Rosh's Reviews

AUTHOR: Kerry Lyn Sparrow ILLUSTRATOR: Guillaume Perreault GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: October 2, 2018. RATING: 3.5 stars. In a Nutshell: A picture book about a boy who doesn’t and cannot sleep. Cute story, cuter illustrations. Not much logic, but quite entertaining. Will work better for kids who can count. Plot Preview: Duncan has a fixed bedtime routine and follows it. The only thing he dislikes about bedtime is going to sleep, and does whatever he can to avoid it. But his mum is smart and soon catches up to his delaying tactics and ensures that he can no longer have an excuse to get out of bed. But there’s still a problem: Duncan isn't sleepy. His mother suggests that he count sheep. This idea seems to work surprisingly well, until one sheep puts a stop to Duncan’s sleep. What happens next in this sheepish saga? Counting sheep hasn’t really worked for me, but the cute cover of this book made me give it a go. It is a creative story that moulds perfect...

SERIES: Disney Fairies Graphic Novel #13 GENRE: Children's Graphic Novel. PUBLICATION DATE: December 31, 2013. RATING: 3.75 stars. ꧁ Thirteenth graphic novel of the Disney Fairies series ꧂ ❁ Contains nine stories in all. As the title indicates, the first four are taken from the 2011 animated short film titled “Pixie Hollow Games” ( with the dialogues also being the same at times ) and the remaining five are fresh stories. Thus it holds appeal to those who have watched the short movie and want a print version of it, while at the same time offering new content for added appeal. ❁ Because of the above, the first four stories function more as chapters of the same story with continuity across them while the last five are standalone tales and much shorter in length. ❁ This graphic novel has the movie characters in the lead roles. It is a treat to see Rosetta, Iridessa, Fawn and the others. ❁ Tinker Bell makes an appearance in all the stories, but she’s not always the key character as t...

AUTHOR: Sona Charaipotra & Samira Ahmed GENRE: YA Anthology PUBLICATION DATE: May 13, 2025. RATING: Leaving this unrated. In a Nutshell: A teen anthology about South Asian diasporic experiences. I had been very excited for this collection, but much of the content wasn’t to my reading preferences. Thus might work better for other readers, hence leaving this without a rating. This collection has sixteen stories written by South Asian writers, giving a voice to teens of South-Asian descent staying in another country (USA). The blurb declares that this book “explores race, class, culture, language, and the very idea of home as both a place and a feeling.” These themes made me hope for a stimulating experience, as the concept of showing diasporic experiences about their progenitors’ cultures is always an interesting one, especially when the culture is as rich and diverse as in the South Asian nations. However, the book didn’t work for me for quite a few reasons. 🚩 For a ‘South Asian’...

AUTHOR: Neil Randall GENRE: Literary Fiction. PUBLICATION DATE:  May 2, 2025 RATING:  3.75 stars. In a Nutshell: A literary drama about a young girl with an extraordinary ability and some humans with a limited moral compass. An original storyline, character-driven, whimsical and thought-provoking. Offers the fine balance between comedy and tragedy. Recommended if you are looking for something unusual and introspective. Plot Preview: Right from the moment Milica Stankovic was born, she wouldn’t stop crying. No matter what her parents tried, Milica kept yelling her lungs out, much to the annoyance of the neighbours and other townspeople. Her parents are loving and supportive, and never stop doing their best for their only daughter, whose sobs dwindle but never cease as the years go by. When circumstances go beyond their control, Milica’s father gets coerced into using her as a ‘professional mourner’, ensuring that her wails help other attendees at funerals release their gri...

SERIES: Disney Fairies Graphic Novels #1-4 GENRE: Children's Graphic Novel. PUBLICATION DATE: September 24, 2024. RATING: 2.95 stars. In a Nutshell: The combo volume of the first four Tinkerbell graphic novels. Strictly average and not worth a purchase. I expected far better from Disney. This book collects the first four graphic novels of the Disney Fairies series. Tinkerbell is the common character to all these books, but there are many other fairies who get equal focus. If you are a fan of the Tinkerbell movies, this book isn't for you as neither the plotlines nor the characters have anything in common with the movies. (Fawn and Silvermist from the movies are much better than Beck and Rani as the animal fairy and water fairy respectively.) Some of the characters in this graphic novels come from other Tinkerbell chapter books, but as I haven’t read those, I am not familiar with them. I have already reviewed the individual books of this combo set as follows: Book One: Prilla’...

