Book Review: The Crystal Ball

American Girl Mystery

The Crystal Ball: A Rebecca Mystery by Jacqueline Dembar Greene

Haley

Are you intrigued by fortune tellers? I know I'm curious, but that's all. In this story, we learn from the Rubins and Mr. Rossi that many people throughout time have consulted those that appear to have "the sight" to help them make decisions and many other things. This one turned out to be not very nice or helpful (I prefer Professor Trelawney). I liked this book and how it was solved.

Kaya

The parts about Houdini were very interesting. Finding out his real name made me want to know more about him. I found a great website. This was a good book and a fun read for both the history (Houdini) and culture (early New York City), but I'm not sure it will stay in my top 10 as we read more.

Kirsten

It's no fun having your favorite things disappear. I lose enough on my own without the help of thieves and pickpockets. It was neat to have Rebecca (with the help of her one sister) find what was missing; but I was not happy she almost lost her rabbit brooch to her sister over a bet. I liked this book a lot.

Lanie

Mr. Rossi is so very nice I didn't like that he was hurt and being taken advantage of. Rebecca really saved the day in many ways for her family, friends, and neighbors. Plus she learned to share, not jump to conclusions, and not to be so full of pride. Good book.

Melody

This was a fun read. Odd things start to happen to Rebecca's family and neighbors when a strange boy starts hanging around her dad's shop. Then the evidence seems to reveal her cousin, Josef, to be the culprit. Rebecca does her very best not to think Josef could be responsible and ends up solving the case. I'm not sure I understood everything because we have only read Rebecca's "Meet" book, but this was a good one.

Xyra

The Crystal Ball: A Rebecca Mystery by Jacqueline Dembar Greene

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really like Rebecca Rubin as a character. Her family dynamic is interesting and comfortable at the same time. I must read more of her books. In fact, I highly suggest you read all of Rebecca's stories before getting into the mystery...there are characters, events, and information that make sense to someone who has read the series, but are spoilers (and points of minor confusion) for those who have not (waves hand).

Mystery has been my favorite genre since before I could read (my mom and dad read Hardy Boys books to me before bed) with Franklin W Dixon and Carolyn Keene leading me to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie. I lean toward the "cozy" mysteries; this doesn't reach cozy - it is a nice sweet story.

The reader gets to follow the Rubin family and their neighbors as events unfold after seeing a performance by Harry Houdini. I think this could have been titled "Rebecca Saves the Day."

Rebecca is a friendly, helpful, generous, and sometimes boastful/selfish girl. In this mystery we see her make some good and bad decisions. The mystery is very basic - who is stealing from the families in the apartment building? Sadly, the "red herring" is a member of Rebecca's family and she must do her best to find the true villain(s).

The side story is a bet Rebecca makes with one of her sisters. She makes and takes the challenge out of hubris/pride/ego.

As an adult who loves mystery novels, this is an easy read where none of the story lines seems to take primary control, but all contribute from beginning to end. However, thinking back to when I was the target age reading mysteries...this is a good place to start. Not too easy nor too hard. Definitely not too scary. I really liked it.

Best wishes and Happy Reading,

Pleasant Surprises

Package at the Door

Haley, Kaya, Kirsten, Lanie, Melody, Xyra, 2 or more

Hey, guys! Look. 
We have a package.

Cool!
Who's it from?
Great Auntie Mame!
Neat! What is it?

I'll open it.

No way!
What?
It's a lacrosse* uniform!

AWESOME!
Is there anything else in the box?
A lacrosse sitck! My own crosse!
Now we can both play!

I'm going to get mine.
Toss it here. 

I'll try to be gentle.
Got it!

Um, I don't think you should throw in the house.
Hey, you two! Don't play ball in the house!

(giggling) Told ya.
You should try the uniform on.
I bet she looks great in it.

Woo hoo!
You look great.

And fully outfitted too!

Many Thanks

Thank you very much, Auntie Mame!

Have you received any fun surprises lately?  What is your favorite type of surprise?

Best wishes,

* Xyra Note

The above link providing information on the history of lacrosse has language that construes a male bias and lack of understanding of women's lacrosse. The article, while written in 1994, states, "Ironically, the field lacrosse game of nonnative women today most closely resembles the Indian game of the past, retaining the wooden stick, lacking the protective gear and demarcated sidelines of the men's game, and tending towards mass attack rather than field positions and offsides." 

As a lacrosse player of that time and I can assure you that we had defined field positions as well as defensive and offensive plays. The game did not focus on "mass attack." I can confirm that our only safety equipment was the mouthguard and that we did not have field limits with the exception of keeping the spectators, teammates, scorekeepers, and statisticians out of play and safe.

It is my personal observation that men's lacrosse focuses more on smash, bang, mass attack style of play and that women's lacrosse requires more finesse. So I am providing additional links on the "herstory" of Women's Lacrosse.

Wikipedia

Federation of International Lacrosse

Woodbury United

Both men's and women's lacrosse are steeped in our Native Americcan heritage and are wonderful to participate in as well as watch.

