Children's Books By Carolyn Findlay Davis

I had the pleasure of meeting author Carolyn Findlay Davis recently and she graciously shared her children's book with me.  If you are a parent or teacher looking for books for young people, here are some you might want to check out!

As I was reading What Is Your Name? by  Carolyn Findlay Davis, a smile appeared on my face thinking what a great book this is for children.  Each page is dedicated to learning about a fascinating animal whose story is written in rhyme.  Not only is rhyme fun for children, but there is just enough repetition that it makes the reading both fun and comfortable.  This is a great book for kids to read on their own, or it could be used as a read-aloud.  I can see this as a favorite book to read with children before bed!

 As a teacher, I thought this book would be a great introduction for further study of animals, or better yet, a stepping off point to write poetry following the same pattern as Davis does in her books.  I think even middle school students would enjoy writing poems about themselves or their friends following this pattern.

While Miss Sara's friends are busy taking care of their flowers, Miss Sara enjoys the fruits of their labor while sitting-a-spell outside on her blanket.  When Miss Sara asks her neighbors how she too can have a beautiful and lovely smelling garden, it seems like it would take a lot of hard work.  Miss Sara didn't think she'd like that. Then, one of her neighbors gave her a small sack of seeds and without realizing it, one seed fell out in Miss Sara's yard and soon a sprout began to grow.  She was so excited to see it, Miss Sara began purposefully planting the other seeds from her small sack and taking care of them.  From then on Miss Sarah enjoyed the fruits of her own labor!  Cute story, excellent message!

"If the children aren't here, the surprises don't appear."  That's what Miss Lilly told the townspeople who wondered why so many children loved to go to Miss Winnie Lilly's Extraordinary House.  What made Miss Winnie Lilly's house so extraordinary?  It wasn't just its sheer size, the endless rooms behind closed doors, and the fun treats.  At Miss Winnie Lilly's it was the imagination that made anything possible.  Oh, the adults were skeptical, as most adults would be, until one of the women quietly opened one of the doors. At first, the room was empty.  Then something unimaginable happened.  Or, did something incredible happen because of what the woman imagined?  After this, Miss Winnie Lilly realized she was going to have many more visitors at her home and not just from the children.

What a wonderful story with creative illustrations to help people remember what a great thing it is to use our imaginations!

We have all heard of the Loch Ness monster and Bigfoot, and now we have The Moon-Faced Gollywampus!  Deep in the waters off the shores of Scotland, after the sun goes down, the Moon-Faced Gollywampus comes up out of the water with a roar and an unbelievable fury! Colin heard his father tell the story and wondered about this mysterious beast.  

 

One day Colin sets out to go fishing on his own.  His dad is ill and can't go with, but he reminds Colin to be sure to get back to land before the suns goes down.  He doesn't want to risk the wrath of the beast in the water.  Colin sets out and has a very prosperous day of fishing.  As he heads for home, Colin falls asleep in the wooden boat. He is jarred awake when his boat hits a rock.  Water quickly fills the boat, and Colin fears the boat will sink before he could make it home.  As night moves in and the moon shines high above the water, the Moon-Faced Gollywampus comes out and Colin finally learns the truth!  This is a fun book filled with adventure and suspense! 

Santiago's Sombrero is an appealing story for young readers.  Santiago is a cute snake with a friendly personality who likes to sing.  Poor Santiago has a cold and loses his sombrero when he sneezes, so he sets out to find his hat.  He first sees his friend Sanchez the scorpion.  Sanchez can't help him, but sends Santiago to another friend who he thinks might have seen his sombrero. It turns out this friend didn't see the hat either, but his friends keep trying to help.   Santiago continues to slither and sing through the area going from one friend to the next. Luckily, Santiago finds his hat and a new friend along the way. 

Anana the polar bear is like any other child.  She'd rather play and be silly than focus on learning the skills her mom knows Anana needs for survival. When Anana finds herself lost in a blizzard, she realizes how important those skills really are.  As Anana carefully moves along the ice, she finds another young polar bear, Nutara, who is also lost. Now, Anana really appreciates what her mom was trying to teach her and she tries to recall many of the lessons to make sure both she and her new friend get back to their mothers safely.  A Star for Anana is a delightful story that incorporates facts about polar bears and their surroundings.

Each of Carolyn Findlay Davis' books have unique pictures and illustrations that add to her stories. For further information on any of these books, you can visit Carolyn's website at http://carolynfindlaydavisbooks.weebly.com/

All My Love, Detrick

By Roberta Kagan

Jacob Abdenstern helps out a young Detrick when his bicycle is damaged in an accident.  This was the beginning of a friendship that would last a lifetime. Unfortunately, as the years progress, Detrick finds himself in a very difficult and dangerous situation. Not only is he friends with Jacob, Detrick falls in love with Jacob's daughter.  Why the danger?  Detrick is German and Hitler and the Nazi's are now in charge.


This is a difficult book to review because I have both pros and cons.


 
Pros:
-I like the topic of a WWII setting in a novel.
-I really liked the main characters of Detrick and Jacob Abdenstern and the father/son type relationship that they formed especially when Detrick's own father fell short in many ways.
-I admired Detrick for standing up for what he believed in no matter the cost.
-Overall, the story line held my interest and there were even a few surprises.


