A Videogame Stole My Sister: An Early Reader LitRPGMetaverse Legends Book 1
Written by Justin M. Stone
This book is targeted for an eight to twelve-year-old audience. Classified as a beginning reader, it would be an excellent choice for reluctant readers. I believe the plot especially appeals to tween boys, particularly those who have sibling rivalry with a sister.
Lucas is a tween boy who has a sister, Madison, who is one year older than he. Like many boys his age, Lucas loves video games. One day he is playing his favorite, when he gets distracted for a minute. Next thing he knows, his sister Madison is missing. You guessed it, she has been taken by the game.
The short chapters of the book alternate point of view with story being told by Lucas and Madison. The adventure is funny and humorous. One note of caution for parents and teachers. The book includes language like “piss” and mentions “running like hell.”
I think the book will appeal especially to the younger middle-grade audience and reluctant readers who prefer shorter chapters with less challenging vocabulary.
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PB&J is a fifth-grader who has a strange super power. Since first grade, he can hurl peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with uncanny accuracy. This strange ability gets him into trouble more often than not.
PB&J meets his nemesis when an evil villain begins attacking with green goo. Dr. Vile changes children and adults into tasty treats like lemon cream pie and stale bread. PB & J valiantly tries to use his super power to defeat the evil scientist.
This book is filled with superhero tips, and funny illustrations. The dialogue is simple and typical of the book’s audience. I suspect fifth-grade boys will love the crazy antics and humor.
I would highly recommend this book and the series for reluctant readers. It has appeal for beginning chapter book readers as well.
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The protagonist, Luna, is a young girl who is brave and compassionate. She lives at the edge of the Milky Way. Luna’s fondest desire is to venture into deep space and explore the universe.
When the opportunity arises, Luna’s mother pleads with her not to go. Drawn by her insatiable curiosity, Luna answers the call. Her adventure will lead to many dangers, but Luna’s determination, empathy for others, and spirit of teamwork allow her to overcome the most formidable obstacles.
The illustrations are marvelous and the rhymes spot on. While the book is targeted for ages five through eight, the longer page length and vocabulary suggest for me a middle-grade audience as well.
This book with its strong female role model and intriguing plot make it a top choice for your next book selection to a home or classroom bookshelf.
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Publisher’s Synopsis: Freedom for lobsters! The second in the Eudora Space Kid series: a hilariously funny, early reader sci-fi chapter book perfect for elementary-aged kids. Can Eudora and her best friend, Arnold, rescue her favorite lobsters from becoming the next meal at the spaceship’s New Year’s buffet?
Eudora is a normal third-grader who just happens to live on a 36 deck AstroLiner. In SPACE! As a math and science whiz who’s been adopted by what you might call . . . aliens, she has normal ambitions—like being the chief engineer on an AstroLiner. But when her favorite lobsters on board appear on the menu at Chef Franklin’s dinner buffet, Eudora and her best friend, Arnold, hatch a plan to break them out. Will they save their crustacean friends? Or will they end up locked in the ship’s brig? Again . . .
Brilliant for engaging emergent and early chapter book readers.
David Horn lives in New Jersey with his wife, two daughters, and a funny dog named Trixie. He is a huge science fiction fan and loves reading science fiction books from both the old and new greats. His daughters inherited his love of science fiction and love watching sci-fi shows like Star Trek, Babylon 5, Stargate, and Star Wars. The Eudora Space Kid early reader chapter book series started as funny stories he told his daughters at dinner to get milk to come out of their noses. He hopes your children love Eudora’s silly antics in space too and milk comes out of their noses too!
Eudora Jenkins is a third-grader who lives on a spaceship in the future. She is a math, science, and engineering genius. Her home, The Athena, is a space vessel protecting the Planetary Republic. Its crew consists of humans and space aliens.
