Day of doom by David Baldacci

272 pgs.

Target audience: Middle Reader

Rating: Wizard

 

The Vesper and Cahill families are at it again and with Baldacci at the helm of the last volume, the pulse pounding pressure may be to much for Dan and Amy Cahill to overcome. Seven Cahill hostages have been taken by Vesper One with the promise of their release in return for retrieving a series of bizarre ransoms. Once the Cahills find the last clue they realize that the Vesper’s plan is more diabolical and heinous than they had originally thought and could destroy millions of people. The race against time splits the group into two directions. One to find the hostages in the Cascade Mountains and Dan and Amy to D.C. to head off Isabella, suspected to be Vesper Two and finally meeting up under the Rocky Mountains for the hair-raising standoff between good and evil .The squabbling for control within the Vesper camp and the strained loyalties among the Cahills creates an emotional frenzy making the book hard to put down. It’s up to the few remaining Cahills to decipher the clues, solve the puzzle, find their missing friends and save the world. The author injects a healthy dose of history, geography and geology into the storyline. The “39 Clues” series is akin to a kid’s version of the classic movie, “It’s a mad, mad, mad, mad world,” and will have readers glued to the page right up until the exciting conclusion.  (This book provided for review by Children's Lit - www.childrenslit.com).

 

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Exciting News!

I will begin reviewing audiobooks for Audiofile Magazine next month. The reviews will not be here on my blog, but I will post a link to where each review is on Audiofile's website.

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Agatha Raisin and the Murderous Marriage by M.C. Beaton

Read by Donada Peters

Donada Peters deftly portrays the contrast between the gruff exterior and the softer inner monologues of retired public relations guru, Agatha Raisin, who now presides in a cottage in the Cotswolds. On the day of her long awaited wedding to her handsome neighbor, James Lacey, Agatha’s husband, Jimmy Raisin, whom she left and never divorced drops in to protest. When he’s found dead in a ditch, Agatha and James are prime suspects. The narrator draws the listener in by expertly relaying the exasperation of James and the hopefulness of Agatha as they rush to clear their names. The more they investigate, the higher the body count becomes. The diverse cast of these quirky villagers requires a range of voices and accents which is beautifully achieved by Peters’ steady performance.

Random House Audio, 5 hrs. Unabridged, 2000
 

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Falcon in the Glass by Susan Fletcher

302 pgs.
Target audience: Middle Reader
Rating: Wizard

In the late fifteenth century on the island of Murano, Italy, Renzo longs to be a glassmaker like his father before him. When his father is murdered, Renzo’s only option is to work as a drudge in his uncle’s studio until he can prove his glassmaking skills enough to pass a test in just two weeks. If he fails not only are his dreams shattered but along with it any hope of supporting his mother and sister. He spends every night at the glassworks practicing but he cannot do it alone. One night he meets a young girl, Letta, and her falcon. she belongs to a group of children persecuted as witches by the Doge for their uncanny bond with birds. In exchange for food and shelter he convinces Letta to stay at the glassworks each night and help him prepare for his test. Before he knows it he’s got the whole lot of bird children hiding in the studio. Renzo must juggle between his glassblowing practice, keeping the Padrone happy, protecting his new secret family from the authorities, supporting his own family and the threat of a possible assassin. Faced with these seemingly impossible odds, Renzo turns to the glass he loves and with the children’s help creates something extraordinary. But will it be enough to save them all? The author uses her unique compassion and understanding of human-animal connections to create a realistic, heartwarming, gripping tale of secrets, betrayal, mystery and loyalty. The details of Venetian life and Murano glassmaking are vivid and flow naturally throughout the storyline. Recommend to fans of “The Glass Swallow” by Julia Golding. (This book was provided by the publisher, Simon and Schuster).

 

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A Tangle of Knots by Lisa Graff

Target audience: Middle Reader
Rating: Dragon
 

Cady lives in a magical land where most people have a special talent, those without talents are called Fair. Cady’s talent is baking cakes, in fact, her skill is so formidable she need only look at someone to be able to bake that person’s perfect cake. Miss Mallory’s talent is matching orphans with the perfect family. Cady is the last remaining orphan at the House for Lost Girls in Poughkeepsie, NY. Her adoption sets into motion a destiny that leads her to the Lost  Luggage Emporium, multiple powder blue suitcases, and an apartment building where young Marigold desperately searches for her special talent. The Owner is a Talent Thief putting everyone within his reach at terrible risk. This delightful tale is told from multiple viewpoints with Cady’s cake recipes sprinkled throughout. Katie Honaker easily conveys the warmth and charm with a well paced narrative. She uses pitch and tone to indicate slow and fast changes in the dialogue making the listener feel as if he or she is part of the story. Each recipe is accompanied by cheerful, jaunty music and the addition of baking sounds like beating eggs, clatter of pots and pans in the kitchen during the instruction part is pure genius. The author  has created a puzzle of seemingly random events and people and with slow precision has untangled these knots to reveal a large interconnected circle of family, friends, destinies and a place of belonging. Recommend to fans of “Savvy” by Ingrid Law. (This audio was provided by Penguin Audio)

Audiobook details:

Read by Katie Honaker
Publisher/Date: Penguin Audio 2/15/13
Unabridged
Listening length: 4 hrs., 9 mins.

 

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Darwen  Arkwright and the Insidious Bleck by A. J. Hartley

441 pgs.

Target Audience: Middle Reader

Rating: Griffin

 

To Darwen Arkwright it seems like forever since he and his friends, Rich and Alexandra, formed the Peregrine Pact to protect their school from monsters. Darwen is a mirroculist, someone who can travel through mirrors into the strange world of Silbrica. Mr. Peregrine, a local shopkeeper, introduced Darwen to his powers and is one of the gatekeepers of Silbrica. When Mr. Peregrine shows up at their school as the new world studies teacher, the children know something’s up. Darwen ventures alone into Silbrica one night and sees a young boy pulled through a mysterious portal by an enormous tentacled beast. The next thing he knows their world studies class is taking a field trip to Costa Rica. Of course this is just a ruse to cover up their new mission to find and close the breaches in the barrier between Earth and Silbrica which the octopus-like Insidious Bleck is using to take children. Once in Costa Rica the kids uncover a much more sinister plot to destroy the rainforest and the world. Although the constant bickering between the three friends does become tiresome, it is still a great adventure story told in a fast pace narrative. There is enough backstory provided for those who haven’t read the first book, “Darwen Arkwright and the Peregrine Pact.” The author touches on many subjects including environment, land development, archaeology, history, Costa Rican life, betrayal, loyalty, and friendship. Each chapter is headed by clever black and white illustrations. Recommend to fans of “The Mysterious Benedict Society” by Trenton Lee Stewart. (Book provided for review by Children's Lit - www.childrenslit.com).

 

 

 

 

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