[ARC REVIEW] Bluebell and the Wavering Islands by P.J. Reed

 

Title:  Bluebell and the Wavering Islands

Author:  P.J. Reed

Artist: Emma Gribble

Genre: Humor / Fantasy / Adventure /

Year Published: 2024

Number of Pages: 169 pages

Date Read: 12/21/2024

Series: The Fairies of Therwen Wood #4

Publisher:   Lost Tower Publications

Source:   eARC (Author)

Content Rating:  Ages 5+ (No Objectionable Content)

Buy on:  Amazon // Goodreads

I would like to thank the author P.J. Reed for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

So, I have been really enjoying the “Bluebell” series by P.J. Reed so far and I got another book in the series called “Bluebell and the Wavering Islands” and I must say that this book is probably the most adventurous book in the entire series!

The book starts off with Bluebell and her friends going to the mysterious Wavering Islands, which is ruled by Lord Grendel, who is the ruler of the Sea Imps.  It turns out that Lord Grendel asked Blubell and her friends for a wish:  to save his magical Pegasus, Samara, from an illness called spottydottyitus.  So, Bluebell and her friends have to find a way to cure Samara or else, they will be thrown into the dungeon forever, as well as the Wavering Islands losing all of their magic and causing Mandrake Castle to fall from the sky!

Can Bluebell and her friends cure Samara in time before it is too late?

Find out in this book!

Wow!  I was quite amazed by this book!  I have been enjoying the “Bluebell” series so far and this book was definitely much more action packed and intense than the previous two books I read!  P.J. Reed did a great job at writing this book as there were many intense moments throughout this book, especially when Lord Grendel threatened to lock Bluebell and her friends in the dungeon if they do not find the cure for Samara.  I also loved the fact that Bluebell and her friends travelled to many different places in this book as it was nice seeing more of the world that Bluebell and her friends live in, as well as the magical items that Bluebell and her friends have to find to cure Samara.

Overall, “Bluebell and the Wavering Islands” is a great book that features lots of adventurous moments and anyone who is a huge fan of books about fairies, will definitely enjoy this book!  I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since there is nothing objectionable in this book, unless Lord Grendel’s threats about sending Bluebell and her friends to the dungeon forever might scare younger children.

You might also like: 

• The Fairy in the Kettle by Pauline Tait

• Bluebell and the Silver Palace by P.J. Reed
• Bluebell: The Wish Fairy by P.J. Reed

[ARC REVIEW] Bluebell and the Silver Palace by P.J. Reed

 

Title:  Bluebell and the Silver Palace

Author:  P.J. Reed

Artist: Emma Gribble

Genre: Humor / Fantasy / Adventure / Mystery

Year Published: 2021

Number of Pages: 117 pages

Date Read: 11/3/2024

Series: The Fairies of Therwen Wood #2

Publisher:   Lost Tower Publications

Source:   eARC (Author)

Content Rating:  Ages 5+ (No Objectionable Content)

Buy on:  Amazon // Goodreads

I would like to thank the author P.J. Reed for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

So, after I read the first book in the “Bluebell” book series, I just had to read more books from this series and lo and behold, I was given a copy of the sequel to the first “Bluebell” book, “Bluebell and the Silver Palace” and man, was it even more exciting than the first book!

The story starts off with Bluebell, the newly appointed Wish Fairy, buying some honey from the bumblebees that make the honey, in order to make some delicious honey cakes.  But unfortunately, Bluebell ends up being arrested by Queen Caraway and it turns out that the Queen’s honey has been stolen.  So, Queen Caraway wishes for Bluebell to find out who stole her honey.

Can Bluebell solve this mystery?

Find out in this book!

So, after reading the first book in this series, I was dying to read more adventures from Bluebell the Wish Fairy and man, this sequel does not disappoint me!  P.J. Reed did a fantastic job at writing this story as the tone of this story shifts to a mystery genre, rather than be a straight up adventure genre like in the first book.  I really loved this change in genre for the second book because I always loved reading mystery books and this book does a great job at setting up the mystery of who stolen the honey from the Queen and how Bluebell and her friends try to solve the case.  I also loved the relationship that Bluebell has with both Tobin the Gnome and newcomer, Billy the bee as they both provided some interesting dynamics with Bluebell.  Tobin is as usual, usually stern with Bluebell, while Billy is much more playful towards Bluebell. Emma Gribble’s artwork is great to look at as they are simplistic yet beautiful and they greatly complement the cute and mysterious tone of this book.

Overall, “Bluebell and the Silver Palace” is a fantastic sequel to the first “Bluebell” book and if you love reading about mysteries and delicious food, then this book is definitely worth checking out!  I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since there is nothing really inappropriate in this book.

You might also like: 

• The Fairy in the Kettle by Pauline Tait

• The Fairy in the Kettle Gets Magical by Pauline Tait
• Bluebell: The Wish Fairy by P.J. Reed

[ARC REVIEW] Bluebell: The Wish Fairy by P.J. Reed

 

Title:  Bluebell: The Wish Fairy

Author:  P.J. Reed

Artist: Emma Gribble

Genre: Humor / Fantasy / Adventure

Year Published: 2021

Number of Pages: 136 pages

Date Read: 10/18/2024

Series: The Fairies of Therwen Wood #1

Publisher:   Lost Tower Publications

Source:   eARC (Author)

Content Rating:  Ages 5+ (No Objectionable Content)

Buy on:  Amazon // Goodreads

I would like to thank the author P.J. Reed for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

So, I have been reading many fantasy children’s books over the years and I have read many children’s books that feature fairies in the stories.  However, I have never read a book quite like this one! “Bluebell: The Wish Fairy” is a children’s book that is written by P.J. Reed, along with illustrations by Emma Gribble and it was quite a lovely book to read through!

