Showing posts with label avi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label avi. Show all posts

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Book Review- Avi- Crispin: The Cross of Lead


Avi- Crispin: The Cross of Lead (2004) 3.5 Stars

One day Asta died and suddenly her son was left alone. After finding out he was christened with a royal name, Crispin, he finds himself on the run. Everyone wants him dead and he has no idea why. Medieval England is an intimidating place for a servant boy with no friends. Coming across a man named Bear, may just have been the best thing that happened to him. At least now he has someone looking out for him.

Starting off a little slow, it did pick up the pace fairly quickly. It wasn’t ever really gripping until the end, but it was interesting enough to keep me reading. I love this time period and found it cool to see how they wound their way through the countryside. The characters were captivating, although I am not sure why it took Crispin so long to figure things out. The plot was good, but there weren’t a lot of twists. I did love the ending though, it was very exciting and was a great conclusion of events.

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

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Book Review- Avi- Windcatcher






Avi- Windcatcher (Avon Books 1992) 3.75 Stars







Tony has just bought his first small sailboat and he is going to stay with his grandma for a couple of weeks to learn how to sail. While out sailing he comes across a couple in a motorboat hunting for a long lost treasure. Curiosity gets the better of him, and he finds himself following the couple around. When he finds himself lost and confused out in the water, the couple is too busy searching for their treasure to help him. Will he ever find land? Or will the couple prevent him from ratting them out?







The introduction was great; it sets the tone for the rest of novel beautifully. It did slow down for a while, but I was still curious to see just how or if he would find the treasure. The setting was well done, painting a wonderful picture. The characters were decent. I would have liked to have seen a little more depth to all the characters except the main, he was well done. The plot was good, although could have been tweaked a little, and wasn’t unpredictable in any way. I still found it to be a good read; kids would enjoy 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/




Monday, November 1, 2010

Book Review- Avi- The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle



Avi- The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle (Avon Camelot 1997) 3 Stars



Thirteen-year-old Charlotte Doyle is now a passenger on the ship Seahawk, setting sail for the first time. She has been warned not to make the voyage on this particular ship, but for Charlotte there is no other option. She must now sail on a ship with a captain who rules a crew who hates him. He shows no mercy and his crew wants nothing more than to see him gone. Now Charlotte seems to be stuck in the middle of a battle she wants nothing to do with.



It took me a long time to get into this book. The introduction did not grab me; it was just good enough for me to keep reading. Then we see Charlotte on the ship and you kind of wonder what is going on. I did not really start enjoying this book until two-thirds of the way through. The last third was really good and I did enjoy the twist that Avi threw in. I do wish that the book had been less predictable, it would have made it easier to get into. I loved the depth of the characters, and sailing books make for an interesting setting, as they are at the mercy of the weather and the ocean. Overall I would only recommend this book to those who love books about sailing.



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/

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Book Review- Avi and Rachel Vail- Never Mind!



Avi and Rachel Vail- Never Mind! (HarperCollins 2004) 4.5 Stars



Meg and Edward are twins, and are complete opposites. When their parents decide to send them both to different schools, they both see it as an opportunity. Meg wishes to get into a High Achievers Club at her new school and be in with the “important” crowd, and Edward wants nothing more than to stop that from happening. Listening into her phone conversation he knows exactly what he must do, the question is how can he possibly do it?



I was very impressed with this book. Normally when you see co-authored books they lack the quality of a single-authored book, but not so with this one. They do a wonderful job of creating two separate points of view and you see them get caught in their own tangled webs of their own weaving. I loved the humour in this book, it was witty and out right hilarious. I think I would have found it more so if I was a twin. Reading about these two siblings try to derail each other is very amusing. These two characters are complex and it was good to watch them grow/learn about themselves. We see a battle of wits and how much trouble lies can get you into. I think that young teens will find this book amusing and should have no problems relating to these two characters. The plot was not deep, but it was certainly entertaining. In the end we see them discover that they may be more alike then they had thought. I would recommend this novel to anyone wanting a good laugh.



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/