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Showing posts from November, 2021

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Review

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This review is going to focus on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. I have heard this story before adapted in many different ways, I specifically remember it being adapted for Looney Tunes and Scooby Doo at some point and I thought the story was so compelling. So for school this semester, it was on my reading list, and I couldn’t put it down. So for those who don’t know, Jekyll and Hyde is about this doctor who discovers he can transform with the help of a chemical potion he has made into an alter ego. He describes them as good versus evil and slowly the persona of Mr. Hyde takes over the doctor entirely.  I like this book because I have a lot of questions about it. Most Victorian novels don't involve some type of supernatural or make believe aspect to it. They are usually very realistic and about regular life. Yet this has something truly unbelievable to it. People don’t just transform entirely with the help of a potion. So I wonder what Stevenson was thinking or b

The Princess and the Goblin Review

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  This review is going to focus on The Princess and the Goblin  by George MacDonald. I read this book for my Children's Literature class in school and before it I had never heard of it. It's apparently part of a series, but again I'd never heard of it before this class. Apparently there is also a movie that I've never seen, but I would like to check it out. The book follows this little princess named Irene, who lives on a mountain in her house shielded from the Goblins who live in the mountain. Once upon a time, the goblins lived above ground, too, but the king's men drove them underground forcing them to evolve into the monsters they are during this book. As a result of this, the Goblins wanted revenge on the King and his lineage. The princess Irene was an adventurous soul and she was curious and brave. She is a good protagonist for a child character. I liked that she was persistent and she never broke despite whatever she dealt with. I liked her friend Curdie. He

Things I Learned as a Self-Published Author

  In the summer of 2020, in the heat of the pandemic I decided that I wanted to publish a book I had been working on for the last six years. The only issue was I knew nothing about how to get my book out there.  After looking around online for a bit I discovered Tellwell Publishing, and thought that they could help me bring my publishing dreams to life. Tellwell Publishing is a company based in BC and works to help Canadian indie authors get there books going. I learned that they offered a lot of services to help new authors like me, such as editing, marketing strategies and cover designs. They also do a lot of the heavy lifting in terms of getting your book available for sale.  Yet, one of the most important things I learned through this whole process is to DO YOUR RESEARCH. It is important to do your own research because although Tellwell is a reputable and good company, there are scammers out there online who will take advantage of you if you don't know your stuff.  It's imp

Matilda Review

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  This review is going to look at Matilda  by Roald Dahl. This book is very famous, what with the movie out all those years ago and it was a staple for childhood reading for generations. I read this book for school this past year and I have some thoughts on it. I liked the book, overall. I liked the ending where she gets to stay with Miss Honey. It’s what you want to happen. I hated her parents, which is what you’re supposed to do, but I really hated them. I constantly wanted to be like, just let the girl read!  So I was really happy when the father got discovered for ripping off cars and had to flee the country leaving Matilda with her teacher.  I was a little confused when Matilda’s powers surfaced and how they were only available for a little while, but I think I wasn’t expecting the book to have this kind of content in it, meaning some kind of magical element. Yet I liked the advantage it gave Matilda over Miss Trunchbull and how she could use it to best the principal in the end. 

Fablehaven Review

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  This review is going to focus on Fablehaven by Brandon Mull. This review is related to the Dragonwatch  review I posted earlier, as it is the first book in the Fablehaven universe. I loved this series and this book is amazing, keeping me captivated from the first chapter. I was introduced to this book when I was eight years old by my third grade teacher, who read the novel to us in class. I loved the story as a child and couldn’t wait to get my hands in the next ones in the series. I remember my mum taking me to the bookstore to get these books for myself. I was so excited. This book is very well written but not dense or too challenging as it is for a younger/tween audience. I’ve read this book again since I was a kid and I found the story just as good as ever.  The characters were relatable to me, and brave and smart, but they seemed real, too. They made mistakes like regular people yet did extraordinary things to fix them. I also liked their sense of family, and how they work with