Book 21 of 2015

First Aid for Infants and Children: 30 Common Emergency Procedures to Save Your Child's Health and Life by Mikolaj Laski
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

First Aid for Infants and Children: 30 Common Emergency Procedures to Save Your Child's Heath and Life by Mikolaj Laski is not a replacement for a First Aid Training Course as the author points out in her Introduction. It also is not intended to diagnose medical emergencies however it is designed to help remind the parent/adult what to do should one arise.

The book appears to be set up as large index type cards with the emergency situation at the top and what to do listed underneath. Although it can't possibly cover every emergency situation that comes up with the circumstances around it, it does a good job at reminding the reader what to do for the 30 common ones. Now you might think that you wouldn't need a reminder since you took a course but I had taken the Red Cross First Aid Course many years ago and I have never used it since then. If I had to give CPR I may not remember how many chest compressions to give before the rescue breaths or even how hard for an infant vs. toddler. Also, in an emergency situation the parent can be so shocked that they can forget everything including their own name and I know this for a fact. Years ago someone had a heart attach in my house which I lived at for years and naturally I called 911 but I could not remember my address. I didn't realize I was in shock and my name and address just wasn't there. I could not remember it. Thank goodness my mail has my address on it so I read it to them but the point is, it can happen to anyone even if you passed your first aid course yesterday and it is fresh in your mind. So it is good to have this information on hand to refer to. Of course you can ask me if I couldn't remember my address, how would I remember that I have this book? How did I remember I had the mail to read the address off of? I can't explain it, it is the way the mind works under stress and even if there is the slightest chance that you will forget what to do but remember you have this book, wouldn't you want it?

As I said, it appears these are like cards so there is not a lot of reading. It states the emergency and tells you the symptoms, danger, and what to do in a type of bullet format which is great because in an emergency I don't want to be reading a story. They are straight to the point of what it is and what to do. The only thing I want to add is to use common sense. If your child isn't breathing because he drowned and it tells you to start chest compressions, remove the child from the water first. If your toddler broke his leg and it is twisted up and around, don't pull it straight and try and lay it down with the other one. You can possibly turn it wrong so the blood is cut off, if the foot/leg isn't turning black just support it where it is until the ambulance comes.

I have made two suggestions to the author since the book only comes in Kindle format. The first suggestion is asking if there is a way to click on the title (or number) in the content page and go directly to that page instead of having to physically flip each page until you get there or use the scroll bar at the bottom of the Kindle and hoping you stop somewhere near where you need to be. And the second suggestion is to offer this book in an index style or booklet format so that it can be added to the first aid box. I don't think I am much different than many people and have a first aid box in my car as well as one in the house. If the emergency happens at home then there is no problem since my Kindle is home but I do not always take my Kindle with me so if it happens at a park or beach and I don't have my Kindle, it doesn't help much if I 'forget' what to do.

I think the information in this book is a great way to refresh anyone's memory on what to do in an emergency and I recommend it for everyone who is around infants and children.

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Book 20 of 2015

E is for Election Day by Gloria M. Gavris
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

E is for Election Day by Gloria M. Gavris and illustrated by Shawn McCann is a children's book about elections in America and has the target audience of young children. Although the author has not made it clear what age group it is targeted for, I have found that my 6 year old granddaughter got the most out of the information and the basic understanding of the process as described while my 3 year old grandson seemed most excited by the pictures and repeating the new words he just heard. I am unclear if he really understands any of it, probably not since he just turned three but the fact he stayed to hear the whole book and repeated some of the words is fantastic. (Him running around the room yelling "Go vote" at the top of his lungs, not so much!) The older grandchildren (8 and 10) thought it was a 'baby book' and were not interested in it.

I found the book does go through the election process in a simple way that young children can understand without getting into the complications of popular votes vs electoral votes. In fact, the Electoral College isn't even mentioned. It states the US is a democracy which I really don't agree with but it is consistent with the popular views of society. I also found that the questions it asks the reader encourages thinking and opens the door for discussion not only of the book itself but a get-to-know-you experience because naturally the questions went to asking me if I ever voted, go to a debate, hold a political sign...

As I said, I found it is a little confusing as to the targeted age because it is like an ABC Book where it states "Aa is for American Election", "Bb is for Ballots"... which of course a 3 year old would be the target age for and not a 6 year old who already knows the alphabet however, the information is something that a 3 year old would not grasp with a real understanding whereas a 6 year old would understand it much better. Even with that being said, chances are there are words a 3 year old probably never heard before. (I don't ever recall talking about votes, ballots, or debates in front of the 3 year old in normal conversation even with another adult.) Although it isn't something he'd understand, I still think there is a benefit for him to hear and repeat the words plus the added benefit of him hearing a story that kept him occupied while pointing to the fantastic illustrations and telling me things he recognizes such as balloons and cars. So I wouldn't count this book out for a 3 year old but I would plan on reading it again to him when he is older.

I think this is one book that I would strongly recommend reading to children or at least sit there and let the child read it to you so you can take part in the discussion with the child. The book makes it easy for conversation and it also requires thinking on the child's part. Another reason I love this book and recommend it is because it is a subject that isn't normally covered or talked about yet it is something we live by and/or should do here in America.

