Showing posts with label greek mythology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label greek mythology. Show all posts

No Passengers Beyond This Point Review

No Passengers Beyond This Point
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No Passengers Beyond This Point ReviewI don't think there is any author out there that writes kids characters as well as Gennifer Choldenko. With the Tompkins kids, she has created a family of siblings that are portrayed so realistically that when all the crazy things start happening to them, the reader is just sucked right along for what turns out to be a very crazy ride.
India is 14 and totally self obsessed, much like any young teenage girl. Look a little deeper and you will see her insecurity and overwhelming desire to be loved and appreciated. Finn is 12 and the worrier of the family. He wants to make everything right for everybody. Perhaps my favorite character is Mouse, the six year old genius. She's only in kindergarten but does fifth grade math and asks questions about everything. Her brain travels a hundred miles per hour and the author does a fantastic job with her dialogue. Named Mouse because she squeaks so much, she is a character of marvelous depth and charm.
All of these characters are dealing with some harsh realities. Their mom has just told them that the bank is foreclosing on their house and they have to move to Colorado to stay with an uncle that none of them have ever met. For India it means leaving her friends, for Finn it means leaving his basketball dreams, and for Mouse, it means leaving their mother who has to stay behind and finish out the school year.
This has all the makings of a realistic story about an increasingly common circumstance, but when the plane the kids are traveling on makes an early landing, the story shifts dramatically into the fantasy realm. It's quite a shock, but the author handles it seamlessly and before you know it you are traveling down the highway in a pink taxi with feathers. I can't really speak to much more of the plot without giving too much away, except to say that the kids go on an adventure that will test their mettle and help them come to some realizations about their own strengths and how much they love each other. The story turns into something that is highly original, very clever, and completely well imagined.
As an adult reader, I really loved this story. It will be a challenging read for any kid age 10 and up. Some elements can initially be confusing, but any reader who enjoys solving puzzles, or just figuring things out will get a big kick out of this one. The author doesn't just lay the story out for you, you have to do a bit of thinking and pay close attention to detail. Those that do will be rewarded with not only a grand story of adventure, but also a tale of some unexpected depth. There is quite a bit of humor, and also some deep felt emotions. This is an enthusiastic recommend, especially for middle schoolers on up.No Passengers Beyond This Point Overview

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Darkness Becomes Her Review

Darkness Becomes Her
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Darkness Becomes Her ReviewSYNOPSIS:
Ari was born with teal eyes and silver hair which can not be changed nor destroyed. She has always felt like a freak. Ari has grown up in numerous foster homes since her mother left her as a child. Now that she's older, she wants some answers as to who she is and where she has come from.
Ari is not guaranteed many answers when she finds her mother has been dead for many years. She does, however, uncover one short and not extremely detailed message: RUN. Where can she run and who exactly is she running from? Ari knows someone, or something, is after her.
She decides to return to the place of her birth, New 2, the rebuilt city of New Orleans which was destroyed by multiple category 4 hurricanes when she was a child. Ari has never been sure of what New 2 really holds but once she returns, she finds it is very different. Where growing up Ari was pretty much a freak, in New 2 she is practically normal.
Creatures here seem to be afraid of Ari and what she can do, whatever that is. She is determined to find out the truth about herself, but sometimes the truth is more terrifying and haunting than Ari could ever suspect.
The premise was quite different than what I've come across in most YA paranormal novels recently. It had an entire slew of different creatures. Your more common vampire and werewolf showed up, as well as more unique characters like harpies, gods and arachnid people.
The setting of New 2 - an improvised version of New Orleans - was quite interesting. With the amount of hurricanes that hit around that area, I could actually imagine the type of damage that could happen and the way the city was rebuilt by the society in this novel. New 2 is now a secluded and dangerous sector separated from the rest of the U.S. after it's purchase and refurbishment by the Novem. The area is now riddled with rumors of the supernatural.Darkness Becomes Her Overview

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Chronicles of the Red King: The Secret Kingdom Review

Chronicles of the Red King: The Secret Kingdom
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Chronicles of the Red King: The Secret Kingdom ReviewThis is a rating from my 9 year old son that has completed the Harry Potter Series and the Lightening Thief Series....
He picked this one up and the library and was done in 3 days! He absolutely loved it!
"It was very adventurous and cool." Now he wants to read the other books by this author...since book #2 isn't out, he is planning on starting her other series. Great for my little reader at home!Chronicles of the Red King: The Secret Kingdom Overview

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A Tale of Two Castles Review

