Entries Categorized as 'Older Readers'
Posted by Ruth
Categories: Adventure, Fantasy, Fiction, Incredibook!, Older Readers, Review
Tags:Animals, Donita K. Paul, DragonKeeper, Dragons, Funny, Sad, Scary
Add a comment »
Our rating: 
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.
Posted by Jordan
Categories: Adventure, Fiction, Mysteries, Older Readers, Review, Science Fiction
Tags:Animals, Dragons, Long Read, Madeleine L’Engle, Sad, Scary, Seafaring
Add a comment »
Our rating: 
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.
Posted by Ruth
Categories: Adventure, Fantasy, Fiction, Older Readers, Review
Tags:Cornelia Funke, Long Read, Scary
2 Comments »
Our rating: 
Meggie’s bookbinding father, Mo, has a unique talent. When he reads books aloud, the characters come to life. He first discovered this when reading to Meggie as a baby. Several characters from the book Inkheart, villainous and otherwise, appeared in their living room, while Meggie’s mother disappeared. And she hasn’t been seen since. Meggie, now twelve years old, knows nothing about her father’s ability, but a mysterious man named Dustfinger shows up to give Mo a warning. Capricorn, Inkheart‘s wicked badguy, read out from his story long ago, has plans for finding Mo and using his book-reading for evil purposes. Meggie and Mo are about to be swept into the adventure of their life.
I had seen this book quite a bit at libraries and bookstores, and I finally decided to give it a try. My conclusion? Not bad. It’s certainly not my new favorite, but if you’re looking for new fantasy-type books, you might want to give this one a try. The writing style is a bit unusual, being translated from German, but it didn’t strike me as hard to comprehend at all. It’s a long read, but I enjoyed it, and the whole “book within the book” thing is fun.
Posted by Rebekah
Categories: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Older Readers, Review
Tags:Animals, Funny, Horses, Mark Twain, Westerns
1 Comment »
Our rating:
Soldier Boy, Buffalo Bill’s horse, is one of the finest scout horses in the west. When an orphan named Catherine comes to stay with General Alison, Kathy becomes good friends with everyone at the garrison, including Buffalo Bill who allows her to ride Soldier Boy. After a period of time, Kathy, General Alison, and some others return to Spain (Kathy’s home), and they take Soldier Boy with them. Unfortunately, Soldier Boy is stolen and eventually is killed in a bullfight.
This is reminiscent of A Dog’s Tale in that the hero of the story, Soldier Boy, dies. However, it takes it a step further because Kathy dies too! There are some funny parts, particularly one in which Soldier Boy and another horse discuss what makes something a reptile — “That any plantigrade circumflex vertebrate bacterium that hadn’t wings and was uncertain was a reptile.”
Posted by Jordan
Categories: Adventure, Fantasy, Fiction, Older Readers, Review
Tags:Animals, Birds, Cats, Dogs, Good Read Aloud, Long Read, Rabbits, Richard Adams
1 Comment »
Our rating:
Warned by a prophetic rabbit named Fiver, Hazel leads a group of rabbits out of his doomed warren to start a new life. However, even though they make it away safely, it will take all of their cunning and skill to keep the new warren on Watership Down thriving. In order not to die off, a group of rabbits are sent to bring back does (female rabbits) from the nearby warren of Efrafa. But the Efrafens are tough, military rabbits, and only a cunning trick will bring the does back safely.
Wonderful! The story of Hazel, Fiver, and their friends is one you won’t forget easily. Every page is interesting and vividly real. My only problem was that the rabbits would sometimes speak in a special rabbit language, which required flipping to the glossary to find the meanings of words. But this minor detail is easily taken care of by the end of the book, because Watership Down is so long, you’ll probably have most of the rabbit language memorized by the final chapters. Great to read out loud, and a must-read by my standards!
content rss
