Entries Categorized as 'Review'
Posted by Rebekah
Categories: Advanced Readers, Fiction, Incredibook!, Review, Science Fiction
Tags:Animals, C. S. Lewis, Long Read, Scary, Space Trilogy
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Mark Studdok’s love for his work, no, his love for being part of some important proceeding, has kept him away from home so much that his wife, Jane, is regretting ever marrying him. She has begun having very disturbing dreams, which are interfering with her goal of remaining a capable business woman. A company called the N.I.C.E. (National Institute for Coordinated Experiments) has made the college Mark works at an offer for a piece of land called “The Wood.” Mark joins the “progressive” side that wishes to sell the land, as the N.I.C.E.’s wish to bring their headquarters there would greatly benefit the college. So the land is sold and within days, workmen begin cutting down the wood, turning people out of their homes and generally creating havoc. What does Mark care? Lord Feverstone, another member of the college, (you may remember him as Doctor Divine from the first book) has offered him a job with the N.I.C.E. Mark accepts and finds himself engrossed in a dark world of intrigue, agendas, and a complete disregard for all humane feelings.
Meanwhile, Jane discovers that her dreams are actually coming true. She talks with a friend about it, who introduces her to a group of people dedicated to fighting the evil that the N.I.C.E. has brought about. But the group is small. How can it hope to succeed? They can do very little. Meanwhile, they wait, now doubting, now sure, while that Hideous Strength grows stronger.
I sat down to try and condense this amazing book into a summary and goodnight! It just doesn’t condense! That was the gist of it, but there’s so much more. Mark discovers that the N.I.C.E. is actually run by dark forces, and… Whew, it makes a tingle run up my spine just to think about it. This is a great book. As a warning, if you don’t handle mad scientist well, be careful with this story. There are some pretty detailed descriptions of the absolutely disgusting results of an experiment on a dead man. The N.I.C.E. is all about getting rid of red tape and being allowed to do whatever it wants to do. This is not in any way a “light and fluffy” storyline, but it’s hard to put down. The Meeting in the first chapter might bog you down, but don’t worry—it picks up quickly after that.
Posted by Ruth
Categories: Adventure, Fiction, Incredibook!, Older Readers, Review
Tags:Animals, Donkeys, Funny, Horses, Lloyd Alexander
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Carlo has been working for his uncle for many years, but his somewhat incompetent nature finally forces Uncle Evariste to discharge him and send him far away with a small purse of money. Carlo is not altogether discouraged, as this provides him with the perfect opportunity to go treasure-hunting with an old, old map he discovered. Baksheesh, the most lazy camel puller who ever existed; and Shira, a young woman bent on facing her past, join him on this topsy-turvy quest through dangers and adventures Carlo never dreamed of.
Loved it! I am extremely fond of first-person style in books when it’s done well, and this one takes full advantage of it. When I wasn’t grinning, I was laughing. Sadly, though, this is Lloyd Alexander’s last book ever, due to his recent death in May of this year. But I think The Golden Dream of Carlo Chuchio is a fitting end to complete his writings. Well worth reading!
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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Our rating:
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 Becca
Categories: All Ages, Historical Fiction, Review
Tags:Animals, Bears, Good Read Aloud, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Little House
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Laura Ingalls is a little girl who lives in the Big Woods of Wisconsin with her ma and pa and her sisters, Mary and baby Carrie. Laura has many fun adventures. She gets to go to a dance to celebrate sugaring time, see the new threshing machine, and, best of all, her pa tells stories in the evening.
This is a hard book to summarize because it doesn’t follow a plot line. It’s basically a story about life in the Big Woods in the late 1800’s. Little House in the Big Woods provides a good picture of this time period, as do the other books in the Little House series. Please note that while I marked this book for all ages, and all ages will enjoy it, it is written in a style best suited to younger readers. However, I think that I appreciate it more as an older reader.
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