Skary Childrin and the Carousel of Sorrow Review

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(More customer reviews)Let me just begin by saying that I am not a young adult and I don't have kids but this book is great! I only recently heard about it from an article on Yahoo (or maybe aol). Once I looked up Katy Towell and saw the drawings and animations (which are great fun) I decided to download a sample of the book. I read straight through the sample and had to download to keep going! The story is quirky, spooky, sad, and funny and I found it really engaging. The drawings are totally cool and don't overwhelm the story. I read until 4 a.m. and had to stop only because I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. It is totally set to be a series and I can't wait to read more! (I also really want a print of her adorable little gorgon with the stone kitty from her website!) I know that I would have totally dug this book at 12 years old and I am no where near that age now - except, perhaps young at heart. A great read.

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Twelve years ago, for 12 days straight, the town of Widowsbury suffered a terrible storm, which tore open a gate through which escaped all sorts of foul, rotten things. Strange things and strange people were no longer welcomed in Widowsbury, for one could never be sure of what secrets waited under the surface . . . Adelaide Foss, Maggie Borland, and Beatrice Alfred are known by their classmates at Widowsbury's Madame Gertrude's School for Girls as "scary children." Unfairly targeted because of their peculiarities—Adelaide has an uncanny resemblance to a werewolf, Maggie is abnormally strong, and Beatrice claims to be able to see ghosts—the girls spend a good deal of time isolated in the school's inhospitable library facing detention. But when a number of people mysteriously begin to disappear in Widowsbury, the girls work together, along with Steffen Weller, son of the cook at Rudyard School for Boys, to find out who is behind the abductions. Will they be able to save Widowsbury from a 12-year-old curse?

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The Last Mission (Laurel-Leaf Historical Fiction) Review

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(More customer reviews)I am a high school history teacher. This book is an excellent teaching tool for freshmen or sophomore history classes (some of the older kids thought that the reading level was too easy). The majority of my students liked the book as it brought a wealth of additional color and background to the classroom lecture notes. The fact that the protagonist is 16 and there is a "love story" subplot makes it even better.
As far as the swearing, it is not at all excessive and actually adds to the book as it shows the culture shock that 16 year old Jack underwent when he joined the Army Air Force. Also...from a historical standpoint..people did swear back then! Trust me...it is nothing worse than I as a teacher (quite unfortunately) hear in the hallways on a daily basis.

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In 1944, as World War II is raging across Europe, fifteen-year-old Jack Raab dreams of being a hero. Leaving New York City, his family, and his boyhood behind, Jack uses a false I.D. and lies his way into the U.S. Air Force.From their base in England, he and his crew fly twenty-four treacherous bombing missions over occupied Europe. The war is almost over and Hitler near defeat when they fly their last mission -- a mission destined for disaster. Shot down far behind enemy lines, Jack is taken prisoner and sent to a German POW camp, where his experiences are more terrifying than anything he'd ever imagined.

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Aphrodite the Beauty (Goddess Girls) Review

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(More customer reviews)Best goddess-girlfriends Aphrodite, Athena, Artemis, and Persephone were all busy cracking the scrolls at the illustrious MOA, Mount Olympus Academy. With the exception of Beauty-ology, Aphrodite had little interest in scrolls, but when it came to godboys and love she was all eyes and ears. If you counted the matchmaking, you could count her in as nose-y. She was pretty good at it except for the time one of her "fatally flawed" ideas for matching up Paris and Helen caused a war. She was the "goddessgirl of love and beauty," but she'd have to leave the brains to Athena. Naturally all the godboys went wild over her, so one little mistake wasn't that big of a deal. After a while all the attention Aphrodite was getting made her a bit "fed up with godboys," but braniac Athena looked like she would enjoy a bit of attention now and then. Mmmmmm
Aphrodite, or "Bubbles" as nasty Medusa nicknamed her, "loved stirring up romance for others." She pored over "Teen Scrollazine" getting new ideas for Athena's makeover, a makeover that was so successful even Poseidon, "Fishface," exclaimed, "Wow, Athena . . . you look really different." Unfortunately when blond haired, blue-eyed heartthrob, Ares began eying Athena and calling her "Theeny," Aphrodite felt twangs of jealousy. When the skinniest godboy wimp, Hephaestus, began crushing on her, she was totally humiliated. She really had to concentrate on matching up mortal Hippomenes with Atalanta and had to forget about the whole fiasco. If he didn't beat Atalanta in a race he would die, but this whole mess with Athena was going to kill her instead. These days she couldn't stir up a cosmetic recipe with a spoon, let alone stir up a romance for herself. How did she get into such a mess?
Aphrodite, MOA's irresistibly vain goddessgirl of love, will simply charm the reader with her matchmaking foibles. This marvelous series is a lot of fun and just as irresistibly charming as its main characters. The reader will roll her eyes when she learns that Aphrodite has an "automatic reflex" to peer inside every mirror she passes and contrarily, will feel sorry for her when "tears brimmed in her eyes" when she was humiliated. In addition to a bubbly tale, the reader will have a learning experience even without giving a thought to Greek mythology (or cracking a scroll). This series is proving to be a hit with all the goddessgirls, godboys, and mortals out there and with the introduction of each new character, it's getting harder to pick a favorite and soooo . . . I'll just have to say I love `em all

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Sure Aphrodite is beautiful, but it's not always easy being the goddess of love and beauty!

