Reviews (Author-wise)

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Mighty Thankful - Daniel Georges - ★★★★.¼

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AUTHOR: Daniel Georges GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: September 15, 2025 RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: A lovely picture book teaching a much-needed lesson in today’s world. Great story, quirky illustrations, excellent life lessons. A standalone new entrant to the ‘My Crazy Stories’ universe. Recommended. Plot Preview: When Jimmy’s parents are going out for the evening, they leave him in the hands of a new babysitter named Ms. Cherry. Jimmy behaves wonderfully until his parents leave, and then unleashes his hidden side. With him flexing his speed and fearlessness and temper, Ms. Cherry has a tough time keeping up. But then, something happens and Jimmy is forced to question his attitude. The story is written in Jimmy’s first-person perspective. We are living in a material world, and we are raising a material generation because of our short-term thinking. Giving so many things to children – at times, even if they don’t need anything new – trains children to take...
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Norma and the Blue Hour - Chris Delyani - ★★★.¾

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AUTHOR: Chris Delyani GENRE: Contemporary Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: November 13, 2025 RATING: 3.75 stars. In a Nutshell: A contemporary family drama about an old woman looking for her estranged son. Interesting complex characters, good plot development, steady pacing. Character-oriented. Slightly unsatisfying ending, though this is more about expectations than about writing issues. Recommended. Plot Preview: When ex-fashion designer Norma McKinsey, nearly eighty years of age, crashes her car and lands up in hospital, she realises that she needs to get going on the one task she has been avoiding for many years: looking for her younger son Kevin. He is still with her but only in her thoughts, constantly speaking to her. As Kevin left home twenty-five years ago and hasn’t been in touch since, it is high time Norma sets things right. Her elder son Charlie wishes to move her to a nursing home, but she is adamant that she can manage on her own even in her huge house. Her younger sister Julie...
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Seven: Distracted Detective - Rachel Pattinson - ★★★★

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AUTHOR: Rachel Pattinson GENRE: Teen Mystery PUBLICATION DATE: November 13, 2025 RATING: 4 stars. In a Nutshell: A teen mystery with some intriguing young characters, good mystery and investigation, and an action-packed ending. Also has a parallel track on alcoholism, which is brilliantly handled. A great option for the target audience. Recommended. Plot Preview: Seven is a thirteen-year-old with an unusual name and uncommon problems. Living with her overworked dad and worried about her alcoholic mom, Seven tries hard to concentrate on lessons, but her mind keeps getting distracted. All changes one day when Mr. O, the caretaker of Riverside Academy who is very kind to the young girl, goes missing. Seven is the last person to see him. And she has his keys. Can she find out what happened to him? The story comes to us in Seven’s first-person perspective. I think the last time I read a detective story featuring a teenager was in my own early teens, when I used to read Nancy Drew and Hardy ...
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Pony Confidential - Christina Lynch - ★★★.¾

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AUTHOR: Christina Lynch NARRATORS: Erin Moon and Blair Young GENRE: Contemporary Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: November 5, 2024 RATING: 3.75 stars. In a Nutshell: A book about a pony out for revenge, first against Penny and then on behalf of Penny. Quite funny and entertaining, as long as you don’t question the proceedings too much. A bit too preachy (though the points it makes are valid). Somewhat longwinded. Supposedly a ‘horsey’-retelling of the Odyssey, which I learnt only on reading the author’s note. Recommended to those who read after throwing aside their thinking caps. Plot Preview: Thirty-seven-year-old Californian teacher Penny is taken aback when she is suddenly arrested for a murder committed twenty-five years before in Ithaca, New York. Imprisoned with no access to her family and no money for a personal lawyer, all Penny can do is think about better times, especially the days when she had her beloved pony with her. Ever since the girl he loved sold him without second thought,...
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Madeline Finn and the Shelter Dog - Lisa Papp - ★★★★★★★★★★

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AUTHOR: Lisa Papp SERIES: Madeline Finn, #2 GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: March 1, 2019 RATING: Ten loud-yelps-of-joy stars! In a Nutshell: OMG, this picture book, y’all! I loved it so much! Amazing in every way – story, graphics, emotions, and message. The first picture book ever to make me cry. Much, much recommended! Second in the Madeline Finn series, but works as a standalone. Plot Preview: Ever since Madeline’s life changed after meeting Bonnie the library dog, she has been begging her mother for a puppy of her own. Mum has finally said “Yes!” Thrilled, Madeline and her mother go to the library to select one of Bonnie’s puppies as a pet. Instead, one of Bonnie’s puppies ends up choosing Madeline, and she happily names him Star. When Mrs. Dimple, the librarian and Bonnie’s owner, tells Madeline about animal shelters as being the other place where pets come from, Madeline and her mom visit the shelter. There, the little girl is distressed to see the lonely a...
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