Shannon's Review - The Saint Of Dragons by Jason Hightman

Title: The Saint Of Dragons
Series: Simon St. George #1
Author: Jason Hightman
Illustrator/Book Cover Design: Vince Natale, and Hilary Zarycky
Genre: Fiction, Juvenile, Fantasy, Dragons
Publisher: Eos
Received: Bought
Release Date: September 2004
Pages: 291
Rating:




Author Jason Hightman’s Official Websites:


(borrowed from Goodreads.com)


Website:
None Found

Blog:
None Found

Facebook:
None Found

Twitter:
None Found

Instagram:
None Found



Shannon’s Thoughts:

A young man, Simon St. George, has spent his life thinking of himself as an orphan until his father comes to the private school and claims him. His father reveals he and Simon come from a long line of dragon slayers. Simon thinks his so-called father is nuts. Together they go on an adventure unlike any other.

The book opens up with Simon meeting his father for the first time so of course, the relationship is estranged. Simon's father believes he fights dragons. Although Simon believes his father is crazy because how could dragons be real? But Simon will soon realize that his father is not crazy as they deal with dragons, magic, and so much more. I enjoyed the way dragons were modernized. Regular people who couldn't see magic only saw a regular person but those that were more magically inclined saw the dragon for what he was, an evil being that wanted power.

I can't think of anything that I didn't link about the book. there was magic there was a twist it pretty much had everything. Including a love interest for the father.

It is a series I would like to continue I know there are a couple more books in the series. I'll see if I ever get to it as I have so many books to read but this was enjoyable. The writing was good and I did like the twist at the end

Shannon's Review - Hannah And The Angels #6 Mardi Gras Mix-Up by Linda Lowery Keep

Title: Mardi Gras Mix-Up
Series: Hannah And The Angels #6

Author: Linda Lowery Keep
Illustrator/Book Cover Design: Unknown
Genre: Juvenile, Chapter book, Fiction, Angels, Fantasy
Publisher: Random House Book For Young Readers
Received: bought
Release Date: June 1999
Pages: 128
Rating:




Author’Linda Lowery Keep's Official Websites:



Website:
https://lindalowery.com/

Blog:
None found

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/lowerykeepbooks/

Twitter:
https://twitter.com/lowerykeep

Instagram:
None Found



Shannon’s Thoughts:

Young Hannah has been chosen to help others and her angel friends guide her on the journey. Hannah makes new friends as she helps those that seem like they are alone in their struggle. In Mardi Gras Mix Up Hannah is led to a young boy in a wheelchair who has run away because he does not want to leave his home.

I like chapter books like this. It is a sweet short story not made too easy. It reminds me of Touched By Angel for kids. This was the first one in this series I had read. I could follow what was happening but I did feel like I would understand the reason for angels if I read the first book. Hopefully one day I will.

The only downside is that I feel the angels are not in the book as much as I thought they would be. Everything is kinda put on Hannah’s shoulders which is kinda rough for a preteen.

Hannah and the Angels is a great series for kids ages 5 and up. I would also recommend The Fairy School series by Gail Carson Levine.

Shannon's Review - Kingston And The Magician's Lost And Found by Rucker Moses and Theo Gangi

Title: Kingston And The Magician’s Lost And Found
Series: Kingston #1
Author: Rucker Moses and Theo Gangi
Illustrator/Book Cover Design: Dan Mumford
Genre: Fiction, Juvenile, Fantasy, Magic,
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons For Young Readers
Received: From Publisher For An Honest Review
Release Date: February 2021
Pages: 288
Rating:



Author Rucker Moses (aka Craig S. Phillips and Harold Hayes Jr.) and Theo Gangi Official Websites:





Websites:

Rucker Moses: https://www.ruckermoses.com/
Theo Gangi: https://www.theogangi.com/

Blog:
Rucker Moses: None Found
Theo Gangi: None Found

Facebook:
Rucker Moses: https://www.facebook.com/rucker.moses
Theo Gangi: https://www.facebook.com/theo.gangi

Twitter:
Rucker Moses: https://twitter.com/rucker_moses
Theo Gangi: https://twitter.com/tprgangi

Instagram:
Rucker Moses: https://www.instagram.com/rucker.moses/
Theo Gangi: https://www.instagram.com/theoblackgangi/



Shannon’s Thoughts:

Kingston and his mother moved away from Echo City when his father disappeared. Now 4 years later they have moved back to open a restaurant. Kingston wanders the town reminded of his father and how he disappeared in front of his own eyes. Kingston soon discovers that magic is real and his father disappeared for a good reason. Kingston finds out that he might be able to bring him back.

