Caroline Adderson

Izzy in the Doghouse is a sweet, middle grade book by Caroline Anderson with a great story and cute pictures.

The illustrations are my favourite part of this book. It's definitely a middle grade book aimed for middle graders. As an adult, I didn't enjoy it too much but I can easily see younger kids loving it. This book is playful, fun and quite sweet. There's lots of goofy antics that Izzy gets into during this book. I just feel like adults reading this with their middle graders won't get a kick out of it. This seems to be solely a book for only middle graders to enjoy. It felt too random and goofy for me, but that's kind of the point - I'm not the audience for this book. I simply enjoying jumping into today's middle grade books to see how literature has changed.

Positives:
1. Amazing illustrations
2. Short chapters
3. Goofy antics
4. Story highlighting a single Mother!
5. Puppies!

Overall, I think middle graders will enjoy it but I didn't enjoy it as much as I've enjoyed other middle grade novels. It's too random and silly for me, but it's still an excellent read. Middle graders who love comedy and fun will enjoy this.

Two out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kids Can Press for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.… (mer)

It Happened on Sweet Street is an adorable, comedic picture book for children!

This book is strange but really enchanting all at the same time. I couldn't put my finger on it, but it gave me some interesting Dr. Seuss-esque vibes (without the crazy rhyming, of course). It packs colours and comedy into this little story, and could be seen as whimsical by some. I think young readers will really enjoy it.

There is something that stands out and makes me feel odd about this book. It didn't sit well with me, and I felt very confused as to how to even review it. It seemed like it was trying to be fun and exciting, but it just felt strange. I think this is a book where I'd want to ask a kid for their opinion, because I can't figure out what I want to say. It's very hit or miss for me.

Two out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tundra Books for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.… (mer)

Reading the opening pages where no punctuation is used reminded me of reading my elementary school-age kid's homework, it was one really long run on sentence. It makes sense, but definitely not as enjoyable as reading work with periods, question marks, and so on. That is the clever premise of the book -- how to use punctuation and how it makes language and writing more clear.

In the story a town does not have punctuation. A stranger brings them the . , ? ' " and so on and teaches them how to use it to make their thoughts and speaking more clear.

This is a quick read and a fun book to share with children who are learning how to write and adults who love language or maybe want a refresher on what the different punctuations do. At the end of the book is a short guide explaining how to use punctuation marks.

The book is printed on nice thick paper and the bound book has a nice feel to it. The illustrations support the text nicely.… (mer)