Krahl The Warrior King: or My Fantastical Adventures in India and Beyond Review

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(More customer reviews)This book was hilarious.It took a little bit to get into, but once our "heros" made it into the mountains, things really started picking up.The author uses really obscure legends (and some not-so-obscure) and blends them all into one bizarre epic adventure full of slapstick antics and really, really bad jokes.Love it!

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Product Description:
ABOUT THIS BOOK In the midst of town a handsome warrior comes, riding on his great black steed. Who could it be-now? Will the villagers have to treat him to a hanging, as they are wont to do to all blackguards, jackanapes, and Histories of Herodotus salesmen? No . . . wait, it is only a distant relative, so a good pickpocketing is certainly in order! Thus mostly begins the greatest book ever written in this-the greatest of all centuries as Varnos, Abraxas, and the rest of the crew embark on the adventure of a lifetime; or, at least their lifetimes. Is it possible they can actually help their long lost relative find his kidnapped princess? Come join our unlikely heroes as they struggle through a bizzare landscape filled with wild-haired tribesmen, savage animals, mythical creatures, angry pygmies, even angrier kings, and giant gold hoarding ants. Travel with our characters as they ride a giant over Bifrost, the Rainbow Bridge and travel back again on Naglfar, the great ship made of dead men's fingernails. Will Krahl the warrior ever see his princess again, or will they finally be stopped dead in their tracks by the next village's craftily worded nuisance ordinance? And what about the tribes of hairy tree dwellers-the tribes known collectively as Munki? Will these most craven little people ever be convinced to wear a simple pair of shoes-or, better yet, a sylish pair of pants? Pick up a copy of this book, dear readers, and you will soon find the answers to all of these silly questions-and much, much more.

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The Four Little Children: A Likely Story Review

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(More customer reviews)I purchased this book for my two daughters, ages 7 and 10.We have been reading the story at bedtime and have thoroughly enjoyed the exciting adventures that Ramor takes the children on while their father is away at war.They especially enjoyed the adventure to the North Pole and Under the Sea.I personally enjoyed the story of the ants and bees as I was able to talk to my kids about the benefits of hard work and getting along. As a parent, I feel Mr. Michalove made "The Four Children" both educational while exciting.

I strongly recommend that all children ages 5-13 will benefit from the excellent adventures Mr. Michalove has created!! It will also provide parents an opportunity to read to their children.

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Have you ever ridden on a magic carpet or tamed a cage full of savage beasts from the darkest jungles of Africa? Adventurous siblings Lisa, David, Stacy, and Karen Michalove have!Under the care of a jolly elf, the Michalove children go on fanciful journeys among the stars, under the sea, to the North Pole, and to many other unusual, fascinating places. They encounter talking ants and farm animals, dancing pumpkins, and green cheese-eating Martians. But no matter where they go or who they meet, from the darkest recesses of a cave to the farthest reaches of the moon, Lisa, David, Stacy, and Karen always return to the comforts of home and family.These treasured stories, originally written to connect a father at war in Vietnam with his four kids back home in America, will inspire children to expand their imaginations while learning important lessons about love, respect, and responsibility. Encouraging a unique closeness between parents and their children, this read-aloud collection will whisk families away on truly fantastic adventures.

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Colony (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) Review

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(More customer reviews)These two authors are great! They know their Buffy. The things they say sound like they came right from the show. This takes place at the beginning of season 2. So Angel's good and Jenny makes an appearence too. There are other characters like Harmony and Andrew. This book is longer then the other Stake Your Destiny books so there is more you can do.
The story rocks! My favorite story is when Buffy is under Mrs. Belakane's, who is an ant queen or can be in human form, control and she is someone who likes to fight and she would do anything for Mrs. Belakane. So your kind of like a dark Slayer. The other part is when all of your friends are under her control besides you and Willow. Also Xander gets very fat. There is another big bad in this book. A demon called Sleamm... or however it's spelled. I will be like Buffy and just call him Lucky or Leprechaun.
GO PICK UP THIS BOOK!

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Welcome to Sunnydale High, where midterms and peer pressure are the least of your worries. The Stake Your Destiny series returns Buffy Summers and the Scoobies to the glory days of high school. But this time you control the action and accept the full responsibility of being the Slayer. Interactive story lines advance by the choices you make, leading toward more than a dozen possible endings. Do you have what it takes to be the Slayer, or will you fail and summon a successor?
Because of the high incidence of death and violence, the Mayor of Sunnydale has invited a woman called Belakane to speak at Sunnydale High School. Her program, "Be the Ultimate You!" builds self-esteem in teenagers. But Belakane is a demon antlike queen, whose test -- and subsequent nurturing of the skills she discovers -- is simply part of ber plot to enlist workers to build her colony, and to find mates to help her populate it. Soon Sunnydale High is full of kids with only one trait each: aggressive Slayer, brainy Willow, helpful Oz...and Belakane has only just begun....

