Book 149 of 300 ~ 2024

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This was too cute, and I had to try my luck to get a review copy, and I succeeded!

Was wondering why the author sounded familiar and found out that this was the same author who wrote #prettylittleliars

Penny shows us what it is like to deal with anxiety and how her friends help her. Also, I found out this was like the third or fourth book in a series, so I'm gonna try to read the rest.

Cute doodles, too. Love it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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Penny's new brother and sister are here! Unfortunately, her baby sister cries ALL the time and seems to dislike Penny. While exploring her new house, Penny and her friends find a locked box. Later they find a box of keys in the shed. A mystery! They find the key that opens the box and there's a treasure map inside! Penny and her friends race to solve the clues, even if it's scary and may involve a neighborhood witch! Someone else is after the treasure? Could it be Riley? Penny keeps working through and learns things about her classmates and herself as she goes. (Thanks to the cereal box project)

I gave this to my 11 year old son to read when he needed a change from his typical action books.

Penny is a likable main character and easy to read. The illustrations are a fun touch for the children to get further invested in the story. My son and I enjoyed looking over the drawings together. Penny is a relatable kid and I think she will resonate with lots of kids.

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers for the opportunity to read this ARC with my son!

PENNY DRAWS A SECRET ADVENTURE is a continuation of Sara Shepard's Penny Draws series, featuring fifth grader Penny Lowry along with her family and friends. Written in a diary format (to Penny’s beloved pet dog Cosmo) with simple supporting illustrations, the story picks up with a new addition to Penny’s family—twin siblings! As Penny and her family adjust to the new arrivals, she and her friends work together to solve the mystery of a locked box found in her house. Once opened, the box leads the friends on a treasure hunt and as they follow the clues through their community. Penny once again comes face to face with some of her anxieties and insecurities. Her feelings will be relatable to many readers, and they will be reassured as Penny works through them with the help of her friends and trusted adults.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of the book to read and review.

This comic/doodle filled middle grade fiction book follows the life of Penny, a fifth grader with anxiety as she navigates friendships and life challenges. Penny draws comics to process and manage her anxiety. The story was cute and I believe it will be appealing to elementary readers. The comics, while not a true graphic novel, will be engaging for reluctant readers, with regular pictures between and integrated into the story.. Penny has a trusted adult at school that she's goes to see when her anxiety becomes a struggle. It's nice to see books like this normalizing the process of learning to manage mental health challenges.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this arc in exchange for my honest review.

A super cute and creative cover with a great story inside, written in diary style (but directed at Penny’s dog Cosmo) and with cute basic drawings on almost every page!

This is my first Penny Draws book and I was pleasantly surprised! It was easy to read and follow even tho I haven’t read the first books. The sneak peak at the end, into the next book made me excited to read that one too! I also loved to read about where some of the character’s names came from :).

This story starts with Penny’s parents coming home from the hospital with her new brother and sister (twins!). At first Penny is really excited to be their new big sister but she soon starts thinking her little sister doesn’t even like her because she won’t stop crying. Penny tries so hard to change that.

Penny is a worrier and she’s insecure. Do people like her? Do they wanna be her friend? Does she have any talents?

When she finds a box filled with keys and wonders if one might fit on the mystery box (from the previous story), it’s the start of a fun neighborhood treasure hunt with her friends! This was fun to read about and I love what this lead too!

The biggest lesson I got from this is the importance of communication :). Penny learned by talking to others about her worries, that’s she’s not the only one worrying and having certain troubles and that she has some great friends who love to help her!

Poor Penny, not only does she have 2 new babies in the house that won't stop crying, and the one thing that calms them breaks for a bit, her two best friends are into a spelling bee and don't have time for her and she has a babysitter who ignores her. Luckily she has other friends and faithful dog Cosmo who after she finds a box of keys to a box with a treasure map and off they go to find the hidden treasure. This is a book of mystery, jealousy, friendship and kindness. I thought the rough drawings were a nice change. This was a fun story and I think older children with relate and like this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own.

This was a very cute children's book. I liked the unique illustrations. I think this would be suited more for older children than younger children.


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I received this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange of an honest review.

I was so excited to see a new Penny Draws book on Netgalley. I read book 1 in Dutch in November 2023 and I was eager to read more about this character! So imagine my delight seeing a new book up on Netgalley. OK, it was book 3, so I was a bit worried that maybe I would have missed things, but seriously? I just stepped in and it was as if I hadn't left. Well, OK, the babies were born, but that is it, haha.

