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/

Book Review- Andy McDermott- The Secret of Excalibur

Andy McDermott- The Secret of Excalibur (Bantam Books 2010) 2 Stars

When Nina Wilde’s friend is killed after revealing that he can track down Excalibur, she takes up the hunt. However a group of Russians seem to want more, so much more that they are willing to kill for it. Whoever wields the sword has the power of the Earth’s energy and can create a super weapon. Nina and Eddie must prevent the sword from being used as a weapon and stay alive in the process.

It took me quite awhile to get into this book. It started off pretty slow, but did manage to pick up the pace. It then was really action-packed and filled with unrealistic scenes that put the characters in situations they never could have gotten out of. The characters were shot and beaten to a pulp and yet carried on and won each situation. I also found the “earth energy” thing far-fetched and very hard to believe. The characters were fairly well done, which was a positive in this novel. I did also enjoy how it travelled the globe; I always love seeing various parts of the world in books. Overall I would not recommend this book as it just seemed to go from one unrealistic situation to the next.

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- Gayle Lynds- The Book of Spies

Gayle Lynds- The Book of Spies (Scholastic 1982) 4.25 Stars

The Library of Gold has been missing for years, intriguing historians. Now a book has turned up from the collection and the CIA is hunting for more of them. Eva Blake has been dragged into the hunt by an unexpected turn of events and Judd Ryder will be working with her for his own personal reasons. Together they will scour the globe and face grave dangers.

This book had a bit of a slow start, with just enough intrigue to keep you reading. Once it picked up though, it never let up. It was fast-paced and action packed. You just never knew what was coming at you next. I did find it a little annoying how it changed from one person’s perspective to another; this made it tough to focus. The characters were well done and had adequate background for the story. Although the situations were not necessarily the most realistic, they were not distractingly unrealistic. Overall I enjoyed this book and would recommend Gayle Lynds.

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- Patricia Hermes - Fly Away Home

Patricia Hermes- Fly Away Home (Little, Brown Canada 1996 ) 3.75 Stars

Amy Alden has been forced to move from New Zealand to Canada after her mother passes away and she comes to live with her father. When construction workers jump the gun in the marsh nearby Canada Geese eggs are left for dead by the parents. Now Amy is going to raise the hatchlings which may just lead to more challenges, like teaching them to migrate.

I remembered hearing a lot about this movie growing up, but never actually watched it, so it was kind of neat to read the book. It was kind of a little slow all the way through, but it was still interesting to see Amy adjust to living with her Dad and not her Mom. I liked seeing her go through the emotional side of separated parents. The plot wasn’t overly deep, but it really did not need to be for this storyline. It had the appropriate challenges being faced in order to make things interesting. The character were very well crafted and seemed to jump off of every page. Anyone who loves a good animal story will certainly enjoy this book.

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/