Kait's Bookshelf

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Book Reviews: New Reads from Theme Park Press

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It’s no secret to anyone who knows me that I love Disney. I grew up watching Disney films and have an uncle who was a Disney animator for years. So I was introduced to the magic of Disney at a young age and it stuck. As a grown-up Disney kid, I follow popular Disney sites, such as The Main Street Mouse, and was excited to learn that Michele, the voice behind the website, had written a book about her journey. I decided to look into the publisher of her book and found, to my delight, that there is a publisher dedicated to books about Disney. Theme Park Press proudly produces “The Happiest Books on Earth.” Having already purchased Michele Atwood’s Moving to Main Street, U.S.A. I browsed other Theme Park Press titles and was thrilled when they granted my request for a review copy of Murder in the Magic Kingdom by Annie Salisbury. Within a week, I had received two Disney themed book mail packages, and I couldn’t wait to start reading!

Moving to Main Street USAMoving to Main Street, U.S.A.

by Michele Atwood

I knew little about Michele Atwood’s story other than that she moved from freezing Michigan to sunny Florida to be closer to Disney World. In her memoir, she tells her Disney story, starting with her introduction to Disney which quickly blossomed into a love for all things Disney, which ultimately turned into starting her own Disney business with her husband, Scott.

Realizing that they couldn’t run a Disney business hundreds of miles away from all the action, Michele and Scott decided to make the move to Florida, leaving family, friends, and everything familiar behind. While this might sound like a dream come true for many people, and probably any Disney fan, their journey wasn’t without struggles. The Atwoods encountered struggles the likes of online bullying and discouragement to financial strains to personal loss, and yet they kept going. As tempting as it was to quit at times, they persisted and now have a successful business to show for it.

I found Michele’s story to be inspiring and encouraging, especially for a blogger like myself! In fact, the only criticism I have of this book is not in the story itself but rather in the telling. I feel that Theme Park Press should invest in more thorough editing because there were a LOT of typos in this book. There were misspellings, typos, and a lot of shifting between past and present in the same paragraph and even in the same sentence. If errors like this don’t bother you, then you will likely breeze through this quick and magical Disney read. However, if you’re like me and typos like that really disrupt the reading for you, then you will likely find yourself frustrated at being distracted from the story.

So that’s it. A very magical Disney story filled with inspiration for dreamers and those who need some encouragement to make a big change or stay on a journey they’ve already started.

One of my favorite quotes from the book: “No matter what happened, we kept moving forward, just like Walt said a long time ago. Never let anyone tell you that you can’t do something, because indeed you can. If you don’t have someone to be a champion or cheerleader for you, be your own.” – Moving to Main Street, U.S.A.

 

Murder in the Magic Kingdom (1)Murder in the Magic Kingdom

by Annie Salisbury

I enjoy reading mysteries and I love Disney, so a murder mystery with a Disney twist had me intrigued and excited. When Tommy Boyd, an Imagineering apprentice, is found dead at a Disney attraction, Disney cast member, Josh, is blamed for it. Only Josh insists he didn’t do it and didn’t even know Tommy Boyd. Now the race is on, through the Magic Kingdom, to prove his innocence.

I enjoyed this book. It was a quick read but entertaining nonetheless. Some of my favorite rides are featured in the book, like Peter Pan’s Flight and The Haunted Mansion. I loved all of the behind the scenes information about Disney World, such as hidden doorways that lead to break rooms and secret passageways that run under the Magic Kingdom. As a former cast member, Annie Salisbury knows what she’s talking about and puts her insider Disney knowledge to good use in this fast paced read.

As in the previous book I mentioned, there were some typos in this book as well. There were not as many as in the other book and there was no shifting of tense or any confusing wording in this one. It was mostly a clean copy. I’m happy that I have discovered the “Happiest Books on Earth,” and while I do plan to read more from this publisher, I hope their editing becomes more thorough going forward.

Both Moving to Main Street, U.S.A. and Murder in the Magic Kingdom are available on Amazon.

Up Next: My review of Amanda Prowse’s new book, The Art of Hiding. Subscribe to the blog or sign up with your email here so you don’t miss out!

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Author: kaitsbookshelf

After several years of being a cubicle commander, I realized that cubicle life is not for me. I went back to school and received my Bachelor of Arts in Writing so I could pursue a career in the field I am most passionate about. I love everything about books and created this blog to have a creative place to share my passion for books with others. I am a freelance writer, editor, book reviewer, and blogger. I am a member of the EFA and SCBWI. Thanks for visiting my website!

3 thoughts on “Book Reviews: New Reads from Theme Park Press

  1. Great post! If you like Theme Park Press books, I did write a few myself: https://www.amazon.com/Arielle-Tuan/e/B01HNEW5L2 I’d love to know what you think! I also like to write about Disney at my blog littledismaid.com (sorry for the shameless plugs). Thanks- it’s so nice to read book reviews from Theme Park Press! Annie Salisbury’s other books are great too.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Hi Arielle! Thanks for your comment. I’m glad you liked the post, and I will check out your books and blog. No worries on shameless plugs here. There is plenty of room for more books on my bookshelf. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  2. Pingback: August Wrap-Up! | Kait's Bookshelf

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