Greetings you guys! How are you all doing? It does appear as if summer is really over here in SA and I love all the fluffy blankets and snuggling with Mommy and Daddy. Mommy doesn’t like the colder weather though. She’s been a bit moody the last couple of days, but she’ll get over it eventually.
School started on Monday and in the blink of an eye, our week was over. Mommy is very excited for the new term and the kids are school are also now used to having actual library classes. Only 8% of schools in South Africa have functioning libraries and my Mommy is very happy to be one of very, very few school librarians who still try to make these classes fun and relatable for the students. This week they had so much fun with building book stacks spelling our school’s name: Victory Christian School.
The kids are also very interested in our blog, of course I am the main attraction here, so my Mommy came up with a very clever idea. She is busy creating a page that will link here on our blog where the kids can write their very own book reviews. They are very excited about this and I believe you can expect the first book review from one of the students during this week. Keep an eye out for the following banner:
But let’s talk books!
Adding to the Litter
As I’ve told you last week, my Mommy had Book Club on Wednesday night and came home with the following books:
Great choices, don’t you think? We also got the latest instalment in our favorite feline fantasy series. Okay, there’s mystery and humor as well, I just liked the alliteration. The 6th instalment in the Destiny Falls Mystery and Magic series will be out in May and as you can guess, we can’t wait for our next visit to Hayden and Latifa!
J’nell Ciesielski has a new book out later this year, The Brilliance of Stars. I saw on her Instagram Page that it landed on Edelweiss this week and I’ve put a request in for a review copy. Let’s hold thumps and claws that we get it!
Scratching the Blog Pole
We weren’t all that active on the blog this week, time got the better of us. If you’ve missed any of our posts, here’s the links:
- Book Review: The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont
- Book Review: The Dog Walkers by Michelle Davis – This review was written by my canine Mommy Lea and I think she did a wonderful job
- We’ve posted our Library Card for April and shared our latest read, Kaspar, Prince of Cats in our latest Weekend Book Friends
On the Couch
Somehow, my Mommy did actually manage to read a bit this week as well. We are done with Cragside: A 1930’s Murder Mystery and it was a good whodunit. The best part was the setting. I didn’t know that Cragside is a real house in Northumberland, England. How cool is that! But more on that in our review. Hopefully this week.
We’ve also finished Kaspar, Prince of Cats for our Titanic annual reading. It was a lovely story with a gorgeous cat. More on that in our review. We aim for Friday!
We didn’t watch much tv this week. We did watch the adaptation of the international hit novel, No Exit by Taylor Adams. The book never really caught our attention and the movie didn’t keep it at all. Is it only us?
The weather really is dreadfully unpleasant. As soon as we press send here, we are going to snuggle under a fluffy blanky and watch Bridgerton. What are your plans for this Sunday?
Have a good week ahead and once again, thank you to all our wonderful hosts! Debbie @ Readerbuzz with The Sunday Salon, Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer with The Sunday Post and Marlene @ Reading Reality with Stacking the Shelves.
I am not a huge fan of colder weather either–which seems to be back after a brief heatwave. I do enjoy cuddling under blankets though–and my cats do too–so I guess that’s a positive. 🙂 I am glad school has gotten off to a good start! Look at all those happy faces!
I hope you enjoy your new books and your current reads! Have a good week.
I’ve never been to England, but really want to go. My husband worked in England for 2 years and he refuse to take me! BECAUSE of the weather! He says I’m going to be the worst travel partner, because I will complain about the weather all the time..
I hope you are looking forward to a good Easter Weekend!
I always find it surprising when I learn not all schools have libraries; for me, they were places of escape and exploration. Who am I kidding? They still are!
I loved the Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper and found The Maid to be okay.
Hi there Pam,
Here in SA, libraries are not a big priority. Our town’s library has been closed for years and no-one is really trying to do something about it. School libraries are non existent, unless you are someone like me who do it for love and charity. But the kids love it and it is such an important thing in their lives!!! I’ve just posted the first review, it’s linked to this comment.
Thanks for the encouragement and the visit! Have a good week!
It will be great to hear some book reviews from the younger readers, they will definitely give some insight into the chosen books from the true audience that an older reader may not get. And who knows you might have some future book bloggers among you.
I wonder what the future of blogging is going to be??! The kids are really very excited and I’ve just posted the first review. If you want to read it, it’s attached to this comment.
Yes, kids should tell us what they think about a book in their own words and opinions for sure!
Thanks so much for stopping by!
I love that the students are excited about sharing their own books reviews. I hope that gets them and keeps them excited for reading.
Hi Mark!
The kids are super excited! You do get one or two that don’t want to do it, but that’s okay! There’s enough of them that do want to do it. I’ve just posted the first review!
