Monty and the Monster by Rhonda Smiley

May 21, 2020 By 3 Comments


Monty and the Monster by Rhonda Smiley
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Middle Grade, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Contemporary
Length: Full Length (232 pages)
Age Recommendation: 12+
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Voted BoM by LASR Readers 2013 copy

When seventh grader Monty Hyde moves for the fourth time in two years, it’s the same old story. New neighborhood, new school, new bullies, no friends. With his dad working all the time and his older brother too popular to notice, he’s the lonely outcast yet again. That is until he finds a mysterious replication serum in his basement and decides to make a friend. From scratch.

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What if building a new friend were as easy as performing a science experiment?

Monty was such a likeable guy. He was quirkier than most kids his age, but the hobbies and mannerisms that made him stand out from the crowd were also what made him so interesting. His unique approach to what someone should do for fun in their spare time showed off so many of the things that made him who he was as an individual.

Yes, some of Monty’s quirks lead to him being bullied because of how his classmates misunderstood him and he misunderstood them at times. I thought the scenes that showed him being mistreated by the other students at his school were realistic and well written. While this definitely isn’t true for every case of bullying, Monty did need to learn how to polish up a few of his social skills in this particular situation, and his classmates needed to learn how to be more accepting of people who march to the beat of their own drum. The author struck a nice balance between showing how both of those things can be true simultaneously while still having a lot of compassion for a kid who’s had to adjust to far too many new schools in his short lifetime.

This was one of those cases where a blurb fairly reveals the basic plot of a book while still leaving plenty of surprises for a reader to discover for themselves. I was intrigued by the little I knew when I started reading it, and I quickly realized that I enjoyed this tale twice as much as I originally thought I would. I obviously can’t go into specific details here, but I will say that this felt like something that underpromised an already attention-grabbing storyline only to over-deliver on exactly how much fun it was to read. It’s pretty marvellous when that happens!

The character development was handled beautifully. I especially appreciated seeing all of the ways in which Monty grew and changed as a person as a result of everything that happened to him during the course of this storyline. He matured so nicely while still remaining true to who he’d been all along.

Monty and the Monster is a must-read for anyone who has ever had to deal with bullying or experiments that don’t necessarily go the way they’re expected to.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

The Ghost of Jamie McVay by R.G. Ziemer

May 7, 2020 By 1 Comment


The Ghost of Jamie McVay by R.G. Ziemer
Publisher: Black Rose Writing
Genre: Middle Grade, Suspense/Mystery, Horror, Paranormal, Contemporary
Length: Full Length (240 pages)
Age Recommendation: 12+
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Brian Krueger has a lot of problems: The death of his grandfather and his father’s alcoholism have led to hard times and a move to a new town, where his nearest neighbor is a pyromaniac and a bully. Brian runs to escape his troubles, but it’s on the gravel jogging path that he encounters the ghost of Jamie McVay.

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Can Brian and Sharon prevent catastrophe on Halloween night? Will the ghost of Jamie McVay find peace for his unquiet soul?

Sometimes local legends are true.

The details of Jamie McVey’s life and death were so vividly written that I actually googled him to see if this was based on a true story. It honestly felt like something ripped from the headlines of a small town newspaper. While it turned out to be fictional after all, this didn’t dampen my enthusiasm for figuring out what really happened to this ghost one bit. I was so interested in learning his secrets that I couldn’t stop reading.

I enjoyed finding all of the parallels that the author drew between Brian’s life in the present and Jamie’s life in the past. They had far more in common than I would have guessed, and many of their similarities were things that took some time to uncover. It was rewarding to see all of this slowly come together as Brian adjusted to life in his new community and began to explore the mystery of what really happened to Jamie.

The romantic subplot was handled beautifully. It definitely wasn’t something I was expecting to find in this tale, but I was pleased with how much time it was given to develop while all of the other storylines were going on as well. The characters involved in it had plenty of opportunities to slowly transition their friendship into a romantic connection. Given everything else that was happening in their lives, this was the perfect decision. I must also say that I really liked the idea of them being a couple! The fact that they were so well suited for each other as far as their personalities and interests go only made the idea of them falling in love even more appealing.

