The Twilight Garden

Twilight Garden by Molly Dean. Publisher is Wild Child Publishing in Culver City, California.
Daniel Weston, his Aunt Margo and her daughter, Sabrina (Bree) are spending the summer at Daniel's Great-Aunt Delilah's home. Daniel and Bree are city raised in Atlanta and the country will be boring to them, they have determined. Bree is 14 years old and has become a "brat" according to Daniel who now calls her mother by her first name, Margo. She is into poetry and wants to live in Paris.
Daniel meets Kat, Katherine McDougal, who is 11 years old at the beginning of the book and they quickly become friends. Daniel, who is 10 years old, does not tell Kat his age.
Aunt Delilah had gone to Ireland she says to find her long-lost granddaughter, Maggie Dell who has been gone for years. Kat said she is dead and is a ghost. Delilah has left instructions for Margo to take care of her 8 cats, which Margo detests.
Delilah had a beautiful garden years ago where Kat and Daniel spend a lot of their time. Daniel learns a lot about the flowers from Kat. The cats are a big part of this story also.
Adults seem to be a problem in this story and I am not sure they realize it. Dan's parents are separated; his father very business like and his mother more easy going. Kat's mother is on her step-father number six. Bree wants to be with her father who has not been in her life for a long time.
The characters are:
Delilah- the Great-aunt who is said to be in Ireland
Daniel Weston
Kat McDougal
Margo Hollister - Bree's mother and Daniel's aunt
Glen- the father of Dan
Ariel Bannister- a friend of Delilah and becomes a friend of Margo, he talks about his travels around the world
Franklin- Bree's mysterious father;
Colonel Nicolas Pepperidge- described as an old coot who does not have much of a memory left
Cary Bowman- the young handyman who becomes a good friend of Bree
Maggie Dell- red-headed granddaughter of Delilah
The kids make their own summer fun and activities. The garden is important and I will let the reader find why it is important to the children and why Colonel is also important to the story.
A good and sensitive read for adults and children of the ages of 9-13 (I am guessing at the ages). This story might help some adults remember when they were a kid and take life a little easier and be more patient. Daniel's father was a good example of this. ( )

Story Teller Magazine

The Story Teller Tymes by Irish Monahan.


I received a complimentary copy of this online magazine to read and review from LibraryThing. The opinions are my own.

I reviewed the October issue about Halloween and things in the Fall Season. Lots of poetry and suggestions to help keep the children safe. There is a small charge for the magazines and can be in print or pdf.

This is also a free site for young children between the ages of 8-12. It is so educational and fun. There are sections for education, parents, exercise and more. The magazine may be downloaded or in print for a charge. There is so much on this site a young child could be kept busy for hours. They use U Tube for exercise and videos (I watched the one on sharks and it is a little strong) but the company suggests that you do his with your child and learn together and the parents can talk to their child/children about the topics.

The Index is: Playhouse News, Story Garden, Learning Center, Entertainment, Coloring Book, Irish's Backpack, Parent's Place and Contact Irish.

I am a grandmother and will check on some of the publications in their Book Shop for Christmas and/or birthdays.

They are looking for submissions.

Go to their site www.irishstoryplayhouse.com for more information. There is so much, I cannot put all the information here. This is a wonderful magazine and I do not think a parent or grandparent will be disappointed.

Leona Olson

The Story Teller Tymes

The Story Teller Tymes by Irish Monahan.
I received a complimentary copy of this online magazine to read and review from LibraryThing. The opinions are my own.
I reviewed the October issue about Halloween and things in the Fall Season. Lots of poetry and suggestions to help keep the children safe. There is a small charge for the magazines and can be in print or pdf.
This is also a free site for young children between the ages of 8-12. It is so educational and fun. There are sections for education, parents, exercise and more. The magazine may be downloaded or in print for a charge. There is so much on this site a young child could be kept busy for hours. They use U Tube for exercise and videos (I watched the one on sharks and it is a little strong) but the company suggests that you do his with your child and learn together and the parents can talk to their child/children about the topics.
The Index is: Playhouse News, Story Garden, Learning Center, Entertainment, Coloring Book, Irish's Backpack, Parent's Place and Contact Irish.
I am a grandmother and will check on some of the publications in their Book Shop for Christmas and/or birthdays.
They are looking for submissions.
Go to their site www.irishstoryplayhouse.com for more information. There is so much, I cannot put all the information here. This is a wonderful magazine and I do not think a parent or grandparent will be disappointed.
Leona Olson

Mozan and the Return of Magic

Mozan and the Return of Magic is a fantasy book for younger teenagers, however as an adult I enjoyed it. This is about five children of royalty who have special abilities or talents, kingdoms and an evil sorceress. The main characters are Mozan from the Kingdom of Mozolean, Harah of the Kingdom of Antorell, Jonas of the Kingdom of Jonatu, Lyra from the Kingdom of Zobora and Floro of the Kingdom of Zianna. The evil sorceress is Alexa, daughter of King Anzon and Queen Mae.The time has come for the coronation of Mozan's brother and everyone is busy; as a second son to the King and Queen, Mozan is ignored when he tries to tell his father that his tutor, Stilpon, has disappeared when they are playing the game the Dragon Hero.
The five children are kidnapped and taken through a portal to the Kingdom of Fyonhaireshizer. There they find that there are really 11 kingdoms and not just the one they live. By using their talents: Mozan is a warrior, Harah has the talents of a beast talker, Jonus can create weather, Frolo is a tree shaman and Lyra controls fire, they try to work together to fight the evil Alexa.
The book had demons, gargoyles, evil, good, fantasy, magic and dragons. Mozan and the Return of Magic has good descriptions such as a smell like rotten cabbage and vile green smoke that I think this age of kids would like. There is a map at the front of the book and it adds to the story.
The book reminds me of a Harry Potter type book and it keeps the pages turning. I first though it would be like the games the kids play but soon discovered it was not. There will be other books to follow in this series.
A good book for the Christmas Holidays or a birthday present. This will keep the kid's attention and encourage them to read. It has messages of good and evil, working as a team and not realizing how important someone was until they are gone.
I received a complimentary copy of Mozan and the Return of Magic to read and review from Library Thing and the author, Stephan Davied. The opinions are my own.