Stand-In by J.S. Frankel

February 18, 2020 By 1 Comment


Stand-In by J.S. Frankel
Publisher: Devine Destinies
Genre: Young Adult, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Contemporary
Length: Full Length (230 pages)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Bill Grissom, seventeen, doesn’t have long to live, and when he’s given a second chance as a substitute for his counterpart in a parallel universe, he jumps at the chance to become the Golden Guardsman.

Things go well at first. Along with Veil—Charlene Thompson, Matter-Man—Anders Nixon, and Monolith—Martin Bollock, the other members of the group, they dispense justice wherever it’s needed.
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However, Matter-Man’s insistence on getting paid for a job well done doesn’t sit well with Bill, and he becomes jaded and cynical about working for the Collective. To Matter-Man, and to the other members of the group, it’s all about the coin.

As well, more and more super-criminals start to appear, and when Bill discovers who’s coming and more importantly, why, he learns that being a hero involves more than simply dispensing justice. It’s all about living up to the ideals of being one—something that could cost him his life.

Heroes come in all shapes and sizes.

The world building made me smile. There was a great deal of effort put into showing how superheroes in this universe were different from the ones that some readers might be expecting. For example, they weren’t universally liked for reasons I’ll leave up to other readers to discover for themselves. Explaining and exploring details like these brought this world to life for me. No sooner would one of my questions about how everything worked would be answered than a couple more would spring into place. It was a great deal of fun to figure all of this out.

I found the pacing of the beginning of this book to be slow. The main character had plenty of explaining to do about the world he lived in and the alternate universe he was about to discover. As intrigued as I am by superheroes, I found it hard to get into Bill’s story because of how slowly everything happened in the first several chapters.

The fight scenes were nicely written. I’ve been reading Mr. Frankel’s stories for years now, and his approach to writing about this sort of conflict has evolved in all sorts of interesting ways since I was first introduced to his stuff. It’s been a great deal of fun to see the different techniques he uses to describe what is happening in them and how he approaches a conflict that has multiple folks jumping into the fray all at once. I look forward to hopefully reading more of these scenes in his future work!

Stand-In should be read by anyone who likes superheroes.

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

The Rumrunner’s Boy by E.R. Yatscoff

February 4, 2020 By Leave a Comment


The Rumrunner’s Boy by E.R. Yatscoff
Publisher: BWL Publishing
Genre: Young Adult, Action/Adventure, Historical
Length: Full Length (190 pages)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Canadians are only too happy to supply liquor to thirsty Americans during U.S. Prohibition. Jarrod Hooker, 17, steps in for his injured father on a rum running crew smuggling liquor across Lake Erie. It’s a lucrative job they cannot afford to lose.

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Whatever happens on the next run will change everything for everyone. Amid sabotage and bullets flying, Jarrod must put his trust in a very dangerous man. Although Canada is only a few miles offshore, it may as well be a world away.

Smuggling is a dangerous job even at the best of times.

The character development was well done. This was true not only for Jarrod but also for many of the other people he spent time with at home and while smuggling alcohol across the border. I had a crystal clear picture in my mind of what everyone looked and sounded like. That’s always something I appreciate in a story, especially when it involves as many different folks as this one did. It made me want to keep reading until I learned what everyone’s fate was!

I would have liked to see a little more attention paid to wrapping up the ending, especially when it came to the health of Jarrod’s dad. Earlier scenes spent so much time exploring this topic and showing how Jarrod’s duties to his family were preventing him from reaching other goals. Many of the other subplots were resolved nicely. I would have given this book a five-star rating if this portion of the storyline was given as much attention.

There were times I felt like I’d actually travelled back in time to the 1920s due to how strong the world building was. The author clearly put a lot of effort into researching how farming families lived in this era. Everything from what people ate to how they kept themselves clean in a world where every warm bath required some prep work were described in exactly the right amount of detail.

Anyone who likes history or adventure should check out The Rumrunner’s Boy.

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

The Insiders Club by Echo Miller

January 16, 2020 By Leave a Comment


The Insiders Club by Echo Miller
Publisher: Chu & Chother Publications
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Length: Full length (250 pages)
Age Recommendation: 16+
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Lavender

Four social misfits: an 80s-obsessed eccentric, a movie-quoting mimic, a control freak, and a scrappy loner. They share a diagnosis on the autism spectrum, but can they create a home?