😍 Penny is such a sweet character. At times a bit much, yes, I have to be honest here, but in most I could understand her fears and her worries, I could understand that life is very overwhelming. I am happy that she had people around her she could talk to + had her own methods to try and get things a bit quieter in her head.
😍 Love that mom and dad allowed the kids to think of some names and I love that while there were some funny names between the choices the kids really tried their best to think of some good names that also had a meaning/meant something nice. It was really sweet. Yes, this could have gone all wrong, but the parents already warned them (because they were a bit slow with picking) that otherwise they would pick something, so I knew things would be fine.
😍 The treasure hunt and what that led to was just a lot of fun. You can sing me up any day for things like this. I just love it when children's books feature treasure hunts, especially when they are old treasure hunts set in place by people who lived in the house before. The only things the previous tenant left is some paint and some stuff we may need for the home. I wouldn't have minded a fun trip through the village/neighbourhood. Yes, I am an adult. But I am still a child at heart. It was a lot of fun seeing the kids decipher the hints, try to figure out the clues, and visit places. Sadly, I wasn't a fan of the baddie that tried to get between things, I will talk about in the next section.
😍 I loved that Penny found some fantastic friends. Yes, she had some worries, but she also has a great group that really cares about her and tries to understand Penny and her fears/anxiety. I loved that they tried to help her out and that they were there for her.
😍 It was just the cutest that she was writing her diary to her dog, Cosmo. That was so sweet.
😍 On that note, extra points for the goofball that is Cosmo!
😍 I loved that Penny tried to figure out the baby thing herself. Yes, maybe it was a bit much for her, but I did like that she didn't immediately went to an adult, but instead tried it herself for a bit. I am happy that in the end she and her mom had a bit of a chat.
😍 The illustrations! So much fun! They really made the book a party to read and brought the story further to life.
😍 That it is a diary-form book. I just love those!
😍 Yay for Miss Hines and how sweet she is!
😍 The babies were so cute. Congrats to Penny's family, hopefully though the girl baby stops crying, but given what is said at the end I am sure things will quiet down, hopefully.

🤔 I would have liked Maria and Chloe to just be a bit clear about things. They know their friend is so anxious and I would have just liked to see them invite Penny or at least talk to her a bit more.
🤔 Grace/the babysitter [spoiler] the bitch [/spoiler]. I really wasn't a fan of her and I didn't like how the parents just kept on asking her to babysit. While she barely did anything except being on the phone and being [spoiler] a sneaky bitch.[/spoiler].

But all in all, this was oodles of fun and I just flew through the book! I would love to read the second book, hopefully I can find it + of course, I need more books with Penny and her family! I would recommend this one to all~

I kniw Sara Shepard as the Queen of YA Thrillers - I was excited to see what she would bring to a younger audience. The book was cute and I absolutely LOVED the illustrations!

this one was ADORABLE!!!!!!!!

Penny and her worries were a journey I loved to be a part of!!

Every book in this series is adorable but this one is just perfection!! I really reccomend it. It's such a cute read to do with your children

I just got the first two books in this series in a jiffy, read them as soon as I got this ARC! I am totally loving this series more so because of our main character Penny and her story telling of the many things going around her. Everything is from her perspective and I do feel that the author is being really honest with this character which I truly appreciate.

Penny continues to write to her dog about her everyday life while she and her parents are a bit overwhelmed with the newly born twins. She’s trying to be in her best behaviour at home and at school considering how she doesn’t want others to feel burdened because of her.

I do feel that the story is developing well considering how Penny has grown into a beautiful person and by now she has more control over her anxiety considering how difficult it was for her to open up to her friends and other adults around her.

This part of the series has a fun mystery adventure that the characters have to come together and explore. Go for this series! It’s so much fun. It’s short and well written for young readers.

The illustrations are really fun and hilarious!

Thank you, Penguin Young Readers Group, for the advance reading copy.

Penny Lowry is back for another adventure in her fifth grade life. Her household has just grown by adding infant twins, and she is determined to look past the frequent disruptions to discover the secrets inside a mysterious box in her attic. Penny and her friends finally get the box open, and inside, they find a map that leads them on a secret journey around their town. But it is unclear what treasure might be found at the end of their path, and they must uncover a series of clues even while navigating the daily life of a fifth grade student. As this is the third book in its series, it is best to have read the first two before reading this one to provide overall context and character foundations. However, readers will be able to follow the story even if they have not experienced the earlier installments. Penny manages persistent feelings of anxiety by writing in her journal, which becomes the stream-of-consciousness narrative that guides the story. It is encouraging, also, that she has multiple means of managing her large feelings, including several supportive adults who are never far away. Comic book-style panels are inserted frequently within the text, which gives the novel a hybrid quality that will appeal to a wide range of readers. The story moves quickly, and readers will find familiar elements in Penny and her friends as they interact with one another and their environment. Filled with moments of humor, friendship, jealousy, and conviction, this is a fun and lighthearted addition to library collections for young middle grade readers.

I received an electronic ARC from PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group through NetGalley.
Penny is back and readers learn about the challenges of bringing twin babies home. Life changes dramatically and Shepard's humor shines through. Penny and her friends also locate the key to unlock the mystery box and discover the first clue in a Treasure Hunt. After several near misses, they do locate the clues and find the "treasure." Though it's not what they expected, each friend gains confidence in themselves and shares more with the others. Penny struggles with her worries and with feeling like she isn't worth being with. Readers see why she feels this way but can also see that she is building up problems in her thoughts. I appreciate her seeing the school counselor and sharing with an unlikely person to work out her emotions. Middle grade readers will connect with Penny and her friends and identify with at least one of them.
Don't miss the preview for the next book in this series included at the end.