"Play Makers" by Mike Lupica (Game Changers series)

Play Makers by Mike Lupica is part of the Game Changers series. This one is about a boys middle school basketball team that struggles all season after one of their best players hurts his ankle. Ben is the team leader of the Ram and known for his skill, but when a new kid (Chase) who is even better joins another team, Ben gets a wake-up call challenging him to get better. Ben also has a girl friend, Lily, who is the one who gave him the heads up about Chase. Chase is out to prove he is the best and even tries to move in and become friends with Lilly, making Ben very mad.

This is a cute story about being a leader and friendship set in a basketball setting. I enjoyed it, but thought it had a fairy tale ending. It goes quickly with lots of basketball game action which I liked. I would recommend it to kids who enjoy playing basketball.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

Teaser from pg. 29:  As easy as it would have been to just write it off as one bad day, one lousy scrimmage, Ben knew in his heart that he had looked as bad as he had because Chase was that good.


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"Underdogs" by Mike Lupica

The Underdogs by Mike Lupica is a football story about a youth football team in a small town that can’t afford another season. Will comes up with a way to save the team, but they are one player short until they let a girl try out. Of course, there is some tension over letting a girl on the team and also they need a coach. Will is determined to not let the town take away football from and actively seeks a coach.

This is predictable, but a very good football story with dads and sons bonding, a girl proving she can play, and overcoming many hurdles to get to the championship game. I liked the football action, the team dynamics and the interaction between Will and Grayson.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

Teaser from page  83:  So Will wasn't even close to giving up yet, on the season or on Toby or getting the coach he wanted, the coach he knew would be perfect for his underdog team.  What did his dad always say?  'If you don't think you can, you can't.'

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"WONDER" by R. J. Palacio is a must read for Children

Wonder by R. J. Palacio is about Auggie’s fifth grade year, a boy with a deformed face who was homeschooled through 4th grade. Auggie has a rough start at the beginning of middle school, but shows courage and determination by not quitting. This is an emotional read that includes perspectives from several different characters. Themes in this are bullying, friendship and family. This book has photos from the movie, comments from those involved in making the movie and discussion questions in the back.

Teaser from page 227 after Auggie’s dog just died: And I wondered how it would feel to be in heaven someday and not have my face matter anymore. Just like it never, ever mattered to Daisy.

There are a lot of feelings brought out in this book, but the movie really brought it to life for me. In this case, I liked the movie better than the book. It changed just a few minor things and emphasized the teacher’s role more than the book did. I liked the changes that were made in the movie. The theme I carried away from reading the book is to be kinder than necessary and make the world a better place. I recommend this book to kids and the movie to everyone!  (4 stars)

See my movie review: Must See Movie:  Wonder

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"Protecting Marie" by Kevin Henkes

Protecting Marie by Kevin Henkes is a children’s book about a 12-yr.-old girl, her dad, and her dog. It is told in first person by the girl, Fanny. The dad is an artist and teaches at a university. This book focuses on the girl’s views and things that are important to her. She has a bunch of childish things she treasures and gets upset when her father runs a “stupid hunt” in her room to hunt down stupid things that can be thrown out She is mad at her dad over getting rid of their first dog, Nellie and has a hard time letting it go.

Teaser from page 13:  The whole idea of growing old is scary.  And a big birthday is so symbolic."

This book may appeal to a young girl, but I was not impressed with it.  The book cover is very misleading because it implies the dog is Marie, but it is not! I liked Dinner, the second dog in the book, but there was not much of a climax or great ending to this one.  The gist of the story is how Fanny and her dad mend their relationship. It just sort of fell flat for me. It was okay, but was eager to move on to something else.
(Karen's review, 3 stars)

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"The Roar" by Emma Clayton (Science Fiction Juvenile)

In The Roar by Emma Clayton,  Mika lives in a safe spot of London, away from the plague land.  He has lived there ever since his twin sister was taken away.  Mika is sure that Ellie is alive and knows secrets that he does not.  Now the government has a new program for children.  Will it help Mika find Ellie? 

The pace of this book was sort of slow at first, but picked up halfway through.  The ending really sets up what should be a good book 2!
(Gerard's review, 4.5 stars)

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"Horizon" by Scott Westerfeld (UPDATED)

Horizon by Scott Westerfeld is about eight young teens left to fend for themselves when the plane they were on crashed.  All the rest of the passengers are gone!  They are on land but don't know where because they were flying over the arctic, but when the plane crashed, they found themselves in a jungle! There is good action in this and I enjoyed all the characters.  There is going to be six more books in this series--should be interesting!

Note:  We went to play the game at scholastic.com/horizon, but couldn't figure out where the "jump" key was to get over the obstacles, nor did we see any explanation of how to play the game--very lame.
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

Horizon by Scott Westerfeld is a mystery about eight teens who seem to be the only survivors of a very strange plane crash in the arctic.  Four of them were on their way to a robotics soccer championship in Japan.  The other 500 passengers on the plane are missing.  The teens find themselves in a jungle where strange things happen.