SERIES: Disney Fairies Graphic Novel #4 GENRE: Children's Graphic Novel. PUBLICATION DATE: December 7, 2010. RATING: 2.9 stars. ꧁ Fourth graphic novel of the Disney Fairies series ꧂ ❁ Contains five stories focussing on Tinkerbell and her fairy friends. ❁ For the first time, there’s continuity across the five stories, with the overarching plot being about a fairy named Thistle who is jealous of Terence’s crush on Tinkerbell and hence sets out to do whatever she can to make Terence be with her instead. Yup, a potential love triangle in a children’s story book. Sigh… ❁ Tinkerbell, Terence, Vidia, and Queen Clarion are the only main movie characters present in these stories. The rest are mostly book-only characters. ❁ While the overall level of the five stories in this book is pretty decent, I cannot bring myself to accept a romantic tussle in a kids’ storybook. ❁ Simple text, easy to read for the target age group. ❁ Same opinion as before on the graphics. Disliked the characters, like...

AUTHOR:  Padma Prasad Reddeppa GENRE: Middle-Grade Fiction. PUBLICATION DATE: May 6, 2025. RATING: 2.5 stars. In a Nutshell: A middle-grade fiction set in 1970s South India. First person narrative, meandering plotline, interesting child characters, lacklustre adults, emotionally intense themes. Didn’t click with me as much as I had hoped. Plot Preview: 1974. Nine-year-old Pavithra (known to us as ‘Pavi’) lives with her extended family in Madras. Life is an adventure with companions such as cousin Ruku, younger brother Arun, and granduncle Chanki. But there’s always a shadow over Pavi. Her mother’s brother Selva died exactly five months after she was born, and some family members seem to hold Pavi’s birth as the trigger for the loss. Pavi obviously never knew Selva personally, but she feels like she has a strong tie to him. When the grownups in her life don’t offer her satisfactory answers, she uses her imagination to find the way ahead.  The story comes to us in Pavi’s fi...

AUTHOR: Rachel Huffmire NARRATOR: Rachel White. SERIES: Mirror Chronicles, #2 GENRE: Fairy Tale Retelling + Science Fiction. PUBLICATION DATE: September 30, 2021 RATING: 4 stars. In a Nutshell: Yet another brilliant fairytale-scifi-historical-timetravel mashup by this talented indie author. Sleeping Beauty in a whole new avatar. Slightly confusing to keep track of the timelines and time travel, and a bit more action-dominated than the first book. But on the whole, an amazing experience with clever twists. Much recommended! This is the second book of the Mirror Chronicles series, and NOT to be read as a standalone. Plot Preview: France, 11th century. Charul Shazad: The IITA agent whose antics in Book One have left him stranded in historical time. USA, 22nd century. Dorothea Wild: The Mirror’s new programmer who has her own secret agenda for working with the renegade. France, 11th century. Fleur: A young girl who was never meant to exist, at least as per the IITA rules. But now that she ...

AUTHOR: Rennie Dyball ILLUSTRATOR: Maine Diaz GENRE: Children's Picture Book. PUBLICATION DATE: May 13, 2025. RATING: 3 stars. In a Nutshell: A cute picture book about being seen for more than your looks. Great thought and message, but the execution could have been smoother. Still, I appreciate the point it makes. The illustrations are wonderful. Plot Preview: Fiona, short for ‘Queen Fiona of Apartment 4C’, is a white Persian cat, and as amazing as all cats are. She stays with her human parents and sister Lou, and does her best to show them varied aspects of her personality. However, they notice only her looks. Why can’t they see beyond Fiona’s beauty? The cutie on the cover was a big factor in my getting this picture book. The title also played a role in stirring my curiosity. “Peculiar Praise” – great alliteration, but what could it mean? The story covers this aspect well. The lesson the book aims to impart is a necessary one. Today’s society is big on physical appeal. So mu...