Tea Review: Harney & Sons English Breakfast

Which Tea Today?

Harney & Sons 

English Breakfast Tea Bag Tea

I need a cuppa. Xyra, I'm going to make tea! 
Sounds good!
What flavor? ... Maybe one of these Harney & Sons teas. 

We have a small sampling of six different blends: Tropical Green, Red Raspberry, Darjeeling Highlands, Earl Grey Supreme, Decaffeinated Ceylon, and English Breakfast. 

They all sound really good, but...I think...I'm in the mood for...English Breakfast today.

Kettle on...check. Water ready...check. Pour over bag and steep 5 minutes...check. Voila! a beautiful dark tea.

Squeeze the bag and set aside.

Hmmm,...the agave should be good...and milk. Stir it up.

First sip...

Wow! That is interesting. Kind of smoky and maybe a little fruity. Super tasty.

Blend Note

Just because a tea blend is called English Breakfast does not mean it will taste the same as another brand's English Breakfast. A basic recipe may be followed to create a certain type of blend, but they won't taste exactly the same because one company may use tea leaves from a different region than another. The Harney & Sons blend uses Chinese Keemun black tea leaves in their blend. Many times English Breakfast teas are kind of bland. This one is not; it has a little extra boldness that really wakes you up in the morning. It can easily be enjoyed all day long too.

Enjoy your cuppa! I did. 

Best wishes,

Xyra's Note: Tea Time With Melody Q is not affiliated with American Girl or Harney & Sons. This is an honest and unsolicited review of the tea. We only want to share our love of tea with you. All links are for educational purposes and should not be considered an advertisement. No purchase is suggested or required. Additionally, Wikipedia is not a strictly controlled site and information could be incorrect.

#harney&sonstea
#englishbreakfasttea

MagNeoBio & Liebster Awards

Thank You for the Nominations!

Oh. My! Time has passed so quickly. My apologies to Aliah, LuLu, and Marisa for taking so long to respond to the questions posed.

Double MagNeoBio

Aliah and Marisa

1.      Who’s your favorite book character and why?
I have too many. The Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Sherlock Holmes, Harry Potter, Qwill with Koko and Yum Yum, Miss Marple,...They all have to make observations about what is happening and think about what to do next.

2.      What’s your favorite post to write? (Photo story, review, craft, etc.)
Photo stories

3.      If you could travel to any time period where would you go and why?
As long as I don't have to stay any length of time then I wouldn't mind visiting colonial Philadelphia to see the members of the Continental Congress who declared the USA and created our Constitution.

4.      If you had a million dollars, what would you use it for?
House repairs, retirement fund, donations to church and a few other deserving organizations.

5.      Summer or Winter?
Both

6.      Favorite dessert?
Chocolate cake or cherry cheese cake

7.      Favorite ice cream flavor?
Chocolate

8.      Favorite character from a Disney movie? (coughOlafcough)
Gus Gus from Cinderella

9.      Best part about blogging?
Making new friends

10.  Favorite movie?
Another long list but topping the list are Gigi, Gidget, and 1776

11.  Favorite color?
Pink

1.      Reading or writing?
Both

2.      Anna or Elsa? (Frozen)
Anna

3.      Do you like my blog?
Yes, I do.

4.      Do you have any AG dolls? If so, which ones?
AGOT: Melody, Historicals: Kaya and Kirsten, GOTY 2010 Lanie

5.      What is your favorite thing to do?
Dance, read, write, sing, shop

6.      Favorite book?
Another long list, but there is one called Just Jenifer by Janet Lambert that is very special to me.

7.      Books or movies?
Both

8.      What is your favorite hairstyle?
Braided

9.      Favorite thing about blogging?
Making new friends

10.  If you had 3 wishes what would you ask for?
Be careful what you wish for...it may not be as you expected.

11.  Harry Potter or Percy Jackson?
Harry Potter

Double Liebster

Aliah and LuLu

 1.   How many followers do you have? 33

2.      Goals for you or your blog? 100 followers, to still be blogging several years from now.

3.      Favorite classic novel?  The Five Little Peppers 

4.      Youtube or Blogger? Why? Blogger; I have an older computer so the stop motions and videos do not play well.

5.      Your favorite doll that you do not have? Either A Girl for All Time or one of the Makies I have designed.

6.      Do you have a pet? If you do not, tell me what pet you would want to have. Yes, 6 cats and 1 house bunny

7.      What dolls do you have? I have a relatively large collection many have not appeared on the blog. Barbies, Cabbage Patch, Dazzle, Glamour, Timey Tell, Chrissy, and a few others.

8.      If you could paint the world one color, what would it be?
Wouldn't want to. Want to know why? Next time you are at a sunglasses booth try on a pair of blue or green or pink...it looks cool for a while, but gets tiresome. The world is a myriad of colors for a reason.

9.      Flats or gym shoes? Why? Both. Want to look stylish, but you also never know when you have to do a bit of running.

