Book Review: Milo Speck

Premise: Milo is looking for a sock when he gets pulled through the dryer into a land of giant ogres who love to eat little boys. As Milo tries to find his way home, he uncovers am incredible secret agency and an deadly scheme.

Title: Milo Speck, Accidental Agent
Author: Linda Urban
Length: 272 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone
Content appropriate for: Grades 3-5
Format: eARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley
Publication: September 1, 2015

Three adjectives that describe this book: fun, creative, fast-paced

Milo Speck is a super fun story. The cover makes it look like Milo shrinks, but actually he ends up in a land of giants/ogres. The ogres provide quite a bit of comedy with their short attention spans and general lack of intelligence. It's pretty slapstick, perfect for middle grade readers who have a silly sense of humor.

There are some interesting characters, too, in this fast-paced plot-driven story. Urban manages to squeeze in quite a lot of depth. There are secret-pasts for some characters, betrayal by others, and transformation for several.

Heads up, though - the premise and cover made me think, "This looks purpose for readers who need more support!" But, actually, the story is pretty complex, and some of the language is a tricky. For instance, the main character, Milo, really enjoys putting "esque" on the ends of words. He says things like, "The chair looked tree-esque."

Overall, I really enjoyed Milo Speck. It was a quick, engaging, light story with unexpected complexity.

4 stars

Book Review: Scan by Sarah Fine

Premise: Tate's father is an inventor of weapons and tech gadgets. When Tate takes one of his father's strange devices to school, a deadly battle for the scanner begins. Both sides have nefarious intentions, both are prepared to kill. One side is human. The other side is aliens... who look like humans.

Title: Scan
Authors: Sarah E. Fine and Walter Jury
Length: 336 pages
Genre: Science Fiction
Series or Stand Alone: Book 1 of a new series
Content appropriate for: Grades 9-12
Format: Digital ARC provided by Penguin Young Readers via NetGalley

Three adjectives that describe this book: fast-paced, gritty, intense

This is a seriously action-packed YA alien thriller. Scan focuses on a device that reveals who among us is human and who is alien. The story is complicated by a romance between the protagonist (a human) and his hot girlfriend (an alien). Both characters hold their own with explosives, traps, and fight scenes.

Scan is populated by a great many chase scenes, gun fights, and explosions, alongside awkward teen romance, no-one-understands-me angst, and overly convenient MacGyver skills. Trapped in Walmart with a team of murderous aliens after you? No worries - we teenagers can make some explosives in just 5 minutes. And they will work perfectly.

You might be wondering - Who are these aliens? How did the human families find out about them and keep their blood "pure?" Why do the aliens look just like humans? Even though I have finished the book, I'm still wondering all of these things, too. In short, the action was plenty actiony, but the world was very very flat.

This action-packed book will make great summer reading for the high school set (lots of cursing and making out), but the plot holes and thin world development left me unsatisfied.

J is for Jack Templar

I discovered this series by reading Jeff Gunhus's wonderful Nerdy Book Club post, Reaching the Reluctant Reader - One Dad's Journey. In the post he describes how he and his sons came to write this book together (sort of). My curiosity was piqued.

These books are really action-packed. They are perfect for fans of the Percy Jackson books since they are full of quests and monster battling. The plots are a bit more straightforward since there aren't all those pesky gods to confuse you, but they are also much much darker.

I love these books because:

* They are exciting

* My students love them

* They aren't overly complex

* One of the main characters, Eva, is a girl who kicks major butt

* One of the secondary characters, Xavier, fights creatures through math, science, and technology. Xavier reminds us that smart people can be awesome too.

Book 1: Jack Templar, Monster Hunter

Book 2: Jack Templar and the Monster Hunter Academy

Book 3: Jack Templar and the Lord of the Vampires

Book 4: Still in the works

These are independently published books, but you can get them through all the major book retailers.

This post is part of the A to Z Challenge.

Blood Ties is Fun and Action-Packed

Premise: In this third book of the multi-author Spirit Animals series, the Conquerers are devouring whole cities in their quest to disrupt and control the bond between animals and humans. Concerned for her homeland, Meilin has left the others to find her father and fight the enemy. But Meilin soon finds that she's not the only one sneaking into the country.