SERIES: Disney Fairies Graphic Novel #3 GENRE: Children's Graphic Novel. PUBLICATION DATE: October 26, 2010. RATING: 3.3 stars. ꧁ Third graphic novel of the Disney Fairies series ꧂ ❁ Contains five stories focussing on Tinkerbell and her fairy friends. Tink is present in every story, though not always in the main role. ❁ Again, Tinkerbell, Terence, and Vidia are the only main movie characters present in these stories. The book-only characters continue their appearance from the earlier two graphic novels, but honestly, none of them is impressive enough to make a mark. ❁ The stories are mostly decent, one-time reads. None of them made me go wow or ewww. Only one story was really good in this book. ❁ Only on reading this third book did I realise that Tinkerbell is a ‘pots-and-pans’ fairy in the book series, not a ‘tinkerer’ as in the movies. Sounds like a demotion to my ears! ❁ Simple text, easy to read for the target age group. ❁ Same feelings about the graphics. Great colours and bac...

AUTHOR: E.M. Anderson GENRE: Paranormal Fantasy. PUBLICATION DATE: March 25, 2025. RATING: 3.75 stars. In a Nutshell: A horror-fantasy about an aged immortal ghost hunter solving a ghostly mystery and making new friends. Not as cozy as promised. Interesting diverse characters and a gripping storyline. Good use of the found family trope. The romance was a little cringeworthy and the writing, a tad repetitive. But on the whole, a good experience. Recommended, as long as you aren’t afraid of ghosts, and are ready to not overanalyse. Plot Preview: Peter Shaughnessy has been alive for more than two hundred years and is ready to die. Unfortunately, thanks to an encounter with an annoyed fey during his teens in Ireland, Peter is cursed to spend eternity wandering away from home. As the curse has given him the ability to see ghosts and talk to plants, he spends his time looking for angry spirits and sending them onwards. His roaming has now brought him to Harrington, Ohio, where he has hear...

AUTHOR & ILLUSTRATOR: Ashley Spires SERIES: Most Magnificent Thing, #4 GENRE: Children's Picture Book. PUBLICATION DATE: May 6, 2025. RATING: 4.5 stars. In a Nutshell: The fourth picture book of the ‘Most Magnificent’ series, and possibly the most helpful one for today’s kids. The focus is on team work, and the resultant content is funny as well as practical. Much recommended! Plot Preview: Our little tinkerer, still unnamed after four books, and her pug are as amazing as ever at working together and creating stuff. One day, when the girl goes to her usual place to work on her latest brainwave, she sees that there’s someone already there: a new neighbour with her pet cat. This neighbour also seems to love inventing, so the girl offers her a chance to work together on her new project. But when two strong-minded imaginative thinkers get together, can the going be easy? The first three books of this series have been quite helpful in getting kids to use their imagination and hand...

SERIES: Disney Fairies Graphic Novel #2 GENRE: Children's Graphic Novel. PUBLICATION DATE: June 22, 2010. RATING: 3.4 stars. ꧁ Second graphic novel of the Disney Fairies series ꧂ ❁ Contains five stories focussing on Tinkerbell and her fairy friends. Tink is present in every story, though not always in the main role. ❁ Has several book-only characters who were not a part of the Tinkerbell movies. Again, Tinkerbell, Terence, and Vidia are the only main movie characters present in these stories. ❁ Queen Clarion makes her first appearance, and I am honestly so disappointed at her look! The graphics have deleted all the regal elements from her appearance and turned her into a cutesy bubblegum-pink-wearing fairy godmother. She doesn’t even look like a queen! 😐 ❁ The first three stories are just about average, none too memorable. But the last two stories made this volume worth a read. ❁ Simple text, easy to read for the target age group. ❁ Mixed feelings about the graphics. The colours a...

AUTHOR: Jenni Keer GENRE: Historical Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: April 27, 2025. RATING: 3.25 stars. In a Nutshell: A historical fiction with mild shades of romance, mystery, and magical realism. Interesting plot spanning multiple genres, good characters though a tad beyond the era in terms of thinking, a slow-but-steady pace, and disappointing romance. The blurb makes it sound like a timeslip story; it’s not. I would have liked some actual timeslip, but once I readjusted my expectations, my experience improved. Plot Preview: When the ill-fated Titanic sinks in 1912, the slightly-spoiled and highly-imaginative thirteen-year-old orphan Olivia Davenport is sent to love with her wealthy godparents, the Fairchilds, at Merriford Manor. Life at Merriford is very different from what Olivia is accustomed to. Though there are more people here, there is much less physical demonstration of love. Olivia feels quite lonely and relies on her imagination to get through the days. But when she hears a...