The Spring Rabbit : An Easter Tale by Angela McAllister, Christopher Corr (Illustrated by)

Winter is ending and Spring is getting out and about.  She is brightening everything up when she finds a poor bird that is almost dead.  She holds him to warm him and turns him into rabbit.

Frances Lincoln Children's Books and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It has been published so you can get a copy now.

The rabbit is hungry and has a good time eating grass.  As he's doing that the other birds saw what Spring did and bring him eggs to give her as a reward.  He puts them in a basket and takes it to her.  She tells him to share it with the children.  He does and becomes the first Easter bunny!

Mr. Gray and Frieda Frolic by Binette Schroeder

Mr. Gray is a professor and he loves the color gray.  Everything in his life is gray.  But his neigbor is very colorful and that bothers him...

NorthSouth Books and Edelweiss gave me the opportunity to read this book for review (thank you).  It was just published yesterday so you can get a copy now.

Freida works in her yard in the morning and paints in her attic in the afternoon.  Imagine her surprise when she paints a bird on a tree branch and it comes to life.  It flies out her window and into Mr/ Gay's house.  He gets upset.  It's too bright and sings.

Someone comes to the door.  It's Freida, she wants her bird back.  Mr. Gray is amazed by the beautiful color of her eyes and offers her tea.  From there they do more and more together and become a team.  The professor is much more interesting now...

The Fabled Stables Belly of the Beast by Jonathan Auxier

Auggie is a caretaker of the stables on an island.  He loves his work and does a good job.  Then he goes on an adventure and meets a monster...

Amulet Books sent me a copy to read for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can get a copy now.

He finds a rook castle and goes in.  He can hear someone trapped and gets them out.  It's a girl and she tells him of the monster and how it ate everyone in the castle but her.  One thing Auggie knows, if you call it by name, it becomes your friend.  But before he can do that, the monster eats them both.

Will they be able to get out?

A Sunlit Weapon by Jacqueline Winspear - Series: Maisie Dobbs

It's war and someone is shooting at planes.  Maisie Dobbs is asked to look into it.  Her husband has his own assignment.  He has to keep Lady Roosevelt safe.

Harper and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can get a copy now.

Between missing soldiers, psychological problems, and a daughter who is having problems, there is plenty going on.

Maisie and her assistant sort things out, piece by piece.  One missing soldier is found.  They jail him because he is black and the white soldier is still missing.

They finally identify who is shooting at planes.  He has mental problems from his mother...

The daughter gets to go to another school.  But everything is not settled yet.

The ending ties things together.  It's not a pleasant time but they try to make it that way.  War is never pleasant...

Witchlings by Claribel A Ortega

Every year Ravenskill holds the Black Moon Ceremony where the new witches are chosen for covens.  Seven is sure and her best friend will get chosen together.  Unfortunately, she is found to be a spare.  That means she won't get to train as a witch...

Scholastic Press sent me an ARC of this book to read for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can get a copy now.

Not only is she a spare, the bully that bothered her is too.  There are three of them.  To redeem themselves, Seven asks for an impossible quest.  They are told to kill the monster in the woods or they will be made into toads...

There are smaller monsters that gather food for the big one.  The problem is that there are more of them then there should be and witches make good food.

As they try to find the monster they must defeat, they come across a plot in the witch's.  They are not all as they seem, some are enchanted.

There is magic, poisonous flowers, and danger.  Will the three girls survive?  It's a good thing they know some spells...

The Recovery Agent A Novel by Janet Evanovich

Gabriela is recovery agent and makes good money at it.  Her hometown has been destroyed by nature so she wants to find a big treasure that will pay well so she can help the town.

Atria Books and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can but a copy now.

She has a plan and figures she can find the treasure she wants.  But she doesn't count on the men who want to kill her...

Her ex-husband offers to help and she accepts.  With two of them and the people they know, they find it.  But the bad guy steals it.

There is a lot of danger, everybody gets hurt and you aren't sure how it's going to turn out.

There is surprise at the end...

Citizen K-9 : A K Team Novel by David Rosenfelt Series: K Team Novels (#3)

A retired cop has become a private investigator.  He has help that works with him.  He gets asked to clear cold case files.  He agrees.  It's a good thing he has his retired police dog with him.  He warns him of danger.

Minotaur Books and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can get a copy now.

It starts with a couple leaving the class reunion and never being seen again.  He's sure they are dead but they begin investigating.

You have mob bosses, killers and more.  The more they dig up, the more questions they have.  He even uses himself as bait to capture the bad guy.  But the bad guy is killed before he gets there.

The trail they are following is narrow and winding and it takes a lot of work to find out who is involved.  It was surprising how it turned out.  His dog was a big help.

I bet you won't figure out the killers either!

