Mrs. Barlow

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard Book 1: The Sword of Summer is a thrilling and enticing book right from the get go. Rick Riordran drives through this fantasy book with all it action backed twists and turns right until the last page. This book has lots of great things about it so I would give it four stars. The books sets off in Boston with Magnus Chase. Magnus had just been orphaned and is on the streets of the city. On his sixteenth birthday, and I do realize that is very cliché, everything goes nuts. Magnus' uncle, Randolph, who had not seen Magnus in over two years, is franticly looking for him. A fire giant attacks and Magnus is slain. At first he gets used to life in Valhalla but soon his homeless friends, Blitz and Hearth get him out and back to the real world. They begin there run to find the Sword of Summer and run into many friends and foes, Magnus soon comes to know that he is the son of Frey, the God of fertility well-being and more less, the middle ground. Now Magnus must take up that role and set the nine worlds in balance. This book intwines the very good character building with many witty but story moving moments. The book is never slow as Riordan is able to keep us rolling as he did in the, Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus series'. This book is one for all ages and groups as each character is different and gives you something to relate to. If I had to pick a group to recommend this to it would for those fantasy readers.

Rump     Not such a bad guy after all. Rump is a fictional book about the life of Rumpelstiltzkin. Rump  was written by Liesl Shurtliff, this book is also a Rebecca Caudill book of 2016. I loved this book. This book was so intriguing because there is one side of Rump that we never knew about, and we get to see that side. There's also quite a bit of a dilemma’s, some family issues and magic in this book. I would rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. This book takes place in a place called village. Village is nearby the mountains, past yonder and beyond. There is a king and fairies and witches and trolls. But Rump is a young boy with no father mother and an old sick grandmother. He is made fun of his name because his mother never told anybody what his full name was and he can never remember what it was so he goes by Rump. He only has one friend (sorta) named Red. Red sticks up for him when he gets picked on but she's not necessarily nice to him either. Rump finds the only part of his mother left, her spinning wheel. Rumps grandmother warned him about magic and so did Red but he didn't listen. He is lost on a journey to find his destiny, his family members and to get untangled and all the magic he has cause. He's become powerless over all the greed and the magic that has taken over him. This book gave me chills, every time I would read it felt like I was right there next to him, running with him, hiding with him. This book is so well descriptive. In a part of the book he is sitting down eating “sludge” with trolls he describes their smell, their actions, and how loud they are, it's like I could smell them when I was reading. I also found his book interesting because when I saw the movie ​Shrek Forever After​, and that movie Rumpelstiltskin is a mean greedy man, but when I read this book he was a nice young boy just looking to live life. This book really gave me a different perspective on Rumpelstiltskin. Liesl Shurtliff wrote two other books about the true story of fairytales. She wrote one about Jack in the beanstalk and she wrote one about red riding hood, but the red Riding hood book is not in stores yet. I have written 1 review before on Idogonews. This will be my second review. The type of reader that will enjoy this book would be ages 10+ because there is some strong vocabulary in this book. 

“Its eyes were closed. It looked as if it were running on its side, the way dogs run when they think they are chasing a cat in a dream. But the dog was not running or asleep. The dog was dead.” Mark Haddon’s beautifully written book, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, was the best realistic fiction/murder mystery novel I have come across. Out of five stars, I would rate this novel a 4.5, but only because there are some paragraphs that get confusing. Christopher, a fifteen year old boy with behavioral issues, lives alone with his father and his pet rat, Toby, in Europe. Christopher chooses to begin a quest to investigate the mysterious death of his neighbor’s dog, Wellington. But a series of events in Christopher’s investigation leads him to uncover secrets that make him question everything — including the lie he has been living. Christopher tries to find a place where he trusts the people around him, where he can be safe. He leaves the comfort of his home, the thirty sixth house on his street, and travels to London, in search of a long lost friend. Mark Haddon managed to sprinkle a bit of humor in a book with a serious topic. An example of this humor is on page 102 when Christopher describes his day, “On the first day, which was a Wednesday, Joseph Fleming took his trousers off and went to the toilet all over the floored the changing room and started to eat it, but Mrs. Davis stopped him.” This is humorous even though it is a serious situation. This book is also suspenseful, like on page 163, when Christopher is hiding from the police, “And then the train started to slow down and someone came and stood near the shelf and knocked on the door of the toilet, and it was the policeman and he said, ‘Christopher…? Christopher…?’ and then he opened the door of the toilet and said, ‘Bloody h***,’ and he was really close so I could see his walkie-talkie and his truncheon on his belt and I could smell his aftershave, but he didn't see me and I didn't say anything because I didn't want him to take me to Father.” This book is one of a kind, which makes it very difficult for me to compare it to other books or movies, but Mark Haddon does have other published novels such as, The Talking Horse and the Sad Girl and the Village Under the Sea: Poems, A Spot of Bother, and The Red House. I have written several book reviews and I have even received an Editor’s Choice Award on the website dogobooks.com on my book review for If I Stay. If you enjoy reading mystery books that tug at your attention, or a serious book that manages to be humorous, or a book that is slightly sad, you will enjoy The Curious Incident of The Dog in the Nighttime.

