Category Archives: Middle Grade 8-12

Monthly Wrap-Up: February 2018

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February 2018 Monthly Wrap-UpFebruary 2018 Reviews

Romance and dystopian stories, favorites and books I just didn’t get… here’s what you missed this month in reviews.

The Returning (Seer #3) by Rachelle Dekker

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

I liked the fast-paced storytelling and the way you could read this book without remembering what happened in (or without reading) the earlier books. I had some issues with the theology, which you can read about in my review.

Everless by Sara Holland

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

A friend suggested that I read this book, and I’m so glad she did. Really fascinating concept and characters I enjoyed.

The Unicorn Quest by Kamilla Benko

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

I think you pretty much can’t go wrong with a book about unicorns! This was a fun read, perfect for readers aged 8 to 12.

For Love and Honor (An Uncertain Choice #3) by Jody Hedlund

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

Another book from one of my daughter’s favorite authors. It’s a sweet, light romance, great for readers just starting out in the genre.

The Ruby Moon by Trisha White Priebe and Jerry B. Jenkins

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

I had a hard time following the story in this book. It’s got a wide cast of characters and a lot happening. If the story interests you, I’d recommend starting with the first book in the series instead of this one.

Hawk’s Flight by Carol Chase

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

One of my favorite books of all time– though it’s out of print. I love the characters, and the story still feels fresh to me even after reading it easily a dozen times.

Duels and Deception by Cindy Anstey

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

Gabrielle says: Overall, I give this book 4 stars. While not terribly life-altering (it leans more to the ‘fluff’ side than the profound), it was a delicious read, and as such, merits my approval. Fellow Janeites looking for a quick, easy read will enjoy this one.

When Light Left Us by Leah Thomas

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

I read this book because I so enjoyed Thomas’s other books about Moritz and Ollie. This one is very different, but I found the same compelling characters and great descriptions of emotion in here that made me fall in love with the other books.

The Messengers: Discovered by Lisa M. Clark

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

This might be the best Christian dystopian book I’ve ever read. I really enjoyed reading it and liked that the story so seamlessly supported its Christian message.

Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

I struggled with this book. While I found the story interesting, I feel like it was really issue-driven, to the point that everything else seemed to take a back seat to the issue of women’s sexual equality. It’s an important issue, for sure, but I felt like it dominated the story too much for my taste. If you like issue-based books, though, it might be a good one to check out. See the notes after the review for content information.

What did you read in February 2018?

What about you? Did you find any books you have to talk about or books you want to recommend? Leave a comment below sharing them with us.

Also, if you’ve read any of the books we reviewed, leave a comment telling us how you liked the book or what you thought about it!

Review: Ruby Moon by Trisha White Priebe and Jerry Jenkins

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , , ,

Ruby Moon (The 13 Series #2)
Trisha White Priebe and Jerry Jenkins
Shiloh Run Press / Barbour Publishing
Published on October 1, 2016

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

About Ruby Moon
In this delightful sequel to The Glass Castle, The Ruby Moon opens as preparations begin for the upcoming Olympiads. Join Avery as she learns that a male runner is needed for an important race and she volunteers so she can get close to the action. . . Can she hide her own identity? One slip-up could mean a trip to the dungeon–or worse. Much is at stake while the kingdom enjoys the greatest games on earth.

My Review
The most intense emotion I felt reading this book was confusion. The Goodreads summary and back cover copy focus on the race Avery runs. She hopes to win the prize—an audience with the king—so she can warn him of what she believes is a plot to end his life. In the book, though, the race happens early on and the scene itself only lasts a few pages.

Much of the book follows Avery as she gathers information about several different things. She tries to find out if the king has a surviving heir. She looks into some mysteries of her past about her family. She searches for clues as to why her friends seem to be going missing all of a sudden.

All of those threads were interesting, but they never really converged or developed into a full-fledged conflict with any sort of resolution. From beginning to end, Ruby Moon was a trail of breadcrumbs that didn’t truly lead anywhere. Most of the questions raised through the story still remain unanswered by the last page.

