Book Review: Remember Her Name! Debbie Allen's Rise to Fame by Tami Charles

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Remember Her Name! Debbie Allen's Rise To Fame by Tami Charles is a children's non-fiction book about how Debbie Allen became a dancer during the Civil Rights Movement and rose to fame. I received an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of this book for free from NetGalley and Charlesbridge in exchange for my honest review. I grew up watching Fame , so I've always known of Debbie Allen. However, I realized I didn't know much about her other than she's sisters with Phylicia Rashad. This children's picture book gives kids a look into Debbie Allen's life in a friendly, easy to understand format. Additionally, the story teaches children about the Civil Rights Movement since that is part of the dancers story. It's extremely well written, and the illustrations are phenomenal. Both parents and children will enjoy this read. A few things I learned as an adult from this book is that Debbie Allen was denied admittance into the dance school because of the color of her ski...
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Book Review: Secret Spells (Diary of an Accidental Witch, #4) by Perdita Cargill and Honor Cargill

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Book Review Secret Spells Diary of an Accidental Witch #4 Perdita Cargill Honor Cargill

Secret Spells (Diary of an Accidental Witch, #4) written by Perdita Cargill and Honor Cargill, Illustrated by Katie Saunders is told from the perspective of eleven year old Bea via her diary entries and is about the main character and her classmates preparing for the Winter Solstice Grand Tournament, and they will be competing against a non-magical school, so no magic will be allowed! Which school will win?

A huge thank you goes out to NetGalley for giving me an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of Secret Spells (Diary of an Accidental Witch, #4) by Perdita Cargill and Honor Cargill and Illustrated by Katie Saunders for free in exchange for my honest review. I was intrigued by the book title and cover art and was thrilled to be approved to read this book.

This book is somewhat similar to The Worst Witch by Jill Murphy. The main character goes to a school for witches where there are some mishaps while casting some spells. Those are really the only similarities between the two books.

I liked the way the story was told in a diary entry format as I feel like this makes it easier for the target audience of six to nine year olds to read and process the storyline. It could be read as a stand alone book, but I would recommend reading the series in order just so you have the entire backstory up front.

Despite Secret Spells being a fantasy novel for children, I felt like how the characters reacted to different situations was quite believable. With that being said, the reader doesn't really get an in depth look at the characters, but I guess that's to be expected in a book for young readers. Four out of five stars.

 

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