Keegan Harris has one weekend to persuade three other guys on the spectrum to move into his group home. Using an 80s movie as his guide for socialization, he’s organized a series of adventures designed to form deep connections and create lifelong friends. But each stranger has packed emotional baggage and arrived with agendas of their own. Unless Keegan can convince everyone to stick to the script, his blockbuster plan may turn companionship into chaos.

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The Insiders Club is a realistic, “autism after high school” novel that brings marginalized characters into the spotlight. If you like unconventional heroes, unlikely friendships, and bittersweet coming-of-age stories, then you’ll love Echo Miller’s uplifting read.

Take a closer look inside the autism spectrum and see that everybody wants to belong. Buy The Insiders Club to find your way home today!

This book offers a fresh perspective—seen through the eyes of young men who have autism. Keegan, the lead protagonist, and his family have started a community where people with special needs can come to live and find happy, productive lives. Three young men join Keegan for an orientation, and Keegan hopes to befriend them for life. His search for a bond drives the plot.

He and his new friends experience a series of mishaps that will worry the reader and bring in incredible insights into what it’s like to understand the world through their eyes. Luckily, they have a support team that helps them maneuver the not-so-nice people they run into.

Character growth takes place, giving the protagonists depth, and emotions are stimulated throughout this tale. Keegan’s hopes and dreams are in constant danger, but he never gives up.

This book is a treat and offers readers something new. Why not give it a try? You’re likely to learn something while enjoying a good story with realistic characters.

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

The Big Book of Silly Jokes for Kids by Carole P Roman

January 9, 2020 By Leave a Comment


The Big Book of Silly Jokes for Kids by Carole P Roman
Publisher: Rock Ridge Press
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult
Length: Short story (149 pages)
Age Recommendation: 10+
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Aloe

800 silly jokes, limitless learning

The Big Book of Silly Jokes for Kids is chock full of knock-knock jokes, riddles, tongue twisters, and silly stats for endless hours of hilarious entertainment. The funny thing is―in reading and telling the jokes―kids improve their reading comprehension and verbal skills. The learning is hidden in the yuks!

This collection of jokes for kids is fully illustrated, family-friendly, and filled with modern, inclusive material. Prompts also encourage kids to write their own gags. These knee-slappers even get more challenging with each chapter, so this book tickles funny bones of all ages. Kids will be bursting to share the laughs every chance they get (parents, you’ve been warned).

The key word here is silly! You could also say they were “punny”. There are over 800 hundred jokes in this book and the majority of them will keep your children in stitches.

It’s broken down into the following Chapters:

HA! Q&A
Knock, Knock
Tongue Twisters
Puns
Riddles
Wait For It…
Your Turn
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Some samples for you:

What are the strongest days of the week? Saturday and Sunday. Every other day is a weak day. (I told you they were “punny”.)

Knock Knock. Who’s there? Thumpin’. Thumpin’ who? There’s thumpin’ furry crawling up your back.

Shelly shaved six silly sheep. (Try saying this multiple times.)

I tried to catch some fog, but I mist.

What tells the time but needs no winding? A rooster.

Jada, why can’t dinosaurs clap? Jada thinks for a minute and says because they are extinct.

The last section is where you can create your own jokes.

My favorite part were the Silly Stats. Here’s an example of those:

Laughter is good for you! It decreases the chemicals in our bodies that makes us sick and increases the ones that make us feel better.

No matter what sense of humor you have this book will talk to you. Some of the jokes are corny. Some change the words to make it rhyme. Why not have fun with what you read? Some of these jokes remind me of ones I heard in grade school and that was a long time ago. Evidently Knock, Knock jokes will never go away…

Buying this book will make everyone in the family feel better.

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

Anybody Want to Play War? by Tommy B. Smith

January 9, 2020 By Leave a Comment


Anybody Want to Play War? by Tommy B. Smith
Publisher: Seventh StarShadow
Genre: Young Adult, Suspense/Mystery, Historical
Length: Short Story (141 pages)
Age Recommendation: 16+
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Brutal injuries can leave scars.