This book is the second in the series but can easily be a stand-alone story. Readers quickly learn that Athena and her best friend, Arnold have a penchant for getting into trouble for their pranks and landing in the brig. At the beginning of the tale, they inject dancing music while the crew is engaged in a battle drill on the bridge. More trouble looms when they decide to rescue the lobsters doomed to be on the menu for a special buffet dinner. Eudora never runs out of clever ideas that get her into trouble. Will Eudora succeed? How long will the adults tolerate her schemes?
This sci-fi series contains humor, imagination, pranks, and clever characters. Perfect choice for elementary grade students learning to read chapter books. The black and white illustrations assist with attention retention and are enticing for reluctant readers. A bonus word search activity at the end continues the fun.
In partnership with The Children’s Book Review and David Horn
ABOUT THE BOOK
Eudora Space Kid
Written by David Horn
Ages 6-10 | 97 Pages
Publisher: David Horn | ISBN-13: 9781736677407
Publisher’s Synopsis: Eudora is a typical 3rd grader. A typical 3rd grader who lives on a 36 deck AstroLiner. In space. A normal girl adopted by what you might call… aliens. Her mom is a dog-like species named a Pox and runs the onboard jail (brig). Her dad is an octopus-like species from the planet Pow. She is a girl who has normal ambitions, like being the chief engineer on an AstroLiner.
Eudora is a girl who comes up with a plan to prove her worth by improving her AstroLiner’s engines and breaking all known speed records. Will she succeed and earn a promotion? Or will she end up in the brig? Again…
Brilliant for engaging emergent and early chapter book readers.
David Horn is a huge science fiction fan. While his wife sometimes feels like they live in outer space, they really live in New Jersey with their two human daughters and one doggy daughter named Trixie.
David loves reading science fiction books from both the old and new greats like Asimov, McDevitt, Scalzi, Howey, and more. He also loves reading his kids’ books like My Weird School, Just Grace, The Baby-Sitters Club, Ramona, and the list goes on.
David and his daughters also love watching sci-fi shows like Star Trek, Babylon 5, Stargate, and Star Wars.
Eudora Space Kid started as stories he told his daughters at dinner. They loved Eudora’s antics in space. So now The Great Engine Room Takeover is his first book in the Eudora Space Kid early reader chapter book series. He can’t wait for you to love Eudora’s stories too.
Eudora the Space Kid: The Great Engine Room Takeover
Written by David Horn
Illustrated by Talitha Shipman
This is the first book in a chapter book series sure to delight beginning readers, especially those interested in space travel.
Eudora is a third grader who has been adopted by animal creatures from another planet. She and her older sister, Molly are earth orphans. They live on a spaceship named the Athena, where they travel through the galaxies maintaining peace among the federation. Eudora loves science and experimentation. She constantly gets in trouble for “inventing” things. As the tale opens, she is on a class trip to the flight deck when she decides to fire the plasma cannons. Eudora is put in the brig, but her mother is soon willing to forgive her. On another occasion, Eudora is determined to break the record for traveling past the speed of light. Eudora is determined to become a member of the Astro Fleet command. Do you think she will succeed?
Lots of black and white illustrations enhance the large easy-to-read font for new readers. The dialogue is fun to read, and the plot moves along quickly. Quirky characters and humorous antics create a winning combination for the six to ten age group.
GIVEAWAY
Enter for a chance to win a copy of Eudora Space Kid and a $50 Barnes & Noble gift card!
One (1) grand prize winner receives: A signed copy of Eudora Space Kid and a $50 Barnes & Noble gift card.
Three (3) winners receive: A signed copy of Eudora Space Kid.
The Universes Inside the Lighthouse: (Balky Point Adventure #1)
Written by Pam Stucky
A good choice for middle-grade and young adult readers looking for a summertime read. A vacation trip to an island turns into the adventure of a lifetime for teenage twins, Charlie, and Emma.
They cannot resist investigating the haunted lighthouse. Soon they get a lot more than they anticipated. This adventure combines real science, science fiction, magic, time-travel, and fantasy with two interesting characters.
Charlie and Emma become the detectives who discover multiple universes, two-dimensional characters, and a society that chooses to isolate its members. The twins are surprised to find alter egos and must figure out how to cope with them and find a way out of the void.