The book is pretty fast-paced and is very original. The magic rules used are very different than other books. The four elements are spoken of but they are not the elements that you would normally think of. This made the book confusing and interesting at the same time. Your expecting one thing and get another.

While I liked the different world and the magic, I feel like I needed more info and more history. How did the father and his brothers learn magic was real and when? What exactly was the reason for the father to sacrifice himself? Just so many questions but I guess that is what the next book (and others) will hopefully answer.

Kingston And The Magicians Lost And Found was enjoyable and I would like to read the sequel. Kids who enjoy magicians and fantasy magic will like this series.

Shannon's Review - Gustav Gloom And The People Taker by Adam-Troy Castro

Title: Gustav Gloom And The People Taker
Series: Gustav Gloom #1
Author: Adam-Troy Castro
Illustrator/Book Cover Design: Kristen Margiotta
Genre: Fiction, Juvenile, Fantasy, Paranormal
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Received: Bought
Release Date: August 2012
Pages: 232
Rating:




Author Adam-Troy Castro’s Official Websites:


(borrowed from Goodreads.com)

Website:
https://www.adamtroycastro.com/

Blog:
https://www.adamtroycastro.com/

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/adamtroycastro

Twitter:
https://twitter.com/adamtroycastro

Instagram:
None found



Shannon’s Thoughts:

Gustav Gloom is a strange and unusual boy. He lives at the darkest and creepiest house on the block. No one knows much about him or his house until the What family moves in across the street. Fernie What follows her cat onto the grounds of Gustav Gloom’s house and gets trapped in the house by the dark creatures and weird rooms that inhabit the Gloom household.

The cover and inside art is very eye-catching and are what intrigued me.

There are so many usual and imaginative characters and the rules that they seem to follow. I found an issue with those rules because Gustav would first tell the rules of a creature or room and then those rules always seem to get broken. It just did not make sense as to why there were rules in the first place.

My inner child was attracted to this series because of the art and theme. The actual story missed the mark for me. I don’t know if I will continue with the series.

Shannon's Review - O'Shaughnessey: The Faerie Circle by Jeremy McGuire

Title: O’Shaughnessey: The Faerie Circle
Series: O’Shaughnessey Series #2
Author: Jeremy McGuire
Illustrator/Book Cover Design: Jeremy McGuire
Genre: Fiction, Juvenile, Fantasy, Irish Folklore, Fairies
Publisher: Outskirts Press
Received: Free For Honest Review
Release Date: December 2009
Pages: 326
Rating:



Author Jeremy McGuire’s Official Websites:


(no image found)


Website:
defunct

Blog:
none found

Facebook:
none found

Twitter:
https://twitter.com/secellus

Instagram:
none found



Shannon’s Thoughts:

Bobby Mahoney, now an adult and father of two. He no longer remembers his childhood escapades with leprechaun O’Shaughnessey. Bobby now living in America but is writing a book about Irish myths and magical beings. He travels back to Ireland with his daughter Maggie. They stay with the storyteller, Moria McCarthy. As Bobby collects his stories from other townspeople young Maggie learns about fairy folk and magic even though she has yet to believe in them. Bobby searching for truth to the mystical world ends up in a predicament and needs O’Shaughnessey and Maggie to save him.

This book is the second book in a series. I did not read the first book, O’Shaughnessey: A Boy And His Leprechaun, and I do not feel like I needed to. I enjoyed it and did not feel lost or that I was missing anything. I really did like these characters especially Maggie and the storyteller Moria. They had the most depth and I was enjoying how much they bonded.

