Title: The Breezes of Inspire: The Remin Chronicles Book 2
Author: Nick Ruth
Illustrator: Sue Concannon
Publisher and/or Distributor: Imaginator Press
Pages: 258
ISBN: 0-9745603-3-2
Price: $16.95
Publishing Date: Sept 2005
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
This sequel to the Ben Franklin Award finalist, Dark Dreamweaver, is many things: a wonderful midgrade (8-12) fantasy, a science teaching tool for symbiosis, and a really good read. This time, protagonist David includes his cousins in a visit to the other dimensional world of Remin and beyond. They have many adventures and all become wizards of magic in their own way. We scored this delightful children’s book five hearts.
Title: Fergus: The Soccer Playing Colt
Author: Dan A. Peterson
Illustrator: Ryan S. Weber
Publisher and/or Distributor: Raven Publishing, Inc.
Pages: 190
ISBN: 09714161-7-6
Price: $9
Publishing Date: July 2005
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
Fergus is a delightful polo pony colt that shows a natural talent as a soccer goalkeeper. He comes to the attention of an international audience and is taken on a tour of America’s major cities in a series of demonstration soccer matches. Along the way, Fergus is stolen by an unscrupulous rodeo stock dealer from West Texas. Will Bobby Simpson ever find him, especially now that his appearance has been altered by a cosmetologist ex-pro football player.
This is an excellent read for mid-grade boys and girls. Fergus the colt emerges as a character with his own personality, as does his pal, Bouncer the dog. The author emphasizes teamwork in both play and in the tracking down of the lost Fergus. He has given varied and interesting voices to all his characters, making them easy to delineate. This is an excellent book for reluctant readers. We rated it a high four hearts.
Title: Shelby and the Shifting Rings: Book One—Defender of Time Series
Author: A.M. Veillon
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Parity Press
Pages: 176
ISBN: 0-9762015-4-2 Hardback; 0-9762015-5-0 Paperback
Price: $18.95/$9.95
Publishing Date: July 2005
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
This is an absolutely delightful mid-grade/YA time-travel fantasy with a very strong female protagonist, Shelby, who finds herself orphaned and sent to a boarding school, which come complete with bullies, good teachers, and difficult ones. Shelby finds new, supportive friends to aid her in her quest to discover and explain odd events which keep happening in her life. Ultimately, she finds herself pitted against an evil uncle who is trying to control time to his benefit. At the same time, she discovers the secrets of a special device with rings which operate a time machine. She also discovers and incubates a prehistoric egg which hatches a delightful little animal that becomes her pet. Although Shelby outwits her uncle in the end, sending him back to prehistoric times without the means to control the time machine, the last chapter indicates there is a serious crisis brewing, to be covered in the next book.
Both girls and boys will enjoy these adventures. The reader is pulled through the story and the air of mystery and discovery keeps readers second guessing. We rated this book five hearts.
