Happy book birthday, Mermaids Are The Worst by Alex Willan!

 We're not done shouting 'Happy Birthday', yet! This one came out two days ago and adds to an already fun list of partner books by this author, which feature Gilbert and his mixing with various types of mythical beings. I have read almost every single one of these because they've always made me smile, are easy to read, and silly. Humor often seems to be lacking in life, anymore...at least, pure humor with only a very light message at most.

Anyway, I'm curious what Gilbert has to say about mermaids because it's sure to be giggle-worthy.

MERMAIDS ARE THE WORST!

by Alex Willan

Simon & Schuster

Picture Book

40 pages

ages 8 to 12

Gilbert the Goblin’s beachside vacation gets ruined by mermaids and their games in the side-splitting latest installment in The Worst! picture book series, where even the strangest of creatures can become the best of friends.

Who doesn’t love a good vacation? Soaking up some sun, floating on the waves and…arm wrestling an octopus? When mermaids show up in the middle of Gilbert’s goblin getaway, their fin-flapping festivities quickly turn rest and relaxation into stress and aggravation.

This is clearly proof that mermaids are the worst! Can Gilbert find his beachside bliss or will he be caught in the undertow of these seaside shenanigans?

GOODREADS    /     AMAZON    /    B&N

MY TIDBITS

I've had the honor of reading several of Alex Willan's books in this row andbelieve they get better with time. In this book, Gilbert has a run-in with mermaids. All he wants is to go on vacation....a goblin's daily life can get stressful, after all...but just as he settles down on the beach to enjoy the peace and warmth, the mermaids show up to have an annual competition. A huge one. That means utter chaos for Gilbert.

While this books centers around mermaids, it's for more than just mermaid or fantasy fans. Gilbert's not-always-so-subtle snark and clever observations poke fun at some of the beloved traits of mermaids, which will make non-mermaid fans smile. The sarcasm is impossible to miss. This isn't the only place the humor works its magic, though. Gilbert finds himself in ridiculous situations, and even if he has simple intentions, nothing ever runs as he'd hoped. There's silliness the entire way through, and yet...

The cynical and silly humor is accompanied by the never-dying cheerfulness of the mermaids. This is where mermaid fans will enjoy the read, too. The mermaids bounce from one competition to the next, never showing even the slightest hint of bad will or frustrated thoughts. They're always kind and radiate goodness from each and every page...to Gilbert's dismay as it's often over-the-top. There's a surprising twist at the end to close everything off on a very good note. So, it's a positive read through and through...just with Gilbert's talent for cynicism trying to add a grumpy note. 

This is a great read for even the younger end of the audience level. The text is kept short in small bubbles or phrases throughout. The vocabulary fits the age group and does add some word growth but doesn't lay heavily into this end, either. While the text sets the basis for the plot, the bright and bold illustrations carry the story and weave in most of the humor. Listeners, who are unsure of their words, can pick this one up and flip through it on their own to revisit and enjoy the tale through the images.

I'm curious what creatures Gilbert still may run into and see this book as a fun read-aloud to make groups or single listeners smile.

And here he is...

If it was Alex Willan, and not Gilbert the Goblin, who was in charge of writing the stories, he’d make a book called Anchovies are the Worst!. Alex is the author-illustrator of the Worst! picture book series and the Jasper & Ollie series, as well as the illustrator of Got Your Nose, written by Alan Katz. Alex lives in Chicago with his dog, Harley, who is the absolute best. Visit him online at AlexWillan.com.

Happy Book Birthday, I'm a Dumbo Octopus! be Anne Lambelet!

I need to apologize. I'd put this up earlier today, got busy, and just received an email telling me that the review had been deleted before posting!!!!! That's what I get for not checking really quick first. I hope everyone can forgive me. And take a peek because this is really a lovely read!

It's time to shout-out another book birthday! This time, I have a graphic novel for the younger end of the middle grade audience. But what caught my attention was that this nonfiction...maybe, more than fiction. We'll see. It's the first in a brand new series, which will introduce various sea creatures, and I'm very excited to see how it goes.

Let's take a peek!

(Note: I'm putting this one on my favorites of 2025 list)

I'M A DUMBO OCTOPUS!

A Graphic Guide to Cephalopods

by Anne Lambelet

Graphic Universe

Middle Grade Fiction

pages 72

ages 7 to 11

COMING MARCH 4th!!!

Meet Grimpy! He’s a dumbo octopus, and he’s taking us on a tour of the whole cephalopod class—underwater creatures such as cuttlefish, nautiluses, octopuses, and squids.

