Book Review: All the Ice Cream in the Land by Emmy Kastner

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All the Ice Cream in the Land  by Emmy Kastner  is about a princess, the kingdom she lives in, and her loyal subjects. Full of twists and turns, children will surely delight in this story about ice cream. When I saw the title and cover art of this kid's book, it made me instantly think of my childhood and how I would've loved a book like this one. A huge shout out and thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for approving my request to read this book. I received a copy for free in exchange for my honest review. The storyline is very easy to follow, making it especially suitable for toddlers, preschoolers, and early readers, particularly children between the ages of two and six. Its straightforward narrative and clear structure make it an excellent choice for read-aloud sessions at home, bedtime stories, or classroom story time. While there is limited character development, which is typical for a picture book format, the princess is still an intere...
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Book Review: In the Hall with the Knife (Clue Mystery, #1) by Diana Peterfreund

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book review in the hall with the knife diana peterfreund

In the Hall with the Knife (Clue Mystery, #1) by Diana Peterfreund is a novel in the Young Adult genre based on the famous board game and movie Clue. Several students, their headmaster, a janitor, and a proctor are stranded at Blackbrook Academy in Maine when a winter storm comes early. The next morning, Headmaster Boddy is found dead with a knife in his chest. Did one of the students murder him, or was it a looter?

When I received an email recommendation from BookBub.com for In the Hall with the Knife (Clue Mystery, #1) by Diana Peterfreund, I knew I had to purchase the book as the board game Clue is one of my all time favorite board games. I knew absolutely nothing about the book other than it was based on the board game, and I was pleasantly surprised with the storyline.

The story is told from the different students stranded at the school . . . Orchid McKee, Scarlet Mistry, Beth "Peacock" Picach, Finn Plum, Samuel "Mustard" Maestor, and Vaughn Green. I love this set up because you see the story and perspective from the different characters. The only complaint I have about the set up is that some of the transitions were a bit clunky and could have been executed a bit better because there were a couple of times I had to reread a page.

As far as the motive of wanting Mr. Boddy dead, I didn't see that coming, which was a nice surprise because it helped with disguising who the murderer was. Even with all the red herrings, I thought I knew who did it, but I was only partially right. There is a twist at the end of the book that leaves you hanging a bit. Even with the small cliffhanger, you don't have to read the next book in the trilogy because the author did a nice job of wrapping every thing up. With that being said, I will read the next two books:  In the Study with the Wrench (Clue Mystery, #2) and In the Ballroom with the Candlestick (Clue Mystery, #3).

I gave In the Hall with the Knife (Clue Mystery, #1) by Diana Peterfreund was a fun read and perfect to read with Halloween just around the corner. I gave this book three out of five stars because there were some parts that could've been executed a little better, and there are other books in this genre that I like better. If you enjoyed this book, I recommend Trick or Treat by Richie Tankersly Cusick.

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