Review: Professor Ladybug Teaches Basic Cursive

Synopsis:

Welcome to the wonderful world of Professor Ladybug! This workbook provides hundreds of cursive writing practice pages. These exercises are perfect for helping children practice their letters and simple sentences in traditional cursive (also known as longhand or script). This helpful resource includes practice pages for all 26 letters of the alphabet, uppercase and lowercase review, proper nouns, sentence practice, and number words. The simple activities will provide hours of educational fun for your child. 

These worksheets are perfect for home or school. Presented in an easy-to-use format, this workbook is designed primarily for early learners. 
Skill areas include: 

• Cursive Practice
• Memory Recall
• Drawing Skills
• Simple Sentences

Rating: 5-stars

Review:

Professor Ladybug Teaches Basic Cursive is another excellent source for both teachers and parents alike. Their easy and big page layouts make this a must-have workbook. Every page can be colored. There are plenty of fun activities that help the children learn how to write in cursive. Writing, reading, and analyzing are required of children throughout this book. I loved how engaging the activities were. They made learning fun and entertaining. A good dose of English grammar and punctuation are taught here. Tons of pages for the children to complete. This, creative workbook teaches it all. I would highly recommend this to all teachers, parents, and guardians. 

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Review: The Promise of a Letter

Synopsis:

A letter brings him back to his Amish family. It will take someone truly extraordinary to make him stay. 

Roman is on the verge of leaving the Amish ways. Feeling confined by the strict rules, he longs to do something more with his life. But when things don’t go as planned, Roman’s prospects outside of the community dwindle. Upon learning that his beloved grandmother has died and left a letter urging him to reconcile with his brother in Birch Creek, Roman decides to return home. But he doesn’t plan to stay for long.

Leanna Chupp has always made her own way in her small community of Birch Creek. Though some may call her unconventional–strange, even–Leanna is happy. Her unique outlook on life has meant she’s never had many suitors pursuing courtship, which Leanna doesn’t mind. She is content being single.

But when Roman and Leanna find themselves working together again, everything changes. Though neither fit squarely within the strictures of the Amish faith, their differences could be the very thing to help them form a deeper connection to their community and to each other. The question remains: will this strengthening bond be enough to make Roman stay for good? 

Rating: 5-stars

Review: 

The Promise of a Letter by Kathleen Fuller is an exciting adventure. A book with meaning and purpose. Two protagonists feel trapped, lost, and hurt. But with some time, hope, and faith they will be able to heal and move forward with happiness. The title is exactly what the story is about and shows that even the things we want are not what we may need. 

Kathleen Fuller is a writer with a magical wand. I love traveling deep into her books.  The characters are hard to ignore. Their life issues sucked me into their dilemmas and had me rooting for them. The book also contained a great emotional journey. I felt each characters loss, hope, faith, worry, anger, and fear. It was exciting to watch them grow. 

Leanna is a young Amish woman who is nothing like the others in her community. She hated school except for a few subjects like math. Her ability to fix things is amazing. Mechanical knowledge is for men. And here, I got to watch her fulfill that role. Leanna struggled with what others said about her working as a mechanic. But still, she never gave up…and it was thanks to one man who gave her that break. Only…soon, a gossip breaks out, bringing forth doubt and fear. This causes Leanna to lose her job. I felt sorry for her. It was funny to watch her fulfill more duties suited for her gender….like canning tomatoes. Leanna is terrible at the traditional women duties. But as a mechanic, friend, daughter, and as a sister, Leanna does well. 

Roman is a young Amish man. Not wanting to marry just like Leanna. He too, is interested in mechanics and engineering. In fact, he was pursuing a degree in it. But then, tragedy strikes. Causing Roman to travel home once more. He’s not happy about it. The way he left the last time, will cause for hardship between him and his older brother, Daniel. Daniel is all he has left. But Daniel doesn’t want him home nor helping him. However, Daniel is foolish and gets injured. This causes him to feel worse. With his injuries, Roman automatically takes up the challenge to help his brother. A mechanic shop should be easy…only Roman knows he needs help. Leanna…

Daniel is the older brother of Roman. He owns his own memchanic shop. Before it was just him and Roman. Until he got married…then, things changed. Roman left never saying goodbye. This hardened Daniel’s heart and made him angry. Struggling with things, Daniel is to stubborn to ask for help. His wife is pregnant and he’s afraid she loose the baby…then, there’s the nasty rumor that has him and his wife upset. He lets go of his only employee. His best employee, Leanna. 

The Promise of a Letter is an outstanding read. Kathleen Fuller knows how to nab her readers’ attention immediately. Every page was full of action, suspense, tension, and drama. I loved it. A good clean Christian novel with a bit of romance. Overall, I highly recommend this to all. 

Review: The Reluctant Soldier

 

Synopsis:

The Reluctant Soldier spotlights the “forgotten war” – Korea, in hundreds of letters written by Neil Mellblom, an Army combat reporter with the Pacific Stars & Stripes and the Third Division’s Public Information Office, the United Nations sanctioned police action comes, to life. Neil received the Bronze Starr for “aggressive reporting” which made the division one of the best known of the Korean war. It may be the definitive book on a soldier’s life in wartime. Funny, yet deeply moving, it records Neil’s growth from a cocky Montanan to a seasoned adult.

