Book Review: Gorilla Tactics (Dr. Critchlore's School for Minions #2) by Sheila Grau, Joe Sutphin

Gorilla Tactics is the second book in the Dr. Critchlore's School for Minions series written by Sheila Grau and illustrated by Joe Sutphin. This middle grade novel is just as good as the first, and I highly recommend reading the series in order, as the character development and relationships are important. However, if you feel the need to jump in now, I think there is enough hints to the backstory that you will still be able to enjoy this story.

Runt Higgins needs answers, fast. Someone cursed him to die on his sixteenth birthday, but no one seems to know who cursed him or why. Runt decides he must find the Great Library, where all true knowledge is hidden. Unfortunately, the only people who know the location of the Great Library are a covert network of librarian-spies who’d rather die than give up the Library’s secrets. And when one of Runt’s professors is attacked, it soon becomes clear that others are also out to find the Library at any cost. Meanwhile, Runt’s not the only one whose days are numbered. To save the floundering school from an inevitable sale, Dr. Critchlore takes some desperate measures. His master plan to save the school: a fashion show.

Gorilla Tactics is much more than the official summary gives it credit for. There are schemes and subterfuge at every turn, at multiple levels. Scheming teachers and administrators, bullies, teachers with an axe to grind, covert librarians, sirens and fashion shows, and so much more. I liked that Runt and his friends face the usual school issues; like bullies, popularity worries, and trying to pass important classes while still having to face bigger issues like the possibility of a school take over, death, and the most evil guy they can think of gaining access to the most complete library in the universe. Runt and his classmates all have some significant character growth, even the secondary characters like Rufus and Janet. I feel like even the most insignificant role in the larger story might come to be very important as the series continues on. There are problem solving, risk taking, and friendship struggles through out the story- and the action seems non stop. Even when Runt is contemplating his next move or how he is going to get through the current or next crisis the tension level is pretty high. I think that the combination of illustrations and high energy story telling will keep middle grade readers turning pages in this series. I liked that the book wrapped up the story nicely, while opening new questions to make us eager for the next book. It was a satisfying ending, with just a hint of "and then what".

Gorilla Tactics is a wonderful follow up to Dr. Critchlore's School for Minions, and I will be following this series as it continues. I am eager to see how Runt, and the rest progress through school, and beyond. I have many questions I want answered, and cannot wait to see how Grau answers them.

Book Review: Light Love Rituals: Bulgarian Myths, Legends, and Folklore by Ronesa Aveela

Light Love Rituals: Bulgarian Myths, Legends, and Folklore by Ronesa Aveela is a book that explores Bulgarian myths, legends, folklore, and mythology. Whether you want to learn a little about their ancient Thracian origins, or you want to experience rituals practiced throughout the year with a fictitious Bulgarian family, or even if you’re only interested in traditional Bulgarian cuisine, this book has a little something for everyone.

Light Love Rituals: Bulgarian Myths, Legends, and Folklore was a very interesting read. I love learning about legends and cultures that are new to me, or are slightly different than what I had previously explored. Bulgarian culture is rich in folklore and traditions surviving since the days of the ancient Thracians. As pagan and Christian religions collided, many celebrations merged into one. This book helps readers discover and explore the details of these unique festivals while keeping it interesting for readers of all ages. The book is divided into sections for each of the four seasons with activities and a short quiz for each. It was an interesting and engaging read that would appeal to many.

Light Love Rituals: Bulgarian Myths, Legends, and Folklore is a solid reference and research source for those interested in different cultures, particularly the development of Bulgarian rituals and recipes. 

Blog Tour with Excerpt and Giveaway: Synching Forward by W. Lawrence

Synching Forward by W. Lawrence

1st Place for 2015 Feathered Quill Award, Science Fiction/Fantasy

Finalist in the 2014 Book Pipeline Contest

Description:
--Travel to the future - it will only cost you everyone you love.--
Attacked and injected with a drug which slows his metabolism to a fraction of normal, Martin James becomes an unwilling time traveler who hurtles through the years. His children grow up, his wife grows older, and his only hope is finding the people who injected him in the first place- not an easy task when one day for Martin lasts four years. And while Martin James strives to find a cure before everyone he loves is gone, others are uncertain if his journey can be stopped at all.

W. Lawrence weaves a dystopian future filled with the best and worst of humanity, highlights the blessings and curses of technology, and pushes the limits of faith and hopelessness. Above all,Syncing Forward is a tale of one man's love for his family, and their devotion to saving him from being lost forever.

