6 weeks of Stocking Stuffers.... Week 2

Week 2 starts with a review of The Phoenix Files a book that is full of intrigue and mystery and kind of made me think of communes and teen angst and mischief. I'm not sure why....

The Phoenix Files: Contact (Book 1) 

by Chris Morphews

ISBN: 978-1610670913

$6.99 (paperback)

$6.99 (ebook)

About the book:

This electrifying, six-volume, alternating-narrator serial catapults the reader into a creepy, locked-down desert town, built by an all-powerful corporation whose plans threaten the future of the rest of the world.

Luke Hunter soon realizes that Phoenix is no ordinary town: no cars, no phone or Internet connection, and a private security firm on patrol. This is weird enough, but then he and his new friends learn that someone is plotting to wipe out the rest of the human race. The clock is ticking. Only 100 days until the end of the world.

My thoughts:

I've wanted to read this series ever since Usborne started carrying it. Many of you know I wasn't to crazy about the Conspiracy 365 series that came out a couple years ago. It's such a huge series to read - and I really like that that this series is complete in 5-6 novels. The perfect length for a series of books for the middle grade.

The Phoenix Files is a series of books based on 3 teens who (along with their parents) move to the brand new town of Phoenix. It's in Australia somewhere out in the bush (for you Americans it's in the middle of NOWHERE). The teens and families arrive in a military grade helicopter with the windows spray painted over so they couldn't see where they were going. They are encouraged to bring nothing but their suitcases - the Phoenix Group (their parents are working for) will supply everything else they will need. There is a Phoenix High School where our 3 new Teen Friends attend school (in matching grey pants, white shirt and red ties), the houses are all identical (including matching matching furniture all in shades of grey) and there are no motorized vehicles - that's right no cars, trucks (except the supply trucks) and guess what? There is no communication with the outside world - unfortunately Luke's Dad is part of the outside world after he and his mother divorce and it turns out Luke's family is the ONLY family unit without 2 parents.

So what happens when Luke and Jordan (the last 2 families to be chosen to arrive) each receive a USB with a cryptic label on it, meet a crazed man called Crazy Bill and start an investigation with their new pal Peter?

All I can say is that I am definitely looking forward to the next book in this series. The story gets kind of slow in the middle and I started wondering when the story was going to speed up some but the last few chapters of the book get very good and well, I finished this book sometime around 10 pm last night.

You can purchase this book and the other 4 books in this series by clicking on the following links. These links lead to a friend of mine's Usborne Books website & I know she would be happy to help you set up a Gift list or if you'd like to host a FB Book Party she can help you get lots of FREE books as well!

Book 1: Arrival
Book 2: Contact
Book 3: Mutation
Book 4: Underground
Book 5: FallOut
Book 6: Doomsday

Disclaimer: I was originally offered a copy of this book to read/review on CCB. This review is being moved to GivingNSharing and reposted for my readers here. I was not required to post a positive review and no $ exchanged hands. Thanks for reading GivingNSharing!

Linked up @:
Content in the Meantime

2015 Summer Reading Suggestions ~ Between Two Ends

Today's post is going to be longer as the blog I originally posted this review on is no longer active so I'm just going to pull it over for you. I had so many troubles with that blog I just scratched it and restarted fresh on Classic Children's Books. Isn't that sad? I still have access to it however and will be occasionally pulling reviews from some of my favorite book reviews - these books have become valued members of my book collection.

2015 Summer Reading Suggestions

Between Two Ends

Between Two Ends

by David Ward

Published by Amulet Books

Age 9-12, 304 pages

ISBN: 978-0810997141
$15.26 (hardback)
$14.99 (kindle)

About the book:

When Yeats and his parents visit his grandmother's creepy old house, Yeats reunites a pair of pirate bookends and uncovers the amazing truth: Years ago, Yeat's father traveled into The Arabian Nights with a friend, and the friend, Shari, is still stuck in the tales.

Assisted by the not-always-trustworthy pirates, Yeats must navigate the unfamiliar world of the story of Shaharazad - dodging guards and tigers and the dangerous things that lurk in the margins of the stories - in order to save Shari & bring peace to his family.

My current thoughts & the original review:
Current thoughts are in italics: How many of us can honestly say while reading a particularly GOOD book that it wouldn't be interesting to go into that book and become a part of the story? You take any of the GREAT books like Arabian Nights, Gone with the Wind, Little Women, Mowgli, Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit and often I find my imagination taking off on me. If only I was a writer - I could fill several hundred stories with the stories my imagination takes off with. 

Between Two Ends has been on my thoughts lately while I tried to decide which books I was going to include in this 4 week series - that is already on week 5 and will also include a week 6 of one of my favorite Middle Grade books to read this summer! I had to dig through both Classic Children's Books (my last kids literacy blog) and Family Literacy & You (my 1st kid's literacy blog) in order to find this review. It was posted over 400 posts ago! Wow!

My original review:

Between Two Ends is the perfect rainy day or summer time book to read! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's fast paced, full of adventure and lots of unexpected treats that can only take place in a good book. Kids (and grown ups that never grew up) will have a hard time putting this book down. 

