Bella's Gift

My daughter loved this book. It has the added bonus of a code to play the internet version of the Bella Sara game.

I just finished reading all the Magic Tree House books to my 4 year old son so we went to the bookstore to pick out a new series to read. When he grabbed the Bella Star book and said that was the one he wanted us to read, I was hesitant. But it captivated him from the first chapter and we finished the book in two days. We would have finished it in one day if he had it his way since he did not put it down. We have not tried the online games yet. I noticed that several reviews said the games are fun for their child, but the books were either too hard or not interesting to them. I definitely didn't have the same experience with my son. He was definitely captivated right away and is excited to read the next ones in the series. The names of some of the people and places are a bit tricky to know how they should be pronounced, but that was the only negative thing about the books.

Reviewed by Madeline McElroy (age 8) for Reader Views (6/09) This is a story about a girl named Jillian. She used to live with her parents when she was a baby, but an evil, wicked queen named Ivenna stole her. Now Jillian is a servant for Ivenna in her castle. Jillian has a special journal she keeps hidden in her room. Many years later she realizes that the animals she draws in her journal lead the animals to the castle. They in turn become Ivenna's slaves as well. She makes the animals make her meals, draw her baths and sometimes she even locks them up. Jillian feels really sad when she discovers that she made all these poor animals come to the castle and live as slaves. Her plan is to summon "Bella" to help free her and the animals. She goes back to her room to get her journal to draw Bella, but when she reaches for the book, it is gone! I really enjoyed reading this exciting story about this young girl and her animal friends. There is a lot of action between the characters and the animals. A thrilling moment was when one of the horses was protecting Jillian and he kicked up his hooves and shot lightening bolts at Ivenna's protecting wolves. My favorite part of the story was when the rose dragons were cutting herbs and vegetables. The ending of "Bella Sara: Bella's Gift" by Felicity Brown was spectacular!

I absolutly loved this book! I am a huge Bella Sara fan and I love to read so I was very excited when they came out with a book series. I am older so this book was very easy for me to understand, however I still loved it even though I finished it in one sitting. The writing was well done and I felt as though I was there. I would definately recommed it, escepially for moms with younger daughter. The mom could read to the daughter and have a time to bond.

My daughter is going to be 7 in May. She loves Bella Sara. I bought this book with the idea I would read it to her. I did and it was so good we had a tough time putting it down at bedtime. I did have to explain some words or phrases once in awhile, but she is now ready and started reading the same book by herself last night. We will continue with the Bella Sara series. Thanks so much. Judy