Title and Author: Blood Ties by Garth Nix and Sean Williams
Length: 192 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Series or Stand Alone: Book 3 of 7 (planned) in the Spirit Animals series
Content Appropriate For: Grades 3-6
Format: Digital ARC provided by Scholastic via Net Galley
Release Date: March 25, 2014

Three adjectives that describe this book: adventurous, fast-paced, action-packed

These Spirit Animals books get better and better! This third installment was chock full of exciting action sequences and palpable danger. We also see a lot more character development, especially as Meilin struggles to understand her place with the Greencloaks. I enjoyed seeing her relationship with Jhi, her spirit animal panda, strengthen. After two books of wanting to throttle Meilin, it was a nice change of pace for her to finally get real.

The story takes place largely in the country of Zhong, a pseudo Asia. Nix and Williams fill the book's locations with rich details. Over the course of Blood Ties we visit a massive bamboo maze, a swamp teeming with enraged crocodiles, and a lake surrounded by high cliffs. This is the first of the Spirit Animals books that really showed me the world of Erdas.

I was also glad to see a stronger focus on the overall problem of the series, the Devourer's quest to conquer Erdas. Those enormous crazy-eyed crocodiles were terrifying!

In my review of Book 2, I had to write a qualification about how multi-author series often water down the elements that make an author's writing style unique. However, that was not true in Blood Ties. I love Garth Nix's other books, such as Shade's Children and Sabriel, for his marvelous world-building. He and Williams pulled off a great world in this book too. Cheers!

Overall, my students and I really love these books and this one is the best so far.

My Reviews of the Other Spirit Animals Books:
Book 1, Wild Born by Brandon Mull
Book 2, Hunted by Maggie Stiefvater

Shadow Throne: Terrific Ending to an Intriguing Trilogy

Premise: The official tagline says it all - Can a king save his kingdom, when his own survival seems unlikely?

Title & Author: The Shadow Throne by Jennifer Nielsen
Length: 336 pages
Genre: Realistic Fantasy
Series or Stand-alone: Book 3 in the Ascendance Trilogy (The False Prince)
Content appropriate for: Grades 5-8
Format: Digital ARC thanks to Scholastic via netgalley.com
Publication Date: February 25, 2014

Three adjectives that describe this book: adventurous, action-packed, dangerous

I was beyond excited to receive an Advanced Reader Copy from Scholastic. I absolutely loved the scrappy scheming of the first two books, The False Prince and The Runaway King. I was hoping for a lot more of that in this final book. Maybe even an epic amount of scheming. I suppose those expectations made The Shadow Throne a bit slow-going a first. Don't get me wrong - there is scrappy, sneaky, intrigue - just not at the beginning.

Consider yourself warned:
If you find yourself missing the old Jaron - because now that he's king he has been captured and had the scrappiness beaten out of him - have faith, you will see that Jaron again and your patience will be justly rewarded.

The Shadow Throne focuses on a war in Carthya. This war has been brewing throughout the series and now it is finally arriving at Carthya's borders. Shockingly outnumbered, King Jaron must find creative ways to fight his enemies. But before even the first battle, Jaron is captured by enemy soldiers and held for questioning behind enemy lines.

Though slow-going at first, The Shadow Throne really graduated these characters from scrappy, inexperienced orphans to carefully-plotting, duty-bound leaders. The action and battle scenes are wonderfully written, and Jaron's sneaky plots are perfectly executed.

Overall, The Shadow Throne is a perfect ending to this wonderful trilogy. I consider the series an excellent introduction to my favorite genre, castle-intrigue. Taken as a whole, The Ascendance Trilogy is the complete package with engaging writing, complete characters, and an edge-of-your-seat plot.

4 stars

A Wonderfully Stormy Thriller - Eye of the Storm

Premise: Set about 40 years in the future when the planet has seen a dramatic increase in monster storms. Jaden has arrived in Oklahoma to spend the summer with her father, a weather scientist, at a special science camp run by his company, Storm Safe, in a community where tornadoes seem to change direction at the last minute. Something doesn't seem right about the camp, community, or Jaden's father. When a huge tornado threatens everything, she must decide to protect her father or discover the truth.