The Sheep, the Rooster, and the Duck: A Tale from the Age of Wonder by Matt Phelan

This was an interesting tale.  The sheep, rooster and duck can talk, two children work together to save Mr. Franklin, and the man who wants to rule the states has to deal with them.

Greenwillow Books and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can get a copy now.

There are secret societies and spies.  Mr. Franklin's inventions are drawn in a book that is kept locked up.  But one day it goes missing.  And so does Mr. Franklin.  He has been hypnotized and isn't all there.

Emile is his butler.  He's young but he does a good job.  He and Sophie, who flies air balloons go looking for the animals and Mr. Franklin.  Do they succeed?

Claire and the Dragons by Wander Antunes

Claire is a young girl who defends herself quite well.  When some men want to have fun with her, she has fun with them.  Although she doesn't know it, she's going to have to fight the dragon...

Scout Comics and Edelweiss allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can get a copy now.

The dragon is huge and scary.  She has to hide from it.  Then she meets a woman who is a witch.  They work together to kill the dragon.   The chief of the village that got destroyed comes to her as a ghost and helps her in her battle.

It's aa fascinating read with great illustrations.  The story is interesting.  I enjoyed it.

Butterflies in Me by Denisha Seals

When you are young, you have fears.  To overcome them you may need some help.

BoysTown Press sent me an ARC of this book to read for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can get a copy now.

There are five stories here that explain why a child feels like they do and gives them tips in how to make things better.  The stories are good and include many nationalities.  It can be hard for a child to go to school in the states with children they never met before.

Mental health is something that not all parents know how to deal with.  These stories make a good start.

An Honest Lie by Tarryn Fisher

This is a rather morbid tale about a cult and the man who ran it as well as young woman and her mother.  Taured liked to have women in his control.  He'd been a friend of her mother's years ago.  Now he was an evil man.

Graydon House sent me an ARC of this book to read for review (thank you).  It will be published on April 26th.

Her father had died, they lost their house and her mother didn't want to live with her parents, so she took them to the big building that Taured owned and became part of a cult.  If parents misbehaved, he took it out on their children.

As Rainy begins learning about him, she becomes fearful at first.  But that doesn't last long.  When she and her mom decide to leave, he stops them.  Then he killed her mother.  Rainy has no one but herself now.  Despite mistreatment, Rainy finds a way to get even...

Cedric's Tail by Amani Uduman, Agnès Ernoult (Illustrated by)

This is a fascinating story.  Cedric makes a birthday wish and wants a tail.  All his pets have one...

Yeehoo Press and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can get a copy now.

At first, it's disaster.  He got his tail but he has to learn how to control it.  Soon he is carrying his schoolbooks with it and he manages to learn all sorts of things he can do.

As his birthday rolls around again, he makes another wish.  Now he wants an elephant trunk....

Princess Persephone's Dragon Ride Stand by Sheila Bair, Manuela López (Illustrated by)

The Princess lives in a land of ice and when she sees beaches with children playing, she wants to go there.  But her dad, the King, said no.

Albert Whitman and Company and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can get a copy now.

She decides to buy a spaceship to take her.   The price is out of her reach.  So she and her dragon come up with various ways to earn money.  When she gets enough, she buys it and takes her and her dragon to earth.  That's when she makes a terrible discovery...

Mama Bunny's Good Pie by Lisa Moser, Sally Garland (Illustrated by)

Mama Bunny makes a pie with pinches of sugar for each of her children.  The bunnies are playing outside and not very nicely.  But when the pie shows up, they have a piece and then reward their mother's kindness by doing nice things, not bad things.

Albert Whitman and Company and Edelweiss let me read this book for a review (thank you).  It has been published and you can get a copy now.

As the pie goes from one group to another, each bunny has a piece.  Mama Bunny's kindness finds kindness in the little bunnies.  And as the pie makes its way back to Mama, there is one piece left for her...

The Wonder of Color by Catherine Stier, Floss Pottage (Illustrated by)

His class has an opportunity to paint on the library wall.  The person with the best picture gets to do it.  James wants to win but he has to learn about colors first.

Albert Whitman & Company and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you). It has been published and you can get a copy now.

You learn about color choices, how they are made, how to mix them and more.  James draws a picture of a book.  His gets chosen but he invites the other students to draw pictures on his book pages.  They do and it makes a very nice mural.

Argyles and Arsenic : The Highland Bookshop Mystery Series: Book Five by Molly MacRae

Violet is 93 and she has lots of things accumulated.  So she decides to have an uncluttering event.  It goes over well.

Pegasus Books and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can get a copy now.

It starts with one death.  While they are getting an autopsy on Wendy, another death happens.  They died from arsenic.

The ladies from the book shop decide to find the killer themselves.  There are many suspects, a scrapbook with info about arsenic has been stolen, and people lie.  The search goes on with cops and bookstores employees all looking for the killer.  It's not until the final chapter that they discover the truth.

