A Curious Beginning (Veronica Speedwell #1) by Deanna Raybourn

Overall Rating: 3.5 stars

Date Finished: January 3, 2017

I will admit to be rather skeptical coming into this book. Mostly because I have already read so many books that seem so similar. It's always in London and the main character is always strong and independent and there is of course some mystery or some issue to handle. And part of the problem is that when you have read one that is very well done, all the other kind of pale in comparison. It's not easy to make a great character and to make her seem real.

And that is one of the things Deanna Raybourn did very well. 

Part of the problem is that the rest of the book didn't quite meet up to the level of the characters. The plot is average and predictable. The mystery wasn't much of a surprise in the end. And while there was indeed danger, it never felt immediate.  If that had been all that there was in this book it would been forgettable at the best.

What really saved this book was the character. I thoroughly enjoyed Veronica and her open commentary. She is intelligent, witty and unabashedly straightforward. And while much of that does resemble other books you may have read, Veronica is a bit unique. She is very scientific and rarely ever unsettled, but more than that she is an explorer and a lepidopterist (someone who studies butterflies, and don't worry, I had no clue either) 

Stoker was a bit of a character himself and there is a lot of mystery to his past that I'm sure will come up often. The one thing that I will say is that I'm getting tired of every Victorian novel I read bringing in the Stokers in some way. So when I first heard the name Stoker I was a bit disappointed. Granted, the characters real name is different but there were hints about violence in his family background and I am just waiting for the next book when he will most assuredly reveal that his family are vampire hunters or something else to that effect. Let's hope she can spin this in an original way at least.

The Boxcar Children (Boxcar Children #1) by Gertrude Chandler Warner

My Rating: 4 stars

Alysse's Rating: 4 stars

Aiden's Rating: 5 stars

This is a series that I loved when I was younger and in fact I kept most of the books that I had so that I now have most of the collection. I was really excited when my kids got old enough that I could start reading this series with them. This is one of the first chapter books that they read and both my 6 year-old, Alysse, and my 4 year-old, Aiden read the whole book with me. Mostly I just read it out loud to them but they were so excited at times and I loved seeing them enjoying the series as much as I did. 

After doing the last review of a Children's book together with my daughter, my son of course couldn't wait to give his say in this review as well.

My favorite part:

Alysse: My favorite part is when they finally meet their Grandfather and are able to see that he is a nice man and they get to go live with him.

Aiden: My favorite part is when they find the dog and he gets to go live with them. 

What I like about the book:

Alysse: I love how they turned the boxcar into a house and how they all worked together to cook and clean. 

Aiden: I liked how they played with the dog and I also liked when they had the big race and Peter won. 

What I didn't like about the book:

Alysse: I didn't like when they tried to take away Benny in the store, and I was sad that they're parents died and they were all alone. 

Aiden: I didn't like the part when they were in the store trying to buy bread and the woman wasn't very nice to them and wanted to separate them. 

Do you think you friends would like this book?

Alysse: Yes!

Aiden: Yes. 

This is a book that I loved growing up so obviously my review is in part based on the nostalgia of growing up reading this series. There are some words that were hard for Alysse to read but overall the book is fairly easy to read and there is plenty going on to keep any child attentive.