The story did really have a mixture of America and Irish feel to it. I notice with the other books that take place in Ireland always feel so mysterious and magical along with really drawing you into it. I did not feel the draw so much with this book maybe because there was the fact Bobby and Maggie were from America. And in America, it is a place that magic and myth are different or do not exist.

I would like to read the first book. Although I am not sure how much I will like it because I really did like Maggie and Moira. The first one is about Maggie’s father Bobby and O’Shaughnessey. Could be a fun little romp though. I do feel like there should be more reviews and I am surprised how little there are for this series.

Shannon's Review - Etty Steele Vampire Hunter by Grayson Grave

Title: Etty Steel Vampire Hunter
Series: #1 Etty Steel Series
Author: Grayson Grave
Genre: Fiction, Juvenile, Fantasy, Paranormal, Vampires, Witches,
Publisher: Independently Published
Received: For Free For Review
Release Date: July 2018
Pages: 180
Rating:


Author Grayson Grave’s Official Websites:



Website:
https://graysongrave.com/

Blog:
https://graysongrave.com

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/graysongrave/

Twitter:
https://twitter.com/graysongrave/

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/graysongrave/

Shannon’s Thoughts:
Preteen Etty Steel is being trained by her mother to be a vampire hunter. Even though her hunter skills have not shown themselves yet, her mother wants to be prepared and trains her hard. She is not allowed to tell anyone she is a hunter, even her best friend. Although things change when she finds out witches exist and her friend is one. A new kid starts school with them and Etty is sure he is a vampire. Etty soon discovers that the training and history lessons she has learned about vampires are not as black and white as her mother claims them to be.

I enjoyed this very much. Etty’s story is likable especially for those into Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Even though Etty is much younger as she learns to train than Buffy. The story is fun, exciting, and has a sort of comfort I find in watching or reading BTVS. I also feel like there is so much more to learn in this world. We learned a little back story to vampires but I am also interested in the back story to magic and witches.

There is nothing I can think of constructively to make the story better but I do think there is something that would because it was really good but not awesomely great. I just can not think of what.

The second book in this series is out and I am eager to read it. Etty Steel is my new favorite vampire hunter.

Shannon's Review - Between Worlds by Skip Brittenham

Title: Between Worlds
Series: ???
Author: Skip Brittenham
Genre: Fiction, Juvenile, Fantasy, Magic
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons for Young Readers
Received: Purchased
Release Date: August 2016
Pages: 256
Rating:


Author Skip Brittenham’s Official Websites:



Website:
http://experienceanomaly.com/

Blog:
None

Facebook:
None

Twitter:
None

Instagram: 
None


Shannon’s Thoughts:

Two teens, a boy, Marshall, and a girl, Mayberry, decide to take a hike in their local woods to find a legendary tree. Even though the forest is known to be like the Bermuda Triangle for hikers the two find the tree that town folks call The Wishing Tree. They soon find out the tree’s power is much more than a myth. They without thinking wish to travel to another land and learn magic. There wish comes true and they get more than they bargained for. A story filled with adventure, magic and a tie-in to an augmented reality app that enables you to see various characters in 3D.

I picked this book up at a used book section. What attracted me was the augmented reality aspect. I had never experienced it within a book. It was interesting. The story got darker than I expected for a kids book. It did keep me wanted to know what was going to happen to Marshall and Mayberry. They ended up spending much more time in the world than most characters would in a story such as this.

While the augmented reality was a neat hook sometimes the app did not work for me. It was fun to see the creatures in 3D but the journal entries were long and definitely took you out of the story. In fact, the journals seemed to belong in another book.

Between Worlds was an okay story with a fun gimmick. I might read another like it or I may not. It was an experience.

Shannon's Review - 20 Degrees From Normal by Anissa Ferris and Antonio Ferris

Title: 20 Degrees From Normal
Series: None
Author: Anissa Ferris and Antonio Ferris
Genre: Fiction, Poetry, Children, Picture Book,
Publisher: Lulu Publishing Services
Received: Free for an honest review
Release Date: October 2016
Pages: 38
Rating:

Authors Anissa and Antonio Ferris’ Official Websites:



Websites:
Anissa: none found

Antonio: none found

Blogs:
Anissa: none found
Antonio: none found

Facebooks:Anissa: https://www.facebook.com/anissa.ferris
Antonio: https://www.facebook.com/AntoniorFerris

Twitters:
Anissa: none found

Antonio: none found





Shannon’s Thoughts:
Some cute and thoughtful poems from a brother and sister writing team. A poetry book for all ages, with poems that are fun, fantastical, and just a joy to read.

