The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle

Goodreads Synopsis:    Doctor John Dolittle, the veterinarian who can actually talk to animals, sets sail on the high seas for new adventures! Accompanied by his young friend Tommy Stubbins and the beloved animals of his household -- Polynesia the parrot, Jip the dog, and Chee-Chee the monkey -- the good doctor is off to forbidding Spider Monkey Island to examine the rare jabizri beetle. But the mysterious island holds another, darker secret: The famous Indian naturalist, Long Arrow, has mysteriously disappeared -- and Doctor Dolittle urgently needs to speak with him.

Doctor Dolittle and his friends brave a shipwreck, find the floating island, and meet the incredible Great Glass Sea Snail -- the keeper of the greatest mystery of all. This is the most popular of the twelve Doctor Dolittle novels. The next has been carefully edited for modern readers by renowned children's book authors Patricia and Fredrick McKissack. This new edition, featuring color illustrations by best-selling artist Michael Hague, is sure to bring a whole new generation under the spell of Doctor Dolittle and his animal friends.

My Thoughts:

-    This was my first Newberry Award Winner this year! Woo!

-    I really liked that the story was told from a little boy's perspective. I loved Tommy's fascination with everything going on around him.

-    The book was fun, but it was very dry. It held my interest, but you can tell it is an older book.

-    I liked all the different people and animals we meet throughout the story. 

-    I really like Doctor Dolittle. He is very kind and generous to everyone he meets. His courtesy extends to animals and humans no matter size, shape, color, etc. 

-    I won't be continuing with the series, but I'm glad I read the first two books. 

Previous Book

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Can't Believe I Read

Created by The Broke and The Bookish in June 2010 and moved to The Artsy Reader Girl in Jan 2018

Top Ten Books I Can't Believe I Read

I'm going to split this up into two groups.

I'm Embarrassed That I Finished
 
 


I'm Proud That I Finished
 
 

Kid Authors

Goodreads Says:    The series that includes Kid Presidents, Kid Artists, and Kid Athletes now chronicles the lives of Kid Authors! Here are true tales of famous writers, from long before they were famous--or even old enough to drive. Did you know: 
- Sam Clemens (aka Mark Twain) loved to skip school and make mischief, with his best friend Tom, of course!
- A young J. R. R. Tolkien was bitten by a huge tarantula--or as he called it, -a spider as big as a dragon.-
- Toddler Zora Neale Hurston took her first steps when a wild hog entered her house and started chasing her!
The diverse and inclusive cast includes Roald Dahl, Beverly Cleary, J. K. Rowling, Langston Hughes, Jules Verne, Lewis Carroll, Stan Lee, and many more.

My Thoughts:

-    I loved learning more about several great authors. I learned so much about each one. 

-    I loved that their childhood experiences influenced their books so much. 

-    I found it very interesting that most of these authors were bullied as children, and they loved to read. I'd love to see a study on the relationship between being bullied and reading, and how many of these kids become authors or enjoy writing. 

-    I would love to read another Kid Authors book with different authors. I want to know more!

The Story of Doctor Dolittle

From Goodreads:    Foreword by Patricia C. McKissack and Fredrick L. McKissack. Afterword by Peter Glassman.When a swallow arrives in Puddleby-on-the-Marsh with the news that the monkeys of Africa are ill and only the doctor who talks with animals can save them, Doctor Dolittle and such good friends as Jip, his loyal dog, and Dab-Dab, his housekeeper duck, face their greatest challenge. Together they must sail to Africa, battle a band of cutthroat pirates, flee across a gorge on a bridge made of acrobatic apes, and convince the king of the beasts that even he must help an animal in need. With nearly fifty full-page pictures from Michael Hague and the McKissacks artful reworking of the dilemma faced by Prince Bumpo, this treasured story is now available in a deluxe edition that all families will want to explore again and again.

My Thoughts:

-    This was a fun and short book. It is an older book, so I'm glad things got right to the point without all the fluff in between. 

-    I really enjoyed the characters, especially the animals. I also liked that the animals came up with solutions to problems, and that they weren't dumb animals. They had personalities and brains. 

-    I liked all the illustrations. They were fun.

-    This was a good intro into the series.

The Royal Ranger

Goodreads Synopsis:    After a senseless tragedy destroys his life, Will is obsessed with punishing those responsible - even if it means leaving the Ranger Corps. His worried friends must find a way to stop him taking such a dark path. 

It is Halt who suggests the solution: Will must take an apprentice. The candidate Halt has in mind surprises everyone - and it's a request Will cannot refuse. 

Training a rebellious, unwilling apprentice is hard enough. But when a routine mission uncovers a shocking web of crime, Will must decide where his priorities lie - finishing his quest for revenge, or saving innocent lives?

My Thoughts:

-    I was pretty excited that Flanagan wrote one more adventure for us in this series. It is several years after Nihon-Ja, and I was excited to see how everyone was doing in their older years. 