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Among the Ghosts Review

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(More customer reviews)12-year-old Noh was supposed to spend the summer in the Appalachian Mountains with her father but, at the last minute, he instead sends her off to stay with his sister, Clara. Demonstrating his complete irresponsibility as a parent and human being, he neglected to contact his sister before shipping his daughter off to stay with her and, when Noh arrives at Clara's house, she discovers that her aunt and cousins have gone to the beach for the summer. Not knowing what beach they went to and figuring her father cannot be reached (no cell phones in this story) Noh takes the night train to Newbridge, where her Aunt Sarah works as a teacher of English literature at a local school, New Newbridge Academy. As she walks from the train station to the school, Noh cuts through a cemetery where an old woman suddenly appears, screams at her, throws a rock at her and just as quickly disappears. Noh picks the stone up, likes the "evil eye" carving on it and tucks it into her pocket. The stone, it seems, enhances the special powers Noh has always unknowingly had. Once she arrives at the gothic boarding school, New Newbridge Academy, Noh discovers that she has the ability to see and communicate with ghosts.

As a set up, it's not bad - not particularly original, but with possibilities. Unfortunately, author Amber Benson never quite tapped into those possibilities and, as a result, failed to drawn me fully into the story.

For me, the biggest problem was the characterizations. Aside from Noh, who was fleshed out to some extent (but who often seemed much younger than her age), none had any depth to speak of, nor were they particularly interesting. Some, in fact, seemed to have no reason to even be in the story, since they contributed nothing. Others appeared, said a few words and were never seen or heard from again. Still others verged on caricature, rather like the oddball characters found in A Series of Unfortunate Events, but sadly without the quirkiness, cleverness and humor Snicket gave his creations. Mostly though, the characters didn't feel like actual people and that made it more difficult for me to care about them.

In addition, some plot points were never explained, others poorly so. Even if Among the Ghosts turns out to be the first in a series (which seems to be suggested by some of the occurrences in the closing scenes), I was left with questions that I felt should have been answered in this volume.

Among the Ghosts was the first book by Amber Benson that I've read. While it didn't turn out to be my cup of tea, her Calliope Reaper-Jones series sounds like it might be worth a look. I plan to check it out.

Notes: Cover art by the wonderfully talented Jason Chan and interior illustrations by Sina Grace.

Other ghost-y type books that are aimed at about the same age group as Among the Ghosts:
Suddenly Supernatural: School Spirit (first in a series) by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos (first in a series) by R.L LaFevers
The Haunting (SS) by Margaret Mahy
The Witches of Worm by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
The Secret Life of Sparrow Delaney by Suzanne Harper (slightly older target age)

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Product Description:
A classic ghost story gets a fresh twist in The New Newbridge Academy from author/actress/director Amber Benson.

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Dragonfly Falling (Shadows of the Apt 2) Review

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(More customer reviews)As other reviewers have mentioned, this series is premised on a completely original world building idea, in which the different races ("kinden") are based on different types of insect, with appropriate powers.I started the first book reluctantly because it sounded campy, but soon found I couldn't put it down.This second book is even better than the first one; completely immersing.

What makes it tick is the author's talent for *both* plot and character.Most fantasy/sci-fi books are plot-driven, often with characters that are flat or silly.These characters have depth, they are well differentiated, they feel like real people, and I *care* what happens to them.And there is certainly enough going on as the Lowlands are plunged into war.The book does not sag, the pace is fast and even.

The other great thing about these books is the way that description is handled.One would think that with a universe this different there would be endless amounts of exposition and description, and really badly handled exposition and description is an unfortunately common characteristic of sci-fi and fantasy . . . people spend a lot of time gazing at their features in mirrors, explaining things to each other for pages, etc.In these books, by contrast description is both thoughtful and deft -- I am often surprised by a sentence and think, yes, well, that is exactly what it would look like, or that is what would happen if X happened, etc.And exposition is feather light; you don't even notice it, you are just plunged into this very complex universe.Reminds me of some of the best of China Mieville's work.

Can't say enough good things about it.We need more like this one!

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Jackie & Me (Baseball Card Adventures) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is it! Being a mother and a teacher, I have always wished my son would be more interested in reading. Finally I have found a book that Evan is enjoying so much that I have ordered another book from this series before he has finished this one.Bravo Dan Gutman!
Although I haven't read Jackie and me, I feel like I have.My son has been saying quite frequently, "Hey, listen to this."The book presents the unfair treatment of African Americans in a way that involves the reader.Evan has been told many times about slavery, segregation, and civil rights.He understood the information, but,until now I think he felt no empathy for those who were treated so unfairly.
If you have a child who enjoys baseball--get this book.Dan Gutman, thank you so much.

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Bug Safari Review

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(More customer reviews)My son has loved this book since he was about 2 1/2. It's the perfect book to introduce young children to the wonderful world of their backyard. We took our own "bug hunt" after reading this story.

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Product Description:
A little boy described in great detail an ant safari that he followed out of the jungle. The safari encounters many different kinds of insects along the way. He follows the ants to a surprise ending.

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