first review, it is on a book called A Week without Tuesday by: Angelica Banks. Here it is.

           The sequel to Finding Serendipity, is also stand a alone story.  Tuesday's next adventure takes her on a grand adventure to find out what is happening to authors around the world. The book is full of excitement, adventure, and suspense.  Let me know what you think.