Student Saturday: The Green Dagger by Kelly Hess

Student Reviewer: Alexia
Genre: Fantasy, Middle Grade

I would give Kelly Hess's books five stars because they are really good. The Green Dagger is about Beynn and Fritz, they are continuing the story on how Fritz has the Green Dagger and Beynn practicing being a Sorak. Well Fritz became addicted to the green dagger and evil, so the Queen Sorak wants the Green Dagger. Beynn is on a quest to get the green dagger back but then other colonies want the green dagger because they know the power. Humans just want to turn in the dagger to get money. While they are getting the dagger someone found the secret on how to control the green dagger. Is it over?

Good the Goblin Queen by Becket

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

This was a fun book to read.  First, you have a young girl who lives in a treehouse with her parents. Her parents just happen to be orangutans.  She has to hide her books because if not her parents will eat them. Can you imagine such a tragedy happening?  One night Good wishes upon a shooting star to have a different life.  She is turned into a Goblin.  From this point forward she goes from one adventure to another.  She learns how to deal with problems as they come up.  She learns to act wisely instead of just jumping in.  This is what makes her a wonderful Queen.  There are lessons all the way through to be learned.  They aren't forced.  Kids will be able to associate parts of their lives with these lessons.  The drawing inside are wonderful.  The cover is just a sample of what is help between the pages.  I proudly put this on my schools shelves.

Bonners Fairy by Elizabeth A. Patterson

Genre: Mystery, Fantasy, Middle Grade
Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinons expressed here are my own.

From Goodreads:
So far, life has been pretty ordinary and dull for fifteen-year-old twins Henry and Haley Miles. But after their father purchases a large estate in northwestern Idaho, they are thrilled to begin a new adventure in the mountains. Little do they know that their lives are about to change forever. As soon as Henry and Haley are introduced to the diverse group of mysterious characters that inhabit the small town of Bonners Ferry, they learn of a tragedy hundreds of years ago that spawned the kind of legend that has always kept the locals wary and suspicious. It is not long before the twins stumble upon a map and an unusual key that leads them through a portal to another time, and a world filled with mystical creatures. As a princess pleas with the teens to rescue an innocent family from a fate worse than death, they soon uncover not only the secrets of the past, but also the mission of evil beings determined to win at all cost.

In a strange world filled with magic, wonder and beauty, Henry and Haley must abandon their childlike innocence and demonstrate to everyone all the ways humans can overcome seemingly impossible odds.

My Thoughts:
This is a book that old and young will like.  We meet twins Hayley and Henry.  Their adventure starts when they find a map and a key. The key fits a portal into another world.  This was the point where I was hooked.  The world building is great.  It is a world you want to stay in. You have a set of fairies battling evil. Then you have characters that for the most part are believable and that you find you will like almost instantly. The fact that the story has that wonderful magical element to it makes it a book that you want to stay in. Sadly it ends leaving you hungry for what hopefully will be a second book. Since I've given my opinion on the book I will happily say I believe my middle school students will enjoy it as much as I did; especiall my fantasy lovers.

Student Saturday: The Sacrifice by Kathleen Benner Duble

Student Reviewer: Amari B.
Genre: Middle Grade, Historical Fiction

This book is a historical fiction book.  It is about a girl named Abigail Faulkners. In the beginning Abigail is punished because she was racing. While she was running she was being inappropriate by making her skirt flap everywhere showing her legs. Then all of a sudden, her dad starts acting crazy and saying crazy things like someone was after him. This book felt very emotional to me because the family has to suffer because of the dad's actions. How would you feel if you had to deal with soemone like that? I would recommend this book to people who would want to sacrifice themselves for anyone or anything.

Wind Catcher by jeff Altabef and Erynn Altabef

Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Fantasy

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

From Goodreads:

Juliet Wildfire Stone hears voices and sees visions, but she can’t make out what they mean. Her eccentric grandfather tells her stories about the Great Wind Spirit and Coyote, but he might as well be speaking another language. None of it makes any sense.

When she stumbles upon a series of murders she can't help but worry her grandfather might be involved. To discover the truth, Juliet must choose between her new life at an elite private school and her Native American heritage. Once she uncovers an ancient secret society formed over two hundred years ago to keep her safe, she starts to wonder whether there’s some truth to those old stories her grandfather has been telling her.

