Review of The Sherwood Proof (Lily Sparrow Chronicles #3) by Kristee Ravan

On Tour with Prism Book Tours

Welcome to the tour for The Sherwood Proof by Kristee Ravan! Today I am reviewing the third installment of this fun series.

The Sherwood Proof

(The Lily Sparrow Chronicles #3)

By Kristee Ravan

Middle-Grade, Fairy Tale, Fantasy

Paperback & ebook, 569 Pages

November 23, 2021 by Kristee Ravan

Lily Sparrow has finally created an equation for being a good princess. Things are adding up and making sense, and she’s even growing a measurable amount more excited about her future. But unexpected variables keep being tossed into her equation:

1. Carole Claus is facing her first hurdle as Santa. She needs Lily’s help.
2. Lily’s Half-Birthday--an important Smythian tradition--is coming up, requiring her to find time to prepare for it.
3. Her algebra teacher has an unusual (and stressful plan) for Lily.
4. Lily remains convinced that her mom is hiding something from her.
5. The investigation into the traitor is an on-going source of stress and tension at work for Lily and Calo.
6. Oh, and Calo’s still betrothed to Su’Sauna, making life difficult and confusing all around.

Will Lily be able to place these variables securely in her equation? Will the Sparrow family find a way to convince their critics they are good for the Kingdom? Or will everything fall apart--subtracting all the good will Lily has already earned from her citizens?

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**My thoughts**

Lily has come a long way since the first book. And yet she still has a long way to go. After all, living in our world for the first 15 years of her life and then suddenly finding out she's a princess and being thrust into that fairy tale world isn't going to make her successful overnight. But she's getting there.

I think the hardest part is learning how to put the needs of others before your own, and performing the duties you are bound to uphold. I think it's a life lesson a lot of us have to go through. We're just fortunate enough to not have to do it in the fairy tale world where things do not feel as logical. And for her mathematical mind, that's quite a feat!

We still have a lot of strong feelings and whimsical characters that keep the pages turning through this long book. But don't feel overwhelmed by its length. It's entertaining with plenty of plot twists. And while I read all three books in order, I think you would be okay to read this one without having read the first two. But as I always say with standalone books. you'll better enjoy them if you read them all.

I felt a hint of more to come in this series, and will be looking forward to the next installment!

Thank you to Prism Book Tours and the author for my requested review copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Other Books in the Series

About the Author


Kristee Ravan lives in Oklahoma with her husband, daughter, and pet fish, Val (short for Valentine). She wanted to be many things as she grew up including a general, an artist, and an architect. But she never bothered to say, "I want to be a writer when I grow up." She was always writing stories and thought of herself as a writer anyway. She sent her first story to a publisher in the sixth grade. (It was rejected - in a nice way.) When she is not making up stories in her head, she enjoys reading, juggling, green smoothies, playing dollhouse with her daughter, and hearing from her fans. You can contact Kristee at the Facebook page for her Lily Sparrow books: The Lily Sparrow Chronicles.

The Lily Sparrow Chronicles | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon 

Tour Schedule

Tour Giveaway

Three winners will receive a print copy of The Sherwood Proof (US only)

Ends December 15, 2021

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Review of Calculating Christmas (Lily Sparrow Chronicles #2) by Kristee Ravan

 

A month after Lily and Calo rescued the characters from Cinderella and The Candlemaker’s Daughter, they’ve been assigned to a new case. Santa’s rebellious daughter, Carole, has had enough of her family and needs a change. And if that change isn’t handled carefully, it could wind up derailing Christmas for everyone—a fact the will equal lots of unhappy citizens potentially vanishing. So, no pressure for Lily, right? Wrong.In addition, Lily is dealing with the ever-increasing demands on her time, leaving her very little time for her beloved math. Multiply that by the fact that she can’t seem to please her parents, her friend Corrie is mad at her, and her unsolvable relationship status with Calo, and you’re left with a pretty stressed out Lily.Will she and Calo manage to save Christmas? Will Lily find a way to be the Princess the kingdom expects? And how will things turn out with Carole, who is openly naughty in front of Santa Claus?

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**My thoughts**

I'm so engrossed in this series! And I really like Lily a lot. I've become so attached to her that I really felt a lot of what she was feeling in this book. I flashed back to my own teen angst. The poor girl just can't seem to catch a break. It's not her fault that she was kept in the Other World for the first 15 years of her life and has only been in Smythe [my shortened name for it] for a couple of months. Of course she isn't going to know much! And all of those laws and rules that have been put in place to prevent others from revealing to much to her...

