Viva Jacquelina! by L. A. Meyer

360 pgs.
Target audience: Young Adult
Rating: Dragon

In this tenth volume of the “Bloody Jack” series, Jacky Faber is on assignment for British Intelligence. Her mission is simple: proceed to Spain and spy on Napoleon and the French for the crown. However nothing is ever simple when it comes to Jacky, adventurer and mischief maker extraordinaire. After she becomes separated from her travel companions and arrives in Spain alone, she makes her way to the Iberian Peninsula where she is to translate for the commander of the British Forces. The Peninsular War against Napoleon leaves Jacky alone again and far from Madrid. Armed with her trusty shiv, fiddle, seabag and her wits, Jacky finally comes to Madrid and secures a job as an assistant and model for the famous painter, Fransisco Goya. Jacky’s usual spunky charm and jaunty flair places all the male students at studio Goya under her spell. The one female student, Carmelita is not convinced and in a jealous rage betrays Jacky to the now underground Spanish Inquisition. The non stop adventure and hijinks don’t let up even at the end. Will Jacky ever make it to China to reunite with her true love, Jaimy? In the immortal words of the famous Jacky Faber, “…I didn’t have much money left, but, hey, I had my fiddle and my wits. What more did I need?” Readers will delight in this fantastic, historical romp filled with songs, love, battles, disguises, betrayal and will greatly anticipate the subsequent volume. (Book provided for review by Children's Lit - www.childrenslit.com)

 

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Alien attack by Max Chase

111 pgs.
Target audience: Ages 7 to 10
Rating: Wizard

Peri is a pilot and a first year cadet at the Intergalactic Force Academy. It’s the year 5012 and all the planets in the Milky Way have banded together to form the IFA, an elite group of fighters sworn to protect and defend the galaxy. On a routine mission in their space pod, Peri and his half-Martian friend, Diesel, are attacked by an alien ship. But just before their pod is annihilated by DeathRays, they’re transported back to the station which is under attack. The two pilots are immediately forced aboard a cloaked ship that looks like a giant egg and told that they have their orders which of course they know nothing about. As Peri and Diesel desperately try to figure out how to fly this ship, the space station explodes leaving them as the last defense against the alien invasion. The black and white illustrations do a great job of bringing the text alive. The ship is stock full of cool gadgetry and fighting abilities. Add to that Martian curses, monstrous aliens, the deadly vortex that eats spaceships alive and it’s a recipe for an unstoppable adventure series. (This book provided for review by Children's Lit - www.childrenslit.com)

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Crewel by Gennifer Albin

357 pgs.
Target audience: Young Adult
Rating: Griffin

Imagine living in a world where every aspect of your life from where you live, what you eat, where you work and when you die is controlled. Then imagine being chosen to join the Spinsterhood, an elite group of women who have the power to manipulate the weave of time and control the world of Arras. The Spinsterhood brings one brings power, eternal beauty and privilege. One night Adelice is torn from her home and family to train at the Guild as a Spinster. She soon discovers that the Guild is full of secrets and the real power belongs to the men who run it. Adelice has the  ability to weave time without a loom attracting both positive and negative attention. Her constant questions and need to uncover the truth behind all the secrets put her life at risk. However she does gain the help of two handsome guards with questionable motives. Her special skill singles her out as the best replacement for the current Creweler, the most powerful Spinster who extracts the raw materials from the ruined Earth to form reality keeping the world of Arras running smoothly.The Guild cannot function without the Creweler, but fear giving this power to a girl with such a rebellious nature. Adelice’s character is bold and naturally curious. Her snarky comments add humor to the serious storyline. The plot clips along at a nice pace, but the concept of weaving becomes a bit muddled as the romantic element takes over. Although the author deals deftly with the theme of gender roles, the discrimination against same sex relationships is barely touched on. This is an intriguing new take on dystopian romance and will do well where this genre is popular. The cliffhanger ending will have readers hungry for the next installment.

(This book provided for review by Children's Lit - www.childrenslit.com).