Rating: 5 stars

Review:

The Reluctant Soldier by Marnie Mellblom is a fascinating historical read for all. It’s a collection of letters written by one soldier’s letters of is wartime experience and reporting. I found the whole experience new and refreshing when reading something that’s a part of history. I was excited, pumped,  and thrilled to have read this nonfiction book. World War II is a war that will forever be marked on every soul. Whether one was born during that time period or not, we still feel the fear, danger, and emotions that come from having lost friends and family. All soldiers should be honored and respected. Going into war is not anything anyone dares to dream of…yet it’s the real truth of our world. There will always be a war of some kind or another happening and we must not forget the one before it nor the people it has affected. I enjoyed reading the brilliantly well-written and organized way of this book. Readers will be blown away by one soldier’s journey from point A to point B. The letters from father to daughter made this an interesting read. Readers will get to travel all over the world and to go back in time during the time of war and relive old memories. Marine Mellblom has wonderfully captured a beautiful time in history to share with readers everywhere. Overall, I would highly recommend The Reluctant Soldier to readers worldwide.

 

Review: Desert Dark

 

Synopsis:

Sixteen-year-old Nadia Riley is delighted to earn a spot at an elite, government-funded boarding school. Nothing sounds better than leaving behind her fraught relationship with her ex-boyfriend and moving to faraway Arizona for a spot at Desert Mountain Academy.  But the Academy is more than Nadia bargained for: it’s a covert CIA program training high-achieving students for the Black-Ops. Nadia struggles to keep up in her new classes while gaining the trust of her assigned teammates. Things get worse when news leaks that there is a double agent on campus, and someone is framing Nadia.  Nadia discovers dark secrets about her fellow teammates and learns one of them is the deserter.  With a setting that is Hogwarts meets The Bourne Identity, this debut YA thriller will make readers mad with suspense.

Rating: 5 stars

Review:

Desert Dark by Sonja Stone is brilliantly stunning. Her novel is set for YA; however, adults like myself will lose themselves inside this incredible read. I found it enticing, suspenseful and packed with action. There’s also, a mystery surrounding the events that keep readers intrigued from the beginning and until the ending. This new title in YA is exciting, hot, and carries a lot of themes such as family, loyalty, and friendships. I absolutely loved reading this new novel by a very talented writer. Desert Dark is the first novel I have read by this writer and I am now looking forward to book two. Hopefully, there is one. These characters are funny, unpredictable, and sweet. They are also, realistic, smart, and can kick butt.

Inside this suspenseful spy covert mission book, readers will follow a young girl as she is being sent to a private school that she has never signed up for…it gives her a chance to start over rather than staying home having to face her cheating boyfriend and ex best friend. Desert Dark totally fits in with the overall story. As the new girl, Nadia finds herself in the middle of a dessert with a top security governmental school, she finds there are indeed dark things going on…Nadia is smart and a tough student. She soon realizes how far behind she is and works daily to bring herself up to standards with her four-man team. Her roommate has a southern accent and is a little OCD when it comes to keeping things clean…but their friendship blooms despite that…but Nadia soon finds out each member of her team is holding onto a secret. Especially their hot team leader whose secret may crush what they both feel towards one another…then there’s a diary Nadia finds…and it’s after that her whole life gets messier than she ever expected. I loved reading this spy thriller. Desert Dark is not just for teens but can also be for adults. The plot, characters, and the pace were amazing. I couldn’t stop reading it. Overall, this is definitely a novel to read by all.

Review: The Watermelon King

 

Synopsis:

After being laid off from his job at a prestigious consulting firm, Dean decides to embark on a journey across East Africa with his younger brother. Unknowingly, they travel into bandit territory where a medical emergency forces them to choose between their safety and their health.

Inspired by true events, The Watermelon King follows the journey of two brothers as they backpack across one of East Africa’s most inhospitable regions. As they endure endless days of difficult travel, a series of short stories written by their father begins to uncover their inherent desire for adventure and their connection to the past. Along the way, they begin to understand the beauty and frustration of life in Africa.

My Rating: 5 stars

My Review:

The Watermelon King by Daniel Royse is a must read for readers everywhere. Traveling to another continent, finding an adventure of a lifetime, and a little bit of an education read is one that will inspire many readers. This novel will take readers, where many can’t go themselves. It leaves readers with suspense, intrigue, and a passion, to travel. Decisions…can leave major impacts. Dean definitely finds that out as his journey continues. Readers will see the scenes as though they were watching a movie, on screen. Daniel Royse talent for writing is one that will take readers anywhere…he wants. The well-developed yet exciting plot will keep readers turning the pages. Then, there’s Dean’s grandfather whose has left him letters that will have readers falling in love with this spectacular read. I read this entire novel in one sitting. Readers will be happy that they picked this book. The Watermelon King is not just a fictional travel read but a little bit of a memoir too. It’s amazing how this novel can wrap its readers deep into the heart of the story. Overall, I highly recommend Daniel Royse’s novel, The Watermelon King, to all.