A man discovers a book on Christmas Eve that in an unusual set of circumstances. He quickly reads it and is sucked into a legend of a man named Klaus that enjoyed making toys and delivering them to children at Christmas.

The legend develops all of the things associated with Santa Claus…how he came to have reindeer, how he moved to the true north, how he met Mrs. Klaus, why parents told their children they didn’t get presents because they’d been naughty and more. It’s imaginative and festive and sure to please fans of Santa Claus.

One thing I found interesting about it was how Slover mixes in Christian history and religion to the legend. This pops up in many ways. While some people might enjoy this, it felt a little strange to me.

This is a short engaging read and certain to make you want to believe in the joy of the season!

Experience Christmas on the historical American Great Plains as retold by nine different multi-published authors, including Tracie Peterson and Deborah Raney. Follow pioneers, immigrants, and orphans through their adventures, heartaches, challenges, victories, and romances. You are sure to find more than one favorite among the nine holiday romances in this unique collection to warm your heart and inspire your faith.</P></DIV>

My Review: This book is made up of nine short stories about life on the prairie at Christmas.  I appreciated that I could sit down and read one story at a time.  This alone is great this time of the year, when the rushing begins for the holidays.  One story is just enough to give me a little Christmas spirit and then be on my way!  The stories are written by nine different authors with different styles, but all easy and enjoyable to read.  The stories are sweet and Christian.  If you enjoy reading about old-fashioned, old-timey holiday stories – this is the book for you!

This fabulous, life-sized introduction to what animals eat, how they eat it, and how much they eat in a single bite is full of compelling facts and images. From the tiny sand-grain-sized bite of earth that the earthworm takes to the double-gatefold spread of a sperm whale sucking a whole giant squid down in just one bite, this book and the eleven animals in it are EXACTLY as large as life!

My Review: This book is another winner published by Chronicle Books.  My second grade students enjoyed the story as well as the life-sized illustrations (and they were learning about science and nature at the same time).  I would recommend this book for preschool through second grade children.  It would make a fabulous gift!

In this exuberant book, acclaimed graphic designer Craig Frazier does more than simply showcase a vast variety of dots, he encourages young readers to look closely at the world around them. Through his energetic images, the ordinary becomes extraordinary. Buttons are dots. Wheels are dots. Ladybugs have dots. And so do the fried eggs on your plate. Lots of Dots is lots of fun!

My Review: I read this to my second graders who range in age from 6 to 8 and they enjoyed it.  When we voted at the end of the reading, the book received a unanimous thumbs up from the boys and girls.  The illustrations make up a large portion of this book’s appeal – they are very vivid and colorful, as you can tell by the cover.  This book is recommended for children ages 4 – 8, and I think that is the perfect age range!

This book will be published this month by Chronicle Books.

About the book: Emma Paxton was living in a foster home when she discovered that she has a twin sister she never knew or knew she had.  She discovers this when her foster brother shows her a video of someone who looks exactly like her being tortured and possibility killed.  She then receives correspondence from this sister and goes to find her.  After she goes to find her, she actually has to pretend to BE her in order to save her own life.  Someone is keeping a deep, dark secret and Emma needs to get to the bottom of it, but can she trust anyone?  If so, who?  Is Sutton alive or isn’t she?

My Review: This book is very engaging.  I love the show “Drop Dead Diva” and this book reminds me of that in so many ways, as well as having the flavor of  ”Pretty Little Liars,” which I also found hard to put down until the last book.  Although these are marketed as YA books, adults can enjoy them and relate to them as well.  Sara Shepard does a fantastic job of twisting and turning and keeping you engaged until you know what is going on.  She captures the essence of the young adult mind and seems to know exactly what they think – I might add it’s the darker side of the young adult mind.  You will love this book if you enjoyed her previous series, “Pretty Little Liars,” and you will enjoy this book if you never read those books.

This book will be released December 2010.

I received a copy to review from Net Galley.

Jessica Langdom is an attorney from a high power agency.  She doesn’t quite fit in, however, and has one last chance to keep her position.  She must defend an Amish young man facing murder charges.  The pressure is on.  Jessica knows nothing about Amish life and has to learn how they think.  Trey (Blake Winston Morgan III) comes to the rescue as her educator and protector.  His mother, Geneva requested Jessica’s services because she believed in Thomas’ innocence and knew the Amish would not defend themselves, as they want little to do with the law.  Is the Amish youth, Thomas, guilty or innocent?  Why does Jessica receive repeated threats?

My Review: This book has everything I enjoy – the Amish community, murder, and mystery.  In places the story was a little slow, but basically the writing kept me engaged throughout.  I look forward to reading more from this author – hopefully continuing where she left off with Jessica, Trey, and Geneva.  I grew to care about these characters and want to know what the future holds for them.

I received this book through Net Galley.  It will be released in December 2010.

Taking a quick break so that I don’t fall asleep!

I just finished my first book (I know S L O W).  It was another great book about the Amish – the first of a new series.  Onward and upward I go from here on in!

Ok, I’m signing in for the Read-a-thon albeit a little late – need to get started!