Juvenile Books

Just Read: “The Wildseed” by Marti Dumas

Kay Goodnight Uncategorized , , , , , , , , ,

Hasani has two goals after seventh grade ends – to expand her makeup YouTube channel and figure out a way to reunite her parents.

When an emotional outburst causes her undiscovered magical abilities to boil to the surface, Hasani is contacted by Les Belles Demoiselles, a charm school that teaches young ladies to harness their magic.

As excited as she is to understand her newly discovered abilities, Hasani has a lot of catching up to do. The other girls had grown up in a magical family. Hasani did not. The others come from homes of distinction and wealth. Hasani does not. So she is snubbed as ‘that scholarship girl.’

As Hasani struggles to learn as much as quickly as she can, she also sees the possibilities. Could her magic help her launch her channel to new heights? Could it make her dad leave his new bikini-wearing fiancée and return home where Hasani thinks he belongs?

Maybe it could. But at what cost to Hasani and those closest to her.

—

To be honest, when I selected this book, I expected another story about a school for young witches inspired by JK Rowling’s Harry Potter. I’m delighted to say, I was pleasantly surprised. Is this book about witches? Yes. But it’s not about casting spells. Instead, it’s story is about a school that teaches young ladies of means not just how to use charms, but how to BE charming. So, truly a finishing school for young ladies.

Dumas does a masterful job of helping readers connect to Hasani through her thoughts and her actions without overwhelming readers with either. Her settings are unique and fun, literally flowering off the page. I would highly recommend this book to witches or all ages.

@momteacherwriter, www.martidumasbooks.com

“The Elephant’s Girl” by Celesta Rimington

Kay Goodnight Just Read , , ,

I’ve been pulled toward books featuring animals lately (a pull from my youth). So next up on my “Just Read” books is THE ELEPHANT’S GIRL by Celesta Rimington. Beautifully layered with multiple mysteries, it intrigued me from beginning to end.

The story centers around a Nebraska youth who is the tragic survivor of a tornado that ravaged an area around and through a zoo. She’s found as a toddler after the tornado in the elephant pen, protected from the storm by one of the zoo’s elephants, Nyah. With no memories of her life before the tornado and no trace of a family, she’s raised by her foster father, Roger, the zoo’s train engineer. He names her Lexington Willow.

Lex soon discovers she’s not like the others. For one thing, the wind speaks to her (not always kindly). Also her school mates taunt her as “that elephant girl.” So Lex retreats from their teasing into the comforting familiarity of her zoo.

Now Lex is twelve and the mystery of her past plagues her in more ways than one. She’s finally old enough to help with the training of the elephants. Nyah, her rescuer, seeks her out and sends her a telepathic message about the woods outside the zoo.

Nyah’s message catapults Lex into an adventure that changes her life forever. She meets a forgetful ghost who hints at a long lost treasure. She faces her own fears and ventures beyond the safety zone of her zoo. And she finally solves the mystery of “who is Lex Willow?”

I loved THE ELEPHANT’S GIRL (or I wouldn’t be posting about it). It’s unique and charming and includes a thread featuring THE ISLAND OF THE BLUE DOLPHINS (another favorite book from my past). Within the “Authors Notes” section Rimington includes a substantial list of resources about elephants as well as organizations devoted to protecting these marvelous animals, making this an excellent teaching tool for teachers as well. I’ll hope you’ll read ELEPHANT’S GIRL and enjoy it as much as I did.