McBroom and the Big Wind

Our rating: ***½

Josh McBroom is having trouble with a big wind that threatens to ruin his wonderful one acre farm that will grow anything (even his sons’ marbles). This isn’t just any old wind, though. This wind moves post holes, takes the milk bucket, and even sucks McBroom’s children up the chimney! What can he do to save his farm and his kids, and get rid of that bear jumping rope with the clothesline?

Once again, Sid Fleischman has written a story full of silliness that is just barely believable. I hardly scratched the surface of the goofy events that the story contains. Just try not to die laughing and you’ll be okay.

Father of Dragons

Our rating: ****

Once again, spoiler alert. With the by now familiar cliffhanger endings, this next-to-last book in the series is full of revelations and battles, all moving toward the final book, All My Holy Mountain, coming in April.

After his capture in Shadow in the Deep, Benjiah is still in the custody of his father’s murderer. The remaining Kirthanin army is fleeing before the unending pressure of Malek’s hosts. Aljeron and a few of his band have reached the base of Harak Andunin, despite terrible odds. A surprise awaits them in the form of Valzaan, the prophet. Yes, I said Valzaan. Alive. He joins them in their trek up the mountain and into the gyre of the Father of Dragons, Sulmandir. Thankfully, Sulmandir is alive and, after some debate, agrees to help them by awakening his children. Benjiah’s prophecy of the “four races” is on its way to fulfillment with the union of the Great Bear, Men, and Dragons. Aljeron prepares to lead his remaining followers across the Zaros mountains, where they will join the retreating army of Kirthanin in a final, desperate stand.

This book kept me on the edge of my chair. I kept wondering how the goodguys could possibly get into a worse predicament, and then a new disaster would take place. Wylla gets captured, Benjiah’s under a death sentence, a couple of goodguys get killed, (goodguys who have been with us since the first book), Malek has been revealed, and, trust me, who he’s been masquerading as is a bit of a shock, and on top of it all the goodguy armies are forced to surrender! Everything seems hopeless, then Aljeron finds the mysterious “fourth race,” Sulmandir arrives and . . . the end. Sorry, you’ll have to wait until April to find out.

Circles of Seven

Our rating: *****

Picking up several months after The Candlestone, Circles of Seven finds Billy and Bonnie about to enter an evil realm of seven circles. In the seventh circle Billy must set free some prisoners, but he knows that there are also false prisoners that must not be released. After he and Bonnie enter the circles, however, Professor Hamilton and his friends discover that the realm is filled with evil New Table knights. Convinced that it’s not fair for Billy and Bonnie to be alone while swarms of bad guys populate the realm, Ashley and Walter try to help in whatever ways they can from the outside.

Trust me, this one moves fast. It has to in order to fit such an in-depth story into 415 pages! As usual Billy and Bonnie get into danger left and right, making you sit farther on the edge of your seat than you already are. Don’t despair when it seems hopeless for the story to come to a happy ending, and you’ll be just fine. Make sure you have Tears of a Dragon close at hand when you finish Circles of Seven, because you’re going to want it.

Elmer and the Dragon

Our rating: ****

After rescuing the baby dragon from Wild Island, Elmer starts his journey home. The dragon is happy to fly Elmer home, but a storm at sea lands them both on an island populated only by canaries. While there, Elmer learns something terrible: the king canary is dying of curiosity about a secret and the other canaries are curious to know what the secret is. Elmer knows that the only way to cure the canaries is to have the king tell his secret. But is the king willing?

Elmer and the Dragon picks up where My Father’s Dragon leaves off. In fact, all three books in the series could be combined into one book. Though this book is geared toward younger readers, it makes a fun quick read for the older audience.

The Candlestone

Our rating: *****

Several months after the conclusion of Raising Dragons, Bonnie’s father suddenly appears on the scene, claiming that Irene (Bonnie’s mother) is, in fact, still alive, but in critical condition. He insists that the only way Irene can recover is if Bonnie goes with him, so despite suspicion, Bonnie and her father depart for Montana. Billy, Professor Hamilton, Walter, and Billy’s mother uncover more clues and decide that things are not as they seem. They set off to the rescue, guided partly by a book that contains some of Merlin’s prophecies. But unknown dangers await both Bonnie and Billy, trials that will put to test not only their courage, but their faith.

I’m not sure whether the appropriate word to sum this book up would be “Wow” or “Whoa.” Both are entirely applicable. Plot twists and mysteries completely pack this book, and you can hardly stop to catch your breath between chapters while racing through with that age-old question of, “What happens next?” A very, very powerful story. I did rate it five stars, but I should note that in my personal opinion, it ranks at more like four and a half. However, this is entirely due to the fact that I have a rather severe case of medical phobia, and so a great deal of the content in The Candlestone I found to be unnerving. Setting that aside, this story is not to be missed!