Book Blog

We really enjoyed reading the book, Wolf Brother, by Michelle Paver. It is the first book in the series Chronicles of Ancient Darkness. It will be coming out as a movie (reportedly) in 2009. The rights were purchased by 20th Century Fox. I loved the way the book was written. It switches back and forth between the boy, Torak’s, point of view to the the wolf’s point of view. My kids thought the wolf’s point of view was hillarious. He calls the 12-year-old Torak “Tall Tailless” and he calls the river the “Fast Wet”. If someone dies, the wolf calls them “Not Breath”. This is what made the book so entertaining for us. There were some harsh parts in the book such as the boy’s father being killed (by a demon bear) and the wolf’s family dying in a flood. In this book, there is a ‘Demon Bear” who is pretty scarry. My son had trouble getting to sleep a couple of nights after we read this to him. We actually had decided to stop reading it to  him because of this, but he BEGGED us to read more the next day.

Torak is twelve when his father is killed by a bear possessed by a demon. Torak must fulfil his vow to his father to journey to the Mountain of the World Spirit and ask for the Spirit’s help in destroying the bear. On the way, he encounters Wolf, who becomes his guide. Torak and Wolf are captured by the Raven Clan, where he is befriended by Renn. The story narrates Torak’s, Wolf’s and Renn’s journey to the Mountain of the World Spirit.Torak has to collect the three parts of the nanuak to get the world sprit to destroy the demon bear.

The second book in the series, Spirit Walker, we had to skip over. It was way too gross and disturbing for us. The village is overcome by some hidious plague which is described in way too much detail.

As the Moon of No Dark waxes high, the clans fall prey to a horrifying sickness, and no one knows its cause. Torak embarks on a search for a cure. His quest takes him across the sea to the mysterious islands of the Seal Clan, where he encounters the Seal Mage who promises to help him make a remedy. He also meets Bale, who later becomes his friend. Torak discovers that he is a spirit walker: his souls can move into other creatures, allowing him to perceive the world as they do. The Seal Mage is not as helpful as he at first seemed.

The thrird book, Soul Eater, is pretty good. I didn’t enjoy it as much as Wolf Brother, but my son did. This book is a rescue mission. Wolf has been kidnapped. Torak and Ren travel to get him back. Sadly, animals are sacrificed in this book which really bothered my young son. If you have a sensitive child, this may not be the book for you. Torak eats some weird stuff and goes into the bodies of some animals. The Soul Eater people they are up against are really creepy.

Wolf is captured by the Soul Eaters and taken into the Far North, where Torak and Renn follow. The Soul Eaters, in their efforts to subjugate all the clans, sacrifice hunting animals to unleash demons, and they plan to control the demons with a fire opal. Torak and Renn endure horrors to rescue Wolf and escape, but the Soul Eaters mark Torak against his will as one of them.

The review for the forth book, Outcast, is coming soon. We haven’t read it yet

When he was outcast, Torak was the hunted one. The following spring, he becomes the hunter when he swears to avenge the killing of one of his closest friends. To fulfil his oath he must brave the hidden valleys of the Deep Forest, where the clans have reverted to the savagery of an earlier time. Here, Torak finally learns why he is the Spirit Walker and discovers the true cost of revenge.

The title of the fifth and final book in the series has been confirmed as Ghost Hunter. It will be published in September 2009. Paver has said that it will be set in the mountains.

The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness’ Official homepage

The book, The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey, by Trenton Lee Stewart was a wonderfully well written book. The characters are very endearing and you really come to care about them. My kids really enjoyed this book and we loved reading it to them. We also enjoyed the first book (click here for review of book one) and hope that the author will continue to write more about these child geniuses. This book had a lot of action and kept us on the edge of our seats.

The fabulous foursome that readers embraced as The Mysterious Benedict Society are back with a new mission, significantly closer to home. After reuniting for a celebratory scavenger hunt, Reynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance are forced to go on an unexpected search–a search to find Mr. Benedict. It seems that while he was preparing the kids’ adventure, he stepped right into a trap orchestrated by his evil twin Mr. Curtain. With only one week to find a captured Mr. Benedict, the gifted foursome faces their greatest challenge of all–a challenge that will reinforce the reasons they were brought together in the first place and will require them to fight for the very namesake that united them.

