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Book received at no charge in exchange for an honest review.
Nothing gets thirteen-year-old, Trenton Coleman more excited than anything mechanical. If only the leaders in Cove felt the same way. Creativity is frowned upon in Cove and inventing anything new is prohibited. Trenton can't wait for his chance to attend mechanical school but to his dismay, he is assigned to the School of Food Production.
While Trenton excels in his new assignment, his curiosity leads him to Kallista Babbage, a repair technician and daughter of Leo Babbage, an inventor who died in an explosion. Together, the pair discover the secret project Leo was working on before his horrible accident. With the help of the clues he left behind, Trenton and Kallista slowly put together a machine that threatens to expose the truth their city inside a mountain is built upon.
Savage masterfully weaves steampunk and fantasy with relatable characters to create suspense that will have the reader glued to the pages for hours.
Rating ★★★★☆ |
Publishing Information
Publisher: Shadow Mountain Publishing ( Sept. 29, 2015)
ISBN: 978-1-62972-0920Ages: 10 and Up
This book can be purchased from the following retailers:
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Book received at no charge to facilitate review.
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With his mother's new promotion, Stuart Ballentyne faces yet another move. He and his mother head off to Minot, North Dakota where his mother will take command of the Air Force base. Though they have moved a lot, this move challenges Stu in ways which he has never experienced.
While his eight year-old neighbor, Billy, tries to befriend him, Stu notices odd things about the situation across the street and wonders about his young neighbor. Unfortunately, his older brother started college and did not make the move with them, nor did his father. This leaves no one for Stu to confide in about his suspicions. Instead, Stu keeps tries not to meddle. When he does finally intervene, it is not without serious consequences.
Stu's helplessness at what he witnesses leaves a gripping reminder that abuse can happen anywhere. The realistic look on the effects of deployment on the family and community will hit a chord to any teen who has a parent in the military. A strong plot-driven novel with a powerful social message
recommended for the teen reader.
Rating: Recommended ★★★★☆
Publishing Information
Publisher: Peachtree Publishers (Reprint March 2014)
Pages: 288
ISBN 13- 978-1561457861
Ages: 12 and up
This book can be purchased from the following retailers:
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| Book received at no charge to facilitate review. |
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When Connor Morgan and his mother move to Portland, Oregon to escape his abusive father, he finds himself facing a new set of problems. While struggling to land a spot on the varsity wrestling team, he faces three of his teammates who would like nothing more than to destroy him. It's bad enough that they chase him from the locker room in his underwear past the girl he likes outside into the cold, but worse, he discovers the dark secret of his teammates.
It turns out the bullies are possessed by ancient Japanese spirits who not only want to destroy him but the entire school and beyond.
Some of Connor's other team mates help protect him as he learns his destiny and how it fits into Japanese Samurai legends. He will have to learn to trust those closest to him as he prepares to fight the enemy. Though the romantic aspect seemed forced at times, plenty of action mixed with and interesting take on Japanese legend holds the reader's interest and will especially appeal to those interested in wrestling and the martial arts.
Rating: Recommended ★★★★☆
Publishing Information:
Publisher: Bree Noa Publishing (March 15, 2014)
Pages: 272
Ages: 14 and up
ISBN: 978-1-938445-12-5
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I walked the corridors of schools throughout Fox Cities wishing I'd written more books, wishing, especially, that I'd written the right books for young male readers. They were so eager, so embracing, in the schools I visited—the first to raise their hands, the first to offer to read their work aloud (which is not to suggest that the girls weren't just as eager, in their own ways; the girls were remarkable, too). One seventh grader ran behind me as I finished my morning here, to follow-up on a question he'd asked during the assembly. Another wrote his idea for a book onto a bookmark, and shared it with me, saying, "This is the story that must be written."
I've had two ideas for boy-protagonist young adult books, but I've not yet gotten them to work.
I came home determined to try even harder.
I hope you find a way to make it work. I don't see thoughtful YA books for boys (or I'm just not looking in the right places).
It's so important to draw attention to reading, and attract reluctant readers to it, especially boys. In fact, I've recently completed a feature magazine article on this subject that came out in October, "Help for Struggling, Reluctant Readers."
I grew up as a reluctant reader, in spite of the fact that my father published over 70 books. Now I write action-adventures & mysteries, especially for tween boys, that avid boy readers and girls enjoy just as much.
My blog, Books for Boys http://booksandboys.blogspot.com is dedicated to drawing attention to the importance of reading. And my new book, Lost Island Smugglers - first in the Sam Cooper Adventure Series - is coming out in July-August. Contracts are also signed for Captain Jack's Treasure and River Rampage.
Max Elliot Anderson
PS. My first 7 books are going to be republished by Comfort Publishing later in 2010
Oh Beth, I do hope you find a way to reach young boys with your wonderful words and stories. I see a huge gap for boys at the elementary school level.
For us, there was nothing that really captured my son's heart until he was a strong enough reader to embrace the Nate the Great series of mysteries. He's moved on from there, but those early years, learning to read, where were the books to draw him in??
Inspiring!
Sounds wonderful - I can't wait to hear more about these books!
Beth, you make a great point. My teen nephews could sure use some new reading material.
Your comment got me thinking about a book I just finished for young adults titled Her Mother's Diary by David Curry Kahn. It's suggested for young adult readers, but I found it equally engaging as an older adult (with inner teen tendencies!) As I finished it, I found myself thinking, "How could a man write from this young girl's perspective so well? I imagine I'll be saying the same thing (in reverse gender) about your next book for young men. :-) Best wishes. Kate