This is an interesting, fun read that leaves you with questions at the end.  Apparently this is only the first book in a series of seven.  It has adventure and lots of mystery in it that made me want to keep reading.  I was not satisfied with the ending because it only answered one of the questions that was raised--where are they?   I think kids would really like this one a lot!
(Karen's review, 4 stars) 

My favorite character was Yoshi.  If you've read this, who was your favorite character? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Bone Jack" by Sara Crowe

In Bone Jack by Sara Crowe, Ash is training for the annual stag chase.  He has the honor of being the stag like his dad was 20 years ago.  His dad is home from the war but he is not the same because of what he saw there.  Now Ash is dealing with strange goings on in the land where he lives and not everyone wants Ash to run in the race.

I thought this book was pretty good,  It had an unusual story line and I enjoyed the ending.
(Gerard's review, 4 stars) 

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"Train I Ride" by Paul Mosier is Uplifting! (Updated)

Train I Ride by Paul Mosier is a children's story about Rydr, a little girl on an Amtrak train.  This book tells the story of the people she meets on the train as well as the back story on Rydr.

Every so often I need a book that I can relax with that doesn't have somebody getting hurt or killed so I read this book.  Rydr is a great character who will surprise you with her antics.  I think people of all ages would enjoy this debut book.  Job well done, Paul Mosier!
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

Karen's review, 3 stars:  I read Train I Ride by Paul Mosier because my husband liked it so much and it is short and quick.  I liked Rydr, the main orphan girl who is on her way from Los Angeles to Chicago to live with some old uncle she never even met because her mom died and probably her father and her grandma who she was living with.  On the train, she meets several people who she really likes.  Although her money runs out, she is quite resourceful in finding ways to get some.  I especially liked her invisible monkey act but felt bad when she didn't even take the money she got from people.  I thought this was a pretty sad story but enjoyed the funny parts.  

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"Scar Island" by Dan Gemeinhart

Scar Island by Dan Gemeinhart, my favorite children’s author, is about boys at Slabhenge Reformatory School for troubled boys located on an island and run with torture techniques. Jonathan is the new boy sentenced to 10 weeks which is longer than usual because of the bad thing he did. Jonathan is overwhelmed with feelings of guilt and believes he deserves to be there, unlike the others. A couple boys befriend him and eventually he even wins over the bully who bosses everyone around when all the grownups running the place meet an unfortunate death.

This book is dark but not as dark as Lord of the Flies although there are some similarities. I liked this book because of the exploration of group dynamics, the interaction and growth among the boys, and also because of the suspense. I even got to like that huge rat that Jonathan mistook for a cat. Jonathan is a great character who I admired because he was so kind and compassionate throughout the book. I would recommend this book to boys, but don’t think too many girls would enjoy it since there are no girls in it. I liked both this author’s other books better: The Honest Truth and Some Kind of Courage, because they seemed more believable and not as dark as this one.

SPOILER ALERT – STOP NOW IF YOU INTEND TO READ THIS BOOK. I really liked the librarian and his pet rat. I thought that was a cool surprise and liked how the librarian encouraged Jonathan to take a book every time he came. I was surprised Colin didn’t stay with him when he left the others. There were a few things I felt were farfetched: (1) How all the grownups got electrocuted and died at once; (2) that the boys would put the dead bodies in the freezer where the food would be, yuck!; (3) that the first thing they did wasn’t to all join in to destroy the sinner’s sorrow torture device that they all hated; (4) I didn’t understand why Sebastian got so mad at Colin when he left since at the beginning he announce the boys to go wherever they wanted and do whatever they wanted. When Colin took some chocolates saying they were just Sebastian’s, I was surprised the other boys didn’t back him up and (5) how the majority just followed whatever Sebastian said, letting him take the lead instead of following Colin or Jonathan, who were smarter and nicer, especially at the end.
(Karen’s review, 4 stars)


Gerard read this first 1-9-17, here's his review, 4.5 stars:
In Scar Island by Dan Gemeinhart, Jonathan is the new boy at Slabhenge.  It is a reform school for boys who are troubled to say the least.  Now Jonathan is there and he is happy to be there.  But soon he will have to make decisions that will affect him and his fellow boys.

I really enjoyed the characters in this book.  It has good action and the end has a good twist.  I liked this author's first two books better, The Honest Truth and Some Kind of Courage, but this one is not bad at all!

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"The School for Good and Evil" by Soman Chainani

The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani is a juvenile fantasy book. I really liked the cover and was looking forward to a quick fun read which it is. Sophie and her friend, Agatha, both get mysteriously kidnapped from their small village to The School for Good and Evil in some distant place. They both think they got put in the wrong school side of the school though and encounter the fight of the life to remain friends. Both girls find themselves living a fairy tale!

