Ghosts, Brothers, and Dogs

This is an adorable book is about two brother wanting a big dog to pull their Wagon and finding out that even the 'wrong' dog can be pretty special. It is also a ghost story about a lonely man and an equally lonely sheepdog. Filled with great characters and a very good message,  this is a superb way to start kids reading chapter books. Loved it.

Calling Once Upon A Time Fans

For those who love the series Once Upon a Time, we all know who Red is or Ruby of Storybrooke. Their version of Red Riding Hood with a magical cloak that protects dear sweet Red from the mammoth size wolves that attack the village people every Wolfstime. How, though, did she get the cloak and how did she meet Peter, the love of her life? And what other mysteries is Granny hiding? These questions and more are answered in Red's Untold Story by Wendy Toliver. For those who have not yet watched Once, I will keep to just my general opinion of the book and not go into much of the story save for what I said above. This novel takes place only in the Enchanted Forest and not in our world. Red is her typical self, growing up with her over protective grandma who has a knack for baking and trying hard to make friends in a village plagued by monsters every month.. Other characters included Peter, her best friend, and of course, Granny, Red also runs into trouble with three of the popular town girls, who are every bit as nasty as the stories of the wolf. Lovers of Once Upon A TIme will enjoy reading this book as well fans of the classic story, Red Riding Hood. I will warn the latter though, this is a slightly different story. If you are wanting to watch the TV show and are afraid this will spoil it, have no fear... there is very little spoilers, only clues to her origins. Writing style was very good and reminded me of the show with the exception of not going into our world. Regular characters from the series are only those will direct links to Red herself being Peter and Granny, which contains the story to her village and surrounding areas. For the most part I enjoyed this book. It remained true to the world I have come to love and gave us more insight on a character I wish they would have developed more. It is very clean with very little language and blood is kept to a minimum. I recommend this book to lovers of fairy tales, fantasy, and of course, Once Upon a Time.

Best Show in Wonderland?

If you love Alice in Wonderland, not for its cute Disney movie, but for the ultra mad world created by Lewis Carroll, this series is right up your alley. Part fantasy/part psychotic thriller, the Insanity Series brings the world of Wonderland to Earth in a bloody and dangerous way. The third in the series brings the same mad fun as the first two.

A rabbit with a bomb in its belly is loose in London, a man that resembles the Mad Hatter is doing parlor tricks, and Alice needs to solve the mystery while trying to remember who she really is.
Filled with characters so familiar yet so strange, Circus is a mad romp through the mind of one of the most beloved and misunderstood stories of all time. Can't wait for Hookah.

Listen up you Scallwags

Lewis thinks his great grandpa is pretty cool. So what if he talks to himself shouting at shadows as if they are real people? His parents think Grandpa's just senile and should be put in a home for his own good, but Lewis doesn't want to see the old man forced from his home he loves so much. It is then on Grandpa's 101st birthday, that he whispers an odd phrase for Lewis only to hear... Libertalia. The next day Great Grandpa is gone and with him any way of solving this odd name. From ghost pirates to a unique inheritance, Seven Dead Pirates is a perfect book for boys and girls alike.

Lewis and the cast of pirate ghosts fill these pages with adventure and fun, with fantastic high jinks and a thrilling 'rescue' mission from a Moo-see-um. Characters such as the mighty Captain Crawley and Adam the ship's boy, the mystery and well researched pirate lingo makes this book great for kids who might have trouble reading other books. Ms. Bailey works in her details with the plot making sure to keep the reader interested, instead of bogged down with lengthy passages.

I really enjoyed this book. It reminded me a great deal of the How To Train Your Dragon books and would be very good for parents with young boys. With its boyish humor (ghosts that are falling apart and sea worthy language), it would hold attention where some of the more serious novels do not. It's humorous, but also a well versed adventure where a young boy heads out to save a group of pirates and learns a little bit about himself in the process.

Batten Down the Hatches, Mate... and read this Book!!

