Book Review of The Boxcar Children: Mystery of the Fallen Treasure by Gertrude Chandler Warner

This is the first Boxcar Children book I have read in years, and I have to say I wasn't impressed.  The Alden kids and their grandfather go to visit some friends in Oregon.  One of their friends works on the search and rescue team, and tells the kids that their dog, Watch, has some of the necessary skills to be a search and rescue dog.  While training Watch, he discovers a backpack of jewelry in the woods.  The backpack was supposed to have been taken on a plane and delivered to the customer of a local jeweler, but apparently it fell out of the plane.  When the jeweler goes through the backpack, she discovers that the most valuable piece of jewelry is gone and blames the pilot.  The Alden kids set out to find out the truth--hoping to prove the pilot's innocence.

Okay, here are two reasons I wasn't impressed:
1.The kids were allowed to walk around the town without an adult as well as go places with strangers.
2. I found the story line very predictable.  I honestly think that 60 pages would have been sufficient for the kids to solve the mystery rather than 128 pages.

I feel like there are better books out there that would be more enjoyable for kids.  I normally enjoy reading children's mysteries, but I did not care for this one.

*I received an electronic copy of this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

Rock Harbor Search and Rescue: Lost and Found by Colleen Coble

Colleen Coble has done it again!  This is the second book on the Rock Harbor Search and Rescue series.  It is written for teenagers, but as an adult, I have found both of her books worth reading.  In Lost and Found, Emily and her friend, Olivia, find a photo of Olivia's adoption day.  The only problem is that Olivia has never been told that she was adopted.  Olivia wants answers about her adoption, but she can't ask her parents because then she would have to explain that they were looking for a wedding photo for her parents' anniversary surprise party.  So, the two friends set out to find some answers about Olivia's adoption with the help of their reporter friend, Inetta.  Meanwhile, there is the mystery of the fire at the high school, Emily's birth mother is back in town and Emily's step mother, Naomi is kidnapped.

I loved this book!  Great story line, great characters... I loved how Coble brings the separate stories together.  I don't want to say much more because it would give part of the story away!

*I received an electronic copy of this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

Book Review of Unspoken by Dee Henderson

In Unspoken by Dee Henderson, Bryce Bishop is collectible coin shop dealer in Chicago, and he is bored.  He is bored until he is met with an offer he can't refuse.  Charlotte Graham sets up a coin shop next door to his shop, and she tells him that she won't open her shop if he buys all of her inventory - which includes her grandfather's entire coin collection.
As Bryce spends time with Charlotte, he becomes more and more interested eventually discovering that she was abducted 18 years earlier - the most famous kidnapping in Chicago history.

 If that weren't enough of a story line, Henderson has also included the story of Bryce's friends, Ann and Paul, attempting to solve a cold case about a baby boy who was kidnapped and killed.

Eventually both stories come together, making this book one of the best suspense books I have ever read.

*I received an electronic copy of this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

Book Review of Loula is Leaving for Africa by Anne Villeneuve

I read this book, Loula is Leaving for Africa, to my daughter, and we both found it very funny.  Loula is upset when her triplet brothers bother her, and she decides she has had enough and is leaving to go to Africa.  She packs up and heads out, but she realizes that she doesn't know how to get to Africa.  Her mother's chauffeur knows the way, and he spends the day "taking" Loula to Africa.

I really loved this book.  Every child gets frustrated at some point and says that they are leaving or running away.  Anne Villeneuve depicted that perfectly, and I loved the imagination throughout the book.  I also loved that there was an adult there with Loula helping her along the way, eventually taking her home in the end.

*I received an electronic copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.*

Book Review of A No Sneeze Pet (Pet Friends Forever) by Diana Gallagher

A No-Sneeze Pet is a very cute book.  Emma's mom is allergic to pets with fur.  Kyle and Mia help Emma research different pets to help her find one that she will like, but one that won't cause her mom to sneeze.  They go to the pet store, talk to a veterinarian and visit friends/neighbors.  Emma wants a pet she can cuddle, so their search takes a while, but eventually they find the perfect pet.

I thought that the language was appropriate for ages 7 and up to read on their own and the illustrations were very cute and detailed.  I would definitely chose this as a book for my child to read.  I also think that the topic of pets is one that will interest a lot of kids in the target age range.

*I received an electronic copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.*

Book Review of Trapped: A Private Justice Novel by Irene Hannon

If you like mystery and suspense, this is a book you should definitely pick up!  Trapped by Irene Hannon kept me interested until the very end of the book.  Laura Griffith's sixteen year old half sister, Darcy, runs away just as a blizzard sweeps through the city; and Laura enlists the help of a private investigator, James Devlin when the police can't help.  What starts out as a business relationship, turns into something more while the search for Darcy goes on for days.

This is the perfect blend of suspense and romance in one book.  I loved the story line, and I didn't want to stop reading.  The characters are well developed as well as likeable (or unlikeable in reference to the "villain" of the story).   I really like that this is part of a series.  I will definitely be reading the other books in the series!

*I received an electronic copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.*