Children's Book Review Roundup #4 - Chu Trilogy by Neil Gaiman

LazyDayLit's Children's Book Review Roundup features some of the latest picture books that we have bought, borrowed, or received and read to our little one. It is a way to share books with other parents with little ones.

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Library Roundup

Title: Chu's Day

Author: Neil Gaiman

Illustrator: Adam Rex

Publisher: HarperCollins Children's

Publication Date: January 2013

Synopsis:

Chu is a little panda with a big sneeze.
When Chu sneezes, bad things happen. 

In dusty library, diner pepper, circus tent,
Will Chu sneeze today? 

My Thoughts:

Chu is an adorable little panda with a BIG sneeze. Anything could set it off from encountering old-book dust at the library or pepper in the air at the diner. 

I love Adam Rex's illustrations. The animals are fun and pretty life-like and I love all the little details. 

This just seems so different than any other Neil Gaiman books I've ever read, children's and adult alike. It isn't the 'out there' strange that I am used to when it comes to Gaiman. But that's not a bad thing! It just proves how well-rounded Gaiman is as a writer. He can do anything. Everything he writes is fabulous and Chu is no exception. 

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Title:  Chu's First Day of School

Author: Neil Gaiman

Illustrator: Adam Rex
Publisher: Harper Collins Children's

Publication Date: 2014

Synopsis:

It is Chu's first day of school. Chu is nervous.

He hopes the other boys and girls will be nice. Will they like him?

What will happen at school today?

Will Chu do what Chu does best?

My Thoughts: 

Chu is back and it's his first day of school. He isn't sure if he will enjoy it or if anyone will like him so he is nervous. At school, he is shy and hangs back while the other kids introduces themselves and tell everyone what they like to do. By the time they are all done, the teacher has written lots of stuff on the board and erased some to add more. A cloud of dust hangs in the air. When the teacher asks what his name is, he tells her and then does what he does best. 

I loved reading this second book to my daughter. I was able to explain and show her what each animal in the story does, such as the snail living in it's shell and the giraffe being able to reach things that are high up. And of course, she loved when I 'sneezed' along with Chu. 

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Title: Chu's Day at the Beach

Author: Neil Gaiman

Illustrator: Adam Rex

Publisher: Harper Collins Children's

Publication Date: April 7, 2015

Synopsis:

A brand-new adventure for everyone's favorite sneezing panda, from the New York Times best-selling team of Neil Gaiman and Adam Rex. 

Chu and his family are going to the beach! Chu is excited. He will get to play in the sand and wade in the water. But what will happen if Chu sneezes at the beach? And what will happen if he doesn't?

My Thoughts:

It's a beach day for Chu and his family. Chu's father wades in the water while his mom reads a book. Chu is eating icecream when he looks up at the sun and lets out a BIG sneeze! A sneeze so big it parts the sea! Can Chu fix what he has done?

Somehow I like this third book the most. Instead of just blowing away a circus tent or knocking over schoolmates, Chu sneezes the sea in half! He 'breaks' the sea! That is the 'out there' strange that I kind of expected from Gaiman in 'Chu's Day'. And there are merpandas! MERPANDAS! Coolest new creature ever! Also, my husband sneezes every time he looks at the sun and likes to say that he is allergic so kudos for relating to that. 

2016 TBR Pile Reading Challenge Sign Up

The 2016 TBR Pile Reading Challenge is hosted by Evie @ Bookish Lifestyle

I'm signing up for this one a little late but when I came across a recent post about the Book Club book of the month and it happened to be a book that's been sitting on my Kindle for 2 years that I definitely planned on reading this year, I knew I had to join the challenge. So far in January and February, I've been reading a lot of ARC's and library books but I had already planned on tackling my TBR pile in March for the Take Control of Your TBR Pile Challenge. It's just a one month challenge but I know I will be continuing to get to books on my own shelves throughout the year so this year long challenge is perfect! 

You can join in at any time before December so if you are interested you can sign up here! 

Guidelines:

Any book released in 2015 or earlier.

Any genre, length, or format.

Short stories and novellas count!

Write a review. 

On the last Monday of every other month there will be a wrap-up with a linky to share everyone's wrap-ups. (April, June, August, October, December)

The official hashtag is:

#2016TBRPile

GOALS

"Friendly Hug"

I plan on reading at least 11-20 books. 

A few TBR Pile books I plan on reading in March:

The Great Gilly Hopkins

The Phantom Tollbooth

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm

The Trumpet of the Swan

The Slave Dancer

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

The Darkest Minds

And a few more to tackle throughout the year:

The Sword of Shannara

Uprooted

Room

The Light Between Oceans

Me Before You

The Crucible

The Scarecrow of Oz and sequels

Top Ten Tuesday #67

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. 

Ten Books I Enjoyed Recently that Weren't My Typical Type of Book

I'll probably have to include books that I read last year or the year before that since I haven't read much out of my comfort zone lately.

