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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Barnabee loves to spell. He is thrilled when he learns his teacher has selected him to be in the spelling bee. He practices with Buster, another classmate.
Barnabee does not understand why every time he gets a word at practice, he freezes and cannot spell. Buster makes fun of him. Can Barnabee find the courage to be brave and perform when the big day arrives?
I enjoyed the clever puns, alliteration and on-spot analogies that add humor and make reading the story aloud fun. Not to mention children learn how to handle anxiety and cope with competition by turning it into friendship.
Recommended for elementary age readers.
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Publisher’s Book Summary: Thirteen-year-old Emma Murry has three goals for summer vacation: finish her art terms project, land an ollie, and help the environmental club save the monarchs.
But then her Instagram crush Jeb Scott and his celebrity dad Chester make a surprise visit to Black Mountain. At first, Emma is thrilled, but then she overhears their plans to destroy the monarch butterfly garden to build a ski resort. She and her best friend Sophie add a new summer goal: STOP. THE. SCOTTS.
Emma ignores Sophie’s warnings and makes friends with Jeb, convinced she can change his mind. Then when Chester receives a mysterious death threat, Emma teams up with Jeb to investigate. She slowly discovers people are not what they seem as she attempts to untangle friendships, organize a protest, and uncover supernatural secrets hiding on the mountain.
Emma will have to go through her own metamorphosis by overcoming her fears and facing what she dreads. If she fails, she could jeopardize everything—butterflies, friendships, and her family.
Rebecca Laxton has served school communities as an afterschool program director, reading specialist, and school psychologist. While working for Boone County Schools, she was named the Kentucky School Psychologist of the Year for collaborating with teachers and administrators to write and evaluate an emotional intelligence curriculum.
Rebecca is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Charlotte Literary Arts, and the North Carolina Writers Association. Her short memoir, “Throw Like a Girl,” about playing on a mostly boys Little League team can be found in The Love of Baseball (McFarland 2017). Currently, she is a dyslexia practitioner and enjoys reading, writing and spending time in the Blue Ridge Mountains with her husband, four kids, and three dogs.
Gracie Laxton is a freelance graphic designer and dance choreographer from North Carolina but is currently based in New York City. A 2021 graduate of Central Academy of Technology and Arts in Monroe, NC, she studied art as part of The Savannah College of Art and Design’s high school joint enrollment program. Currently, she attends Marymount Manhattan College, pursuing degrees in dance and art.
MY REVIEW OF THIS BOOK:
The Metamorphosis of Emma Murry
Written by Rebecca Laxton
Illustrations by Gracie Laxton
Thirteen-year-old Emma Laxton plans three goals for her summer. Emma needs to complete an art project, perfect her skateboarding skills, and plant a garden for the migrating monarch butterflies. She is spending the summer at Black Mountain with her family and best friend, Sophie.
Things rapidly get complicated when the Scotts come into town with a plan to develop a ski resort that will endanger the eco system. To make matters worse, young Jeb Scott develops a romantic interest in Emma. She is determined to get closer to Jeb to derail their family’s plans.
The dialogue in this novel fits perfectly with the characters who represent coming of age teens struggling to find their own identity and express their interests within their communities. Laxton manages to teach art lessons through her chapter introductions. That is an unexpected bonus to reading this novel. This book covers topics that may be of particular interest to middle grade and young adult audiences. I learned about the ollie in the art of skateboarding and the world of the monarch butterflies. The elements of a budding romance and hints of the supernatural keep the plot unpredictable and appealing to a struggling, coming of age audience.
The book kept a baby-boomer engaged; I predict that it will be a page-turner for the targeted pre-teen and young adult audience.
GIVEAWAY
One (1) grand prize winner receives:
A SWAG bag that includes:
– A signed hardcover copy of The Metamorphosis of Emma Murry
– A tote, puzzle, word search, small skateboard sticker, small butterfly sticker, and large vinyl butterfly sticker made with the illustrator’s graphics.
Five (4) winners receive:
– A signed paperback copy of The Metamorphosis of Emma Murry
Publisher’s Synopsis: The world is not always a perfect place. Needles, a scraggly little tree, must endure criticism, laughter, and setbacks to realize his goal of becoming a beautiful Christmas tree.
This is a story of dreams, desires, hope, determination, and never giving up. It also offers the observation that what others think is beautiful may not really matter. Beauty is truly in the eyes of the beholder and paired with the spirit of Christmas, maybe we can make the world just a little more perfect!
Richard Wagner grew up in Southern California. When he was fourteen years old, a business friend of his father’s had a small Christmas tree delivered as a thank-you. Their family already had a large tree decorated in the house. Not being able to find anyone who needed a tree, that small Christmas tree stood outside by itself for the remainder of the Christmas holiday. Needles, the Forgotten Christmas Tree is a tribute to that little tree and what might have been, but more importantly, to all the beauty, goodness, and hope that Christmas brings to us all. Mr. Wagner continues to reside in Southern California with his wife and two children.
What a perfect picture book to celebrate the meaning of the season! Needles is a short, scruffy evergreen tree growing on a Christmas tree farm. The adjoining trees make fun of him, but Needles firmly believes he will achieve his goal to become a beautiful Christmas tree in someone’s home.
The trees are cut down and brought to market but as day after day passes, Needle’s friends are chosen, while no one seems interested in him. When the owner of the lot, decides to gift Needles to a friend, Needles is elated. Now he will have a home! Will he achieve his dream to become a beautiful Christmas tree?
The story contains many twists and turns. Children (and the adults who read this story to them) remember that the promises of faith and hope are at the heart of the Christmas season. Even more important that sharing and caring for others is the true spirit of Christmas.
