Book Review- Julilly H. Kohler- The Boy Who Stole the Elephant

Julilly H. Kohler- The Boy Who Stole the Elephant (Scholastic 1970) 3 Stars

When Queenie, the world’s biggest elephant, comes along Gyp never would have imagined how much it would change his life. The elephant and Gyp are soon the best of friends and now Catfish Williams the circus owner plans to sell Queenie, even though the elephant does not belong to him. Gyp is forced to steal the elephant in a desperate attempt to return Queenie to her proper owner.

My Dad had read this book to me when I was a small child, but I did not remember what I had thought of it. I found the introduction to be rather slow and it did not grab my attention. However I do think that children will find the concept of running away with a huge elephant rather exciting. It did get better and it got more and more interesting as it went on. However, most of the characters were rather shallow and even Gyp (the main character) did not have a lot of depth. The plot itself was good and I do think that kids would enjoy it if they got past the introductory section.

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

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

www.eloquentbooks.com/kidsonacase.html

Book Review- Elizabeth Janet Gray- Adam of the Road

Elizabeth Janet Gray- Adam of the Road (Puffin Books 1988) 3.75 Stars

It is the thirteenth century in England and 11-year-old Adam wants nothing more than to be a minstrel. His father is the personal minstrel of royalty and he is coming to take Adam to learn the tricks of the trade. Adam is taking his red spaniel, Nick, with him and when his dog is stolen he finds himself searching many roads for his beloved pet. Adam now finds himself separated from his father and Nick, and he must rely on his own personality and skill to survive.

I did enjoy this book overall, although it did have its boring sections. The characters were well-crafted and seem to pop off of every page. I also loved the setting as Elizabeth Gray painted a beautiful picture of this time period and you could tell that she had done her homework in researching the medieval era. The lessons that Adam learns along the way of his journey make great lessons for life, and they were integrated into the story with suck skill that they did not feel like a lesson. I remembered reading this book in school during our medieval studies, which helped bring those nostalgic moments, although I did not remember much about this book. I would recommend this book to children and youth.

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

Tony Peters
Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnappinghttp://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Book Review- Gary McCarthy- The Cimarron River

Gary McCarthy- The Cimarron River (Bantam Books 1999) 2.5 Stars

The Cimarron River leads to many places, including Santa Fe, where Andy Parmentier intends to go. Andy Parmentier is a farmer from Indiana who has always dreamed of going exploring and finding gold. After dramatic events unfold he is forced to set off after his dreams. What he does not know is just what dangers lie ahead and the trials he has yet to face.

This book was just okay. It was interesting enough that I continued reading and finished reading it, but it was not a great read. I found the characters to be rather shallow and the fact that we saw a complete character shift at a few points in the book was rather annoying as I then had to get acquainted with brand new people. The plot seemed rather weak as well and not well-though out. It also did not seem realistic at many points and things just seemed to work out a little too well. I do not recommend this one.

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- Anne M. Dooley- Plane Death

Anne M. Dooley- Plane Death (NeWest Press 1996) 3 Stars

When a plane goes missing Elie Meade, a commercial pilot, volunteers to help find the plane. What they find was no ordinary missing plane. They discover that the plane had been tampered with. Now they must find the killer and the motive. Diamonds in Northern Saskatchewan, could that be the reason behind this mysterious death? When a second body turns up, Elie discovers that she must find the killer before she becomes the main suspect.

I was happy to find a Canadian book to give a try, but sadly it did not meet my expectations. It was bad, but it certainly wasn’t great either. It was interesting to actually read a book about areas I know, considering it takes place around Saskatoon where I used to live. It was also refreshing to see it coming from a different perspective then I am used to seeing. It came from the perspective of a small time pilot and mother of two university students. I did find that it wasn’t really a gripping introduction, just good enough to keep me reading. The ending was great though; an action-filled scene and a surprising culprit. I was a little disappointed in how easily a lot of the clues came, although I liked that none of them had an idea who it was until it slapped them in the face. I would not recommend this one, but if you are looking for a Canadian author you might give it a try.