Check out the official website here.

For your reading pleasure, here is a short poem in the book from Constance. We laughed and laughed at it and wish there was more:

“The night was black, the owl did call
I stood upon the silo tall,
Nerver suspecting I would fall. . .
Thanks to the boy who bumped me.

 Though frightened, I had stayed alert.
No thoughtless slumberings did divert
Me from my task till I got hurt. . .
Thanks to the boy who bumped me.”

The People of Sparks by Jeanne Duprau is a sequel to the book, The City of Ember (the movie City of Ember is due to be released October 10, 2008). It was very good and kept my interest through the entire book. The story was great and it was very well written. It starts up where the first book leaves off. The description of the world is intriguing and how the people of Ember adapt to the changes. They are used to their strange underground city and everything above ground is very different for them.

When teenagers Lina Mayfleet and Doon Harrow lead their people up out of the Earth, fleeing their dying underground city of Ember, everything is new and a little frightening to the refugees–the sun and the moon, birds, trees, fire…and the people of Ember are strange to the 322 citizens of Sparks, one of the few towns on Earth to survive the time of The Disaster. How can they feed and house the 400 Emberites, the leaders of Sparks wonder, when they have just begun to be able to feed themselves comfortably? But if they don’t, these underground people with no survival skills will surely die in the wastelands. They take them in as best they can, but grumbling and bad feeling grows on both sides. Lina returns from a failed search for her persistent vision of a city of light to find the town, egged on by the power-hungry young thug Tick, once again at the point of war, forgetting how the Earth has been destroyed before. But Lina has seen the devastation left by The Disaster, and so she risks a brave move of reconciliation, and when Doon exposes Tick’s trickery, the two sides join as the new people of Sparks.

In this exciting and solidly constructed sequel to The City of Ember, Jeanne DuPrau moves the story on entrancingly, bringing along her cast of characters from underground and adding new dimensions and relationships as the action escalates to a satisfying conclusion that still allows for further volumes in this fine fantasy. (Ages 10 to 14)

The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau, Review

“Don’t judge the book by it’s cover (or title)” turns out to be very good advice here. I wouldn’t have grabbed The Mysterious Benedict Society  off the bookshelf by looking at it. I happened upon this book by browsing the ‘best sellers’ at Amazon.com. I’m so glad I found it (I have found so many good books this way). Here is a unique and excellent idea for a kids book: Child geniuses team up to battle evil media messages.

The Mysterious Benedict Society is a bestselling children’s novel written by Trenton Lee Stewart and illustrated by Carson Ellis, first published in 2007.

Our family just finished reading the book and we all enjoyed it. I love finding great children’s books that are a decent length (this one was 485 pages). There is nothing like finding a great book that is REALLY long! All the longer to enjoy it. This book had a lot of great detail, and you really get to know the characters.

Click here to read an article about this book at Publishers Weekly. There is another great article about this book here.

Four children, Reynard “Reynie” Muldoon, George “Sticky” Washington, Kate “The Great Kate Weather Machine” Wetherall, and Constance Contraire, pass a series of tests advertised in the newspaper. After passing the mind-bending tests, the four children meet Mr. Nicholas Benedict, a man trying to stop something known as “The Thing to Come”. Mr. Benedict sends them to The Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened (LIVE), where they meet Ledroptha Curtain, a man trying to take over the world using subliminal messages.

The group finds out that they must obtain the high rank of Messengers to get closer to Mr. Curtain. Only Reynie and Sticky manage to become Messengers. They learn that Mr. Curtain is sending his messages using a machine he calls the Whisperer. The children carefully spy on Mr. Curtain, finally getting close enough to destroy the Whisperer. However, Mr. Curtain escapes. Mr. Benedict adopts Constance, Sticky finds his parents, Reynie is adopted by his old tutor, Miss Perumal, and Kate finds her father, or rather, he finds her.

official website

The next book in the series is already out: The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey

Published in 2003, the book the City of Ember is Jeanne DuPrau’s first novel. I read it in two days and thoroughly enjoyed it. I love finding great books to read and this is one of them. I highly recommend it. I couldn’t put the book down. They are making a  movie it is in production due for release in October.