The dialogue is fun and the plot fast-moving. This is the first book in the series.
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Ruin Hunters and the Dead Man’s Myth: A series of epic adventures throughout ancient sites across the globe!
Written by Rob Beare
Protagonist River Ruins is a junior archaeologist embarking with his family on the greatest adventure of his twelve years. In this first adventure book of a new series, River and his family will sail their way through the Caribbean. Here they will find themselves with codes that need to be solved, fortresses that need to be conquered, and pirates who will fight them each step of the way.
The Ruin Hunter Family are in search of a statue, The Glowing Idol of the ancient Mixtec people. They will engage in a fierce battle with the Helions, who are just as determined to fight to the death for the idol statue and secure it for themselves.
The series promises to be a hit with middle-grade adventure and history lovers, especially boys who love Indiana Jones’ tales. Maps and illustrations enhance the read for reluctant readers. Recommended for readers ages nine through thirteen.
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Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books | ISBN-13 : 978-0062838438
Publisher’s Synopsis: As book three of the Greystone Secrets series opens, the Greystone kids have their mother back from the evil alternate world, and so does their friend Natalie. But no one believes the danger is past.
Then mysterious coins begin falling from unexpected places. They are inscribed with codes that look just like what the Greystones’ father was working on before he died. And with the right touch, those symbols transform into words: PLEASE LISTEN. And FIND US, SEE US, HELP US. . . .
The coins are messengers, telling the Greystones and their allies that their friends in the alternate world are under attack—and that the cruel, mind-controlling forces are now invading the better world, too.
After another spinning, sliding journey across worlds, the Greystone kids must solve mysteries that have haunted them since the beginning: what happened when the Gustanos were kidnapped, what created the alternate world, and how a group of mismatched kids can triumph once and for all against an evil force that seems to have total control.
Margaret Peterson Haddix grew up on a farm in Ohio. As a kid, she knew two girls who had the exact same first, middle, and last names and shared the same birthday—only one year apart—and she always thought that was bizarre.
As an adult, Haddix worked as a newspaper reporter and copy editor in Indiana before her first book, Running Out of Time, was published. She has since written more than forty books for kids and teens, including the Greystone Secrets series, the Shadow Children series, the Missing series, the Children of Exile series, and lots of stand-alones. Haddix and her husband, Doug, now live in Columbus, Ohio, where they raised their two kids. You can learn more about her at www.haddixbooks.com.
MY REVIEW OF THIS BOOK
DOUBLE TROUBLE
This book is the conclusion of the Greystone Secrets series. While reading the first two books in the series is not necessary, I would recommend readers do so in to get the full impact of the author’s message.
Book Three begins with the return of the Greystone kids’ mother from an alternate evil universe in which their father has been killed. They all remain in danger. The leaders from that evil world are tying to kill them. Then strange coins start falling from everywhere. These coins are inscribed with messages like please listen and find us. They are messages from the alternate world pleading for help from their evil attackers. The Greystone kids, Chess, Finn, and Emma, partner with their doubles, the Gustano children to slide between the two worlds in a frantic effort to save both worlds and them.
Readers will be intrigued by the notion of mismatched doubles who do not match each other physically but share other familiar traits. They need to overcome their fears and weaknesses, combine their strengths, and use their smarts to defeat the overwhelming forces of evil.
This is a fast-moving adventure that will keep the reader from putting the book down. The characters are believable and richly drawn. Young readers can easily identify with their struggles and empathize with their successes and failures.
Highly recommended for ages eight through eighty-eight.
GIVEAWAY
Enter for a chance to win a set of the Greystone Secrets series, including Greystone Secrets 3: The Messengers.
One (1) grand prize winner receives:
A paperback copy of Greystone Secrets 1: The Strangers
A paperback copy of Greystone Secrets 2: The Deceivers
A hardcover copy of Greystone Secrets 3: The Messengers
The giveaway begins April 6, 2021, at 12:01 A.M. MT, and ends April 22, 2021, at 11:59 P.M. MT.
June 2, 2024
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