Title: Eye of the Storm
Author: Kate Messner
Length: 304 pages
Genre: Science Fiction
Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone
Content appropriate for: Grades 4-8

Three adjectives that describe this book: addictive, fast-paced, intense

True confession: I read the last 200 pages of this book in one sitting. That's how much this plot drives forward. Chock full of science experiments, research, data, and number crunching, at first glance it doesn't seem like Eye of the Storm should be such a page-turner. But Messner's skillful writing trumps all, ratcheting up the intensity with every truth uncovered and suspicious question revealed.

The only weak spot in Eye of the Storm is that the characters are a bit flat and almost type-cast:
* Jaden and Alex are nerdy problem solvers.
* Risha is a bit too boy crazy.
* Jaden's father is distant and fake.
* His new French-ballerina wife is happy to take care of the baby and have dinner ready for her husband.

Yep - these characters are thin. Still, it didn't bother me much because the focus is really on the plot and this crazy storm-filled future.

I absolutely loved this novel's action, suspense, greedy villains, and the way it made science, math, and even poetry cool.

5 stars

Action-Packed Space Crazy-Time: The Lost Planet Review

Premise: A young boy wakes up in a high-security compound on a strange planet with a head wound and no memory. Soon he learns that his name is Chase and that there is something strange about his ID chip. Desperate to discover his past, Chase embarks on a space adventure.

Title: The Lost Planet
Author: Rachel Searles
Length: 384 pages
Genre: Science Fiction
Series or Stand Alone: Possibly book 1 in a new series
Content Appropriate for: grades 4-7
Format: Digital ARC courtesy of Netgalley and the publisher (Macmillan). Due out January 28, 2014.

Three adjectives that describe this book: action-packed, fast-paced, futuristic

Overall I enjoyed The Lost Planet. The plot was very action-driven with lots of chase scenes, near-death escapes, and being captured by the bad guys. As such, it held my interest. However, the characters and world weren't very well developed. Some of the alien species, planets, and technology piqued my interest, but we only got to know them on a surface level. These interesting pieces acted more as props. As someone who absolutely loves world-building, this oversight was terribly disappointing and a bit annoying to me. Still, the plot was engaging and fun.

The book's main characters, Chase and Parker, were rather typical middle grades protagonists, stubbornly believing untruths, even when all evidence implores them to see things differently. I find this type of protagonist very annoying. Most middle graders don't seem to mind characters who are a bit slow on the up-take, so I know these characters will stay prevalent. I just prefer smart characters and authors who trust their reader to figure things out for themselves.

Bottom line: The action in this book will hook readers, especially those who already love space adventures. I think The Lost Planet will appeal to middle graders who enjoy action and have enough sci-fi background knowledge to fill in the gaps in development. There's a lot of potential here, and some surprising twists at the end hint at a sequel. Maybe that one will be more fleshed out.

3 stars

Monster Hunting in Paris = Seriously Battle-Worthy

Premise: Jack and his merry band of friends are on the hunt for the 5 Jerusalem Stones which will be used to stop the evil vampire Ren Lucre from taking over the world. This book follows the quest for the first stone. It is held by the Lord of the Vampires, a challenging foe with an interesting past.


Title: Jack Templar and the Lord of the Vampires
Author: Jeff Gunhus
Length: 360 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Series or Stand Alone: Book 3 of the Jack Templar series
Appropriate for: Grades 5-8

Three adjective that describe this book: action-packed, fast-paced, adventurous

I love these Jack Templar books. In fact, I just recommended them to one of my students when he asked, "I just finished reading the whole Percy Jackson series. What can I read that is similar?" These books are similar because the kids are on a quest and battling magical creatures, but they are more action-packed, darker, and don't spend quite as much time on character and world development.

