Darwen Arkwright and the Peregrine Pact by A.J. Hartley

Eleven-year-old Darwen Arkwright discovers another world through the old mirror hanging in his closet--a world that holds as many dangers as it does wonders.

This was a good fantasy adventure book that I would put in the hands of boys. Darwen is living in Atlanta with his aunt. He was raised in England. He feels out of place and different- not only the way he talks, but he is also biracial. His aunt sends him to this private military school and it just keeps getting worse for him.

He meets a strange shop owner who gives him a mirror and after sunset, he is able to go through the mirror into another world.

I enjoyed the book and wanted to find out what was happening and why. Some parts were distracting-like how his "differences" actually solicited very nasty behavior from both other students and teachers at this school.  I just wanted to find out about the other world and why it was there.

I believe there will be a sequel and although I liked this book, I think I will pass on the sequel.

The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine

Twelve-year-old Marlee doesn't have many friends until she meets Liz, the new girl at school. Liz is bold and brave, and always knows the right thing to say, especially to Sally, the resident mean girl. Liz even helps Marlee overcome her greatest fear - speaking, which Marlee never does outside her family.

But then Liz is gone, replaced by the rumor that she was a Negro girl passing as white. But Marlee decides that doesn't matter. Liz is her best friend. And to stay friends, Marlee and Liz are willing to take on integration and the dangers their friendship could bring to both their families.

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I really enjoyed this book. I loved the kindness of Marlee and the moxie in Liz. The friendship they form is beautiful in a world that surrounds them with ugliness. Stories about this part of our country's history always makes me wonder- what would I have done? Definitely will be on all the possible Newbery lists!

Dragon Castle by Joseph Bruchac

Young Prince Rashko is frustrated with his family - no one does any thinking but him! The kingdom and castle seem to be in the hands of fools. So when Rashko's parents mysteriously disappear and the evil Baron Temny parks his army outside the castle walls, it is up to the young prince to save the day. But there is more to this castle and its history than meets the eye, and Rashko will have to embrace his ancestry, harness a dragon, and use his sword-fighting skills to stop the baron and save the kingdom. Along the way, he realizes that his family is not quite as stupid as he always thought.



I liked this one. I usually like swords, castles, dragons and such. It was an entertaining fantasy. Alternating stories told in alternating chapters bothers me a lot. The flow of the story is interrupted for me. I feel like just when I am getting into it, the book changes to the other storyline, but this one flowed a lot better because the two stories were so intertwined. The ending was wrapped up to quickly, but overall this was a good read.


New Puzzle Books

The Puzzling World of Winston Breen by Eric Berlin.
Winston Breen says “the only thing better than discovering a puzzle is stumping someone else with it.” But when his sister uncovers mysterious strips of wood with words and letters on them, even Winston himself is stumped. Soon the whole family—and some friends—are caught up in the mystery and off on a scavenger hunt that just may lead to a ring worth thousands of dollars! Chock-full of puzzles to solve—some tied to the mystery and some not—this treasure hunt will keep readers’ brains teased right up to the exciting ending!

There are puzzles throughout the book and you can connect online and print out all the puzzles to work through on your own!

The Humming Room by Ellen Potter

Hiding is Roo Fanshaw's special skill. Living in a frighteningly unstable family, she often needs to disappear at a moment's notice. When her parents are murdered, it's her special hiding place under the trailer that saves her life.

As it turns out, Roo, much to her surprise, has a wealthy if eccentric uncle, who has agreed to take her into his home on Cough Rock Island. Once a tuberculosis sanitarium for children of the rich, the strange house is teeming with ghost stories and secrets. Roo doesn't believe in ghosts or fairy stories, but what are those eerie noises she keeps hearing? And who is that strange wild boy who lives on the river? People are lying to her, and Roo becomes determined to find the truth.

Despite the best efforts of her uncle's assistants, Roo discovers the house's hidden room--a garden with a tragic secret.

This novel was inspired by The Secret Garden. I have never read The Secret Garden and I don't know if that would have changed my mind about this book. I really like the character of Roo. She's had a hard life, but is not broken. She is strong and independent, but still capable of feeling compassion and friendship. I liked her a lot. I liked the mystery of the sanitarium that was building up and that suspense and slightly spooky mystery seemed to be going somewhere and then completely fizzled out. 

There story could have been longer. The story didn't have enough depth. Things needed to be fleshed out more and some questions answered. Who is Jack really? Everything ended so abruptly and so neatly that it was very disappointing. Furthermore, although the reading level is 3rd grade and up, the story has a lot of heavy concepts- murder, drug dealing, sanitariums, depression, etc. The cover art and the slightness of the book are a little deceiving in that way. I don't think this would be my first choice in suggesting a new book to a child.


The False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen

This first book in a planned trilogy is action-oriented fantasy, but don’t expect magical creatures. Instead, it revolves around political intrigue. Sage is a street-savvy orphan, and along with two other boys he is recruited by Conner, a nobleman who wants to remake them in the image of their country’s lost prince, a victim of pirates and presumed dead. The task is urgent, as the rest of the royal family has been murdered and civil war seems imminent. As the boys, chosen for their passing resemblance to Prince Jaron, compete to assume a new identity and the throne, Sage discovers some unpleasant truths about their host, beyond his treasonous plans to pass one of them off as royalty. Sage is a likable hero full of smart-alecky snarkiness.

Well, it was the smart-alecky snarkiness that was beginning to bother me because it was relentless. But, then there was a big twist and turn and the story got really interesting for me! I then  raced through the last quarter of the book. It definitely was a surprise to me and ended well.

I liked the story. I like stories set in the times of 'kingdoms' with swords and duty and honor, etc. I have enjoyed similar stories like Avi's Crispin: The Cross of Lead, John Flanagan's The Ranger's Apprentice, Graceling by Kristin Cashore, Mistwood by Leah Cypress, etc. So, when I started reading this I began to like it, but Sage's constant snarkiness began to take its toll. It seemed to be over-the-top, but then there was a surprise and it all made more sense.

This is the first book in the trilogy and I do believe I will take the time to see what happens next!

The Good, The Bad and the Read It Again

When I chose the name of this blog, my intention was to suggest books that children 1st-8th grade might like, books to simply avoid or books that are so good that they need to be revisited! But I never categorized them that way! I never gave them 3 out of 4 stars for example. When I was thinking about rating them to make it a better resource for visitors, I thought about the name of the blog!

So, I am going back to each title and adding them to a list- The Good, The Bad or The Read It Again. Hopefully, this will help visitors choose what books to read.

As I began to do this, I noticed very quickly that I have few books in The Bad list. The reason is that I generally read books that I have read good reviews about or are on lists of books that there is a buzz about that might be potential award winners. So, if I add a book to the The Bad list, I must not have liked it at all!

Of course, it goes without saying, that blogs are totally the blogger's opinion- the book might be perfect for someone else! But, if you see a pattern, that the books I enjoy, you seem to enjoy, it might help you choose the next book to read!