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Book 19 of 2015

Children's Book of Magic: 30 Magic Tricks for Young Wizards by Konrad Modzelewski
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

'Children's Book of Magic: 30 Magic Tricks for Young Wizards' is a well illustrated book of tricks that is targeted for ages 4-9. I had the grandchildren visiting so we had ages from 6-60 and we all had hours of fun and loved the book.

In the Table of Contents (the book calls it, 'Find Your Favorite Trick!') the tricks are listed, what props you need, and how difficult it is. The difficulty rating is done by using an image of one to three rabbits in a hat: one being the easiest. I found this part of the book extremely helpful when choosing which trick to give to which child according to their difficulty rating.

The tricks are presented in a comic book format showing the character doing the trick and what the audience will see. This part also includes what you might say to introduce the trick, for example, by asking someone for a coin or telling them that you can read their thoughts.

After each trick is the 'Secret' page. It tells you how to do the trick in easy, clearly stated steps. Also included on this page is 'Advice Without Price' which gives hints and/or alternatives to use to make the trick more shocking.

What I consider a big advantage about this book is that all the tricks needed props that almost any person would already have in their house already. Just to give you an idea, some of the props needed are: a deck of cards, three paperclips, and a straw, There was no need to go buy anything.

To top that off, the tricks really do work; I never found those missing coins yet!

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Book 18 of 2015

Disaster on the Sunshine Skyway by Dale Andrew White
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Disaster on the Sunshine Skyway by Dale Andrew White is a short story about the Sunshine Skyway disaster that happened on May 9, 1980 when the Summit Venture, a freighter, hit the support piling of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in a blinding rain storm with gale force winds. This resulted in a span of the bridge to fall into the water below taking the vehicles on it, as well as those that couldn't stop in time, with it.

I am at a loss on how to even review this since there really are no characters to develop, no one to connect to, and it was a disaster that claimed 35 lives so it is not a likable story with a great plot and ending.

What I can say is that I found that this story is more personal about the victims. They are not just a number but real people with families and I thought the author did a good job bringing that to life. I also liked that it followed up with the outcome of the bridge and the Captain who hit it.
I didn't notice any format issues and the only typo I found was with the sentence, "For decades, the harbor pilots’ association in Tampa Bay decided who qualified to be one of their number." I believe the author meant for it to read that they decide who is a member not number.

I thought that this was an comprehensive account of the disaster.

*I received a fee copy for my honest review.

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Book 17 of 2015

The Suicide Society by William Brennan Knight
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Suicide Society by William Brennan Knight has it all. I am not sure what genre to even put the book in since it can be several; mystery, thriller, paranormal, horror, but I think I will add it under dystopian novels. It is a fast pace novel that is packed full of action and kept me turning page after page from the moment I started the book. The author wrote a great description so I won't recap it but to say the cover of the book depicts and accurate scene and is so fitting for this book.

Since the book is about a society and includes corporations, there are many characters in this book but each is developed appropriately with their own personalities. Some are more developed than others but all are developed enough to understand who and where they stand regarding the plot of the book. I felt that several of the characters including the main character, Zach Randall, were developed fully and I couldn't help but 'feel' his frustration and pain throughout the book.

The book always went forward and stayed true to the plot and timeline. There were many levels to it but they all went in the same direction of 'saving' mankind. It was fast paced and full of action but not so complicated that I was ever lost. In fact, when I finished the book I said 'Wow' out loud since I was so impressed with the story, the characters, and the action. In fact, I was impressed with everything about this book and the ending was very surprising.

The book is written in English and has British overtones so you do come across a word here or there that we don't usually use in the US, such as the reference to the people as 'the commoners' but are commonly used in British English. There are also some spacing issues between some of the words in the book but not so many it really takes away from it.

This book was so enjoyable that I highly recommend this book to everyone who finds the author's description of it appealing.


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Book 16 of 2015

Gypsy Cradle by Andrea Drew
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Gypsy Cradle by Andrea Drew is book two in the Gypsy Medium Series but it can be read as a stand alone book. I personally don't know why you would want to though since book one (Gypsy Hunted) was a good book and you will miss a lot of how they got to where they are in book two but what you need to know from the first book is mentioned in this book so it does make sense even if you didn't read book one.
The author wrote a great description of the book which you can read for yourself so I will not recap the story other than to say that this fictional, psychic paranormal thriller does have some foul language (but not much) so those easily offended may wish to pass on reading this.

I found the plot of the book was well thought out and I enjoyed the new characters. I felt they were developed enough so they were not flat although I wished there was more about Isabella and Connor's gifts but as I said above, this is a series so I expect there will be more in the next book. The main characters were all developed a bit more and I found them interesting and enjoyed reading about their gifts.

The timeline in the book was more consistent in this book although the need to pay attention to the dates and times is sort of distracting. The chapters do jump from one set of characters and setting to others and it may have went back in time from what was happening in the previous chapter. By this I mean the chapter I just read could be taking place on January 20th but the next chapter takes place on January 19th. Granted, that these jumps are new characters within their setting and not the same characters as the previous chapter and I know the author was just trying to keep everyone in the same time frame but it leads to some choppiness in the story and if I wasn't paying attention to it, maybe a little confusing. I found that as I got into the story, the dates and times were less important since it flowed more easily and when I looked at the book as a whole, it did follow what I perceived as a consistent timeline.

So to sum it up, I thought the book was good and enjoyed to the plot, characters, and the thrill.

*I received a free copy for an honest review.


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