Book Review: All the Ice Cream in the Land by Emmy Kastner

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All the Ice Cream in the Land  by Emmy Kastner  is about a princess, the kingdom she lives in, and her loyal subjects. Full of twists and turns, children will surely delight in this story about ice cream. When I saw the title and cover art of this kid's book, it made me instantly think of my childhood and how I would've loved a book like this one. A huge shout out and thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for approving my request to read this book. I received a copy for free in exchange for my honest review. The storyline is very easy to follow, making it especially suitable for toddlers, preschoolers, and early readers, particularly children between the ages of two and six. Its straightforward narrative and clear structure make it an excellent choice for read-aloud sessions at home, bedtime stories, or classroom story time. While there is limited character development, which is typical for a picture book format, the princess is still an intere...
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Book Review: Mary-Anne's Bad-Luck Mystery (The Baby-Sitters Club, #17) by Ann M. Martin

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Mary Annes Bad Luck Mystery The BabySitters Club #17 Ann M Martin
Mary-Anne Spier knew she shouldn't have thrown out the chain letter she received. Not only is she having the worst luck, but the rest of the baby-sitters club keep having bad things happen to them too! When Mary-Anne starts receiving letters threatening her and the rest of the club, and a bad luck charm necklace to wear, several emergency meetings of the baby-sitters club are called by Kristy so they can figure out how to counter act the bad luck.

What can I say about Mary-Anne's Bad-Luck Mystery (The Baby-Sitters Club, #17)? Holy nostalgia, Batman! This book made me feel nostalgic for my childhood . . . do kids even send chain letters any more, and do they still believe in things like breaking a mirror causes seven years bad luck?

This is one of the books in the series that I remember better than some of the others, and it was such a joy to reread. I figured out who sent the threatening letters and bad luck charm necklace very easily just as I did as a child.  The one thing that bugs me now (and remember bugging me when I first read it) was that there was no resolution to who actually sent the chain letter. It would have been nice to have that wrapped up in the ending.

I loved the fact that the story included a school dance and that it actually happened at night time like it did when I was in eighth grade. Now, if I remember correctly, the middle school dances happen immediately after school lets out, which takes all the fun out of it . . . at least to me it would. Another thing I loved was that it finally included more scenes with Logan, which made his character seem more real.

There really isn't anything bad that I can say about Mary-Anne's Bad-Luck Mystery (The Baby-Sitters Club, #17). This book made me want Ann M. Martin to write a lot more mysteries and was a major influence in making me love the mystery genre. I gave this book five out of five stars.


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