I think children would like this book but I was a bit disappointed in it because it really made no sense to me. There is a lot of action and magic going on; however, I found it a bit hard to follow. I liked it enough to care about the main characters, although I really liked Agatha the most and didn’t care much for Sophie, even from the start. I did want to see how it would end and liked the ending.
(Karen’s review, 3 stars)

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"The Poet's Dog" by Patricia MacLachlan

In The Poet's Dog by Patricia MacLachlan, two young children are all alone in a fierce winter storm.  Teddy (the talking dog) locates them and leads them to a cabin where he lives so they will be safe.  Teddy tells them a story while they wait for the storm to end and for help to come.

This is a young reader's book, but I enjoyed it very much.  I hope it touches your heart like it did mine!  Perfect read for the holidays!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Karen read it too and here are her thoughts:
I read it because it was a short children's book that I could read quickly but did not enjoy it as much as Gerard did.  The dog understood words and only children and a poet could understand what the dog said.  I liked the ending but overall wasn't impressed, but then, poetry isn't my thing.  I liked other dog stories much better.
(Karen's review, 3 stars)

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"A Night Divided" by Jennifer A. Nielsen is a Good Read We Both Enjoyed! (Updated)

A Night Divided by Jennifer A. Nielsen is an interesting historical fiction story about a family divided by the Berlin Wall. Gerta is 12 and lives in East Berlin with her parents and two brothers . . . until the night her father and one of her brothers left and never came back because a fence went up during the night separating East and West Berlin. Her father and brother were stuck on the other side! Then, before very long, the fence became a wall to keep the Eastern Berliners under Russia rule from leaving. Gerta is bold and determined to somehow get the rest of her family reunited with her father and brother on the other side of the wall but time is running out because Fritz, her oldest brother, is about to be inducted into the military in just a few weeks!

This is a very good story of bravery, courage, staying true to one’s beliefs and adventure that moves quickly. I couldn’t help but pull for Gerta to succeed and liked the ups and downs with her friendship with Anna.
(Karen's review, 5 stars)


In A Night Divided by Jennifer A. Nielsen, Gerta lives with her mom and dad and two brothers.  They have heard talk of something soon to happen so the father and young brother go on a scouting mission, but when the Berlin Wall goes up, they cannot get back!  Greta wants to be together again but how to make that happen and who to trust?

This book was very good!  The writing is excellent and the tension builds throughout.  I loved all the characters and the book reads true to life.  A must read!  I highly recommend this one!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire" by J. K. Rowling is Fantastic!

This is the fourth book in the Harry Potter series.  The main story is the Triwizard tournament in this one.  This book started out kind of slow for me--I did not really get into it until after the first 100 pages.  It is a long book though (734 pages) so with my wife's encouragement, I kept reading and am glad I did.  I did not think there was much interaction between the kids as I would have liked.  I was hoping for more Quidditch games.  However, the tournament was good, especially the last challenge!  What I really enjoyed was when HArry and Voldemort had a battle.  That was like "WOW"!  I could hardly turn the pages fast enough!  That more than saved the book for me--on to Number 5!
(Gerard's review, 5+ stars)  

Karen's review 10/14/15, 5 stars:
Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire is the fourth book in this series which kept me turning pages. It is full of mystery, excitement, adventure, humor and suspense! The beginning is kind of light with Harry getting to attend the World Quidditch match with the Weasleys and Fred and George Weasley have a bigger role in this book. They add a bit of fun to the story! Hermione was even getting on my nerves with her campaign to free the house elves. I really was surprised Ron took so long to ask her to the dance. Harry is chosen by the Goblet of Fire to enter the champion inter-school competition in spite of his age. Someone secretly entered his name but why? Talk about unexpected twists and turns? This book has them! How is that reporter getting her information and how is Hermione going to get her revenge? When Harry is entered into the interschool Triwizard Tournament, his friends help him prepare for the tasks. I did not guess who entered Harry’s name even after I learned why someone did it. Near the end when Harry was in major danger fighting for his life, I felt so sorry for him.

I loved this book and especially enjoyed the dog visit at the end! I was sad when Ron and Harry weren’t speaking but loved how the friendship between them and Hermione further developed in this book. Goblet of Fire made me laugh but also kept me wondering what was going to happen next. I highly recommend this series, the creativity and writing is amazing! It is very entertaining.


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"When Friendship Followed Me Home" by Paul Griffin

When Friendship Followed Me Home by Paul Griffin is about Ben Griffin who is not big on friendships.  Being a foster kid, he has had to experience a lot of pain in his young life by people leaving him.  However, that all change when he befriends a homeless dog who leads him to meeting a young girl!

