CALL THE PUFFINS! — Review

Thought for the Day:

You think your pains and heartbreaks are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, or who have ever been alive.
~ James Baldwin ~

Gifts for My Writer Friends:

Is it time to find comp titles? HERE is a really good article by Karley Conklin at Write2ignite.com that will help you navigate the process.

Stories almost always have a cast of characters. HERE is an article from Writers Digest by M. J. Kuhn with 5 Tips for Creating Compelling Ensemble Casts.

Settings can do so much more than indicate time and place. HERE K. M. Weiland has a great post with 4 Ways to Choose the Right Story Setting.

My daughter and granddaughter are gracing me with their presence today (family dinner that I don’t have to cook!), so I don’t have much time to write. In lieu of my usual rant, I give you Paraprosdokians. They are pretty fun. I hope you enjoy them.

A paraprosdokian is a sentence or statement with an unexpected ending. It means “against expectations” in Greek.
Will glass coffins be a success? Remains to be seen.
What’s the difference between a hippo and a zippo? One is really heavy and the other is a little lighter.
Hear about the new restaurant called Karma? There’s no menu – you get what you deserve.
I went to buy some camouflage trousers yesterday, but couldn’t find any.
What do you call a bee that can’t make up its mind? A maybe.
I tried to sue the airline for losing my luggage. I lost my case.
Is it ignorance or apathy that’s destroying the world today? I don’t know and I don’t care.
I wasn’t originally going to get a brain transplant, but then I changed my mind.
Which country’s capital has the fastest-growing population? Ireland. Every day it’s Dublin.
I saw an ad for burial plots, and I thought: “That’s the last thing I need!”
Need an ark? I Noah guy.
You’re not completely useless, you can always serve as a bad example.
I broke my finger last week. On the other hand, I’m okay.
Don’t spell part backward. It’s a trap.
Did you hear about the guy who got hit in the head with a can of soda? He was lucky it was a soft drink.
To the mathematician who thought of the idea of zero. Thanks for nothing!

If you have read this blog for a while, you know I have a special place in my heart for chapter books. It takes a real talent to capture emerging readers and keep them engaged as they learn to become independent readers. Someday I really want to try my hand at writing one. I just haven’t had the right idea yet. I keep reading them hoping something will spark for me. Not yet, but I am having fun reading all these good books. I often say I am not a fan of books filled with animal characters, but I find a preponderance of chapter books have them, so I may have to learn to love them more. I received a copy of CALL THE PUFFINS! by Cath Howe and illustrated by Ella Okstad from the publicist at Welbeck Flame Publishing in exchange for a review, so here you go.

Muffin has big changes coming in her life. She has nested with her mom and dad for all her days so far, but today she is going to the Island of Egg. It is there she will learn new skills that will determine her future. She is a little nervous and a lot excited about what is coming for her. Her father flies with Muffin to the Island of Egg. Dad had trained there when he was young. He had become a rescue puffin, and Muffin thinks that sounds like something she would like to do. When they get to the island, they land near the old Shine Tower. An officer comes out to greet them. He explains to Muffin that she must take some tests to see what assignment she will receive. First, she has to dive after a special shell and bring it back to the officer. Next, she has to fly as fast as she can around the tower to fetch a flag. But when she sees a huge egg, she remembers puffins must never leave an egg unattended. By the time she figures out it isn’t a real egg, much time has passed. When she explains to the officer what happened, he gives her another test. Soon Muffin gets through her tests and begins her training as a rescue puffin. The troops learn a baby bird has gone missing. They need to find her quickly. Muffin and her new friend Tiny are assigned to check near the cliffs, where they hear a sound. It is the missing baby bird. Can the two of them rescue her?

Cath Howe has written a sweet story that will resonate with emerging readers as they navigate their own learning process. The characters are fun and relatable for youngsters, and the story is compelling enough to keep those pages turning. Cute illustrations throughout will help to keep youngsters involved with the characters and story. This is a great book for emerging readers.

Please don’t forget to check for other Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts at Greg Pattridge’s blog HERE.