“Its eyes were closed. It looked as if it were running on its side, the way dogs run when they think they are chasing a cat in a dream. But the dog was not running or asleep. The dog was dead.” Mark Haddon’s beautifully written book, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, was the best realistic fiction/murder mystery novel I have come across. Out of five stars, I would rate this novel a 4.5, but only because there are some paragraphs that get confusing. Christopher, a fifteen year old boy with behavioral issues, lives alone with his father and his pet rat, Toby, in Europe. Christopher chooses to begin a quest to investigate the mysterious death of his neighbor’s dog, Wellington. But a series of events in Christopher’s investigation leads him to uncover secrets that make him question everything — including the lie he has been living. Christopher tries to find a place where he trusts the people around him, where he can be safe. He leaves the comfort of his home, the thirty sixth house on his street, and travels to London, in search of a long lost friend. Mark Haddon managed to sprinkle a bit of humor in a book with a serious topic. An example of this humor is on page 102 when Christopher describes his day, “On the first day, which was a Wednesday, Joseph Fleming took his trousers off and went to the toilet all over the floored the changing room and started to eat it, but Mrs. Davis stopped him.” This is humorous even though it is a serious situation. This book is also suspenseful, like on page 163, when Christopher is hiding from the police, “And then the train started to slow down and someone came and stood near the shelf and knocked on the door of the toilet, and it was the policeman and he said, ‘Christopher…? Christopher…?’ and then he opened the door of the toilet and said, ‘Bloody h***,’ and he was really close so I could see his walkie-talkie and his truncheon on his belt and I could smell his aftershave, but he didn't see me and I didn't say anything because I didn't want him to take me to Father.” This book is one of a kind, which makes it very difficult for me to compare it to other books or movies, but Mark Haddon does have other published novels such as, The Talking Horse and the Sad Girl and the Village Under the Sea: Poems, A Spot of Bother, and The Red House. I have written several book reviews and I have even received an Editor’s Choice Award on the website dogobooks.com on my book review for If I Stay. If you enjoy reading mystery books that tug at your attention, or a serious book that manages to be humorous, or a book that is slightly sad, you will enjoy The Curious Incident of The Dog in the Nighttime.

Do you like underwater life books, awesome action packed books, with with amazing powers well read this review and you will with no doubt want to read this book. The book is Dark Life by Kat Falls and its science fiction and awesome. I really like this book and would give it 5 star rating. The main character is Ty he is a teenage boy who lives under water. One day he met a topside named Gemma who is also a teenager while he was in a abandoned submarine, and she needs help finding her brother that came subsea and never returned.. There is a group of Outlaws name the Seablite game that make life a challenge for these families under water. With the outlaws out there there is a lot of action and even besides the outlaws there is action. And you get to see how these underwater families have adapted to their new home. If you have ever read any books or seen any movies where they are on aquatic planets this book is like those but much better.

An Electric Book! B y: Aum Pasawala The Electroclan strikes again! This book is great! And kept me glued to the pages. I rate is 5/5 stars. But why? Well, Richard Paul Evans uses a unique writing style. He delivers a well thought out plot with tons of suspense and a great theme. In the book, Michael has become separated from the rest after a harrowing ordeal with the Elgen. With his mother finally safe as told to him by an old friend, Jamie, Michael together with new friend Tessa, eventually reunites with his Electroclan. The clans main objective in this book is to take down the Elgens main ship the Ampere. The book is extreme emotionally and phisically. One point of suspense was when Abigail, Ian, Tessa, and Zeus leave the Eletroclan at this point you don't know if they will survive. One example of Evans emotional theme is when Ostin says, "I am always in." This shows that Ostin won't ever leave the clan. This shows an emotionally charged moment and the unity of the Electroclan. A book that is similar to Michael Vey is Harry Potter. They both revolve around some type of power. And there are three main characters. Also they show unity together to. One example of unity in Harry Potter is when Ron saves Harry from the Dudleys. A similar type of event happened in Michaek Vey when Michael saves Taylor from being captured by Elgen. Richard Paul Evans is also a master and expirienced author. He graduated with a B.A. degree from the University of Utah in 1984. And has written over 30 books. He has proved his unique writing style, since one of his books is on the 2016 Rebecca Caudill list. I am a trusted reviewer after successfully reviewing 7 books. Over all, I would recommend this book to everyone.