A Whole New World... maybe?

What happens to a beloved story if you change one event? Does it unravel in a complete mess? Does it spiral out of control killing everyone and everything in its path? Or does it make its character rise to a new level therefore changing the plot so much that the new story is barely recognizable? In some books, that could be the case.. in A Whole New World though it really isn't.

Remember the cartoon... if you haven't had the pleasure, the first quarter of this book will be new to you. Aladdin is a poor street rat stealing her supper on the streets of Agragbah with his sidekick money, Abu. Jasmine is a princess forced to marry a prince to produce ah heir for the Sultan line. Jafar is a power hungry villain destine to find the lamp and take over the kingdom. Along the way, Rajah the tiger and Iago the parrot join the cast as well as the great and powerful Genie.

As I mentioned before, one event changes the outcome of the book meaning Aladdin doesn't get the lamp(Genie) but instead Jafar does. The street rat along with Abu and the carpet are forced to dig their way out and lead a rebellion to overthrow the new Sultan, or as we know him, Jafar. Jasmine, of course, comes to help him beginning the love story we know from the cartoon.

Now for my opinion... if you haven't seen the cartoon, it's a great book filled with high flying adventure and stunning scene description. If you have, well, it is very similar and almost feels like the writer took scenes from the movie and sliced them throughout the book adding bits and pieces to form the complicated albeit familiar story line. In reality, I expected more. Jafar to wish for something more unpredictable and for the story to actually change more than what was given. I did like Rajah more in this since he seemed to be more tiger than pussy cat. In truth, the animals behaved more like animals. Iago dumping his bowels down the back of Jafar's cloak was an added touch,

As I said, if you love the movie or have never seen it, the book is really well written and the characters are so fun that you will enjoy the humor, action, and intrigue. If the movie was so-so to you, maybe rent it from the library or borrow it from a friend. I give it four stars for writing and 3 star for orginality.

Fairy Tale

A very enjoyable tale of twins, Fey folk, and magic... where being a twin is dangerous and where a pure heart is worth its weight in gold. A top notch story...I really liked this sweet tale. The characters both human and not were engaging and fun. It had its scary moments but still would recommend to tweens. I personally loved Wink and Fidget.

Hunters, Hounds, and Fey Folk oh my.....

Imagine that Fairy folk are not the pretty little pixies and gnomes that we see frolic among the meadows, all smiles bringing about peace and niceness. Imagine they, along with all their big bad friends want to eat you for the magic you produce. Imagine now that the only thing standing between you and them is a Hunter with large black hounds, much like what you would think of when you hear the term hell hound. This hunter is young, about fifteen and the seven hounds she commands look like rainbow dogs that breathe fire and kick... well you get it. That is the story that comes to life in Hunter by Mercedes Lackey.
Being a veteran to Lackey's stories, I was well pleased that she had not lost her tough. Joy, the Hunter who I was describing in the first paragraph is strong, generous, and full of confidence... at least as far as hunting concerned. She is not however ready for onslaught of media she receives when her and her hounds become this week's news. Her friends also play a wonderful role to support as well as expand the way you see Joy and other around her. 

Many have complained about her wordiness, and to them, I have to say... You haven't read much of Mercedes' books. Her worlds deem a good beginning and in this world, it needed a thorough description. I actually liked the bit of teenager drama, much like most teens trying to make it through a world they are not quite sure of. I felt Lackey gave us a real girl in Joy, not one that is larger than life.

To my favorite part now... the hounds. Oh my... I loved the diversity of the guardian type creatures... from ones that fly to ones that teleport. They were so well described that I had no trouble picturing them in my head and I enjoyed the differences that each Hunter brought to their own hounds. 

Overall, Hunter hit its mark for me. I cannot wait for her to write the second and am honored to have had a chance to review this book for Disney Hyperion. If you are a Lackey fan or new to her stuff, you should really pick it up. Fans of great fantasy and superb action will find this book quite satisfying.