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: Face-Off! (Girl Talk, #2) by L.E. Blair

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middle grade book review face off girl talk 2 by le blair

Face-Off! (Girl Talk, #2) by L.E. Blair opens with Katie Campbell skating with her friends at the ice skating rink and thinking about how her father taught her how to skate and play hockey . . . and realizing how much she misses it. Tired of being the perfect daughter, Katie quits the flag team and tries out for the boys hockey team.

This particular book took me back to my childhood. There were so many situations that were realistic such as the girl's talking about bras in the locker room after flag practice. I remember overhearing conversations about bras in the locker room when I was in middle school, so I could totally relate to this particular scene in Face-Off! (Girl Talk, #2). Other realistic examples were how the girls acted around the boys they liked and how the kids acted at the restaurant & cafeteria. I loved the fact that the game Girl Talk was played during the sleepover. I had completely forgotten about those little red stickers that the players had to put on their face to represent zits.

When I was a kid, there weren't too many times that a girl attended a try out for an all male sports team, let alone made the team. Nowadays, you see more females on a sports team dominated by males like football. I enjoyed the fact that Allison stood up to the hockey coach on Katie's behalf and mentioned Title IX. As a kid, I had no idea what this was, much less that it was a law, and was glad that the author included an explanation of it as I'm sure that other young children don't know about it. The only complaint I have about Face-Off! (Girl Talk, #2) is that I felt like the pacing was a bit off.

Four out of five stars is the rating I gave Face-Off (Girl Talk, #2) by L.E. Blair. If you enjoyed this book, I recommend Wild Hearts (Wild Hearts, #1) by Cherie Bennett.

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