This book, the third in the series, picks up the story right where book 2 left off. The group of protagonists encounter danger right from the start. They find themselves battling a horde of creepy creatures and discovering an uncomfortable truth about monster hunting hero. The action continues in Paris, where the Lord of the Vampires has an entire community of underground, slightly psycho vampires. When one of our favorite characters is captured, Jack and his friends devise a dangerous rescue plan.

Book Blast & Giveaway Jack Templar and the Lord of the Vampires

Jack is back!

After his adventures at the Monster Hunter Academy (which included fighting a goblin army, befriending an ancient werewolf, and battling two fire breathing dragons), Jack Templar was hoping for a rest. No such luck.

In the newest title, Book #3 of the Jack Templar Monster Hunter series, Jack embarks on a quest to track down and acquire the first of the five mythical Jerusalem Stones, an ancient power found by his ancestors the Templar Knights. Only the reunited Stones can stop Ren Lucre, the Dark Lord who holds Jack’s father hostage and prepares for an all-out war against an unsuspecting human world. But each Stone is held by a different Creach Lord and recovering them will not be easy.

I am about to start reading the newest installment, Jack Templar and the Lord of the Vampires (Book 3). My review will be part of an Official Blog Tour and will be posted here on October 18, 2013.

If you haven't tried this series - you absolutely should! The Jack Templar books are like a more advanced, darker, and more frenetic version of the Percy Jackson series. But what really drew me to these books was the back-story. You can read the story in Jeff's own words in his post at the Nerdy Book Club. My synopsis is below, but his telling is really very powerful:

Author, Jeff Gunhus, wrote the first chapter of Jack Templar, Monster Hunter to encourage his 11 year old son to read. His son wasn't interested in reading, so Jeff started meeting with him for father-son reading time each morning. To spice it up, he wrote the first chapter of Jack Templar. Yep - This book was literally written to grab young readers and keep a-hold of 'em. And it worked! Both of Jeff's sons got involved in the writing process and soon they had a whole book, which they published on Amazon. Now the series has just released Book 3 and has developed a strong fan base.

Be sure to check out my reviews:
My review of Book 1: Jack Templar, Monster Hunter
My review of Book 2: Jack Templar and the Monster Hunter Academy

Jack Templar Monster Hunter was chosen as a Book of the Year Finalist by Foreword Reviews.



BookBlast Giveaway
$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash; Ends 10/31/13

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Abbreviated Review: Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Abbreviated Reviews are just that... short, sweet, and to the point. Thanks for visiting.
Premise: Cinder, the cyborg fugitive, has escaped from prison and is desperately searching for answers to her mysterious Lunar past before being captured and killed. Meanwhile, Scarlet's grandmother is missing and a strangely dangerous man, Wolf, offers to help. Both stories reach fever-pitch when they meet up and must work together to evade Queen Levana's forces.

Title & Author: Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
Length: 454 pages
Genre: Science Fiction
Series or Stand Alone: Book 2 in the Lunar Chronicles
Content Appropriate for: Grades 6-12

Three adjectives that describe this book: futuristic, exciting, intriguing

In this installment of Meyer's futuristic revamp of classic fairy tales, the battle between Earth and Luna is rapidly approaching. Wow! Wow! Wow! I loved the first book, Cinder, but Scarlet really ratcheted up the intensity. And the way Marissa Meyer wove in the key elements of Little Red Riding Hood - genius! I also appreciate how the romance element is minimized, realistic, and valuable to the plot. That combination is hard to come by in YA these days. Eagerly awaiting book 3!

5 stars

What If the Cold War Ended With A Boom? Fallout by Todd Strasser

Premise: What if the Cuban Missile Crisis had resulted in a bomb being dropped on U.S. soil? What if your house had the only bomb shelter in the whole neighborhood? What if all of your neighbors tried to get into your shelter, but you only had room and food for your family? This is the world of Fallout.

Title: Fallout
Author: Todd Strasser
Length: 272 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction / Science Fiction
Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone
Content appropriate for: Grades 9-12
Format: Digital ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley

Three adjectives that describe this book: dark, fast-paced, intense

I was drawn to this book by both the cover (Whoa!) and the premise (Double Whoa!). Todd Strasser goes all-in with this book. He jumps right into the terror and tragedy of a nation being attacked by The Bomb and its people scrabbling to survive. His use of short chapters, alternating between this crisis and life before the bomb, keeps the story moving at a rapid pace. This novel was fascinating and completely engrossing. However...

