The Incorrible Children of Ashton Place

Dear Readers,

I have started to read a new book series entitled "The Incorrible Children of Ashton Place" by MaryRose Wood.  I have to admit, the first thing that drew me to the book was the cover page illustration (by Jon Klassen).  It reminded me of "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë and that couldn't be a bad thing!

Coincidentally, this story is also about a young and poor governess, Miss Penelope Lumley, who is hired to take charge of three very unusual pupils.  The series consists of 6 volumes but the 6th volume is not released yet.   All the books are written by the same author but the illustrator changed: from books 1-3, it's Jon Klassen and for books 4-5, it's Eliza Wheeler.

I loved reading "Jane Eyre" and so without much hesitation, I bought the first book:

"The Incorrible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling"

I read it in three hours and was instantly hooked! I decided to buy all four remaining volumes!  Each book apparently ends with a cliffhanger so if you don't want to wait for the next delivery, you should buy all of them at once like I did! LOL

The target age range is 8-12 years old (or Grade 3-7) but I think adults can enjoy this book series as well.  The is a lot of humor in the story and Mrs. Wood's writing style is fluid and very likeable.  The story reminded me very much of the 1970 French movie "L'Enfant Sauvage" by François Truffaut which was about a teacher trying to educate a young boy who was apparently raised without or with little contact with human beings.

I found myself rooting for Miss Penelope Lumley and hoping that she would be able to solve the mysteries surrounding the children in her charge and the strange people who gravitate around them.

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own. I was not paid or received gifts to write this or mention any store or website.  

More Ai-Dolls

Dear Readers,

 

I thought I had bought enough A Dolls already but then Pullipstyle suddenly had them back in stock and I just had to get more!  I was very happy to find some models that were very rare but still at an affordable price. 

 

Ai Dolls are ball-jointed dolls (BJD) made of plastic (and not resin like most BJD) so they cost less than  your regular BJD but they are still fully jointed and great posers!  Their faceups are really well done!  Each release is fully clothed and comes in a very sturdy and beautiful box.  Too bad Groove has stopped making them :(  The dolls you still see floating around are the very last ones available!

 

The models I chose this time are :

1. Ai Doll Camellia (because of her Lolita-inspired outfit)
2. Ai Doll Peony (because she is so cute!)
3. Ai Doll Tsubaki (kimono and fox costume!)
4. Ai Doll Zephyr (the aviator outfit reminded me of the pilot in "Le Petit Prince")

Pullipstyle offers free shipping if you order above a certain amount so I didn't have to pay for any shipping cost.  Service is always top notch so I never regret buying from this seller.  No, he didn't pay me to write this LOL but I like to share my experience with other people so they know.

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own. I was not paid or received gifts to write this or mention any stores or website. You may find a better store in your area.

Lundby Småland Dollhouse

Dear Readers,

I was looking for a dollhouse big enough for my new Petite Blythe dolls when I stumbled across the Lundby Småland Dollhouse on Amazon.

It was the perfect size for 5 inches dolls! The room layout is very practical for playing and taking photos!  The wallpaper are in soft pastel colors which I think will suit my dolls.  This dollhouse is everything I was looking for so it didn't take much to convince me.

The dollhouse was delivered in a flat box.  Assembly took about 30 minutes.  The instructions were clear and easy to follow.

I didn't buy any Lundby furniture because it would be too expensive for me now so I decided to furnish the house with my existing furniture from Re-ment and Calico Critters / Sylvanian Families but this may change as I am experimenting with different toy brands to see which one I would prefer.

The dollhouse can be lighted but the power supply and lamps are sold separately.  I will eventually need to save money to buy them because I love lighted dollhouse!  It makes the house so much more lovely!

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own. I was not paid or received gifts to write this or mention any stores or website. You may find a better store in your area.

Petite Blythe Wake Up Kiss

Dear Readers,

I have a new addiction: Petite Blythe Dolls!

I thought I would never be interested in them but then I saw some of the Petite Blythe on Instagram and I fell in love with their cute face and sleepy eyes.

Lucky for me, I didn't have to spend a fortune to buy one.  My dear friend Jennifer from PlushPussyCat blog let me trade one of my doll for her brand new Petite Blythe Wake Up Kiss doll!

This doll has everything I was looking for : straight black hair, vibrant eye color and a sweet face up!  Wake-up Kiss is inspired from the fairy tale of Snow White so she comes with a princess dress and a dwarf outfit too.  

Jennifer sent me clothes and accessories as well!  There was also a tiny motorcycle but someone on my house took it right away hahaha!  Thank you Jennifer for this awesome trade! ♥

P.S. I  just realized I didn't take a photo of her opened eyes yet! I will do so as soon as I can move her into her dollhouse!

Huckleberry Pie is back!!!

Dear Readers,

How are you doing?  I absolutely had to come back to blogging today because I had promised to many readers who asked me about this doll that I would inform them if he ever comes back: 

The Huckleberry Pie doll is now on sale!

He has been released by Bridge Direct in a package with Strawberry Shortcake and is available at Toys R Us online.  They are about 6 inches tall.  I haven't checked the stores yet to see if it's there.  

I see a Dollhouse for Strawberry Shortcake too but it's not available for sale yet.  I don't think the kitchen is part of the dollhouse but I have yet to see the box in store. (EDIT: the dollhouse is now on sale online!)

New arrivals seem to be popping up in other toy brands too so I think I need to check out my local stores tomorrow!

Have a great Tuesday!

Hugs xoxoxo

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own. I was not paid or received gifts to write this or mention any stores or website. You may find a better store in your area