The O.W.L.: Blog Tour Book Reivew: The Third Mushroom by Jennifer L. Holm +GIVEAWAY

Today I am part of the blog tour for The Third Mushroom

hosted by Rockstar Book Tours!

About the Book:

Title: The Third Mushroom

Author: Jennifer L. Holm

Pub. Date: September 4, 2018

Publisher: Random House

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook

Pages: 240

"Believe in the unexpected" with this hilarious, heartwarming, and much-anticipated sequel to the New York Times bestseller The Fourteenth Goldfish!

 Ellie's grandpa Melvin is a world-renowned scientist . . . in the body of a fourteen-year-old boy. His feet stink, and he eats everything in the refrigerator--and Ellie is so happy to have him around. Grandpa may not exactly fit in at middle school, but he certainly keeps things interesting. When he and Ellie team up for the county science fair, no one realizes just how groundbreaking their experiment will be. The formula for eternal youth may be within their reach! And when Ellie's cat, Jonas Salk, gets sick, the stakes become even higher. But is the key to eternal life really the key to happiness? Sometimes even the most careful experiments yield unexpected--and wonderful--results.

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Audible, B&N, iBooks, TBD

About the Author

Jennifer L. Holm is a NEW YORK TIMES bestselling children's author and the recipient of three Newbery Honors for her novels OUR ONLY MAY AMELIA, PENNY FROM HEAVEN, and TURTLE IN PARADISE. Jennifer collaborates with her brother, Matthew Holm, on two graphic novel series -- the Eisner Award-winning Babymouse series and the bestselling Squish series. Her new novel is THE FOURTEENTH GOLDFISH. She lives in California with her husband and two children.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

There are not many middle-grade books that make science fun. This is one! I adored this book. I will be honest - I haven't read the first book (The Fourteenth Goldfish), so I was a bit lost now and again, but not really much at all. I do know that I will need to go back and read it now! Can I just say that Melvin is a hoot?! I love the mix of a crotchety old man in the body of a kid. The juxtaposition was fantastic! I think I've actually had a few students like him. They are an old person in a young person's body!

I think what I really liked about this book that it's more than just a silly story revolving around these fun characters. It gets the reader to question a few things and learn along with Ellie. It's hard to have a balance of both in a book for middle schoolers. Sometimes it can come off too heavy-handed. This book avoided that.

I do have to mention the cat, Jonas Salk. I love cats, and this cat was the best! I wanted him to walk off the page and snuggle with me.

And lastly, I want to talk about the parents in the book. Well, Ellie's mom and stepdad at least. I thought they were portrayed really well. You see so much of absent parents or parents that are shown as just clueless. That wasn't the case here. I liked that Ellie got along with her stepdad. Too often the stereotype would've had that the opposite. Just glad to see parents written well!

Want a chance to read the book for yourself? Check out the giveaway below. If you want to see more of the tour see the schedule below as well!