The Mark of the Golden Dragon (Bloody Jack Adventures)

The Mark of the Golden Dragon: Being an Account of the Further Adventures of Jacky Faber, Jewel of the East, Vexation of the West, and Pearl of the South China Sea (Bloody Jack Adventures) (Hardcover)  

by L. A. Meyer

I never get tired of these books and in this recent installment on the life of the cunning and now beautiful Jacky Faber, soldier, sailor, spy, and Pirate Extraordinaire we follow Jacky into a world of danger and high adventure in the South China Sea!!!!

The Mark of the Golden Dragon: Being an Account of the Further Adventures of Jacky Faber, Jewel of the East, Vexation of the West, and Pearl of the South China Sea (Bloody Jack Adventures) doesn't disappoint - on her return trip to London to find the man she loves a typhoon turns the ship, and the lives of the crew, around!

I have to share a moment with you - I love these books for the gripping adventures and world travel - but I never realized just how much is based in history and how much of the drama and events that unfold are based in reality. I was watching Jeopardy one night and was able to answer an entire column of questions on the founding of the Australian Colonies due to the last book in this series The Wake of the Lorelei Lee: Being an Account of the Further Adventures of Jacky Faber, On Her Way to Botany Bay (Bloody Jack Adventures). BRAVO L.A. Meyer - who knew history could be so much fun!

Recommended for boys & girls alike (my opinion - 10 and up) - girls will love the strong willed Jacky and boys will be in awe!  This book was provided to me through the Amazon Vine Program.

The Basilisk's Lair (Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist, Book 2)

The Basilisk's Lair (Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist, Book 2)

By: R. L. LaFevers Illustrations: Kelly Murphy

This is book two of the continuing saga of Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist!

You may remember from the first book Flight of the Phoenix (Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist, Book I) Nathaniel Fludd is a beastologist in training - learning at the hands of his quirky Aunt Phil. Unfortunately it appears that the first book was not a fluke and it looks like Aunt Phil favors the "learn by doing" method. So in book two The Basilisk's Lair (Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist, Book 2) she drags the young boy beastologist-in-training on a screaming wild adventure to find the Basilisk!

As in her other adventures R.L. LaFevers takes you on a rip roaring ride into monsters and mythology mixed with the thrills of a wildlife safari....but the nice thing about Aunt Phil...she doesn't want to do this creature harm, just contain him!

This is a quick and easy read...and while the recommendations are from 3rd to 6th grade - you could read this to a 6 year old and they would LOVE it!

Off to continue the adventure with The Wyverns' Treasure (Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist, Book 3)...

From the Author (on Amazon):

I've always held a special place for animals in my heart and they have figured prominently in my books. While researching another project, I stumbled across a medieval bestiary, the ultimate zoological authority of its time, and I was fascinated by all the mythical creatures listed in there as factual. Right around that same time, I also read about the modern day discovery of new animal species. It drove home for me just how vast and mysterious our planet was, and who knew what could be living in its hidden valleys, unexplored deserts, and remote mountaintops. Thus the world of Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist was born. -R.L. LaFevers

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

The Only Thing Missing is The White Rabbit!, March 14, 2010

By	"Reading It All - Robyn" (Orange County, CA USA)

The Iron King (Harlequin Teen) by Julie Kagawa is a fantastical mashup of Alice in Wonderland meets the Fairy Kingdom of Shakespeare's Midsummer Nights Dream...it has the energy and a cast of characters that you would expect from a ride at Disneyland!

Things have been "off" in Meghan Chase's life since the disappearance of her father and now, 24 hours away from her 16th Birthday her brother has been kidnapped and she finds that her only true friend in the world isn't Robbie Goodfellow but the fairie Puck! Why hadn't she believed her little brothers pleas and warnings about the monsters in his closet? What really happened to her father? This is an edge of the seat, thrill-a-minute tumble through the rabbit hole - or in Meghan's case the hole in the closet of her little brother Ethan's room...and Kagawa manages to keep up the pace while giving each character ample time to reveal themselves. It is peppered with enough action to keep the attention of a teen boy and teen girls will love the touch of romance and it is beautifully pulled together by the skillful wordcraft of Julie Kagawa. The Iron King (Harlequin Teen) is book one of the Iron Fey from Harlequin Teen - can't wait for more...The Iron Daughter in August 2010!!!!

