Bumps in the Road by Amalie Howard Middle grade paranormal horror. Thirteen-year-old Darika Lovelace is sent to stay with her Grandmother in Trinidad Bumps in the Road by Amalie Howard Middle grade paranormal horror. Thirteen-year-old Darika Lovelace is sent to stay with her Grandmother in Trinidad for the summer. Darika is angry at her father and step-mom for sending her away for the summer. She is also mad at her mom who left her and never came back. The Caribbean is different from what Darika remembers in an unexpected way including a baby iguana stalking her, a supernatural silk cotton tree, a mysterious maze, and impossibly, her mother appearing briefly through the magic. Apparently Darika has magic in her soul and she needs to save the island this summer.
Light horror and age appropriate adventure. Magic, folklore, skittles and a couple of life lessons....more
How I Magically Messed Up My Life in Four Freakin’ Days by Megan O’Russell The Tale of Bryant Adams series #1. YA fantasy. (Reads as middle grade thougHow I Magically Messed Up My Life in Four Freakin’ Days by Megan O’Russell The Tale of Bryant Adams series #1. YA fantasy. (Reads as middle grade though the main character is 16.) 1st person. Bryant lives with his mother in New York, goes to a public school and has one friend, Devon. He has a crush on Elizabeth, and is set up with her by his mother during a theater rehearsal, as a math tutor. He is a nerd after all. His father lives on the top floor of a building overlooking Central Park but he’s not in town often so Bryant is able to use the apartment for quiet study time. Bryant and Devon find a phone in a cab when things go off the rails. Turns out the phone can throw flames, cast spells and lots of other wizardly things and Erik, who lost the phone, is just the person to help Bryant, Devon and Elizabeth travel the underworld in and under the tunnels in Manhattan.
A geeky fun adventure of magic, next level trouble, and a missing millionaire father that leaves his wallet open for his son to use as needed. Bryant keeps his nerd sidekick character in place as Erik trains him for a wizard level future. The adventures have just started. 3 more books to conquer the New York demons. Fun for natives of NY with lots of familiar locations mentioned. ...more
Keegan’s Point by H.D. Smith The Good Bad Guys series #1. Middle-grade mystery adventure. 12-year old Charlie Parker has to stand up in front of the clKeegan’s Point by H.D. Smith The Good Bad Guys series #1. Middle-grade mystery adventure. 12-year old Charlie Parker has to stand up in front of the class and read his paper on the reclusive billionaire Marcus Keegan and Keegan’s Point where there is supposedly lost treasures. Nick found out that Charlie heard about his plans to go to Keegan’s Point and realizes Charlie may some valuable information in finding the treasure. Nick kidnaps Charlie under the guise of a camping trip and takes Charlie to the mansion, forcing Charlie to help solve the clues in finding the treasure.
A fun adventure and mystery even though Charlie gets beaten up and kidnapped! (Bully warning, first published in 2011). Charlie does his research looking for clues and reading journals and applying logic. Smart kid. And quite brave during the whole kidnapping experience. ...more
New Dragon City by Mari Mancusi Middle grade paranormal adventure. Post apocalyptic. Noah, his friends and family live underground for part of every yeNew Dragon City by Mari Mancusi Middle grade paranormal adventure. Post apocalyptic. Noah, his friends and family live underground for part of every year when the dragons wake up and roam the skies. It’s a battle for survival of humans vs. dragons. This year, the dragons woke a bit earlier than expected, and Noah ends up above ground rather than in the bunkers below. And he ends up befriending a young female dragon! Unheard of. Noah‘s mother is part of a team that thinks dragons and humans can love together peacefully. His father disagrees and Noah must make a decision
An adventure of danger and an unlikely friendship. Noah must bridge the gap between beliefs. ...more
Polar Nights, Cast Into Darkness by Jen Calonita and Mari Mancusi From the Disney Frozen series. “Darkness can hide inside long-forgotten memories.” AftPolar Nights, Cast Into Darkness by Jen Calonita and Mari Mancusi From the Disney Frozen series. “Darkness can hide inside long-forgotten memories.” After a night of scary stories in the Enchanted Forest there are unusual storms, darkening skies and increasing forgetfulness among the kingdom. Anna and Elsa join forces to determine what’s going on.
An emotional and touching story of a set of sisters and their story that’s lost to history. Anna and Elsa make everything right and rediscover their closeness and the special bond of sisterhood. ...more
Dragon Ops, Dragon vs. Robots by Mari Mancusi 2nd book in the Dragon Ops series. Best read in order. MIDDLE GRADE fantasy. Male protagonist. Ian hasn’tDragon Ops, Dragon vs. Robots by Mari Mancusi 2nd book in the Dragon Ops series. Best read in order. MIDDLE GRADE fantasy. Male protagonist. Ian hasn’t been online gaming since he and his sister escaped from the virtual reality game Dragon Ops. When he receives a message of “Help!” from a friend, Ian and his sister Lilli are again immersed in a virtual reality game. Robots, quests, game leveling and a dragon or two.
An engaging quest that’s fast paced with plenty of twists and surprises. Not as much peril as the first book, but more real life situations such as Dad working with Lilli on a project and Ian not being a pro at soccer.
Includes lessons on teamwork, talking about problems, and not giving up on the first try. I had a good time with this adventure and the storytelling. ...more
Descendants: Fright at the Museum by Delilah S Dawson
Mal, Evie, Jay, Carlos and friends contend with a mysterious magical force that’s making the artiDescendants: Fright at the Museum by Delilah S Dawson
Mal, Evie, Jay, Carlos and friends contend with a mysterious magical force that’s making the artifacts in the Museum of Cultural History come alive.