The wondrous art of Fanny Liem and the rhyming work of Ferris siblings has a nice rhythm. They work together perfectly. The poems are funny, relatable and have an almost nursery rhyming feel.

I usually cringe through a kids poem book that relies on rhyming. Many authors force words that sometimes don’t make the rhyming flow as nicely. I was pleasantly surprised to find this book does not do that and the sing-song nature of the poems are really wonderful.

I hope these young authors do more writing. I enjoyed the book and chuckled once or twice.

Shannons' Reviews - Pixie And The Green Book Mystery by Coraline Grace

Title: Pixie And The Green Book Mystery
Series: Pixie Mystery #1
Author: Coraline Grace
Genre: Fiction, Juvenile, Fantasy, Chapterbook
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Received: From Author For Honest Review
Release Date: March 2019
Pages: 103
Rating:


Author Coraline Grace’s Official Websites:



Website:
http://www.libraryromp.com/p/home.html

Blog:
http://www.libraryromp.com/search

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/LibraryRomp/

Twitter:
https://twitter.com/LibraryRomp


Shannon’s Thoughts:

Marigold, aka Pixie, is a young elementary student with a love for books. After a bad day in school Pixie’s Mom takes her to the library where she discovers a book she has never come across. This surprises her because she has read almost everything there. This book is very special and it glows green. As she opens it she is introduced to some familiar characters but their stories seem jumbled and confused. Pixie must help the characters back into their own stories before they become blank pages.

Kids who are familiar with the classics like Alice In Wonderland, Cinderella, and Snow White will recognize some of the characters. Even if they have only watched some of the Disney movie versions they will realize that something is different about these stories. What I like is that author Coraline Grace has basically just let the story flow and not let the original stories confine what is happening. It is a story that kids can learn imagination can go anywhere and even change what been done before.

Reading this book as an adult with a little OCD was sometimes difficult though. Pixie starts to read about Cindy, Alice, and The White Rabbit together in a book arguing. Then Cindy tells some of her life stories. My adult brain cannot help but say “That’s not what happened”. But this is a book for children, not adults.

Pixie and The Green Book Mystery is a cute and creative book where imagination runs wild and free. It takes the bones of other stories and connects them in a way that children will remember years later.

Shannon's Review - Loki's Wolves by K.L. Armstrong & M.A. Marr

Title: Loki’s Wolves
Series: The Blackwell Pages #1

Authors: K.L. Armstrong and M.A. Marr
Genre: Juvenile, Fiction, Adventure, Fantasy, Norse Mythology
Publisher: Little Brown Books For Young Readers
Received: Given For Review
Release Date: May 2013
Pages: 358
Rating:






Author K.L. Armstrong’s Official Websites:









Website:
http://www.kelleyarmstrong.com/


Blog:https://kelleyarmstrong.tumblr.com/


Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/KelleyArmstrongAuthor


Twitter:
https://twitter.com/kelleyarmstrong


Author M.A. Marr’s Official Websites:







Website:
http://www.melissamarrbooks.com/


Blog:http://www.melissamarrbooks.com/writing---life-blog.html


Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/MelissaMarrBooks/


Twitter:https://twitter.com/melissa_marr




Shannon’s Thoughts:


A retelling of Norse mythology for pre-teens, Loki’s Wolves is the first in a trilogy called The Blackwell Pages. Similar to the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan, we are introduced to a main character, Matt Thorsen, who is related to a God (or so his family history states). Then we meet Laurie and Fen, descents of Loki. Fen and Matt do not get along that well. Fen tries to do everything he can to protect and take care of his cousin Laurie. The world shows signs that the end of the world, or Ragnarok, is coming. As a descendant of Thor, Matt must lead a group of kid descendants to stop the destruction of their world.