The Ghost of Jamie McVay is something I’d recommend just as earnestly to adult readers as I would to the middle grade audience it was originally intended for.

Filed Under: Horror, Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

McKenna’s Path by Kasey Riley

April 29, 2020 By 2 Comments


McKenna’s Path by Kasey Riley
Publisher: Self-published
Genre: Contemporary, YA
Length: Full length (176 pages)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Star Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Chamomile

Suzie McKenna has a desperate need to get away from her mom—and most importantly her mom’s creepy boyfriend. She comes up with the perfect way to escape, taking her beloved mustang mare, Gypsy, with her. She’ll ride to her father’s ranch. She has the knowledge, the maps, and the need; but does she have the ability?

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When Gypsy is found loose and injured, can searchers find Suzie before it’s too late?

Suzie’s divorced parents, Mike and Sherry McKenna, share a burning need to locate their wayward daughter. Can they stand each other’s company long enough to get the job done? Ride with them as they answer this question and maybe even discover what tore their marriage apart.

What if your only path to safety was to undertake a perilous journey alone? From early on, this story makes it clear that Suzie is a teenager who no longer feels her mother is listening, and those emotions come through so clearly in author Kasey Riley’s writing!

She really gets into Suzie’s head, showing the reader a look at the struggles and reasoning as she undertakes her journey, fleeing from her mom, to her father’s in fear of her mother’s boyfriend. I easily felt like I knew Suzie, like I was right there, cheering her on! I felt the author’s use of perspective, with the mother oblivious, Suzie a frightened teen, and the other characters falling somewhere in the side-lines, paired with the vast knowledge the author shows of equine behaviors, or horsemanship, this was both an highly entertaining and even educational read.

This story can likely be enjoyed by all ages, though it’s written for the YA group.  It’s both well written and easy to follow, making it easy to read quickly, and much harder to put down!

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , ,

A Boy in a Park: Tales of Wonder and Despair by Richard Parkin

April 27, 2020 By Leave a Comment


A Boy in a Park: Tales of Wonder and Despair by Richard Parkin
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Middle Grade, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Suspense/Mystery, Horror, Paranormal, Contemporary, Historical
Length: Full Length (188 pages)
Age Recommendation: 10+
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

The naive, misguided rascals in this charming collection of short stories wear their hearts on grubby, unwashed sleeves. From the boy who masters the art of conducting herons to the boy who just wants to be left to his daydreams, they long for a better life only to be led astray by talking animals, charismatic strangers, and their own too vivid imaginations.

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It was easy to forget that these tales were about ten separate boys because every one of them had the same naive, mischievous, and insatiably curious personality. Not only that, the background details of their lives were either nonexistent or so vague that one boy’s life story often blended into the next. Even their names were a mystery. I’ve never read a collection like this and truly enjoyed jumping from one world to the next while knowing that the protagonists would always be comfortingly predictable.

One thing I do wish the author had been more clear about were the time periods everything was set in. Some characters seemed to live centuries ago when orphans were left to live on the streets in large cities and fended for themselves from very tender ages. Other characters had a much more modern feel to them. Even these were educated guesses, though, as the narrator was always reluctant about explaining background information clearly. That made it hard at times to picture who the protagonists were and why they were so alone in the world.

There were so many genres represented in this book that I’d be hard-pressed to narrow it down to only one. Some of the boys lived in gentle fantasy worlds. Others were more firmly rooted in the horror, paranormal, or mystery genres. It was pretty interesting to move between all of these different types of storytelling as well to shift from what appeared to be the past and the present.

A Boy in a Park: Tales of Wonder and Despair was a mesmerizing collection that I’d recommend to anyone who loves being given a lot of freedom to come up with their own interpretations about what’s happening in a plot.

Filed Under: Horror, Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Stranger Than Fanfiction by Chris Colfer

April 23, 2020 By Leave a Comment


Stranger Than Fanfiction by Chris Colfer
Publisher: Little Brown & Co
Genre: YA, Contemporary
Length: Full Length (304 pgs)
Age Recommendation: 16+
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Chris Colfer comes a funny, heartbreaking, unforgettable novel about friendship and fame perfect for fans of Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl and John Green.

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In this touching novel, New York Times bestselling author Chris Colfer takes us on a journey full of laughter, tears, and life-changing memories.

Four friends, a roadtrip and an interesting addition…what can go wrong?

I knew when I picked up this book I’d like it. Why? I like the writing style of Chris Colfer. It’s choppy in spots, but it’s witty and sounds like teens talking. It really does. I sped right through this book and cried at the end. It kept my attention and made me feel for the characters.

I won’t get into a lot of details, but there is a little bit for everyone. Sam is transgender and trying to sort himself out. Mo has ideas that don’t match those of her father. Topher wants to be the responsible one and is giving up on some of his dreams to help care for his brother with a handicap. Then there’s Joey. He’s gay and hasn’t come out yet. Oh, and Cash. Cash is the celebrity that just so happens to come along on the trip. I have to admit, I thought the story would go one way and the author kept up enough twists and turns to keep me guessing. I liked it. While the ending made me cry, it was exactly how the book should’ve ended. I’m glad, too.

If you want a book that’s fast-paced, fun in spots and sad in others, but worth the read, then this might be the one you’re looking for. Recommended.

Filed Under: Mainstream Fiction, Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Reaching for the Moon by Katherine Johnson

April 10, 2020 By Leave a Comment


Reaching for the Moon: The Autobiography of NASA Mathematician Katherine Johnson by Katherine Johnson
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Genre: Non-Fiction, Autobiography, YA
Length: Full Length (256 pgs)
Age Recommendation: 10+
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

The inspiring autobiography of NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson, who helped launch Apollo 11.

As a young girl, Katherine Johnson showed an exceptional aptitude for math. In school she quickly skipped ahead several grades and was soon studying complex equations with the support of a professor who saw great promise in her. But ability and opportunity did not always go hand in hand. As an African American and a girl growing up in an era of brutal racism and sexism, Katherine faced daily challenges. Still, she lived her life with her father’s words in mind: “You are no better than anyone else, and nobody else is better than you.”
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In the early 1950s, Katherine was thrilled to join the organization that would become NASA. She worked on many of NASA’s biggest projects including the Apollo 11 mission that landed the first men on the moon.

Katherine Johnson’s story was made famous in the bestselling book and Oscar-nominated film Hidden Figures. Now in Reaching for the Moon she tells her own story for the first time, in a lively autobiography that will inspire young readers everywhere.

This woman got to the moon without ever leaving the ground.

I’m fascinated by those who can do math. I don’t mean the 2+2 kind. I mean the kind that sorts out how to get a rocket off the ground, geometry, high level algebra… you know, the people who can get things to the moon and back. Katherine Johnson is a bit of an unsung hero. Sure, she’s the subject of the movie Hidden Figures, but there’s a lot more to this woman and the best place to learn about her is from the woman herself.

I didn’t realize right away that this was a YA book. It’s listed in the library as YA, but it reads more like a conversation. Katherine Johnson’s autobiography talks about many parts of her life and doesn’t pull punches. She mentions her first marriage and how Jimmy passed. How it was hard to be a woman in the computing industry and how hard her family fought to get her an education. I loved how she taught her brothers to read because she thought they were behind, but it was more that she was so far ahead!

If you’re looking for a book that’s delightful and reminds the reader what’s important in life–getting an education and being happy while doing your work because you’re doing what you love, then this is the book for you.

