Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos: By R.L. LaFevers

Doesn’t this book have the coolest title? I bought it because of the title. Oh sure, I read the dust jacket too and it sounded great, but I had pretty much decided I was going to buy just because of the title. With a name like Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos, how could this book not be epic?

Well, I was only partially wrong in my assessment. This book has a very S-L-O-W beginning. I was interested enough to keep reading, but I remember expecting so much of it, and being very disappointed at first- but only at first because this book finishes with a bang! It is not often that I start a book, think it is not that great, keep reading and end up liking it. After reading this book, I have decided to give all books with a slow beginning a chance to redeem itself. Honestly, I could not have been more impressed.

Theodosia Throckmorton has a gift. She is able to see the curses and black magic that surround ancient artifacts. This is fortunate because her Father is the curator at the Museum of Legends and Antiquities of London, and he has no idea of the dangers he is in. Theodosia, or Theo, uses century’s old magic to remove the curses tied to these artifacts and protect her Father and the other employees at the museum, all of whom are unaware that these dangers even exist. The threat to the museum increases when Theo’s Mother returns to the Museum from an archeological dig with the heart of Egypt- an amulet that was found in an ancient tomb. The curse on this amulet is so strong and so evil that it threatens to destroy the British Empire from within by causing a terrible war. It is up to Theo to use all of her training to stop this horrible event from ever happening.

The middle and ending of this book are so fantastic, I really enjoyed them. In fact, I stayed up until nearly two in the morning in order to finish this book. Honestly, if you had told me that when I had started reading I would have been doubtful. I think the strength of R. L. LaFevers book lies in the action that takes place in her novel. When this book finally picks up, its momentum and plot zoom forward at such a pace that the reader simply cannot put it down. So all you people out there who think this sounds interesting, make sure you give this book a chance. It is well worth the time you will invest in it!

My Top Must Read Book Series

When I was considering this blog, I thought about dividing the books into categories for boys and girls, but then I realized I would be doing any boys and girls out there reading this blog a disservice. In one of my writing classes, I learned that boys very often will not read stories where a girl is the main character. On the other hand, a girl will read a story where a boy is the main character. Why is this?

I am here to tell you guys- you are missing out on some excellent books because of this. To me, it does not matter if the main character is male or female. What matters is if the book is exciting, if I enjoy it, if it makes me want to keep on reading and if the writing is good. Really, I could list a million other things, but that would be dull so I will just say this; boys out there reading this blog, give a book on this list a shot and see if you like it. You just never know unless you try. Why miss out on something great because of something so silly? A good book is a good book. Period.

This goes for any adults out there who dismiss children’s books because they feel the content is too juvenile for them. There are some excellent books out there you are missing out on because you think you are too old to read them. Reading children’s books is a great way to connect with the kids in your life. I cannot tell you how often my cousins, nieces, and nephews ask me about books or tell me about books they have read. A shared enthusiasm can really bring you closer to them and give you something to talk about.

I had a tough time narrowing down my list of choices. There are so many great books out there, and I wanted to pick books that are engaging, entertaining and worth loosing yourself in. Plus, there are several series out there that held my attention for the first book or two, then I lost interest. The list I compiled consists of book series I absolutly had to read to the end. Here’s what I came up with in no particular order.

1. Harry Potter Series (JK Rowling): As I have mentioned before, I love this series. Harry Potter holds a special place in my heart and I highly recommend these books to anyone of any age who loves to read.

2. The Sisters Grimm Series (Michael Buckley): Boys, this is a great book series about Fairy Tale Detectives. I know, I know, it’s not macho to like fairy tales. But, these are exciting, the bad guys are dangerous and gruesome and the books are just great so please check them out.

3. The Percy Jackson Series (Rick Riordan): Wow! I haven’t done a review of these yet, but they are crazy good books. Mythology, heroes, and a chosen one. How could I not love these?

4. Charlie Bone Series (Jenny Nimmo): These are great because they are so magical. Adults out there, these would be great to read to your kids at night. I tore through the whole series in three weeks. Excellent!

5. Kane Chronicles Series (Rick Riordan): This book series surprised the heck out of me. I did not think Rick Riordan could make two successful series, but he did. I really enjoyed the first book in this series.

6. Inkheart Trilogy (Cornelia Funke): I could not put these down. They were excellent and I’ve never read anything like them.

7. The Bartimaeus Trilogy (Jonathan Stroud): These are dark and intricate stories about magic and strange creatures. These are good books.

8. Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series (Jeff Kinney): These are easy for kids just starting out to read and they are just plain funny. These are another great series parents can read with their kids.

