Book Review: Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth

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Mad Mabel  by Sally Hepworth  is a domestic thriller about the youngest person convicted of murder in Australia, Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick. Now 81 years old, Elsie is living on Kenny Lane and has been for the past sixty years. When a mother named Roxanne moves into Mabel's neighborhood with her seven year old daughter, an unlikely friendship forms between Elsie and the seven year old child named Persephone. As Elsie's secrets come to light, her world comes crashing down.  Having read quite a few novels by Sally Hepworth, I requested an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of Mad Mabel  without reading the synopsis of the story. I was thrilled when NetGalley and St. Martin's Press approved my request. The expected publication date of the book is April 21, 2026. Not knowing anything about the storyline before I started reading Mad Mabel  made the story much more interesting to me as I had no preconceived ideas. The tale was told from Mabel's perspective in alternating timeli...
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Book Review: Karen's Roller Skates (Baby-Sitters Little Sister, #2) by Ann M. Martin

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In Karen's Roller Skates (Baby-Sitters Little Sister, #2) by Ann M. Martin, Karen Brewer is staying at her father's house for a long weekend. When she attempts a trick on her roller skates, Karen falls and breaks her wrist. This is the second book in the Baby-Sitters Little Sister series, and it's a super cute book for children between the ages of five and eight. Like the first book in the series, Karen's Witch, it teaches children a lesson . . . don't disobey your parents.

The most interesting part of reading this story as an adult was the amount of detail included about getting a cast . . . of course pared down for children to understand. I loved the fact that the author nailed how children try to out do each other. In this case, Karen tries to get someone famous to sign her cast because one of her classmates had someone famous sign his cast. And, of course, Karen exaggerates what happened to cause her to break her wrist and gets caught, which is another great lesson for kids not to exaggerate or lie.

There really wasn't much meat to the story reading it as an adult. Because of that, I gave it three out of five stars. I might have enjoyed it more if I had been the target audience, but I did find it very believable. If you enjoyed this book, you may enjoy The Beginners (The Gymnasts, #1) by Elizabeth Levy.


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