Entries Categorized as 'Fiction'
Posted by Sarah
Categories: Fiction, Review, Younger Readers
Tags:Animals, Cats, Patricia Maclachlan, Quick Read
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Now that Anna and Caleb’s father is married to Sarah, a new problem arises: drought. More and more neighbors pack up and leave. Will the rain come in time, or will they have to leave too?
As with the book before this, Sarah, Plain and Tall, this isn’t one of my favorites. As a warning, one of Sarah’s aunts goes skinny-dipping, but nothing really bad comes of it.
Posted by Ruth
Categories: Adventure, Fiction, Older Readers, Review
Tags:Pirate Adventures, pirates, Scary, Seafaring, Wayne Thomas Batson
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It all starts when Declan Ross, captain of the William Wallace, and his headstrong daughter Anne take on a badly injured boy who has no memory of his previous life. As time goes on, the truth about a great treasure, long believed lost, is revealed. Hidden by a mysterious order of monks, this treasure must be reclaimed—and Declan Ross is the one to do it. Perilous dangers await in the journey, and Bartholomew Thorne, the most dreaded pirate on the high seas, is determined to find the treasure first. So begins a deadly race to the Isle of Swords with more at stake than first meets the eye.
Despite a few flaws, I was quite impressed with this book. A great page-turner, memorable characters, and many intricate subplots. I debated whether to mark this for ages 13+, like the other Wayne Thomas Batson books we’ve reviewed, or to bump it up to 15+. I will leave it at 13+ with a warning: Bartholomew Thorne is not a nice fellow, and he does not treat his prisoners kindly. Nothing was overly vivid, but it had me grimacing on several occasions. So do take that into consideration.
Also, I was under the impression that Isle of Swords was a stand-alone book. Be forewarned! I raced through the climax right to the end where the story is left at a cliffhanger. While the main plot is resolved, many mysterious puzzles are left unsolved. All that to say, I’ll be watching for Isle of Fire, the sequel.
Posted by Jordan
Categories: Adventure, Fiction, Older Readers, Review
Tags:Animals, Badgers, Birds, Brian Jacques, Ferrets, Foxes, Funny, Hares, Hedgehogs, Long Read, Mice, Moles, Otters, Rats, Redwall, Snakes, Squirrels, Weasels
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The Searat captain Vizka Longtooth captures a young badger, which he decides to tame. But Gorath (the badger) is angry at the rats for killing his grandparents, and he plans to escape as soon as he can. Meanwhile, badger lord Asheye has a dream, telling him that Salamandastron’s new badger ruler will be found defending Redwall Abbey. He sends out perilous hare Mad Maudie to find the badger and bring him back. If that wasn’t complicated enough, Redwall Abbey has also banished a young hedgehog thief, telling him not to come back for a whole season. The resulting tale does indeed end up making sense in true Redwall fashion.
Doing a review of a Redwall book is always a challenge. I have read all eighteen books before this one, and I already have a favorite picked out. That being said, Eulalia! certainly meets expectations. The characters are just as memorable as always, the story just as complicated, and the ending just as satisfying.
Posted by Rebekah
Categories: Adventure, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Older Readers, Review
Tags:Long Read, Robert Louis Stevenson
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Ever since his father died, Richard Shelton has been living as the ward of Sir Daniel Brackley. Richard, or Dick, as he is called, has for some time been annoyed with Sir Daniel’s habit of changing sides for material gain. Is Sir Daniel for Lancaster or for York? Dick can’t say, but when he begins to suspect Sir Daniel of having a hand in the murder of his father, Sir Richard Shelton, Dick is faced with a difficult decision. Live with the man who has taken care of him all his life, or avenge his father’s death. At last Dick chooses to avenge his father, but has he delayed too long? Sir Daniel suspects that Dick knows something and wishes to get rid of him as quickly—and permanently—as possible.
And, since that’s such a splendid, suspenseful ending, I’ll leave it there. This is a very good book that takes place during the War of Roses in England. Lancaster and York are the two groups vying for the throne. There’s a thread of romance in the story; Dick becomes separated from his lady fair and spends half the book trying to rescue her. But don’t think that that makes the book dull! On the contrary, I had trouble putting it down. It reminds me of Robin Hood, Ivanhoe, and King Arthur. A very good book, highly recommended by me, and I’m sure multiple others. Plenty of action and, as an added bonus, a secret passage! (Pause for collective ooohs and ahhhs) Okay, so I really liked that part.
The writing style is a little hard to understand at times, but don’t despair. The only time I had to read something twice was when I skipped ahead to peek. Take a lesson from my confusion and don’t skip. This book doesn’t deserve to be read in such a slip-shod, higgledy-piggledy manner. Enjoy!
Posted by Jordan
Categories: Fiction, Older Readers, Review
Tags:Animals, Award Winner, Birds, Dogs, Otters, Sad, 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.
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