As the teenage survivor of a savage dog’s rampage, it’s a lesson Bryce Gallo will never forget.

Struggling to cope with his damaged appearance, along with a newfound fear of dogs and mounting anxieties at home and school, he flees his suburban home into the moonlit streets of St. Charles.
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Along the roads of suburbia and through the shadowed heart of the city, he encounters Wheels, a maintenance worker for a series of apartment buildings; Paloma, known to some by the moniker of Lady Luck; and a woman in a dark house who is, as far as Bryce can fathom, like no one else he has met before.

His new life is not without obstacles or enemies, he learns. The future is a battlefield. Fire and smoke loom on the horizon, and his dangerous course may see the lives of his family and friends forever changed.

Some days are impossible to forget.

Bryce’s character development was incredibly well done. He’d been through a terrible experience that caused both emotional and physical trauma. His recovery was a slow and difficult one, especially when it came to how he responded to his memories of that awful day and the reactions of other people to his many scars. I had so much compassion for this character even when he was acting out. Many teens would behave the same way in his shoes, especially if they lived in the early 1980s when fewer people understood how trauma works and when medical treatments for this sort of injury weren’t as advanced as they would be today.

The mystery subplot could have used more development. I had some trouble following its developments, especially in the beginning when Bryce knew nothing about what was going on. There simply weren’t enough hints to show what was happening or why it was happening. A few more of them would have been very helpful.

One of the most interesting parts of this book for me was Bryce’s troubled relationship with his mom and stepdad. Their conflicts were incredibly complex and rooted in disagreements that had been going on for a very long time. Not only was this where the main character found a lot of opportunities for personal growth, it was also where some of the best plot developments came from. While I was satisfied with the ending, I sure would like to see a sequel that explores what their relationships were like hen Bryce was a few decades older. There was so much more room here for future storylines.

I’d recommend Anybody Want to Play War? to anyone who is interested in the 1980s or realistic depictions of mental illness after a traumatic event.

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

Thunder by Dylan James

December 20, 2019 By Leave a Comment


Thunder by Dylan James
Publisher: Deep Hearts YA
Genre: Young Adult, Action/Adventure, Contemporary
Length: Full Length (199 pages)
Age Recommendation: 16+
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Grant Peters is sixteen and wants nothing more than to just compete in calf roping at rodeos and keep winning gold. But there are two obstacles in his path.

The first is Logan Summers, also sixteen, and also into calf roping. Logan is Grant’s only real competition and every time Logan wins, he gives Grant a smug little smirk that sets Grant’s blood boiling. Deep inside, though, Grant knows that his hostility toward Logan is about more than that smirk; it’s about feelings he’s not ready to acknowledge.

The second is Grant’s parents being close to selling the family ranch and moving to the city, away from rodeo, and away from his horse, Thunder.
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So when Grant discovers evidence of a deadly cougar stalking the ranch, he decides to take it upon himself to hunt down what would undoubtedly kill the little business his family has left if word got out. Of course, as soon as he sets off into the woods, he runs into Logan, who is undertaking the same hunt to save his own family’s ranch.

Now, these two teenage rodeo nemeses have to overcome their hatred for each other and their uncertainty about themselves if they have any hope of coming together to save their families’ businesses.

Not every adventure announces itself ahead of time.

Grant was a well developed main character. He was kind and intelligent. Even better than that, one of his biggest flaws had to do with how he handled emergencies. He preferred to fix things himself instead of asking for help even in situations that really could have used extra people working on them. Seeing how this flaw impacted the course of his story only made me like him more. There was something very relatable about someone who struggled with something that was hard to overcome and that had a serious impact on his life. Grant felt real to me, and I always get excited when I meet characters who fit that criteria.

As much as I liked Logan, I found it confusing to have two narrators. His persona was so similar to Grant’s that I had trouble telling them apart. The fact that some scenes switched between them without clearly letting the audience know that was happening only added to my confusion. He would have made an equally good sole protagonist, but I think this story would have worked better if only one of them had explained what was happening in it.

