Scumble by Ingrid Law

OOOO this is a GOOD book.
I picked this one up to see if it would be a good read aloud for my 6 and 7 year olds. YES YES YES!!! This is  a super book and I think I will read it aloud and the companion book Savvy too.

Scumble by Ingrid Law is a winner. This family is just like yours and mine, well, almost. They have super powers but not like The Incredibles. This is just plain fun and entertaining. Have you ever played that game with your kids, what if I could pull anythign out of my pocket I thought of? What if I could jump super high? What if I could use mind control to get my kids to behave? Fun game. This is the book! Here, it is real. How cool is that.
Ledger turned 13, the age when people in his family get their savvy (special power) and wow is his a whopper, will he learn to scumble (control/embrace) his savvy before he causes a really huge disaster? Is his savvy a gift or a curse?  I love the simple story that gets a complicated twist and weaves in the everyday with the super. Ledger is not so unlike us, he must learn to master his fears before he finds that his talent is truly a gift. Hmmm, sounds like the author knows what it is like to be normal, and to realize that none of us are truly all that average. We all have a gift to use and to do it well, there are things to be conquered.  This book is fun, it is cool, it is awesome and I am SO reading all of them! Out loud.

This book would be appropriate for any age. It is written at an older elementary reading level.

This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel

This Dark Endeavor, The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstien by Kenneth Oppel is a teen fiction book for sure. I would not recommend a child under the age of 13 to read this book.
This book is very well written. It crafts an intriguing story out of the ordinary, which is the most captivating. While there was nothing outrageously grabbing about this story it was more than a page turner. This being the case, I would pose some cautions about the book's content. It is dark, it is foreboding, it dabbles in dark magic of ancient times, not made up fantasy stuff. The choices of the characters are real and dramatic and not so unlike any of us if presented with the same set of circumstances. For this reason I recommend parental preview of this book and a good bit of caution. While this book does not have anything to do with vampires and the like, it is going to appeal more to those who are interested in that genera than those who liked Narnia, Fablehaven or even Harry Potter. This book ends like it is the begining of a series. I have not found info on any further writing of a series, so for now it stands alone. And maybe, despite it's being so well written, it should be left there.

Beyonders, A World With No Heroes by Brandon Mull

Beyonders is a new series by Brandon Mull (of the Fablehaven book series). This is the first book in the series. A World Without Heroes starts off a bit clouded. I could not tell where it was going for the first few chapters and almost put it down. A certain bad vibe for getting my teen to read it. However, it picked up quite nicely after a few chapters and knowing Brandon Mull's other works really held me to the reading to see what he brought forth this time. By the time the main character had fallen into another world and discovered a strange............. oh, I can't tell you that would ruin it! Anyway, by that time, I was snatching every available minute to read. The turn of events were clever and surprising, there is much more to be written in this story. I am intrigued with the series and will be reading every one of them as they come out.

And you should too. I even think my teen will make it through the first few chapters and be hooked.

This would be an appropriate book for kids in grades 3-12
Moderate violence, but nothing graphic. Mild romantic interest between the main characters. VERY mild.

fall

Ok, I have been quite lax in updating this. School started and well, I'm not here much. I am going to take a bit and give you a few posts on some books I have read this fall. Scroll on.

Book Review: Wormling series by Jenkins and Fabry

I have just finished the Wormling series by Jerry B. Jenkins and Chris Fabry.  I would highly recommend this book for kids over the age of 7. The frightneing parts are seriously tempored to allow a younger audience without really letting any of the "thrill" go. It is really well written and captivating. I dislike slow moving books and this is a nicely paced plot and will hold some twists and turns appropriate for elementary aged kids. While this book could be very enjoyable for older kids they may be able to guess some of the twits and plot endings a bit too soon. Not so for kids under 12.

There are five books in this series and they read like one big book with mini books.  So, you really need to start from the first and read them all in order and one after the other.

The story follows a boy, he may be about 13 or so when this starts out, his age is never mentioned. His name is Owen Reader and he lives a rather secluded and nerdy life in a bookstore with his single parent dad. Modern day.  He is not a very happy boy and strange turns of events make him even more so. However, he is an inquisitive boy and brave despite his first appearance. The story follows him through a series of epic ordeals and otherworld travels (not so modern day) to reavel to the reader as well as to Owen himself the answers to the basic questions we all ask.Who am I, what am I here for and what matters? He also deals with the question that is becoming more common now. What is real?  Owen learns great truths and how to trust what is true when you can not see it and it seems to be far far off. The reader may find that in following Owen, he or she learns a great deal about him or herself.

This is a Christian book, and as such holds a great many rephrased passages from the Bible. It is an allegory of sorts and does a good job. I would say that it is not preachy and would also be a fine read, very interesting and not overbearing for a reader of no particular faith.

I highly recommend this book.

The series contains these 5 books:
The Book of the King
The Sword of the Wormling
The Changeling
The Minions of Time
The Author's Blood