Saving Mim: Charlie Kadabra Last of the Magicians by Nan McAdam

Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy

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

Charlie Kadabra was abandoned as a baby. He is bullied at school and just can't seem to get a break, until the day his science teacher comes at him with a knife. Suddenly, he learns that things aren't what they seem. He is talked to by a white rabbit, he goes through a shiny curtain and ends up in another dimension. The girl who was always nice to him at school now has pointy ears and multicolored ears. Charlie learns he comes from a long line of magicians. He is Mim's last hope. If Dr. Pi has his way he will destroy Mim. 

This is the type of book I think my sixth graders will love. They will be able to relate to Charlie in so many ways. In this book they will take a journey with Charlie through the halls of school into a fantasy world. They will find a hero they ca root for.  I am definitely looking forward to the second book in this series.

Nan McAdam Bio

  

Nan McAdam has had a prestigious career in the agricultural and financial sales arena.  She trained, coached, and mentored individual sales, as well as sales teams, for over 20 years. 

As an author of two blogs, Nan has been a fan of self-improvement for many years, and has passed her knowledge of leadership, parenting, and how to live a more enriched life to the readers of her blog:  http://www.selfimprovementinformation.com. Nan is also the author of an elder care blog:  http//:www.caring4youragingseniorcitizen.com.  She has been published 78 times in numerous publications.

Nan has spent over 15 years caring for elderly loved ones.  In 2013, Surviving the STRESS of Your Parents’ Old Age, was published.  It is a non-fiction book born from Nan’s experience as a caregiver. 

2015 is destined to be another great year.  It is the year that Nan’s first children’s book will be published.  It is a middle grade fantasy adventure for ages 10 and up.  Charlie Kadabra, Last of the Magicians will begin a series with the first book, Saving Mim.

When Nan isn't caregiving or writing, she is spending time with her family.  She is married, has three adult children, and two grandchildren.  She makes her home in the midwest where she lives with her husband and 3 furry four legged family members.

Student Saturday: Bogus by Karla Oceanak

Student Reviewer: Darrell S.
Genre: Middle Grade, Graphic

Bogus is a funny book. I can sit there for hours and read this book. It's about a boy named Aldo Zelnick.  This is the sequel to the book "Artsy-Fartsy". The book "Bogus"  is about when Aldo, Jack and Bee find a ring. Aldo thought that the ring was super bogus. But, Jack thought it was real. When aldo had the ring he lost it. The next day there was an article in the newspaper. It turned out that the ring was real and someone had a $1,000 reward for whoever could find it. One of the best books ever. If you want to find out what happened, then I want you to read this book.


Teacher's Note:
This student was so into this series that his giggles and sharing with his neighbor, along with his, "You have GOT to read this Mrs. Stiles", prompted me to read Artsy Fartsy.  He was right, I loved it.

The Sound Catcher by Graham Garrity

Source: I purchased

Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy

I purchased this book because it sounded interesting.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Chloe is a young girl who had an accident and ended up with a bump on her head.  As a result of that bump she keeps seeing colored clouds. Her mom has kept her home for several days and finally decides she needs some fresh air.  Chloe goes to the old quarry and sees a funny looking man on a funny looking tricycle below her.  When she finally meets him she learns he is the Sound Catcher.  He catches stray sounds.  He tells her it is strange that she can see him as he is invisible.  Then he learns she can see sounds in the form of colored clouds.  He is trying to prove everything about himself when Chloe tells him about a strange stray sound. It was a whisper that makes her think that something bad is going to happen.  Because those particular sounds were green they began to gather up green clouds and finally figured out what the situation was.  What do you do when you hear that someone is going to steal the crown jewels? This is what Chloe and the Sound Catcher must figure out.

I thought it was quite unique to see the sounds as colored clouds.  I loved how inside the special tank used to hold them they form layers like the rainbow.  The red clouds were those that were pleasant such as a baby's giggle.  Yellow were those annoying sounds like lawnmowers.  This was a unique book. For someone like me who is very visual I loved this book.  It combined sounds and sights magnificently.  This book sounded interesting so I figured I would read it before I purchased it for my classroom shelves.  This is one that will go on my list to purchase.  I look forward to reading more by this author.