Sea Glass by Maria V.Snyder

Sea Glass

by Maria V.Snyder

A wonderfully beautiful magic - the magic carried in the art of glass - Opal's talent has caused her to become both feared by the Council and a necessary ally!

This book has everything I love in an entertaining book...a great story line, a strong female heroine, magic and romance.

Trust is the underlying theme in this book - or should I say lack of trust - the Council, Derrick, Opal, Janco...

With the Glass series Maria V. Snyder affirms that all the praise reaped on the Study trilogy was deserved and this series follows through as a well crafted and suspenseful tale of adventure, romance, magic and above all...trust!

Product Description

Student glass magician Opal Cowan's newfound ability to steal a magician's powers makes her too powerful. Ordered to house arrest by the Council, Opal dares defy them, traveling to the Moon Clan's lands in search of Ulrick, the man she thinks she loves. Thinks because she is sure another man now her prisoner has switched souls with Ulrick.

In hostile territory, without proof or allies, Opal isn't sure whom to trust. She can't forget Kade, the handsome Stormdancer who doesn't want to let her get close. And now everyone is after Opal's special powers for their own deadly gain....

William S. and the Great Escape

William S. and the Great Escape

by Zilpha Keatley Snyder

Important Life Lessons...Start the Conversation with Your Kids!, December 23, 2009

By	Reading It All (Orange County, CA USA) - See all my reviews

From the cover art to the end - William S. and the Great Escape is a winner!

William is forced to runaway - ahead of schedule - this is something he has been planning ever since the death of their beloved mother.

Escaping an abusive father and older siblings - William and his three younger siblings run - eventually hoping to land at their aunts house...but as you probably expect, trouble follows.

The only thing that kept this from being a 5 star book for me was the historical placement. The book takes place in the 1930's and I never really felt like I was there.

Through the telling of this compelling story the author, Zilpha Keatley Snyder, author of The Egypt Game, The Headless Cupid, and The Witches of Worm, all Newbery Honor Books...gives us a look at some very complex issues.

A middle grade look at abuse, bullying, relationships between siblings (the good and the bad), responsibility, trust...all great discussion openers for dealing with these issues with your own children.

Product Description from Amazon

William S. Baggett is a good kid trapped in a really awful family. William has his running-away money ready to go, he's just been waiting until he's older than twelve to leave. When his big brothers flush his sister's pet guinea pig down the toilet, she insists they leave now. And take the two littlest Baggetts with them. So they head out in the middle of the night, ready to escape to their aunt Fiona's house.

Unfortunately the trip doesn't go exactly as planned. It's not so easy traveling with two little kids, and some help from a lonely rich girl makes it even more complicated. Will they ever make it to Aunt Fiona's? And if they do, will she let them stay?

This is the story of four children who learn that sometimes you have to run away before you can find your way home.

Curse of the Spider King: The Berinfell Prophecies Series - Book One

Curse of the Spider King: The Berinfell Prophecies Series - Book One

by Wayne Thomas Batson and Christopher Hopper

Middle Graders and Tweens will eagerly read this book...I only hope that the rest of the series offers the same level of entertainment as this charming series debut.

From the cover to the concept - what could be more delightfully disgusting than a Spider King with an army of spider warriors - the Curse of the Spider King: The Berinfell Prophecies Series - Book One is the first in a series about the Seven Elven Lords of Allyra.

In a world that combines medieval themes with a modern feeling the Wicked Spider King is searching for the Seven Elven Lords of Allyra. long thought dead, lost in the Siege of Berinfell as babes. Strange signs reveal that Elven blood may live among the peoples of earth.

Why does that matter? These elven lords are the only ones that have the power to destroy the Spider King and his hold on their world....

The story seems to start slowly but soon grabs your imagination and rushes you along as the Seven find out about themselves and each other, and discover what waits for them through a portal between worlds.

Wayne Thomas Batson and Christopher Hopper combine creative talents to create an enchanting, scary, and winning world! It is going to seem like forever waiting until August 2010 for Venom and Song: The Berinfell Prophecies Series - Book Two.