And then to have the responsibility of saving Christmas thrown at her as well? That's a really tall order. I can't say I blame her for bending rules again. And her struggle continues with balancing this fantasy world of the fairy tales with her strongly mathematical mind.

I did notice she used fewer equations this time. And I still did not read most of the footnotes. I'm sorry!

But I loved this book like I loved the first one and love watching her grow and evolve and am looking forward to the next one.

Thank you to the author and Prism Book Tours for providing me with a requested review copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Review of The Cinderella Theorem (Lily Sparrow Chronicles #1) by Kristee Ravan

 

Fairy tales are naturally non-mathematical. That is a fact, and fifteen-year-old Lily Sparrow loves factual, mathematical logic. So when her mother confesses that Lily’s deceased father is (a) not dead, (b) coming to dinner, and (c) the ruler of a fairy tale kingdom accessible through the upstairs bathtub, Lily clings to her math to help her make sense of this new double life (1 life in the real world + 1 secret life in the fairy tale world = a double life). Even though it’s not mathematical, Lily finds herself being pulled into a mystery involving an unhappy Cinderella, a greasy sycophant called Levi, and a slew of vanishing fairy tale characters. Racing against the clock, with a sound mathematical plan, can Lily save her fairy tale friends before they vanish forever?

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**My thoughts**

When I first started this book, I was a bit overwhelmed by Lily. She has an obsessive need to turn absolutely everything into math. I appreciate the logic and was originally a math major in college. But it did make a bit of the storytelling awkward at first. 

But then very quickly I got drawn into the story when she finds out that she is actually a princess, her father is actually alive, and her entire life up until now has been a lie. She now has to spend part of her time in this fantasy world, learning how to become its princess. It's amusing because she's constantly trying to rationalize things - which is understandable because math you can control and she is losing control of her life - but you can't rationalize magic. Her lack of fairy tale knowledge is appalling. And yet it makes sense - if you're more interested in math and logic, you're not going to pay as much attention to the fantasy.

I was amused by meeting all of these characters from familiar stories and seeing a different side of them. It's like Smythe (my shortened name for it) is a parallel universe to the fairy tale world. And many of the supporting characters in Lily's kingdom are also amusing.

I also felt like I learned a lot about happiness and friendship and things like that, but on a different level. Lily, of course, also learns a lot.

The book is quite long, but if you can handle reading through a Harry Potter, you can handle reading one this long. There are a ton of footnotes throughout where Lily explains her mathematical equations and whatnot. I admit that I didn't read very many of them. I have a hard time doing that in a paperback, let alone all of the clicking on a Kindle. But I also understood the math terms.

I fell in love with Lily in this book and am looking forward to continuing her adventures.

Thank you to the author and Prism Book Tours for providing me with a requested review copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Review of Ethan's STEM Adventures: I Can Be a Scientist! by Louis J. Desforges

 Welcome to the book tour for Ethan's Stem Adventures by Louis J. Desforges! Today I'm sharing with you an excerpt and my thoughts on the book. Then the author tells us about creating an environment that invites curiosity, which is something this educator loves! Be sure to also check out the rest of the tour and enter the great giveaway!

Like the infinite-shade of colors, the richness of life is enhanced by our natural inclination, as creative beings, to hold distinct perspectives on just about any subject. Collectively, however, I believe we all appreciate the profound significance of all the things that influenced and molded us from an early age—the moments and events that are weaved intricately into our memories.

Who amongst us cannot recall a story, no matter what artistic form used to bring it to life: a book, a show, a play, a comic, a song, a movie, or even a real-life character (that family member, teacher, coach, or friend) who shaped the lens with which we view the world then, now, and always.

For this very reason, I believe children should see themselves represented in all areas of human endeavors, cementing deep within their framework the possibilities that await, regardless of prevailing circumstances.

My hope is to bridge the diversity gap in STEM by creating excitement around Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math through diverse representation.

"I see me, therefore I can be."

So it remains, like the infinite shades of color, the richness of life is enhanced by the stories and experiences that holds us.

-Louis J. Desforges

Read an excerpt:

Of all the paths I can explore,
Of all the subjects I adore,
The world of science excites me more.
Science helps us see
What was, what is, and what can be
You’ll get a million questions from me!
I observe, I explore…
I’ll get to the core, that’s for sure.
What will I find...maybe a cure?
Or a giant fossil
Of a DINOSAUR!