It's an interesting read that keeps you hanging.  It could have been anyone...

See You Soon by Mariame Kaba

Queenie loves her mom.  Sometimes she's sick and Grandma takes care of her.  They do everything together.

Haymarket Books and Edelweiss let me read this book for review.  It has been published and you can get a copy now.

Things are changing and Queenie doesn't like it.  Her mom has to go to jail.  They hug each other and cry.  Then her mother says I'll see you soon.

When she and Grandma go home, she runs to her bedroom.  She has a surprise.  There's a quilt with pictures of her and her mother.  That makes her feel a little better.  Then Grandma asks her if she would like to go see her on visiting day.  Queenie shouts yes and thinks she may be able to stand her mother's time in jail.

Big Nate: Beware of Low-Flying Corn Muffins by Lincoln Peirce

Big Nate seems to be in trouble all the time...

Andrews McMeel Publishing and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can get a copy now.

He throws a corn muffin across the room to a friend, but a teacher walks by and gets corn muffin all over his head.  He gets sent to the principal for that.

This is a graphic novel and is easy to read.  It seems like Big Nate gets in trouble without meaning to.  The fact that he lies, makes up stories, and is late just adds to his burden.  He's good at sarcastic comments, too.

Despite all that he's entertaining and it's fun to read.  He keeps trying to get ahead but doesn't have much luck...

Now What? by Brenda Faatz

Lizzy likes to keep herself busy.  As she finishes one thing, she says "Now what?"  Just in time she gets some new neighbors.

Notable Kids Publishing sent me a copy of this book to read and review (thank you).  It has been published and you can get a copy now.

Lizzy has several things she does by herself, but she's happy to see a girl her age moving in.  Soon they are friends and they play together.  They each have things to show each other and do.  There is no more what now around.

Cold Clay by Juneau Black: Series: A Shady Hollow Mystery (#2)

Shady Hollow is a small community where everyone knows everyone else.  It's an animal community.  Everything is fine until one day a rabbit finds some buried bones...

Vintage Crime/Black Lizard and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It has been published so you can get a copy now.

Vera is a vixen who is also a reporter.  She finds out about the bones and it's a moose.  Joe who has a cafe in town had his wife walk out on him.  The police put him in jail because the think he killed her all those years ago.  Vera knows Joe would do no such thing so she starts trying to unravel the past.  Her boyfriend is the deputy sheriff and he tells her to stay out of it.  She doesn't give up.

She eventually figures it out.  She has to be careful though.  The first murder case she solved she almost died.  So she goes to meet the murderer.  The murderer tells her she put sleeping pills in her drink.  That's true but Vera has switched cups.

Will Vera survive this danger?

A World Full of Nature Stories : 50 Folktales and Legends by Angela McAllister, Hannah Bess Ross (Illustrated by)

Some of these tales are familiar but most of them are from other counties and were new to me.  They are short and easy to read.  I enjoyed them.

Frances Lincoln Children's Books and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It has been published so you can get a copy now.

You travel many places and learn of many legends in other parts of the world.  Not everybody lives happily ever after but life is like that, too.

The stories are interesting and well worth reading.  You could read them to the children before bedtime.  Or, if they are old enough, they can read it on their own.

This is a great collection.  If you like fairy tales, you'll want to add this to your collection.

Jungle Adventure by Lily Murray

This is another pick your own story tale.  With all the choices given you can create many different stories.

Wide Eyed Edition and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can get a copy now.

This should keep your child busy for a while.  You can change the story each time you choose again.  Let them write down their choices and see how many they do.  They might even write their own stories after this...

Pirate Adventure by Lily Murray: Series: Let's Tell a Story

This book will give your child ideas on how to write a story.  There are lots of suggestions on each page.  They could write a lot of stories with this.

Wide Eye Editions and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can get a copy.

You can be all sorts of characters.  You determine what course the story is going to take.  And you get to choose the ending.  How can you not have fun with this?

To Marry and to Meddle by Martha Waters

Emily should have been married by now, but her father's gambling debts are too big to be ignored.  Her mother orders her around.  She's dating the man that holds her father's debt but she doesn't like him.  Then she meets Julian.

Atria and Net Galley gave me the opportunity to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published April 5th.

Julian owns a theater and his father told him he had to sell it.  He said no and he was sent out of the house with his father saying he was no longer his son.

So Julian has problems with his father and Emily has problems with her mother.  They agree to get married as a matter of convenience.  They would tell each other the truth and they got married quick.

As they settle into married life, Julian finds he has married a virgin.  That causes him some worry but it all works out.  Emily starts becoming her own person.  She finds Julian defending her.

She wants to go the theater but he doesn't want to ruin her reputation.  She finally talks him into it and she gives him ideas for the show.  She also invites his father to come and watch.

The last part of the book is the best, so don't give up on it...