Well, those are my top series choices. I would have picked 10, but I didn't have a top 10, just a top 8. I do plan on reading some other series soon that I may or may not add to this list. The Guardians of Ga’ Hoole and The Spiderwick Chronicles are among a few I have in mind, so I’ll let you know if they make it on the list or not. In the mean time, please check out something new and remember to read something different because you just might like it =)

Midnight for Charlie Bone: By Jenny Nimmo

This is a book series I was hesitant to read because it had the “If you like Harry Potter, you’ll love these books!” recommendation I’ve come across many times before. The problem with this label is that it raises my expectations too much. I end up comparing the books to Harry Potter (my favorite children’s book series), and then they fall short of my expectations.

Yet, this book and all the other books in the Children of the Red King series did not fall short in any way. In fact, I liked them much more than I expected to. Not because of their similarities to Harry Potter, but because of how very different they were. In Midnight for Charlie Bone, the main character, Charlie thinks he is an ordinary boy, and he’s grateful for it. You see, Charlie comes from a family who has unusual gifts.

His Family is directly descended from the Red King. The Red king was “endowed” or gifted with many magical or unusual talents. He had eight children, all of whom were gifted with one of his many endowments and their descendants passed on these gifts to their children, their children’s children and so on down the line.

In Midnight for Charlie Bone, Charlie finds out he himself has an unusual gift. He can hear what’s happening inside photographs or paintings. Unfortunately, his horrible Aunt’s find out he has a gift, and insist he attend Bloor’s academy for gift and endowed children such as himself. At Bloor’s he realizes that there is a mystery involving an adopted child- a mystery he wants to uncover. He also discovers that there is a balance between good and evil under that roof- and that he is a part of something bigger than he ever could have imagined.

I think it is unfair to compare Jenny Nimmo’s novels to Harry Potter. There are similarities; magic is in both, and a great deal of time is spent with Charlie at Bloor’s Academy, just as a lot of time is spent at Hogwarts, and even Charlie Bone and Harry Potter look a bit the same, (at least in my mind). But Nimmo makes this book her own so well that as a reader I enjoyed the book too much to care if they were similar or not.

Jenny Nimmo is a really good writer with an excellent imagination. She makes this book her own by giving Charlie and all of her characters a distinct personality and showing the reader that even in the same family, there can be good and bad people. He characters are quirky, interesting and thoughtful. It’s my opinion that Nimmo created a wonderful world in this book series. A world I was very glad to visit. The endowments some of the characters have are so imaginative and unique. They use their talents for good, or for evil depending on which side they have chosen and the outcome is a fast paced, can’t-put-the-book-down read.

The Penderwicks, and The Penderwicks on Gardam Street: By Jeanne Birdsall

I enjoyed this wholesome family friendly book so much! The Penderwicks is a story about four sisters named Rosalind, Skye, Jane, and Batty. These four girls go with their father to spend the summer at an estate called Arundel on Cape Cod. They spend their stay in a small cottage on the property and simply cannot wait to explore the grounds and see what they can uncover. In the process, they meet a boy called Jeffery who is the son of the owner of Arundel. Unfortunately for the sisters, Jeffery’s Mother does not approve of these outspoken, adventurous girls and their dog, Hound.

One of the very best parts about this book is how well the author gives each of the girls an individual personality and voice. They are so different, but each share a very special bond that reminded me very much of my sister and brothers. The way they get along, fight, and often appreciate one another, albeit grudgingly, rang vey true for me.

All in all, I think this was a fun, happy reading sort-of a book. Unfortunately, the sequel The Penderwicks on Gardam Street did not feel the same for me. This is a classic example of a sequel falling short of the first installment. That’s not to say that this book was bad. In fact, I liked it alright. It was great to revisit the characters and see them grow up a little. It was fun reading about their new adventures as well. But, this book lacked the charm and whimsy of Jeanne Birdsall’s first book.

The Penderwicks on Gardam Street is a story about the four sisters dealing with the fact that their father has started to date again. It had been a long time since the death of their mother and the girls’ Aunt encourages Mr. Penderwick to move on with his life and start dating again. When the girls find out, they develop the Save-Daddy-Plan. Unfortunately, their own problems and individual concerns seem to be getting in the way of them putting a stop to their Father’s new social agenda.

This book sounded so great to me, but I couldn’t help but be a bit disappointed with it. I enjoyed the original book, The Penderwicks so much that I may have set my expectations too high. Often, I judge a book by whether or not I’d read the book again. I would most definitely read The Penderwicks again, but I can’t say the same for the squeal. The story was sweet enough and it even had a happy ending, which I’m usually a fan of. Yet, when I finished Gardam Street, all I said was, “Huh. That was cute.”

Why I Love A Series.

At an early age, I became a fan of the children's book series. Among my favorites were The Baby-Sitters Club, Sweet Valley High and Anne of Green Gables. I felt even then that the best part about a book was getting to know the characters. For me, these fictional characters were friends I could visit any time I wanted without ever leaving my house and I still find the same is true today.