Lights shine in the city of Ember—but at the city limits the light ends, and darkness takes over. Out there in the Unknown Regions, the darkness goes on forever in all directions. Ember—so its people believe—is the only light in the dark world.

And now the lights of the city are beginning to fail.

Is there a way to save the people of Ember? No one knows. But Lina Mayfleet has found a puzzling document, and Doon Harrow has made discoveries down in the Pipeworks. With these clues, they start their search.

The City of Ember is the only light in the dark world. Beyond Ember, the darkness goes on forever in all directions. When the children of the city of Ember finish school, they begin work at 12 years of age. . . .

Lina Mayfleet desperately wants to be a messenger. Messengers spend their days outside, running from one corner of the city to the other. Instead, she draws the dreaded job of Pipeworks laborer, which means she’ll be stuck in tunnels deep underground.

Doon Harrow draws messenger—and asks to trade with Lina! Doon wants to be underground. That’s where the generator is, and Doon has ideas about how to fix it. For as long as anyone can remember, the great lights of Ember have kept the endless darkness that surrounds the city at bay. But now the lights are starting to flicker.

When Lina finds fragments of an ancient parchment, she and Doon put the pieces together to discover a message that seems to be directions out of the city.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jeanne DuPrau has been a teacher, an editor, and a technical writer. The City of Ember is her first novel. She is currently working on the sequel at her home in Menlo Park, California, where she keeps a big garden and a small dog.

“What could be more interesting than thinking of mysterious happenings, finding the answers to intriguing questions, and making up new worlds?”–Jeanne DuPrau

The movie will be out in October, the trailer is below. It looks good.

Jeanne DuPrau - Official Website

Get your vote in below for your favorite Percy Jackson book! The poll ends the last day of 2008 and results will be posted here.

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Written by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, Peter and the Starcatchers provides an intriguing backstory for the character Peter Pan. The book and it’s sequels are geared more for older kids, middle grade, I’d say. They are full of action and have excellent plots. The book is followed by two sequels, also set before the famous adventure with Peter and Wendy: I really enjoyed the second book in the series, Peter and the Shadow Thieves (2006). I have yet to read the third book, Peter and the Secret of Rundoon (2007).

You don’t have to be a Peter Pan fan to enjoy the book Peter and the Starcatchers (2004). Recently, a nine-year-old boy said to me, “I wouldn’t like it because I don’t like Peter Pan.” Well that’s ok, because this isn’t the old Peter Pan story. It’s for older kids. Yes, there are pirates, but they are somehow more ‘real’ and ’scary’. It was totally different than the old Peter Pan stories, and most young boys will love it! (trust me)

I read the first book to my son when he was about nine and he really enjoyed it. My other son was reluctant to listen because he was too young at the time. (There are some parts of the stories that may be a little scary for younger kids). 

I highly recommend the books. They are fun to read and I found it very interesting to know Peter and Wendy’s background. Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson have amazing imaginations! I’m sure these books will be made into movies at some time, they are so good.

Speaking of Ridley Pearson, I have thoroughly enjoyed his book, The Kingdom Keepers. It is a fantasy thriller novel written for young readers about the Magic Kingdom in Florida. This would be an excellent book for anyone to read if they are planning a trip there. I will be writing a book review for it soon.

offical website 

Our family recently finished reading the Percy Jackson & The Olympians books, 1-4, written by Rick Riordan. We all really enjoyed the stories.  We read about three to five chapters daily. We highly recommend this series and are waiting impatiently for the next book!

The main character, Percy, always had trouble in school and was diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD. As it turns out, all the children of the gods have dyslexia and ADHD. The reason behind this is that they have to be alert and on thier toes, so it is one of thier natural instincts to not focus on one partular thing, but be constantly surveying their surroundings. I liked that.

The kids live at a special camp where they can train and learn how to defeat monsters. They are safe at camp but when they go out into the modern-day world on quests or simply to attend regular schools, they feel out of place (and are usually attacked by monsters). Some of the kids live at camp year round, and some go home during the school year or to boarding camp.

Get your vote in below for your favorite Percy Jackson book! The poll ends the last day of 2008 and results will be posted here.

What is your favorite Percy Jackson Book?

