Sunday, October 31, 2010

Review - The Magykal Papers

The description from the inside cover of the jacket is as follows:

Enter the world of Septimus Heap with this collection of previously unpublished papers.

This rich compendium include:
  • The private journals of Septimus, Jenna, and Marcia Overstrand
  • The best - and worst - places to eat as described in The Egg-on-Toast Restaurant Guide
  • Sirius Weazal's Speedy Guides to the Palace, the Wizard Tower, and Wizard Way
  • Excerpts from the Pigeon Post Biography series and the Heaps of History series
  • Alther Mella's Guide to Being Dead: Ten Handy Rules for New Ghosts
  • Beautiful maps, quirky flyers, funny letters, and much more!
 My review:

This is a great addition to the Septimus Heap series! I am a huge fan of the series, so as soon as I found out about this book I had to get my hands on it. It took me a few years, but once I found it (and CHEAP) I was thrilled! I finally got around to reading it now and I do not regret buying it. While it would make no sense to someone simply picking it up randomly, to those (myself included) who love the Septimus Heap books it is a great side book to read while waiting for the next book to come out. If you are a fellow fan, I highly recommend it!

Review - Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul on Tough Stuff


I got this book from a friend. Originally I had simply borrowed it, but then she said I could just have it since she never read it. It didn't disappoint!

The description from the back of the book is as follows:

Part of growing up is learning how to deal with difficult issues. The pressures of life can be overwhelming for teens. You worry about schoolwork, competitive sports, family responsibilities, dating, and sometimes more serious problems, such as school violence, drugs, pregnancy, eating disorders and suicide. This book gets to the heart of these issues in the following chapters: On Self-Acceptance, Drugs & Alcohol, Suicide, Tragedy, Family Matters, On Courage, Growing Up, Eating Disorders & Depression, Abuse, Learning Difficult Lessons, Death & Dying. (I accidentally wrote the chapters slightly out of order, so the actual order is different on both the back of the book and inside the book.)

Every person in this book realized something profound from his or her experience; hopefully, this lesson will be passed on to you and spare you similar pain. At the very least, you will know as you read these stories that you are not alone in the world with the challenges you face. May you find comfort, hope and inspiration in the courage, strength and faith of the teens who have bravely shared their stories with you in this book.

My Review:

This book has it all! Whether you have a normal life with not many obstacles, or you're like me and have had your share of trials, this book has a story for you. Many of the individuals I can relate to. The stories don't gloss over any of the hard details; they share the experience as-is. These teenagers went through terrible situations but many of them are using them for good. This book is an inspiration. Another great Chicken Soup book!
 
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