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Digger Doyle’s Book of Real Monsters by Daniel Warriner

April 1, 2020 By Leave a Comment


Digger Doyle’s Book of Real Monsters by Daniel Warriner
Publisher: BWL Publishing Inc.
Genre: Middle Grade, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Action/Adventure, Contemporary
Length: Full Length (210 pages)
Age Recommendation:10+
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Digger Doyle was eight when his father set off on a secret adventure but did not return. Three years later, a page from his father’s ancient book is sent to Digger from northern Japan—a page only he can read. With his wild cousins, he sails to Japan and meets the super smart Yukiko Satori. Together they venture into the shadowy woods around the eerie Mount Osore to search for a ferocious creature called a Kappa and any clues as to the whereabouts of Digger’s father. The forest is dying. The river is poison. Animals are fleeing. Something is terribly wrong. Digger must face his deepest fears to stop it, and discovers that even when things seem gone in the dark, they are often still there.

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There were some truly magical creatures in this world. I liked the way the author spent time explaining their looks and abilities to the audience, especially since I don’t have a great deal of knowledge of Japanese and Asian folklore. It was nice to have such clear images of what these creatures were and why people reacted to them the way that they did. Some of the beasts were feared while others were deeply respected. They were all worth getting to know!

The pacing of this book was slow in the beginning. I struggled to remain interested in it until the plot picked up even though I was originally pretty interested in the subject matter. While I was grateful for the backstory and world building that were established early on, it sure would have been nice to have more action in the plot to keep my interest levels high until Digger’s adventures truly began.

One of the things I liked the most about this tale were the detailed, imaginative descriptions. Mr. Warriner painted such vivid pictures of the places Digger visited that I could see all of them perfectly clearly in my mind. It was like I was exploring those forests, rivers, and other places right beside him! They made me wonder what might happen next and if the places Digger visited would have even more surprises for him than I expected.

I’d recommend Digger Doyle’s Book of Real Monsters to anyone who enjoys adventure novels.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Amy the Astronaut and the Secret Soldiers by Steven Donahue

March 24, 2020 By Leave a Comment


Amy the Astronaut and the Secret Soldiers by Steven Donahue
Publisher: Twin Sisters Press
Genre: Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Mystery/Suspense, Young Adult
Length: Full Length (260 pgs)
Age: 14+
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Reviewed by Dryas

Amy Sutter returns with a new space adventure as she travels to a distant planet filled with secrets and danger.

The second entry in the Amy the Astronaut series finds the teen rocketeer joining Yale and Madison aboard the Liberty Bell on a mission of mercy to a planet devastated by a natural disaster. The relief mission takes a turn for the worse when the crew discovers a plot that could destroy the Union, and they face off against new enemies that threaten their survival.

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Amy is in interesting and complex character with strengths and faults. She is courageous, well-meaning, and has an ability to take charge when a situation calls for it. She does have trouble with listening to orders and putting herself (and sometimes in others) in danger. She also has trouble like any other teenager, especially in the love department. She has a crush on two boys; Ethan and Cole. She is confused on how to handle those feelings. She also has to deal with the competition between the two.

This is a second book in a series for young adults. It is fast paced and interesting with a heroine that many can relate to. It shows how much friendship and a little crush can affect decision making skills. I did think that the story was a little too long and some of the details could have been left out.

The rest of the characters were incredibly well done and relatable. Yale is a strong character who is a perfect role model for Amy. She shows the girl bravery, comradeship, discipline, and the strength to not give up in any situation. Madison, even being a robot, was unable to understand why the other robots were so devoted to their creator. He was the one that found out Dr. Greenland was going to sell them to the enemy. He had the experience of being free and the friendship of Amy which allowed him to experience feelings the others have not.

Ethan, although not a main character, still plays an important role in the story. Besides being a love interest for Amy, he also is a contrast to her personality; he is more cautious, able to follow orders and is not as strong or experienced in battle as Amy. He does help with fixing up Madison after Yale shot him. He is another great support for her along the journey.

