Review of Lucy and the Magic Shell
Posted: 05 Jul 2023, 22:05
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Lucy and the Magic Shell" by Jan Richey King.]
It’s not uncommon for people to pick up a conch shell that they see on the beach and put it up to their ears. The purpose of doing this is to hear a whoosh sound like the waves of the ocean. Lucy is a little girl who does this exact thing. She finds a conch shell, puts it up to her ear, and listens. Instead of a whooshing sound, there is a voice. What the voice had to say changed her life forever. What did the voice say? Read Lucy and the Magic Shell by Jan Richey King to find out!
I liked the author’s use of positive messages in this book. It showed nicely that one positive action can lead to another. I think there were valuable lessons in the book too, like sharing, kindness, and believing in yourself. The illustrations were also very well done.
While I am glad that Lucy made a positive change in her life, I wish that change had happened more organically rather than simply by listening to a shell. I think the story would have been better if the shell had given specific advice like, "Think of a nice thing you can do for Penny." Seeing Lucy follow that and think about the results of that decision would be a better way to frame the story. There was also a lot of text per page. That’s fine for adults or older readers, but for young children, it could be an issue due to shorter attention spans.
I give Lucy and the Magic Shell a rating of 4 out of 5 stars. I reduced the rating by one star due to the large chunks of text and the fact that it contained a couple of minor editing errors. Overall, it was a cute story with a great message about spreading positivity.
This book is best suited for young children who like the beach or stories about magic. It’s a good story for families to read together and discuss how they can make a positive impact on the lives of others.
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Lucy and the Magic Shell
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
It’s not uncommon for people to pick up a conch shell that they see on the beach and put it up to their ears. The purpose of doing this is to hear a whoosh sound like the waves of the ocean. Lucy is a little girl who does this exact thing. She finds a conch shell, puts it up to her ear, and listens. Instead of a whooshing sound, there is a voice. What the voice had to say changed her life forever. What did the voice say? Read Lucy and the Magic Shell by Jan Richey King to find out!
I liked the author’s use of positive messages in this book. It showed nicely that one positive action can lead to another. I think there were valuable lessons in the book too, like sharing, kindness, and believing in yourself. The illustrations were also very well done.
While I am glad that Lucy made a positive change in her life, I wish that change had happened more organically rather than simply by listening to a shell. I think the story would have been better if the shell had given specific advice like, "Think of a nice thing you can do for Penny." Seeing Lucy follow that and think about the results of that decision would be a better way to frame the story. There was also a lot of text per page. That’s fine for adults or older readers, but for young children, it could be an issue due to shorter attention spans.
I give Lucy and the Magic Shell a rating of 4 out of 5 stars. I reduced the rating by one star due to the large chunks of text and the fact that it contained a couple of minor editing errors. Overall, it was a cute story with a great message about spreading positivity.
This book is best suited for young children who like the beach or stories about magic. It’s a good story for families to read together and discuss how they can make a positive impact on the lives of others.
******
Lucy and the Magic Shell
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon