Book Review: The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

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The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray is a historical fiction novel that spans many years and tells of the friendship between former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune. I don't know if I would have picked up this book if it hadn't been the August selection for one of the book clubs I belong to in my area because I don't read a lot of historical fiction. However, I am so glad that I read it and was able to learn many things I hadn't learned about in any of my history classes.  I don't recall learning anything about Mary McLeod Bethune, and she is an important part of American history. The things she helped spearhead to provide African American people equal rights is quite impressive. One of the things I was horrified to learn about is Franklin D. Roosevelt's resistance to stop lynchings because he was afraid of losing the Southern Democrats backing for his New Deal Bill. Another thing that I fo...
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Book Review: Scary Stories 3, More Tales To Chill Your Bones (Scary Stories, #3) by Alvin Schwartz, Illustrator Stephen Gammell

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more tales to chill your bones scary stories to tell in the dark 3 alvin schwartz
Scary Stories: More Tales To Chill Your Bones (Scary Stories, #3) written by Alvin Schwartz and illustrated by Stephen Gammell is the last edition in the Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark book series. This collection of short stories are truly creepy stories, some that were even hair-raising and based off of folklore.

As with the prequels, Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark (Scary Stories, #1) and More Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark (Scary Stories, #2), I reread this edition for nostalgia reasons, to see if it held up to the test of time, and because I saw the movie based on these books in the movie theater. Scary Stories: More Tales To Chill Your bones was better than its predecessors and felt more adult as well. And, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the illustrator, Stephen Gammell. His artwork throughout this book is amazing and makes it creepier.

Some of my favorite stories that I still found chilling as an adult include The Bus Stop, Faster and Faster, Harold, The Dream, and Maybe You Will Remember. I'd enjoy a full size novel based off of Maybe You Will Remember, but the chances of that happening are not very likely. Additionally, I enjoyed the "Notes and Sources" section that gave a bit more insight into the stories. 

This book is perfect for kids that are in middle school and/or between the ages of ten and thirteen and enjoy reading books that make you jump. I'd give it four out of five stars.

If you liked Scary Stories 3: More Tales to Chill Your Bones by Alvin Schwartz, then you may like Wait Till Helen Comes, A Ghost Story by Mary Downing Hahn.


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