REVIEWS | A Cat Family Christmas & Daisy Woodworm Changes the World

Description

Count down the twelve days til Christmas in this delightful advent book. With a nod to nostalgic Victorian advent calendars, open up tiny but sturdy flap ‘doors’ on each one of the 24 pages to reveal little details and surprises.

Peer inside the cupboard doors and different-sized tins in the busy Cat Family kitchen to find the missing ingredients for the cake. Open all the front doors on the street when the Cat Family go carol singing.

This is a whimsical Christmas book that gives the Victorian advent calendar tradition a contemporary twist for advent calendar door–hungry hands. Every page is rich with Liberty print–style patterns and William Morris–inspired friezes.

The Cat Family is full of character and personality, and the picture painted of the holiday season in this charming picture book will fill you and your family with Christmas cheer!

(Goodreads)


Review

Get this one before the 12 days of Christmas start!

This lift-the-flap advent book features beautifully illustrated pages of a cat family during Christmas as they prepare and celebrate the holiday season. The placement of the various flaps was done cleverly and will be so much fun for readers to explore as they progress through the story.

Not only are the activities engaging, but the story itself is as well, as it counts down the 12 days of Christmas. As you flip through the book, note the different animal families, which include rabbits, badgers, and foxes (among others!). It is lovely to see the various families as they board the sleeper train! Even the houses display snowmen outside (e.g., snow-cats and snow-ducks!)

This book is so much fun to read with your little ones as you approach Christmas day. The last page ends on Christmas Eve.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced review copy. All opinions are my own.

This Book in Three Words

Cozy, Festive, Cats!

Values/Themes

  • Family
  • Holiday Traditions
  • Togetherness

Favourite Part

I loved to see all of the animal families boarding the train!

Feelings

  • Lighthearted
  • Relaxing
  • Fun

Overall Rating

Numerical Rating: 5 Stars

Description

Thirteen-year-old Daisy Woodward loves insects, running track, and hanging out with her older brother, Sorrel, who has Down syndrome and adores men’s fashion. When her social studies teacher assigns each student an oral report and project to change the world for the better, Daisy fears the class bully–who calls her Woodworm–will make fun of her lisp. Still, she decides to help Sorrel fulfill his dream of becoming a YouTube fashion celebrity despite their parents’ refusal to allow him on social media.

With the help of her best friend, Poppy, and Miguel–the most popular boy in school and her former enemy–Daisy launches Sorrel’s publicity campaign. But catastrophe strikes when her parents discover him online along with hateful comments from a cyberbully. If Daisy has any hope of changing the world, she’ll have to regain her family’s trust and face her fears of public speaking to find her own unique and powerful voice.

Daisy Woodworm Changes the World includes an author’s note and additional resources.

(Goodreads)


Review

When prompted with the question, “How can one save the world?” Daisy immediately thinks of Sorrel, her brother who has Down Syndrome, and how she could best support his ambition to become a fashion icon and youtube star.

Daisy and Sorrel are faced with many obstacles, and with the representation of Down Syndrome, another strength of this book is how Daisy, with the help of her friends, family, and teacher, can make the world a better place. I liked that this story showed how important it is to reframe goals and ask for aid when needed. I loved Sorrel and the strong bond between the two siblings. Regarding the pacing, the last half of the book flowed very nicely. I also wanted to know more about Daisy, but this may be something to look forward to in the future. This book is well-suited for a middle-grade audience/classroom. Daisy wants to study insects so cool facts about insects are provided.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced review copy. All opinions are my own.

This Book in Three Words

Uplifting, Inspiring, Realistic

Values/Themes

  • Goal setting
  • Self-Esteem
  • Friendship
  • Family
  • Economic disparities

Favourite Part

Several friendships blossom throughout the book.

Feelings

  • Emotional
  • Hopeful
  • Uplifting

Overall Rating

Numerical Rating: 3.75 Stars

QOTD: What is the last book you’ve read? Let us know!

November TBR Game

Hello everyone and welcome to another round of our TBR Game, “Fighting Evil by Book Light!”