I find nothing wrong with this being similar to another author's series. In fact, I think this will fill the readers' ache for more like it. I enjoy mythology retelling as much as I enjoy fairy tale retelling. The book has quick paced chapters, and I did not expect the ending. It made me eager to read the next book.

I like that all the kids have different abilities that relate to the Gods they are a descended from, but my mythology knowledge is not so great. I wish the authors had told us a little more about each kid’s divine ancestor and why they had that ability. I do realize some of the kids did not know they were actual demigods, so maybe the reader knows as much as they do.

As a whole it is a good read. It’s got action, adventure, magic and monsters. I plan on reading the rest of the series. I recommend this one for fans of the Percy Jackson and the Harry Potter series.

Shannon's Review - Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo

Title: Flora & Ulysses

Series: None

Author: Kate DiCamillo

Illustrated: K. G. Campbell

Genre: Fiction, Juvenile

Publisher: Candlewick Press

Received: Bought

Release Date: September 2013

Pages: 233

Rating:

Author Kate DiCamillo Official Websites:

(taken from http://www.katedicamillostoriesconnectus.com/ )

Website:

http://www.katedicamillostoriesconnectus.com/

Blog:

NONE

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/KateDiCamillo/

Twitter:

NONE

Illustrator K.G. Campbell Official Websites:

(taken from Random House)

Website:

https://www.kgcampbell.com/

Blog:

NONE

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/KG-Campbell-309176532507833

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/artbykgcampbell

Shannon’s Thoughts:

Young Flora is a little girl with an obsession with her comics that her father introduced her to.  Reading them is a nice distraction from her parents being separated. She lives solely with her mother who is a writer and thinks the comics are not good enough for her daughter.  Outside Flora house, an unusual accident with a squirrel and vacuum cleaning salesman creates a superhero. The squirrel, who Flora named Ulysses, can now fly, has super strength and writes badly spelled poetry. What happens next can only be described as an extraordinary tale just like her comics.

Like most Kate DiCamillo books Flora & Ulysses has whimsical storytelling, fun characters, and so much heart. I have to say my favorite character was Ulysses the squirrel.  He did not say much but he sounds like a smart, cute, and fluffy friend to have around.

My least favorite thing was Flora’s mother. She reminded me of Cinderella’s stepmother.  She did not understand her daughter nor did it seem she wanted to. She was so unkind with Flora and even though her personality changed I still felt she was not to be trusted.

I have read almost all of Kate DiCamillo’s books and I am not stopping after this one. Her characters are always different and quirky.  There is always a calming comfy feeling when reading them. Even though she writes for children I would recommend her books for all age.

Shannon's Review - Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov by Mary Englar

Title: Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov

Series: Queens and Princesses

Author: Mary Englar

Genre: Juvenile, Non-Fiction, History, Russia, Royalty,

Publisher: Capstone Press

Received: PaperbackSwap

Release Date: September 2008

Pages: 32

Rating:

Author Mary Englar’s Official Websites:

Website:

None

Blog:

None

Facebook:

None

Twitter:

None

Shannon’s Thoughts:

Part of the”Queens and Princesses” series this installment is about one of the most famous Russian princesses, Anastasia Romanov.  Anastasia was the youngest of four daughters and older sister to brother Alexie. Her parents, Tsar Nicholas and Tsarina Alexandra, ruled Russia Empire in the early 1900s. This book shares pictures taken of the family and facts about the short life of the Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov.

The Romanov family has been a favorite of mine to read about. Not sure why but Anastasia seems to be the fan favorite of the family.  Maybe because she appeared to be normal and not just royal. She had fun climbing trees, taking photos of her family and making faces in photos others took of her.  Maybe it is because people want to believe she made it out of the war alive. This book describes a little of those things and there are many other books that go into detail about Anastasia and the rest of the Romanovs.  This one is a good starting point for juvenile readers.

The pictures in the books are good although they are ones that I have seen before.  I feel like we could have learned a little more about Anastasia in general.  The book goes more in detail about the whole family which is part of her history but this is a book that is supposed to be about Anastasia, not just the Romanov family.