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
www.eloquentbooks.com/kidsonacase.html

Book Review- Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child- Reliquary

Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child- Reliquary (Tor Books 1997) 3.5 Stars

When two deformed skeletons are discovered underwater, an investigation into not only the deaths, but the deformities begins. Margo Green is brought in to assist the police in their investigation, due to her knowledge in anthropology. Police lieutenant D’Agosta and FBI agent Pendergast are hunting deep beneath the streets of Manhattan, in tunnels few remember to find the ugly truth behind these two deaths and the gross deformities. No one could have imagined the dangers lying in wait, deep beneath Manhattan.

This pair can definitely write a mean thriller, however the little science fiction twist was a little weird for me, as I do not really like anything quite that bizarre. That being said I did enjoy this book for the most part. I liked the introduction although it wasn’t as gripping as some. I also enjoyed the intensity of this book, it was a little slower to start with, but the last half was really intense. The twists this book took were well crafted and added to this intensity, including the final big twist that I did not see coming. I did find the perspective shifts a little distracting, although I do not know how it could have been done differently. I loved all the details of the underground tunnels as it was very interesting and got the imagination flowing. This is a very talented writing pair and although I would not read this book again, I would read more by them.

I do recommend Reliquary to anyone who enjoys a thriller with a little oddity.

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

Tony Peters
Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping
www.eloquentbooks.com/kidsonacase.html

Book Review- Jeffery Deaver- The Bodies Left Behind

Jeffery Deaver- The Bodies Left Behind (Pocket Star Books 2008) 3.75 Stars

Brynn McKenzie is an off-duty deputy, who has just been sent to check out a 911 call at a vacation home by Lake Mondac. When she arrives she finds a horrifying scene. A couple has been murdered and the murderers are still there. Forced to run or die, she takes off into the woods and finds a survivor of the attack. Being hunted down she must try to keep both herself and the survivor alive.

At first I wasn’t sure about this one, but knowing Deaver’s great ability for suspense I kept reading. It did not take long to improve and make me glad that I kept reading. This book had many twists and turns which made it so that you never knew what was coming next. At times it seemed that there were a few too many twists. I did enjoy the fact that the main characters were well crafted and seemed realistic. The setting was painted beautifully in my mind through Deaver’s great ability to describe the scene. I did find that things seemed to fall into place a little too easily at times, but the characters were supposed to be smart so it could be attributed to that, even so I would have liked to have seen things be a little less coincidental.

I do recommend this book to Deaver fans and those who enjoy a good thriller.

For more of my book reviews check out my website, http://www.tonypeters.webs.com/

Tony Peters
Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping
www.eloquentbooks.com/kidsonacase.html

Book Review- Faye Kellerman- Street dreams

Faye Kellerman- Street dreams (Warner Books 2004) 3 Stars

Cindy Decker was walking her routine beat for the LAPD when she saved a baby from a dumpster. Curiosity leads to an investigation into who the child’s parents are and suddenly her life is filled with danger. Backed up by her father who is a Lieutenant, she follows the case towards attempted murder and eventually murder. Now she must find the killer before he strikes another victim down.

I loved the introduction to this book; it grabbed my attention and made me want to read on. Sadly my attention waned rather quickly. The book was up and down in the interest factor. It had really intense parts with great investigative writing, but then it was diluted by an incredible amount of fluff that could have been edited out. Part of this fluff was the prologue, which could have been removed. Another part of this fluff was Lieutenant Decker’s investigation into an ancient murder, which distracted from the case at hand and was not really attention grabbing, but definitely boring. The characters were very deep and I enjoyed seeing how well-crafted they were, but at the same time I felt that they were overdone and it just ended up detracting from the plot. Overall I thought that this book was just average and would not read another by this author.

For more of my book reviews check out my website, http://www.tonypeters.webs.com/

Tony Peters
Kids on a Case: The case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping
http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/