Boomerang Hunter

Our rating: ***

Balulu is an Australian aborigine hunter. His tribe is suffering from a drought, and is slowly starving. Setting out with his dingo named Warrigal, Balulu searches for a better place for his tribe to live and hunt in. But, when he finally finds the perfect place, it proves to already be inhabited by another tribe, which might have hostile intentions.

There’s a lot of neat stuff in here, although, quite honestly, Balulu’s diet is rather, shall we say, different. Anyway, it’s interesting to read about how the aborigines lived and what they did. It also makes you appreciate even something like brussel sprouts! At least they aren’t sun-dried frog skins! (Although. . . I guess that point is debatable.)

Little-or-Nothing from Nottingham

Our rating: ***½

This book is adorable. It’s the story of a dog who is adopted by the Ticket Master of a circus. Due to the dog’s being able to stand its front legs and balance, the Ticket Master puts him in the circus. Nearly every day the Ticket Master gives Little-or-Nothing a bone, which he promptly hides under the Ticket Master’s wagon. But the next morning, the bone is gone!

This phenomenon has a very simple explanation, but it takes Little-or-Nothing awhile to catch on. It’s very cute, and I enjoyed it as a quick “Sit-right-down-by-the-bookshelf-and-read-it-now” book. It’s out of print, but I hope you will be able to find it without much trouble!

Double Challenge

Our rating: *****

In the Mahela forest, Ted Harkness lives with his father Al in a cabin. Everybody is after Damon and Pythias, supposedly the biggest bucks anywhere. To promote his hunting lodge, Ted’s employer Carl Thornton, asks Ted to get one of the two deer for him to hang on his wall. There’s only one catch: Carl wants Ted to hunt out of season. Ted refuses and Carl fires him. When Al finds out, he and Ted open a hunting camp for deer season. However, Ted’s on his own when Al is falsely accused of shooting a man and has to go on the run.

There’s a lot going on here. I love it when you have to follow multiple plots, and this is one of Jim Kjelgaard’s best multi-plot stories. Double Challenge has a lot of interesting parts. The characters are all very real and vivid. Well worth reading. Oh, as is usual with good books, Double Challenge is out of print. See our Book Tips Page for help finding out of print books.

Cinnabar, the One O’Clock Fox

Our rating: ***

Cinnabar is a fox who dearly enjoys to participate in fox hunts. So much so, that he is known as the One O’Clock Fox who always shows up at One O’Clock and will run until night-fall. The historic chase that takes place in this book is between Cinnabar (affectionately called “Cinny”) and a party of men including George Washington.

This book is great! It’s so amusing to read about Cinny and his wife, Vicky, and their four children, Rascal, Pascal, Merry, and Mischief. The copy I read had great illustrations in it, but I don’t know what you’ll be able to find, as this book is out of print. It’s perfect for a chuckle or two.

Digital Disaster

Our rating: *****

When Austin Webster brings home a digital camera from a garage sale and takes a picture of his Aunt Jessica’s prize winning beagle, the beagle, whose name is Applet, disappears! Austin and Ashley, his sister, are both sucked into the computer and get separated. Austin and Ashley go from site to site, trying to find Applet and each other. As if that weren’t enough, a Ms. Mattie Blankenskrean (try saying that out loud) is reprogramming or just plain erasing things such as people praying or a hymn. Can Austin and Ashley find each other, find Applet, and get Ms. Blankenskrean’s PDA, which she is using to reprogram and wipe out?

Warning: this book ends on a cliff hanger. If you’re thinking about getting this book as a present for someone, then you may want to buy book two of the Hyperlinz series, Fudge Factor. This book is recommended by Mrs. Donita K. Paul, author of DragonSpell and DragonQuest. You may find this book a little confusing, because it flips back and forth between Ashley, Austin, and Aunt Jessica. However, I like this book. Aunt Jessica is a fun character.