Thanks for stopping by and have a good week ahead!
I love it when kids review kids books. I believe that if kids are the intended audience of a book, they are the best ones to review it.
Hi Wendy!
That is very true! They are the intended audience, so they must tell us what they think of it!
I’ve just posted the first one, link is attached to this comment. Will still need to sort out a couple of things, but we’ll get there!
Thanks so much for always stopping by, we really appreciate it!
I hope you love The Maid. It’s one of my favorites this year. And I love that you are going to post student book reviews. How exciting! Have a great week!
Hi Tessa!
The Maid is my planned reading for this upcoming weekend. Looking forward to it and will keep you posted. Glad to hear you’ve enjoyed it so much!
The kids are super excited for the book reviews, I’ve just added the first one! The link is attached to this comment.
Have a good week Tessa and happy reading!
I love the picture of all the students, they look so happy! I liked The Maid and the Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper – fun reads. Not familiar with the other one though. Have a good week and yeah for lots of blankets.
Hi Diane!
Children tend to find happiness wherever they are! I love that about them. The library is a popular place for our students and they are very excited for the book reviews!
Yea!! Glad to hear you’ve enjoyed The Maid and Arthur Pepper! Looking forward to reading them.
I have read the Maid but none of your other highlighted books. I love the photos of the school library! Its exciting to see kids interested in books and reading.
Hi Tina!
I am very much looking forward to reading The Maid. It’s on my schedule for this Easter Weekend!
The kids love library and I love being there, so it’s a win-win situation.
Have a good week and thanks for stopping by!
Aww that’s so neat about the library at school! What a neat thing to be part of. Your books look fun too. I’ve seen The Maid around everywhere and I want to try it.
That is so cool that your students are going to write reviews.
That’s a bummer about No Exit! I kind of liked the book but had no idea they made a show about it!
Northumberland- is that just a cool place name or what? I’ve always liked it and a ’30’s mystery set there sounds wonderful.
Hi Greg!
Northumberland is a real place in England and I had to get to the end of the book to discover that Cragside is also a real house!! It was a good murder mystery, reminded me a bit of a Cluedo Game!! I’ll review it before the end of the week.
The kids are super excited for the book reviews and I’ve actually posted the first one earlier tonight. The link is attached to this comment.
How are you doing Greg?
I’m doing okay. 🙂 And I’m super excited to see the reviews. I think that’s so awesome!!!
Hi Greg! That’s good to hear! The kids are just as excited and they are so impressed to see that the first one is published! One of your favorites – The Hardy Boys!
Oh that’s fantastic about the school kids joining in on the book reviews! How fun! And of course Elza is the main attraction. How could she not be. The Maid and The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper are both on my TBR and both look fantastic. Hope you have a wonderful week!
Katherine! Yea!! We miss you soooo much!!!
The kids are ecstatic about the book reviews and I already have quite a few on my desk. I promised them that we will post one or two per week and see how it goes. I’ve actually just posted the first one, the link is attached to this comment if you would be interested in reading it! It’s short and sweet (winky face)
The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper is my book that I placed in the Book Club box and completely forgot about it. Very glad that I’ve “discovered” it again.
We hope you and Will are well and just know that we do think of you often.
I recently finished Bridgerton. I absolutely loved the second season. I realize the storylines are different between the seasons, so, in a way, it is comparing apples to oranges, but I must say that I definitely preferred the second season. I hope you enjoy/are enjoying it as much as I did!
Also, I love that you are putting something together for the kiddos to write their very own book reviews. Such a wonderful idea. You are cultivating our future writers, bloggers and readers!!!
My Sunday Post: https://herbookishdesires.wordpress.com/2022/04/10/%f0%9f%8c%9ethe-sunday-post-4-10-2022/
Hi there Maya!
I am still enjoying Bridgerton and still have 3 episodes left. Will try to quickly squeeze one in later tonight! I’ve read a few of the books and I really enjoyed the book of The Viscount who loved me, so I am enjoying the series as well.
Aaah, so glad to hear you think our idea of posting the kiddos’ book reviews is a good idea. They are ecstatic about the idea and I’ve actually posted the first one earlier. You can find a link to it attached to this comment.
Thanks for stopping by and have a good week!
I think today, Sunday, has been one of the most beautiful days of my life. The temperatures were cool. The skies were blue. Paris, it will be hard to leave you.
Thank you for sharing the kids’ photos. There’s nothing like seeing the faces of kids who are just learning about the wonders of books.
I think it’s a fantastic idea to have kids write reviews. I can see that they might like vlogging, too.
Aaah Debbie, thanks for sharing your wonderful day!! I can just imagine it and as you know, I have one huge imagination!! Can’t wait to see your photos.
