The Map Shop

  Special thanks to NetGalley and Europe Comic for a copy.  I am an affiliate with Z Publishing House. If you're interested in reading the works of emerging writers, see the link at the bottom of this post. Animal Jack is a comic written by Kid Toussaint and illustrated by Miss Prickly. Toussaint is french comic writer with a variety of comics including the Magic 7 series and Holly Ann series. Miss Prickly is a french comic artist whose work includes the Mortelle Adele series. Animal Jack was originally published under the title Le coeur de la foret by Dupuis publishing in February 2019 and will be published in English by Europe Comics on April 17th, 2019. Animal Jack is a cute story about Jack, a kid who doesn't speak and has the ability to turn into any animal that he chooses. He has trouble making friends because of his abilities, though no one is outright mean to him. Even if they were, however, he is more than capable of standing up to bullies, as seen when h...

#notsponsored I am an affiliate with Z Publishing House. For more information, see the bottom of this post. Special thanks to NetGalley for a digital copy of this book. The Vampire of Maple Town is by Kane McLoughlin and published by Ever After Press in 2018). It is a fairytale, coming of age, romance for young adults, though I believe some middle school readers would enjoy it as well. The story follows Charlie, a young vampire who was turned as a kid, as he slips away from his adoptive vampire father in order to explore the nearby town of Maple. There, he meets Sally, the local beauty that all the men fall for and their romance begins. But an old deal with some demon twins will force him to kill someone in Maple Town and he has no control over who or how or why. Meanwhile, his friend Scat is creating a blood blade to hunt down the world's vampires. When his romance with Sally starts to faulter and his cruel deed is done, Charlie must find a way to make amends or es...

 #notsponsored. I am an affiliate with Z Publishing House. See bottom of this post for details. Doll Bones by Holly Black was published by Margaret K McElderry Books in 2013. Holly Black is known for her contemporary fantasy for kids and teens including the Spiderwick Chronicles, The Magisterium Series, and the Modern Fairie Tale series and has recently started a new series with The Cruel Prince (2018). She has been a a finalist for an Eisner Award, and the recipient of the Andre Norton Award, the Mythopoeic Award and a Newbery Honor.  In my experience, Holly Black's books are very hit or miss for me. I loved the Spiderwick Chronicles and the Magisterium series is my little sister's favorite books in existence, but the rest of her work seems to just fall flat for me. I'm not sure if I just haven't found the right ones to read yet or if it's something with her style but Holly Black is an author that I'm cautious about picking up since I never kno...