Tuesday, June 6, 2023

Free Books for Summer!

If you enjoy reading, take a look at the giveaway HERE and take a look at all the FREE books! Books for kids, young adults, or anyone who enjoys literature for young people are all free! Follow the link above, or HERE, and learn more about how to get these free books!

Mysteries of Cove: Gears of Revolution

Mysteries of Cove: Gears of Revolution by J. Scott Savage is the second book in the Mysteries of Cove series. It continues the exciting adventure of Trenton Cole and his friend Kallista Babbage.
Finding clues left in the forest by Kallista's father Leo Babbage, they are directed to the city of Seattle that has clearly been attacked recently by the dragons that are infesting the world. There, they meet two conflicting groups that live in the underground city of Seattle (they can't be outside all the time, because of the dragons) The Order of the Beast, and The Whipjacks. But can Trenton and Kallista trust either groups. And what happened to Kallista's father after he came to Seattle? Read the book and find out! Gears of Revolution was published in 2016.

Hugo: Movie Review

The movie Hugo, based on the book, The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick, is an entertaining, family friendly movie.
The main character is Hugo, a boy who is orphaned, twice, and then takes care of the clock in the train station in Paris. He makes friends with a girl, outwits the train security guard, and meets an old hero. But what about the old automaton that his dad left behind before he died, and why is it significant? Read the book, and watch the movie. Get to know Hugo Cabret! The movie came out in 2011. The book was published in 2007.

Monday, May 1, 2023

Mysteries of Cove Fires of Invention by J. Scott Savage

In Cove, a city sealed inside of a mountain to stay away from the poisonous air that technology and polution have caused, there lives a boy named Trenton Coleman. Trenton Coleman wants to be a mechanic, which is good Cove needs good mechanics. But what Cove doesn't need is curiousity, invention, and people coming up with ways to improve what they already have.
Why? Because technology, the city history books say, is why they had to go inside the mountain to begin with to escape all the pollution and destruction. So, is creativity really a bad thing? Trenton's new friend Kallista says no. And when Trenton's friend Clyde is convicted to a few days of "retraining" just because he drew a picture, Trenton really starts to think about whether or not inventiveness and creativity are really bad things. And as he and Kallista start to follow clues her dad left behind before his mysterious death, Trenton starts to realize that not only is inventing a good thing, but it may be the only thing that can save all of them. Mysteries of Cove by J. Scott Savage is a great book for middle grade readers, and anyone who enjoys dystopian and steam punk.

The Goonies - Movie Review

When their neighborhood is threated, Mikey (Sean Astin) and his friends who call themselves The Goonies fear they'll be parted forever. But when they find an old treasure map and realize that a huge treasure could be within reach, the friends take off to find it in the hope that it will save their neighborhood.
But they didn't expect to find escaped convicts, deadly boobie traps, and strange creatures on their quest. Will the kids be successful? Watch the movie and find out! The Goonies, directed by Richard Donner and starring Sean Astin, is a good family movie, though it does contain some crude humor. It is rated PG.

Prisoner B-3087 by Alan Gratz

Prisoner B-3087 by Alan Gratz is an extremely well written book about a young Jewish boy who is taken captive by the Nazis at the beginning of WWII when Hitler's army invades Poland.
The young man then goes from one concentration camp to another, and the reader follows along with him, watching his trials and dangers as he fights to stay alive. The book is a great one for young people to read, and for adults as well. Anyone interested in learning more about the second World War would enjoy this book.

Wednesday, April 26, 2023

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart is a delightful story about four gifted children who are brought together to help the kindly Mr. Benedict take on the sinister Mr. Curtain in Mr. Curtain's bid to take over the world.
Posing as youngsters interested in Mr. Curtain's exclusive "school" (actually a training ground to recruit followers) they infiltrate Mr. Curtain's domain and look for ways to stop him from taking control of society. Will they be able to do it with Mr. Benedict's help, and the help of other good guys, like the mysterious (though constantly sad) Miligan, and Mr. Benedict's other friends? Read the book and find out! It's a great book for kids as well as adults. I was delighted to find out that this story has been made into a series on Disney plus. While I cannot give an opinion on Disney's adaptations of the book, since I haven't watched them, I still think it's pretty great that such a fun story has been put on film!