Book Review- Richard Peck- Here Lies the Librarian

Richard Peck- Here Lies the Librarian (Scholastic Books 2006) 3 Stars

The back of the book describes it as: Peewee idolizes Jake, a big brother whose dreams of auto mechanic glory are fueled by the hard road coming to link their Indiana town and futures with the twentieth century. And motoring down the road comes Irene Ridpath, a young librarian with plans to astonish them all and turn Peewee’s life upside down.

It was an interesting beginning. Something about the writing style brought me in and made me want to read more of it. The plot was not overly deep; in fact I would call it the major weak point of this novel. I failed to what the point in the book was. That being said, the characters were quite well done and were easy to get attached to. They were a lot of fun. The overall book was enjoyable to read about as well, especially the racing scenes. Kids who enjoy racing or historical settings would likely find this book up their alley.

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
http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Book Review- Nancy Farmer- The Sea of Trolls

Nancy Farmer- The Sea of Trolls (Atheneum Books 2004) 4.5 Stars

When berserkers strike Jack’s village, he suddenly finds himself protecting his sister as they are taken across the sea. Olaf One-Brow is now their master and will take them on adventures around the world. Bold Heart, a mysterious crow has tagged along for the ride, as Jack’s friend. Together this crew will embrace adventure and fight the many dangers hidden in the far corners of the globe.

A slower start to this book, but something about it still captured my attention. I loved Farmer’s writing style and would love to read more books in this series. The characters were great, jumping off every page and adding depth to the novel. The fantasy side was blended in so wonderfully that even though I am not normally into those books, I enjoyed the twist. The plot was beautifully crafted and captivating. The setting was great, as it was ever changing, keeping you on your toes, never knowing what you are going to run into next. If I had to come up with a negative I would say that she could have drawn it out a little further, which I do not normally say. Overall I loved this book and will be looking for more by this author.


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
http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Book Review- Raymond Khoury- The Last Templar

Raymond Khoury- The Last Templar (Signet Books 2006) 3.5 Stars

In 1291 the Templars are being hunted down and are struggling to hide a chest filled with secrets that could change the world. Now in Manhattan a museum is robbed of their Templar Knights display. Murders are now ripping through New York, all connected to the museum robbery. An archaeologist and FBI agent are teaming up to solve this case before it is too late.

***SPOILER ALERT***

The book was well written, with an introduction that grabs your attention right off the bat. The plot was also very good with some great twists and turns along the way. The setting was interesting, and he merged the time period shifting very well. I also had some things that I found to be fundamentally wrong with the book. The author had his characters bashing religion as a whole a lot, which I found to be frustrating, although he kind of made up for it in the end. I do not like to see any religion being insulted. The main character, Reilly, was very easily shaken from his faith, which was also kind of frustrating. Tess, the other main character, is also so willing to believe the scroll she finds is authentic and accurate, and yet she has less proof of its validity then anyone else has in their religions. I also found it hard to fathom how Reilly can so easily forgive Tess when she betrays his trust so often, which doesn’t seem very realistic.

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- L.J. Martin- McKeag’s Mountain

L.J. Martin- McKeag’s Mountain (Pinnacle Books 2004) 3.75 Stars

Prager wants the Lucky Seven ranch to add to his own Bar X, but McKeag does not intend to let him take it. Things are heating up and when Prager hires seven killers to take out the Lucky Seven men, McKeag is shot down and his wife killed. Now McKeag must heal, and when he does, he intends to take out every single person responsible for the murder of his wife and several of his hands.

The introduction for this western is slower, but sets things up in a way that you know it is going to pick up. It does pick up and get quite interesting, although it is predictable in what is going to happen at each point. Although it is predictable, it was still action packed. It also is not all that realistic in many of the scenes. It was still a very interesting read and the characters were good. It was nice to see it taking place in Montana, which is close to home for me (just a few hours away). Overall I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good western.

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
http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Book Review- Nancy Belgue- Summer on the Run

Nancy Belgue- Summer on the Run (Orca Book Publishers 2005) 3.5 Stars

The depression is running rampant and surviving is getting tough, forcing people to find alternate ways of making money. Their father riding the rails and their mother struggling to keep food on the table, Doris and Douglas must find a way to get by. Douglas has decided to start rum-running and Doris must try to keep him from getting busted. Forced to leave their home, they must flee to Point Pelee for the summer.

I never really got to the point where I felt captivated by this book. It was a decent read, but not one that I would pick up and read again. The plot was kind of interesting as it shows you what life was like during the depression from a child’s perspective. It had a couple of twists, but you pretty much knew what was going to happen in the end, still you want to find out just how it is going to come about. The characters were definitely a high point in this book, they were very well done. The setting of course was great to see. Canada is quite often forgotten about in book s about the depression era. Overall this book is a good educational tool for teaching about the depression, and is a decent read.

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
http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Book Review- Ted Dekker- Blink of an Eye

Ted Dekker- Blink of an Eye (Center Street 2011) 3.75 Stars

With an extremely high IQ, Seth Border thinks he has it made. He is on the fast track to any job that he could ever imagine, until one day a princess from Saudi Arabia stumbles into his path. Now he is seeing bits of the future and trying to keep her from those who wish her harm. Now he is wanted by many deadly groups and he must trust this new skill to keep them safe.

This book got off to a really slow start; I only kept on reading because my wife told me that it picked up later on. She was correct; it definitely picks up and gets to be really fast paced. The plot was filled with many twists that keep you guessing, but in the end the book is still pretty predictable. I also find the skill of seeing bits of the future a little too farfetched, but you know going in that it is going to be a little sci-fi. Ted Dekker always writes odd books and this one certainly fits into his writing style. The characters were well done and it was interesting to learn about different cultures. Overall I would recommend this book to people who enjoy Dekker’s books.

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
http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Book Review- Ridley Pearson- The Art of Deception

Ridley Pearson- The Art of Deception (Hyperion 2002) 3.5
Stars

When a young woman’s body is found in the river, having been
thrown off of a bridge, Seattle
police must find her killer. Daphne Matthews and John LaMoia must dig for the truth
behind the killer, sifting through lies and deception to get to what is real. Meanwhile
they are also trying to uncover why two women have gone missing, and a peeping
tom has been reported in the area. At the same time Boldt is doing a favour for
a friend by looking into the mysterious death of an Asian man.

I found this book to be a little slow to start off with, but
it still had enough to capture my attention. The pace did pick up, getting
faster and faster as the book went on. It had a great ending, although the
little end section could have been cut out. The plot had some great twists,
although none of them were huge shockers. The characters were pretty good; they
seem to grow with every book in the series. I liked that we got to learn a
little more about Matthews and LaMoia, it gave the series more depth. Overall I
felt that the book was pretty good and I would recommend it to anyone who
enjoys this series.

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/