1. Cogling by Jordan Elizabeth - This was my first steampunk book. It's fantasy so definitely my type of read but the steampunk-ness was completely new for me. (My review)

2. The Martian by Andy Weir - It's been a while since I read any sci-fi--especially something that has no fantasy in it--but I really enjoyed this book. I still need to watch the movie!

3. Fable: Blood of Heroes by Jim C. Hines - This one is fantasy but I'm including it because it is based off of a video game which is kind of rare and new to me.

4. The October Faction #1 by Steve Niles & Damian Worm - This is a graphic novel and I really don't read enough of them. 

5. Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances by Neil Gaiman - Gaiman is one of my absolute favorite authors but I rarely ever read collections of short stories. 

6. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart - I'm not sure if this identifies as any other genre more than contemporary but it's a genre that I almost never read as I don't particularly enjoy reading everyday life stories. The ending got me though. 

7. The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom - I had this recommended to be a lot when it came out but I did not want to read it at all. Then so many years later I kept hearing about the author being so-and-so's favorite and when my mom read it and mentioned it to me, I finally decided to give it a chance and I'm glad I did. 

8. Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta - Another contemporary and the begiining bored me a lot but by the end I really enjoyed it.

Giveaways

Giveaways exclusive to this blog:

There are no giveaways 

on the blog at this time. 

Updated: March, 2018
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On the Blog
(Blitzes, Blasts,& Tours)

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OTHER
Here are a few awesome bookish giveaways I've come across recently that I wanted to share with you all!
Some of these may have ended, just fyi!

Book Review: City of Thirst by Carrie Ryan & John Parke Davis

City of Thirst
(The Map to Everywhere #2)
by Carrie Ryan & John Parke Davis

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy / Adventure

Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: October 13, 2015

Source: Library

Pages: 400

My Rating: 4.5 stars

Synopsis:

New York Times bestselling author Carrie Ryan and John Parke Davis transport readers back to the boundless world of the Pirate Stream in this engaging and exhilarating sequel to the highly acclaimed 'The Map to Everywhere' that is equal parts adventure, humor, and heart!

When the magical waters of the Pirate Stream begin flooding Marrill's world, the only way to stop the destruction is to return to the Stream and find the source of the mysterious Iron Tide. Reunited with her best friend Fin--who was forgotten all over again--Marrill, her disbelieving babysitter, and the Enterprising Kraken crew must make the treacherous trek to the towering, sliding, impossible world of Monerva and uncover the secrets of its long-lost wish machine. Only there can Fin wish to finally be remembered. Only there can Marrill wish to save her world and all the people she loves. But to get everything they've ever wanted, Marrill and Fin may have to give up on the most important thing they already have: each other. 

My Thoughts:

City of Thirst is the delightful return to the Pirate Stream and all the worlds that it connects. This wonderful adventure will take you on a joy ride that you will not soon forget! 

Having been home from the Pirate Stream for six months, Marrill never expects to find herself back in that world of worlds. The wizard, Ardent, had said it would be nearly impossible and if the Pirate Stream ever touched her world again, it would mean that it was in danger. So it was a surprise when she found a stop sign with the words "YOU ARE NEEDED ON THE PIRATE STREAM MARRILL" scrawled across it. Followed by her babysitter, Remy, she attempts to get back to the stream the same way she got there the last time in 'The Map to Everywhere'. Before she knows it, they are both swept up by the stream in Remy's car and end up back on the Enterprising Kraken, a ship manned by pirats, the Ropebone Man, and Coll, it's captain. Reunited with Ardent, the Naysayer, and her best friend Fin, Marrill tries to figure out why she was brought back to the Pirate Stream, what that means for her world, and what, of all things, is the 'Iron Tide' and how will it affect them all? 

I was thrilled to continue this story. 'The Map to Everywhere' was my favorite read of 2015. It is fun, imaginative, and one heck of an adventure! 'City of Thirst' is just as fun and unique and takes us on an even more pressing journey. I highly recommend these books to anyone who enjoys a fun fantasy adventure. 

While I loved this book just as much and maybe even a little more than 'The Map to Everywhere', there were a few little things that didn't work out so well, in my opinion. For most of the book I really didn't see the point in the babysitter being there. I thought maybe she was included because people sometimes hate to see that most middle-grade stories are about children who are either orphans or just 'away' from their parents and go on dangerous adventures. Everyone wonders where the parents are! And since Marrill's parents are in the hospital and Fin actually is an orphan, I thought that maybe they included a babysitter so it was a little less "kids on their own". And then towards the end, it made a little more sense why she was there but the reason still irked me. Now this isn't going to be 'spoilers' but I'm going to say why. Remy was there to make sure Marrill knew that Fin was her 'plus one', as Remy called him. But why did she need to know that?! In 'The Map to Everywhere', Marrill was the only person that ever remembered Fin at all. And all of a sudden, she starts forgetting him. And the reason was not satisfactory in my opinion!