The romance unfolded nice and slowly in this tale. I always appreciate slow-burning relationships, especially for characters like these that had a lot of other stuff on their plates when the audience first met them. It made perfect sense for them to focus on more pressing matters before spending much time thinking about their love lives.

I’d recommend Thunder to anyone who loves horses or nature.

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

Wild Horse Rescue by Nancy M Bell

December 17, 2019 By 2 Comments


Wild Horse Rescue by Nancy M Bell
Publisher: BWL Publishing Inc
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Length: Full Length (161 pages)
Age Recommendation: 16+
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Chamomile
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Laurel Rowan is happy to be home in Alberta and excited that Coll Hazel is coming from Cornwall for a visit. She’s looking forward to showing around him the ranch. The visit doesn’t turn out as she imagined when the plight of a band of wild horses comes to her attention. Laurel is angry and frustrated that her childhood friend Chance, the boy on the neighboring ranch, and his father are determined to round up the wildies and send them to the meat packers. Laurel, Coll, and Chance’s sister, Carly, embark on a mission to rescue the horses and find a protected place where they can live wild and free.

This story starts off with a rescue mission, and the action and excitement never let up! Laurel’s friend Coll is visiting from Cornwall, but her plans to show him around the ranch are thrown in disarray, as a local herd of wild horses are in danger of being rounded up and sold for meat! Like many other horse focused series, this feels a bit like the type of plot expected in The Heartland Series, or for younger watchers The Saddle Club.

I really enjoyed this style, and read this one quickly, which was made easier as this story plays out like a show, and the detail and characters were both realistic and vivid enough that I read most of this in one sitting! The story does deal with some more mature issues teens face, other than the ‘meat packers’ there’s also issues of physical and alcohol abuse and some teen/YA type sexual awakening dealt with in the story. It’s nothing not mentioned in other books or shows, but still isn’t a completely ‘clean’ read either.

As mentioned above, I really liked the writing style used, and look forward to reading more like this from Ms. Bell’s work! While this is YA, adults can enjoy this too, and this actually is one of those stories that doesn’t really feel ‘too young’ if you enjoy The Heartland Series type TV show, then this has a similar feel!

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

Women in Space by Karen Bush Gibson

December 11, 2019 By Leave a Comment


Women in Space by Karen Bush Gibson
23 Stories of First Flights, Scientific Missions, and Gravity-Breaking Adventures
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
Genre: Contemporary, Non-Fiction, YA
Length: Full Length (240 pgs)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

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Women in Space profiles 23 pioneers, including Eileen Collins, the first woman to command the space shuttle; Peggy Whitson, who logged more than a year in orbit aboard the International Space Station; and Mae Jemison, the first African American woman in space; as well as astronauts from Japan, Canada, Italy, South Korea, France, and more. Readers will also learn about the Mercury 13, American women selected by NASA in the late 1950s to train for spaceflight. Though they matched and sometimes surpassed their male counterparts in performance, they were ultimately denied the opportunity to head out to the launching pad. Their story, and the stories of the pilots, physicists, and doctors who followed them, demonstrate the vital role women have played in the quest for scientific understanding.

Everything I thought I knew about the space program went out the window when I read this book.

This is a YA book, but it’s easily enjoyable by readers of all ages. The writing flows well and hooked me right away. I learned a lot about the women who’ve been to space. Not just that the US sent women, but the first women in Russia and across the globe. Sure, there is a large portion on US astronauts, but it’s balanced by plenty of stories about other female astronauts.

Each chapter is easily understood and well-written. I liked how the author made the women interesting and understandable. It’s not just a story where there is information and it’s presented blandly. Instead, it’s told in a bouncy way that drew me in.

I’m glad I read this book. I’ve wanted to know more about female astronauts and the space program, so this was a perfect piece to add to that puzzle. If you’re interested in the full story of space, this is one book you won’t want to miss.

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

The Killing Spell by Shane Ulrrein

December 5, 2019 By Leave a Comment


The Killing Spell by Shane Ulrrein
Publisher: Deep Desires Press
Genre: Young Adult, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, Contemporary
Length: Full Length (234 pages)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Edward Peach is a fourteen-year-old wizard who receives a letter that he has been accepted into the prestigious Prymoutekhny Wizards Academy for Boys, in the faraway land of Aradia. His parents are overjoyed, but he feels reluctant to leave his family, friends, and his comfy cottage in the English coastal village of Manley.