Abbreviated Review: Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Abbreviated Reviews are just shorter and use a more simple format. Here we go:

Shadow and Bone is the first book in Leigh Bardugo's Grisha Trilogy. The story follows Alina, a teenage orphan serving in the Ravkan military. Ravka is in decline after centuries of war and the sudden appearance of The Shadow Fold, an impenetrable darkness teeming with flesh-eating creatures. After discovering a secret talent that could save the kingdom, Alina is thrust into the spotlight, only to learn that the truths she has taken for granted are all lies.

I found the plot of Shadow and Bone to be an incredible ride. The characters are well-developed and the villain is fascinating. There are ample plot twists that kept me guessing right to the end. I also found the setting to be wonderfully familiar (pseudo Russia) and at the same time totally unique. Never has there been a creepier place than The Shadow Fold. I especially loved how both the protagonists and antagonist made some morally ambiguous decisions, I was never sure who to root for.

My few complaints:
* I wish that the system of magic had been a bit more developed
* All the girl drama was really annoying
* The obsessive focus on classically pretty girls was frustrating
* I hope Alina is less dependent on men to save her in the second book

Appropriate for grades 8-12

4 stars

 

Abbreviated Review: Jack Templar, Monster Hunter by Jeff Gunhus

I discovered this book by reading Jeff Gunhus's wonderful Nerdy Book Club post, Reaching the Reluctant Reader - One Dad's Journey. In the post he describes how he and his sons came to write this book together (sort of). My curiosity was piqued.

This book's fast-paced action will keep any young reader hooked. The fun assortment of monsters helps too - zombies, devil-werewolves, harpies, goblins, ogres, etc. The plot was pretty simple and straight forward until the final quarter when Jack has an encounter that shifts his perspective and forces him to take stock. This last sequence of events kicked up the plot complexity, really rounding out the text and making it a truly engaging read.

Although some additional editing would clean up the writing, I enjoyed the use of first person.  Jack Templar would be especially fun for fans of Percy Jackson, although this novel is less complex. I'm really looking forward to the next installment.

4 stars

To find out more check out jacktemplar.com.

Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry

Premise: When you have to kill the same terrorist twice in one week there's either something wrong with your world or something wrong with your skills... and there's nothing wrong with Joe Ledger's skills. Now, his mission is to help stop a group of terrorists from releasing a dreadful bio-weapon that can turn ordinary people into zombies. The fate of the world hangs in the balance....(Amazon)

Title: Patient Zero
Author: Jonathan Maberry
Length: 421 pages
Genre: Science Fiction
Series or Stand Alone: Joe Ledger 
Content appropriate for: Adults

4/5 zombies

3 adjectives that describe this book: fast-paced, spooky, fun

I came to this novel already a HUGE fan of Jonathan Maberry's work. If it has zombies, blood, guts and gore, I'm totally into it! Needless to say my expectations were high. For the most part I was not disappointed. 

Although it was sometimes bogged down by plot building tedium and mediocre dialogue, the full-throttle pace was by far the strongest asset in this book...think Mission Impossible, Walking Dead and 24 all rolled into one break-neck novel. The characterization of Joe Ledger and the agents of the DMS went far beyond the "soldier-boys with their toys mentality". Everyone is damaged, dissociative and dangerous in some way, and kudos to Maberry for also including the dynamite female character Grace Courtland.

If you're looking for the great zombie/anti-terrorist novel of the century, keep looking. This story could have benefited from being trimmed down about 50-65 pages; plus, the flipping back and forth between perspectives did get a bit old. This was especially true when the chasm between reader knowledge (of what was going to happen) and character knowledge stretched pretty far toward the end of the book. 

Seriously though, if you don't mind some colorful language, gory violence and (some) sexual content, you should give this book a try. It was a great, fast-paced, good versus evil showdown that kept me rooting for the good guys until the end.