PURCHASE

Amazon - Kindle, Amazon - Paperback

Audible, B&N Nook, Kobo, iBooks

Oakleaf Books, Book Depository

Half.com, Alibris, Google Play  

Excerpt:

Bella’s sentences were all blended together, and before I could respond she was being pulled from the room by my wife. I blinked hard and flapped my eyelids to keep them from stinging and—hopefully—to clear my head. I tried yawning to pop my ears, thinking perhaps they were clogged. A second later Dave stood by the bedside, shaking my arm.

“Martin Martin are you okay can you hear me what’s wrong Buddy you’re not looking so hot can you please just say—” Dave was talking as if on fast-forward, his words riding one upon another.

“Slow down,” I started to say, trying to cut through their rapid speech and the concern on their faces. “I feel very strange—”

The nurse cut me off. My voice sounded raspy in my own head, and low-toned.

“Martin why are you talking so slow do you understand what I am saying?”

“Yeah, but you can’t talk so fast—”

“I need you to tell me what you’re feeling right now.”

I tried to get a word in edgewise. “I’m trying to answer, if you would let me—”

Amara had been standing in the doorway, watching the chaos from a distance after being yanked into the hallway by somebody on the staff. She ran back into the room with the hospital worker chasing after her. “Daddy why are you talking like that are you fooling around you’re fooling right come on Daddy tell the truth you are playing right you are pretending right Daddy?”

“No, sweetie, I’m not. I don’t—” I couldn’t even finish one sentence as the girls kept talking over me. The woman grabbed Amara with both hands and pulled her kicking and screaming from the room, her face flushed with anger as they rapidly sank backward toward the hallway. “Let go of my kid!” I tried to yell, but the command stalled in my throat and sputtered out like a whisper.

“Leavehimaloneleavehimalonenowstopit!”

“We’vegottotransporthimtothelabrightnow . . .”

“Wherearewemovinghimto?”

“Ma’amyouneedtocalmdownandtakeyourchildrenoutofhere—”

The room became a swirl of battered sentences strung together and overlapping. The doctors and nurses took the foreground, asking me questions, never waiting long enough for me to answer. For 
split seconds I could catch the movement behind them. Miranda was holding onto Amara now, dragging her from view. The hospital worker was bent over the crying face of Bella.

“Belladon’tworryyourfatherisgoingtobefinethesemenareheartohelphimit’sokayit’sokaydon’tbescaredcomeonlet’sgowithyourmomandsisterokay?”

“. . . thereisnosignofastrokewe’veplacedacalltoLangleyyesIunderstand . . .”

“. . . sealoffthisareafromvisitors . . .”

“. . . goingtoneedtotransporthim . . .”

Life turned sideways as they wheeled my gurney from the room and raced to the rooftop. Tears were building in my eyes again. I had to resign myself to quick glimpses of the world as I shut my lids and peeked from behind them when something caught my ear or moved me enough to rouse my curiosity.

By the time they got me into the medivac helicopter, I finally understood what Bruchmuller had injected me with. Those four syringes were the culmination of what these doctors had been researching. The world wasn’t speeding up; I was slowing down.

I had become the rat.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

W. Lawrence's Website / Twitter / Facebook  / Goodreads

W Lawrence was born in San Francisco, California, and moved two dozen times before settling in Pennsylvania with his extraordinarily patient wife and two precocious daughters. He wants a boy dog. He works in the world of corporate security as an investigator and professional interviewer/interrogator.

Lawrence is obsessed with 5K zombie runs, comes home empty-handed from hunting turkeys, and loves non-fiction books about pirates. He has no problem reconciling that his two favorite shows are Downton Abbey and The Walking Dead.

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY

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Brought to you by Worldwind Virtual Book Tours

Book Review: Skycastle, the Demon, and Me (Skycastle Series, #1) by Andy Mulberry

Skycastle, the Demon, and Me by Andy Mulberry is a short chapter book for children. It is marketed as a middle grade book, but I think some younger readers would enjoy it as well. Jack gets more than he bargained for when he orders a demon straight from the Underworld. Things go hilariously awry when the demon Brinkloven Crowley the Third, Brink for short, is not quite what Jack expected.

Skycastle, the Demon, and Me is an interesting book, and is the first in a series. Jack lives in a crumbling castle with his family, and they give tours to tourists. The leaking ceiling and dwindling cashflow have Jack a little worried, and when he finds an unusual note touting the Demon Delivery he gets some big ideas for how to make tours, and his time, in the castle more interesting. Jack gets more than he bargained for, and things get pretty interesting with a demon about, but not in any way Jack expects. I felt that Jack's character was relatable for readers, and while the action was not necessarily believable, I think there are many kids that would read and enjoy the story. I was not really thrilled with how unimportant the parents seem to be in the grand scheme of things, both in the action and in Jack's line of thinking. The ending was a little disappointing to me as well, partly because it was a cliff hanger ending to make sure readers continue the series.

