From Belle's Library | Peter & The Shadow Thieves

This month's installation of Belle's Library revisits Peter and Tinkerbell and their further adventures. Peter and the Shadow Thieves is the second book in a wonderful series by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. I have been utterly captivated by it and the second book was no slouch to it's predecessor.

In the first book we discover the origins of Peter Pan, Capt. Hook, Tinkerbell and the Lost Boys; and we leave them all to their own adventures on Neverland. In this second adventure we leave Neverland for England. The Others (the evil villains) have plans to spoil The Return of the starstuff and Peter has to warn Molly and her family before it's too late! I assure you, this book is just as mesmerizing as the first with a host of new calamities and characters to keep your imagination soaring.

I think one of the best parts about this series is its extremely short chapters. It would be an excellent draw for any reluctant reader to be able to finish a chapter, possibly two, in one sitting. You could feel so accomplished! (Some of these chapters are less than a page long.) And the story keeps a good pace with just the right amount of action to draw in the reader and keep him reading. This is young adult fiction worth reading!

This series will have a permanent place on our shelves, right beside Harry Potter. Both make great read-alouds and both have the appeal for boy and girl adventurers alike. I highly recommend this series.

Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

From Belle's Library | Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers

I grew up watching Walt Disney's version of Mary Poppins. In fact, it was the first drive-in movie I ever went to. We dressed in our pjs and popped our popcorn and I sat on a Charles Chips can so I could see from the back seat. And I fell in love. My best friend and I would re-enact scenes from it in the back yard for months, singing the bits of songs that we remembered until my mom and dad bought us the LP soundtrack that we would memorize word for word. It was magic, that story.

When I stumbled upon the book, Mary Poppins, by P.L. Travers, while browsing Audible lately, I thought I should give it a try. And while I never saw "Saving Mr. Banks" in the theater (due to our inordinately snowy winter) I knew the basic story of P.L. Travers and her infamously touchy relationship with Mr. Disney. I was curious as to the original Mary Poppins stories and how they captured Walt Disney's heart enough to put up with so much grief from their author. And without a doubt, these stories did NOT disappoint.

I instantly recognized Mary Poppins from the movie. She was not terribly different in the the books. I thought she might have been sweetened up a bit from the reviews I read on line, but not at all to my way of thinking. And her magic was just as captivating as it was when I was 8-years-old! That, and the fact that there are other stories, not told in the movie version makes this even more fascinating for me. In fact, I may try this as a family read-aloud in a few more years, when Little Chef and Minnie are able to stay tuned in for more than 10 minutes. I think it would be ideal for a Disney road trip!

If you are at all captivated by Disney's version of Mary Poppins, I highly recommend this book. And what's more, there are several other books in this series, so if it catches fire in your household, there are many more stories to discover! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. And until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

From Belle's Library | Peter and the Starcatchers

It's been a while since we've reviewed any Disney books - the holidays can do that to a reading schedule! But now it's the new year and we are ready to share our love of Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson (of the Kingdom Keepers series). As many of you know, I am a fan of audiobooks. I'm not sure I'd get anything read if it weren't for listening to them with the kids! And here's where the first little delights comes in.

I must confess, I am a huge fan of the Harry Potter books (we're not talking about the movies here); I read them all as they were released, and then listened to ALL of them again on our various road trips. I think Jim Dale must have envisioned the same thing I did when reading these books, as his voices and cadence were perfect. I was DELIGHTED to hear the familiar narration of Jim Dale again as he read Peter and the Starcatchers! What a treat. His voice is one of my very favorites for audiobooks.

And the story delighted me as well. If you've ever wondered how Peter Pan and the lost boys, Captain Hook and Tinkerbell came to be, this story will tickle your imagination! I throughly enjoyed the twists and turns, the adventure and the magic of this first book in a series of (what I imagine will be) fantastic books. I do love young adult fiction (especially fantasy and adventure), and while reading the Kingdom Keepers I was recommended this Peter and the Starcatchers series by an Instagram friend, Kaifers. I am so very glad I took the recommendation to heart! And I hope you will too. This is a marvelous series; I highly recommend it! I think it's perfect for both boys and girls (and certain young-at-heart adults!).

If you have a book that is (if loosely) related to Disney in some way, I would love to know about it. Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

From Belle's Library | DeWitched: The Untold Story of the Evil Queen

This month's selection from Belle's Library left me feeling a little blasé about this book. DeWitched, by E.L. Sarnoff, is a fun story, don't get me wrong, but it has the unfortunate timing to coexist with Once Upon A Time - which has excellent storytelling wrapped up in ongoing mystery. (Seriously, if you haven't watched, you really should.)

I like the premiss of this book. It's all about the Evil Queen going through rehab for her evil addiction. The idea is smart and the potential is enormous. And it even stars a spunky little fairy named Fairyweather, who bears a striking resemblance to Merryweather. But the execution was disappointing.

I read the Kindle book. I don't know if this has something to do with all the editorial mistakes, but as a former English teacher and somewhat of a perfectionist, this REALLY bugged me. Where was the editing? And further, the voice was somewhat sophomoric. I'm not sure exactly what made it feel that way, but the characters needed more finessing. And the play-on-words names, Shrinkerbell, Lady Germaine, Fanta, Flossie, Fairyweather, seemed off-putting. Especially when the more traditional characters' names were used (Hook, Cinderella, Snow White). The plot was best at Faraway, the rehab castle, where we really got to understand the reasons behind the patients evil addictions. Perhaps this was the most creative part of the book; and even there, the writing seemed choppy and abrupt. I also appreciate how the Queen, Jane, struggles with her addiction once she is out of rehab.

For the most part, this was a story I could have conceived and ill-written at that. And while I won't give away the ending, the climax did have a surprise or two. That's always enjoyable. But in the end, I'm not sure this is a book I would recommend. It seems to me it would be best read on the beach. Something you wouldn't mind getting sand in and leaving on the plane or on the porch of the nearest library for the next person to read.

Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!