And a little something else that sort of bothered me: I was really looking forward to this book being about Fin finding his mom. The first book was basically about Marrill finding her way back to her sick mom and I was really just hoping that Fin would get the same. But nooooo! We are given a little clue in a girl who shows up and then disappears. We are left with this open-ended question of what will happen next. Cliffhanger? Well no, not really. Goodreads does not show any other books in this series. At least not yet. I'm REALLY hoping that they continue with this series since there is so much more than can do with it and we are left with questions. I guess I will have to wait impatiently for any news of it being continued. 

The Sunday Post #7

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer

It's a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things you received, share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead, and more.

It's been a stressful week and I haven't gotten much reading done at all. Hopefully I can get caught up soon! 

This Past Week On The Blog

Children's Book Review Roundup #3
Love For Books Readathon WrapUp
Top Ten Tuesday #66 - Books & Music
Kid Lit Blog Hop - February

Book Review: The Mouse and the Motorcycle
Freebie Friday #4 (Plus a Giveaway!)
Book Review: Cogling by Jordan Elizabeth
Love-a-thon Introductions

Coming Soon

Book Review: City of Thirst
Book Review: Throne of Glass
Children's Book Review Roundup #4

Books I Finished This Week

None. It was a busy week.

New Children's Books We Read This Week

What I'm Currently Reading

Still reading Crown of Midnight and The Sword of Summer. 

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How was your week?

Love-a-thon Introductions

This is my first time participating in the Love-a-thon and I hope to meet a lot of new bloggers!

What is your name?

Stacy Renee

Where in the world are you blogging from?

Florida  (It really is a sunny place for shady people.)

How did you get into blogging in the first place?

I started sharing reviews on Tumblr ages ago but wanted something a little more flexible.

How did you come up with your blog name?

I really enjoy days that I can do nothing but read and spent a lot of time lazing around in my hammock so that was what I reflected on when choosing a name. 

What genre do you read and review the most on your blog?

Fantasy. Mostly in middle-grade and young adult.
I read a wide array of genres and age groups but I tend to review these more. Lately, I've been reviewing picture books as well because I read a ton of them to my one year old. 

What other types of posts do you do on your blog, apart from your reviews?

I love joining in on the features that other bloggers have created such as Top Ten Tuesday, Stacking the Shelves, and recently, The Sunday Post. I put up a Freebie Friday every week now with new Amazon freebies. I also started a Children's Books Review Roundup where I do mini-reviews on several picture books in one post. 

Best blogging experience so far?

Just blogging, in general, has been a great experience. I enjoy sharing my thoughts on books and seeing what others think about them as well. 

Favorite thing about the blogging community?

That we have all come together with our love of reading and have created an online community where we can be nerds, fangirl, and basically just gab over our reading addictions. 

Name the 5 books you are most excited for in 2016!

Name 5 books that you want to read in 2016 that you didn't get to in previous years!

What's an underrated book or series that you think everyone should read?

I'm not sure if it's underrated but I think everyone should read The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.

Which book boy or girl would be your BFF?

 I think Luna Lovegood would make a great friend. I like interesting people.

Which book boy or girl would be your bookish boyfriend/girlfriend?

I don't usually think of fictional characters in that way (I know, I know, it's all the rage right now!) but if I had to choose, I'd say Chaol Westfall from the Throne of Glass series. I'm reading Crown of Midnight right now and love his character.

Who would you recruit for your apocalypse squad? (5 Characters max)

1. Hermione Granger from Harry Potter because who wouldn't want a genius witch in their squad?
2. Chaol Westfall from Throne of Glass because he's loyal, a leader, and badass.
3.
4.
5.

Apart from reading, what are your other hobbies or interests?

I'm a right-brained creative soul with a lot of art-related hobbies.

 I love art, arts & crafts, writing, and photography.
I love nature and trees and being outdoors.
I garden and grow my own vegetables. 

Apart from book shopping, what else do you like shopping for?

Clothes, pretty paper-products, oddities, and craft supplies.

At a party, the DJ suddenly changes the song - and it's your song. 

What song would be playing?

I listen to classic rock more than anything and DJ's don't usually play that kind of music! I do listen to some indie rock and chillwave type of stuff but just to be random, my song is:

'Lovely Bloodflow' by Baths

Pick out either a book that you want to be turned into a film/TV show,

or a film/TV show that you want to be turned into a book.

I'd love to see 'The Night Circus' turned into a movie but I'm afraid that it won't turn out like I expected! 

What would your dream library look like?

Spiral staircases, floor to ceiling built-in bookshelves, and floor to ceiling windows between the shelves on one or two walls that look out on a bright and cheerful forest and let in lots of natural light to read by.  There would be french doors that led outside so I could read in my hammock on beautiful days.  There would be a few super comfy chairs to lounge on and music playing softly in the background.

An author you want to meet and sit down to tea with?

I'd love to sit and talk to Patricia McKillip.She writes such vibrant and beautiful fantasy novels and I'd love to pick her brain about what inspires her.