Skycastle, the Demon, and Me is a quick read, and will be a fun read for many. I was not thrilled with it, but I think that is because I have read so many really great books for this age group that just alright books make me a little sad. This was a book that fell into that category for me.

Book Review: Conqueror's Kiss by Hannah Howell

Conqueror's Kiss by Hannah Howell is a historical romance. Jennet Graeme has witnessed terrible tragedy during the many years of strife between the Scots and the English. As Scottish invaders plunder her convent sanctuary, she defiantly resists the blond warrior who claims her as his prize. But his brute strength is overpowering and Jennet is forced to ride with him through the lawless lands, tending to the wounded, protected and desired by a man she wants to hate, but cannot. Sir Hacon Gillard is moved by Jennet's compassion and mercy. As a loyal knight, he's pledged fealty to his king's command, even as he loses his heart to this remarkable woman. Merciless in combat, with a leaning toward mercy, this knight faces more than one kind of danger.

Conqueror's Kiss is a romance with a lot going on, perhaps too much. Jennet has been living with war at her doorstep all her life, and seen more bloodshed and horror than anyone should. Hacon is a knight fighting for the Bruce under the command of a harsh lord. murder, pillaging, and rape are part of the daily like in war, and Hacon has taken part in some, but stepped back from from the less honorable part of it all. When he finds Jennet in a nunnery he takes her as plunder, and their journey together begins. The trouble is not only in their relationship, but also with the danger of the day, feuds, and the constant deadly battle. Add in an orphaned baby to care for, a fellow knight that wants Hacon dead, and constant travel and things are hard for our couple. Even when everything seems to come together, danger and compilations intercede more than once. Each of the issues would have made for an interesting and engaging story. However, I thought using all of them was a little much and I was getting impatient for the final resolution.

Conqueror's Kiss has the solid characters and high action and drama that I have come to expect from Howell. Everything was well written, there was just too much and it after awhile thought it was never going to end. I think this comes down to this being a book that Howell published in the early nineties and that amount of growth she has had as a writer since then. 

Book Review: One Creepy Street: The Spider on the Web by Lee Jordan

One Creepy Street: The Spider on the Web by Lee Jordan is a children's book about the dangers of internet predators. This is a rhyming story about one young witch who enjoys playing games and chatting online. However, she begins talking to a spider on the web that is not what he seems. When she makes the mistake of agreeing to meet him she is lucky that her mother and the police are quick to react and save the day.

One Creepy Street: The Spider on the Web is a book with a good message, but that fell a little flat for me. The artwork was bright and whimsical, but looked very much like the cartoons that are completely computer generated. They worked, and I enjoyed some of the background details, but as a big reader of children's books I much prefer hand drawn art. The rhyming is a good idea, to help the lessons be memorable, however often times it felt forced or awkward. My other issue was that when the mother finds the plans for the girl and spider to meet the book specifically mentions that they were  things that she had not deleted. This implies that she has been or should have been deleting things. No, just no. I like that the author is trying to promote web safety, and the importance of the idea that no everyone is who they appear to be online. However, I think several important things were skipped or mishandled. Internet safety is important, and any awareness is good, but I was hoping for more with this book.

One Creepy Street: The Spider on the Web tackles the important topic of internet safety. The message is good, but I think that a few things went wrong here. It could still be a valuable resource depending on the age and independence of the children, but I was a little disappointed. 

Book Review: Lafcadio Hearn's "The Faceless Ghost" and Other Macabre Tales from Japan by Sean Michael Wilson

Lafcadio Hearn's The Faceless Ghost and Other Macabre Tales from Japan is a collection of six of traditional Japanese ghost stories told in graphic novel format by Sean Michael Wilson. All of them are very well known in Japan, where ghosts and demons are often called yokai, meaning "the mysterious and weird." Today these stories find expression mostly in movies and manga, but they remain rooted in the traditional ghost stories of the Edo era known as kaidan, which means "recited narrative of strange, mysterious, rare, or bewitching apparitions." The book includes an afterword by William Scott Wilson, the esteemed translator and editor of Japanese texts and samurai philosophy, who puts the stories into historical context.

Lafcadio Hearn's The Faceless Ghost and Other Macabre Tales from Japan is a good look at some of the traditional stories from Japan. I love learning about the folklore and legends from different parts of the world, and while two of the stories seemed vaguely familiar to me, the complete stories were new to me. I found it fascinating that despite the fact that these are ancient legends from the other side of the world, some ideas are consistent with the urban legends of my own region. I think it is important for readers to see that despite our differences and distance some parts of human existence is shared without ever having crossed paths. The black and white artwork was very well done and captured the emotion and atmosphere of the stories. The collection was a solid read, and while it did not keep me up at night, it certainly had a creepy vibe that stayed with me for a while.