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The False Princess Review

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(More customer reviews)Nalia has led a privileged life as princess and heir to the throne of Thorvaldor, until her sixteenth birthday. Nalia is then told that she is not really the princess. She has simply been a stand-in for the real princess, living in hiding until she came of age. Now known as Sinda, the false princess is shipped back to an aunt that she doesn't know to live a poor, meager life. But Sinda has a latent talent for magic. When she returns to the city to study magic, Sinda reunites with her childhood friend and discovers an incredible secret that will affect the entire kingdom.
Nalia/Sinda is a complicated girl, who faces adversity with strength and humility. She's easy to like, and though at first naïve, Sinda learns from her mistakes and always tries to do the right thing, even at the sake of her own safety. Her friendship-turned-romance with her childhood friend Keirnan is sweet and endearing.
The story is completely engaging from the very beginning, and proves impossible to put down. Full of drama, magic, suspense, and romance, this is an impressive debut. Though marketed for young adults, fantasy fans of all ages should enjoy. O'Neal's vibrant characters are matched with a fast-paced adventure and intrigue that was over too soon.


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Princess and heir to the throne of Thorvaldor, Nalia's led a privileged life at court. But everything changes when it's revealed, just after her sixteenth birthday, that she is a false princess, a stand-in for the real Nalia, who has been hidden away for her protection. Cast out with little more than the clothes on her back, the girl now called Sinda must leave behind the city of Vivaskari, her best friend, Keirnan, and the only life she's ever known.Sinda is sent to live with her only surviving relative, an aunt who is a dyer in a distant village. She is a cold, scornful woman with little patience for her newfound niece, and Sinda proves inept at even the simplest tasks. But when Sinda discovers that magic runs through her veins - long-suppressed, dangerous magic that she must learn to control - she realizes that she can never learn to be a simple village girl.Returning to Vivaskari for answers, Sinda finds her purpose as a wizard scribe, rediscovers the boy who saw her all along, and uncovers a secret that could change the course of Thorvaldor's history, forever.A dazzling first novel, The False Princess is an engrossing fantasy full of mystery, action, and romance.

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Aphrodite the Diva (Goddess Girls) Review

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(More customer reviews)Excuse me, a D in Hero-logy? Aphrodite deserved nothing better than an A in everything. Everyone A-dored her, A-dmired her, A-ccepted her . . . why even her name began with an A. Now she was going to be known as a dumb airhead at Mount Olympus Academy. It was Hero Day, the start of Hero Week at MOA and she'd have to work fast to convince Mr. Cyclops to raise her grade before anyone caught wind of her predicament. Aphrodite was positive that her best friends Persephone, Athena, and Artemis had to have done well in Hero-logy and if malicious Medusa heard about it, it would be all over the academy before a single snake on her head could even bat any of their ugly eyes. There was that "unfortunate incident" in which she started a war on earth, but perhaps Mr. Cyclops might be willing to overlook it. When Aphrodite brought up the possibility of raising her grade he simply told her to "Spend a little less time on being a diva and more time on your studies." What nerve! Looked like spending Hero Week on vacation with her friends was definitely out.
Athena was the one with the brains, but in a pinch Aphrodite could come up with a plan if she tried hard enough. She had to admit that trying to match up Paris with Helen was a flop, but her sixth diva sense told her that creating a Lonely Hearts Club might just be the ticket to raising her grades. It would be a club for mortals who wanted to "find love." After all, Aphrodite was the goddess of love and a matchmaker superior (or so she thought). The first thing to do was to make up excuses as to why she was staying at MOA during Hero Week and secondly she'd have to dispatch Pheme, the big mouth who "could spread news faster than a herald in a speeding chariot," to let the mortals know about her new club. In the meantime Zeus was so mad about that little war he was storming around MOA like a tornado in Kansas. Before long she overheard mortals talking about her. "Aphrodite is starting a Lonely Darts Club." Oh, no!" She soon got half a letter from some guy named Pyg and soon found herself being challenged from some "hoity-toity Egyptian goddess" who claimed SHE was the goddess of love. And then there were those strange riddlescrolls from someone who was obviously crushing on her (didn't everyone?). What is the world was going on? Was she barking up the wrong olive tree trying to raise her grade by starting a Lonely Hearts Club?
Adorable airhead, Aphrodite, will charm the sandals off everyone when she starts her Lonely Hearts Club for mortals. Aphrodite might be the beautiful goddessgirl, but she also might be the one that could use a bit more common sense. This storyline, as all those in the goddessgirl tales before it, kept me reading right along with high interest. No doubt the Goddess Girls series is an easy way to learn about Greek mythology, but now in "Aphrodite the Diva" we meet her Egyptian rival, Isis, and learn a bit about what goes on with another equally determined goddess and her admiring passel of mortals. I loved the humor and sentences like "Pinky swear was obviously a universal language" made me chuckle. In this book we meet a new pigheaded character named Pygmalion that everyone will fall in love with as much as they have with the many other godboys in this series. Aprhodite certainly meets her match with Isis, but I'm not going to tell you what happens with the rivalry because you'll just have to read the book. If you've read any of the series before you'll easily immerse yourself in this tale and if you haven't, you'll definitely want to check out the other goddessgirls!This book courtesy of the authors.