Grimpy knows all about what makes these many-armed marvels so special, like how the coconut octopus uses tools or the cuttlefish talks with color! It seems like every creature has a special ability—except him. When Grimpy gets stuck on everything a dumbo octopus can’t do, the other cephalopods show him why it’s great to be a dumbo.

GOODREADS    /    AMAZON    /    B&N

MY TIDBITS

The underwater world of cephalopods comes to life with lots to learn, while an adorable character has his own, little adventure to experience along the way.

This book is all about cephalopods, which is much more exciting than a reader might first think. It begins with Grimpy, a cute dumbo octopus, who leaves his darker depths of the ocean to take the reader on a swim, while introducing all sorts of cephalopods along the way. Each one is interesting, and this comes across with excitement as Grimpy happily tells the reader about each and every one. Until he realizes that he's not sure what his special talent is.

This is a cute read and written with the younger end of the middle grade audience in mind. Even stronger chapter book readers will have no problem diving into this read. The adorable dumbo octopus insures a light and enjoyable read. He's cheerful, friendly, and always enthusiastic about each cephalopod he introduces. It's contagious, especially since the variety of creatures is vast. Some change color, others squish through the tiniest space, while others can speed through the water with sudden bursts. I learned more than a few things along the way and was surprised how interesting these creatures are.

Grimpy speaks directly to the reader with a fun tone. The creatures are easy to identify and their specialties are well-illustrated. This is never dry even in the illustrations but lets the life of the ocean come across with energy. While some facts might be familiar, quite a few are eye-opening. And it's easy to understand and sympathize with Grimpy as he notices that none of these talents seem to apply to him. But he has his own surprise for the reader at the end.

It's a great way to introduce readers to sea life, while showing them how exciting it can be. I'm looking forward to seeing where the next books in this series lead.

Up-coming in the series:

Spring 2026: We’re Dwarf Sperm Whales: A Graphic Guide to Cetaceans

2027:  A yet untitled Graphic Guide to Sharks

Steve McEvil and the Twisted Sister by Lucas Turnbloom

Since the next couple of weeks will hold a heavier load of darker reads, I wanted to hit some lighter ones first. Although this one might not be 100% light. Today's read is the 3rd in a series, and nope, I haven't read the first two. But I doubt that will make much of a difference, since these types of books for this audience level can often be grabbed up on their own. 

Anyway, this is a graphic novel with super-villain, scifi twists and should include desolate planets and mischievous sisters. Sounds interesting to me. So, let's take a look.

STEVE L. MCEVIL AND THE TWISTED SISTER

Steve L. McEvil #3

by Lucas Turnbloom

Crown Books for Young Readers

Middle Grade Science Fiction

256 pages

ages 8 to 12

COMING...

MARCH 11th!!!

When a twelve year-old supervillain wannabe and his friends get stranded on a desolate planet, it's up to his younger sister to bring them back to prevent a dangerous intergalactic threat. That is, if she decides to help. Don't miss the last installment of the Steve L. McEvil series!

Move aside Steve, Eve is the new villain in town!

After being sucked into a wormhole, supervillain-in training Steve L. McEvil and his friends find themselves stranded in space! But with their new alien friend Lux, they might just find a way to stop the evil Perses from destroying Earth. If they manage to get home first. 

Back on Earth, Eve is ready to enact her evil plans and finally be seen as the real supervillain in her family. When Gramps comes to her for help, Eve's first instinct is to say no. But the glory of rubbing it in Steve's face might just be enough for Eve to help bring him home in time to stop Perses. 

Steve L. McEvil and The Twister Sister is the hilarious final installment in this humorous superhero series about friendship, standing up for other, and being true to yourself.

GOODREADS    /    PUBLISHER

MY TIDBITS

Get ready for quite the adventure because these pages pack wormholes, planets, high-tech, evil plans, and tons of sibling rivalry. 

In hopes of saving Earth from the evil Perses, Steve and his friends accidentally get pulled through a wormhole to a far-away planet...well, at least, that's kind of what happened.  They are, after all, super-villains in training. In any case, they are stuck there and might have the chance to stop the alien for good, but they still need to figure out how to return home. The only one who can save them is Steve's little sister Eve, but she has no interest in helping them. She's determined to be the best super-villain of the family, and not only does the 'disappearance' of her brother offer a sudden, bright path to her goal, but she can now freely execute her own evil plan. If her grandfather would leave her alone, that is. But he's determined to make her help Steve...and grandfathers aren't always the easiest to deal with.