Opening when Yeats (our hero) visits his grandmother's home where many years ago an unfortunate even took place when his father was the same age as Yeats is now. The house is creepy and dark, there is a very old man who waits upstairs, a grand library filled with books & a bookend... when Yeats finds another bookend in the garden encrusted with dirt he cleans it off and takes it inside. From there things start happening....

You will cross a "sea" of books to rescue Shari, a girl Yeats father once knew as a dear friend and left in "The Arabian nights" when he was the same age as Yeats is now. Now it's up to Yeats to save her before it's to late. There is a lot of imagery in this story that helps the reader visualize the scene and draw them closer into the story. Often I felt like I was a part of the story - I mean can you imagine riding a boat over a sea of books? You'd think it would be bumpy but I felt more like I was riding white caps on the sea.

The writing is outstanding, the plot & pace wonderful and just so you know, I am definitely looking forward to the sequel to this book (the author has confirmed there is another one). While reading this book I had to jot down a few questions to ask the author & he was kind enough to answer them for me (and you)....

Questions I asked the author David Ward:

1) How many books do you think is going to be in this series? I'm really hoping it's a series & I'd love to see the series include Peter Pan along with Treasure Island that you mentioned at the end of Between Two Ends.

     A: The sequel has begun! This time as you imagined at the setting of Treasure Island. The prologue (at least in the rough draft stage) begins with Skin and Bones. Peter Pan was one of the books I considered for book one. It is still on the list.

2) I noticed you have written quite a few books - do you have any favorites? 
    A: The Grassland Trilogy is close to my heart - although, I hope that as always, my favorite book must always be the one on which I am currently working.

3) Did you read a lot as a boy and who were your favorite authors? 
    A: My father was a Reverend and we were not allowed to do much on Sundays other than read. We (siblings) read a lot! (Of course, we also played knee hockey, conducted mass battles with toy soldiers and constructed many buildings with the equivilant of Legos). Top favorite authors whom I still cherish: #1 C.S. Lewis, #2 Tolkein, #3 Lloyd Alexander

4) Who inspires your writing now and why? Do they push you to improve the quality of your writing or do you find reading their books gives you ideas for new stories? 
    A: Readers push me the most in terms of inspiration. To receive a letter or email from someone who has sojourned in the same story world is the greatest compliment and source of shared adventure. In terms of authors.... I am good friends with Arthur Slade (http://arthurslade.com/frontpage/) who has been a tremendous support. Fellow playwright Michelle Davis reads all my work before I send it to my agent Scott Treimel who also reads all my work. Favorite authors right now who inspire me: Jeanne DuPrau (City of Ember), L.A. Meyer, Megan Whalen Turner and Ian Lawrence among the many.

Learn more about David Ward on his website HERE. He has written many books and while I haven't read them if they are as well written (which I am sure they are) as Between Two Ends you will be on the edge of your seat as much as I was!

Disclaimer: Much thanks goes to David Ward for writing this book & Amulet books for Young Readers for sponsoring this giveaway! I was given a copy of the book to review & was not paid to give a good review or for advertising space. Thanks for reading GivingNSharing!



Book Spotlight ~ New MG-Teen Fiction Series!

Today I am announcing a NEW Kids series due out Fall 2015. I will be posting a review at a later date but I wanted to let you know about J Scott Savages new series so you can put it on your calendar - it should make a great birthday or holiday gift for your MG/Teen who likes a little Sci-Fi, a little intrigue and a whole lotta action!

Mysteries of Cove, 
book 1: Fires of Invention
by: J Scott Savage

About the book:

STEAMPUNK! Plus Dragons!

Trenton Colman is a creative thirteen-year-old boy with a knack for all things mechanical. But his talents are viewed with suspicion in Cove, a steam-powered city built inside a mountain. In Cove, creativity is a crime and "invention" is a curse word. Kallista Babbage is a repair technician and daughter of the notorious Leo Babbage, whose father died in an explosion-an event the leaders of Cove point to as an example of the danger of creativity.

Working together, Trenton and Kallista learn that Leo Babbage was developing a secret project before he perished. Following clues he left behind, they begin to assemble a strange machine that is unlikely anything they've ever seen before. They soon discover that what they are building may threaten every truth their city is founded on-and quite possibly their very lives.

Who wrote it?

J. Scott Savage is the author of the Farworld middle grade fantasy series and the Case File 13 middle grade monster series. He has been writing and publishing books for over ten years. He has visited over 400 elementary schools, dozens of writers conferences, and taught many writing classes. He has four children and lives with his wife Jennifer and their Border Collie, Pepper, in a windy valley of the Rocky Mountains.

Why'd he write it & Where'd he get the idea?

Like many of my books, the inspiration for my new series Fires of Invention came from the collision of two ideas. The first time the story occurred to me was while I was watching the musical Wicked with my wife. The moment I walked into the theater and saw the huge mechanical dragon above the stage, I thought, Wow! I have to write a story about that! A few weeks later, I was talking with my nephew, who is probably the most creative kid I know, but whose inventiveness often gets him into trouble, and I thought, What if a kid who had the talents of my nephew lived in a world where creativity was against the law? What if the kids were building . . . a steam-powered dragon? Bam! I had my story.

