Posted by Jordan
Categories: Adventure, Fantasy, Fiction, Incredibook!, Mysteries, Older Readers, Review, Science Fiction
Tags:Animals, Bryan Davis, Dragons, Dragons in Our Midst, Funny, Long Read, Sad, Scary
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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.
Posted by Becca
Categories: Fantasy, Fiction, Review, Younger Readers
Tags:Animals, Birds, Dragons, Easy Read, Good Read Aloud, My Father's Dragon, Quick Read, Ruth Stiles Gannett
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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.
Posted by Ruth
Categories: Adventure, Fantasy, Fiction, Incredibook!, Older Readers, Review
Tags:Animals, Bryan Davis, Dragons, Dragons in Our Midst, Long Read, Scary
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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!
Posted by Ruth
Categories: All Ages, Fantasy, Fiction, Incredibook!, Review
Tags:Animals, Dragons, Funny, Good Read Aloud, Kenneth Grahame, Quick Read
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The Boy isn’t surprised when a dragon moves in near the Downs. After all, he’s read lots of books and is quite knowledgable on the subject. He soon befriends the dragon, who is of the quieter sort, spending much of his time writing poetry. But when the townspeople discover the presence of the dragon, they immediately send for Saint George, pleading with him to fight and kill this monster who has been destructing their town. Of course, the dragon has done no such thing. And when the Boy warns him of the inevitable upcoming battle, he positively refuses to fight. Saint George can’t just up and leave without doing anything, and they both turn to the Boy to fabricate a solution.
A delightful little story! Although it’s not nearly as well known as The Wind in the Willows, I think it deserves equal recognition. Geared toward younger children, but enough to make any adult chuckle. Great fun all around.
Posted by Rebekah
Categories: Adventure, Fantasy, Fiction, Older Readers, Review
Tags:Animals, Dragons, Scary, The Door Within, Unicorns, Wayne Thomas Batson
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At his first day in the new school, Aidan meets a girl by the name of Antoinette, who, he discovers, believes in King Eliam, but has never been to the Realm. She confides to Aidan that she’s been having nightmares lately, which Aidan believes is a sign of King Eliam calling her to the Realm. Mindful of his friend Robby, Aidan asks her to find Robby’s Glimpse and try to make him see the truth. Antoinette’s parents, who also believe, agree that she may go, and Antoinette journeys through the Door Within to face a danger greater than any of them imagined.
Paragor has not lessened his dark designs and is at work unleashing an evil, held captive since long ago. Antoinette is chosen to be the Twelfth Knight on a mission to convince Yewland’s queen that breaking an alliance with King Eliam would be fatal. They travel to Yewland only to discover the enemy has not wasted his time. The leader of the Knights decides they must warn another kingdom, but Antoinette has found Robby’s Glimpse. Lord Kearn, one of Paragor’s chief servants. She decides to disobey the knights and try to talk to Kearn. A choice that leads to a disaster only King Eliam can right.
I enjoyed this book immensely. I whipped through it in two days flat. Actually, a day and a half, then I read the third one in a second half of the second day. (How was that for confusing?) There’s a lot of action, and it felt very real as I read it. The characters weren’t cheesy or overplayed. In fact, I would find myself cheering them on or getting frustrated at Antoinette for her disobedience. Some of the fight sequences were a little more on the—how do I say this?—messy side of things. Let me see, what else might you want to know… The new badguys are very creepy, Yewland is pretty cool. Oh, and if anyone panics when Antoinette goes after Kearn, don’t worry. Nothing drastic happens, although I wouldn’t want to be in her shoes.