A clever story with surprise ending, not really for kids
347477
Chopper: (A Short Bedtime Horror Story) by David L. Felts is not a kid's bedtime story. This is a story about a kid that has a monster under the bed and the monster plans to leave now that the kid is older. This is certainly not for kid's as a bedtime story. A thought-provoking ending surprise ending! Clever story!
4270695
Deborah Install's latest book, "A Robot in the Garden", is a very strange little entity indeed. The author tells us that the seed for this book was a chance remark made one evening to her husband, which germinated into an idea for a character, which in turn led to the blossoming of this entire tale of coming of age, the acceptance of responsibility and stepping up to parenthood. The tale reads as though the author's imagination has been in greater control of its direction and formulation than has her rational intellect, though. As a result, the book is not as well polished as it could have been, and is every bit as frustrating as it is amusing.

It is also hard to fathom just what the author's intended audience might be. Some aspects of the book are probably too 'adult' to be appropriate for children or even young adults. At the same time, much of the book lacks the sophistication or structure that a more mature readership might look for. If asked to pick an audience for whom it might work, I would probably point at those newly into parenthood, or else shortly to be embarking upon it.

The story is essentially a standard "there and back again" tale of self-discovery, with many hilarious events and quite a few poignant ones too, along the way. What lets it down and prevents it from being an out-and-out funny and heart-warming story are the flat and stereotypical characters with which it is populated and the all-too-obvious direction of travel of the story arc, undermining what originality it has. Given the inventiveness of many of the story elements, it is a great shame that more was not done to tie things together into a more coherent and less rambling whole.

The book is worth a look if you are wanting something a little quirky and different from the norm. As a light and fuzzy read, with a decent feel-good score, the book is well on the way to scoring four stars. Its technical deficiencies, however, prevent me from awarding more than three; your mileage may vary.
4252541
This is a cute book with a clever premise. The author doesn't quite have the narrative ability to make it zing and sparkle; the language is a bit stiff. But the fantasy world she creates is well-worth a visit for a light, fun read. Probably many pre-teens will enjoy the book - especially girls, although boys are featured in the plot. The cutest part about it was how the "ugly" sister actually turned into a "swan" as a dragon. The book makes a positive statement about sibling love and loyalty which is lacking in many children's books. If I were still teaching I might read this aloud to fourth or fifth graders, even though they could easily read it for themselves. It is worth sharing.
3876735
This is a charming little book (65 pages) that took me by surprise.

Part One of what author David Tish calls "The Sheldon Beasley Series" (which I have not read), MADAME CHARMAINE begins with Sheldon's awakening on the first day of summer vacation. Excited by the prospect of a summer away from school, eleven-year old Sheldon rushes out with his pal Jimmy to team up with fellow companion Bull--and eventually their mutual female friend Tabby--to gaze upon a mysterious find left behind by recent flood waters: a locked and extremely heavy metal chest.

But, as they are soon to find out, every action has consequences, and when they decide to move it downriver so they can keep the find to themselves, they very nearly drown. And when they finally do succeed in opening the chest its strange contents--and especially the mysterious circumstances surrounding it--will lead them down a strange and ultimately dangerous path toward discovery.

MADAME CHARMAINE is quite definitely a Young Adult novel, yet parents can be assured that teens and pre-teens will enjoy the story equally. There are some dangerous activities that take place within, and some cultural discussions of characterizations like "white trash," but I think most parents would agree that the story is really intended for all. There is no profanity, nothing of a sexual nature, and the young boys and girl are treated as equals within the pages.

For instance, one of the children is a stutterer, and that "handicap" is handled with fairness and politeness, even grace, as that character turns in some of the most crucial and inspirational portions of the story. I found this to be a story told with even-handedness and respect, so these issues should be looked at as definite "pluses."

The nearest example I can think of that might provide a parallel to the story would be Stephen King's novella "The Body" (made into a terrific movie called STAND BY ME, with River Phoenix and Wil Wheaton), but the action and intensity in those two works is much more intense than takes place here. This is a much more G-rated tale, and parents--as I noted before--should not expect the intensity of those works in this instance.  But the parallel is alike in other regards, such as mixing humor and drama, and there is even a pancake-eating contest that bears some parallels with the pie-eating contest in those works...but again, there is no "adult" language or vulgarity here other than an occasional "Jeez" or "shut up!"

I found MADAME CHARMAINE quite interesting and, while it is a bit short, prospective readers can be assured that it is more a matter of being concise and unadorned by extraneous material. It moves along quickly and keeps the reader interested, even captivated, throughout. There were times I did not want to put it down, and that's the mark of a well-told tale. Young readers (and their parents) will enjoy it, so much that parents should be prepared: I can only assume they will want to rush off to read the rest of the Sheldon Beasley series once they do.
1417678
I admit it -- I'm an adult and I still enjoy reading books for kids.  And I've found that a GOOD YA/kid's book isn't just a dumbed-down story with a simplistic moral attached -- there's still room to be clever, fun, and enormously entertaining in a kid's book without being patronizing or talking down to the target audience.  I've found that a lot of authors make the mistake of assuming that kid's fair has to be "simple" and "dumb," while a good children's or YA author will know their audience well enough to know that said audience still has a sense of humor and an appreciation for clever wordplay, memorable characters they can relate to, and creative plots.  And the Dragonbreath series thus far has proven to be all of the above -- clever, fun, and sneakily educational without feeling like it's talking down to the reader or being a textbook in the guise of a fiction story.

The latest adventure in the Dragonbreath series is no exception -- it's a fun romp with characters kids will have grown to love, with a wicked sense of humor and some fun educational tidbits that don't feel out of place in the story itself.