As term begins, Edward adjusts to life in his new school, dealing with bullies, strict teachers, and challenging wizardry classes. He is almost ready to give up when he falls in love with a charismatic, privileged boy—and talented wizard—named Mr. Andreas. Prymoutekhny is a school that has still not opened up to same-sex attraction, so he must keep his feelings secret.
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Soon, Edward and the impressive boy realize their deep attraction for each other. This causes immediate controversy in the school, as they are the first two boys from feuding houses to come together—especially in a school where house rivalry can end in murder.

He is then put to the ultimate test as he must risk being with the boy he loves even at the cost of his own life!

Every boarding school has its own set of rules. This school might have some of the most unique rules of them all!

Not all of Edward’s experiences at his new school were positive ones. Some of the best passages were the ones that talked about the bullying he went through and the different techniques he tried to deal with that. I appreciated the fact that this wasn’t something that he solved in the first chapter. It was an ongoing problem that the author took seriously and obviously worked hard to explore in a very realistic fashion.

This book spent a great deal of time telling the audience what was happening instead of showing it to us. Everything from the personalities of the characters to the descriptions of life at the Prymoutekhny Wizards Academy for Boys was affected by this issue. I adored the premise, but I had a lot of trouble getting into the storyline because of how hard it was to imagine what it would be like to experience that world for myself.

The romantic subplot was nicely written. I liked both of the characters who were involved in it, and thought they’d make great boyfriends for each other. It was also nice to see them get to know each other for a while before any hint of flirtation happened. Based on what the narrator told me about their personalities, this seemed like it would be the most logical thing for them to do.

I’d recommend The Killing Spell to anyone who likes the idea of attending a magical boarding school.

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

Randor’s Moon by J.S. Frankel

November 4, 2019 By 1 Comment


Randor’s Moon by J.S. Frankel
Publisher: Devine Destinies
Genre: Young Adult/Middle Grade, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Horror, Action/Adventure
Length: Full Length (239 pages)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Randor Delphin, shy teen prodigy, bio-scientist, and total nerd, lives a lonely, orphaned life on the planet of Malloran, a colony of the now-dead Earth. Malloran has been at war with the neighboring world of Falanar, a warrior planet, but their differences will be set aside if aid is given, as a plague of unknown origin has broken out, and only the scientists of Malloran can help.

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Once there, they learn that they need each other in order to survive against the predators of that world, those that are animal, and those more than animal.

Not every hero is brash and bold.

The action-packed opening scene drew me into the plot immediately. Randor was unlucky enough to live in a time and place where war had reached his town. With that being said, he was also lucky enough to be part of a community that banded together in tough times and did everything they could to protect each other. I enjoyed reading about how they responded to the bombing, and I couldn’t wait to find out what would happen next. This was a fantastic introduction to this tale.

There were a few plot twists that I found hard to believe. For example, I struggled to imagine how an eighteen-year-old who had virtually no experience flying a spaceship was given one when his culture was so short on supplies due to the war. Surely they could have spared someone to fly him to his destination since there was a ceasefire happening when he left? There was also a twist related to the plague and Randor’s search for a cure for it. As smart and educated as he was, I had trouble believing that one person could do all of the work on this problem that he did. I’m mentioning these criticisms as someone who loved the premise of this book and really wanted to give it a higher rating. If the sheer desperation of his elders had been explained in a way that made a better case for why they took these risks, I would have happily knocked my rating up by at least another star.

I couldn’t have asked for a more interesting main character than Randor. His shy personality and struggles with making small talk endeared me to him immediately. It’s not every day I read a science fiction novel about quiet, gentle protagonists who act like this, so it’s refreshing when it does happen. Any personality type can be heroic. Seeing what that looks like for those of us who aren’t the life of the party makes me hope that other authors will step outside of the mold and imagine even more ways of being a hero.

Randor’s Moon should be read by anyone who has ever dreamed what life on other planets might be like.

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