Maddie World by Kimberly Kinrade - Review

Maddie World 
by Kimberly Kinrade
The Three Lost Kids Trilogy, #3
June 26, 2012
Evolved Publishing

Too scared to stand up to the bullies or tell her teachers, 9-year-old Maddie decides she's never going to school again. Too bad her parents don't agree.

Depressed and feeling hopeless, she doesn't expect to discover the secret door to her magical world in an old box in her bedroom. Only Maddie World isn't the beautiful paradise she's always imagined. When Maddie, her two sisters and her dog TayTay are thrown into the middle of a Fairy War, Maddie has to learn to stand up for herself and face her fears, or her sisters will be stuck in a Fairy dungeon forever!

Will Maddie find the courage to do what she must, without becoming a bully herself? Find out with the this third book in the The Three Lost Kids Special Edition Trilogy. 

Add on Goodreads.

Darian's Review:

Maddie World is the third book in the series, and I’ve had the privilege of reading them all. Kinrade is a talented writer, and this last book didn’t fall short of the high expectations I’ve come to have when reading her work. True to her style, Kinrade has again painted a vivid picture of an amazing world for kids to become a part of.

Maddie is being bullied at school, and she decides the best solution is to never go to school again. While her sisters try to cheer her up, the girls are once again pulled into a magical world; a world that’s in trouble. The world is at war, and it’s up to Maddie to stop it. In this book, Maddie is faced with a choice, become a bully, or fight the bully. It’s a story of bravery and standing up for yourself (in the right way).

Again, like the other two books in the series, Kinrade has weaved a good lesson into wonderful story. While kids read, they’re shown good ideas on how to deal with a big problem they face in their own lives; bullies. It’s a tough subject to tackle on any level, kids can be so easily swayed, and saying “just ignore it” doesn’t work today. I think it’s the way in which Kinrade approaches the tough subjects the series handles that I appreciate the most. While most books give cut and dry, “Do this…” advice, Kinrade doesn’t. Like the old saying goes, it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it. And how Kinrade shows solid advice, is through a fun adventure kids will enjoy reading.

Overall, this was a great finish to an already strong series. Kinrade is a very talented author who tackles issues on a level kids not only will understand, but a way in which they’ll enjoy. I would recommend this series to any child who loves the chance for adventure, and any parent looking for a way to help their kids understand, and deal with tough emotions.

Also see Darian's reviews on the first books in the series, Lexie World and Bella World.

About the author:
Kimberly Kinrade was born with ink in her veins and magic in her heart. She writes fantasy and paranormal stories for children, YA and adults and still believes in magic worlds. Check out her YA paranormal novels Forbidden Mind and Forbidden Fire and her illustrated children's fantasy chapter books Lexie World, and Bella World, all on Amazon.

She lives with her three little girls who think they're ninja princesses with super powers, her two dogs who think they're humans and her husband, also known as the sexy Russian Prince, who is the love of her life and writing partner. 

Find out more at KimberlyKinrade.com, ThreeLostKids.com, on Twitter, and Facebook.

 

 

Bella World by Kimberly Kinrade - Review

Bella World by Kimberly Kinrade
The Three Lost Kids Trilogy, Book 2
Published: April 2012
Publisher: Evolved Publishing

Bella is tired of getting blamed every time her sisters lose something. It's not her fault they misplaced something important, so why does everyone assume she took it? It makes her blood boil that no one appreciates all the things does to help and protect people. Sometimes her anger makes her do things she regrets later.

When she, her two sisters and and their dog TayTay find a watery portal to Bella World, they are surprised to discover a town ravaged by Dragon attacks. But not all is as it seems, a lesson Bella learns when they are sent to stop the Dragon.

Together, Bella and Emerald the Dragon learn to control their Dragon Fire, make amends to those they have wronged and in the process find the appreciation and acceptance they sought all along.

Add on Goodreads or buy on Amazon.

Darian's Review:

Bella World is the second book in the series, and after reading Lexie World, I was happy to jump right into this book.  Bella World is about Bella, and her two sisters, who now know of magical realms hidden in a path in the woods.  Much like in Lexie World, once the girls find themselves in Bella’s world, they’re quickly met with amazing creatures and people.  They find a quaint town, now ravaged by a dangerous dragon, and it’s up to Bella to save the town and its people. 

Again, Kinrade has done a superb job of weaving valuable lessons into an entertaining story.  Lessons that are good for both kids and parents.  The timing of reading this book couldn’t have been better for me, dealing with a daughter on the cusp of ‘tween’, and helping her learn how to deal with her emotions. 

This book does a wonderful job of teaching how to handle feelings, how to make the right choices, and how our choices create circumstance.  It’s a hard lesson to teach, to children and us (often stubborn) adults, but Kinrade has managed to tap into strong core values and paint them into a beautiful story.

As I said after reading the first book in the series, I would gladly pick up any of Kinrade’s books and share them with my kids.  Because they’re not only interesting stories, they’re wonderful lessons for us both.  And what better way to learn them, than by reading it together as a family.  Kinrade is again worthy of applause for an amazing book added to the series.  I would be happy to read the next in the series, and highly recommend it to kids and parents alike.