RULES

1. Five turns: two spins, each. First: card; Second: prompt
2. Played monthly.
3. If the wheel arrow lands exactly between two pieces, re-spin.
4. Cards updated.
5. Must accept result of each spin. No re-spins.
6. Unfinished books may be carried over to next month (optional)
*7. If participating in a readathon, can modify TBR game for that readathon.

November TBR Game

TBR Video

Today’s Candidates:

NEW RELEASES

  1. Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng
  2. Fayne by Ann Marie MacDonalde
  3. The Theory of Crows by David A. Robertson
  4. Dashing Through the Snowbirds by Donna Andrews
  5. How to Succeed in WitchCraft
  6. Blackmail and Bibingka by Mia P. Manansala

CAT BOOKS

  1. A Cat, a Man, and Two Women by Jun’ichirō Tanizaki, Paul McCarthy (Translator)
  2. Pickles Vs. The Zombies by Angela Misri
  3. Herding Cats by Sarah Andersen
  4. The Eyes of the Cat by Moebius & Jodorowsky
  5. Cat vs. Human Fairy Tails by Yasmine Surovec
  6. The Mutts Autumn Diaries by Patrick McDonnell

FANTASY

  1. Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
  2. Blood Like Magic by Liselle Sambury
  3. Babel by R.F. Kuang
  4. Witches Steeped in Gold by Ciannon Smart
  5. The Witch Haven by Sasha Peyton Smith
  6. Sailor Moon Eternal Edition 6

MANGA/GRAPHIC NOVEL/Or PICTURE BOOKS

  1. Cassandra Steps Out by Isabelle Bottier, Hélène Canac (Illustrator)
  2. Pardalita by Joana Estrela
  3. Amazona by Canizales
  4. The Mutts Autumn Diaries by Patrick McDonnell
  5. Waiting for the Great Pumpkin
  6. Unfamiliar by Haley Newsome

ROMANCE

  1. Blood Like Magic by Liselle Sambury
  2. The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling
  3. By the Book by Jasmine Guillory
  4. Finding Family at Seabreeze Farm
  5. Eight Perfect Hours by Lia Louis
  6. Noelle the First by Nicole Falls

THRILLER/CONTEMPORARY

  1. Black Girls Must Die Exhausted by Jayne Allen
  2. Strangers by Katherena Vermette
  3. The Last Confession of Autumn Casterly by Meredith Tate
  4. To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara
  5. A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay
  6. Murder at the Bookstore by Sue Minix

And we also have rereads and an add a book cards as well!

TBR Game Playlist

Playlist Link

Want to play at home?

Simplified Version:

In this version, the Random Name Picker below will choose your genre cards for you!
Enter the following:

For list of names, enter:
New Releases (Sailor Mercury)
Add a Book
(Tuxedo Mask)
Fantasy
(Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Pluto)
Thriller/Contemporary
(Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune)
Cat Books
(Sailor Venus with Artemis and Sailor Moon with Luna)
Manga/Graphic Novel
(Sailor Moon)
Romance (Sailor Mars Saturn)
Reread
(Sailor ChibiMoon)

Do this five times to select your genre cards and from there, you can pick whatever book you would like to for your TBR! But remember, if “Add a Book” is selected, you will have to add a book! Or, you can delete this option since it can get out of hand pretty quickly! Alternatively, you can pick as many books as you’d like to.

Random Name Picker

If you would instead like to download the genre cards and select your cards in a different way, they are included below.

Genre Cards:

TBR Cards:

Detailed Version:


Before you play this version, download the Combined Genre + Book Cards below and add your own candidates to each card. For your first turn, select your genre card by pasting the following into the random name generator. This will provide you with your genre card.

for list of names, enter:
New Releases
Add a Book
Fantasy
Thriller/Contemporary
Cat Books
Manga/Graphic Novel
Romance
Reread

Random Name Picker

Once you have your genre selected, then roll the dice to select your candidate. Repeat this process five times, or as many times as you would like to in order to pick your TBR. Remember to add a book each time you choose Add a Book.

Random Number Generator

Combined Genre + Book Cards:

TBR Cards:

QOTD: Will you be playing along?
Let us know your TBR picks for November!