A Tale of Two Castles
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A Tale of Two Castles ReviewI've had a good stretch lately, where I've been reading at a ferocious pace. But I suddenly came to a grinding halt a few days ago. Nothing I was reading was inspiring me to keep turning pages. At times like that, a trick that often perks me up is to read a young adult book and I lose myself in pure story. That's what I did, and it worked like a charm.
Actually, I didn't lose myself in A Tale of Two Castles right away. It took a while because at the start of the novel Gail Carson Levine is working mightily on the world building. The story opens with a goodbye. Twelve-year-old Elodie is saying goodbye to her parents, her home, and everything she's ever known. She's leaving her island and the farm and sailing off to the city of Two Castles which features--you guessed it--two castles. It is time for her to become apprenticed. "Mother and father's instructions were to apprentice myself to a weaver, but I would not. Mansioner. I mouthed the word into the wind, the word that held my future. Mansioner."
Oh, I'm sorry; you don't know what a mansioner is? I didn't either. In the fairy-tale world that Carson Levine has created that's the word for actor. A ship is a "cog." You might wear a "kirtle" and exclaim, "Lambs and calves!" And you might run into a dragon or an ogre--but not if you can help it. In fact, Elodie's father gave her this parting advice, "Stay clear of the crafty dragons and the shape-shifting ogres. Don't befriend them!" Of course, a dragon and an ogre are indeed two of the very first beings she meets in Two Castles, but not before all her money is stolen by a cat and she's insulted by a human. Scared, hungry, and alone, Elodie is in fairly dire straights. Her dream of becoming a mansioner appears to be ending before it has even started. So, when the dragon Meenore offers her a position as ITs (for Mastress Meenore alone knows ITs gender) assistant, what choice does Elodie have but follow IT to ITs lair?
So begins a relations ship based on "deduction, induction, and common sense," in which each learns from the other. Mastress Meenore has many trades including food service, heating, finder of lost objects, and unraveler of mysteries. So it is that the ogre, Count Jonty Um, comes to Meenore seeking help finding a lost dog. But it turns out that that is merely the beginning of his troubles. The ogre is in danger, and so Elodie becomes Meenore's eyes and ears in his castle as they work to unravel the larger mystery.
Carson Levine's story is as magical as it is well-written. Her characters are colorful and endearing. I am a fortunate 42-year-old woman, that I can still be a child. Books like this are time portals for me. I was delighted with this story from start to finish and was sad to see it end. Happily, the end of this novel is the start of a new adventure, one that I shall look forward to reading.A Tale of Two Castles Overview

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Aphrodite the Beauty (Goddess Girls) Review

Aphrodite the Beauty (Goddess Girls)
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Aphrodite the Beauty (Goddess Girls) ReviewBest 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 allAphrodite the Beauty (Goddess Girls) Overview

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Storm Runners Book 2: The Surge Review

Storm Runners Book 2: The Surge
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Storm Runners Book 2: The Surge ReviewChase and his friends Nicole and Rashawn have reached shelter from the hurricane. But they aren't safe yet.
They're stuck in a barn - with an elephant about to give birth. The lights are powered by a generator which is nearly out of juice. There is no extra gas in the barn.
Chase and Nicole believe they can make it to the truck where Chase's Dad keeps his supplies. They set off in hopes of returning soon.
A leopard is on the loose. They soon discover the lions have escaped their cages. Treading carefully to avoid the animals and mother nature, they make their way towards the supplies.
Will they be able to gather the gas and return safely to the barn?
My Thoughts: Just like the first book in this trilogy - this book is addictive, fast-paced action and danger kept me turning the pages. A wonderful book about battling Mother Nature, quick thinking, and working together against all odds. The short chapters and the changing of perspectives make this impossible to put down!Storm Runners Book 2: The Surge Overview

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The Final Hour (The Homelanders) Review

The Final Hour (The Homelanders)
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The Final Hour (The Homelanders) ReviewCharlie West woke up one morning to find himself being tortured by terrorists with absolutely no memory of what happened during the last year of his life. And, to make it worse, he's wanted by the police for the murder of his best friend. Over the next couple of months, Charlie is faced with a ridiculous amount of misfortune on his quest to clear his name and expose his would-be murderers.
I'm actually starting to think Andrew Klavan is incapable of writing a boring scene. Practically every sentence is packed to bursting with suspense. From a dogfight through the streets of New York to dodging subway trains in a shootout with the Homelanders, Klavan never lets up on the thrills.
And now, it's finally over. The final hour has come and gone, answering every question; revealing every mystery. Every fan of the previous books will need to get their hands on this truly satisfying conclusion to the insanely epic series.The Final Hour (The Homelanders) Overview

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Athena the Brain (Goddess Girls) Review