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley

Jess lost her job and is on her way to meet her brother, Ben, and stay with him for a while.  He's in Paris and she hasn't been there.  But when she arrives, he's not there.  He said he would be...

William Morrow sent me an ARC to read and review (thank you).  It has been published so you can get a copy now.

Jess stays in his apartment and asks questions of the other tenants.  Nobody seemed to like him much.

Each chapter is named for the person who is the subject matter.  Most of the chapters are short.

She knows someone came in while he was talking to her.  The author lets you know that he was attacked and is probably dead.

Jess tries to find him and the others aren't helping.  There are lots of characters that have their own ideas.

It's a scary read with several threats and the ending is a surprise.  It was an interesting read.

The Burning Pages A Scottish Bookshop Mystery by Paige Shelton

Delaney is trying to determine who is burning down bookstores and the Burns memorial building.  The police are questioning one of her bookstore's employees and she knows he didn't do it.

Minotaur Books and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published on April 5th.

Hamlet hides for a bit after the police inquiry but he eventually comes back.  He tells Delaney he didn't start the fire and he didn't kill the man inside the building.  She believes him.

His heritage is strange, and Delaney tries to find his mother.  The more she looks, the more it looks like a dead end.

Then more buildings are set on fire.  They are saved but they need to find the firebug.

There are unpleasant surprises, and the firebug is finally located.  I was surprised by who was doing it.  Will you be?

The Best Liars in Riverview by Lin Thompson

Aubrey and Joel are good friends.  They grew up together and they play games with each other.  But one day, they argue and when Aubrey gets up in the morning, Joel is gone.  He didn't go home.  She realizes he took the raft they built.

Little Brown and company sent me an ARC to read and review.  It will be published on March 8th.

There is a boy at school that bullies Joel.  Aubrey tries to defend him but it doesn't always work.  He wants to leave town with his mom.  Aubrey doesn't want him to go.

The search for Joel is joined by two female friends.  Aubrey finally gets the idea that the truth has to be told.  She starts out slow but it gets better as time goes on.  

Will she find Joel?

Bedtime Stories For Kids: 27 Collection Of Short Stories To Help Children Use Their Imagination by Misty Green

This is a short story collection that you can read them at bedtime and have them go to sleep.  The stories are varied but all have children in them.

Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you).  It has been published so you can get a copy now.

Some of the stories are a bit exciting, some are great for putting the child to sleep. They are all entertaining and fun to read. 

Help your little one nod off at bedtime.  Maybe they will want to write their own bedtime stories after listening to these...

Kemosha of the Caribbean by Alex Wheatle

Kemosha is black but she has been a slave her whole life.  She wants to buy her freedom.  Slaves don't get paid, so she'll have to escape.

Akashic Books sent me a copy of this book to read and review (thank you).  It has been published and you can buy a copy now.

This is a young adult book and it's historical fiction.  You learn how the masters treated their slaves and that's pretty bad.  You must do what he commands or you get whipped.  If you are good looking, men will pay to have an evening with you.  You can see why she wants to escape the plantation.

She gets away and meets a free Negro.  He teaches her how to use a sword.  She doesn't want to kill anyone but she doesn't have that choice.  Once she uses the sword in self defense, she has to run again.

She eventually takes to the sea, but that isn't the escape she thought it was.

People die, they are mourned but they can't stop trying to get away.  They'll be killed if they are caught...

Mr. Filkins in the Desert by Quentin Blake

Mr. Filkins is walking across the desert to go to his granddaughter's for his 90th birthday.  As he goes, he has to hide from some of the animals so he doesn't get hurt.

Tate Publishing sent me a copy of this book to read for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can get a copy now.

The names of the imaginary animals are a hoot and make reading the book fun!

He finds the most dangerous creature laid out on the desert.  He has a bottle of water with him, so he has a drink and then shares it with the creature.  The creature spruces up and grabs Mr. Filkins and takes him to his granddaughter' place.

They all celebrate his birthday, even the Zagobert!

Paris Noir: The Suburbs Edited by: Hervé Delouche

This is an anthology of short stories.  The stories are not happy ones but it represents life.

Akashic Books sent me a copy to read for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can get a copy now.

There are thirteeen stories that grab your attention.  The authors are:  Cloé Mehdi, Karim Madani, Insa Sané, Christian Roux, Marc Villard, Jean-Pierre Rumeau, Timothée Demeillers, Rachid Santaki, Marc Fernandez, Guillaume Balsamo, Anne Secret, Anne-Sylvie Salzman, and Patrick Pécherot. (All stories were written in French and translated into English by Katie Shireen Assef, David Ball, Nicole Ball, and Paul Curtis Daw.)

Take a trip into the back streets of Paris and learn about drugs, murder and more.

The stories are tantalizing stories that you start and then you have to see how it's going to end...