Category: Guest Post
“The Infinity Ring: A Mutiny in Time” by James Dashner
The Infinity Ring: A Mutiny in Time is the first installment in what appears to be a long-term project by several different authors to provide the next big middle-grade book series. The basic concept being that the world all of the characters are living in is actually an alternate reality brought about by many, many well-known historical events not happening the way we remember them. It’s certainly and interesting twist on the usual approach of alternate realities in books. Usually characters are traveling to the alternate reality, not arriving from the alternate reality. I have to say, I loved it through and through.
Dak and Sera are serviceable enough characters for what the story is trying to accomplish and I can entirely understand why they don’t have the depth I’m used to with characters I read because this is a middle-grade series and with a target audience like that you have to keep things a little more simple. There are a few clichés tossed around as far as character personalities are concerned, but nothing glaring and nothing that bothered me all that much.
In this first book of the series the two friends discover The Infinity Ring, a device capable of traveling them through time. Through a series of somewhat unfortunate events they are forced to aid a group known as the Hystorians who are trying to fix all of the wayward big moments in history. Each event has to be righted in a specific order so as to keep the events closer to modern day as unaffected as possible. The first of which that Dak and Sera have to correct is the fact that Columbus was not credited with discovering America.
Back in time the two friends go and as they are younger than your standard adventurers they have plenty of blundered moments that almost leave them stranded in the past. They figure things out in the end however and the result is a fun, quick, exciting tale that takes and interesting approach to time travel and its effects on space-time and all that.
The second installment of The Infinity Ring series, Divide and Conquer was released earlier this week and I look forward to reading it soon and letting all of you know what I think.
Grade: B
Length: 192 pages
Kane Chronicles: The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan
In this exciting second installment of the three-book series, Carter and Sadie, offspring of the brilliant Egyptologist Dr. Julius Kane, embark on a worldwide search for the Book of Ra, but the House of Life and the gods of chaos are determined to stop them.
The second installment of The Kane Chronicles continues the story of Carter and Sadie Kane a few months after the events of the first book, The Red Pyramid. They have been spending their days training other young, fledgling magicians in the Brooklyn House and trying to figure out what the next step will be in saving the world from the inevitable return of Apophis.
I’ll admit that I liked this book a lot more than the first one but I think that had to do with being able to jump right into the action this time instead of needing all of the character buildup and introduction that took place in the first installment. The action as a lot more interesting and the plot seemed to be a lot more solid than before. New characters were introduced such as the dwarf god, Bes who has an entire back-story that had me very intrigued. Especially when it comes to his powers of scaring people as a means of attack/defense.
One of the best parts of The Throne of Fire was the various cameos by characters from the first book. Bast shows up here and there to help the kids out. Set, who is basically the god of evil shows up and turns out to not be quite as evil as you might think in the end, even if he is scheming behind the backs of the heroes. I also really liked some of the small touches. The things like the small glowing balls that crew the boat Ra used to ride through the Duat each night between sunset and sunrise. Rick Riordan does a really good job of sneaking in small surprises within the text that are all fairly unimportant as far as the story is concerned, but when you notice them it gives the text a little more vibrance.
I’ll be reading the third book in the series sometime soon, but there is one thing I hope the author can get away from. Sadie and Carter have done enough of the “little sister/big brother” bickering. I hope he lets them grow up and mature a little at some point because otherwise it might be a little tiring as a reader.
Grade: B
Length: 465 pages
Heartland by Lauren Brooke
(Cover picture courtesy of Books, Mud and Compost. And Horses.)
Oh no she didn’t…yeah I did.
I’m taking a great risk as a guest reviewer to introduce a series from the younger
side of YA, but the tweens have to start somewhere right? The Heartland novel
series, penned by British author, Lauren Brooke, was inspired by her childhood
experiences on a horse ranch in the hills of Virginia.
The 25 novels revolve around the main character, Amy Fleming, and her family,
who treat frightened and abused horses, using holistic and unconventional
methods. Conflicts are resolved when the Flemings reach out to both the horses
and their owners who carry their fair share of emotional baggage.
Although older YA readers might consider this book too juvenile in content and
style, younger readers ages 9-14 will enjoy the sweet simplicity of country life and the innocent, though blossoming, relationship depicted between Amy and her friend, Ty. This book also rings true for homeschool families who cherish books depicting conservative values in an agrarian setting.
Surprisingly, there must be something of a hunger for this genre since the
Heartland books have been made into a Canadian Television series. Heartland
the TV series, appeared on the CBC network in 2007 and is currently in its sixth
season, drawing over 1 million viewers each week. The show has recently been
syndicated for viewing in the United States.
So, as Rumpelstilskin would affirm, sometimes simple straw can indeed be spun
into gold.
Read for Fun,
Lynne Thompson
Author of the Wag the Mouth series
Wagthemouth.com
Small Medium At Large by Joanne Levy
Image Courtesy of Goodreads
Synopsis: Lilah is your average Seventh Grader…until she is struck by lightning at her mother’s wedding. While Lilah is thankful to be alive, she’s in for a surprise; she can hear ghosts. Specifically Bubby Dora is always in Lilah’s ears, enlisting her help to find Martin (Lilah’s dad) a new girlfriend.
How on earth is a Seventh Grader supposed to help her dad get back into the dating world, crush on Andrew Finkel and talk to dead people? Lilah is about to find out…
Three Great Reasons to Read as a Teenager
I remember when I was a teenager how so many of my friends thought it was strange that I always had a book somewhere close at hand. All of them told me things like “I really never learned how to like reading,” or “Reading is so boring.” I’ll be honest, I never understood why they had such thoughts. To me reading has always been one of the best ways a person can spend their time. So, today I bring you three great reasons why every teenager should read regularly.
#1: Reading is the Perfect Escape
Being a teenager is hard sometimes. Everybody knows that, and sometimes you just need to get away from everyone else in your life and escape into another reality for a few hours. I did this regularly in my younger years and it always helped so much. Escaping into a fantasy world, some epic action, or a wistful romance story can be just the change of pace you need after some of the stress of being a teenager.
#2: Reading Will Improve Your Life
No doubt about it, reading and reading often will improve your life at some point. It’s a proven fact that people who read regularly can grasp new concepts more easily, can explain themselves more clearly, and can communicate with others more effectively. Reading often develops in you an innate skill that can’t really be explained, but it’s there, I promise. I’m positive that some of the opportunities I’ve had in life can be traced back to the fact that I love to read and have done better at certain activities because of it.
#3: Reading is the Easiest Fun You Will Ever Have
Now, more than ever, a young adult or teenager can find thousands of great stories to devour with their minds. Young adult fiction was not nearly as prevalent in my teenage days as it is now. Grabbing a book from the library is quick, easy, and best of all, free. Who can argue with fun that comes at no cost? I certainly can’t.
Books can take you places you’ve never been, put ideas in your mind that you’ve never dreamed of thinking before, and bring about changes in your life both large and small. So, take a moment, grab that book you got for your last birthday or during last Christmas you haven’t opened yet and give it a try. I bet you’ll find you like it more than you might think.