November's Reading Summary

Picture books and all, here's what I read and reviewed in November.  The links will take you to my full review.

All ratings are on a scale of 1 (bad) to 5 (great).

GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE DINOSAURS by Mo Willems - 5

This delightful picture book finds shows the dangers of walking into a strange house.  What if Goldilocks wandered into a trap instead of the house of the three bears?  It's filled with humor that those familiar with the original story will find delightful.  I couldn't stop grinning as I read it.

THE HOUSE OF HADES by Rick Riordan (Heroes of Olympus #4) - 5

While Percy and Annabeth battle through Tartarus to reach a way to get back to our world, the rest of their friends attempt to reach Greece to help them.  But with monsters attacking both groups, will anyone make it?

While I wasn't happy with the last book in the series, this one was much better.  The plot kept moving forward quickly and all of the main characters got some great development.  Fans should be pleased.

HOW DROOFUS THE DRAGON LOST HIS HEAD by Bill Peet - 4

Another picture book, this one follows a nice dragon as he gets separated from his family and eventually finds a great life for himself.  It's a bit slow, at least for adults, but kids should still really enjoy it.

NICK AND TESLA'S ROBOT ARMY RAMPAGE by "Science Bob" Pflugfelder and Steve Hockensmith (Nick and Tesla #2) - 5

When their friend's father is robbed of a rare comic book, Nick and Tesla use their new self-built robots to try to find the thief.

Kids will enjoy this one.  The characters are better than the first and in keeping with a middle grade novel.  The plot is strong and actually threw a twist in there that surprised me.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book via Amazon's Vine Program.

STONE COLD DEAD by Catherine Dilts (Rock Shop Mysteries #1) - 4

While Morgan is struggling to take over the family rock shop, she finds a dead body behind the store.  But when she comes back for help, the body has vanished.

The plot in this one is a bit slow, although the characters were wonderful.  I found myself caring about the sub-plots more than I thought I would because of the characters.  And the mystery does reach a satisfying and logical end.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

SECONDHAND STIFF by Sue Ann Jaffarian (Odelia Grey #8) - 5

When Odelia accompanies her husband's cousin to a storage auction, they are surprised to find a dead body in one of the units.

This book mixes humor, great characters, and a strong plot perfectly.  Will delight fans of the series, and if you aren't already reading it, fix that today.

KINGDOM KEEPERS VI: DARK PASSAGE by Ridley Pearson - 3

The Kingdom Keepers are still on The Disney Dream and the passage from Florida to California.  But they may have stumbled on a way to stop the Overtakers in their quest to take over the Disney theme parks.

The climax was great, but for the most part this book wasn't that different from the previous few.  Very little changes or gets resolved.  I'm hoping that will really change with the next in the series which is supposed to be the last.  I'll definitely know that park the best since it is set at Disneyland.