Powered by great feedback from my agent, Michael Bourret, my good friend and author James Dashner, my publisher, Chris Schoebinger, and the song “Warriors” by Imagine Dragons, I wrote the entire first draft of the first volume in the series, Mysteries of Cove in four weeks. This book is unlike anything I have ever written. There are elements of City of Ember, Dragon Riders, and Hugo in it all mashed up together in a world I fell in love with from the moment I started writing.

I think what’s most exciting to me about this book is that it’s about giving yourself the freedom to imagine. To take chances. Too often we limit ourselves by only trying things we’re confident we can succeed at when what we need to do is give ourselves permission to fail. Often it is when we attempt things with no idea of how we can possibly pull them off that we achieve our greatest successes.

Other books/series by Mr Savage:

Learn more about J Scott Savage's books (2 series so far!), ideas and stay in contact for future releases at: www.jscottsavage.com and you can also follow him on Instagram: jscottsavage, Facebook and Twitter. =D

Disclaimer: I am working together with Shadow Mountain & J Scott Savage to announce the future release of Mysteries of Cove, book 1: Fires of Invention this fall. I was not offered any $$$ to spotlight this book however I will receive a copy of the book to do the review this summer.

2015 Middle Grade Summer Reading List Suggestions

For the next few weeks I will be sharing some older reviews of books that easily became my favorites. These reviews were on an old Children's Review blog that I no longer run - but still own. So, I am re-sharing them here on GivingNSharing to help you find some GREAT books for your kiddos to read this summer.

Book #1 in my Must Read List is....

The Luckless Prince
by Rie Sheridan Rose
ISBN: 978-1612710143
$16.20 (paperback)
$6.99 (kindle)

About the book:
"Do I have a choice, Mendana? He is my brother - maybe not by blood, but my brother just the same. And I swore to his father on my honor I would protect him." ~ by Steavil, pg 170

From the time he is found wandering the forest as a 5 year old, Stefan has been the constant companion of Prince Roland, heir to the throne of Irthlan. So, when Roland decides it's time he saw more of his future kingdom, Stefan isn't about to let him go alone. It's the moment Roland's ambitious cousin Norfulk has been waiting for, and the adventure becomes an exercise in life-threatening danger. Stefan is determined to keep his friend & prince safe, but in the process he discovers a secret that will change his life.

My thoughts:

(my original review:) The Luckless Prince is the story of Steavil found in the woods by a King, brought back to the palace as a playmate and eventually as a squire to his son Roland. A boy who has spent his life not knowing who he is, protecting the prince from his scrapes, acting as a "conscious" to the prince and saving his life and giving up the ability to walk with ease and grace when the king's own dogs attack them after Roland loses his temper and throws a spear in their direction.

This book is very well written, full of action, adventure and even a love story or two. I would say it's for older teens and adults due to the love story (but no love "scenes"), language (not a ton) and the battles. There are no graphic scenes so depending on your kid's maturity I can see teens 16 and older reading it. I loved it (LOTR's & Progeny fan that I am).

The world of Steavil and Roland is very reminisent of LOTR's. The Elves are dying off and the world of men believe they have vanished. Rie has created a wonderful "Elvish" language even as brief as it is within the book and the poetry and music is beautifully written. Roland's kingdom is in danger of being taken over by his cousin, Norfulk, a madman and wizard who ultimately wants Roland and his father dead and the world of the Elves destroyed and to be placed as "King" of both Kingdoms.

My thoughts NOW (4 years later):
The Luckless Prince is one of those books that get under your skin. At $16.20 it's a little expensive (it's 356 pages long!) but it's also one of those books that your kids will read again and again. The story 4 years later is still in my head and honestly I'd love to read more Stefan & Roland adventures. The characters are easy to connect with and the story draws you in with all the different story lines and the surprise twist of who Norfulk is and the thought of who he could of been if certain things had never occurred & he had not let jealousy.... well, I won't say anymore about that.

This would be a great book for your kids to read this summer on a rainy day - or read it as a family in the evenings or on road trips. I'm going to change my suggested reading age to 13-14. The "love" story is clean & yes there are a few "words" but personally I found I could skip over them and not change the story one iota. The words are not said in anger but more frustration, the kids in the book are not disrespectful or kids you wouldn't want your own kids to be around - I love this book and it is one of the few of the last 5 years of reviewing that has stayed on my bookshelf. 

I'd love to see this book become a kid's movie - I'd be buying it for myself because I'm finding I'm a big kid at heart. =D 

You can read an excerpt from the book (here) and if you would like to order it would you please consider ordering on my amazon page (here) - Thanks so much!

You can learn more about the author HERE.

 

Disclaimer: I received this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Regardless I only recommend products or services I have personally read or used & think my readers will enjoy. Thanks for reading GivingNSharing.