This book packs quite a bit of action and runs on two parallel plot lines—Eve's evil plan at home and Steve's survival on the other planet. These switch back and forth nicely to keep confusion at bay and add to the sense of urgency with every switch of the scene. The illustrations pack bold colors and a style, which brings each moment across with energy and power. 

While imagination and adventure overflow from these pages, there's also enough goodness and heart slipped in to make readers smile. The grandfather's concern clashes against his super-villain exterior to add an underlying warmth, which gives wholesome goodness and humor. But then, Steve and his friends aren't far behind with tons of surprises, humorous back-and-forths, and super-villain awesomeness...which may or may not be always very evil. It makes all of them to cheer for. Almost. Eve makes this read interesting. While the usual, sibling rivalry hits a familiar tone, she has a sharp edge, which almost makes her unlikable, at first. But this also opens up a wonderful character arc...and adds plenty of humor to balance the action and her super-villain evilness. 

It's a fun read from beginning to end which is sure to delight action fans, who enjoy a hint of evil (but humor and heart, too) along the way.

And here he is...

Lucas Turnbloom is the award-winning cowriter and illustrator of the Dream Jumper series, Nightmare Escape and Curse of the Harvester, and the creator of the How to Cat and Imagine This comic strips. He and his family make their home in San Diego.

Sneak Peek at Immortal Dark by Shermon Kodi with Giveaway!

Immortal Dark

by Shermon Kodi

YA Fantasy

COMING...

MARCH 10th!!!

The shadows awaken as darkness falls. And these shadows have fangs.

Seventeen-year-old Bexis has survived the frozen streets of Coppejj by trusting no one but herself. With her shadow magic, she’s scraped by as a freelance thief, working for local gang lords and politicians.

But when a routine heist goes horribly wrong, Bexis is branded with ancient magic, making her the target of a bloodthirsty spirit.

Desperate for answers, she turns to an eccentric demon hunter. Together, they uncover a deadly plot by a sinister cabal, threatening to plunge the world into eternal night. As Bexis confronts her haunted past, she faces a grim choice: Embrace the shadows within, or lose everything she holds dear.

To destroy the darkness, she must first become it.

Add to Goodreads

SNEAK PEEK

The job is simple.

Enter the room unseen. Wait for Ajjan to distract the mark—a foreign dignitary from the south. Then acquire her handbag and deliver it to the other side of town.

No blood. No trace.

My employer was very specific about that last bit. It’s common protocol in my line of work, along with an understanding that pay will be docked by half if I’m spotted. If there’s blood, I might not get paid at all. My mark must never know I was here. Personally, I thought I’d outgrown grabbing purses in the night. But it’s an easy job, and I can use the money.

The red night moon casts the world in crimson light as I pull myself onto the third-story balcony of a slummy brothel in the west end. The window is webbed with ice, obscuring my view inside—I can only make out pale blotches of yellow light. There doesn’t seem to be any movement, but I can’t be sure the room is empty. I just have to hope the Blackbones did their job and set everything up.

I give the windowpane a shove, but it doesn’t budge. Damn. The thing hasn’t been opened in months, and it’s frozen shut. For a common thief, a frozen window stymies a job. But I’m no common thief.

I take out my trapper tone pipe, a metal cylinder with a single reed, tuned to one specific note. The reflective surface catches light from the lanterns below, illuminating my name inscribed along the side in big bold letters: BEXIS. It was a gift from my deadbeat father right before he abandoned me. It’s the last thing I have from him, and if it weren’t so damn useful, I’d have tossed it years ago.

I bring the pipe to my lips and blow. The note is inaudible, like a dog whistle, too high for the human ear to hear. But the vibration weaves through the air and seeps into my skin, where it sparks like flint on steel, and a sonorous ember catches deep in my chest. Resonance hums through my body. The ambient darkness around me shimmers with feathered lines of silver that only I can see.

A burst of power shudders through me, and I hold it within my realm of focus, like cupping a candle against a sea wind.

This is resonance trapping—the first step in performing harmonic magic. Mine is the harmony of shadow. Sparking the ember is the easy part. Trapping it is more difficult, but holding it once it’s been trapped? Well, that’s like riding an angry wolverine. If I’m not careful, I might lose control, and people could get hurt. It’s been months since that’s happened, but there’s always a chance the resonance will lash out, sending me into an episode of uncontrollable power.

Resonance quivers through my veins. I reach my hand to the glass, willing the vibration into my fingertips, and the shadows obey. Tendrils of silver swirl across my wrist and through my palm. I touch the windowpane, and the shadows run through it, seeping like oil into the hinges.

The window squeals as ice crumbles around the edges.

