Posted by Jordan
Categories: All Ages, Non Fiction, Review
Tags:C. S. Lewis, Funny, letters, Quick Read
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Here on Incredibooks, we generally review fiction, rate the books we’re reviewing, and give summaries. In a first for me, I’m doing none of those. I felt that this one deserved a review, even if it doesn’t fit into our self-proclaimed rules.
This book is a delightful collection of letters that C. S. Lewis wrote to children. It starts with one of his early letters to his goddaughter and ends with a letter he wrote the day before he died. Rounding out the book is a short biography of Lewis’ childhood, an introduction by Douglas Gresham, and a child’s bibliography of C. S. Lewis.
Full of insights into the Narnia series that you may have wondered about, answered from Lewis’ own pen. And other little tidbits C. S. Lewis tells us about himself are fun as well, giving a feel of the time period and his thoughts on the events of the day. As a bonus, for you aspiring writers out there, many of the letters include some tips. A must-read for all Lewis fans.
Posted by Jordan
Categories: All Ages, Fiction, Review
Tags:Animals, Cats, Dodie Smith, Dogs, Funny
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Our rating: 
Dalmatians Pongo and Missis are the proud parents of fifteen puppies. When their pets, Mr. and Mrs. Dearly, invite college friend Cruella de Ville to dinner, Cruella, who loves fur coats, decides she needs a Dalmatian coat! The puppies are stolen soon after, but the humans have no idea who is responsible. It’s up to the dogs to track down the thieves and rescue the puppies.
Everybody knows the Disney movie story which is based on this book. What few people realize is that there is a book in the first place. And as is the general rule of thumb, the book is better. Although the plot is similar, there are several fun detours that didn’t quite make the film, which is also the case with much of the clever humor in the book. One caveat: Cruella is never specifically labelled human. In fact, Pongo and Missis often wonder if she is something quite a bit more evil, though this suspicion is never confirmed. Overlooking that, this one will be loved by all.
Posted by Jordan
Categories: Adventure, All Ages, Fiction, Review
Tags:Arthur Ransome, Funny, Monkeys, parrots, pirates, sailing, Seafaring, Swallows and Amazons, treasure hunting
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The Swallows and Amazons, along with Captain Flint (the Amazons’ Uncle Jim) are preparing for a holiday in a small schooner, the Wild Cat. When they hire Peter Duck as an extra sailor, things begin to happen. The notorious Black Jake and his ship Viper begin following their every move. Why? Peter Duck was witness to a treasure burial many years ago and word has gotten to Black Jake. Captain Flint thinks a go at treasure would be a good vacation, so off they sail into an adventure.
Peter Duck is meant to be a story made up by the Swallows and Amazons during a winter holiday. However, this is never explained, so the book could be as real as you want it to be. Here we have a rollicking good time hunting for treasure, fighting pirates, and sailing on the open sea. I thought the story dragged a little at the beginning, but once Arthur Ransome hit his stride, I was carried along and reading at a furious rate. Guaranteed to make you wish you were sailing!
Posted by Ruth
Categories: Adventure, Fantasy, Fiction, Incredibook!, Older Readers, Review
Tags:Animals, Donita K. Paul, Dragons, Funny
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Tipper is a young emerlindian woman who has been running the family estate ever since her artist father disappeared long ago. With finances dwindling, she resorts to selling off everything from furniture to her father’s art. Then one day Verrin Schope himself returns, along with a wizard and a librarian from Amara—and with dire news. Complications with an experimental gateway have placed the foundations of the world in danger, and the only way to restore harmony is through three certain sculptures. Sculptures that are now long gone. Tipper, with the help of the parrot Beccaroon, a tunmanhofer named Bealomondore, and her father and his friends, must set off on a journey to regain the sculptures before it’s too late.
Donita K. Paul certainly knows how to write a good quest! I think The Vanishing Sculptor is a splendid start to a new series. Readers of the DragonKeeper Chronicles will enjoy returning to the same world, and among the cast of new characters, will delight in the familiarity of a certain two. Humorous and adventuresome, with morsels of truth woven throughout the story, this book is a must-read for all. I enjoyed it very thoroughly and will doubtless be rereading it often while I wait for the next installment.
Posted by Jordan
Categories: Adventure, Fantasy, Fiction, Mysteries, Older Readers, Review, Science Fiction
Tags:Bryan Davis, Echoes from the Edge, Funny, Mirrors, Scary
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Due to events that can only be understood by reading the first two books, Nathan Shepherd must travel to the dream world to find his father. Preventing Interfinity, a merging of the three Earths, is his goal. But events take a turn for the worst as previously-safe Earth Red heads back into a collision course. Nathan must decide between sacrificing the remaining supplicants (the strange powers behind dimensional mirror travel), playing the giant violin that previously almost killed him, or a third option which may be the most dangerous of all.
Hold onto your hat as you read this final installment! Themes of sacrifice, courage, and love are demonstrated over and over before your eyes as the story races to its conclusion. We finally learn the answers to most of the mysteries from the previous books. The ending is satisfying, yet things feel a bit rushed as the final chapter hurtles to a close. I was more emotionally involved in the previous two books than I was in Nightmare’s Edge, but with so much ground to cover it’s no wonder.
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