The story starts off with a fairy named Bluebell who becomes the new wish fairy and she is trying not to mess up on the first day of her new job.  For her first mission, Bluebell will have to travel to the human world to grant wishes of little boys and girls.  But unfortunately, since Bluebell has a tendency to be clumsy, many citizens in Therwen Wood do not believe that she has what it takes to become the wish fairy.

Can Bluebell prove everyone wrong?

Find out in this book!

So, I was quite surprised to be checking out this book since this is the first time that I have heard about this series.  So, I read the first book in the series and I really enjoyed it!  P.J. Reed did a fantastic job at writing this story as I found myself loving Bluebell as a character.  Bluebell is such a relatable character, even though she is a fairy, because she tends to make a lot of mistakes, but always pulls through in the end, just like how so many people in real life tend to do.  I also loved how the situation about the fairies trying to grant children’s wishes is being seen as a job for the fairies, which makes how everything in this world function much more interesting.  Emma Gribble’s illustrations are truly beautiful to look at as the world and the characters look realistic yet beautiful at the same time.  I especially loved the artwork for when Bluebell accidentally made a mistake by bringing in a dragon to a little boy and you can see the dragon blowing its flames towards the little boy, since it is something that I would have never expected to see in a children’s book about fairies.

Overall, “Bluebell: The Wish Fairy” is truly a fun and cute book that anyone who is a fan of fairies should definitely check out!  I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since there is not much frightening content in this book.

You might also like: 

• The Fairy in the Kettle by Pauline Tait

• The Fairy in the Kettle Gets Magical by Pauline Tait
• Little Lit: Folklore and Fairy Tale Funnies edited by Art Spiegelman

[ARC REVIEW] Sparky and Mya: The King Must Laugh by Godwin Temisa

 

Title:  Sparky and Mya: The King Must Laugh

Author:  Godwin Temisa

Genre:  Children's / Animals / Humor / Friendship / Royalty

Year Published: 2020

Date Read: 4/11/2024

Source:  eARC (Author)

Content Rating:  Ages 4+ (Nothing Objectionable)

Buy on:  Amazon 

I would like to thank author Godwin Temisa for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

So, I received a copy of this cute little children’s book called “The King Must Laugh” by Godwin Temisa and man, was this book a joy to read!

 

The book starts off with a dog named Sparky, who enjoys making people laugh and his dream is to become a clown for the King of the land.  But unfortunately, Sparky ends up falling ill and he asks his friend, Mya the Cat, to go to the King and make him laugh in his place.  So, Mya goes to the King’s palace and tries to make the king laugh, but she keeps on messing up her routine.

 

Can Mya make the King laugh and will Sparky’s dream to become a clown come true?

 

Read this book to find out!

 

Wow!  This book was really enjoyable!  I loved the way that Godwin Temisa made this book so cute and heartwarming to read through.  I really loved the relationship between Sparky and Mya as they have a great friendship and I loved the fact that Mya was willing to help out Sparky, when Sparky got sick.  Another thing that I liked about this book was the artwork.  Godwin Temisa’s artwork was extremely unique, as the characters have odd and detailed designs and yet, those designs made the characters really stand out to me.  The artwork reminded me of those 90s cartoons, like “Duckman” and “Rugrats” that have unique designs to the characters and the artwork in this book made me feel nostalgic for those cartoons.

 

Overall, “The King Must Laugh” is a truly adorable and heartwarming book for anyone who loves reading books that deal with friendships.  I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since there is nothing inappropriate in this book.

You might also like: 

• Rosie's Walk by Pat Hutchins

• Farmer Goff and His Turkey Sam by Brian Schatell

• Petunia's Christmas by Roger Duvoisin

[BOOK REVIEW] Newly Turns Up by Terry Carbary

 

Title:  Newly Turns Up

Author:  Terry Carbary

Artist: Rachel Phillips

Genre:  Children's / Animals / Farming / Friendship

Year Published: 2023

Date Read: 1/21/2024

Source:  eARC (Author)

Content Rating:  Ages 5+ (Nothing Objectionable)

Buy on:  Amazon 

I would like to thank author Terry Carbary for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

So, I had received a unique children’s book called “Newly Turns Up” by Terry Carbary and I was excited to check out this book!  And lo and behold, this children’s book was quite a treat to read through!

The story starts off with a mouse named Newly who owns a turnip farm and he started out eating nothing but turnips for most of his life.  But one day, Newly ends up going on a truck ride, but then he falls down a hillside and ends up dropping into a river.  Newly then ends up washing up on shore and it was then that he finds a town and he ends up making friends with the people of the town and he would soon discover a new opportunity for himself that would change his life forever.

“Newly Turns Up” was quite a unique and heartwarming story that I found myself really enjoying!  I loved the way that Terry Carbary wrote all of the characters in this story as all of the characters are extremely friendly and caring towards each other.  I especially loved the fact that the people of the town just openly accepted Newly and his turnip farm and it was great seeing Newly make a good life for himself in a new town.  I also loved reading about Newly’s farm life and seeing how he is able to do things on his farm, such as planting the turnips and creating bridges around his farm.

Overall, “Newly Turns Up” is a fantastic story about the importance of friendship and establishing a friendly community that many children will enjoy reading.  I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to read about the farm life and learning how to establish a caring community.

 

You might also like: 

• Rosie's Walk by Pat Hutchins

• Farmer Goff and His Turkey Sam by Brian Schatell

• Petunia's Christmas by Roger Duvoisin