Brainrush - Richard Bard

Publisher:  CreateSpace

Pages:  312

Genre:  Thriller, Science Fiction

Source:  Review copy from Bostick Communications

Every now and then, a book comes along that you just can’t put down.  I tell my students that if they find a book that takes them on a visual trip as well as an emotional rollercoaster, then they have truly found an awesome book.  That pretty much describes this book.  This is one of those books that once you start reading you can forget about obligations to your family because you won’t be able to put it down.  It has a bit of science fiction tied into a military thriller, along with just a touch of romance to make this a well-rounded book.

Jake Bronson only has a few weeks to live.  He is having an MRI done when an earthquake happens.  To me this was terrifying.  The last MRI that I had needed to be done in two stages.  After the first stage, they went looking for me afraid I had left.  I have claustrophobia and felt as if I could not breathe.  I was able to relate to this character a little too much in this instance.  When they are finally able to get Jake out of the machine he discovers he has enhanced powers.  He is determined to use these powers; in whatever time he has left to stop a terrorist attack.  Throw into all of this the rescue of Francesca, a psychologist who works with autistic children and to whom Jake is romantically attached and you can see the plot thickening.  The characters are very believable.  The descriptions as you travel with Jack from California to Italy and other destinations are so vivid that you feel as if you are right there with him.  I’ve not traveled out of the country yet I feel I have traveled to these destinations.  It is obvious that the author has done major research on weaponry, maybe drawing on his own background experiences.  I didn’t feel like I was in over my head in that area.  I actually enjoyed it. 

For me if you are going to have a wonderfully fleshed out protagonist then you must have an equally wonderful antagonist.  Luciano Battista is that person.  To me his name even made me feel like he was evil.  His character was a great opposite to Jake’s character.  It kept the pace going.  There were areas where the imagination had to be stretched a little.  I am one of those rare people that says bring it on.  I grew up stretching my imagination, as a child so there is no reason not to continue that.

I would definitely recommend this book to everyone I know.  I believe it has something for everyone.  This is an author to watch for.  His second book in the series comes out in December so just take a deep breath and tell yourself that you can wait for it, because after all you don’t really have a choice.

About the author

As a young Air Force pilot, Richard Bard was faced with some scary news: he had cancer and learned he had only a few months to live. Thirty-six years later he's still going strong. He earned a management degree from the University of Notre Dame and after leaving the Air Force he ran three successful companies involving advanced security products used by U.S. government facilities worldwide. Book 2 will be published in December.


Find more about Richard Bard at his website

“The Adventures of Daniel and Christen”

Author:  Cameron and Delaine Taylor
Illustrator: Dawn Phillips
Genre:  Children's Beginning Reader
Source:  Received a review copy from R & D Children's Books

The Adventures of Daniel and Christen is a cute picture book.  In the beginning we find Daniel lying in his back yard staring up at the clouds.  He is joined by his best friend Christen.  This immediately brought to my mind the endless summer days my sisters and I would lay in the yard looking at the sky and shapes of the clouds.  So now I've started the book with a warm fuzzy feeling.  Suddenly the boys see pirates and they hide.  The pirates are looking for treasure.  The boys are captured and put in an old cage.  If that isn't terrifying enough for young boys, they find a purple polka-dotted python staring them down.  The python gets tied up in knots and the boys escape.  Suddenly they are on the back of a sea-monster.  Then they are shaken awake by Daniel's mother.  The boys had fallen asleep.  As they are walking back to the house they step on something and realize it is gold coins.  You are left to wonder, was it really all a dream?
I had only two small problems with the book and that is because I am an adult, whereas a child would probably not find this a problem.  The first problem is the story takes you from the boys lying in the grass to hiding behind a bush from the pirates.  It seems the next step should have been they heard the pirates then hid.  My other problem was with them getting a drink of ocean water.  These were my only problems with the book.  It was a great story line otherwise.  The illustrations are absolutely wonderful. They are so bright and cheerful.  Kids will spend hours just looking at all that is going on in the pictures. I am looking forward to sharing this book with my grandkids when they come for Thanksgiving this next week.  I am blessed each Thanksgiving with grandkids who want me to sit and read to them.  This is one of those books I will thankfully share.  Although this is a picture book geared toward beginning readers it is a book I can use in my middle school classroom.  There were examples of alliteration and other types of figurative language within it's short pages and would make it easier for students to understand those elements.

I would like to thank R & D Children's Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.  I look forward to reading more from them.

Student Saturday - The Road to Paris - Nikki Grimes

Publisher:  Putnam Juv.
Pages:  160
         Genre:  Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction
         Reviewer:  Farhad


I chose not to include the entire review because it contained spoilers.  I'm glad I had the opportunity to read Farhad's review because I had never heard of the book and it is now on my TBR list.

This book was about a girl named Paris who is shy, kind, caring, and smart.  This book is also about a boy named Malcom who is Paris' brother.  Malcom is kind, caring and he loves his sister paris.  Paris lives in a foster home where she is abused and barely gets food.  ONe day an adult named Mrs. Boone who is the one that runs the foster home slapped Paris back and forth because she disobeyed an order from her, so she locked Paris in a closet for one day.

Paris' brother found out that Mrs. Boon locked Paris in a closet and he found the key and opened the closet and saw Paris weeping and crying for help.  Paris was relieved that Malcom came to save her.  Paris and Malcom decided to run away.  Malcom stole some money from Mrs. Boone's purse while she was sleeping so they would have money for food and transportation.

Paris and Malcom end up in several places and must make some important decisions.  What are they?  Will Paris end up back in a foster home?  Will they get caught for stealing the money?
If you like sad and emotional books then I recommend this book to you.  I was kind of sad while I read it.  The book reminds me of a time I lost my baby sister in Walmart, because in the book Paris loses her brother Malcom.