Views From the Pond: January, February, and March 2026

 

Looking back at the last three months- it is amazing how fast time goes. It was a long and cold winter here, with more super chilly days than I remember having in a long time. While snow is beautiful, I am definitely happy that spring is in the air, and flowers are starting to bloom. 

Although I saw deer, fox, possums, rabbits, and many kinds of birds- I took mostly mental snapshots.

 Hope you enjoy looking back with me!

January 2026

Hello 2026! 

What a blue!

Night views of the moon. 

A winter wonderland.

The pond on my way to work.

So many stars!

Love the way the snow looks right after a storm. So peaceful!

February 2026

The sun peeking out as I leave for work. 

So much snow- about 2 feet!

This snow was a lot to shovel!

So happy to see a little bit of grass!

Not my pond- but the colors as I rode with my husband to run an 

errand were just stunning! Love the reflections in the puddle and

the road! So special to see colors like this in the sky.

March 2026

Happy to have a delay and enjoy this beautiful morning time.

Love seeing the land below the snow and the bright blue sky. Spring is coming!

The brook is full after so much snow!

Lord and Lady Quackerly are back!

Nighttime visitor- hopefully eating some ticks! They look full (or pregnant).

Love the reflections- always a little different than before.

 

The last night of March with a face in the clouds! Goodbye March!

Thanks for stopping by for a visit. Nice to reflect on the days that have gone by so far in 2026. Here's hoping for a spring filled with beauty, kindness, and moments of appreciation.

~S

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday # MMGM Book Review: Revenge of Queen Rose by Valinora Troy

 

At the end of The Lucky Diamond, it seemed like the five siblings had helped restore calm to the land of the Diamonds. The second book of the series, Revenge of Queen Rose begins with Susan and Vicky being captured, and there is an attack on the Diamonds which traps them inside. With so much happening, twins Alan and Cathy set off to find their sisters and free the Diamonds. It is hard to know what to do without the help of their friend, Lucky, but they follow their guts and contact Charlie. He agrees to help them, and they embark on a journey filled with danger, new characters, and a venomous snake that is trying to attack them. While Alan and Cathy are fighting for their lives, Susan and Vicky are trying to escape imprisonment and the beings who are holding them against their will. Are the Diamonds trapped forever? Is there anyone who can break the magic spell? Will the siblings be safely reunited? You will have to read this superb sequel to find out!

I was lucky enough to listen to Revenge of Queen Rose on audio, and I really enjoyed the way the narrator brought the characters to life. The story was fast and exciting, with lots of tension and surprises. I like the way new characters were woven into the story, and it wasn't always easy to decide who Alan and Cathy should trust. There are also characters from book one that show up and we find out more about them and their kingdom. I love that all the characters and pieces tie together in the end. The way the author describes the action really made the story easy to picture. It was interesting learning more about the magical gifts that the children have and seeing how they used them.  I would recommend this book to anyone in third grade and up that enjoys fantasy books and lots of adventure. I always prefer reading a series in order, and while it is possible to read this book without reading The Lucky Diamond, I think reading the books in order will make the fantasy world clearer to the reader. I look forward to reading more about these spunky siblings and their adventures. 

Has anyone else read Revenge of Queen Rose? Or have you read another book by Valinora Troy? We'd love to hear your thoughts!

Happy Reading!
~L 

For other MMGM posts, please visit Greg Pattridge's blog.

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday # MMGM Book Review: The Secret Winner's Club by Donna Galanti

 

Three friends, Sunny, Vee, and Trev, start a secret club in order to reach their goals. They all have a common goal of winning. Trev wants to get the lead role in the upcoming musical, Vee wants to beat her nemesis in swimming, and Sunny wants to build the best junkbot and win the upcoming competition. Each of them has their reason for wanting to win, part of which is having others see them without their autoimmune conditions. They come up with plans to reach their winning goals. They agree that they’ll stop at nothing and tell no one. When a new girl named Josie asks to join their club, she tells them that she has an autoimmune disease just like they all do. Soon something seems amiss and their winning plans have a few hiccups. Is winning everything?  If you do whatever it takes, will getting what you want really make you happy? You’ll have to see what happens to this group of friends on their journey to win.

The Secret Winners Club by Donna Galanti is one of many books that I’ve read by her. I like how the story was told from different viewpoints, so we got to see what each of the main characters were thinking. Sunny, Vee, and Trev seemed very real because they had their good qualities, but they also had their flaws. I know a lot of kids that have a variety of autoimmune conditions, and I think this would be a book where they could see themselves. Two of my friends have alopecia, and there aren’t a lot of books with kids who are going through the same thing. Learning about vitiligo, psoriasis, and alopecia will help other kids learn about what life is like for some people and may answer some of their questions. It was interesting to see what each person did to try to reach their goal and how they felt afterwards. It makes you think about what you'd do to win. I would recommend this book to anyone in fourth grade and up who likes books about friendship. 

Has anyone else read The Secret Winners Club? Or have you read another book by Donna Galanti?

We'd love to hear your thoughts!

Happy Reading!
~L

For other MMGM posts, please visit Greg Pattridge's blog.