There are some excellent stand alone books out there- I've even reviewed some on my blog- but I love it so much when I can revisit the same characters over and over again in a new way. Admittedly, sometimes I read the first book in a series and love it, then go on to the next ones and feel disappointment because they failed to be as good as the first. It's sort-of like watching a movie sequel that fails to live up to the same standard of the first film. Sure it's great to see the familiar faces, but it lacks that spark produced the first time around and the same is true for literature.

Lucky for me, the number of book series I like has grown at a rapid rate over the last several years. A few that comes to mind are Harry Potter, The Sisters Grimm and my new love, the Charlie Bone Series (which I will talk about at a later date).

I think the trick in doing a series well is to have the characters strike a chord with readers in some way. What I like might be different then what someone else enjoys, but the trick is in getting someone to love the character, and continue to love them enough to keep reading. Plus, each series book has to be exciting, interesting, and have a good plot.

What really makes a series work, is that if the book had to, it could stand on its own. Take the Sisters' Grimm series, you could read any story in that series and understand what is happening because the author explains what's happened in past books to the reader. The author makes it easy to read the book on its own, but usually uses a hook at the end to bring the reader back for more.

I also love getting to see the characters grow and change throughout a series of books. That's how it is in the Harry Potter series. Each book is one year at Hogwarts. Harry changes from a sad, lonely boy into a man. The changes are gradual and sometimes difficult, but as readers, we get to grow up with Harry.

The same is true for my childhood love, Anne of Green Gables. I still have the original copies of my books. The pages are yellowed and falling out, but I can't seem to bring myself to replace them. For me, those yellowed pages represent a friend who, however old and worn, is just as dear to me as any flesh-and-blood friend I've ever had.

That is the true reason I love books, especially book series. Someone might carry them with them forever, just like me.

The Mysterious Benedict Society: By Trenton Lee Stewart

This was a book that I picked up several times in the bookstore. You know how sometimes something sounds really good, but you are not sure about it? So, you put it back, then then next time you go to the bookstore you do the same thing. That's how this book was for me. The back of it gives you so little to go on as far as description. It says, "Are you a Gifted Child looking for Special Opportunities?" and goes on to explain that this was an ad put in the paper that dozens of kids responded to. Then, they had to perform a series of crazy tests, but in the end only a few were chosen. The few that were picked were told they would go on a secret mission. Huh. Not much to go on. So, I thought, what the heck! I bought it and I was very glad that I did.

This book is about four kids, Reyine Muldoon a boy who's good at puzzles, Sticky Washington a boy who's uncommonly book smart, Kate Weatherall a resourceful girl who's a great inventor, and Constance Contraire a girl who's good at poetry and being stubborn. These four each discover that they passed a test designed to find kids who were selected by Mr Benedict and his associates for a very important task: saving the world.

Because they are all so different, each child brings something unique to the mission. They each have strengths and weaknesses but find that they work very well with one another, and even become good friends.

This book is so interesting. It reminded me of a Roald Dahl story. It blends clues and capable kids with riveting text to create a magical world that is both unique and intriguing. I really enjoyed this book. Having said that, it may not be the easiest book for beginning readers. It uses big words and it may be a bit advanced for say, an eight year old. If you are a fan of Dahl, then you might like this as it has a similar feel to it. This book is a very good read.

The Sisters Grimm: The Fairy-Tale Detectives: By Michael Buckley

This my friends, is one fabulous series. The Sisters Grimm book series is about two little girls named Sabrina and Daphne Grimm whose parents mysteriously disappeared. These two girls were shuffled from one foster home to the next until they came to live with Relda Grimm, a grandmother they never knew they had, in a town called Fairyport landing. Here's the fantastic part; Sabrina and Daphne are descendants of the Brothers Grimm whose fairy tales are not actually make-believe stories, but actual historical accounts of the lives of these fairy tale folks.

So where do these girls fit in? It has always been the job of the Grimm family to protect to protect the people of Fairyport Landing as fairy tale detectives. In the first book, The Fairy Tale Detectives, Sabrina and Daphne have to stop a giant from destroying their new found home.

What I like best about these books is the way Buckley blends these stories with real life scenarios. For example, Snow White is the local school teacher and Puck, from Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream, is a flying Fairy that lives with the girls' Granny Relda and is every bit as mischievous as readers expect him to be.

In all honesty, these books are just fun. I spent a great deal of my childhood reading Fairy-tales and when my sister told me about these books, I rushed out to buy them all. They even look like old volumes of fairy-tales with their hard covers embossed with gold writing and a small picture that looks like a snapshot on the cover. What could be better than that?

These books are excellent for readers just starting out too because Buckley is very gifted at explaining things simply, so the reader understands what he means. I would highly recommend these to anyone who wants to be entertained from cover to cover.