All she wants is to be an average sixteen-year-old girl, but she has never been average—could never be average.

Betrayed by those she loves, she must decide whether to run or risk everything by fulfilling her destiny as the Chosen.

My Thoughts:

How can you be a normal teenager when you are the Chosen?  How do you deal with the fact that you have been lied to most of your life?  These are just a few of the issues Juliet must come to grips with in this fabulous book. The problem of where she fits in between two cultures is one that teens today can identify with.  Juliet ad her grandfather, have a relationship that is very realistic.

I loved the first person point of view.  It was well written. I really thought that this was going to be about an Indian legend and that is it.  I was caught off guard.  This has so much to offer. The mystery pulls you in deeper and deeper so that you have to continue reading. For fantasy lovers you have the mysterious powers she has.  Definitely will recommend this one and can't wait for the next book by this author.

Crossroads Virtual Book Tour

CROSSROADS

a Miller's Creek novel and Christian contemporary romance

A former soldier battles for the soul of a prodigal...

After a devastating divorce, a bitter single mom and atheist starts her own real estate company in the nostalgic and picturesque town of Miller’s Creek, Texas. Then her young daughter’s disturbing symptoms lead doctors to discover that her leukemia has relapsed. With her new life now turned upside down, Mara Hedwig struggles to keep her business afloat. And her daughter’s worsening condition forces her to rethink her beliefs about Carter Callahan and his God. Will Mara make the return to Christian faith in the face of life’s greatest challenge?

An ex-military operative struggles with the return to civilian life while coping with his rebellious teen-aged daughter. During a house-search, Carter meets Mara, a headstrong Realtor who wants nothing to do with his God. But when Mara’s little girl is diagnosed with leukemia, the clock begins ticking for him to convince Mara to return to a life of faith. Just as he seems to be making headway, circumstances beyond his control throw his efforts into a tailspin. Can Carter learn to rest in the sovereignty of God?

Click here to watch the book trailer. 

About Cathy Bryant

Amazon best-selling author Cathy Bryant writes Christian fiction set in the heart of Texas. Her popular romance and romantic suspense novels take place in the fictional town of Miller's Creek, where folks are friendly, the iced tea is sweet, and Mama Beth's front porch beckons. All the Miller's Creek novels have been on the Amazon Best-Seller list and are rated at 4.5 stars or higher on Amazon. Her debut novel, TEXAS ROADS, was a 2009 ACFW Genesis finalist. Since then five other stand-alone novels have been added to the series, one of which was a reader-nominated 2013 Grace Award nominee (PILGRIMAGE OF PROMISE). Readers have compared her work to that of Karen Kingsbury and Nicholas Sparks. 

A native Texan, Cathy currently resides in the beautiful Sangre de Cristo mountains of northern New Mexico with her minister husband of over thirty years. She's written devotions for The Upper Room devotional magazine, two devotional books in collaboration with other Christian authors, and for online sites. She also has released a Bible study book, THE FRAGRANCE OF CRUSHED VIOLETS. In addition to her writing, she enjoys thrift store shopping, romping in the great outdoors, and mini-farming. To learn more about Cathy and her books, visit her website at www.CatBryant.com or make contact with her in these places:

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YOU'RE INVITED!

What: CROSSROADS Book Launch Party

Where: Facebook (from the comfort & convenience of your own home)

When: April 30, 2015 ~ 7:00-8:30 p.m. (Central time)

Why: To celebrate the book launch of CROSSROADS (a Miller's Creek novel and Christian Romance by Cathy Bryant)

LOTS of Fun, Games and Prizes!

Prizes Include: Miller's Creek pens, tote bags, t-shirts, mugs, digital books, autographed print books, Amazon gift cards, and

an Amazon Kindle Fire HD6!

Click here to RSVP and enter the Kindle Fire drawing.

The Ghosts of Petroglyph Canyon by Christopher Cloud

Genre: Middle Grade, Young Adult, Mystery

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

Pablo, his sister Pia and their cousin KiKi go to their Uncle Antonio’s ranch to help him over the summer. Their uncle shows them a cavern that has petroglyphs inside.  The cavern sits on his property. This doesn’t stop someone from coming in and taking chunks of the petroglyphs out. Their uncle thinks the persons responsible is selling them. The kids decide they need to help out by investigating this mystery to save the remaining petroglyphs and stop these people.

