My NetGalley Reviews

Molly Rides

I paid for a few reviews from NetGalley and they were, uh, variable. Here they are.

This was a cute book that children who like to ski or snowboard will enjoy. Molly skis all the time and is an expert skier. When her ski breaks and she has to wait to get it fixed, the person who fixes it loans her a snowboard. She thinks it will be easy but finds out she will need to take lessons and practise to become good at this new sport. She succeeds and realizes that she now has two different skills she can enjoy.

The story is told in rhyme that varies throughout the story. This illustrations take up most of each page and are excellent with a lot of detail. I enjoyed the story but would have liked it to be just a little longer showing her enjoying both skills and not giving one up for the other. it is mentioned but not reinforced which I think is a good lesson for children. Overall I enjoyed this book and liked that they talked about taking lessons to become skilled at something especially something dangerous like skiing or snowboarding.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Reviewed on December 27, 2015

A couple things pop out at me from this review. “The story is told in rhyme that varies throughout the story.” Huh? Varies? I’m not quite sure what the reviewer means by this. Are they implying that some of the rhymes are good and some are not? Weird. But the line “especially something dangerous” just makes me laugh. I would assume that many “professional” reviewers (really, i have no idea where they find the reviewers) are indoor book-nerdy types, but seriously, thinking that an athletic endeavor is dangerous….

Overall, though, apart from the first paragraph being mostly description of the story, this isn’t a terrible review.

Children’s books with rhymes
are winners for me almost every time.
This one is no exception, I have to say,
I really enjoyed reading it today!
It tells the story of Molly, a great skier, who
learns snowboarding is very different to do.
It shows the need to keep on practicing even when
you keep falling off, again and again.
With resilience and effort you’ll improve too
in this and anything you work at to do.
This book is really for skiers and boarders who love the snow
It has many terms that are used in these sports, you know.
Even so, I have to say that I enjoyed it and
Think children will like it if they get it in their hand
The graphics are colourful and you’ll find
depict snowy action scenes of every kind
So if you’ve a child who enjoys to board or ski
This could be the book they’d like to see!

Thanks to the author, publishers and NetGalley, too,
for letting me read an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Reviewed on February 25, 2016

Okay, great review, but this just makes me cringe. Meter, people, meter!

Molly Rides is a short story. Unlike most short stories, though, it’s written in stanzas and each page is illustrated. This short story tells the story of Molly who must learn to snowboard after breaking her ski one day. I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The short story begins with Molly showcasing her skills as a skier. She’s very confident and it’s obvious she’s been skiing for a very long time. The beginning did pull me in, but at times the pattern of the stanzas was a little off; this jerked me out of the reading experience.

The short story becomes interesting when she breaks her ski and subsequently learns to snowboard. having been the best at skiing, Molly is insecure when she has to start over completely with snowboarding. I enjoyed this part of the book. It shows Molly’s resiliency and what can happen when you don’t give up; when you continue to try.

The book ends with her deciding to ski again. She now knows how to master skiing and snowboarding. We aren’t given much in the way of world-building or a resolution with the guy who fixed her ski. The story simply ends.

I had a few problems with this book.

First, the technique used. The beginning of this book is enjoyable because the stanzas are timed appropriately. As you go through the book, though, the pattern is off. For example:

Instead of the pattern being ABAB, it becomes ABB and ABAA.

Second, illustrations dominate each page, not the writing. So instead of focusing on the short story, you’re focused on the picture. This is problematic to me because most children rely heavily on pictures to read; should a struggling reader read this book, I don’t feel it would challenege them because each illustration gives away the story.

Finally, the book ends abruptly. We find Molly learning to embrace skiing and snowboarding, only to be cut off at the next page. I would’ve given this book 4 stars had it provided a conclusion of “and she learned to stay her course and never give up.” I would’ve given it 5 stars had it tied together all lessons learned, along with her paying the man who fixed her ski!

Overall, this is an okay read. It’s not something I want readers to rush to buy, but if they happen upon it (at a discount) I would suggest them read it!

Reviewed on November 28, 2015

Hooo-boy. Where to start? If you read this review, you get the sense that the reviewer has no clue what a children’s book is! “We aren’t given much in the way of world-building.” No “resolution” for the guy who fixed her skis. “Illustrations dominate each page.” What? Have you never read a kids’ book? And then they seem to not understand how pages work. Every couplet in this book rhymes. On a few pages, the couplets are split so that the first line is on the top of the page and the second on the bottom. The only way one could misread the rhyming pattern is if one were to read the beginning of the couplet on the left page, then the beginning of the next couplet on the right page, then back to the left page for the end of the first, then the right page for the end of the second. Who reads like that?

And it would have gotten five stars if Molly had paid for her ski repair!