-    I loved the story, and I loved the new characters. I wish this was the beginning of a new series and not just a big epilogue book. I would love to see what happens to Maddie.

-    Maddie grew in so many ways! I love great character development, and Maddie had a lot of growing to do, but she got there in the end. 

-    My heart broke for Will. It was so hard to see him suffer, and I darn near cried when I learned what happened. 

-    I loved seeing Will take on an apprentice. It was fun to see him use the same techniques that Halt used on him. 

-    This amazing series has finally come to an end. This is one of my all time favorite series, and I know I'll re-read again in the future. I'm also excited to read Flanagan's other books.

Previous Ranger's Apprentice Books

  
  
  
 

Top Ten Tuesdays: Good Books I Don't Remember Much

Created by The Broke and The Bookish in June 2010 and moved to The Artsy Reader Girl in Jan 2018

Top Ten Books I Really Liked But I Can't Remember Anything/Much About

This is such a great prompt!

 
 
 
 
 

Paddington 2

My Thoughts:

-    Gnome loved the first Paddington movie, and I thought it was pretty cute, so we were excited when we saw that there was going to be a Paddington 2.

-    It didn't disappoint. It was SO cute and very funny. Hubby, Gnome, and I laughed a lot throughout the film. 

-    I love Paddington. He is such an endearing little bear, and I love his good manners. 

-    The cast was perfect. I loved all the characters.

-    This film is squeaky clean. I appreciated that this was a good-feeling family flick. Thank you!

-    Gnome loved everything about this movie, and she said she even liked it better than the first Paddington.

-    I'm sure this movie will become part of our home collection.

Rebel Dawn

Goodreads Synopsis:    Here is the explosive conclusion of the blockbuster trilogy that chronicles the never-before-told story of the young Han Solo.

Set before the Star Wars movie adventures (the second trilogy), these books chronicle the coming-of-age of the galaxy's most famous con man, smuggler, and thief.

The Millennium Falcon is "the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy."  So when Han Solo wins it in a game of sabacc, he and Chewbacca become kings of the smugglers—uncatchable, unstoppable.  But with the Empire clamping down, Han knows his luck can't last.  Still, when an old girlfriend who is now the leader of an insurgent Rebel group offers him a shot at an incredible fortune, Han can't resist. The plan seems a sure thing. The resistance will be light and the take enormous. Han and his friends will divide it equally with the Rebels.  

Too bad for Han that the planet of Ylesia is far from a pushover, that the Rebels have an agenda of their own, and that smuggler friends can often turn into enemies...quicker than lightspeed.

My Thoughts:

-    I loved so much about this book! I loved seeing Han's story right up to the point where he meets Luke and Obi-Wan for the first time in Mos Eisley. 

-    However, I do have a couple concerns. I feel like there wasn't enough time between Han's relationship with Bria and him meeting Leia for him to properly get over what happened. I also don't think he would jump right in to help the rebellion again after what happened with Bria. I just wish there had been a little more time lapse in between. 

-    I LOVED the Hutt's insider war with each other and how everything went down. It was so awesome!

-    I loved Han's multiple Kessel runs, and I loved learning why Jabba was upset with Han. 

-    I was sad with how things ended with Lando, but I'm glad that I know they become friends again. 

-    This series does such a great job setting up Han's story for A New Hope. I think the author did this legendary character justice. Not a lot of people could pull off a great Han Solo history, but Crispin did, and I applaud her. I hope the Han Solo movie is just as good.

Previous Books

 

The Lost Stories

Goodreads Says:    Unconfirmed accounts of a group of Araluen warriors - tales of adventure, battle, and triumph over evil - have spread for centuries throughout the known world. Most notable is a clan shrouded in mystery, phantom warriors known as the Rangers. 

Two names pass the lips of every storyteller: Halt, and his apprentice, Will. They and their comrades in arms are said to have traveled throughout the kingdom and beyond its borders, protecting those who needed it most. If true, these rumors can be only part of the story. 

Only now, centuries after these men and women walked the earth, do we have confirmation of their existence. Behold The Lost Stories, Book 11 in the Ranger's Apprentice epic.

My Thoughts:

-    They way this book is setup is very interesting. An archaeologist and his apprentice find the remains of a log cabin, and they happen to dig up an old chest with stories about Halt, Will, and the others.

-    I really enjoyed this compilation of short stories. It was fun to get a little more about the characters that have become so dear to me.

-    Most of the stories are happy and have some sort of celebration, but there was some heartbreak as well. 

-    I love that some of these stories are answers to questions that readers had. Flanagan is very generous to his readers. 

-    The first time I read this, I completely missed the little part that introduces us to the Brotherband Chronicles. I thought it was a clever little piece, and I definitely noticed this time.

Previous Ranger's Apprentice Books