book

Book Review: The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen

Posted by

0

The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen by Lloyd Alexander

The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen
by  Lloyd Alexander

Prince Jen goes on a quest to the far north to find a legendary kingdom where the laws are fair and the people happy. He is charged with six wonderful gifts to take to the ruler of the northern kingdom. But along the way, he is delayed by bandits and loses his entourage and finds himself stranded with only one servant to help him. Prince Jen must continue his journey, befriending unlikely misfits along the way – an escaped slave girl who plays the flute beautifully, a mad robber with his own moral code, and a mysterious old man who appears and disappears at whim.

Continue reading →

Book Review: Bella at Midnight

Posted by

0

Bella at Midnight by Diane Stanley

Bella at Midnight
by Diane Stanley, Bagram Ibatoulline (Illustrator)

4 out of 5 stars

Bella has grown up with a poor but kind family, befriending the young prince Julian who visits his old nanny. When Bella discovers that she is actually the daughter of a nobleman, she is sent to live with her cold and haughty father and his new wife. Bella is torn from all her former friends, including her childhood friend, the prince. Three years later, a terrible plot against the kingdom forces Bella to seek out Prince Julian once more, hoping to avert a disastrous war.

Continue reading →

Book Review: Trials of Apollo: Tower of Nero

Posted by

0

The Tower of Nero by Rick Riordan

The Tower of Nero (The Trials of Apollo, #5)
by Rick Riordan

3 out of 5 stars

Zeus punishes Apollo by turning him into a mortal human. Apollo must complete various trials and serve a demigod named Meg, so that he can regain his godly status. In this final book of the series, Meg and Apollo are traveling to New York to face the evil Emperor Nero and the terrifying giant snake, Python, that is controlling all the prophecies.

Continue reading →

Book Review: The Grey King (Dark is Rising)

Posted by

0

The Grey King (The Dark is Rising, #4)
by Susan Cooper

5 out of 5 stars

Will is recovering from a serious illness, and is sent for a holiday with his aunt in Wales. There he meets Bran, a mysterious albino boy with a dog who can see the Dark wind of the Grey King. Will is on a quest to find the golden harp and use its music to awaken the Sleepers to fight against the Dark. With the help of Bran and his dog, Will stands up against the menace of the Grey King and searches for the harp, but at a terrible cost.

Continue reading →

Book Review: Thomas and the Dragon Queen

Posted by

0

Thomas and the Dragon Queen by Shutta Crum

Thomas and the Dragon Queen
by Shutta Crum (Goodreads Author), Lee Wildish (Illustrator)

3 out of 5 stars

Thomas dreams of someday becoming a knight, and when he is sent on a quest to rescue the princess from a dragon, he thinks he has finally found his chance to prove his knightly courage and worth. But everything seems to go wrong along the way. Thomas is the youngest and smallest of all the king’s squires. He doesn’t have a huge warhorse, or a mighty sword, or shining armor. But he does have courtesy and resourcefulness that will prove to be more useful than any sword.

Continue reading →

Book Review: The Princess and the Bear

Posted by

0

The Princess and the Bear by Mette Ivie Harrison

The Princess and the Bear (Hound Saga #2)
by Mette Ivie Harrison

Chala is a hound who was magically turned into a human princess for a time. Now back in her hound form, she befriends Richon, a human prince who is under a curse as a bear. As a hound and bear, they survive together in the wild forest, until they see evidence of a terrible “unmagic” spreading through the land, sucking the life out of all animals and plants it encounters. They must go back in time in human form to fight against the unmagic in the past before it can gain strength.

Continue reading →

Book Review: Trials of Apollo The Tyrant’s Tomb

Posted by

0

The Tyrant’s Tomb by Rick Riordan

The Tyrant’s Tomb (The Trials of Apollo, #4)
by Rick Riordan

3 out of 5 stars

Zeus punishes Apollo by turning him into a mortal human. Apollo must complete various trials and serve a demigod named Meg, so that he can regain his godly status. In this fourth book of the series, Meg and Apollo are trying to turn back the zombie forces of the Triumvirate from attacking New Rome. A prophecy tells them that if they can capture the breath of a dying god, they could summon godly help to face Caligula’s armies.
Apollo and Meg are joined by Hazel, Frank, and Reyna in their quest. Lavinia, a lesbian with a crush on a Poison Oak dryad, breaks all the rules of the 12th Legion to help Meg and Apollo sneak in and out of New Rome on their quest.

Continue reading →

Book Review: Magnus Chase The Ship of the Dead

Posted by

0

The Ship of the Dead by Rick Riordan

The Ship of the Dead (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, #3)
by Rick Riordan

2 out of 5 stars

Magnus has one last chance to stop Loki from triggering Ragnarök. If his friends can find a magical mead that grants amazing poetic powers, then Magnus can challenge Loki to a duel of words and hopefully imprison him in time to stop the Ship of the Dead from sailing. But magical mead doesn’t grow on trees, and they have to defeat a lot of giants and travel to Ireland and Norway before they can locate even a small amount of the mead.

Continue reading →

Book Review: Lost Evangeline

Posted by

0

Lost Evangeline by Kate DiCamillo

Lost Evangeline
by Kate DiCamillo (Goodreads Author), Sophie Blackall  (Illustrator)

4.5 out of 5 stars

A shoemaker finds a tiny baby hidden in a shoe, and the little girl grows up to be as small as a mouse. He names her Evangeline after a beautiful ship, and the two dream of going to sea someday. The shoemaker’s wife thinks Evangeline’s small size is a sign of bewitchment, and resents her husband’s love for his adopted daughter. She sells Evangeline for a sack of money, but Evangeline escapes and searches for her father. Along the way, Evangeline gets help from a reluctant cat and a scared boy, but she finds the courage and resilience to inspire them to join her in her adventures.

Continue reading →