Review: THE GIVER by Lois Lowry

From Amazon: Since winning the Newbery Medal in 1994, Lois Lowry’s The Giver has become one of the most influential novels of our time. This illustrated edition is a celebration of the book’s standard of excellence and of Lowry’s illustrious writing. The text is complemented by thirteen new illustrations from the acclaimed artist Bagram Ibatoulline. Also included are an introduction by the author and her inspiring Newbery Medal acceptance speech. The additional content now makes it easier than ever to introduce young readers to this riveting modern classic, and provide a fresh edition for its legions of fans.

The story centers on twelve-year-old Jonas, who lives in a seemingly ideal world. Not until he is given his life assignment as the Receiver does he begin to understand the dark secrets behind his fragile community. 

Review: JANITORS by Tyler Whitesides (Shadow Mountain, June 2012)

From Amazon: The magical, secretive society of JANITORS will sweep the country in the fall of 2011. Have you ever fallen asleep during math class? Are you easily distracted while listening to your English teacher? Do you find yourself completely uninterested in geography? Well, it may not be your fault. The janitors at Welcher Elementary know a secret, and it s draining all the smarts out of the kids. Twelveyear- old Spencer Zumbro, with the help of his classmate Daisy Gullible Gates, must fight with and against a secret, janitorial society that wields wizard-like powers. Who can Spencer and Daisy trust and how will they protect their school and possibly the world? Janitors is book 1 in a new children s fantasy series by debut novelist Tyler Whitesides. You ll never look at a mop the same way again.

Audience: Middle-grade (Upper)
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 288 pgs

Rating: **** (Really liked it)

Review: I actually read this book a while ago and forgot to review it! A friend posted it was free on Amazon, and I always jump on top of that, especially when I’ve heard of the author or it’s published by a publisher I’m familiar with. As you know, if you’ve read my middle-grade reviews, it’s not my favorite age to read, but this book was fun and quirky and I loved the characters. It just so out of the box, you can’t help but love it. I liked the twists and the imagination. I loved how the parents weren’t totally absent, but their roles were still believable. Great book for a 10+ kid! I know when my oldest finally gets through The Lightening Thief (he’s an over-achiever), this will be one of my first recommendations for him.

Content: Rated 1-5, 1 being minor instances and 5 being saturated
Violence – 2 (minor fighting)
Language – 0
Sex – 0

Source: Bought from Amazon during a sale.

Try this Like middle-grade fantasy? Try ARTEMIS FOWL by Eoin Colfer. 

Review: ARTEMIS FOWL by Eoin Colfer

I'm always on the lookout for a free book. Better, I'm always on the lookout for a good, free book. Several months ago, ARTEMIS FOWL by Eoin Colfer was free as a promotion and my cousin shared the link and said he'd really enjoyed it. I downloaded it right away and wasn't disappointed.

From Amazon.com: Twelve-year-old Artemis Fowl is the most ingenious criminal mastermind in history. With two trusty sidekicks in tow, he hatches a cunning plot to divest the fairyfolk of their pot of gold. Of course, he isn't foolish enough to believe in all that "gold at the end of the rainbow" nonsense. Rather, he knows that the only way to separate the little people from their stash is to kidnap one of them and wait for the ransom to arrive. But when the time comes to put his plan into action, he doesn't count on the appearance of the extra-small, pointy-eared Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon (Lower Elements Police Reconnaisance) Unit--and her senior officer, Commander Root, a man (sorry, elf) who will stop at nothing to get her back.

Why I Stopped Reading #3

Time for another edition of Why I Stopped Reading.

Genre: Fantasy
Audience: MG
Pages: 258

Where I stopped: 28% (Kindle version)

Why I stopped: Today's "Why I Stopped Reading" is pretty different from many of the others. The one thing it has in common is that I downloaded this book for free on one of its promotion days. The thing that is way different? This book has a four star rating on Amazon and good reviews from big places like Publisher's Weekly and Kirkus. So why did I stop? I lost interest, pure and simple. Disclaimer: I'm not a big MG fan, probably because I crave more romance than it can provide. There have been a few MGs that I've really enjoyed, but there are not a lot that I LOVED. (Can you count Harry Potter? Is it MG?) The book had some exciting things going on and an interesting plot, it just wasn't enough. For me. You might be absolutely different.

Review: "The Dragonfly Pool" by Eva Ibbotson

"The Dragonfly Pool" is classic Ibbotson: very descriptive. She's good at working it beautifully into the plot, but it can still get dull at times. I picked up "The Dragonfly Pool" because it's centered around World War II, which I'm always interested in. The one odd thing about this book is that it didn't seem to have a climax, though the story still flowed well. I especially enjoyed the epilogue, because I adore it when authors tie up my characters lives for me. It's not one of my favorite of Ibbotson's--I rank "The Morning Gift" and "A Countess Below Stairs" above this one. I will grant the book this: it's a middle-grade novel, which I rarely like better than a YA. Still, worth the read.