This is such a well written story that you will find yourself in the caverns with Pablo, Pia and KiKi. This is the perfect book for the person, young or old who likes adventure and mystery with wonderful twists throughout the tory. This is the second book I’ve read by this author. It is a book I’m proud to put on my shelves for my middle school students.  This is the type of book that I love reading.

The Harvest - N.W. Harris

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Post Apocalyptic

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

Imagine the world you grew up in was suddenly void of all adults.  This is the world Shane lives in.  All the adults have been killed off.  Shane has become the unofficial leader in is town.  He comes across as very confident in his leadership abilities. Those who are real close to him really know the truth.  Just when Shane thinks things will be okay, because they have managed to shut off the machine that  created this havoc, Shane is given another surprise.  Jillian, is an alien who claims to be here to help the teens.  It seems that an ancient alien race came to Earth thousands of years before and implanted a slave gene.  Then they did away with all of the adults because it would be easier to control the children.  Shane wants nothing more than to trust Jillian.  He, along with several other teams from around the world train to prepare for this invasion.  However, no matter how much Shane wants to do what is right and protect those he loves; he just can’t seem to get rid of the feeling that what they have been told is not the complete truth.  All he can do is his best.

This is a book that will definitely keep you on the edge of the seat just like the first book did.  However, the author has really ratcheted up the tension in this book.  We see the characters beginning to develop more.  We can especially see this in the relationship between Shane and Kelly. For my taste there was just the right amount of tension and romance.  This is a book I definitely recommend, but not until you’ve read the first book in the series.

Journey to Wilderness: War, Memory and a Southern Family's Civil War Letters – Frye Gaillard

Genre:  Civil War History

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

From Goodreads:

Oh, this terrible war," wrote Thomas Gaillard. "Who can measure the troubles -- the affliction -- it has brought upon us all?" To this real-time anguish in voices from the past, Gaillard offers a personal remembrance of the shadow of war and its place in the haunted identity of the South. "My own generation," he writes, "was, perhaps, the last that was raised on stories of gallantry and courage, an admiration of the dashing generals who led our fighting men into battle, and whose heroism was undiminished by defeat. Oddly, mine was also the one of the first generations to view the Civil War through the lens of civil rights--to see, often quite reluctantly, connections and flaws in southern history that earlier generations couldn't bear to face.

My Thought:

The author used letters from her own ancestor to create this book.  This is the most realistic depiction of of what it was like to be on the battlefield.  No movie could ever depict how horrible this war was. It was made clear in the letters that you did what you had to do to survive. Franklin Gaillard spoke of what it was like when he entered the war.  He said the sight of blood and dead men turned his stomach.  Then in a letter to his father he wrote that thirst would do funny things to you. He gathered canteens and found one on the body of a dead man. It was covered in blood. His thirst was so bad he tipped it so that he was pouring from the side with no blood on it and drank.  He also spoke about the likes told throughout both sides.  When he brought water to the injured, captured enemies they were surprised. They had been told how vicious the Confederates were. It was heart wrenching to read a letter to a young son telling him what he wanted from him in case he should be killed.  Even from the war front fathers tried to mentor and teach their children.

These letters give the reader a look into the life of just a few soldiers and their family members during this trying time.  We look at the way they lived, their spiritual life and in some cases the way they died. This is  an excellent source that should be required primary source reading in schools.  I am grateful I was given the opportunity to read and review this book.

Student Saturday: Drama by Raina Telgemeier

Student Reviewer:  Amari B.
Genre: Middle Grade, Graphic Novel, Realistic Fiction

This book is dramatically realistic fiction. It starts out with this girl named Callie who is in love with a boy named Greg. But, later in school when she is putting up fliers for the play...these two boys named Justin and Jesse are interested in the auditions for the play. Later in the story Justin has a confession to make. This book is a little bit confusing and weird to me. Let's say there is TONS OF DRAMA! I would recommend this book to drama makers and...certain...uh....people!