Kids Books - Skills

I am a BIG fan of the Harry Potter series! It’s about this boy named Harry who lives with his mean aunt, uncle, and cousin. Then, on his birthday, he learns the truth about what really happened to his parents, and found out he was (and still is) a wizard! He gets to go to Hogwarts, a school for witchcraft and magic! On his first day, he picks Gryffindor, the brave, which is one of the four houses. He makes friends with Ron and Hermione, who are also in his house. He also learns about You-Know-Who, aka. Voldemort (who, by the way, has no nose 😂), and is determined to find out the secret behind the evil antagonist/villain. I would recommend this book, and the whole series to people who like fantasy and adventure! I’ve read all the books so far, and I’ll give it a five star! 🤩

I have read the series multiple times, and my mom was always mad about it. I don';t know why, but Jeff Kinney had m hooked on from the first page. That is not something that happens a lot with me. I have to read a few pages and then I decide whether I want to read the book or not. So this is probably one of the many books that would be my go-to if I didn't have any other books to read. If you don't know what this book is about, it is about a kid that is in middle school. He has weird people in his h=neighborhood and school. He wants to to do grown-up stuff and all the things his parents do. But when he tries, he finds out how hard it is. It shows his emotions about school, at his home, and a bunch of other stuff many kids have to deal with. I don't know how, but Jeff Kinney mixed comedy with actual life o well, you would actually think he was writing this books when he was a child. Overall, I give this book 5/5 stars. Well done, Jeff!

I have always loved the Harry Potter book series. It is not only full of magic, adventure, joy, creativity, and Voldemort, it is a timeless classic that everyone knows the story too. When I heard that they were creating a picture book version to it, I was blown away and had to get my hands on it. The book has the same plot and words as the original, except now add color and art to the long list of traits I mentioned in the beginning. In case you don't know the plot to the book this is a simple breakdown of what happens; Harry Potter is not a normal boy whose parents died when he was a baby. He has weird talents that are unexplained like how he has a lightning scar, can talk to snakes and can make random things happen just by thinking about it. He lives with his awful Aunt, Uncle, and cousin who gives him the Cinderella treatment and always are rude to him. For heaven's sake, they made him sleep under the stairs. One day, Harry Potter gets a letter addressed to him with his exact location(under the stairs and everything), but the Dursleys won't let him open it after they see a red crest seal on it. They toss it into the garbage. As the days pass hundreds of letters are being sent and owls are appearing at his door, but still, the Uncle is taking all of them and not allowing Harry to see any of them. To avoid any more letters reaching them, Uncle Dursley decides to send all of them to a shabby house on a small island in the middle of the sea. This day happens to be Harry's 11th birthday. All of a sudden, a giant knock hits the door and they all startle themselves awake. It turns out to be a giant named Hagrid who explains to Harry that he is a wizard and has been accepted into the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. After that, he leaves his family, goes school supply shopping with Hagrid, and takes a train to the school. When he gets there he meets a lot of new people and makes best friends with Hermione Granger and Ron Weasely who are in the same house as himself. He also learns what truly happened to his parents and it turns out to be a villain named Voldemort. He killed them and tried to kill Harry too, but his mother sacrificed herself instead and made a bond that destroyed Voldemort. After that day, Harry Potter gained the title of The Boy who Lived. People think that Voldemort is still out there resting so he can come back for revenge. And like all foreshadowing is, the fact turns out to be true. But we don't know that yet. They start hearing noises coming from around the top floor of the school so Harry and the gang go there to check it out. They see a giant 3 headed dog whose name is Fluffy. After this day, they have Hermione do some research and figure out that the dog is guarding a magical stone called the Sorceror's Stone which can give someone youth and that the owner of the dog is Hagrid. Their only lead is the suspicious Potions teacher, Severus Snape who somehow is always seen at the wrong time, doing the wrong thing. During this time, they got more information, saved Hermione from a troll, and met a few ghosts. Back to the present. Now that they had figured out that the owner of the dog was Hagrid, they all go to HAgrid's hut and trick him into giving them valuable information. Then they venture back into the attic with Fluffy and play soft music that makes him fall asleep for as long as they need to get past him. Then they go through the little latch underneath Fluffy and find a mysterious room in which there are puzzles they have to solve in order to get to the stone before Voldemort does. They solve a key riddle, plays chess with themselves being hit if they fail, and finally come into the room in which they find the stone. In the room, Harry Potter comes face to face with Mr. Qiurell the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who is actually a reincarnated version of Voldemort. So he and Voldemort have an epic face-off . . . .

This book is amazing! On the challenging scale, I would rate it a 3 - super good! I rate it a 3 because I learned a lot, but there weren’t many challenging words. What especially surprised me was when Alvar was like, “Huh? Who’s Alvar?” It was a very cliffhanger-y end to the story. I also liked that Sophie got to see Amy/Natalie again. It was funny when Amy got ride on Silveny and she’s all, “Aggghhh! But this is sooo fun!” It would be cool if Amy could teleport with Silveny, but that would be dangerous since nobody knows if Silveny would come back. I think that 4th to 7th graders would benefit from this book the most, since I think that 8 year-olds wouldn’t understand it as much.