10.  How is your day going? Well, thank you.

1.       Why did you name your blog what you did? I love tea and I love dolls, so combined the two.

2.       What is your favorite doll (that you have)? Melody

3.       What doll do you want next? One of the Makies I've designed.

4.       What is your favorite song? Jolly Roger by Adam and the Ants

5.       Do you like Ever After High dolls? Yes.

6.       What is your favorite color? Pink

7.       Dogs or cats? Both

8.       Inside or outside? Both

9.       Country or city? Suburbs

10.   Goals for your blog? 100 followers and to be still blogging in several years.

My Nominations

If you are a blogger with less than 35 followers, know that I follow you, and you have not been nominated during this award season for either of these awards please consider yourself nominated and post about them on your blog. I nominate you, my friend.

These are my Liebster Award questions for you:
1. How many blogs do you follow?
2. Do you plan you posts ahead of time?
3. Favorite Disney animal character?
4. Radio, MP3, or Pandora?
5. X-Men or Avengers?
6. Favorite spring activity?
7. Favorite vacation spot?
8. Favorite picnic food?
9. Have you ever read the origin tales on which the Disney movies are based? [ex. Do you think you will read Hans Christian Andersen's Ice Queen (Frozen)?]
10. Favorite pizza topping?
11. Have you ever hosted a tea party for your friends?

These are my MagNeoBio questions for you:
1. Who inspired you to blog?
2. Favorite non-AG doll?
3. Favorite spring flower?
4. Pool, Ocean, or Lake?
5. Hiking or bicycling?
6. Would you consider rescuing and customizing a doll?
7. Photo stories or stop motion?
8. Favorite place to read?
9. Do you like shopping?
10. Tent or RV camping?

Book Review: American Girl Isabelle

Isabelle by Laurence Yep

Haley

This was a nice read. I liked that Isabelle's family and friends helped her to fight her nerves by finding calming patterns in her favorite things.

Kaya

Isabelle is an interesting character and she has a great family. Her mom's talents and encouragement reminded me of quite a few bloggers we follow. My favorite part was when Isabelle's dad's band played and everyone got into the music. That was fun!

Kirsten

This is a really nice story and I'm looking forward to reading the next two. I wonder if this year shouldn't have focused more on her friend Luisa. I'd like to know how her family is dealing with her brother's military deployment and if there are any neat cultural traditions they follow (she is of Brazilian heritage, if I remember correctly). On the other hand, Izzy and I could get together for a nice sewing party.

Lanie

Love her kitty, Tutu. I could easily picture Jade and Tutu playing/dancing because our kitties do things like Tutu does. I feel for Isabelle...she has a very popular sister and must follow her in school. So many times people forget that sisters have different likes and dislikes and talents (even though they are both dancers). Jade really helped Isabelle remember that she should be true to herself.

Melody

Isabelle has a very interesting family - all are artistic and share their talents in different ways. I liked the way they looked at the world around them to find beauty, inspiration, and motivation. I hope we see more of Luisa. I also want to learn more about what Jade is going through because I wonder if Isabelle will be able to help her over her stuff.

Xyra

Isabelle by Laurence Yep

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This Girl of the Year story was really good and I am looking forward to reading the next two installments.

Isabelle comes from a very artistic family. She and her older sister (Jade) attend a special school that focuses on the arts. In this story we get to see the younger sister having to walk in the shadow of an older sister, the wealthy mean girl (more on this later), working alone when the supportive best friend is in another class, and a friend who is a boy.

Older sister-within this theme Isabelle works through her feelings of inadequacy as well as a bit of envy.

Wealthy mean girl-it distresses me that the typical "mean girl" is also a girl of means. Not all rich people are snobs or show offs. It would be nice to see more friends like Kit's Ruthie. Plus there are reasons behind such behavior...but I digress. Renata contributes to Isabelle's feelings of self-doubt with snide remarks and name calling. I see a glimmer of hope for that relationship though and hope for a turn around.

Missing supportive best friend-it's great when you have classes with your friends. You can draw on their love and support to keep you strong and on track. Isabelle has this with Luisa. (Luisa has issues of her own.) But when the two choose different dances for the fall festival Luisa must practice with another class and Isabelle loses her anchor.

A guy friend-this is cool! Sadly, I forget his name. He is instrumental in helping Isabelle conquer her fears. His assistance adds to an arsenal of things that help Isabelle through her first major performance.

Parents-Mom and Dad are great. We get more from Mom in this installment. She appeals to Isabelle's creative side and allows Isabelle to design her own and her sister's costumes for their dances. There are a few challenges with the costumes as well. But we can't leave dad out. He also provides a spark to help Isabelle.

Throughout the story Isabelle learns new techniques to get through the times of self doubt. The techniques work, but not perfectly. They too need to be practiced and recaptured. It was great to see Isabelle rise to the challenges she faces; she does so without a lot of external whining. For the most part she only whines to herself and tries to work on her own, but she also open up to others when asked. That is hard to do, but Isabelle dose it and she learns from her mom, dad, sister, friends, as well as her own revelations.

As I said in the opening I really liked this and look forward to the next books.

[Note: From previous discussions in other forums...I'd like more location details. It's set in Washington DC.]

Happy Reading!

Best wishes,