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In book 6, after a teeny misunderstanding in class, Aphrodite is failing Hero-ology. To raise her grade, she concocts a brilliant plan--an extra-credit project for matchmaking mortals. This brings her face-to-face with fierce competition--an Egyptian goddessgirl named Isis. Now the race is on to see which of them can matchmake Pygmalion--the most annoying boy ever! Will Aphrodite wind up making a passing grade after all? Or will she end up proving she's a diva with more beauty than brains?These classic myths from the Greek pantheon are given a modern twist that contemporary tweens can relate to, from dealing withbullies like Medusa to a first crush on an unlikely boy. Goddess Girlsfollows four goddesses-in-training - Athena, Persephone, Aphrodite, andArtemis - as they navigate the ins and outs of divine social life atMount Olympus Academy, where the most priviledged gods and goddesses ofthe Greek pantheon hone their mythical skills.

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A World Without Heroes (Beyonders) Review

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(More customer reviews)I hadn't read any of Brandon Mull's previous books when I picked this up. Someone recommended it to me and asked if I would review it, and so I said sure I'd be happy to take a look at it. From the first page I was riveted by the dark and powerful opening that propels the reader into the world of the Lyrian.
Of course the book seemed to change from the type of storytelling seen in the introduction to the first few chapters. Characters are given quests, they must overtake a sitting evil ruler, and they are the only hope as this is a land ruled by fear and corruption. This whole setup seemed a little simplistic and the quest reminded me very much of an old math adventure computer game from JumpStart that you travel around and solve riddles and math puzzles to help beat the game.
Of course there is a reason that those games were as popular as they were, and everyone my age played them at some point in time. Because they were incredibly well targeted for that age group. This is exactly what Mull has done with the Beyonders series, by targeting a specific age group that will be sure to respond to his writing.
What Mull really adds to the story is his ability to create inventive and interesting magics and creatures. My personal favorites were the characters/creatures Jasher, a seed person, and Ferrin, a displacer. I found both of these wizardborn (I assume the seed people of Amar Kabal were wizardborn because of there rebirth through seeds but I don't believe it was actually stated that they were so I might be wrong) characters fascinating. The ability to detach one's body and survive is a fascinating (and useful) ability that I felt was both unique and interesting to read about. These characters were also complex and really helped bring a higher level of action and adventure to the story.
Yet, while the quest seemed simplistic the twists that Mull introduces and especially at the end of the book make for an exhilarating spin on the story. Because of this shocking revelation at the end which promises to bring an excellent sequel in Seeds of Rebellion, the interesting wizardborn characters, and the quest, this book is perfect for it's recommended age group. It will engross both boys and girls between 3rd to 8th grade, and after the revelations at the end, even a much older reader such as myself can't wait for the next book in this exciting series.
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The Emerald Atlas (Books of Beginning) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is the kind of book that will have the reader glued to its pages until the exciting conclusion. I would equate this book to The Golden Compass, though easier to understand, Harry Potter, and The Hobbit. John Stephens, a television writer, really knows how to keeps his audience's attention. I swear, I could not stop reading this book, finishing all 400-plus pages in just over two days. I can't remember the last time I was so enthralled with a book.
The story is about the love of family, faith, and magic. The three main characters are siblings who have been taken from their parents ten years ago, forced to grow up in one orphanage after another, until finally ending up in an old mansion owned by a mysterious old man. Before they meet the old man, the children explore the house until they come upon a door that magically appears, leading fourteen Kate, and her twelve year old brother Michael, along with feisty eleven year old Emma, into a laboratory of sorts. There they find a mysterious green leather book with filled with blank pages. When Michael, who chronicles their lives in his journal, drops a picture onto one of the blank pages, the children are transported through time, finding themselves watching in horror as a beautiful witch threatens to drop a child into a lake.
I loved the back-story of how magic left the land, along with some real history thrown in for good measure. Stephens does a great job of adding depth to the story and for making believable and unforgettable characters.
Set in modern times yet full of magic, the Emerald Atlas is non-stop action with lessons of loyalty, love and the importance of family woven masterfully into a tale that kids of all ages will find hard to put down. Like Harry Potter, the Emerald Atlas can be read by children and adults alike. There is nothing in the book that you couldn't read to a young child and still find enjoyable yourself.
Stephens' triology starts off with such promise. I will be eagerly awaiting book two. I hope he writes quickly.

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