Lafcadio Hearn's The Faceless Ghost and Other Macabre Tales from Japan is an interesting and entertaining collection of traditional Japanese ghost stories. I would recommend it to young adults and adults that enjoy ghost stories and legends, particularly those from other cultures. 

Book Review: Frankencrayon by Michael Hall

Frankencrayon is a picturebook by Michael Hall. However, this book has been cancelled despite the fact that the crayons staring in the story have costumes and were going to tell an fantastic story. However, now that someone is reading the cancelled story, they explain why the picture book has ended. It is all because of the horrible scribble that suddenly interrupted the story. They tried to clean the page, but the scribble just kept getting bigger. It was out of control and everyone was so disturbed that they cancelled the book, but they forgot to tell Frankencrayon. So when the crayons playing him entered on Page 22, they ran right into the scribble.

Frankencrayon is another great picturebook from Hall. I like when the characters of a book talk directly to the reader, particularly when it is done right like it is here. The crayons are preparing to perform for the reader and are disappointed in the cancellation. The explanation of the scribble and resulting cancellation is humorous and delightfully illustrated. The scribble, made continuously worse by the crayons trying to 'fix' it reminded me of many situations. One that could be easily resolved, but only escalated because of fear or panic. When the forgotten Frankencrayon makes his appearance readers expect him to be afraid or act like the other crayons, but the unique perspective and solution by this trio of crayons is perfect.

Frankencrayon is a wonderful picturebook, and would work as a storytime read, or for sharing one on one. 

Early Book Review: Outdoor Math: Fun Activities for Every Season by Emma AdBage

Outdoor Math: Fun Activities for Every Season by Emma AdBage is a book that helps parents, teachers, and children to find ways to get outside and do some math at the same time. It is currently scheduled for release on April 1 2016. The book includes twenty-two outdoor activities, organized by season. With these activities, children will learn about numeracy and arithmetic, as well as math concepts such as shapes, time, greater/less than, even and odd numbers, patterns and grids. The activities have simple-to-follow instructions and are accompanied by adorable illustrations that provide clear visual demonstrations. The natural materials required (stones, pinecones, snowballs, worms) are easy to find in many environments. Supplementary spreads introduce the numbers 1 to 10 and further explore addition/subtraction and multiplication/division, with simplified explanations and illustrated examples. There are also science lessons here, regarding the properties of nature and how things change during the four seasons. Many of the activities can be done in pairs or groups, promoting teamwork and cooperation. A list of activities in the back matter indexes the activities and categorizes them by the math skills they develop.

Outdoor Math is full of pictures and detailed instructions and suggestions for engaging children in games that can help solidify math concepts. There are some very simple games and activities for the youngest learners such as working with shapes, there were more advanced activities that included multiplication and division. I think some of the games and pictures seemed a little dated to me, like the guides my teachers and parents had when I was a kid, the ideas are still sound and would be engaging for the right children. I did like that there was a good variety of games to chose from, and some for every season. It is a useful book, one that would be a good resource to have on hand or for checking out of the library and making copies of the activities you are most likely to implement with your own children or the group you work with or care for.

Outdoor Math is a great resource for parents and teachers to have at their disposal. Using these activities they can help teach or reinforce math lesson, all while having the children playing outside and active. A win-win as far as I am concerned. 

Early Book Review: Willow’s Smile by Lana Button and Tania Howells

Willow’s Smile is a picturebok written by Lana Button and illustrated by Tania Howells. It is currently scheduled for release on April 5 2016. Sometimes Willow smiled without even trying. But sometimes when she wished she could and knew she should, her smile slipped straight off her face. So when her teacher tells the class that Picture Day is coming, shy Willow starts to worry. What if she isn't able to smile for the camera? How can she have her picture taken without smiling? But then on Picture Day, Willow gets the opportunity to watch the other children being photographed. She sees that all of her friends' expressions are unique, and perfect in their own way. And by the time it's her turn, she's realized that she doesn't need to worry about smiling for her picture. She just needs to be herself.

Willow’s Smile is a picturebook that captures the worries children might have come picture day, and that the adults reading along might have when it comes time for pictures as well. Giving the perfect smile when it is time is not always easy, and many of the children in the book are worried about it in their own way. I like that the story gives Willow the chance to see that she is not alone in her worries, and to help those around her. The illustrations are charmingly simple and capture the expressions and moods of the characters as they change through out the story.

Willow’s Smile is a perfect book for sharing with a child, or class, before picture day or any event that promises plenty of picture taking. It can both offer assurances and coping methods for those that are worried about how they will look in pictures, and what makes a perfect picture. It could even act as a conversation starter about those concerns, what makes a good picture, and why we take the pictures.