Tag Archives: Fiction

Escape to California by Jeff Brown

01 Thursday Jan 2015

Posted by in Children's Books

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Flat Stanley

This is Book Twelve in the Flat Stanley’s Worldwide Adventure Series.  Many other Flat Stanley Adventures are also in existence.  Although the author is listed as Jeff Brown, the book is actually written by Josh Greenhut, and the illustrator is Macky Pamintuan. I suppose it is quite common for publishers and/or authors to use the name of a well-known author in promoting a series.  But, I do believe I like the works by Jeff Brown better than these co-written ones.

In this story, Flat Stanley and the rest of the Lambchop family travel to California on vacation.  After saving a girl in a wheelchair from rolling down the famous Lombardi Street with all its twists and turns, Stanley and his father find themselves being kidnapped by Lily Fox, the girl in the wheelchair.  She wants to show the world that a disabled person can overcome many obstacles.  Lily has been looking forward to meeting Stanley because she believes he can help her.

Her ambition is to escape from Alcatraz and make it to the California coast.  Of course, Stanley can’t resist this challenge, and together they do the impossible.  This is a delightful story of friendship and perseverance in the face of a disability. I recommend its purchase, especially for those libraries who already have Flat Stanley on their shelves.

If It Bleeds by Linda L. Richards

11 Tuesday Nov 2014

Posted by in Mystery and Suspense, Young Adult

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if it bleeds      Linda L. Richards, author of the Charlie D. series, introduces a new sleuth to us in the form of Nicole Charles, a newspaper writer.  Nicole was offered a job with a major newspaper as a gossip columnist.

Although Nicole accepted that job, her real desire is to become an investigative reporter. While attending the opening of a new art gallery, she stumbles upon a body in a dark alley.  The body is that of the artist who was featured in the opening.  The unusual thing was that he was stabbed with an antique icepick.

Nicole begins her investigation to find her efforts somewhat thwarted by her boss, who allows another, more experienced journalist to take the lead on her story.  Nicole is determined to discover the identity of the killer and to prove to her boss that she is not just a writer of gossip columns.

Richards has crafted a good mystery for the reader.  It builds suspense and tension right up to the end. Although the protagonist is an adult, the material contained in the book will not be objectionable to any high school library.  The text is designed to appeal to any reader who may experience some difficulty in reading. I recommend this book as an addition to your mystery collection in high school and in public libraries.

Curses and Smoke by Vicky Alvear Shecter

09 Saturday Aug 2014

Posted by in Historical Fiction, Young Adult

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Curses and Smoke Any lover of historical fictional or a fan of love stories will want to read this book. Shecter, author of Cleopatra’s Moon, has once again given the reader of historical fictional a fascinating look into the past.

She has thoroughly researched the events of the eruption of Vesuvius, the lives of the people living in and around Pompeii and Herculaneum, and the Roman society as a whole.  She has included a wonderful set of notes at the end of the story so the reader may be able to see the sources of her story and of her characters.

The two main characters, Tag and Lucia are from two very different social strata.  Their lives are intertwined because Tag’s father is the physician for Lucia’s father and for the gladiators at his school. Lucia, is supposed to marry a much older man, but she wants to understand the causes of the natural mysteries she has begun to notice, and she definitely does not want to marry an old man.  Lucia has been taught to read, but she remains the property of her father and will later be the property of her husband; therefore, her wishes are of no importance. The love between Tag and Lucia develops as Vesuvius sends out more and more warnings about the coming eruption.  But, the people of Pompeii have never experienced an eruption, and they ignore the coming doom of the town.

The reader will come away with a realistic view of life and love during the first century.  Pompeii itself is a treasure of the past, but Shecter has put together other pertinent information that will expand the knowledge of the reader about Roman and its people’s. The book is suitable for grades six through twelve although adults will also enjoy it. I can easily recommend its purchase.

Victoria by Silvana Goldemberg

25 Wednesday Jun 2014

Posted by in Young Adult

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An amazing story of the resiliency of a young girl being abused and living in poverty in Argentina! Victoria’s mother has died and she, along with her twin brothers, must live with her Aunt Marta. Marta, Juan (Marta’s live-in-boy friend), and her daughter, Betina, live with Doña Norma, Victoria’s great-aunt. Doña Norma owns the house where they live, but she is an invalid.  Victoria yearns to be a teacher, but Aunt Marta forces her to quit school and help with the work around the home and with her ironing business.

Juan has made advances in the past, but when he gets very aggressive in his advances to her, Victoria realizes she can not continue living in the home and be safe.  When she runs away, she soon realizes that life on the streets can be as dangerous as what she ran away from.

Fortunately for her, a street boy named Marko befriends her and helps her learn how to survive without having to resort to prostitution or to selling drugs – the usual result for young Argentinian street girls .  While Marko looks out for Victoria and manages to keep other men from messing with her, he cannot get himself out of the grip of drug dealers. Victoria realizes he is in danger but is powerless to help him.

However, along with the bad people she encounters, several good people do come into her life to help save her. Victoria is smart enough to see where life on the streets will take her, and wise enough to take advantage of the good that people offer her.

While there are descriptions of violence and sexual advances, there are no overt scenes.  I think this book is an excellent way to show young women that they can be true survivors when bad things happen to them. I recommend this for middle school and high school libraries. The cost is $12.95 for the paperback version, but I would hope that wouldn’t be a deterrent to purchasing it.

The Shadowhand Covenant

20 Friday Dec 2013

Posted by in Children's Books, Uncategorized

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??????????     If you have The Vengekeep Prophecies by Brian Farrey, you most definitely will want to add this to your fantasy collection. This is the second book of the series, but it could be read as a stand-alone.  In this tale, Jaxter Grimjinx, of the infamous Grimjinx family of thieves, must find out why a notorious group of thieves, known as Shadowhands are disappearing.  He also wants to know why the High Laird has begun imprisoning a peaceful group of people known as the Sarosans. Of course, nothing is ever easy, not what it seems to be in Vengekeep.

In the course of his adventure he makes new friends and allies – one of them was a former enemy of his.  At the end of the book, although things are somewhat resolved, the reader will know that more of the story is yet to come. This is a delightful, suspense-filled fantasy for the 10 -12 year old reader.

Any story about children who manage to best adults with their skills or powers is always fascinating to younger readers.  One must suspend concrete knowledge in order the get into the story.  For instance, Jaxter carries with him a few pouches of herbs.  He never runs out of them, although he is constantly using them; and, he always seems to have just what he needs in those pouches.  Once, they are taken away from him, but the stupid adults who took the pouches leave them where he can get his hands on them again. Still, it is a good story, and I feel I can recommend it for upper elementary and possibly the middle-school student.