Book Reviews by Kelly’s Kids

Social distancing has not slowed down the bookworms in my household, me included. My daughters are taking advantage of audio books more and my little boys have their staple reads that are starting to earn worn pages and ripped covers. 

See below what my children are reading, along with my two cents. The kids’ reviews are in italics so imagine adorable little faces and voices when reading those highlighted paragraphs. 

Hoot by Carl Hiaasen (Reviewed by my 3rd Grader)

The name of this book is HOOT by Carl Hiaasen and there are many reasons why I picked this book. One is because I love the way he (Hiassen) puts his thoughts down on paper. It’s like he is right there reading the story to you. Another thing that I like about this book, and others by him, is that the people in his books are always willing to bend the rules a little bit to do what is right. Like doing things for other people to help. 

From reading Hoot, I found out that owls live in burrows and sometimes in groups. Hoot is about a boy who moves to Florida to live. He is always moving to new places because of his dad’s job. He is used to being a new kid, but not a person who gets involved with the sabotaging the property of a pancake house that is being built.  

Mom notes: I have not read any of the Carl Hiaasen novels, but my girls love them. Each book typically has an environmental impact theme. The book Hoot that my younger daughter reviewed was made into a movie. Her big sister got her interested in Hiaasen’s books and would also recommend:

• Flush
• Squirm
• Scat
• Chomp

There’s A Hole in the Log on the Bottom of the Lake by Loren Long (Reviewed by my Kindergartener)

My son wanted to tell Family Footnote about this book. It is currently one of his favorite reads. I had to transcribe while he dictated to me since his typing skills are not quite up to snuff.

I like this because the turtle is really funny. The turtle says a little something on each page. The main part of the book is things topping on top of things. So by the end, you have a long list. It can be a song sung very quickly. When the frog gets a hair is my favorite part. The ending is funny and I really like the big fish at the end, so be sure to look at it! 

Mom’s sidenotes: This is a book that rambles on in similar fashion to “There was an old woman who swallowed a shoe…”. Young ones really seem to love these types of stories. 

The author, Loren Long, also writes and illustrates the famous Otis books which are about a small tractor and insanely adorable barnyard animals. My crew loves Otis! 

The illustrations in “There’s a Hole in the Log on the Bottom of the Lake” are beautiful. Plus the small, side characters (a snail and a turtle) add more text and additional cuteness to the story. I have to agree with my son, the turtle is the best character in the book.

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken (Reviewed by my 6th grader)

During this book you take a plunge into a fallen America, after a disease has run rampant through the country. The IAAN disease killed most of the kids, but left others with unexplainable powers. The main character is one of the scary ones, with powers that many fear. I like this series because I enjoy books about people with powers, and have the courage and grit to get through their hard situations.

This book has characters that are so sweet and tough that you can’t help but want them to win. “The Darkest Minds” is full of twists and turns that make you want to keep reading and never want to put the book down. The series is really fun to read and perfect for curling up inside while you wish you were playing softball.

Mom’s additional two cents: I really don’t have anything to add, except the main character Ruby is a great heroine. In addition to mysterious powers, this novel also involves a government camp, runaway escapes, and fighting for the future. It has an X-Men feel to it. There are currently six books in this series.

How to Catch a Dinosaur by Adam Wallace

My toddler is too little to attempt a book review, but if bedtime stories are any indication he would pick this children’s book by Wallace. “How to Catch a Dinosaur” has great illustrations and also highlights STEM in a fun way as a group of kids try to catch a T-Rex in order to win a bike at the local science fair.

Grandpa gets the win for picking out this book for my boys and he also got them another book by Wallace titled How to Catch a Leprechaun which earns plenty of laughs and pleas to be read again long after light’s out for the evening.

Reading Escape

Social distancing is not fun, but when possible take the time to enjoy the quiet and read. Books let us escape when we are stuck indoors or separated from friends and loved ones. 

What new reads have you picked up during the pandemic?

Did you know Family Footnote has a book available on Amazon? 
Buy "Full House Full Hearts" today!