Cute teen adventure where all cast main characteristics come into play: the glass slipper, the magic mirror, puzzles to solve, obstacles to overcome, a helpful canine nose, girl power, team cooperative
Great artwork and fun adventure. Includes a few cast photos at the end. ...more
Frozen 2 Dangerous Secrets The Story of Iduna and Agnarr By Mari Mancusi The backstory of how Iduna and Agnarr met. How they became friends and then felFrozen 2 Dangerous Secrets The Story of Iduna and Agnarr By Mari Mancusi The backstory of how Iduna and Agnarr met. How they became friends and then fell in love with each other. Their story is not an easy one. Nor does it have a happy ending. We already know that from the Frozen stories. But they did have each other. And their love is all encompassing. Iduna and Agnarr come from two different kingdoms and Agnarr isn’t aware of the secrets that Iduna is keeping. Together they learn the importance of fairness, peace and love. In the end, it’s their love for their daughters that motive this story.
Middle grade to teen but more importantly for fans of the Frozen stories. Alternating chapters / point of view between Iduna and Agnarr. Its a wonderful love adventure on its own. At least until the inevitable sadness for their ending.
I received a copy of this from NetGalley. I would and have purchased a copy for any avid fan of the Frozen stories. ...more
Children’s middle grade gamers adventure. With dragons. Disney rated. Ages 8 and up. Twelve year old Ian, sisterLilli and couDragon Ops by Mari Mancusi
Children’s middle grade gamers adventure. With dragons. Disney rated. Ages 8 and up. Twelve year old Ian, sisterLilli and cousin Derek get trapped in a virtual AI game world of quests and dragons. Suddenly the danger is real and the stakes may well be their very lives.
I’m not a gamer. There were a couple of references I didn’t totally understand but that didn’t subtract from the story. Also because I’m not a gamer, I thought the killing of so many of the creatures that got in the way was excessive. I have to remind myself it’s just a game. Those creatures trying to kill you are not real, so it’s ok to kill or capture them first if you’re able.
A fast moving and engrossing adventure I didn’t want to put down. A couple of moral lessons which added to the depth of the story. Loved the wrap up and ending.
Recommended for the young to mid teen adventurer.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher. ...more
Anti/Hero by Kate Karyus Quinn Middle grade superhero graphic art story. Two girls learn that each have their own issues and reasons for what they do anAnti/Hero by Kate Karyus Quinn Middle grade superhero graphic art story. Two girls learn that each have their own issues and reasons for what they do and appearances do not tell the full story. Visually pleasing art work and strong storyline connecting to Gotham. ...more
**spoiler alert** Very creative storyline. Fantastic artwork.
Thanks to the publishing company for the ARC *****spoiler****** Not thrilled she got away **spoiler alert** Very creative storyline. Fantastic artwork.
Thanks to the publishing company for the ARC *****spoiler****** Not thrilled she got away with stealing from her parents without repercussions....more
Steamborn series book 2 of 3. The threat of war and destruction rages on. A steampunk dystopian that includes Jacob and Alice iSteamforged by Eric Asher
Steamborn series book 2 of 3. The threat of war and destruction rages on. A steampunk dystopian that includes Jacob and Alice in the mid teens, as well as a generation of adults, Samual and Charles, that were around when much of the technology was created.
Starts immediately after the first book in the series. Can be read as a standalone but it’s not the end of the story, so best read as a set. I say that because it’s been more than two years since I read the first book and found it easy to follow along. I listened to the audio version at 1.25x narrated by Saskia Maarle who did a fantastic job with voice differences.
This book is captivating and full of action. It’s also full of death and danger so beware. Lots of bugs. Some friendly and humongous, some small and extremely poisonous. Some crunchy and delicious. The expanded world in this book makes the adventure that much more intensifying.
Where's Big Foot. A take off from Where's Waldo. Lot of fun city facts for each seek and find. City specific artwork that cleverly hides many of the "tWhere's Big Foot. A take off from Where's Waldo. Lot of fun city facts for each seek and find. City specific artwork that cleverly hides many of the "to-be-found" objects. Each item has a count specific goal. Good luck finding and tracking all the items without marking up the pages! Some of the items are not fully shown or are hiding partially behind the art. So keep sharp eyes are portions of items rather than the whole item. Big Foot and the Legendary Footprint are often very difficult to find.
An erasable pen or washable pages would make this perfect for repeating the games over and over....more
A quest. A mission to save the king. Sophie, Stu and step-sister Ashley use the Camelot Code to travel on The Geeks and the Holy Grail by Mari Mancusi
A quest. A mission to save the king. Sophie, Stu and step-sister Ashley use the Camelot Code to travel on an adventure to the past, to Lost Vegas and then to Fairyland. It’s non stop action, peril and magic to get Spikey, the baby dragon to his original shape of the Holy Grail to cure the king.
Book 2 of the Camelot Code series. Can be read as a standalone but don’t miss the first adventure The Once and Future Geek to get the best experience. Children’s middle grade.
Proving girls can be heroic and adventurous, this novel has a great group of boys and girls fighting for good even while their personal lives are undergoing stressful times. Wonderful nonstop action and twists from the beginning to the very last page. ...more
The Once and Future Geek (The Camelot Code) by Mari Mancusi
A virtual game becomes real life for best friends Sophie and Stu. It's a retelling of King AThe Once and Future Geek (The Camelot Code) by Mari Mancusi
A virtual game becomes real life for best friends Sophie and Stu. It's a retelling of King Arthur and Camelot and what happens when magic causes traveling to the twenty-first century.
A fun adventure for the grade school readers. Touches on blended family, altruism and friendships. And that magic can solve lots....more
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