A perfect holiday choice for a bedtime story or read-aloud with elementary school children.
GIVEAWAY
Enter for a chance to win a copy of Needles, the Forgotten Christmas Tree, autographed by Richard Wagner.
One (1) winner receives:
– An autographed copy of Needles, the Forgotten Christmas Tree
The Forgotten Horse – Book 1 in the Connemara Horse Adventure Series for Kids. The perfect gift for children age 8-12. (Connemara Adventures)
Written by Elaine Heney
This is Book 1 in a series. The author has trained thousands to develop and care for their horses. She also creates films featuring the human equestrian relationship.
Primarily intended for a middle-grade audience, Heney creates beautiful characters. Readers learn about a close-knit Irish farming family that faces hard times. Clodagh immediately falls in love with the grey pony that she names Ozzie. Clodagh knows one day she will work with horses.
The book is filled with issues that usually pop up for its target audience like bullying and learning to cope with school peers determined to look down on her. Throughout the book, Clodagh reveals her steadfast determination to overccome these obstacles and find a way to keep Ozzie.
Highly recommended for any reader who loves horses and down-to-earth family stories.
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It’s time for Judah’s jiu-Jitsu tournament but he is paralyzed by his fears. He is not afraid of losing but of the monsters. He sees them everywhere, even in the mirror in his bedroom.
When the lion monster pulls Judah into the mirror, he must confront the bully, but he is not alone. There are many children with similar fears.
How will Judah respond? Will he face his greatest fear? What will happen to the other children?
This multicultural picture book is well-written and beautifully illustrated. All children can see themselves and learn to face their fears.
Recommended to parents and teachers of children ages five through twelve.
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An action adventure that is full of quirky characters, imagination, twists, and turns.
Eleven-year-old Bobby loves chocolate and will eat it until he gets sick. He has a pesky sister and a rather ordinary family.
Bog is the school bully who torments everyone. Bobby dreams of revenge. His plans go awry when Bog banishes Bobby to the sewer. Here the readers meet all sorts of disgusting creatures.
The book is illustrated with color images that correspond with the humor and fantastic wordplays. That makes the book appealing to reluctant readers. Unpredictable twists and turns keep the plot moving along quickly. This book should appeal to boys and girls whether beginning or middle-grade readers.
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Publisher: Chelshire, Inc. | ISBN-13: 9781950080434
Publisher’s Book Summary: Templeton Academy, the superhero high school, is finally open!
The prestigious academy is recruiting the best of the best to enroll in its student body. The school is as mysterious as it is exclusive. Grady Whill thinks there is nothing special about him to make the grade. However, his best friend, Aarush Patel has been selected and thinks Grady has the right stuff. Even school bully, Elwood Bledsoe is attending.
If Grady is fortunate enough to be picked, his guardian has forbidden him to attend. Will a family secret prevent Grady from becoming the superhero he was destined to be?
Carole P. Roman is the award-winning author of over fifty children’s books. Whether it’s pirates, princesses, spies, or discovering the world around us, her books have enchanted educators, parents, and her diverse audience of children of all ages.
Roman is the CEO of a global transportation company, as well as a practicing medium.
She also writes adult fiction under the name Brit Lunden and has created an anthology of the mythical town of Bulwark, Georgia with a group of indie authors.
Writing is her passion and one of her favorite pastimes. Roman reinvents herself frequently, and her family calls her the ‘mother of reinvention.’ She resides on Long Island, near her children and grandchildren.
What an interesting middle-grade novel. An interesting combination of genres and themes, coming of age, fantasy, adventure, peer, family, and school relationships. Whill and his best friend, Aarush, long to gain admission to an elite new school Templeton Academy, but Whill’s guardian is opposed. The Middleton Middle Schools bully Elwood torments Aarush who is autistic, Whill is often in trouble because he sticks up for his friend.
Despite the odds, Whill, Aarush, and Elwood all gain entrance to Templeton. Upon arrival, the students realize this is no ordinary place. Whisked away to a mysterious location, with no outside contact and communication, they learn that they must uncover the meaning of a codex inscribed on an obelisk. Their classes include subjects like subconscious thinking. What will Whill and Aarush learn about their past and their hidden superpowers? Will they succeed in their quest? This first book ends at the completion of year one.
GIVEAWAY
Enter for a chance to win an awesome Dooney Press Gift Pack of books and more fun goodies!
One (1) grand prize winner receives:
– A signed copy of Grady Whill and the Templeton Code
– A waxed canvas backpack
Nine (9) winners receive:
– A signed copy of Grady Whill and the Templeton Code
This novel is presented from three separate points of view. Ann, a mother, who moves into the town for a new start, her daughter, Molly, a high school senior, and Wade, the star football quarterback.
It is a coming-of-age story, touched by a budding romance, and the problems of bullying and adjusting to a new home. Each of the characters faces challenges and struggles. Drama is added with a mystery that needs to be solved.
The book will appeal particularly to young adult audiences. It is a pleasant change from the dark fantasy and paranormal often found on young adult reading shelves.
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When Lily May returns home from school in a bad mood, her mom knows just what to do.
What happened to put Lily May in such a foul mood? All her classmates made fun of her favorite ruby heels. The other children seem to favor dull brown flat shoes. Lily’s mom, her cat, and her favorite book are the magical ingredients to rescue Lily May from her funk.
She is reminded of just what a dull place the world would be if we all looked and behaved the same. By the end of the tale, Lily May is celebrating her uniqueness.
This book is written in crisp rhymes with adorable multicultural illustrations. I especially enjoyed the quick exercises that the offer includes for creating, brave, proud, respectful, empathetic, and mindful young readers. Parents and teachers will want to try them all. Highly recommended for primary grade children.
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September 17, 2023
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