I love the interactive trend in teen books - after all this is a world they understand. Learn more about The Berinfell Prophecies at www.heedtheprophecies.wordpress.com. Create your own tribe. Connect with fans through the forum. Win pre-release chapters and the opportunity to have Wayne and Christopher at your very own book party!

Product Description from Amazon

Fantasy. Mystery. Action. Humor. Parents, teachers, and librarians will no longer have to push kids to read-The Berinfell Prophesies will engage intermediate readers and leave them clamoring for more.

The Seven succeeding Elven Lords of Allyra were dead, lost in the Siege of Berinfell as babes. At least that's what everyone thought until tremors from a distant world known as Earth, revealed strange signs that Elven blood lived among its peoples. With a glimmer of hope in their hearts, sentinels are sent to see if the signs are true. But theirs is not a lone errand. The ruling warlord of Allyra, the Spider King, has sent his own scouts to hunt down the Seven and finish the job they failed to complete many ages ago.

Now 13-year-olds on the brink of the Age of Reckoning when their Elven gifts will be manifest, discover the unthinkable truth that their adoptive families are not their only kin. With mysterious Sentinels revealing breathtaking secrets of the past, and dark strangers haunting their every move, will the young Elf Lords find the way back to the home of their birth? Worlds and races collide as the forces of good and evil battle. Will anyone escape the Curse of the Spider King?

The Bride's Farewell by Meg Rosoff

The Bride's Farewell

by Meg Rosoff

In her latest book, The Bride's Farewell, author Meg Rosoff takes us to rural England in the 19th century.

In the ultimate case of "cold feet" heroine Pell Ridley is the runaway bride - shunning all the traditionally accepted ideas of "the woman's place".

Pell is determined to be her own person and develops a talent with horses ....

This is a journey book that teens,young adults and their parents will enjoy. With stories of romance and longing for family and of the family she eventually finds.

For me a strong female lead is all it takes for a recommendation. I probably would have given this book 5 stars but it was a little hard for me to get into it - stay with it though it is well worth the effort.

Product Description from Amazon:

A young woman runs away from home and finds love in the most unexpected place

In Meg Rosoff's fourth novel, a young woman in 1850s rural England runs away from home on horseback the day she's to marry her childhood sweetheart. Pell is from a poor preacher's family and she's watched her mother suffer for years under the burden of caring for an ever-increasing number of children. Pell yearns to escape the inevitable repetition of such a life.

She understands horses better than people and sets off for Salisbury Fair, where horse trading takes place, in the hope of finding work and buying herself some time. But as she rides farther away from home, Pell's feelings for her parents, her siblings, and her fiancé surprise her with their strength and alter the course of her travels. And her journey leads her to find love where she least expects it.

Rosoff's magical voice and her novel's ethereal setting will thrill her passionate longtime fans and garner her new ones.

Leviathan by Scott Westerfield...

Leviathan

By: Scott Westerfeld

Illustrated: Keith Thompson

Scott Westerfield gives us a well-written alternate history of World War I. Some of the alterations include a totally mechanized German-Austro-Hungarian enemy (called Clankers) and an Allied force made up of Britain, France and Russia called Darwinists. Clanker machines walk on articulated legs. Darwinists have developed a science that creates animal combinations that are intelligent partners in the fight. The main characters are Alek, the son of the Austrian Grand Duke and Duchess, whose assassination not only leave in him an orphan, but also starts the war; and Deryn Sharp, who gets into the British by pretending to be a boy - Dylan. Alek must run for his life with a battle damaged Clanker Stormwalker and some loyal friends. Deryn/Dylan discovers the "being a boy is hard. How do they do it all their life?" Their life paths cross, taking them on board Leviathan, a fantastic whale airship and perhaps the greatest creation of the Darwinists. These two "enemies" are forced into situations that require compromise, courage, trust and finally friendship. Their adventures will take them into dangerous and interesting places.

Product Description from Amazon

It is the cusp of World War I, and all the European powers are arming up. The Austro-Hungarians and Germans have their Clankers, steam-driven iron machines loaded with guns and ammunition. The British Darwinists employ fabricated animals as their weaponry. Their Leviathan is a whale airship, and the most masterful beast in the British fleet.

Aleksandar Ferdinand, prince of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, is on the run. His own people have turned on him. His title is worthless. All he has is a battle-torn Stormwalker and a loyal crew of men.

