Allie Strom and the Ring of Solomon: A Middle Grade Fantasy (Bringer of Light Book 1)

Written by Justin M. Stone

How much bad news can one twelve-year-old handle? Allie has just learned her best friend is leaving, her mom has been deployed overseas, and Allie is about to start seventh grade in a new school.

If that were not enough, Allie faces bullies, her mother’s disappearance, and finding a necklace belonging to her mother that appears to have mysterious powers. This is the first book of a series that contains themes familiar and popular to a middle-grade audience but written in a way to appeal to an older audience as well.

Allie meets Daniel who will participate with Allie on her quest. I enjoyed the interesting sketches of the characters included in the book that make them come alive. This feature also will engage reluctant readers.

Readers of coming of age, paranormal, fantasy and magic will find something to like here.

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The Douglas Bastard: A Historical Novel

Written by J R Tomlin

An interesting choice for young adults and adults who enjoy medieval history. Narrated from the perspective of a nine year old boy, Archibald Douglas, who is orphaned in fourteenth century Scotland and exiled with the Scottish king to France.

It follows the career of Douglas as he passes through the stages of knighthood and eventually returns to Scotland to revenge the king. The author has a lot of experience with nonfiction so there is much attention to historical detail. The language with Scottish inflection is sometimes difficult to follow. Tomlin attempts to remedy that with an extensive glossary.

This book is part of a series. Readers who seek a satisfying ending may be disappointed. For readers who enjoy history with interesting characters and battle scenes, this series will fit the bill nicely.

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How I Saved the Ants

Written by Joyothsna Raju

IIlustrated by Vijitha Senadeera

Cheeku is a mischievous boy who lives with his grandmother. He tries to avoid getting up for school but reluctantly rises and steals mangoes from the monkeys on his way. But the monkeys chase him and he falls into a tunnel where his adventure begins.

Cheeku meets an ant colony. The queen grants him magic powers to be both a boy and an ant. In the following days, Cheeku discovers the value of friendship, the meaning of forgiveness, and the definition of teamwork.

Can a naughty little boy learn a valuable lesson from these tiny creatures?

Colorful, expressive illustrations that evoke strong emotions link the story effectively to the lessons taught. A multicultural tale that teaches and entertains elementary school children.

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Team Supercrew Emotions and Powers (4 Box Set)

Written by Julie Anne Penn and Darren Penn

Illustrated by Sergio De Giorgi

This multicultural picture book assists elementary school readers to discover positive ways to discover and understand their emotions.

In the first book, the author introduces Sarah, who is about to attend her first day of school. Sarah is talking to her favorite superhero Benny who assures her fears are unfounded. He points out the positive situations and new experiences that could lie ahead in school.

Sarah understands the power behind, “What if?”. As a brave member of team supercrew, she has the power to be brave and unafraid.

I like the addition of an exercise for readers about how to build their own superpower skills. Look forward to reading the rest of the series.

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Cardboard Rosie

Written by Cazzy Zahursky

Illustrated by Sam Cabbage

This picture book is a lovely way to explore a whole range of emotions for children. At the outset, Rosie is a young girl who longs to spend time with her father but he spends most of his time working to support the family. Rosie longs for a Forever Doll, but the family cannot afford one.

The girl and her dad make a cardboard doll, named Rosie but the child feels disappointed. As time goes on, she learns to lean on the doll to share her feelings, hopes, disappointments, wishes, and dreams. But cardboard does not last forever. What will happen if Rosie disappears? Life changes and our feelings evolve. What lessons does the family learn?

A good book to use as a read aloud and family or class discussion book. Recommended for elementary and middle grade readers.

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Books for Benjamin: A Fun Picture Book Valuing Reading and Libraries!

Written by R. G. deRouen

Illustrated by Ulianna Barabash

This book is the most creative picture fiction book that I’ve seen in a long time.

The protagonist is a worm named Benjamin who has no desire to fit in with his family and worm friends. He loves books and wants to spend all his time reading. He fashions a plan to escape his life in a grocery store by hiding in a newspaper but when the purchaser discovers him she tries to kill him. Benjamin narrowly escapes but finds a dragonfly, ant, and ladybug to bring him to a safe place. Can you guess where that might be? Soon Benjamin finds himself in trouble again until he finds a sympathethic librarian who succeeds in making him famous.