An interesting book for young adults and adults to read. It’ll keep your interest because it is full of action and suspense, but also has parts to teach young adults to handle difficult situations. Although it was the second book in the series you don’t need to read the first to make sense of it. It is rather complex so some may have trouble following along but it is well worth it.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Perfect’s Overrated by Johnelle Rae

March 19, 2020 By 1 Comment


Perfect’s Overrated by Johnelle Rae
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (138 pages)
Age Recommendation: 16+
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

If image is everything, does what’s real even matter?

By senior year, wannabe chef Sutton “Mac” MacNabb should have learned how to read. Instead, school’s turned him into an expert on bad grades and girls. Mac’s impression of a guy who’s happy to be going nowhere in life is almost as flawless as his recipe for soufflé.
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Merci Danielson has it all: beauty, brains, personality, and parents who are accomplished French chefs. But underneath Merci’s carefully-crafted public persona lies a disability, and self-doubt, that no one would ever suspect.

When school and a connection to cooking force Merci into Mac’s classes, his kitchen, and his life, the two seemingly polar opposites attract on a level much more real than either of their reputations.

Everyone has secrets.

The character development of Mac and Merci was incredibly well done. Both protagonists felt three dimensional to me. I cheered for them when they found success, shook my head when they made mistakes, and crossed my fingers when they struggled with things they didn’t understand the first time around. It was easy to become emotionally invested in them. Merci was a genuine sweetheart, and Mac’s hilariously snarky attitude soon revealed a kinder side to him that I desperately wished he’d feel safe enough to share with the world more often.

There were some awesome plot twists in this book. Some of them caught me by total surprise, and even the ones I had inklings about ahead of time were still a great deal of fun to see play out. I appreciated the way the author played around with the audience’s expectations of what would happen next, especially when it came to the assumptions some of us made about what the characters would or wouldn’t do. It only made their journeys even more interesting as the plot showed us what actually happened and which parts of their lives they tried to keep hidden from other people.

One of the other things I deeply enjoyed about this tale had to do with how the romance was handled. Mac and Merci were given plenty of time to get to know each other and to grow as human beings before the slightest hint of romance showed up in the storyline. That was the perfect way to handle a budding relationship between two people who didn’t appear to have much in common or like each other much at all in the beginning.

I can’t recommend Perfect’s Overrated highly enough. It was lovely!

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Gracie’s Time by Christine Potter

February 20, 2020 By Leave a Comment


Gracie’s Time by Christine Potter
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Science Fiction, YA, Contemporary, Paranormal
Length: Short story (59 pages)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Rating: 3.5 stars
Reviewed by Lavender

October, 1962
It’s almost Halloween, but something a lot scarier than ghosts is on everyone’s mind: nuclear war. After President Kennedy’s speech to the nation about the Cuban Missile Crisis, Grace Ingraham overhears her parents’ plans to keep her safe. She’ll be sent off to live with a wealthy uncle—in the nineteenth century.

Gracie’s from a family of Travelers, people who can escape into time. Too bad her mom and dad haven’t Traveled since their honeymoon trip to the Lincoln Inauguration. So Grace will have to go alone—even though taking a wrong turn can have serious consequences: like heading for 1890, and ending up …in 2018.

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Luckily, a fellow traveler finds her in the city and helps her. It’s great seeing her reactions to the future technology—quite realistic. She pops into other times and finds out some surprising things. Sometimes she’s pulled there, and dangerous stuff happens. Are there forces that have their own designs on her? Gracie will have to be very careful. Gracie’s strength comes into play many times.

Sometimes there is a lot of information given at once or some confusion. There is plenty of political commentary mixed in with the story.

When Gracie discovers she has a brother, and he’s a bit…unusual, the mystery is amped up. Supernatural elements add a twist to the story.

Gracie’s interaction with the secondary characters is charming. They help us to see and understand our protagonist better.

Period details are well-written, so readers can easily picture the era.

This is a good tale of young love and adventure. Gracie’s Time is fourth in a series, but the author fills in the necessary blanks with helpful information. The ending leaves some questions unanswered, leaving room for a continuation of the story.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,
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