The Adventures of Luca & Sonny: Spirit of Christmas by Roseanne Critelli

Rating:

4 Stars

Themes:

Childrens, Christmas, Fiction

Thoughts:

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is such a fun way for kids to learn about the spirit of giving at Christmas rather than being told by caregivers (as we know how often it goes in one ear and out the other) but instead through dogs. I really liked that the lesson was learnt through Faith’s House to really reinforce the looking out for those less fortunate. The book can also be used to explain to children the reason a family is doing a gifting tree, donating to a food pantry or donating a gift to a local gift drive.

Favourite Quote:

“Remember, Christmas is a time of being selfless, showing forgiveness, and being together with the ones we love. Sure, it’s awesome to get gifts, but to make others feel happy, that’s the Spirit of Christmas.”

With thanks to Franklin Publishers and Netgalley for my advanced digital copy of this book.

Comments

Mint and Murder by Carly Winter

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Rating: 3 Stars Themes: Non-Fiction, Young Adult Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. In the age of lessening sex education this book could be a great tool to help bridge the gap. I appreciate the talk to an adult bits that can encourage children to start to have conversations that are important but they often think are cringy. The note to trusted adults bit at the end is great too and there’s quite a few useful activities to help the messages really sink in. Some of the points here such as fetishisation and body image are really important ones that I never learned that young (which could be the reason I had such poor body image as a teen) and for the most part the book talks to kids on their level although some areas may feel a little immaturely worded for older teens. With thanks to Hachette UK and Netgalley for my advanced digital copy of this book.

The War of Sober by Edward Rand

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