An Unexpected Escapade by Kandi J. Wyatt

Genre: Middle Grade, Adventure, Fantasy

Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The Opinions expressed here are my own.

The only fantasy animal besides dragons I would love to find are unicorns. I remember as a child when my sisters and I would play pretend outside and make up stories, we would have dragons and unicorns. Kandi Wyatt has taken us from dragons into the world of unicorns. In actuality, the unicorn entered the human world. Ana and Daisy become very close to the unicorn. They understand that the unicorn wants to go home. They need to find a way to help it, while making sure that those who would like the unicorn for unsavory reasons are kept at bay. Add into all of this Ana’s parents being hospitalized and you have a set of teens who definitely are in over their head. The feeling of being overwhelmed will ring true with middle school age children. Before anyone says anything about how this would be a great read for girls let me set the record straight. When we do narrative writing in my classroom it is often the boys who write unicorns into their stories. I think both boys and girls will enjoy this story. Since my students already enjoy Kandi’s dragon series  I am sure they will love her new Myth Coast Adventure Series.

An Unexpected Adventure by Kandi J. Wyatt

Genre: Middle Grade, Adventure, Fantasy

Source: I purchased a copy. The Opinions expressed here are my own.

Kandi J. Wyatt is one of my favorite authors. There are many reasons for this. One she writes books that my students want to read. I teach middle school and finding books for this in-between group of teens is often difficult. Another reason she is one of my favorites is because no matter what she writes, it is so realistic I have to do some research.  The premise of this story is that four teens are searching for thundereggs on a beach when they find a dragon’s egg.   I immediately had to look up thundereggs to see if they were real, and if so, what they were. My husband and I spent thirty minutes researching thundereggs. We realized we had actually seen these things at shows, but never knew they were called thundereggs.  I loved the trust relationship Kandi built between the kids and their science teacher. Believe it or not, a lot of students will trust their teachers with secrets than they would their own parents. For me this was very true to life.  I love the worlds Kandi creates with dragons. She is one of the best when it comes to this subject matter. It makes everyone who reads her books want their own dragon. In this story the kids have a dilemma. They are trying to protect the dragon from those in higher positions.  The interactions between the kids and the dragon, and with each other develop throughout the story. There is something there that every child who reads this will be able to relate to.  Like all of her other books this is a great beginning to a new series. I am looking forward to the second one which comes out April 9^th.

Final Cycle by Elaine L. Orr

Genre: Adult, Mystery
Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I have found a new mystery author to love. Mystery is my favorite genre. It has been since I was in elementary school. When we are preparing for state testing, I usually agree to guest posts only. So why take on a book by an unfamiliar author? I read the premise of the book and was intrigued by a body found in a dryer. Especially since she was not well liked.  Then there is the mention of a second murder. I needed to know how they connected, if they did. This author is so talented that I had the wrong person pegged all the way through.  The characters are well thought out. I would recognize them on the street from the way they are portrayed. The setting is so realistic I asked my husband if it was a real place, then looked it up online. It could be any number of small towns in southern Illinois. To me this is a author who has definitely done some research to make the reader feel a part of that world. This is the second book in the "Logland Mystery Series". I have not yet read the first one, "Tip a Hat to Murder." It is next on my reading list. You don't have to read them in order as they read well as stand-a-lone books.  The third one in the series, "Final Operation", comes out June 7th. This will make a nice and early birthday gift to myself. Yes, I did pre-order it. I look forward to checking out some of this author's other books.

Elaine L. Orr

 Elaine L. Orr writes three mystery series. The Jolie Gentil cozy mystery series, set at the Jersey shore, includes "Behind the Walls," which was a finalist for the 2014 Chanticleer Mystery and Mayhem Awards. In the River's Edge mystery series, Iowa nice meets murder. "From Newsprint to Footprints," was followed by "Demise of a Devious Neighbor." The latter was a 2017 Chanticleer finalist. "Tip a Hat to Murder," the first in the Logland mystery series, was followed by "Final Cycle." A police procedural with a cozy feel

Elaine also writes plays and novellas, including the one-act, "Common Ground," published in 2015. Her novella, "Biding Time," was one of five finalists in the National Press Club's first fiction contest, in 1993. "Falling into Place" is a novella about family strength as a World War II veteran rises to the toughest occasion. "In the Shadow of Light" brings the tragedies of the U.S. Mexico border to life through the eyes of children and their parents.

Elaine conducts presentations on electronic publishing and other writing-related topics. Nonfiction includes "Words to Write By: Getting Your Thoughts on Paper" and "Writing When Time is Scarce and Getting the Work Published."

A member of Sisters in Crime, Elaine grew up in Maryland and moved to the Midwest in 1994. She graduated from the University of Dayton with a BA in Political Science and from the American University with an MA in Government. She worked for GAO and the National Academy of Public Administration for many years, and for two Iowa members of the U.S. House of Representatives -- one Republican and one Democrat.

Elaine did some journalism course work at the University of Maryland and has taken fiction courses from The Writer's Center in Bethesda, MD, the University of Iowa Summer Writing Festival, and Georgetown University's Continuing Education Program. She is a regular attendee at the Magna Cum Murder in Indianapolis and the Book Bums Workshop in West Liberty, Iowa. She has served as a preliminary judge for the Raleigh Fine Arts high school literary awards (2016-19).