PURCHASE LINKS

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**My thoughts**

This is a fun book that I'd read with children kindergarten and above. Ethan's love of science and exploration really comes alive in all of the illustrations and help to clarify some of the ideas in his rhyming prose. The world of science is much more vast than we sometimes realize, and Ethan pretty much covers them all. It's a great way to start a conversation with kids about what they can explore and learn. Read it at home or put it in the classroom library to invite questions and curiosity.

Thank you to the publisher and Goddess Fish for a requested review copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Creating an Environment That Invites Curiosity

I wrote this book not from the perspective of an educator or a child psychologist, as I have no relevant credentials to speak of. But rather I wrote it from the perspective of a parent—a parent wishing to instigate in my son a curiosity for the way the world works, both in STEM and in the nuanced interplay of creativity, trial and error, experience, failure, and ultimately success.

I believe my lived experience as a child affords me at least a partially qualified opinion of how to foster a nutritious environment for the growth of ideas and possibilities. And so, for both my writing and my parenting, it is this inner child I draw upon, to guide my thoughts, words, and my actions so that I can sow small seeds of creative possibility.

Of course, if we are to achieve this ideal as parents, then we need to have actionable steps to take, to champion our children in their pursuit of knowledge and fulfillment.

Suspend judgment

I believe a fundamental practice, albeit extremely difficult, is to try to suspend judgment of our children: of their thoughts, their ideas, and their actions. We, ourselves, come with a set of preconceived ideas of how things should be based upon our own upbringing. However, it is imperative we learn to temper this (except where safety is concerned!) to truly allow them space to foster their own imaginations. And of course, this requires monk-level patience and self-control!

Create space for imperfection

We all know the common mantra “no one is perfect.” However, I believe we still intrinsically expect exactly that of ourselves and our children. And so we want our environments to be perfect (read: our messy lounges that are testament to the existence of happy children), our actions, our thoughts, our parenting, and ultimately our children. However, this simply cannot be, and in fact, is mutually exclusive to learning and creating. We, and our children, must fail to succeed.

And so for us, the action here is to make peace with the “messy,” the “imperfect,” and the “failures.” Because therein lies the key to true deep learning and boundless innovation.

Paint your children’s experiences with diversity

It is natural for humans to gravitate towards the familiar and the easy. After all, this is where our comfort zone keeps us well-insulated from anything remotely “threatening.” And we do this especially when we are tired or busy as the familiar is quicker and easier in the moment. However, I believe it is our duty to instill in our children a love of diversity, a curiosity of the differing minds and thoughts of people around them, and a healthy fascination with cultures and beliefs that contrast with their own.

To do this, we must take the time to study the different cultures that comprise our neighborhoods and our world for ourselves, in order to teach them to our kids. And perhaps the first and most important part of this is teaching them to ask respectful questions and to seek answers in a non-judgmental fashion, so that they may gain an understanding of the beautiful diversity of humans.

I really believe changing the world as we know it starts with changing ourselves and how we parent, what environments we create to support unhindered growth and realization of dreams, and what snippets of humanity we impart to our children in the form of curiosity, imagination, love, respect, and confidence. If we sow these little seeds now, who knows what the resulting forest will look like in its time.

Having endless curiosity, Louis has always been enthralled by the inner workings of everything around him.

With a natural and insatiable drive to build, explore, and understand, one of his fondest childhood memories is harvesting toasters, microwaves, TVs, and other discarded electronics in his Brooklyn neighborhood so he could take apart and rebuild them, or scavenge parts to build his own remote-controlled cars or planes.

He is the first to admit that nothing ever worked as intended, or at all, for that matter, but that never really mattered to him. As long as he was dissecting, constructing, exploring and learning, his cup was always full.

Today, his tinkering looks very different. Louis spends countless hours building and rebuilding Lego sets with his four-year-old son.

With any free time left after work and family life (usually late at night), you can find Louis in his workshop (any available free space with a flat surface) writing, painting, sculpting or toiling over his photography; nonetheless, his deep love for STEM remains, and at its core feeds his endless curiosity and desire to understand the inner workings of everything.

CONNECT WITH LOUIS

WEBSITE: https://louisdesforgesbooks.com/

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/louisdesforgesbooks/

GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21739120.Louis_Desforges

Louis J. Desforges will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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