What if the world's greatest serial killer was your dad? I Hunt Killers By Barry Lyga. I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars. I liked the book because it was very detailed, and it had a lot of suspense, action and mystery. Jasper’s (Jazz) dad was the world's best serial killer. He had killed over 300 people before getting caught. Jazz’s mom disappeared many years ago, and Jazz barely remembers her. Before Jazz was old enough to know any better, Billy Dent (Jazz’s father who he calls Dear Old Dad) attempted to teach Jazz the all the tricks to killing and how not to get caught and how not to feel bad about it. Now that Billy is in prison, Jazz is trying to have a normal highschool life. He lives with his grandmother, who's rapidly becoming crazy. He also has a best friend he would do anything for, and a girlfriend. Then when dead bodies start piling up in Lobo's Nod. Jazz starts experiencing those same feelings he had when he was with his dad. His dad is still locked up, but Jazz believes it's another serial killer. In an effort to prove murder doesn't run in the family he joins the police in a hunt to find the killer. Will things he had learned from his Dad help him hunt down the killer, Or could Jazz be more like his father than anyone would have thought? I Hunt Killers is the first book in a series. The next book in the series is Game. A Similar book to I Hunt Killers is called I Am Not A Serial Killer. I think that boys or girls would like this book. Especially people who like reading about investigators, police, killers, mysteries, suspense, and action.

I read the Maze Runner, by James Dasher. I really like action and sci-fi books, and this book matches my description of action. The story begins when Thomas and these other boys who got sent into a maze, as an experiment, and they don't remember anything except their names. After Thomas arrives, the first girl does too. This creates suspense in the beginning, leaving the boys and Teresa to figure things out while fighting for survival. They try to get out from the maze, but the maze changes everyday, so it is hard for the runners (the boys who have the job of trying to solve the maze by running in it all day) to find the way to get out. Inside the maze, they face a lot of dangerous situations, but Thomas stays calm and level headed, he solves a lot of the problems. At the end, Thomas and his friends finally leave the maze. This story is very stimulated and it also teaches us that when we face a problem, we have to calm down and think how we can solve the problem. Maze Runner is very similar to the Hunger Games or Divergent, they are all very exciting and awesome books. Overall I really liked this book and would rate it 4/5. Someone who likes the dystopian genre, action, suspense, a bit of violence, and mystery would really like this book.

Have you witnessed JFK's assassination or even seen the video on YouTube? Well what if you could see it happen in your mind from just reading a book? The book I read was The President Has Been Shot by James L. Swanson published in 2013, with the genre being nonfiction. I have not always been a big fan of non-fiction, but after reading this book it has shown me as a reader that non-fiction can be just as interesting as fiction. I give this book 5 stars for detailed information and the quality of the details. While reading the book I never felt that there was a part that did not have much detail. The author had to have spent a lot of time finding little but specific facts. The book is mainly about John F Kennedy's assassination, but also his early life of how he became President and the aftermath and chaos from the presidents death. A very interesting feature about the book is that it explains what Lee Harvey Oswald,(JKF's assassin) did to prepare the assassination attempt. The book has exact details because in just one example states,"The third bullet sliced through John Kennedy's thatch of thick reddish-brown hair. It cut a neat hole through his scalp and perforated his skull. The velocity, the pressure, and the physics of death did the rest. The right rear side of the president's skull blew out -exploded really-tearing open his scalp, and spewing skull fragments, blood, and brains several feet into the air where it hung for a few seconds, suspended in a pink cloud."(Swanson 113.) All though this is a disturbing example there is very extreme details which make the book very accurate and more interesting to read because at times like this you feel like you did or are witnessing JFK's assassination. Another example in the book states,"She pressed her cheek against his still warm face. She kissed his body. Then she removed her wedding ring and slipped it onto one of his fingers." This information and the details given are so precise because the author of the book knows every single small fact about the assassination and the aftermath. Some of the information doesn't even matter but it shows how absolutely nothing was left out of the book. The type of reader who would like this book is someone who is interested in American history or if they would like to learn about JFK.

Have you witnessed JFK's assassination or even seen the video on YouTube? Well what if you could see it happen in your mind from just reading a book? The book I read was The President Has Been Shot by James L. Swanson published in 2013, with the genre being nonfiction. I have not always been a big fan of non-fiction, but after reading this book it has shown me as a reader that non-fiction can be just as interesting as fiction. I give this book 5 stars for detailed information and the quality of the details. While reading the book I never felt that there was a part that did not have much detail. The author had to have spent a lot of time finding little but specific facts. The book is mainly about John F Kennedy's assassination, but also his early life of how he became President and the aftermath and chaos from the presidents death. A very interesting feature about the book is that it explains what Lee Harvey Oswald,(JKF's assassin) did to prepare the assassination attempt. The book has exact details because in just one example states,"The third bullet sliced through John Kennedy's thatch of thick reddish-brown hair. It cut a neat hole through his scalp and perforated his skull. The velocity, the pressure, and the physics of death did the rest. The right rear side of the president's skull blew out -exploded really-tearing open his scalp, and spewing skull fragments, blood, and brains several feet into the air where it hung for a few seconds, suspended in a pink cloud."(Swanson 113.) All though this is a disturbing example there is very extreme details which make the book very accurate and more interesting to read because at times like this you feel like you did or are witnessing JFK's assassination. Another example in the book states,"She pressed her cheek against his still warm face. She kissed his body. Then she removed her wedding ring and slipped it onto one of his fingers." This information and the details given are so precise because the author of the book knows every single small fact about the assassination and the aftermath. Some of the information doesn't even matter but it shows how absolutely nothing was left out of the book. The type of reader who would like this book is someone who is interested in American history or if they would like to learn about JFK.