A copy was provided by the author for review.

About the author:

Kimberly Kinrade was born with ink in her veins and magic in her heart. As a child, where others saw shapes in clouds, she saw words. But she was also an entrepreneur at heart. So when her business arrangement with the Tooth Fairy ended, she went pro with her writing. Her stories sold better than any lemonade stand and even beat out her museum of fossilized rocks in revenue.

Fast forward...um...many years and many college degrees later...and she is now an award winning author and reformed journalist. 

You can find out more at kimberlykinrade.com and the ThreeLostKids site. 

Check out Darian's review of Lexie World, the first book in the Three Lost Kids Trilogy.

Lexie World by Kimberly Kinrade - Review

Lexie World by Kimberly Kinrade

The Three Lost Kids Trilogy

Published: December 20, 2011

Publisher: Evolved Publishing

5-year-old Lexie is tired of getting in trouble for leaving her stuff and trash outside. She doesn’t mean to litter or ruin her shoes, but it’s just so hard to remember sometimes.

When she, her two big sisters and their dog TayTay find a portal to Lexie World, Lexie discovers the consequence littering has had on her special world. Garbage Goblins have taken over and are destroying the Earth!

To save Lexie World, the girls (and TayTay) must travel with their new Unicorn friend through the Waters of Waste and over the Mountain of Lost Clothes to retrieve a piece of the Mirror of Ice in order to remind the Garbage Goblins of their true form and break their curse.

On this journey, Lexie learns about courage, love and the importance of taking care of her world.

With full color illustrations, Lexie World bridges the gap between picture books and chapter books, offering children 4-9 years old a new, exciting reading journey.

Darian's Review:

Lexie World is about 5 year old Lexie, her sisters, Bella, Maddie, and their dog TayTay.  Lexie is like most 5 year olds, she’s in limbo between being a little and a big girl, a little unsure, sometimes forgetful and leaves her belongings strewn about the backyard and house.  Until one day while venturing in the woods with her sisters, they enter a magical world, Lexie World.  But Lexie World is in danger, the Garbage Goblins are running a muck and ruining the beautiful world with trash that others have left on earth.  And it’s up to Lexie to break the curse, and save Lexie World.  With her sisters and dog by her side, Lexie learns that she’s much braver than she thought she was, and just maybe she can save her world.

Lexie World is written from Lexie’s perspective, through the eyes of a five year old girl, who is like most 5 year olds.  She adores her big sisters, thinks her parents are the best in the world, but doesn’t quite get the big deal about forgetting to put her things away sometimes.  I think the author did a wonderful job keeping the dialogue and thoughts at an appropriate level, staying true to the average youngster of Lexie’s age range, yet not keeping it so simple that kids a few years older would be bored by it.

One of the things I liked about this book was how Lexie had to eat gluten free food. For different health reasons, a few people I know are now in the position of having to eat only gluten free foods (including the son of the "KrazyBookLady"). I liked how it was added nonchalantly, yet in a way that it could help other kids who need to eat gluten-free feel more normal and secure about it. Even Lexie the hero has to deal with it too! This was not a huge aspect of the story, a mere mention here and there, but it was a nice touch I thought for the growing numbers of kids who need to eat gluten-free foods.

The descriptive writing was worded beautifully. Kinrade paints magical, clear pictures in an easy to understand way – which really helped bring the story to life. But it didn’t bog down the story by being too much; kids like dialogue, action, and this book has plenty of it.

The lessons weaved throughout the story are great for kids of any age, Kinrade did a great job working it into the story, instead of a blunt ‘lesson’ being plopped right into it. Kinrade made it fun, an adventure, made it seem exciting to be more responsible and take care of your things and your world. Through the journey to save Lexie World, Lexie learns about bravery, self-confidence, and of course, the importance of picking up after herself. Because, as she discovers, leaving messes ruins many worlds, ours, and Lexie World, and both are too beautiful for that.

Overall this was a good read, and I’ll be passing it along to my daughter. Not only does Lexie World send the message of believing in yourself, but it teaches responsibility, all wrapped up inside an amazing adventure. I think writing children’s books can be one of the most difficult genres to write, but Kinrade has nailed it with true talent. The story is fun, thrilling, written at a child’s level – but written well enough for a variety of ages. Two thumbs up from this Mom, and bravo to Kinrade!

A copy was provided by the author for review.

About the author:

Kimberly Kinrade was born with ink in her veins and magic in her heart. As a child, where others saw shapes in clouds, she saw words. But she was also an entrepreneur at heart. So when her business arrangement with the Tooth Fairy ended, she went pro with her writing. Her stories sold better than any lemonade stand and even beat out her museum of fossilized rocks in revenue.

Fast forward...um...many years and many college degrees later...and she is now an award winning author and reformed journalist. 

You can find out more about Kimberly Kinrade and how to connect with her on her website and the ThreeLostKids site.