Ruby Moon doesn’t pause to explain a lot which might have happened in the first book. Avery describes her friends as captives, yet they seem to come and go within the castle pretty freely as well as make a few trips to the outside. So I wasn’t sure why they felt as though they were captives. In fairness, I didn’t realize when I picked this book up that it was the second book in the series. It’s possible the first book answers some of my questions and would make the setup of this story make more sense.

I’m not sure what to say about this book, honestly. I thought the concept was fascinating and loved that the story was powered by its younger characters. It could be that this book suffers from an issue common to second books—being light on plot and serving more as a bridge from the first book to the final series conclusion. If you like the concept—kids trapped in a castle trying to save a kingdom which seems to have wronged them—I’d recommend starting with the first book, The Glass Castle, rather than this one.

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Cultural Elements
Lots of characters with raven hair. No race details given in the story.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
The king believes having his representative win the race will show that he has God’s favor. He’s super invested in this outcome, and rumor has it, if his runner fails, it will be a fatal failure.

Avery retreats to the chapel to pray a couple of times.

Violent Content
Avery’s comrades seem to be disappearing from the castle. She worries what will happen if castle guards or dangerous men living under the castle find them.

Drug Content
Avery believes someone is slowly poisoning the king.

Review: The Unicorn Quest by Kamilla Benko

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The Unicorn Quest
Kamilla Benko
Bloomsbury
Published on February 6, 2018

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

About The Unicorn Quest
Claire Martinson still worries about her older sister Sophie, who battled a mysterious illness last year. But things are back to normal as they move into Windermere Manor… until the sisters climb a strange ladder in a fireplace and enter the magical land of Arden.

There, they find a world in turmoil. The four guilds of magic no longer trust each other. The beloved unicorns have gone, and terrible wraiths roam freely. Scared, the girls return home. But when Sophie vanishes, it will take all of Claire’s courage to climb back up the ladder, find her sister, and uncover the unicorns’ greatest secret.

My Review

This was such a fun book! At first I expected the story would involve both sisters and possibly be told in alternating viewpoints. I’m not sure why I thought that, but it’s told in only the younger sister, Claire’s point-of-view, and though her sister is a major part of the story, she’s not actually on scene much.

I loved the story world, especially the land of Arden and its system of magic and cultures. Several groups have isolated from each other in the aftermath of a war. Each group has a specialized type of magic. There are the Gemmers, who can manipulate stone, the Spinners, who can control thread and weave stories, the Forgers, who have power over metals, and the Tillers, whose magic relates to plants. I thought those were a kind of unique spin on magic. The story uses them cleverly, too.

Claire and her friends from Arden form an unlikely team, and at first, they set out to find Sophie together. As the story progresses, Claire, who at first seems like a timid girl, the kind who follows in her sister’s shadow, begins to assert her own ideas and act on them. She becomes a lot more confident, even as she faces challenges far beyond her expectations. All in all, I think this is a great book for middle or late elementary readers.

Recommended for Ages 8 up.

Cultural Elements
Claire’s family is white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
In the land of Arden, characters use various types of magic. (Briefly described in my review.)

Violent Content
Claire learns about a terrible war that took place in Arden years before her visit in which all the unicorns were massacred because people thought they’d gain immortality with a unicorn heart. She hears sounds of battle around her in a haunted field. No gory descriptions.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

 

Review: The Phantom of the Fortress by Aaron M. Zook, Jr.

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Middle Grade 8-12, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller

The Phantom of the Fortress (Thunder and Lightning #3)
Aaron M. Zook, Jr.
Bold Vision Books
Published November 8, 2016

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

About The Phantom of the Fortress
A psychologically disturbed Austrian, who believes he is the reincarnation of Mozart, will hold all of Salzburg, Austria under his spell unless Gabe, Alex, and Thunder and Lightning can unravel the clues, solve the mystery, and capture the master of deception. Along the way, tricks and traps become more complex as townspeople pay the price for each error made by the boys. Thunder and Lightning, along with a team of the boy’s friends, work to save the town, but a surprise twist puts the fare of Salzburg on the shoulders of Gabe. Will he crumple under the weight? Will he overcome the madman’s menace?

