Dragon’s Future by Kandi J. Wyatt

Genre: Middle Grade, Young Adult, Fantasy

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

From Goodreads:

Every child of Woolpren dreams of becoming one, but only a few are chosen. Now, ten-year-old twin brother and sister, Ruskya and Duskya, have been selected to join an elite group of riders: dragon riders. Full of awe and excitement, the twins leave their mother, and their home, to train for their new lives.

Fifteen years later, dragons are becoming extinct and riders are rare. One day, Ruskya is at the general store in town when a man announces that he is recruiting new dragon riders. Ruskya goes undercover, and discovers that there is another colony of riders with their own agenda—a quest to find a mysterious plant that could restore the dragon population, or destroy it. When a battle erupts between the two colonies, it’s up to Ruskya and his friends to fight for their dragons’ future, and their lives.

Follow Ruskya’s quest as he finds courage and friendship in this exciting middle grade fantasy series by new author Kandi J Wyatt.

My Thoughts:

Not since reading Christopher Paolini’s “Eragon” have I read a book about dragons that made me want to be a part of that world.  I felt myself wishing I could be in the procession and chosen by a dragon. The book is full of adventure, danger and courage.  All of these are qualities I look for when searching for books for my students to read.  The author has given special gifts to these dragon riders and used simple plants to create the magic that makes all of this work together.  I read this book much slower than I usually read because I wanted to savor every word and didn’t want it to end.  The world the author created was so well described and authentic I could visualize it.  There are subtle lessons and themes throughout the story about friendship, trust, courage and the abuse of power. This would fit right in with my first or second teaching unit on adversity because the characters face some of the most adverse situations ever.   It is at times an emotional read as you feel the pain the twins feel as the story of what happened to their father is slowly unfolded.  This author is truly gifted at feeding in back story a little at a time in just the right places to keep it flowing. She never creates an information dump.  The book ends with so many possibilities for future books I the series.  I can hardly wait for the next book.

Kandi Wyatt has created a story that keeps you flying high like her dragon riders, making this a story for everyone from the reluctant middle school reader to the adventure seeking adult. This is a book that should be on every fantasy shelf, in every school.

About the Author:

Kandi J Wyatt is a wife, mother of five, teacher, artist, and author. In her free time, she enjoys writing fantasy stories and Christmas programs, and drawing with graphite and colored pencils. Portraits are her specialty. Kandi also enjoys photography, thanks to her photographer husband who has let her join his journey as both his model and apprentice, and she occasionally serves as his assistant when he needs a “light stand with feet.” To learn more, visit:

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Sapient by Jerry Kaczmarowski

Genre: Young Adult, Adult Science Fiction, Thriller

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

What would you do to help your child? In Sapient we find Jane Dixon, a scientist working hard to find a cure for autism. This is something her own son has. While experimenting on rats and other animals she has a breakthrough. Einstein a rat can suddenly read and write.  We see Einstein and Bear a dog interact in ways that animals don’t usually interact. Some of these interactions are funny. She thinks there is something in the serum that will also help her son.  She makes a connection between her test subjects and when the serum begins to work on them. She realizes her own son is approaching that time period and her window is limited. Now the CDC and the army are both interested in her results.  She injects her son Robbie to try to cure him.  This causes a problem of epidemic proportions. When she is held, her son and the animals go on the run.  The entire time I was reading about her animal testing I kept thinking, if I taught older students and used this book the first thing I would do is get their perspective on whether it is right to use animals as test subjects.  I love reading books that have a controversial theme running through them.

As parents we often react without fully thinking of any possible consequences.  The author has shown a mother who does just that, under the false assumption that she is doing it for her son’s best interest.  The story flowed smoothly and quickly. There were enough twists and turns to keep the reader involved with this story.  Highly recommend this to people who like that science fiction thriller quality in a book.

About Jerry Kaczmarowski:

Jerry Kaczmarowski lives in Seattle with his family. He writes techno-thrillers that explore the benefits and dangers of mankind's scientific advancement. His first book, Moon Rising, was released in June 2014.  His second book, Sapient, was published in April 2015.

Jerry spent the first twenty years of his professional life in the consulting industry on the West Coast. His fascination with technology is matched only by his love of stories. His books intertwine action with a keen insight into how technology will shape our lives in the coming years.

