Book Review- Catherine Clark- Lost In Space

Catherine Clark- Lost In Space (Scholastic Books 1998) 1 Stars

Young Will Robinson and his family are flying into space, headed to a new planet to start up a settlement, as Earth is being destroyed. Sabotaged early on they now find themselves lost in space and fighting to survive. How will they find their way in this wide open space?

It starts off fairly boring and it only picks up in a couple of places. The overall plot was not all that complex, nor interesting. The situations that the family finds themselves in are kind of lame and hard to believe. The characters are decent, but don’t have a lot of depth. It might interest those who like the movie, or like sci-fi, but not very many other people. Overall, I could probably describe this book in one word, cheesy.

For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com.

Tony Peters

Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Book Review- Brad Meltzer- The Zero Game

Brad Meltzer- The Zero Game (Coronet Books 2004) 3.75 Stars

Matthew and Harris are both senior staffers on the capital. They have both just started in on the secret Zero Game, where they place secret wagers on the capital. Now they have discovered that it is becoming deadly and may just cost them their lives. Now they must redeem themselves and get to the bottom of this while running for their lives.

It took me awhile to get into this one; it could have had a better introduction. It did slowly pick up and become faster-paced. I enjoyed the plot and the many twists and turns that it took along the way. The characters were well done and as always were a strong point in his books. It was a little weird how it started out as first person as one person, but the switched to a different person after a little bit. It had a great ending that was action-filled and wrapped things up nicely. Overall, I did enjoy reading this book; I just wished that it had started off better.

For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com.

Tony Peters

Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Book Review- Andy McDermott- The Secret Vault

Andy McDermott- The Secret Vault (Bantam Books 2011) 3.5 Stars

When precious art begins to go missing from around the world, security is beefed up around the newly discovered Talonor Codex. Nina Wilde had discovered this journal when she found Atlantis. A gutsy robbery attempt begins Nina and Eddie’s race against the clock as they try to find the clues in the Codex that will lead to the mythical Vault of Shiva, before the villain does. As an ancient faith is twisted to suit someone’s needs, Nina must work with true followers to find the truth before it is too late.

These books always start off great, with an introduction that grabs your attention. That being said, it is also always followed by a boring section that could have been trimmed down. The whole wedding scene could have been cut, as it was just fluff. This one picked up quicker than many of the other books by him though, which I was happy with. It was very fast-paced and action-packed, something McDermott is really good at. The overall plot was pretty good as well, with several good twists, although it was not unpredictable. The final twist is setting up for the next book, that one was a bit of a surprise. The ending was really good, a great way to wrap things up. The realism was definitely a weak point once again, but it was counteracted by getting to see all kinds of cool places. The characters were also a strong point, although they can be a little cheesy at times. Overall this was a better book by this author.

For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com.

Tony Peters

Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Book Review- Brad Meltzer- The Book of Fate

Brad Meltzer- The Book of Fate (Hachette Book Group 2007) 3.5 Stars

As a presidential aide, Wes Holloway thought his life couldn’t get better, but it sure could get a lot worse in a heck of hurry. When an assassin shoots Boyle, the president’s best friend and adviser, as well as Wes Holloway things are never the same again. Left with half a functioning face and shattered confidence, Wes must try to cope with the after effects. Now Boyle has suddenly turned up again and Wes finds himself in danger from all sides. Can he find out what is going on before he winds up dead?

It started off pretty interesting, with all the foreshadowing comments from the main character. Then with the botched presidential assassination it was really good. Sadly it took a nose dive and was pretty slow for quite some time. Eventually it did slowly build up to a great explosive ending. It should have ended about twenty pages before it did though, as the ending was kind of pointless. I loved the characters in this book, they were very well done. I especially loved Rogo, Wes’ best friend, he helped the story along greatly and provided comic relief. The overall plot was really good; it had the potential to be a lot more fast-paced than it was. Overall the book was pretty good and I would recommend reading it.

For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com.

Tony Peters

Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Book Review- S. L. Linnea- Chasing Eden

S. L. Linnea- Chasing Eden (St. Martin’s 2007) 3 Stars

With Iraq at war Jaime Richards is a chaplain in the army. She is suddenly reunited with her friend Adara out in the desert and is thrown into a mission to protect the secret of Eden from falling into the wrong hands. A secret society wants it for the wrong reasons, and protecting the secret might be more than she can handle.

It started off in a really interesting manner that grabbed my attention immediately. I then started to lose attention and only gained the feeling back a few times. The characters were very well done and were definitely a redeeming quality of the book. The overall storyline was good and should have led to a quicker-paced book than this was. I did love the ending, it wrapped things up nicely. Overall it was an okay book, but I wouldn’t slap my personal recommendation on it.

For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com.

Tony Peters

Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Book Review- Kate Morgenroth- Jude

Kate Morgenroth- Jude (Simon Pulse 2006) 4 Stars

Jude is fifteen and living with his abusive, drug dealing father, when one day he is murdered before Jude’s eyes. The killer makes him swear not to say anything, and so he refuses to tell the police who did it. Now he has just found out who his mother is and will be going to live with her. Winning her approval will involve an attempt at helping further her political position, only it backfires and will result in a hunt for revenge.

The book started off well. It gets you into the thick of it immediately and so you want to know just what is happening and what is going to be the result. It was interesting to see Jude’s desire to win his mother’s approval and how disastrous it seems to be for him. It was also very sad throughout the book; I cannot give too many details on that without giving out spoilers. Even the ending is bittersweet and I am not really sure just what I think of it. The characters are very well done and have some great depth. I am not sure what I think of the underlying message of this novel as it is kind of negative and doesn’t really promote trust. Overall though I enjoyed this novel and would certainly recommend it.

For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com.

Tony Peters

Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Book Review- Gary Paulsen- Harris and Me

Gary Paulsen- Harris and Me (Dell Books 1993) 4.5 Stars

Eleven years old and used to living in the city with his drunken parents, he now has to spend the summer on a backwoods farm with his cousin Harris. Learning the ropes of working on a farm, he will be working harder than he has ever had to work in his life. At the same time he is having more fun with his cousin than he has had at any point in his life. From attacking pigs, to catching mice, life couldn’t be better. If only he didn’t have to leave.

I loved this book. Watching a boy go from having to live with neglectful parents who want nothing more than a good drink, find a place where he belongs, is wonderful. I enjoyed seeing all the trouble this pair got into at the leading of Harris. The characters in this book were very well done and seemed to jump off of every page. I chuckled many times reading this novel. The plot wasn’t deep, but it really did not need to be, it was more about the exploits of Harris and watching the main character find himself. It was rather odd that I don’t recall ever finding out the main character’s name. The ending was very sad, but touching at the same time, this made it more realistic than if it ended in a happy-go-lucky manner. Overall, I definitely enjoyed this book and would easily slap my recommendation on it.

For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com.

Tony Peters

Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/