I shift my awareness to the space above my head. Resonance purrs in my chest as I weave gossamer strands of silver around me like a cloak. This is my greatest trick. So long as I can hold the resonance and have enough ambient shadow to work with, I can conceal myself from prying eyes. But I can’t maintain it for long; already, I can feel my energy beginning to drain as heaviness settles behind my eyes.

Best be quick now.

I heave the window open and squeeze inside.

And here he is...

Shermon Kodi is a legally blind author who finds inspiration in the quiet knolls of Chittenden County, Vermont, where the long snowy winters drive one to pair wool socks with moccasin slippers and curl up by the furnace with a pot of chamomile tea and a book about monsters in dark places doing dark things. Through his writing, Shermon seeks to explore the resilience of the human spirit, the tenacity of good people faced with hard times, and the relationships that light us up, make our hearts smile, and carry us through every storm.

When he’s not writing, Shermon spends his time thinking about writing.

He knows this is a problem— although, he contends, it’s a good kind of problem to have. Occasionally, he’ll break from his routines and really let go— sleep in till 7 AM, drink tea instead of coffee, read in the mornings, or plug in the ’07 Strat and reminisce about the days when he dreamed of being a rockstar instead of an author.

He’ll be the first to tell you: “No regrets!”

Life is funny like that.

Shermon is the author of Heart of the Valley and Songs of the Rhor, both available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited. Stay connected on TikTok and Instagram for updates on his latest books, behind-the-scenes insights, and creative content.

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Happy Book Birthday, Game On! Cloud Puppy Book 2 by Kelly Leigh Miller!

Today, it's time to shout-out another book birthday! Yay!!!

This one hits the market tomorrow and is the second in a graphic novel series for chapter book readers. I read the first one...(yep, I did!)...and you can find that review here. It was cute, pretty original, bubbly, funny, and a fun read for the age group. So, I'm glad that I can dive into the second adventure and see what this crew is up to next. It will definitely be original. So, let's take a look!

GAME ON!

Cloud Puppy, Vol. 2

by Kelly Leigh Miller

Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Chapter Book  /  Graphic Novel

ages 6 to 9

Cloud Puppy—part puppy, part cloud, and all adorable— explores the immersive world of video games with her friends in this second book in a delightful graphic chapter book series that’s Narwhal and Jelly meets The Amazing World of Gumball!

Cloud Puppy loves playing Valley of Runes, a cozy farming video game. But when Jack says that his favorite games are better, Cloud Puppy begins to feel badly about the things that she likes…until she learns that Jack has never even played Valley of Runes!

Cloud Puppy challenges her picky pal to a trade to share their favorite games. But Jack has other he thinks it will be fun to surprise Cloud Puppy with a scary simulator. But it’s his first time playing it, too, and it’s more frightening than he thought! Can the friends find a game they both enjoy without getting too spooked?

GOODREADS   /    AMAZON    /    B&N

MY TIDBITS

Friendship and gaming fun rank high on every page with adorable characters.

Cloud Puppy has a new, favorite video game, but when one of her friends tell her that it's a baby-game, and she should be playing high ranking games, she begins to doubt herself. This even gets worse when another game she plays is mocked, too. Luckily, her family and other friends offer golden support, but just to make sure their advice is leading her on the right path, she challenges this picky friend to a game exchange. And the results aren't what either expected.

The characters are quite original, not only in their appearances but other aspects as well. And they are adorable in their own ways. Their energy, good hearts, and friendship makes them so easy to like and cheer for. Plus, despite their unique qualities, readers soon realize that they are almost normal 'kids'...just with abilities and such. They share a love for video games, which will ring close to home, but also enjoy being together, whenever possible.

The graphics remain pretty much in the pastel tones, adding to the cuteness but also presenting a light atmosphere...even when small problems arise. The text fits well to the audience level and balances with the illustrations, so that both carry a part of the story. It's an enjoyable read with something always happening. While some moments take place inside the video game, there are plenty in the homes, outside in nature, or even at school. 

The message in this volume circle around staying true to yourself and also being open to try new things. This works nicely into the adventure and comes across clearly as Cloud Puppy tries her best to make everyone happy and figure out how to handle the various interests. 

It's an fun read with likable characters, and I'm already looking forward to seeing what the group will be up to in volume 3.

And here she is...

Kelly Leigh Miller is an illustrator and author who loves everything cute and whimsical. She is the author of the Cloud Puppy series, I Love My Fangs!, I Love My Fur!, I Love My Magic!, and many more books. Visit her online at KellyLeighMiller.com.