The kids really love the library, I think it ‘s because I love it so much! LOL!! And they are very eager to start with the reviews and I’ve posted the first one a couple of minutes ago.
YES!! They want to do vlogging and TikTok and what have you nots. I told them it’s fine, but then they will first have to teach me how to do it… Lots of opportunities here!
Enjoy and cherish your time in Paris… One day I will go there as well.
Aw, that is so sweet that you will be featuring kiddos on your blog! How encouraging to them, getting them to write book reviews!!! Lovely idea! Have a great week.
Hi Cindy!
I’ve been thinking about it for a couple of months and just threw the idea to the students the week when school closed. They loved it and a number of them came back after the holidays with book reviews! I did give print out a few guidelines for them and I will just color it in for them to make it “publishable”.
You can see the first review on the link to this comment.
Have a good week and happy reading!
Love it!
What a fun idea to have your students review books on your blog. I look forward to reading their reviews. I hope your new term goes well. 🙂 I hope you have a good week. Thank you for stopping by my blog.
Hi there Jenni!
The kids are super excited for this initiative and I already have quite a few reviews I can use. So proud of them! You will find the first one linked to this reply (winky face).
Thanks for returning the favor and you must have a good week as well!
Yay for school libraries 🙂 The Maid is a good one. Enjoy.
A big yea for school libraries!! So blessed to be there every day. I am looking forward to reading The Maid and aim to read it this Easter Weekend.
Thanks for stopping by!
I’m sorry to hear how so few schools have libraries, they are such an essential resource.
How wonderful that you are giving the kids an opportunity to publish their reviews, I look forward to reading them.
Wishing you a great reading week
Hi there Shelleyrae!
It really is very sad that so few schools in SA have functioning libraries. The biggest problem is funding and I actually work in the library for nothing but love and charity. But it’s my passion and I am privileged enough to be able to offer my services.
I hope you will have a great week too!
Your summer is ending while mine is on its way. Although in my area it never gets cold anyway. It just gets hotter 🙂
I love the idea of the kids writing their own book reviews. Sounds like fun.
I have the next Destiny Falls book to review too. It looks so good. I love that series.
Hope you have a great week!
Hi Yvonne!
I do hope the initiative with the kids writing their own reviews will be worth it. They seem quite excited and I am keen on helping them.
Looking forward to the new Destiny Falls book, but it will have to go on May’s reading schedule.
Have a good week!
You have cheerful, joyous strudents. They must like reading.
Hi there Harvee!
The kids at school do love reading and coming to the library yes. And I love having them there!
Sorry to hear your summer is over, but winter is great for snuggling under blankets indeed. Here winter is finally over and we had some nice spring weeks, but last week it was all rain and cold again. I hope the new school term is a good one. I also got the newest Destiny Falls book this week, I cna’t wait to read it! It’s such a fun series. I hope you’ll have a good week.
Hi Lola! I’m not a wintery person at all, but my husband loves it. So there’s that as well. Luckily we know summer will come again. In December…
I have scheduled my latest Destiny Falls travels to mid May as I have a few other reviews and tours in between. But it’s on the calendar and I am very excited!
I love the idea of you letting your students post a book review on your blog! That’s a great idea. How old are your students, or are they all different grades there? Encouraging kids to read and write is such a necessary, and needed, job. I wish all schools in the world would recognize books as an integral part of a children’s growth and education.
I looked up the Brilliance of Stars and it sounds interesting. And when I see your books with cats on the cover, well I have 3 cats, so I’m always pulled to cat books 🙂
Hi there Mia!
I am very excited for the new initiative to get the kids to blog here as well. Our students are from Gr R to 7. Not sure how that translate to USA… I have a very supportive principle and that helps a lot as well!
I have 4 cats and tend to also be drawn to cattish books. But not all the time! I read very diverse, but for the blog and to keep Elza happy, we try to bring in the cat factor as much as possible.
Thanks for stopping by and I hope you will have a good week!
Most of your books are new to me, but I loved “The Island of Missing Trees” and all of Shafak’s books. Reviewed it here:
https://maefood.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-island-of-missing-trees.html
best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Hi there Mae!
Aaah thanks for sharing your review with me. I’m going to check it out right now.
I loved The Maid!
We are just approaching Summer here in the UK, but it is still cold. We had snow and hail last week!
I love the idea of the kids doing book reviews. When my son is old enough I hope that he will want to join in my blog!
Have a great week!
Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog
My Sunday post:
https://budgettalesblog.wordpress.com/2022/04/10/sunday-post-26/
Hi Emily!
It would be wonderful if your boy can join in your blog. The kids love to tell us what they have been reading and what they thought about it. They are sometimes way more honest than we are and that might be a good thing!