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Review of The Adventures of Blizzard

Posted: 02 Dec 2024, 10:35
by Justin Christensen
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Adventures of Blizzard" by Mark Cartwright.]
Book Cover
1 out of 5 stars
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The Adventures of Blizzard is a book that I really wanted to love, but I don’t think that I did. The cover illustration is cute and made me think it would be a nice little story about a boy and his dog. The story itself had surprising depth, as it is about a boy who adopts a dog that has no owner. Unfortunately, in the Kindle version that I read, there were absolutely no illustrations inside of the book. There were also a number of grammar errors that I think could be confusing for the early readers the book was targeted to.

The lack of pictures is probably my biggest complaint. I assume, given the nature of the book and the limited text, that this was intended to be a picture book. A picture book without pictures is like a chocolate chip cookie without chocolate chips. You can see that it could have been really good, but it is missing something pretty critical. The story itself is cute, but also a little odd. It is written from the perspective of the titular Blizzard.

At the start of the book, Blizzard has apparently been running around without any owner for some time. He spies a sad-looking boy in a park and runs up to greet and play with him. The boy ends up taking him home, and he joins a new family. It is a cute little premise, but I don’t know that I love the concept. My kids love dogs, and consequently I’ve spent a decent amount of time teaching them when it is not appropriate to approach a dog. A stray dog running up to my child in a park and jumping on them would be a pretty spooky thing, even if the dog turned out to be friendly. I think it would have been a very good idea to have the parent in the story make the introduction, so it is clear to young readers that this interaction is ok because the parent has approved.

Like I said before, I wanted to love this book. Unfortunately, with the lack of pictures, the grammar errors, and my issues with the story as a whole, I don’t think I can rate it higher than one out of five stars. I cannot recommend it to anyone in its current form. I think it could still be a fine book if you get a version with pictures.

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The Adventures of Blizzard
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

Re: Review of The Adventures of Blizzard

Posted: 03 Dec 2024, 22:05
by Tiffany Dowell
I haven't read the book, but I am a mother of 3 boys, 2 of which love dogs, and at an impressionable toddler and young child age, CERTAINLY agree with the concerns of a book making unsupervised contact with a strange dog feel OK and safe.

Re: Review of The Adventures of Blizzard

Posted: 04 Dec 2024, 11:32
by Williams Jaden
While The Adventures of Blizzard has a heartwarming premise and a charming cover, the Kindle version falls short due to the lack of illustrations and noticeable grammar errors. These issues may hinder its appeal to the early readers it aims to engage.

Re: Review of The Adventures of Blizzard

Posted: 04 Dec 2024, 13:13
by Jeff Ekpo
The author should not be discouraged for getting a one out of five stars from the reviewer.
After all, reviews are to help us get better. The author should read the review carefully and go back to the drawing board to make corrections from the suggestions in the review.

Re: Review of The Adventures of Blizzard

Posted: 04 Dec 2024, 13:14
by Jeff Ekpo
The author should not be discouraged for getting a one out of five stars from the reviewer.
After all, reviews are to help us get better. The author should read the review carefully and go back to the drawing board to make corrections from the suggestions in the review.

Re: Review of The Adventures of Blizzard

Posted: 25 Dec 2024, 07:10
by Naimah Agboluaje
Alooma, based on your review, it seems like "The Adventures of Blizzard" may not be the best choice for a book to read. The lack of illustrations, grammar errors, and potential concerns with the story's premise make it a questionable option. With a rating of one out of five stars, it's hard to recommend this book in its current form. It might benefit from improvements and revisions. Captivating narrative, drew me in completely.