Book Review: Orson and the World's Loudest Library by Laura Gehl

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Orson and the World's Loudest Library by Laura Gehl is about a boy named Orson and how the library is one of his favorite places to read. However, on a particular day, it's super noisy. NetGalley and Astra Publishing House approved my request to read this book, which I am extremely thankful about. They provided me with an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of Orson and the World's Loudest Library for free in exchange for my honest review. I love that Laura Gehl used this book to teach a lesson that libraries are used for more than reading and research. They now are more of a community center that offers all sorts of activities including book clubs. The story was well written along with being beautifully illustrated. This children's book is geared towards kids between the ages of four and eight and grade levels of preschool through third grade. The expected publication date is April 15, 2025 and is thirty-two pages in length. Five out of five stars is what I rated Orson and the...
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Book Review: The Strange Power (Dark Visions, #1) by L.J. Smith

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L.J. Smith churned out yet another winner with The Strange Power (Dark Visions, #1). It was originally published in 1994 by Archway Paperback. Kaitlyn Fairchild is an out cast in her Ohio town because of her drawings that predict the future. That along with her violet rimmed eyes have made the town called her a witch. When she is presented with the opportunity to attend the Zetes Institute with four other psychic teens, Kaitlyn jumps at the chance for a new start.

Let me begin by saying that I absolutely loved this book and engrossed from the very first page, even as an adult. I first read The Strange Power (Dark Visions, #1) as a sophomore in high school. It is slightly different from her other trilogies in that it deals with psychics instead of vampires, witches, and/or werewolves. There is a bit of suspense, thriller, mystery, romance, and fantasy throughout. For a young adult book, the characters are very well developed, and the plot moved along very well. There weren't any slow parts. I am so glad I reread this book because there was so much I had forgotten.

With that being said, there are a couple of things that drove me crazy about the book, and both of them are typos.  On one page, the word abstracted is used when it clearly should have been distracted. Another typo, at least in my opinion, is one of the characters said, "Include me out." It should have been "Count me out." Additionally, I forgot how much the character Rob got on my nerves. He's completely oblivious of girls in the romantic sense throughout most of the book. On top of that, he is so black and white about things and is very uptight about it. This is the first book I ever read where I couldn't stand one of the main characters. All in all, The Strange Power (Dark Visions, #1) is worth a read, and I gave it four out of five stars.

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