 

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Glitch by Karla Oceanak

151 pgs.
Target audience: Ages 7 to 13
Rating: Dragon

In the seventh volume of this alphabetical adventure,

ten-year-old Aldo Zelnick finds there are far too many glitches in his plans for a perfect Christmas. His wish list grows rapidly to include items he saw in a catalog including a snow cone machine and an inflatable backyard log flume. Though every time he turns around it seems a certain gnome Christmas decoration named Griswold is lurking about. Aldo is sure he’s reporting back to Santa, so he puts a new plan into action to give, give and give galore in order to get his awesome presents. The voice of Aldo rings true and his perspective on life will appeal to both kids and adults and make them laugh out loud. The hilariously clever illustrations pair nicely with Aldo’s unique sense of humor. This is an excellent choice for vocabulary building for each volume contains a glossary. This installment features words beginning with the letter “G” indicated by an asterisk. This series is highly recommended to fans of “Big Nate” and “Diary of a Wimpy Kid.” (This book provided for review by Children's Lit - www.childrenslit.com)

 

 

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How not to be killed by a zombie by Baron specter
Target audience: Chapter book
Rating: Wizard

Barry and his friends Mitch, Stan, Jared and Amy live in the town of Marshfield which has four cemeteries. All the bizarre things they’ve seen in the local graveyards prompted them to form a group called the zombie hunters. The third adventure in the “Graveyard Diaries” series begins with zombies roaming the largest cemetery beheading wild animals. One night Barry is walking his dog and he hears someone calling a dog named Lucy and the answering bark of a dog but he can never find anything. His own dog is also called Lucy and disappears the next night. Barry and Mitch team up with the ghost of a young girl whose ghost dog is also missing. It’s a job for the zombie hunters. If they succeed more than one lost dog will be spared. Each chapter includes an entry from Barry’s journal, a humorous poem and helpful hints on how not to be killed by a zombie like making them eat lots of salt. The black and white illustrations are clever and set the tone for the book. The author includes a map and a list of zombie facts. This eerily fun book is recommended to fans of the “Goosebumps” series by R. L. Stine.

 

BIBLIO: 2012, Magc Wagon/ABDO Group, Ages 8 to 12, $27.07.

REVIEWER: Mary Thompson

FORMAT: Chapter Book

ISBN: 978-1-61641-900-4

 

 

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The ice gate of Spyre by Allan Jones

150 pgs.
Target audience: Middle Reader
Rating: Wizard

Trundle, a valiant hedgehog, teams up again with his friend, Esmerelda, Jack the minstrel, and a dopey ex-pirate named Ishmael to find the fourth legendary crown of power. According to legend they must head to the Ice Gate of Spyre. So they set off in their sky boat to the floating island of Spyre where they crash land into a tree full of vampire bats. After they narrowly escape exsanguination, the group discovers one of the legendary galleons assigned to deliver the crowns long ago. However the ship and crew was turned to stone before delivery was made. In order to get to the icy peak of Spyre for the crown, they must fight mobs of monastic llamas and enormous, ravenous, snow snakes. Snappy pirate dialogue, inane proclamations from Ishmael pepper this fantastic animal adventure. Kids will enjoy finding and following the many clues in the prophecies that guides the quest. Readers do not need to read the books in order, the author provides a short summary in the form of a prologue. (This book provided for review by Children's Lit - www.childrenslit.com)

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Spiral by Roderick Gordon

437 pgs.
Target audience: Middle Reader
Rating: Wizard

 This fifth installment in the thrilling “Tunnels” series finds our intrepid heroes, Will and Chester, hiding out at Parry’s estate while undergoing intense training exercises. The Styx have begun implanting bombs inside random people set to detonate during major events so as to have maximum deadly effect. This paves the way for the Rebecca twins to implement the conversion Phase of impregnating humans with eggs which will eventually consume their hosts. Drake is gathering all his old friends with special abilities in a last ditch effort to thwart the evil Styx. One such rebel, Professor Danforth, has invented a machine that can purge Styx programming from the brain. But is this small group enough to save humanity or will everything spiral out of control? As with previous books in this series, the action is relentless from disaster to narrow escapes to betrayal to deadly battles to faceless monsters, and back to disaster upon disaster, all the way to the cliffhanger ending, it never lets the reader rest. It is wise to read these books in order due to the tremendous detail of the world the author has created. (Book provided for review by Children's Lit - www.childrenslit.com).

 

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