To learn more, go to http://www.jerrykaczmarowski.com/   

Connect with Jerry on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads.

Two Unique Items

Two very unique items.  I received them in exchange for my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

The Children's Pack of Frames by Bryan Canniff

From Good Reads:
This is a pack of pre-printed frames for children's art. Just draw, crayon, or paint in the frames and you have a framed masterpiece to hang or give to Grandma. London artist Emma Rios created the bold decorative frames.

My Thoughts:

I actually received two sets of these to review in exchange for an honest review.  The first set had a coating on them.  What we discovered was when my grandchildren used water based markers they tended to smear.  For my four year old grandson this turned into a beautiful watercolor look within the frame.  That is because his arm kept going over the wet marker.  His sister used crayons on it successfully.  With the second set those same watercolor markers worked great and were vibrant. My granddaughter made a birthday card/gift for her grandfather out of one of them. I have mine hanging on my wall.  She spent several hours making gifts to take with her when she visits her dad who has just returned from deployment. She made one not only for him, but for her brothers and step-mom. She said she liked that she didn't have to find a frame for it because it was done.  These are great for kids of all ages. I've had grand kids ages 4 to 9 create on these and they had a blast.  I am so thrilled I was allowed to review them.

Imagination Will Take You Everywhere (Doodle Art Alley Books volume 1 by Samantha Snyder

From Goodreads:
Explore the Magic of Doodle Art.

Imagination Will Take You Everywhere shares 50 doodle art images of inspiring sayings, quotes, and words printed on one side of the page for all ages to color.

Quotes from famous authors include Emily Dickinson, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Benjamin Franklin, John Keats, Abraham Lincoln, Eleanor Roosevelt, William Shakespeare, and more. The book also includes sayings and words from Be Kind, Courage, and Dream Big to Enjoy the Journey, Faith, and Hope.Each doodle art image has been carefully selected to provide plenty of enjoyment, inspiration, and relaxation .

My Thoughts:
I've been doing a lot of doodling and coloring of doodles and mandalas.  When given the opportunity to try out this doodle book and review it, I responded with a resounding YES PLEASE!  In this day and age our stress levels are higher.  We can't always get out and do things that will reduce our stress level. For me, when I would come home late from work, have to fix dinner then deal with my mother who now lives with us, I was not always able to go out and do something to reduce my stress levels from the day.  However, I could sit and relax while doodling and coloring, while making sure my mom was safe and sound.  The difference between what I had been coloring and what this book is all about is simple.  I'd been coloring pictures, or creating my own doodles.  Yes I have three journals of doodles. I opened this book and realized there was an inspirational saying on each and every page.  The drawings are incorporated around the words.  I tried colored pencils, twist up crayons, regular crayons, permanent markers and water color markers.  All of them work quite well. I have not tried my water color pencils yet.  The key word there is yet.  It will be coming, I'm just not sure when.  I really loved the inspirational sayings. Not only do you calm down and relax while coloring, but you get inspired by the quotes.  Definitely recommending this to all of my friends who color like me. 

Hurray God by Jeanette Sharp

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

These are stories that will inspire you. There are several stories here, each one inspiring.  Some will bring tears to your eyes.  All of them will show you how God works in our lives.  Some of these stories rocked people to their core, while others were simple stories that showed no matter how big or small the situation God is always there if we take the time to listen to and rely upon him.  These stories, this book would make an excellent gift for friends and family, whether they are going through a crisis or not.

Two For Joy by Gigi Amateau

Genre: Children, Middle Grade Realistic Fiction
Source: I won a copy from LibraryThing. The opinions expressed here are my own.

When Jenna's grreat-great-aunt Tannie breaks her ankle her mother becomes worried about her.  Tannie lives on a large farm and has chickens.  She has traveled all over the world and is a very active person. Jenna's mom is a nurse and knows how fragile her great-aunt's bones have become since she has gotten older. She and Jenna decided to have Tannie come and live with them.  They prepare the house and try to convince Tannie she needs to move in with them.  They go to bring her back over Spring Break and are able to convince her to move.  She sells everything and moves in with them.  But, it isn't as easy as just having someone move in with them.

