The Beatryce Prophecy

image: taken by me.

 “It is written in the Chronicles of Sorrowing that one day there will come a child who will unseat a king. The prophecy states that this child will be a girl.  Because of this, the prophecy has long been ignored.”

The Monks of the Chronicles of Sorrowing fear Answelica the Goat more than anything else. She is a devious goat that likes to butt the monks across a great distance and then bite them. But one strange day, Brother Edik finds Answelica curled up on the floor of the barn with a young girl who has tight hold of her ear. As much as Answelica enjoyed bothering the monks, she loved and protected this young girl more.

But who is this young girl? Where did she come from? She remembers nothing about where she is from - but she does remember her name.  Beatryce. A name that frequently appears in the Chronicles of Sorrowing.

Meanwhile, the king is searching for this mysterious young girl named Beatryce. He thought he had destroyed her once, but somehow she managed to slip away and survive. He has all of his men out looking for her. Because she is the key to the prophecy.  If she is gone, he is convinced he  will be able to remain on the throne forever.

Beatryce sets out to confront the king with his dark deed accompanied by the most unlikely of companions - a stubborn goat, an old king, a monk, and a young boy with a terrible sword.

Is Beatryce the girl child who will bring about great change?

image: Penguin Random House

Just Roll With It

 

Maggie keeps a D-20 die with her at all times. She rolls it every time she needs to make a decision. Everything from whether to make a new friend to answering quesitons in class - it is detrmined by a roll of the die.

As Maggie settles into middle school she joins the RPG Club and makes a wonderful new group of friends who love Role Playing Games just as much as she does. 

But, there's a problem. A monster is stalking the grounds of Lilac Middle School. A mysterious monster that is rustling around the school grounds and eating bicycles. (no problem there, right?)

As the monster draws nearer to the school, will Maggie be able to conquer her fears and track down the monster?

I loved this book for so many reason - but most of all, I love the view of Maggie's struggle with OCD/Anxiety Disorder. The compulsions are very real, and the author and illustrator do a fantastic job of showing how Maggie struggles with her compulsions while showing very real bravery and tenacity. The family and friends support Maggie no matter what,  helping her grow into her very best version of herself. 

Veronica Agarwall Website: http://www.wisbafolio.com/store

Lee Durfey Twitter: https://twitter.com/leedurfey

Adora and the Distance

Adora is a young princess who must go on a journey to vanquish The Distance in order to save her people. Because when The Distance comes for you, it will stop at nothing to get you. It has been known to demolish entire cities and destryoed people along it's path to find the chosen person.

Adora decides that instead of waiting for the distance to come to her, she will meet it in order to save her people from a terrible fate. Adora has the help of her faithful servants and meets unexpected help in unusual places along her path. All the while knowing that the distance is waiting to devour her and that evil people are chasing her, hoping to stop her from completing her quest.

Will Adora be able to find the Distance and save her people?

Note from Bettina - I enjoyed every minute of this book.  From the phenomenal artwork, to the very strong story to the unexpected conclusion - it was a beautiful story that kept me spellbound.  

The Investi - GATORS

 The Investi - GATORS!

Note from Bettina: Okay, so this one is aimed at kids in 3rd - 5th grade, but the puns in this series are fabulous! I love a good pun, and this series is FULL of groan worthy puns!

Mango and Brash are the Special Undercover Investigation Team (suit) who fight crime with their Very Exciting Spy Technology and travel through toilets and sewers to capture the Bad Guys and save the day! 

In this installment of the series, Mango and Brash are attempting to find out what

is behind the mysterious disappearance of the Boulder Buddies across the city.

As Mango and Brash dig deeper into the mystery, they find themselves

face to face with the notorious Red, the Rock Mobster,

who is behind much of the crime in the town.  

Can Mango and Brash discover the secret behind the Boulder Buddies and save the day?