Cons:
-I found myself scrolling back and forth (on my Kindle) and rereading sections because the chronology seemed off in parts.
-There were some awkward sentences and misspellings that made certain parts a bit difficult to read. I usually don't comment on grammar/spelling errors unless it impacts the story, and unfortunately it did in parts of this book.
-Some of the historical facts were not accurate.   

Looking for a Great Series? Check out Scott Pratt's Joe Dillard Series!

Book 1

An Innocent Client by Scott Pratt is a great legal story. The main character and criminal lawyer, Joe Dillard, is a likable albeit not perfect character whose story rings true. He has a wife and two kids, a sister who's been in and out of jail because of her drug addiction, and a mom suffering from Alzheimer's disease who is fading quickly. Dillard is faced with defending some of the greatest low-life's but his hope is that at some point he'll be able to help an innocent client.

Pratt does a great job at weaving a story between Dillard's work and his home life. Dillard is tenacious in the court room and Pratt is exceptional at bringing those scenes to life. I enjoyed An Innocent Client so much, that I moved on to Pratt's second novel, In Good Faith.

Book 2

Joe Dillard, who was a defense attorney for years, is now on the other side of the aisle. He figures he spent enough time defending the guilty, now he can defend the victims. Soon Joe realizes being on the "side of good" has its challenges especially when so many innocent people are turning up dead. Is there a serial killer on the loose or is something more sinister at work in this Tennessee community? While Joe is dealing with the chaos of these killings, his family is dealt its own bad hand. The worst of it is when his wife finds out she has cancer.

Scott Pratt does it again with his character Joe Dillard. He weaves a tight story between family and work and keeps the reader wanting more. If you like legal thrillers, you'll love this series. 

Book3

  There's nothing like a good story that hooks you in from the beginning and keeps you wanting more. Scott Pratt does it again in his novel Injustice For All. As we've come to know, Joe Dillard is a man of character and stands up for what he believes in even if that belief isn't popular at the moment. As his son's best friend is charged with murder, Joe Dillard is certainly put to the test. Will Joe's job finally come between him and his family?

Book 4

I am so glad I stumbled across this series! Scott Pratt is a great storyteller and makes the reader believe they are right there in the middle of all of the action. In this installment, Joe Dillard is faced with his biggest problems yet. He is the newly appointed district attorney, but his job and his office are no match for the people he is up against. When the killer becomes obsessed with Dillard and his family, Joe has some important decisions to make. 

What is he willing to do to protect his family? 

The answer is simple...

everything.

Book 5

 Conflict of Interest takes the reader on a emotional ride when a little girl turns up missing - taken from her own bed in the middle of the night. Dillard's never dealt with a missing child case, but the missing girl is one of his wife's dancing students, and Caroline insists that he help look for the girl. Helping to look for the missing girl turns out to be just the beginning of a roller-coaster ride with twists and turns all the way through 'til the end.

As far as Joe's family goes, just when I thought I knew all there was to know about the Dillard's more surprises keep turning up. 

Book 6

In Blood Money, Pratt continues to weave a great story connecting Joe Dillard with his work and with his family. Since book one in the Dillard series, Joe's children have grown up and life in the Dillard household has changed, but the importance of family has not. While this was not my favorite book in the series, it still was a suspenseful story that kept me turning the pages to see if doing what is right would win out over greed. The proverb, MONEY IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL certainly rings true in this story! 

Book 7

The speed at which I read A Crime of Passion is in direct correlation to how much I liked this book! The major crime this time takes place in Nashville where a young up-and-coming singer is found murdered in her hotel room. Joe Dillard takes the case for a non-refundable one million dollars, and his son Jack and his girlfriend Charlie are on his team for this one. While Joe is doing some investigating on his own and trying to help his client, his wife is still struggling with an unending battle with cancer. Caroline is a strong woman who is truly fighting for her life.

It's bitter-sweet now with only one book left in the series.

Book 8

Judgment Cometh is a gripping story that reads like an episode of Criminal Minds and Law and Order rolled into one great drama. Without giving away the ending of the series, 

if you like a family man who gives his all both at home and at his job,

if you like to be engaged with the characters, and

if you like an action-packed story...

The Joe Dillard Series is a must read! 

The Trapped Girl

 

By Robert Dugoni

I won a copy of The Trapped Girl in a Goodreads Giveaway. I thought I should start reading the Tracy Crosswhite series from the beginning in order to give it my best review.

The Trapped Girl is book four in a series, but reading them in order is not necessary to follow the plots and understand the story lines. Personally, I'm glad I did read them in order though, because I think I got to know the main characters better and by book four, it was like reading about friends.

Without giving too much away, I liked how The Trapped Girl went from third person to first person giving the reader another view of the story which added more suspense.

It seems that Detective Tracy Crosswhite and the rest of the A team can't catch a break. They go from one difficult case to another, and when a lady's body is accidentally found stuffed in a crab pot under the water, things definitely go from bad to worse. Once some evidence is discovered, Tracy and her team think they've identified the victim. But, as they proceed with the case, one discovery leads to the next, and soon they have more questions than answers. This turns out to be more than a simple murder (if there is such a thing). Greed, betrayal, and violence...it's all here, just waiting to be uncovered and the trapped girl is the key!

Definitely my favorite of the Tracy Crosswhite series so far!!