I was able to relate to this simple book on such a large level.  My mother lives with us.  At first it wasn't so bad.  She was very mobile and did a lot around the house so it felt like we all just lived together and shared the responsibilites.  Then one day while we were gone she slipped and fell and broke both feet and her ankle. She is very resistant to some of our suggestions when we know it is for her best.  In a lot of ways she has given up doing things we know she can do.  As Tannie and her mom found out, there is a very delicate balance that has to be struck for everyone to live harmonioulsy.  This is a great book to read any time, but especially if you have an older loved one who must come and live with you.

The Dead Lands – Rick Hautala

Genre: Young Adult, Mystery

Source: I won a copy from LibraryThing. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Take a mystery, add a ghost into it, tack on a murder and you have the makings of an excellent book.

Abby is a ghost who lives in a cemetery in the Dead Lands. She’s been dead for over 100 years. She’s not sure why, unlike the many that she helps, she’s been unable to move on.  She sleeps until she hears a mockingbird sing, which signals that someone needs her help.  This time it is Meagan who has shown up.  Abby quickly whisks her into the cemetery.  Why?  Abby’s uncle George Wheeler, who was once a pastor chases Abby along with his Hell Hounds.  He’s determined to get her to come to his side of things. Abby must help Meagan find out who murdered her and help her get justice.  She must do this all without being caught by her uncle.  Abby has a protector who quickly comes to her aid.  She doesn’t know who he is or when he will show up but he does.  There is a second story line that flows through this story.  Jim Burke purchased a locket that used to belong to Abby. Inside the locket is a strand of hair and a key. He was originally going to buy it for his mother because she like it, but decided to keep it because he feels strangely drawn to it. This connection is what allows him to see Abby, something no other living being has been able to accomplish. We are left at the end of the book with Meagan’s mystery solved, but not Abby’s.  This is a great set up for a second book. It can be read as a stand-alone book.

When I went in search of this author who was new to me, I was saddened to learn he had died of a heart attack in 2013.  I love his book and would have gladly read the entire series.  It was so good that it only took me a couple of hours to read it.  Now we will never have the answers to the questions we had at the end of the book about Abby and her uncle.  I will recommend this to all of my students.  It is one of the best I’ve read in a long time.

Happy Fourth of July - Dad's War Photos by neal Bertrand

I could think of no better book to review for the Fourth of July than this book here.  After all isn't this what this holiday is about, Celebrating freedom?  Enjoy the review.

Genre: Photo-Biography, WWII, History
Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.


From Goodreads:
Curtis Bertrand returned home from WWII in the South Pacific with over 600 photos. These never-before-seen pictures from his private collection, along with official battalion journal entries and stories of near-death experiences entail drama, adventure, and depict the reality of war.
Dad's War Photos covers many aspects of Curtis's experiences: leaving the farm in Opelousas, Louisiana, going to boot camp, being sent overseas, and coming back home, all through the lens of his Kodak fold-up camera passed down to him from his parents.
The homecoming and post war life chapters give an intimate view of what many returning soldiers faced. For Curtis it was getting back to work on the farm, meeting his lovely wife, and trying to put bad memories aside.
Two appendices include extensive photo coverage of WWII aircraft nose art and the daily lives of natives in the South Pacific.

My Thoughts:
I am so glad that Neal Bertrand took his father's pictures and journals and put together this book.  This is a fabulous primary source. As a teacher I am please to have it as a resource, although I am sure I will be accosted by upper grade teachers who teach history for my copy.  I believe in sharing.  I loved not only the pictures which gave you a first hand look at what was taking place in the Pacific, but also the military journal entries.  This gave you a first hand look at what else was going on with him and the other's in his battalion during the month.  Another added bonus was the section titled "Elsewhere in the War". This section allowed me to see not only what was happening where he was but also in Japan, Germany and other important places.  Every book I've ever read similar to this deals only with what was going on in that particular area. This book give the reader a wider picture of the war.  I find this beneficial for students who may use this as one of their primary sources when researching.   I would however caution if you are using this as a resource for middle school.  Not all middle schoolers are mature enough for some of the pictures.  Yes I know that shocks you.  There is a picture I found hilarious of a group of men on an outside latrine, naked butts to the camera.  Then there are the pics of the half naked women on the planes, or the Philippine women who are naked from the waste up. This is life, but not all middle schoolers  are mature enough.  I must also caution that some of the pictures are quite graphic of corpses.  All in all this is a book that is not just a photo journal, but a wealth of written information as well.  I am so happy I had the honor of reading and reviewing this book.

