Pirates of the Sea! by Brandon Dorman

(source)

Title: Pirates of the Sea!

Author: Brandon Dorman

Length: 32 pages

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Classification: Children's Book, Adventure, Pirates

Release Date: April 26, 2011

Source: library book

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"No cryin'No dyin'No brushin' yer teeth!No stealin'No squealin'
No eatin' Parrot Pete!
No nappin'No scrappin'No wimpy moans or groans!No veggiesNo wedgiesNo disobeyin' Cap'n Bones!" It's the pirate code! Do you pledge? Do you agree? Then open this book to join the crew on the Dragonfish of Doom and become a pirate of the sea! (From GoodReads)

 Cutie Pie’s Rating:

What is this book about?

About pirates sailing the sea to find treasure.

What was your favorite part of the story?

How Cap'n Bones saved the day.

Why did you like it?

Because Cap'n Bones was fighting a big dragon monster thing, I think it is called a serpent. Then fought him by spitting in his eye.

Is there anything you didn't like about this book?

No, it was good.

Do you like the illustrations?

I liked them. They are awesome!

Who do you think will like this book?
Everyone that likes pirates and adventures.

My Rating:

This is a fun and entertaining story.
I really like the rhyming. And it really made me want to read it in a pirate voice while reading it to my girls.
Both girls enjoyed the story, although I think my youngest (3) cared more about the pictures than what was being read. The pictures are fun and bright and have a lot of detail.
The story is fun. The pirates are about to embark on a new quest to find some treasure. They encounter some trouble along the way. The names are funny and really give the story that extra pirate feel.
I think that older children, K-3 would really enjoy this story. Definitely an exciting story full of adventure to read with children that like pirates!
I recommend giving it a read. 

Mummies in the Morning by Mary Pope Osbourne

(source)

Title: Mummies in the Morning
(Magic Tree House #3)

Author: Mary Pope Osbourne

Illustrator: Sal Murdocca

Length: 65 pages

Publisher: Scholastic Inc.

Classification: Children's Book, Chapter Book, Fantasy, Adventure, Mystery, Time Travel

Release Date: August 1993

Source: Paperback

GoodReads

Jack and Annie don't need another mummy.
But that's what they get when the Magic Tree House whisks them back to ancient Egypt. There they meet a long-dead queen who needs their help. Will Jack and Annie be able to solve the puzzle, or will they end up as mummies themselves? (From GoodReads)

Cutie Pie’s Rating:

"I like this book a lot. Like a lot, a lot."

What is this book about?

About Jack and Annie following the cat and getting the Book of Dead.

What was your favorite part of the story?

 When they followed the noise (the cat's meow) to the entrance of the pyramid. 

Why did you like it?

 Because they followed the noise and found what they were looking for. They did good.

Is there anything you didn't like about this book?

No, I like all of it.

Do you like the illustrations?

Yes.

Who do you think will like this book?

Everyone that likes Magic Tree House.

My Rating:

I personally like this book series. Cutie Pie and I read the second book in the series last school year and decided that we wanted to continue reading them.
In this story, Jack and Annie travel back to the past to the time of the Pyramids. They get to go in the pyramid and quickly involved in solving a mystery.
I really like this book because I think it is a nice glimpse and introduction to a bit of Egyptian history. I especially love that it has so many educational facts about mummies, the Pyramids and other Egyptian history. Also has some fun vocabulary words.
Not only does this book contain an educational value, but it is a fun adventure for kids to read about.
We love the ongoing mystery with the series as well as the puzzle that Jack and Annie have to solve.
I highly recommend this book to fans of this book series.
Best read either to, with, or by elementary school children. Full of fun and entertainment for the family, so I think Pre-K children can enjoy the story as well.
I am looking forward to reading the next adventure. 

Kitty Hawk and The Curse of the Yukon Gold by Iain Reading

Title: Kitty Hawk and The Curse of the Yukon Gold
Author: Iain Reading
Length: 336 pages
Classification: Young Adult, Adventure, Mystery
Release Date: December 2012
Source: e-book (provided by author)
Thank you Iain Reading!
Read: April 2014

Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold is the thrilling first installment in a new young adult series of adventure mystery stories by Iain Reading. This first book of the Kitty Hawk Flying Detective Agency Series introduces Kitty Hawk, an intrepid teenage pilot with her own De Havilland Beaver seaplane and a nose for mystery and intrigue. A cross between Amelia Earhart, Nancy Drew and Pippi Longstocking, Kitty is a quirky young heroine with boundless curiosity and a knack for getting herself into all kinds of precarious situations.

After leaving her home in the western Canadian fishing village of Tofino to spend the summer in Alaska studying humpback whales, Kitty finds herself caught up in an unforgettable adventure involving stolen gold, devious criminals, ghostly shipwrecks, and bone-chilling curses. Kitty's adventure begins with the lingering mystery of a sunken ship called the Clara Nevada. As the plot continues to unfold, this spirited story will have readers anxiously following every twist and turn as they are swept along through the history of the Klondike Gold Rush to a suspenseful final climatic chase across the rugged terrain of Canada's Yukon.

Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold is a perfect book to fire the imagination of readers of all ages. Filled with fascinating and highly Google-able locations and history this book will inspire anyone to learn and experience more for themselves. 

**This e-book was provided for me by the author and/or publicist in exchange for a honest review.**

My Rating: 

Overall, I enjoyed the plot of this book.
Iain Reading fills the story with a lot of details and history. This book is full of actual places, historical information, scientific information (about whales) and detailed stories about the Gold Rush.

But this story wasn't really a me story. I did enjoy the plot of the book, but it is not one that I would reread.
I did have a hard time getting into the story though, it took me several days to read the book and I didn't get very interested until the last 40% or so. For me, parts of the book dragged and were boring. And some parts felt repetitive.

But overall, the story had adventure, mystery, and had an interesting concept.

Kitty Hawk is not your average teenager. Her father taught her how to fly planes when she was a little girl. After writing a letter to an outdoor/sports supply company, she gets sponsored for her own expedition to study whales in Alaska.
She studies the whales and makes new friends. She then learns about the Gold Rush and gets herself mixed up trying to solve a mystery involving stolen gold.

This book is really full of information. There are a lot of actual places written about in the story. There are little pictures of maps to help illustrate where Kitty is traveling. And not only does the book include historical information about the Gold Rush, there are also some historical facts shared about some authors that lived or had been in the same area that Kitty was at.

Even though, this book is not one that I would normally read, I do think there are others that would really enjoy reading this story.

I recommend this book to readers that enjoy reading books that are full of history, information and details. I also think people that enjoy reading mysteries could enjoy this book. Also, if you like history about the Gold Rush in particular, then this book might interest