Lodestar, the fifth book in the Keeper of the Lost Cities series by Shannon Messenger, is another epic page-turning book. The fight with the Neverseen is still ongoing. Sophie Foster doesn't know who or what to trust. With her friend Keefe gone and life a blur, there is a possibility that the lost cities will never return normal again. But there is a new clue, and that clue may lead Sophie, her friends, and the Black Swan to the answer of the mess. It leads to dangers, risk-taking, and maybe even failure. But Sophie isn't going to let the Neverseen win. She isn't giving up without a fight. This book was so exciting for me because every chapter constantly left me in suspense. I also loved how Tam and Linh Song were introduced in this book. Just saying, this is from the #1 KOTLC fan.

I love this book!! I gotta admit, I was NOT impressed that Sophie and Fitz drifted away from their romantic relationship at the end, but Shannon Messenger did such a good job writing this that I found myself blaming Sophie & Fitz, not her!!! This was a truly incredible book. It went the same as the others in the series, in the sense that all that happened was planning sneak attacks on the Neverseen, the Neverseen getting away, Sophie blaming herself, planning another sneak attack, etc. But honestly, that doesn't make me like the book less. The characters are introduced so well that I really felt like I was in the book (I know, everyone says that, but honestly this series was one of the only ones that I ACTUALLY felt like that) and the way that Sophie & Fitz interact, the way we all know Keefe looks at Sophie, and even Dex and Biana (yes, I caught that!! Love it!!) seems almost like a stereotypical teenage life, except it's not. I can't explain it, but it is so unique and heartwarming that I could not put the book down. I feel bad for her, but I don't blame Sophie for not keeping up with Fitz. She has SO MANY other things going on, but they are a good couple because even though Sophie feels bad about it, Fitz understands. He is there for her as much as possible, whether it's for a shoulder to lean on or somebody to yell at. I am pretty bummed that she was unmatchable, and that Fitz doesn't understand why she won't continue the search for he biological dad. It's also pretty upsetting that she told Keefe first, and not her boyfriend... especially knowing that Keefe had way more going on with his parents and the Neverseen than Fitz did and she still chose to lean on him when she found out. I am so excited to see what book 8.5 will bring!! It's coming out next week!!! I'll be cheering for Fitzphie no matter what happens!!!

I DEFINITELY recommend Keepers Of The Lost Cities to person looked for a very intriguing series that’s IMPOSSIBLE to put down! I really like that Shannon added the comprehensive guide to the Lost Cities in the first half of Unlocked( Book 8.5) because we really needed all the details and loose ends to be tied up. And that map in the front cover is absolutely gorgeous! Also a LOT of game-changer stuff happens including Keefe and the cache (No Spoilers😉). Also this book picks up off of the cliffhanger in the end of book 8 (Legacy). I really like that it changes off from Keefe’s perspective and Sophie’s, cause it really gives you a deeper insight on the plot, story, feelings, message etc... I totally recommend anyone to start reading this series and Unlocked if they’ve read the other books! I would say that these books should probably be for readers ages 11-12, and maybe mature 10 year olds/6th grade and up! Like and follow me please! Bye!

This is my favorite book series EVER! I really wish they'd make a movie of the books. (Not anyone but Universal, otherwise they'd mutilate it) It has betrayal, battles, war, queens, friendship, romance, action, jokes, Hunger Games-style arena warfare, prophecies, secrets, and characters you love (Hello, DoD, and you too, Jade Winglet. Also Darkstalker, Deathbringer, and Riptide. 'Cuz they're too awesome) and characters you'll hate. (coughcough Scarlet, Morrowseer, Blister, and Burn cough) I can not believe that Warriors is more popular than this. I mean, Warriors is okay, but it kind of "lost the magic," by the time the second series rolled around. This one is still going strong. And it has DRAGONS! Not to mention, when I reread Warriors, I thought "I read this in the second grade?" (When I was in 2nd grade, I was OBSESSED with Warriors. I don't really recall why.) Long story short: 2nd grade. Bedtime. Couldn't get to sleep. Pulled out A Dangerous Path. Mom made a 'no Warriors at bedtime' rule after that. (What? Those dogs were scary as heck.) Now, this does have some violence. (Mostly in the first book, because, hey, when much of the plot revolves around an arena where dragons fight to the death, not everyone's gonna make it out alive) But unlike Warriors, you usually won't be lying awake at night because you're afraid to go to sleep. (Though I did have a couple of nightmares about these once.) All in all, this series is five stars out of five!!!!! (For age rating, I would read this to a MATURE 3rd grader and up. Don't read it to younger kids unless you know them well and they are very hardy. I mean, like, 2nd grade. Don't read these to kindergartners. They probably wouldn't get it anyway.)