About the Author:
Neal Bertrand is a publisher, full-time author, and an avid genealogist and family historia. In 2009, he began scanning his dad's World War II photos. eal had never seen what was written on the backs of the photos because they had bee attached to the pages of three photo albums kep in a cedar chest in the hallway of Neal's childhood home. The photos were put in the albums in no particular order. But once he gifured out the timeline, Neal was able to organize them by coutry, month, ad year. After six months of culling the photos and researching diary entries of his dad's outfit, the 863rd Engineer Aviation Battalion, Neal was able to trace his father's steps from boot camp to war and back home.

Website
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Playlist of the Ancient Dead – Aaron Frale

Genre: Adult, Mystery, Science fiction, Adventure, Horror

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

I can honestly say I’ve never read a book like this.  When Caroline was walking her dog and he kept reacting strangely every time they got near a brick building I knew there was something to the building.  The building has been there for years. When Caroline sees her ex-boyfriend coming down the sidewalk she turns and walks back toward the building. She sees a door, she had not seen before and opens it. Cody catches up with her and she ends up stepping back out, but not before she sees something.  It seems that a government team had found a way in years before and disappeared and so they’ve been waiting all this time for another door to appear. Caroline and her dog are the key.  Another thing that was strange, not in a bad way, but in a unique way was the use of music throughout the book. No I’m not going to tell you what I mean.  I will tell you to expect all kinds of things. There are so many twists and turns in this book it will keep you reading from beginning to end.  This was the first book I had read by this author and I was not disappointed.

Eight Wonderful Picture Books for the Summer

Genre: Children's Picture Books
Source: I received copies to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

April Makes New Friends by Helen H. Wu
April and her family are moving to a new city. This makes her sad, because it means she'll have to go to a new school and make new friends. She makes a wish while holding her Wishy Bear. Will her wish come true? Great story about friendship and taking chances.




Oliver and Jumpy Stories 19-21 by Werner Stejskal
In Santa's Chocolate Factory, Oliver, Jumpy and friends visit Santa's Factory Open House that sits between two clouds in the sky. They get there by riding on the back of a Dino. they sample his candy and find out how it is made when they are ready to leave Joey can't be found. They assume he took a flight back home.  He isn't there.  What happened to him and how will he get back home?

In Triller we find a beautiful bird named Triller. He has one of the most beautiful voices ever. Oliver encourages him to enter a singing contest. What will happen when Triller loses his voice?  I loved the pictures of Triller and the other birds in this book. For some reason their style just really wowed me.

In April Volcano, it is April Fool's Day.  Oliver is trying to plan a prank on Jumpy and Joey. When he jumps out of his tree house he lands in water.  This is a prank Jumpy and Joey played on Oliver. While he is trying to think of a way to prank them back their volcano suddenly erupts. How will they get away from this catastrophe?

I love Oliver's books. They are always bright, colorful and usually have some sort of lesson to them.

The Night Horses by Anaka Jones
This is a cute story about what horses do during the day with their humans and then what they do at night when their owners go home.  You know, things like disco dancing, glamour time.  This is cute and fun to read.








All Have Gone to Sleep by Anat Umansky
Great examples of personification can be found in this book so it would be a great mentor text for teaching personification. This is a sweet story of everything that goes to sleep, toys, animals, mothers and children.  This would be a great bedtime story.






Picture of Grace by Josh Armstrong
This is one of those picture books that brings out your emotions. Grace loves to visit her Grandpa Walt, who is a well known artist.  She thinks because he is famous that everyone loves him.  She doesn't understand that some people only love the money he can bring them.  When he dies without finishing his last painting, Grace decides to finish it for him.  This makes the gallery owner angry, but makes the family happy.  You must read this book to find out why such a conflict and the importance of this one painting.  This is an absolutely beautiful book, in words and illustrations.



