Entries Categorized as 'Sad'
Posted by Jordan
Categories: Animals, Award Winner, Dogs, Fiction, Older Readers, Review, Sad
Tags:Birds, Otters, Scott O’Dell
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After Karana’s tribe is decimated by greedy otter hunters, they leave the Island of the Blue Dolphins on a ship. Karana, however, is left behind while chasing after her younger brother. The rest of the story is about her struggle for survival as she looks for a way to escape and join her tribe.
The author’s note in the back of this book tells the true story of Karana, a woman who arrived at a mission in California and befriended a priest there shortly before her death. Scott O’Dell states that little is known of her story, and that it intrigued him enough to write one. While well-written and very enjoyable, Island of the Blue Dolphins doesn’t strike me as Scott O’Dell’s best work, nor as his worst. Zia is the sequel.
(6 votes, average: 5 out of 5)
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Posted by Ruth
Categories: Adventure, Animals, Dragons, Fantasy, Fiction, Funny, Incredibook!, Older Readers, Review, Sad, Scary
Tags:Donita K. Paul, DragonKeeper
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Three years after DragonKnight, Kale and Bardon, now married, emerge from The Bogs to find Amara in upheaval. Crim Cropper and Burner Stox have split, fighting against one another and destroying the country in the process, tossing armies back and forth like so many pots and pans. Kale is paired with her father to find and rescue a battalion of dragons, while Bardon remains to serve as best he can quenching evil and restoring peace. Both will face challenges greater than ever before.
As soon as I got my hands on a copy of this book, I stuck to it with a grip like a bodoggin on its next meal. I devoured it at breakneck pace, and my head spun for a day or two afterward. DragonFire delves deeper into the hearts and minds of Kale and Bardon than any of its predecessors. I felt that something was missing, though, and partway through the book I discovered what it was. No Toopka. No Librettowit and Taylaminkadot. N’Rae is mentioned briefly, but her whereabouts, as well as Granny Kye and Holt’s, are absent. But on the other hand, I think having so many familiar characters would crowd the book. This is an important one in the series to really establish Kale and Bardon and who they are. I’m glad DragonLight is coming, though.
(13 votes, average: 4.54 out of 5)
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Posted by Jordan
Categories: Adventure, Animals, Dragons, Fiction, Long Read, Mysteries, Older Readers, Review, Sad, Scary, Science Fiction, Seafaring
Tags:Madeleine L’Engle
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Thirteen-year-old Simon Renier and his adult cousin Forsyth are both on a boat headed for Venezuela. Forsyth plans to deliver a portrait of Simon Bolivar to a museum, Simon is just along for the ride. On the day they leave, Simon meets Poly and Charles, two brainy kids who are roughly his own age. What could be better? Together they roam the ship, until the portrait is stolen, and they must help solve the mystery.
Wondrously complicated. I’ve heard that this is the second in a series about Poly and Charles, but Dragons in the Waters can stand on its own. You will not expect the ending, nor will you expect most of the plot twists (unless you read the blurb on the back cover and ruin it!). This could easily have been a five star book, except for some signature L’Engle weirdness that was a bit of a stretch (I won’t spoil the story by telling you what it is). However, if you’re willing to let her rearrange the universe a bit, Dragons is a gripping mystery that will keep you turning pages.
(3 votes, average: 1.67 out of 5)
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Posted by Becca
Categories: Adventure, All Ages, Animals, Dogs, Fiction, Funny, Out of Print, Review, Sad
Tags:Jack Stonely
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Scruffy (Mass Market Paperback)
by Jack Stonely
ISBN: 0671410962
Price: —
41 used & new available from USD 0.10
A mixed breed puppy is born in an abandoned house. Its mother had been left, tied to the house, for a neighbor to pick up when her owners moved away. But she chewed her rope and ran back into the house before the neighbor could get there. The puppy ends up as the only surviver of her litter. The house is eventually set on fire to get it out of the way of a building company. After escaping through the chimney, the mother dog and her puppy are found on the roof and rescued by a worker. The man takes the two dogs home for his wife to care for. She immediately falls in love with them and persuades her husband to keep them. But the mother dog has other plans. She is determined to find her way back to her previous owners. On the way back to the old house, she gets lost and ends up getting shot by some shepherds. The puppy is now alone in the world. Throughout the rest of the story, she earns the name “Scruffy,” joins up with a pack of dogs, and unwittingly helps to wreck a car.
This is a great book about a dog who started out as a stray and ended up famous. I’ve read it multiple times and it still remains on my favorite list. The pack of dogs get into many adventures, including blowing up a traffic sign, “guarding” a lady, and rescuing a boot, thought to be a puppy by a deaf collie, from getting run over. The last part of the story is true. Jack Stoneley actually wrote the articles that are talked about in the book. “Scruffy” was originally titled “The Tuesday Dog.”
(11 votes, average: 4.09 out of 5)
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Posted by Jordan
Categories: Advanced Readers, Adventure, Animals, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Long Read, Mysteries, Review, Sad, Science Fiction
Tags:Donkeys, Lloyd C. Douglas
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The Robe (Paperback)
by Lloyd C. Douglas
ISBN: 0395957753
Price: USD 10.17
71 used & new available from USD 1.72
Tribune Marcellus of the Roman army angers a prince and is sent to command a fort in Minoa, a notorious outpost in Israel where military offenders are sent as an “honor.” While there, he is ordered to crucify Jesus Christ — and wins His robe. Afterward, Marcellus is commissioned by curious emperor Tiberius to find out all he can about this mysterious man Jesus, so that he can report the facts to the dying emperor.
Vivid and captivating. Douglas spins a good story that is very intense. All sorts of things have happened by the time you are even a quarter of the way finished. Demetrius, Marcellus’ slave, is a good example of a loyal friend, and I’m very glad he was included in the book. This is a well-written story with many plot twists, but it has a few problems. A few things in here are just downright odd. However, if you can get past a few quirks, The Robe is well worth the time you’ll need to finish such a long book.
(2 votes, average: 5 out of 5)
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