Deryn Sharp is a commoner, a girl disguised as a boy in the British Air Service. She's a brilliant airman. But her secret is in constant danger of being discovered.

With the Great War brewing, Alek's and Deryn's paths cross in the most unexpected way...taking them both aboard the Leviathan on a fantastical, around-the-world adventure. One that will change both their lives forever.

Century Quartet: Ring of Fire (Book 1)

Ring of Fire

Book One

Century Quartet

by Pierdomenico Baccalario (Author)

Leah D. Janeczko (Translator)

Good Opener - left me with lots of questions......but isn't that what the first book in a "series" should do?

What is up with all the "haters"? Why so many negative reviews on Amazon? How many of you are teens or young adults? or readers of YA literature? I think this was a fun set-up for what I am hoping will be a great series.

It left me with unanswered questions - what is Aunt Irene's story - really? I get that the parents weren't involved as much as they should have been in real life - but I also think there is a reason for that. An author who can create a hitman who kills with a violin, may have an explanation for that! The tops intrigue me...see what I mean? lots of questions!!!

Through a series of coincidences - four children (Harvey from New York, Mistral from Paris, and Sheng from Shanghai) find themselves sharing a room with Elettra the daughter of their hotel owner.

...and while chatting they start to discover the other things that connect them...

From the Publisher's description: "Every hundred years, four kids from four cities must save the world."

After reading just back cover, the reader realizes that there are no coincidences in Century #1: Ring of Fire...but instead a carefully planned event that has happened before.

I always love books that open historical worlds that intersperses bits from ancient Rome, Nero, buried churches and basilcas between the adventures of these four children in the libraries, cafes and catacombs of modern day Rome.

Though translated from the Italian, this book keeps its edge and poses question after question...and with the following promise from the Publisher:

"In the first book of the Century quartet, Italian author P. D. Baccalario begins a mystery that will take four cities and four extraordinary kids to solve."

...OK, Senore Baccalario - where do we go next?

Product Description from Amazon
Every hundred years, four kids from four cities must save the world.

Rome, December 29. A mix-up with their reservations forces Harvey from New York, Mistral from Paris, and Sheng from Shanghai to share a room with the hotel owner’s daughter, Elettra. The four kids discover an amazing coincidence—they all have birthdays on February 29, Leap Day. That night, a strange man gives them a briefcase and asks them to take care of it until he returns. Soon afterward, the man is murdered.

The kids open the briefcase. In it they find a series of clues that take them all over Rome, through dusty libraries and dark catacombs, in search of the elusive Ring of Fire, an ancient object so powerful that legend says even a Roman emperor couldn’t control it.

In the first book of the Century quartet, Italian author P. D. Baccalario begins a mystery that will take four cities and four extraordinary kids to solve.

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Graceling

Have you ever played the game where everyone had to name the "super-power" they would ask for if given the opportunity? What was yours? probably not the ability to literally kill anyone or anything and be fairly invulnerable to pain...

In Graceling author Kristine Cashore creates a world where a chosen few are born with "Graces" - these can be something as simple as the ability to catch fish with your bare hands, the ability to run swiftly, the ability to shoot an arrow quickly and true --- and then there is the Lady Katsa's Grace - the ability to kill.

This is full of really juicy adventure, hand to hand combat, archers, sword play, good kings and bad kings...but what sets this book apart from other offerings in this genre is it's look at the consequences of the use of these graces on those who wield them.

Katsa is a strong headed young woman who has always held a position of power - not many people argue with her so she is sure that what she knows are truths...until she meets another Graceling who shows her otherwise.

The really nice thing about the way Cashore has written the relationship between Po and Katsa is that there is enough romance for the girls and it doesn't get mushy so the boys think it's in the way.

I picked this book up to "look" at it at my Mom's and sat down and read it all the way through by the next morning - this story is destined to become a blockbuster movie!

Product Description from Amazon

Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight—she’s a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king’s thug.

When she first meets Prince Po, Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change. She never expects to become Po’s friend. She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace—or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away . . . a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.

Not as "Dark"as the title might imply!

The Witch's Guide to Cooking with Children

How can you resist - The Witch's Guide to Cooking with Children? It brings to mind the old WC Fields adage - when asked if he liked children, Fields purportedly answered, Yes - with a little mustard and relish!