Athena the Brain (Goddess Girls)
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Athena the Brain (Goddess Girls) ReviewAthena The Brain is an adorable light take on Greek mythology. Athena has grown up as an orphan on Earth, living with her friend's family. She's always been different - smarter, better. Now she knows why - she's the daughter of Zeus! She is summoned to attend Mount Olympus Academy with all the other goddessgirls, godboys, and a few errant mortals.
Athena's story is relatable to any girl who has started a new school. She's scared and excited. Even though she's brilliant, Hero-ology, Beast-ology and other classes are new to her. Plus, there's all these new people. Nice girls like Aphrodite, handsome boys like Poseidon, strange girls like Pandora, and mean girls like Medusa. Plus Zeus, her dad, can be just as difficult as he can be charming.
This was such a fun book. It takes all the elements of Greek mythology that we all learn in school and turns it into a cute, fluffy story. I haven't studied Greek mythology since 6th grade and never really liked it that much, but I had no trouble keeping up with the characters and the stories. I especially loved Pandora, whose incessant curiosity made her a nosy yet loveable character.
I don't have any major problems with this book. It's meant for fun (and enjoyable education), so it's not exactly literary quality. But that doesn't make the book any less worthy. The only thing I wish had been done differently was a better depiction of Athena's life prior to going to Mount Olympus Academy. The beginning threw her into the plot too quickly. But such a preface probably would have just added unnecessary pages and plot set-up, so I'm not too troubled.
The story very loosely follows Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, two epic poems that I really liked in high school. The kids were playing with mortals in hero-ology and inadvertently create a huge conflict. It was fun to see how every little detail connected to Greek history and mythology. Learn the "real" idea behind the Trojan horse.
The first Goddess Girl is a quick, easy, light read. It's a must read for lovers of Greek mythology, but even people who have no particular affinity for it will find something to enjoy. I think it would be ideal as a co-read for students learning mythology in school.
Rating: 4 / 5
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A World Without Heroes (Beyonders) Review

A World Without Heroes (Beyonders)
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A World Without Heroes (Beyonders) ReviewI 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.
[...]A World Without Heroes (Beyonders) Overview

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The Daughters Join the Party Review

The Daughters Join the Party
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The Daughters Join the Party ReviewAs a middle school teacher, I am always looking for appropriate books to recommend to my students. Though they enjoy books like "Pretty Little Liars" they are not the most appropriate ones for them to be reading. The Daughters series is the perfect book to recommend for my middle school students. The daughters are great role models as they struggle to grow up. They face many out of the ordinary circumstances, but most girls can find something to relate to in this series and also get an inside look into a world they dream about living. The latest book in the series certainly does not disappoint. We meet a new character who soon becomes a "daughter" also as her father has decided to run for president. She considers herself the black sheep of the family, but soon a role reversal finds her being the role model and her older brother being thrown into a difficult situation. I love how the main character stands up for what she believes in even if it is not the easy thing to do. Young people need good role models and the character in this book displays exactly what I want my students to become--confident and out-spoken women who will not stand for something they don't believe in. Please Joanna Philbin don't stop this series. It is wonderful. I see many opportunities for you to continue the stories by either focusing on each of the daughters again or maybe continuing to add more daughters. Thanks for writing a great book I can share with my students.The Daughters Join the Party Overview

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13 Gifts Review

13 Gifts
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13 Gifts Review
Wendy Mass seems to know that birthdays are really important to kids, especially their 13th birthday. This is her second book revolving around a deadline of turning 13, and it adds a layer of excitement and suspense.
There is also a mystical aspect to the book. There is a mysterious old woman who loves to give school students tasks to complete...and if they don't she usually threatens dire circumstances. The fantastical element makes the book more fun to read and opens limitless possibilities.
The plot is also a lot of fun. Tara (and her friends) have to find 13 different items, all of which seem random and unconnected. It turns out they lead to more excitement and adventure for the entire town!
While the fantasy and the birthday is fun, what really makes this book are the characters and the relationships. Tara has moved around her entire life, so she is always on the outside of groups and doesn't really know how to make friends and depend on others. Luckily, she is given a chance to make some real friends and learns what it is like. She is smart, kind, and it is so much fun to watch her grow.
All of her new friends are realistic and I think kids will be able to see themselves in someone. There is the sweet and nervous David, getting ready for his Bar Mitzvah, without his father by his side. He was my favorite character because he is so mature for his age and is the key for Tara and her journey.
It was another great book by Wendy Mass. She proves, once again, that she understand the middle grade audience. I am really glad I can give this to my husband's middle school classroom!
Find this one for the 11-14 year old in your life!13 Gifts Overview

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The Outcasts (Brotherband Chronicles) Review

The Outcasts (Brotherband Chronicles)
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The Outcasts (Brotherband Chronicles) ReviewNothing. I loved this book. The characters,the plot, I can't wait for more. It is great for anyone 12 and older. I'm twenty and I have always loved these sort of books. Adventure,friendship, using your brains for something other than video games.
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