Book Review: The Little Bee by Nicola Killen

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The Little Bee  by Nicola Killen  is a children's picture book about a girl name Ollie who follows a bee to a magical, secret garden. But, the next day, the beautiful garden was gone, and the little girl misses her new friends. What will she do? This beautiful book has an expected publication date of May 5, 2026. I'd like to thank NetGalley, Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, and Beach Lane Books for approving my request for a digital Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of The Little Bee . I received a copy for free in exchange for my honest review. Nicola Killen wrote such a beautifully worded story that I found myself immersed in the story, and I'm not even the target audience. It's a charming tale that should encourage children to explore nature and make them want to plant their own secret garden.  Equally beautiful were the illustrations. I found myself taking the time to actually look a the pictures as I read. It's a great story to read   at bedtime  with ch...
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Book Review: Zoey Fools Around (Boyfriends/Girlfriends, #1 / Making Out, #1) by Katherine Applegate

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Zoey Finds Out by Katherine Applegate is the first book in a young adult book series that goes by two different names. The original book series is called Boyfriends/ Girlfriends and includes eight books, which were written by Katherine Applegate. Then, the series was renamed Making Out and an additional twenty books were ghost written under Applegate's name. The age range for this series is twelve through seventeen. 

I first came across this series when I was fourteen year old freshman in high school, and I absolutely fell in love with it. The cover shown here is the reprint when the series was renamed, and the original cover is way better from what I remember. This series is very reminiscent of the television show Beverly Hills, 90210 with all the high school drama and deals with serious topics. The biggest serious topic throughout Zoey Finds Out is drinking and driving and the consequences.

As an adult rereading Zoey Fools Around, I find that the writing and story line still holds up. I think the tweens and teens would still find it an interesting read even though the characters aren't all over social media. The reason being is this series was written in the 1990s, and Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, etc. didn't exist yet. However, being that the main characters live on an island with approximately 300 year round residences, they still know everything that goes on in each others life without having social media accounts. The character development is very well done in this book (and only gets better as the series goes on).

It's also very refreshing to have a book that does deal with real life situations without feeling like it's too grown up for kids. Let's face it, it seems like kids are growing up way to fast nowadays. Don't get me wrong, it does deal with teenage stuff like whether or not to have sex and break ups but is written in a perfect way for teenagers. It also deals with problems that seem so big when you're in high school but really aren't such a big deal when you grow up.

This book is perfect for teens between the ages of thirteen and seventeen, and I definitely recommend it for that age group. I'd recommend it to adults who read it when they were in their teens for nostalgic reasons. Five out of five stars is what I gave Zoey Fools Around.

Synopsis: A close knit group of six high school teens have grown up together on Chatham Island in Maine, and they think they know everything about each other. However, when Lucas Cabral comes back to the island after being in jail, secrets start to unravel, and friendships are put to the test when Zoey Fools Around.
 
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