Book Review: Dear Pen Pal (The Mother-Daughter Book Club, #3) by Heather Vogel Frederick

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Dear Pen Pal (The Mother-Daughter Book Club, #3)  by Heather Vogel Frederick  is the third book in a middle grade book series that is being rereleased. Chaos erupts in this third installment as the daughters in the book club get themselves into trouble. Each of the girls have big changes in their lives:  Jess is going to boarding school; Megan's grandmother comes to live with her; Emma starts a campaign against school uniforms; Cassidy has a lot of unexpected change coming to her family. Will the mother daughter book club stay together? I'd like to thank NetGalley, Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, and Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of Dear Pen Pal  by Heather Vogel Frederick with it's upcoming rerelease to the public. I always love a good book that involves books, even if its target audience is children between the ages of eight and twelve. It wasn't until I reached the end of the book that I realized that it...
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Book Review: Goblin Monday (Goosebumps House of Shivers, #2) by R.L. Stine

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Goblin Monday (Goosebumps House of Shivers, #2) by R.L. Stine opens with Mario Galagos vacationing with his friends and their parents in Vermont.  When Mario finds an ugly stone statue and brings it into the house, he unknowingly starts a war with goblins.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of this book.  I received it for free in exchange for my honest opinion.

Growing up, I was a huge fan of R.L. Stine and his Fear Street series.  Having read the first book in this new series and enjoying it, I wanted to see if the second installment was as good as it's predecessor.  Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed and underwhelmed with Goblin Monday.

Although the age range for this book is for children aged eight to twelve years old, I actually think it's more appropriate for kids aged six to eight years old.  As the story develops, I kept expecting something scary or suspenseful to happen, but neither of those things happen until the reader has read approximately 70% of the book.  Along the same vein, the ending felt extremely rushed and for the most part, predictable.  There was one small twist in the last few pages that seemed to come out of nowhere.

All in all, Goblin Monday Goosebumps House of Shivers, #2) by R.L. Stine was a bit unsatisfying in my opinion.  With a heavy heart, I gave it two stars.  I will give the next installment a chance.

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