The Little Helmet by Nicholas Pavitt
Hatland is under attack by a flying fire-breathing dragon. The king and queen ask the magician if he can stop the dragon. Hatricks replies he cannot.  They call for their brave knights and ask which of them will save the kingdom.  None of them reply. A brave little helmet stopped by the guards volunteers to save them all. The king gives him their finest horse and the magician gives him a magic sandwich and magic flask.  He travels until he finds the dragon sitting near a well crying.  Why is the dragon crying and what will happen to Hatville?  This is a cute story about fearing what you don't understand and friendship.

Broken Feather and Fox For a Hat by Barry Marshall
This is another one of those stories with a great lesson about teamwork. Broken Feather and Fox-For-A-Hat are two brothers who take their father's bow and arrows and slip away. They explore and find a rabbit they want to bring home for dinner. One of them is carrying the bow and one is carrying the arrows.  Neither wants to give up what they have and the rabbit gets away.  Then they find a bear with some honey. They each try to give the other their bow or arrow to hold so they can go get the honey, but both refuse and the bear takes the honey and leaves.  They find their father's canoe and argue over who will paddle, losing the paddle in the water. When the canoe gets stuck they try to walk back home.  Will they find their way home? Will they learn to cooperate and help each other?  This is a wonderful book about cooperation and team work. The illustrations are wonderful.


Who Handles Returns? And, Maybe Repayment? by Daniela Gherghel

Things at home are getting hectic as Leanna is about to have a new sibling.  On the night her mom leaves for the hospital her uncle tells Leanna if she has any complaints she can take them to the stork. Being a big sister is hard because her baby sister gets into her things and bites her.  She decides to complain to the stork to take her back.  As she thinks about all of the terrible things her sister has done she begins to think about the great things she has done as well.
This would be a great book to read to a child who is expecting a new baby brother or sister.  It is a way to talk about the changes that will be coming to the family and how to handle some of those situations. It gives the older child a look at some of the great things about having a baby brother or sister.

Two Books by June Ahern

The Skye in June

Genre: Adult, Paranormal

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

This was an excellent story. This book brings out just about every emotion you have. Cathy Jimmy and their five girls move to San Francisco after Cathy has another miscarriage and almost dies. Right from the very beginning I didn’t like Jimmy. He came across as selfish and disrespectful. I saw this in the hospital where Cathy was having her seventh child, another girl. The doctor wanted her to stay longer because she had a rough delivery and Jimmy didn’t care. He told her that her place was at home that the kids needed her there. 

I felt like I was in Scotland feeling the tension between the Protestants and the Catholics. The father was very involved in his Catholicism, but I’m not sure the church would have considered him a good Catholic.

You could tell there was tension in the family from the beginning of the book.  It was raised a notch when Cathy names this daughter June going against the wishes of naming her after a saint like she did with all of her other daughters.

June is special. She seems to know things ahead of time. She always knew when Helen was sick..  She also was the one who alerted the adults to Helen's inability to breath.

Once they move to America June is branded as being different.  This causes all kinds of problems with her father.  I thought her father was mean and cruel when he was in Scotland.  Once he got to America I really detested him. He became no longer verbally abusive, but physically abusive to all of the girls.  They all grew to hate him. It was obvious when you heard them talking about how to kill him. 

June doesn’t fit in with the Catholic faith and gets kicked out of the Catholic school.  When she accidentally catches her robe on fire and is severely burned her father has her locked in the psych ward.  Want to know how this affected the family?  Will Cathy finally stand up to her husband?  You must read this book to find out.

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

Once again the author has written a story that starts in Scotland and ends in San Francisco.  Liz married at an early age and had a son named Patrick.  She loved to shop, even though her husband had asked her to stop spending so much money.  One day her husband makes her promise she won't go out. She breaks her promise and takes her son shopping. They rush to get home before her husband.  When her son claims he's hungry she sends him to the corner market and rushes to her apartment to hide her purchases.  Her son never returns.  She tells one lie after another which slows down the hunt for her son.

The story switches and Liz in in an American prison.  She had gotten herself mixed up with drugs, the Black Panthers and several other things she should not have gotten herself mixed up in.  This story goes back and forth between the two events.

Unlike the author's other book I reviewed, I had a difficult time getting into this one.  I didn't care for the sexual content and just felt it was a lot more disjointed for me as a reader.  I will say that there is a lot of historical information about that time period that was very accurate.  The author is very good at making you feel like you are where the author is.  This just wasn't a book for me.  I know there re many out there who would like it so I would recommend you try it out.