For 6 years, I was an editorial book reviewer for Reader's Favorite. I read many books that I enjoyed and posted these reviews on this blog to share them. While I still have an account with this wonderful company, which introduced me to a lot of great authors, I have taken an extended hiatus from reviewing.

This blog still has all the old reviews up if you want to look at them and learn more about these great books I endorsed. My first review listed on this website was actually done in 2017, but was put on the blog a couple of years later. My last review was in early 2022. 

Review 5 star

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Princess Journee is a little mouse with a big mission. In the Pond of Reflection (Pearls of Wisdom Series Book 1), written by Catherine Ann Russell and illustrated by Brooke Connor, the princess lives with her royal father. He abhors shallowness and has forbidden mirrors in the peaceful kingdom so that no one will be self-conscious about their appearance. The internal person, the “inside-out,” is of greater importance. But Journee doesn’t know what she looks like and feels she doesn't know enough about herself even though she is aware the external does not define her. For her birthday, she goes out on a quest, traveling through the kingdom with three friends, in search of the Pond of Reflection, which can serve as a mirror since the kingdom has none.
 
With a pristinely flowing narrative and quirky characterization, The Pond of Reflection (Pearls of Wisdom Series Book 1) has a lot of charismatic strength, and the story never falters. A moral fable at its finest, it springboards off a Bible verse, Proverbs 27:19, to build a winsome story about finding true self-respect. It's a beautiful, high-quality fantasy story about a set of four close-knit animal friends who quietly meander through an enchanted countryside and discover life together, with a splendid yet understated interior of illustrations and decorative page design that makes this book perfect for little readers to savor and read over and over. Catherine Ann Russell’s book is the sort of story I loved to read as a child and I'm sure many young people today will enjoy it too because it depicts the world of children, what they need and what preoccupies them, so sympathetically.

Review 5 star

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In Unlegendary Dragon: The Magical Kids of Lore (Book One of the Unlegendary Dragon series) by R. L. Ullman, Connor Pendridge has just moved to the island of Lore with his mother. When he visits the local Renaissance Faire, he realizes magical beings lurk there, blended in with the Faire performers. It seems Avalon was a real place and Excalibur, the legendary sword, has a complicated history. The sword has been broken into three essences controlled by three amulets. One of them belongs to Connor, but he can’t get the hang of how to use it. When Connor’s mother is kidnapped by a sinister sorceress, Connor and his friends Gabby and Wade have to use their powers as a team and figure out how to defeat their enemy.
 
Unlegendary Dragon: The Magical Kids of Lore has a great sense of fun as well as some inspirational moments. R. L. Ullman has a really clever style of writing that spins familiar fantasy concepts such as Arthurian mythology and the reluctant hero archetype into a fresh and sparkling enjoyment that leaves you with the profound feeling you’ve never known any characters as cool as these. Banter between Connor and his friends, expertly woven recurring jokes, and lots of physical humor create scenes that are intricate and often flat-out funny. Connor is a strong hero with a well-depicted individuality to him. Being inside the mind of a boy who is learning to turn into a dragon is the ideal reading experience if you want a fun adventure that lets your imagination soar.