Cozy up to a Good Book This Fall: Reviews from Various Readers

Fall Books

[pinterest count=”horizontal”] Cooler temperatures are upon us, fall is on the horizon, and what better way to spend a few moments in peace than snuggled up with a good thriller or mystery book this October.

Here are some fall book reviews from the youngest reader in our house to myself.

My youngest reader will turn three this month!

He enjoys cuddling while on our laps and listening to the fall stories that grace our bookshelves. One of his favorites is Corduroy’s Best Halloween Ever by Don Freeman. Corduroy is getting ready for his Halloween party. He picks pumpkins, helps friends around town, but he’s worried he doesn’t have a costume picked out yet. Corduroy chose a costume that he loves, but the puppy arrives to the party with a broken costume—what will Corduroy do? Keep his costume or help a friend?
Young Fall Books

Another fun favorite is Little Blue Trucks Halloween by Alice Schertle. The little blue truck books are a favorite around our house and this one is no exception! “Beep! Beep! Beep! Says little blue, it’s Halloween!” In this tale, we follow little blue truck and toad it throughout the farm trying to figure out which animals are hidden under their masks. This is a great story to introduce fall, animals, and animal sounds. Even the little blue truck has a surprise at the end!

My six-year-old reader and audiobooks

When we’re driving around town, we almost always have a book on tape playing in the car. This month is no exception. My six-year-old is a big fan of audiobooks; we borrowed Cam Jansen and the Millionaire Mystery by David A. Adler from our local library. These stories are geared for ages seven to ten or second to fifth grade—depending on the level of your reader. Cam, the main character, has a photographic memory. She closes her eyes and says “click” to remember details and events to solve mysteries. Here is my guy’s review: I would give this story three stars. There were a bunch of characters that rode in an elevator. When they got out, a woman’s pearl necklace was missing. Cam and her friend, Eric, had to solve the mystery. My favorite part was when they had to call the police. I would like to have a photographic memory like Cam. I would tell my friends to read this book.    

Fall Book

My reader, the eight-year-old

My eight-year-old is rarely without a book. He’s recently discovered the thrill of a good mystery tale. Here is his review of The Unwilling Umpire (A to Z Mysteries) by Ron Roy. “In this story, an umpire went to go get his energy medicine but discovered some missing baseballs. He ended up arrested! Josh, Dink, and Ruth Rose collected clues to find out who stole the baseballs. I was, kind of, able to figure out the mystery myself. I would give it four stars, and recommend it, and the other books in the series, to my friends.

And a fall book for mom

As for myself, this month I grabbed the thriller The River by Peter Heller. I enjoyed this book and rated it three-and-a-half stars. Two best friends, Wynn and Jack, set off on a whitewater river canoe trip. Throughout the story, they’re faced with forest fires, rapids, and violence. The author uses great detail in the story—I felt like I was right on the river with Jack and Wynn. I believe the descriptiveness was what made the book so good but, at times, also slowed the pace. Jack and Wynn struggled to stay alive throughout his story after the attack by natural elements and other river travelers. The book picks up speed at the end and you won’t want to put it down. 

I hope you find yourself with a cozy blanket, warm cup of hot cocoa, and a good book to read this Fall!     

ellenkehs
Ellen Kehs was born and raised in Evanston, Illinois where she met and later married her high school sweetheart, Mason. Together they’ve traveled the world, most recently touching down in Omaha in June 2019. She’s a mom to three little boys, Theodore (nine), Woodrow (seven), and Maximus (four). Life is never boring with her boys! Ellen loves being a military spouse and she embodies the “bloom where you are planted” mentality. In addition to soaking up whatever current city she’s living in, she is passionate about reading and getting books in the hands of children, as well as helping other mamas connect with each other. She has a bachelor’s degree in secondary English education, a master’s degree in adolescent literacy and technology, and she teaches 6th-12th grade English online full-time, but is primarily a stay-at-home mom. Her hobbies include, exploring, reading, swimming, napping, snapping pictures, playing games, baking, and loving on the little men in her life.