My Review
I liked the balance in the amount of dialogue and the way it’s used to communicate action to the reader. It made the book a much quicker read and kept scenes from getting bogged down with too many details. On the flip side, though, at times I felt like the description was a little thin. For instance, I had a hard time visualizing the actual size of the dogs and sometimes had a hard time with some of the unfamiliar settings.

You’ll want to limber up your suspension of disbelief before picking up this book. Early in the story Alex and Gabe receive permission from the police captain to work with their cousin on an open case pursuing a murderer. As the chase continues, at one point a bomb injures one boy. No one at the police department seems terribly concerned that perhaps the kids shouldn’t be exposed to this kind of danger. I found that a bit hard to believe.

The plot moves pretty quickly, with the Phantom always a step ahead. The fast-paced action kept things interesting, but I felt like I never really understood what was going on with the Phantom. What did he actually want? Money? Fame? Why was he so obsessed with Mozart? Though the setting tied the story together with facts about Mozart’s life, I didn’t feel like the Phantom himself really connected those dots. He thought he was Mozart perhaps reincarnated, but why? I also wanted him to have more of a character. I also felt like the repeated references to his “horrible birthmark” were insensitive and unkind. I get it that he’s the bad guy, but wanted a little more compassion from the good guys on that point.

Despite the farfetched plot, this story may appeal to readers who enjoy overseas settings with historical significance or tales about kid detectives.

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Cultural Elements
Gabe (15) and Alex (13) are Americans in Austria, where their father is stationed with the military. Their close friends, Pete and Jenna are Austrian. Gabe and Alex work with their cousin Willie, an Australian.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Gabe and Jenna discuss the status of their dating relationship, which has no real physical component. Gabe feels he’s too young to get serious with a girl, but Jenna’s feelings are strong and she wants a greater commitment from him.

Spiritual Content
In a few scenes one of the boys talks with an older mentor about prayer and depending on God to help solve problems. He asks the group to pray before beginning one part of their mission.

Violent Content
Gabe and Alex find a gravely injured man. A bomb destroys a train car and injures several passengers, including children. At one point it appears both dogs have been killed, possibly by gunshots. Burning oil injures several people. A wall closes in, nearly crushing two people.

Drug Content
None.

Review: Ember Falls by S. D. Smith

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , , ,

Ember Falls (Green Ember Series #2)
S. D. Smith
Illustrated by Zach Franzen
Story Warren Books
Published September 13, 2016

Amazon | Goodreads

About Ember Falls
The stage is set. It’s war. Morbin Blackhawk, slaver and tyrant, threatens to destroy the rabbit resistance forever. Heather and Picket are two young rabbits improbably thrust into pivotal roles.

The fragile alliance forged around the young heir seems certain to fail. Can Heather and Picket help rescue the cause from a certain, sudden defeat?

My Place Beside You

My Blood For Yours

Till The Green… Ember Falls

My Review
I enjoyed the strong fantasy-esque voice throughout Ember Falls and found Pick and his sister Heather to be cool characters. I struggled with the sheer number of named characters in the story, though, and found it really difficult to keep track of who everyone was. I sometimes got Pick and Perk confused because of their similar names. Other times characters would be introduced by name without any indication of who they were or why their name might matter, if that makes sense.

The huge vocabulary of story-specific terms made the story feel like it had a definite place, but often terms were introduced quickly or one on top of each other and I never felt like I had a good sense of their significance or meaning.

Pen and ink drawings show various characters and scenes throughout Ember Falls. They added a lot of detail to the story as well.

