Book Review: Maya-Bay of the Dolphin

My book reviews are my personal opinion. I am not paid for reviews. I read and write reviews for fun. Some books are given to me, some are won in giveaways and some are purchased. All reviews are my full honest opinion and it is not in any way for or against a specific author. Thank you!

I love reading. It has always been a very important part of my life. Was I always good at it? Definitely not, no one is. We all start out not knowing how to read. I, however, struggled more than the average person.

For most of elementary school I was put into a remedial reading group. We met during reading time each day. I really enjoyed the attention I got in that small group. It really helped me to succeed in school. I averaged a "C" all 6 years I was there, and I believe that was mostly for effort. Not being a great reader affected all areas of work.

Eventually, thanks to the help I received from teacher aides, I caught up and surpassed the majority of students in my grade. By the time I got to middle school (6th grade) I was getting all A's, on academic teams and the spell bowl team. Not to mention I was reading for fun.

It has opened my eyes to how very important reading is in all aspects of your life. I may not be an English Major or an editor of a big newspaper, but reading has been a blessing and a form of happiness for me.

Nowadays I read for fun. I paid my dues. I read all of those high school and college textbooks...let's put an emphasis on all of the Nursing material I had to read... I enjoy reading for fun now. I have read more in the last two years than I have my whole life (pertaining to reading for enjoyment.) I have read and enjoyed many different types of books. I also still really enjoy children's books. My kids are now reading and one of my favorite things to do with them is visit the bookstore. We go once or twice a week. I love it!

I just recently finished a book written by a local author, Suzanne De Board. I was lucky enough to meet  her and her husband over Thanksgiving break during a book signing. She had 7 books available for purchase, and of course I couldn't walk out of there with just one book--so I got three! The three I chose were: Sarah Jane, The Gift (the first book in "The Gift" series, and Maya-Bay of the Dolphin.  Maya-Bay of the Dolphin is a middle-school reading level chapter book. I read it the day after I bought it. I couldn't wait to dive into one of the books I got so I decided to start with the one I could finish quickly. I was not disappointed!

I am not a professional book reviewer, but I will give my opinion. I give reviews for almost all the books I read on my Goodreads app, but this is the first one I have written a blog post about. I believe this book is good enough to get more recognition so I would be happy to spread the word in any way I can.

I must begin with the cover illustration since that is the first thing you see. It is beautiful. I love the bright, cheerful colors. I will tell you all like I told the author, "I try not to judge a book by its cover, but I can't help it. These are beautiful." ("these" referring to all of her books.)

Her books really do have some of the best cover art I have ever seen.

Now onto the inside...

This was such a cute story. It is the story of seven year old Maya who loses her nana, her best friend. The family spreads her cremated ashes out to sea, and Maya spots a dolphin who she believes is her papa taking her nana with him.

The story continues with her parents struggle to make her believe she is not seeing her grandparents and that it is only marine animals.

The whole story is wonderful, but the ending is perfect. It put a smile on my face and brought a tear to my eye. I can't wait to read it with my kids.

It is very well written. I feel like it is a treasure for all ages, but especially the youngest readers. Books for young audiences are very much Straight to the point without much imagery or description for fear that the young reader can't understand the concept of the story. This story is quite the opposite. The author really delivers the scene and story simplistically and eloquently. 

I highly recommend this book. I love a book with a pleasant surprise ending and it isn't too often you find that in a book written for young readers. Which is why this book is for people of all ages. Christmas is coming near and you still have time to order things online. Give your children the gift of reading and start with this book! :) Here is a link to the book on Amazon.

Maya-Bay of the Dolphin

Happy Reading!