All joking aside - this book is being touted as a lot of things...a modern version of the Hansel & Gretel tale, garnering comparisons to Roald Dahl's The Witches, and the tone of a Lemony Snicket narration.

The really great part is that kids will read and love it - it is a quick witty - smart read!

The Witch's Guide to Cooking with Children has everything it needs to make it a modern day fairy tale - smart, funny, sleuthing siblings - their father (who is not their father) - a wicked stepmother - scary librarian and bits from a witch's journal!!!

This is a debut from author Keith McGowan, and the illustrations throughout by Yoko Tanaka lend a graphic element that stops just short of graphic novel.

Product Description from Amazon:

When Sol and Connie Blink move to Grand Creek, one of the first people to welcome them is an odd older woman, Fay Holaderry, and her friendly dog, Swift, who carries a very strange bone in his mouth. Sol knows a lot more than the average eleven-year-old, so when he identifies the bone as human, he and Connie begin to wonder if their new neighbor is up to no good.

In a spine-tingling adventure that makes them think twice about who they can trust, Sol and Connie discover that solving mysteries can be a dangerous game—even for skilled junior sleuths.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

The Graveyard Book

By Neil Gaiman

Illustrated by Dave McKean

In the Gaiman tradition...take a situation that should be gruesome and make it a delight!

This is the story of Bod - for Nobody Owens. His parents were brutally murdered - he is being raised in a graveyard by ghosts, Silas (his Guardian) who lives among the living and the dead, and the "Hounds of God"...but don't think that this book is a cruel, dark tale.

This is a love story - the love of Bod for the parents he lost, the love of his new parents for the son they always wanted in life and his for them - the caring love of Silas for Bod and his for Silas - and the love of the "living girl" Scarlett for her "imaginary friend" and him for her.

It is also a coming of age book - Bod and Scarlet both find out how real and strong he is! A story of self-discovery and liberation.

Thank You to Neil Gaiman and to Dave McKean, applause for the hauntingly beautiful illustrations!

Product Description from Amazon:

Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a normal boy.

He would be completely normal if he didn't live in a sprawling graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts, with a solitary guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor of the dead.

There are dangers and adventures in the graveyard for a boy-an ancient Indigo Man beneath the hill, a gateway to a desert leading to an abandoned city of ghouls, the strange and terrible menace of the Sleer.

But if Bod leaves the graveyard, then he will come under attack from the man Jack—who has already killed Bod's family. . . .

Beloved master storyteller Neil Gaiman returns with a luminous new novel for the audience that embraced his New York Times bestselling modern classic Coraline. Magical, terrifying, and filled with breathtaking adventures, the graveyard book is sure to enthrall readers of all ages.

Teen Angst in Africa - "We're Not In Kansas Anymore"

Escape Under the Forever Sky

By Eve Yohalem

We have all read stories of teen angst - father doesn't understand - mother is overbearing...I know it's been done.

However, when you take these same elements and place them in Ethiopia - a country so foreign...

"Everywhere I go in Ethiopia...kids pop out of nowhere to bombard me with the same three questions: "You are from America? You want a...[fill in blank: necklace, fake antique coin, toothbrush stick, religious icon, etc.]?" and - my personal favorite - "Gimme pen?"

This debut novel by Eve Yohalem draws you into the world of 13 year old Lucy Hoffman. Yohalem definitely "gets" teens. Lucy, wealthy and white in a country that is dirt poor and primarily black - is at the start, headstrong and confident, but when she finds herself in dire straits she is finally able to see life from her parents viewpoint.

Loosely based on a real life event, the author has done her homework. The history and culture of Ethiopia is fascinating, and memories of the late ruler Selassie quite fantastic!

I look forward to more from this author!

From Amazon:

Lucy's mother is the U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia. So Lucy's life must be one big adventure, right? Not really. Her parents are more focused on their careers than their family, so they live on different continents. And Lucy's worrywart mother keeps her locked up inside the ambassador's residence for her own good. Lucy's had enough. So one day, she and a friend sneak off. When Lucy's kidnapped, things get decidedly more interesting. Using her knowledge of African animals, inventiveness, will, and courage, Lucy embarks on an adventure beyond her wildest dreams.