I think the thing I found most difficult, though, was the lack of character descriptions. Without the illustrations to clue me in, I wouldn’t have known the characters were rabbits until the second chapter. Their movements and expressions don’t relate to rabbit movements or expressions. I kept wondering if they twitched their ears when they were nervous or had heightened hearing because, well, rabbit ears. Ha. No real mention of any of that.

I liked the themes of sacrifice and honor. Pick struggles through the story with the knowledge that his family has been enslaved by Morbin Blackhawk and the birds of prey. He longs to rescue them, but the mission would place the survival of the rest of the rabbit army, and its prince, in jeopardy.

Reading the first book in the series first might have cleared up some of my confusion. Hard to say. I found it hard to get a sense of what had happened in the first book versus what was true backstory, so I’m not really sure. If you’re interested in the series, I do recommend starting with the first book rather than with Ember Falls.

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Cultural Elements
Characters are rabbits, wolves, and birds of prey.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
References to the fact that Heather and Prince Smalls are intended to marry.

Spiritual Content
Brief note that former heroes have become sort of saints in the eyes of the rabbits. An order of rabbits wears blue robes and appears to be some kind of spiritual group, but their beliefs are unspecified.

Violent Content
Battles with swords, some proving fatal. Wolves attack, biting rabbits. Birds carry small rabbits off to become slaves. Masters threaten slaves with death. No gory descriptions.

Drug Content
Emma uses tonics to treat the wounded, some she appears to have discovered herself.

 

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Review: A Bird, a Girl, and a Rescue by J. A. Myhre

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , , ,

A Bird, a Girl, and a Rescue (Rwendigo Tales #2)
J. A. Myhre
New Growth Press
Published September 13, 2016

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

About A Bird, a Girl, and a Rescue
Eleven-year-old Kiisa had no idea why her parents would send her away to boarding school. She wondered why they couldn t all stay together in their beautiful African valley home. But no matter what she said they were firm: she must go, and she must go to this school.

As she said a tearful goodbye to her father, he whispered, For such a time as this. . . . Remember that phrase, and try to open your trunk soon. You ll find something unexpected inside. When Kiisa opened the trunk, she was astonished to find a small heap of black and white feathers that quickly unfolded into a little bird, a wagtail to be exact. Her surprise only deepened when the bird started to speak, My name is Njili. I am one of the Messengers, though a small one. I have been sent to assist you with the Rescue. Kiisa had no idea what she meant, but she would soon find out.

My Review
I liked the foreign setting of this story and some of the cultural details. Even though it’s set in a made up place, the author clarifies that some of the events in the story were based on things she witnessed while living in Africa serving as a doctor. I thought Kiisa was an interesting character and identified with her homesickness and her feelings of otherness at school.

While I liked that the author talked about prejudices girls face with regard to playing sports, I guess I found it odd that even though Kiisa was talented, she played for a while without being truly interested in soccer. I wondered if someone would do that when faced with all the teasing and pressure to quit that she must have faced. I also wanted that part to tie into the rest of the story somehow. It ended up being this sort of side vignette that didn’t really relate to the story’s major plot—the rescue Kiisa would need to perform.

Other elements of the plot seemed disjointed, too, or like they kind of came out of nowhere. I liked the idea of animals as messengers from God and found that to be an imaginative idea, but I expected them to mentor Kiisa in her faith as well as help her with the practical steps toward a rescue.

I liked Kiisa’s relationship with her family, her dad especially. The setting made me think a little bit of Katie Quirk’s A Girl Called Problem, also set in a small village in Africa. Readers who liked Escape from Sudan might also like A Bird, a Girl, and a Rescue.

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Cultural Elements
Characters are African—takes place in an imaginary place in Africa.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Kiisa encounters Messengers, animals which speak to humans and are sent by God to help with His purposes.

Violent Content
Rebel soldiers with guns attack Kiisa’s school, taking one girl hostage. They set fire to the building where Kiisa and other girls sleep. A crocodile tries to attack two girls in the water. No graphic descriptions or details.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.