Rapunzel Reads
  • Fiction
  • Nonfiction
  • Who We Are
  • For Older Readers
  • Submit a Review
  • Author Interviews
  • Books of the Year
    • 2022 Books of the Year
    • 2021 Books of the Year
    • 2020 Books of the Year
    • 2019 Books of the Year
  • Audiobooks
  • Picture Books
  • Book Group Reads
  • Booklists

The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty (2018)

9/24/2018

1 Comment

 
By Piranha T.
 
Lucy Callahan doesn’t remember the day she was struck by lightning, but it’s changed her life forever. It gave her extraordinary math skills, and because of them, her grandmother has homeschooled her ever since. But even though she’s ready for collage at age twelve, her grandmother sets her a task which Lucy soon learns can’t be solved with numbers and equations: she must complete a year of middle school. There, Lucy finds friends, enemies, and adventure. She may be a math genius, but can she solve a problem not made of numbers, one she never imagined she’d have to face?
 
The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl is a funny, quick read. Lucy is a fun, sympathetic character who feels like a real person. For any kid ages nine and up looking for an amusing, entertaining book, I’d recommend The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl.
​
1 Comment

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (2012)

9/17/2018

1 Comment

 
By Super Kitty

​Sixteen-year-old Alina Starkov seems ordinary in every way, no different than any of the others orphaned from the Fold and drafted into the Ravkan army. But when she discovers that she possesses an unbelievable power, one heard of only in legend, everything changes. She is brought to the royal court, leaving her best friend Mal and the only world she has ever known behind as she trains with the strange and powerful Darkling, who believes she is key to winning the war and destroying an evil which has haunted Ravka for generations.

This is one of those books which I just couldn’t stop reading. Alina is a great character, and the world she is part of is incredibly well developed and interesting. This is the first book in the Shadow and Bone Trilogy, all of which are complex, engrossing, and really, really good. An excellent read for fans of high fantasy and vivid characters, I would recommend Shadow and Bone for ages 13+.

Note: After reading Shadow and Bone, we read some of Leigh Bardugo's other books set in the same world, which include Six of Crows and The Language of Thorns. 
1 Comment

The Last (Endling, Book One) by Kathrine Applegate (2018)

9/10/2018

0 Comments

 
By Piranha T.

In the otherworldly land of Nedarra, packs of dairnes, creatures similar to both dogs and humans, used to roam the forests and the hills. But it has been a long time since they were so plentiful. Many creatures have disappeared over the years, and the remaining dairnes can’t help but wonder: what if they are next?

Young dairne Byx has always been small, always been the last for everything. Everyone thinks that, if danger strikes, she would be the first to die. But instead, she outlives the others of her pack when hunters attack. Searching for the truth of old legends about others of her kind, she strikes out on her own.

Yet she won’t be on her own for long. Byx is joined by an assortment of companions; a wobbyk named Tobble who is loyal to his word; Khara, a girl disguised as a boy to succeed in life; and a felivet who, though not at first, Byx slowly grows to trust. Together, they travel over land and sea, seek aid with those not altogether trustworthy, and sometimes fight to continue their journey. Byx learns that perhaps the death of her family wasn’t the only of its kind—and perhaps, it was the last.
​
The Last was a delicious, exciting read. All of the characters were appealing and different, each species with its own customs and ways of living. Everyone was distinct and often intriguing. Part of what made it interesting was because it was from the point of view of a non-human main character. Byx’s take on the world was different and often amusing. It was also interesting, however, because in many fantasy books, a certain species or group in a certain species are the villains. In The Last, however, it was the king and his followers—humans—who were the ones who Byx learned were the enemies. Although there were also good human characters, this was one of the reasons that this book stood out to me as particularly excellent. Katherine Applegate didn’t dismiss a certain species as evil or villainous—instead, in doing this, she showed that there were good and bad people in every group. I would highly recommend The Last to readers ages ten and up.
0 Comments

The Emperor’s Ostrich by Julie Berry (2017)

9/4/2018

0 Comments

 
By Super Kitty

The emperor of Camellion, it is said, is the worst ruler in the history of the land. He’s spoiled, selfish, and doesn’t have the faintest idea of how to lead an empire—nor does he have any intention of learning. To make matters worse, he is nearly of age to rule, and will gain full power in a few days’ time. He needs to be taught a lesson. And fast.

Begonia, a dairymaid from the country, doesn’t know anything about the shortcomings of her exalted ruler. She has enough to deal with without worrying about things like that—her cow has disappeared (again) and she has to find her as soon as possible. However, when two ancestor spirits decide to take matters with the emperor into their own hands, things start to get out of control, and Begonia seems to be the only one who can stop it. To save the empire and set things to rights, she sets off on a journey which will cross paths with a strange collection of characters, including a self-proclaimed Finder of Things That Are Lost, a peculiar—and incredibly rude—stranger, a stubborn cow, a suspicious circus owner, plotting lords, and an eight-foot ostrich. But even with her new friends to help her, is Begonia bold enough to face unnamed dangers to stop the injustices in her land?  Or has she taken on much more than she bargained for?

I liked this book for a lot of reasons. It was amusing, captivating, and most of all fun. A cast of quirky characters and usurping villains, not to mention a very determined ostrich, brought the story to life, and various escapes and twists kept it entertaining and original. I would highly recommend it for ages seven and up, or for any readers looking for a light but satisfying new read.

​A big thank you to Julie Berry, for sending us a review copy of her book!

0 Comments

    Book Reviews By & For Kids

    Everyone knows that Rapunzel spent her early years locked up in a tower. We’d like to think she read plenty of books to while away the time, and that she’d appreciate our own favorites.

    Founded in 2014, our reviews focus on great books for middle grade (MG) readers. Beginning in 2018, we began adding selected Young Adult (YA) books as well, but only if we really love them and think Rapunzel Reads followers will too. Favorite picture books have their own page.


    Rapunzel Reads Profile Photo

    Follow us on Instagram!

    Follow us for book reviews and recommendations, including whenever we post a review! 

    Instagram: 
    @RapunzelReadsBooks

    Picture

    Check out our favorite books of 2022! 

    Read all about the 10 best books we read in 2022!

    Click here to read what we loved most about our top books. 

    Young Adult Reviews! 

    We're now featuring reviews for YA (ages 12+) books alongside our middle-grade reviews on our main page! (If you're not sure if a book is young adult, check the age range--if it's 12, 13, or 14+, it's YA.)

    ​Looking for more YA recommendations? Until 2022, we had a separate For Older Readers page, where we highlighted over two dozen awesome YA books. Check it out here! 


    Categories

    All
    Adventure
    Ages 10+
    Ages 11+
    Ages 12+
    Ages 13+
    Ages 14+
    Ages 5+
    Ages 6+
    Ages 7+
    Ages 8+
    Ages 9+
    Animal Stories
    Audiobook
    Author Interviews
    Bookgroup Pick
    Booklists
    Books Of The Year
    Classic
    Cover Reveals
    Diversity
    Fairytale Retellings
    Family
    Fantasy
    Fiction
    Friends
    Futuristic
    Graphic Novel
    Historical Fantasy
    Historical Fiction
    Horses
    Humorous
    Illustrated
    In Verse
    LGBTQ+
    Magic
    Mystery
    Myths & Legends
    Realistic Fiction
    Science Fiction
    Sequels
    Series
    Short Stories
    Siblings
    Sisters
    Superheroes
    Young Adult

    Archives

    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    September 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    June 2015
    April 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.