This is a book for ages 8 - 12 and it is a good start on the history of Tsar Nicholas’ family.  As a kid, I would have loved this book. I will be keeping this for my Romanov collection which is getting really big.

Shannon's Review - Buffy The Vampire Slayer: New School Nightmare by Carolyn Nowak

Title: Buffy The Vampire Slayer: New School Nightmare

Series: Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Author: Carolyn Nowak

Genre: Graphic Novel, Vampires, Witches, Werewolves, Fantasy, Juvenile

Publisher: Little, Brown Book For Young Readers

Received: Borrowed

Release Date: September 2018

Pages: 160

Rating:

Author Carolyn Nowaks Official Websites:

(picture was taken from comicvine.gamesspot.com)

Website:

http://carolyncnowak.com

Blog:

http://caseyboots.tumblr.com/

Facebook:

N/A

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/CarolynCNowak

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/caseybeans/

Shannon’s Thoughts:

A good starting point for anyone who has not seen or read the previous Buffy The Vampire Slayer seasons. This would technically be a reboot or alternate history. Buffy Summers is starting a new middle school in Cleveland and finds out she is a vampire slayer. It’s hard to be a teen let alone a slayer but with her new female watcher and two best friends, a witch and a werewolf, she is not alone.

Buffy and the slayer mythology is about the only thing familiar with this graphic novel if you are a fan of the past Buffy The Vampire Slayer.  Now, I do not know if this is going to match the reboot that will be taking place on tv. I think probably not since the book has the blonde haired and white Buffy because it is rumored that the new tv series Buffy will be African American. ]

The art is quaint and there is nothing too racy for young kids. Since there are new characters interacting with Buffy it is all new to me, which did make it hard to put down and fun to read.

The story is cute and action-packed but as a Buffy fan, I did miss Willow, Xander, and Giles from the original group. I think is great that Buffy is coming back in some way, I just wish it a continuation or a new slayer rather than use Buffy again.

As Buffy The Vampire Slayer is a creation of Joss Whedon, I will probably support this version of Buffy and any others. So “Long Live Buffy!”... I guess.

Shannon's Reviews - Bob by Wendy Mass & Rebecca Stead

 

Title: Bob

Series: N/A

Authors: Wendy Mass & Rebecca Stead

Genre: Fiction, Juvenile, Fantasy,

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Received: Bought

Release Date: May 2018

Pages: 208

Rating:

Author Wendy Mass & Rebecca Stead’s Official Websites:

Websites:

Wendy Mass - http://wendymass.com/

Rebecca Stead - http://www.rebeccasteadbooks.com

Blog:

Wendy Mass- http://wendymass.com/blog/

Rebecca Stead- http://rebeccastead.blogspot.com/

Facebook:

Wendy Mass- https://www.facebook.com/wendymassauthor/

Rebecca Stead-

Twitter:

Wendy Mass- @wenmass

Rebecca Stead- @rebstead

Shannon’s Thoughts:

Livy and her family have come back to Australia to visit her grandmother. She has not been to see her in five years. Five years ago Livy was so young she does not really remember the last visit but some memories start to come back especially about a funny chicken??  It just so happens that “funny chicken” has been hiding in her old bedroom closet for five years waiting for Livy to help him find out who he is, what he is, and where he belongs.

Bob called out to me immediately.  The beautiful cover and well... the title of course.  I loved the back and forth chapters of Livy narrating one and then Bob the next. The character Bob was adorable I felt so bad that he waited so long for her in that closet.  Especially after finding out that grown-ups couldn’t see him. Poor little Bob. I also liked the fact that it sort of explains why Livy forgot and what she did to not forget again. Such a cute book!  

In a few reviews, I see that some were disappointed with Bob because they have read some of the other books the authors have written and this was different.  I think when it is realized that this is a book for juveniles on the younger part of the spectrum than the book more enjoyable. Don’t expect this story to have a moral.  Just a little comforting and entertaining read.

I would say the age spectrum is baby to 8 or 9 years. The younger ones will love this as you read it aloud. It’s cute and not really scary. Bob has a place in my heart for sure.