Mark of a Giant: Seven People Who Changed the World by Ted Stewart
My thoughts: The selection of the giants featured in this book was just perfect – Abraham of Ur, Pericles, the Apostle Paul, Sir Isaac Newton, Marie Curie, Martin Luther King Jr., and Mother Teresa. The stories of these wonderful men and women across nations and times shows us that ‘we can’ be giants too! This shows us that history and biography books can be interesting and thus teach more in the process.
Rating:A-

Razia’s Ray of Hope – I had seen this book featured across many blogs last year and wanted to read it way earlier than I actually did. And now I am glad I did. And I agree with the real Razia Jan that ‘education is the key to positive, peaceful change in the world’.  The story follows Razia as she strives towards her dream of going to the new school – her patience and perseverance in getting her family’s support results in sweet triumph. The realistic portrayal of Razia, her family, her village, and of the struggles in a world other than what most of us know is wonderful and inspirational. A must-read for everyone – though the book is aimed towards kids, adults can benefit by reading this too. The accompanying illustrations are beautiful and make this book a treasure indeed along with the well written story.

Rating: A+
Reading Level: Ages 5 to 8
Reread Level: 5/5

Rating: A+
Reading Level: Ages 5 to 8
Reread Level: 5/5

Edie’s Ensembles: The artwork is simply gorgeous and there is a wonderful lesson to be learned – that you just need to be yourself – the you inside – the one that matters. My kids (even though they are already older than the intended audience) enjoyed seeing the outfits Edie makes as they got weirder and weirder and appreciated her imagination. The story lost me a little a couple of times and it might be tough to get younger kids to understand some of the whys and whats of the story. But I loved the end of the story as Edie realizes that you do not need to always be the center of attention, that who you are inside matters more, and that to be friends, you do not need to be popular or well-dressed or ………
Rating: B
Reading Level: Ages 5 to 8
Reread Level: 3.5/5

Disclaimer:Thank you to NetGalley and to the publishers for sending me a
digital review copy of the books above. I was not compensated for my
review. My thoughts on these books were in no way influenced by the author or publicist. They are my personal opinions formed when I read them..

As part of my goals for Bloggiesta, wanted to get on my overdue reviews and start on reducing that pending list – so today’s reviews are part of that process, thanks to Bloggiesta!

For ABC Wednesday‘s letter J, I wanted to be a little more earlier than just in time! Jokes apart, ABC Wednesday has definitely kept me trying to write posts about varied subjects and on a weekly once schedule at least. Jostling with regular blog post writing and bloggiesta updates are the preparations for the wonderful celebrations of Navratri coming this week, and I definitely find joy in both. For something else that brings a smile to my face, a couple of photos from our visit to Universal Studios not too long ago.