I liked this book a lot.  The story moved along well and I thought all the characters were very believable.  I never really had it figured out, which is very good!
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" by J. K. Rowling (video review included)

Love Crankshooks!

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling is the third book of this series and another enjoyable fun read!  In this book, there are surprises and a very cool map that has been handed down from former mischief makers to current mischief makers at Hogwarts school.  I thought the classes were really interesting and was happy Hagrid got to be a teacher on care of critters.  The class on Defense of Dark Arts was also fun.  There are so many great scenes in this book that I didn't want to put it down.  I cheered when Hermione bought herself a cat named Crankshooks who has sort of a big part in the story chasing after Ron's rat, Scabbers and causing tension between Ron and Hermione.  Snape and Malfoy continue to resent Harry and cause trouble.  Of course, Harry is amazing in this book too and I enjoy rooting for him!  I loved this book and enjoyed it very much.  It has lots of action and funny things throughout.  I look forward to continuing this series.
(Karen's review7/15/15, 5 stars)

Gerard's review 7/9/16 (5 stars):
It's always good to get back to a Harry Potter book!  In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Sirius Black is loose and the word is out that he wants to get at Harry in the worst way! I thought this book was very good.  I enjoyed the various storylines throughout the book and Ron and Hermione are good in this one too!  I especially liked the unexpected ending and the great writing!

Watch my review I did for "Booktube":

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"Stay Where You Are and Then Leave" by John Boyne

In Stay Where You Are and Then Leave by John Boyne, as the first World War rages on, Alfie thinks that his father died to the war. As the war continues, Alfie learns something that changes everything. Even though Alfie is a very young boy, he must take on a man's job.

I thought this book was very good!  I enjoyed the character of Alfie very much and the story moved along well. 

(Gerard's review 6/25/16, 5 stars)

Karen's review, 4 stars:
This is a sweet story about a boy's love for his dad during World War I.  The boy, Alfie, lives in London and is only five years old, wanting to join his dad on the milk run.  The father volunteers to fight in the war but writes regularly.   The mother keeps telling the boy his dad is on a secret mission and can't write home which makes Alfie think his father may be dead.  One day when Alfie is making money shining shoes, he discovers that his father is actually in a hospital.  Alfie takes on a secret mission of his own for love.

This is a good read and I enjoyed it.  It goes very fast because it is a children's book, but Alfie is a very brave and loving, caring boy who I liked very much.  Although this book takes place during the war, the focus is on those who are not fighting and so there is hardly any violence at all. 

We have enjoyed two other books by this author too and recommend them all:  The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and The Boy at the Top of the Mountain. 

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"Mayday" by Karen Harrington

In Mayday by Karen Harrington, a young boy named Wayne is the main character.  Wayne has a lot going on in his life.  He lives with his mom, who is separated from his dad and his grandpa who was in the army.  Wayne's uncle dies while fighting in the army, and on the plane ride back from the service, Wayne and his mom service a horrible plane crash.  Now Wayne cannot talk and his face does not look too good.

I liked this children's book because it had humor and made me think. The characters were brought out really well and the ending surprised me which is a good thing!
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"Wolf Hollow" by Lauren Wolk

Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk kept my interest all the way.  Annabelle has lived a nice quiet life in her small town with her loving family.  However, that all changes when a young girl named Betty comes to town.  Annabelle is being bullied and has to find a way to stop it.  Then one day, Betty goes missing and all signs point to one man who Annabelle has befriended.

This book was really good!  It moved along quickly and Annabelle is a great character.  It also has a surprise ending that I liked!
(Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

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"The Wild Robot" by Peter Brown

In The Wild Robot by Peter Brown, a crate is washed up on a remote wild island.  Robot Roz escapes from the crate.  How will the robot adopt to the island?  How will the many animals that call the island their home see this new object?

Okay, I get that this is a children's book, but I will tell you that I think any age would enjoy this book.  The way the robot and the animals got along was so good!  The story kept my interest all the way and it went really fast!  Take a chance and be a kid again--read this and enjoy the story when nature and technology collide.
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

The Wild Robot by Peter Brown is a children's book I enjoyed for a break from heavy topics and intense mystery novels. This is a light, fun read about animals on an island who become friends with Roz, a robot who got washed up on their island in a crate.  Roz befriends the different animals along the way and they grow to like her in return.  She adopts a little gosling and learns to be a good mother.  I think children would enjoy this one very much.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

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"The Grumpy Bunny Goes to School" by Justine Korman

The Grumpy Bunny Goes to School by Justine Korman (illustrated by Lucinda McQueen) is a cute little children's book that caught my eye at a rummage sale.  I won't tell you why the bunny was grumpy, but I will say I think any teacher would enjoy this one!  It is about teaching creatively.  I enjoyed it very much!
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

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