Elementary school readers will turn each page as they follow this adventure, delight in the fanciful illustrations, and learn about the value of reading and safeguarding our literature. A bonus section features the history of the library.

Highly recommend the book and hope to see more creativity from this author.

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The Wondercurrent: (Rella Pen Sword and The Red Notebooks Book 1)

Written by J.R. Parks

Rella’s parents belong to a secret group of storytellers. First, her mother disappears, eventually her father suffers the same fate. Rella must now flee her homeland. She finds herself in the land of Hleo, where she joins up with four other children. They encounter shapeshifters and mysterious animal guardians. Rella must find a way to defeat the plague ravishing the land and retrieve the red notebooks. Fans of Harry Potter will enjoy this adventure.

Some reviewers discuss errors in the manuscript but many of these appear to have been corrected in this rendition. The characters are interesting and the action fast-paced in the 300 page adventure.

I think younger middle-grade readers might find the read a bit difficult and would classify it more as a young adult read. A good discussion book for issues like friendship, inclusion, facing fears and cultivating humility.

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The Legend of Creepy Hollow: Tales of the Lost and Found

Written by Shana Gorian

Noah and his sister Oakley are visiting the Murphy farm and orchard in upstate New York with their friend, Andre. They are enjoying learning about farm life but one thing troubles Noah. He has failed his history exam and his parents will ground him if he fails to pick up his grades. To make matters worse, his parents are history teachers! Noah’s teacher has given him an opportunity to make things right. She offered him coordinates to participate in a geocache. A geocache is a global treasure hunt game whose goal is to find a hidden treasure. Noah is not enthusiastic until Murphy’s granddaughter, Annalise, shows interest. Noah has developed a bad crush on her. The four teens decide they will embark the next day to explore the coordinates.

Once engaged on the hunt things get complicated. A nineteenth century ghost scouts the area. Strange sounds and events pop up. Will the foursome find the treasure? Can they survive their paranormal adventure?

The autumn setting and eerie feel contrast the peaceful nature of the farm with the threats that loom over them. The author skillfully weaves history within the plot teaching about the Harvest and Hunter’s Moon while revealing plot elements. Mystery, coming of age, detectives, and fear combine to entice middle grade readers to turn each page.

I received an advance copy of the book from the author and voluntarily chose to read and review with my honest opinions for no monetary compensation.

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WORD DRAGON: ( A FUN & FAST-PACED CHAPTER BOOK SERIES FOR KIDS 8-11) JUNKYARD ADVENTURES 1

Word Dragon is the first book in an interesting adventure book series for elementary and middle-grade readers. When siblings, Eli and Grace visit an antique store owned by “Uncle Larry,” a nonstop fantasy adventure ensues.

Their dad is searching for a second-hand lawnmower. Eli and Grace meet the lovable but absent minded store owner who loves telling stories to children. Larry gives them a hubcap, a length of rope, and an old Scrabble game with a missing letter. He informs the children they they can use these to go on an adventure, but once begun they cannot return until they solve the mystery to find their way back.

Challenge accepted! The brother and sister head off. They will meet a Word Dragon and avoid fireballs thrown at them along the journey. I particularly enjoyed the word vocabulary list that encourages young readers to expand their vocabulary. Readers will definitely want to sign up for a return visit to Uncle Larry’s store.

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Weeny Meeny’s Halloween

Written and illustrated by Marin Darmonkow

Weeny Meeny is rather young for a witch just passing the 1000 year mark. She enjoys newfound independence as she can now consider herself a mature witch. One thing bothers her. All the other witches fly about town never considering the litter in the streets. Weeny Meeny is environmentally conscious and wants to do something about it so she teams up with her pets, a black crow and a black cat.

Weeny Meeny strives to combine her magic with some hard work. The three friends enlist the aid of some unlikely allies and set to the task. Will the streets of the town be clean for Halloween?

The illustrations are child-like pencil drawings etched in Halloween colors. They add a unique aspect to the tale. While the book is targeted for readers ages three through ten, there is quite a bit of text on each page, which makes me feel it more suitable for a bit older reader or as a child’s beginning reader rather than a picture book for the younger child.

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