Have you ever imagined that elves could be real? Or that dinosaurs were still alive? Even that places like Atlantis were real? Well all of those things are real in The Keeper Of The Lost Cities. Here are some things that happen in the book. Sophie was shocked when someone told her she was an elf. He was also an elf too. So that explained to Sophie that she can read minds after she hit her head when she was 5. When someone picks her up and gets her to the elvin world the council there tells her that she is an elf. She is now living with 2 people Grady and Edaline. They used to have a daughter named Jolie and died in a fire. She almost went to Exile for breaking the law. She is sad because when she went to the elvin world to live there they had to brainwash her family. She soon realizes that she was the project of the moon lark, meaning that the Black swan made her In the elvin world you have powers and if you had more than one it was really rare and Sophie has a lot more than one power. People kidnapped her while she was in a cave. They tried to brainwash her but didn’t work. They took off her tracker and put it in the ocean so it looked like she died. She sent out a signal to Fitz but Fitz thought it was a trap because he went to her funeral. They told him that if you don’t come then I will die. A theme I learned from this book was, ‘don’t be afraid to do something’. Sophie was scared at times but she always overcame it. For example when she was at the top 2 at the splotching match. She was going against Fitz who has been winning for years but she still ended up winning. Sophie never loses courage in what she does even if it means risking her life. Some memorable characters are Sophie and Dex. Sophie is good at everything; she beat Fitz in a splotching match and Fitz has been winning for years. Sophie was told she was an elf and had multiple powers. She goes to a school named Foxfire. Her group of friends always had her back when Stina always teased her. In that group of friends there is Biana, Dex, Fritz, Keefe, Marella, and of course Sophie. Dex is Sophie’s best friend. He is smart and is not failing alchemy. Most people fail alchemy. There are some memorable fictional places that Messenger uses in Keeper of the Lost Cities. There are similar buildings in the elvin world that we have here, such as gates and big houses, trees that take in pollution, gardens and cliffs and even caves. Despite the great parts that I enjoyed from Keeper of the Lost Cities, there were some parts that were confusing. I just didn’t understand how a brainpush worked. After you get energy after years does your brain just push the energy out like a powerful blast? I will still give it five stars because you could feel how the character feels. When Sophie left her family you could feel the pain she was feeling like leaving your family after living with them for so long was heartbreaking. I also liked how the book could be very unpredictable, and you find out new things page after page. Overall, I would recommend this book to 3rd grade and older, as there is some violence, but it seems that it would be very enjoyable for people who like exciting books that give you a rollercoaster of a ride.

Have you ever heard about alicorns? Well an alicorn is a horse with wings and a horn that can teleport— just one of the many magical beings that you’ll read about in “Keeper of the Lost Cities: Book 2”. Sophie Foster finds an alicorn and the alicorn transmits that her name is Silveny. When Sophie finished getting her mind fixed she almost got kidnapped again. Luckily the Black Swan stepped in and helped her. During the process Silveny hurt her wing. Sophie and Silveny were supposed to make a grand opening to the sanctuary. Sophie realized she could teleport so she rode on Silveny and teleported her there.When Sophie was moving up a level, the Foxfire always had a party. When it was the upper grades turn Alden saw Whylie and he fainted. This happened because Alden had a broken mind. Elves thought no one can heal a broken mind but Sophie saved Alden because she was made that way. A theme I saw in the book was “never give up” when Sophie saw that Alden had a broken mind. She started crying in the beginning. She kept getting told that no one can fix a broken mind. But when the Black Swan said that she could fix her mind issues so that she could fix others like Alden and Prentice. She went and they said that they made her heal minds so right after she got limbulim she had a bad allergic reaction. Sophie still kept fighting because she wasn’t going to leave Alden like that after what he did for her— she never gave up. Now I am going to tell you about a few characters. Sophie Foster is mostly good at everything. She has many powers and that is rare. Dex is Sophie’s best friend. He is smart and people say that his parents are a bad match. Keefe is an Empath and always has been at Sophie’s side and he could feel Sophie’s emotions. Some buildings in the elvin world are similar to the world we live in. In the Elf world there are Gates, Big houses, Gardens and Caves. A part of the book that can be improved is when Sophie gets fixed and kidnappers try to get her. Wouldn’t the Black swan know already because they know things right away? That’s just one of the things that confused me and distracted me from the plot. Overall, Exile was confusing but still a good book even though it has some rough spots. I still give it 5 stars because it is a very adventurous book with all kinds of exciting events, like hunting down bigfoot, flying on an alicorn, or going into exile. I also really enjoyed the diversity of characters and the important themes portrayed in the novel. In conclusion, I would definitely recommend this book to kids my age around 9-10 years old.