• The Lightning Thief (2005)
• The Sea of Monsters (April 1, 2006)
• The Titan’s Curse (May 1, 2007)
• The Battle of the Labyrinth (May 6, 2008)

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Percy Jackson & The Olympians is a series of adventure books written by Rick Riordan, based on Greek mythology. The series begins with a young boy named Percy Jackson who is diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia discovering that he is the son of Poseidon, the god of the sea. In the process, he learns that the Olympians still exist, along with many other figures and monsters from Greek mythology like Titans, cyclopes, and other creatures. He later becomes the owner of the sword Anaklusmos (which means “Riptide”). This was a gift from his father.

The author, Rick Riordan, did a wonderful job of making all the characters endearing, even the kids who are bullies and the not-so-nice kids. You love them and you hate them. They are mean, but you don’t want anything to happen to them.

The Lightning Thief (2005) Movie (2009)
The Sea of Monsters (April 1, 2006)
The Titan’s Curse (May 1, 2007)
The Battle of the Labyrinth (May 6, 2008)
Book 5 (May or Fall 2009)

Watch the videos below for a reading of chapter one, The Battle of the Labyrinth. Hang in there on the second video for a great summary of the book.

Official Percy Jackson webiste 

Let’s not forget about our favorite character Grover

Who’s your daddy? Find out who your god-parent would be!

Book review: Send Yourself Roses: Thoughts on my Life, Love, and Leading Roles, by Kathleen Turner, published in 2008.

I recently read the book Send Yourself Roses by Kathleen Turner. I don’t read biographies. The last one I read was in 1995, It’s always Something, by Gilda Radner. Because I am a fan and heard that Nicolas Cage was suing over some things Mrs. Turner said in the book, I had to read it. I’m glad I did. It was good.

She told a little story about each movie she was in, such as Romancing the Stone. Michael Douglas, Danny DeVito and Kathleen really hit it off. She stated that during the filming, Michael and his wife were going through a separation. She didn’t have a relationship at the time, either, and began to fall in love. 

I found it entertaining the way she lets everyone have it. She obviously doesn’t worry about angering her fellow actors. If they did something to upset her, they are going to hear about it. Maybe even in a published book. For example, Christie Brinkley stood her up a few times. She was supposed to see Kathleen’s play and was a no show more than once. Aparently Christie felt bad and sent a gift. Kathleen says she sent it right back saying “You can’t buy friendship” or something like that.  Nicolas Cage filed suit against her for claiming he had been arrested for DUI twice and once stole a chihuahua he liked.

She tells about her struggles with Rheumatoid Arthritis. I knew nothing about the disease but now I know that it is terrible. It’s good to be informed. (Click here for her official website)

Anyway, if you are a also a fan, love her movies, or have Rumatoid Arthritis, I recommend this book. A word of warning, though. F-WORD THIS, F-WORD THAT, F_CK, F_CK, F_CK. I don’t swear, and all the f_words in this book were a little surprising to me. Kathleen Turner must have been a truck driver in a former life! 

I highly recommend this book for young readers age nine to ninety. It has it all: Humor, suspense, mystery and more humor. It is really a ‘Detective Novel for Kids’. Our family totally enjoyed reading this book together and are looking forward to the next book in the series.

Summary: “Fletcher Moon may not be the most popular 12-year-old in his Irish town but he’s proud-maybe a little too proud-of the badge that he constantly flashes to let everyone know that he’s an online graduate of a private detective academy in Washington, DC. The other kids admit that Fletcher, aka Half Moon, has solved several tough cases at Saint Jerome’s Elementary and Middle School, so they come to him when they have a problem. But when super all-in-pink girly-girl April Devereux hires him to find a lock of a pop star’s hair that she claims was stolen by one of the Sharkeys-a family of well-known criminals-everything starts going wrong for Fletcher. His precious badge is taken, he finds a single huge footprint at every crime scene, and he’s picked up by the local police for arson when the Devereux playhouse burns down. When Fletcher goes on the run, who becomes his number-one ally? Young Red Sharkey. A typically funny Colfer offering without the mania of the Artemis Fowl series (Hyperion), the story wittily delivers the message that some people aren’t-for good or ill-who they appear to be. Kids who enjoy comic mysteries will have a great time with Half Moon, and the conclusion drops plenty of hints that this could become a series.“