In a world inhabited by anthropomorphic reptiles and amphibians, Danny Dragonbreath, a young dragon with a penchant for mischief and misadventure, wakes up one morning to find his fire has gone out.  When his dad proves less than helpful, he calls his grandpa, an Asian dragon who lives in mythic Japan (quite a different place from "real" Japan but still accessible by a good bus system).  Grandpa reveals that Danny's condition isn't just annoying, it could be fatal... and the only way to relight his fire is to travel to the Farthest North and eat the shell of a phoenix egg.  Accompanied by his nerdy iguana friend Wendall and the snarky, know-it-all crested lizard Christiana, Danny travels northward (via a magic portal in Grandpa's refrigerator) in search of the fabled egg... but can he reach the egg before his chilly illness, the cold of the Furthest North, monstrous ice worms, or Christiana's attitude do him in first?

While this book is more enjoyable if you've read the rest of the series first, it still stands alone decently.  There are plenty of callbacks to previous books in this one, but the plot isn't dependent on having read those books, so a reader can easily enjoy this story on its own merits.

The story is your typical quest-based fantasy with wacky hijinks thrown in, and the writing doesn't linger much on vivid descriptions -- though given that this book is illustrated (with simple but fun artwork that calls to mind an animated cartoon), detailed descriptions aren't necessarily vital to the story.  Vernon's strength lies in clever humor and memorable characters, and in both these aspects she succeeded.  I laughed aloud more than once reading this book, and far more often from the snark of the characters than the "wacky hijinks."  And I've grown to like Danny and his friends and family (especially Grandpa), and enjoy seeing them in another adventure.

I was slightly disappointed that there were neither "Frozen" nor "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace" puns or jokes in this book, seeing as the title hinted slightly at both.  But oh well.  (And given that the last book in this series had a "Five Nights at Freddy's" reference, no, Disney and Star Wars jokes aren't entirely out of the question...)

A fun read for kids (and a guilty pleasure for adults), if your kids enjoy books such as "Geronimo Stilton" or "Origami Yoda," they'll probably enjoy "Dragonbreath" as well.  There's nothing that parents would find objectionable, and kids will appreciate a fun and humorous story that suits their age group without patronizing them or lacking in wit and characterization.
3762062
This story has multiple surfaces. For the younger set, it is straightforward fantasy, but with well done narration employing a nice approach of switching between a general narrator and the Genie (djinni). The wise-cracking Genie keeps it interesting, especially with snarky footnotes. A lot of references to our (real) world's ancient and 20th century history recasts the actual events within this strange world of hidden beings. But, the story also has multiple layers of meaning. In many ways, it is far more about the dangers of class, isolation, alienation, propaganda, and the "winners writing the history books".

The story, as explained above and below, is about a boy apprenticed at a very young age into the world of the leaders (remember the Nazi leaders adopting "Arayan" children to raise them "properly"). The boy's real name is to be hidden so as to protect him (due to the dangers of "demons" knowing your real name). Of course, the larger issue is the suppression of his own real identity. But, his adoptive mother (the wife of the magician) does not cotton to this and uses his name (at his peril). Again, there is a lot of story in the story. Unlike Harry Potter, this is not about "magic" powers within the people, but rather the strict control of knowledge/technology and power. That is, magicians only learn how to use the correct words to control a whole array of magical beings from another world. The "commoners" are simply those suppressed from such knowledge.

The story of Kitty (in the 2nd) book and her "trial" takes this to a much farther level. Many poor and minorities in any country may feel that trial hits very close to home. Hopefully many of these parallels to our own world will sink in to teens who read this, helping them avoid the foolish arrogance that Nathaniel suffers from.
2941813
An imaginative story well told, with some humor (especially appealing when the body count is in the thousands) with an ironic twist at the end that you will not see coming.
4679905
THE ORACLE OF STAMBOUL is a truly delightful debut that centers on a unique Jewish child with unusual talents. This is a book about a child prodigy, someone whose intellectual capacity is unprecedented at a young age, yet whose abilities never place her outside the realm of credibility for skeptics. This is a story about espionage and covert activities that may lead to the decline of the Ottoman Empire, with a setting in the late 1800s that is both luxurious and diverse (albeit unstable). Somewhere here, eight-year-old Eleonora Cohen travels far from home with her father toward the destination of Stamboul, where Yakob intends to sell his wares. There he relates to associates' perceptions about his daughter's astounding genius. The trip leads to some fateful but unfortunate circumstances, placing Eleonora's future at risk and leading her toward a direct position of power over the future of the Empire.

Eleonora's story begins with her birth on an auspicious day where many "signs" arise for anyone who might be watching these sorts of things. Hordes of birds --- purple-feathered hoopoes --- fix their gaze on the home of the Cohens, alighting on the rooftop just as Eleonora's mother labors to bring her new daughter into the world. Pink and healthy, the baby survives, but her mother dies of blood loss during the labor. After Mrs. Cohen's death, Eleonora's infancy and early childhood are spent in the company of her aunt Ruxandra and father Yakob. Yakob Cohen is a successful and devoted father, a refined carpet merchant whose business is in marketing expensive rugs to prosperous families throughout the Empire. As such, he travels frequently and often leaves Eleonora under the strict tutelage of her fearful aunt.

Ruxandra and Yakob discover quickly that Eleonora is different from other children. At eight, her memory is near perfect, and she demonstrates advanced logic and the ability to process complex information. This puts her far ahead of her tender age. Out of fear of becoming a target for persecution (most especially by those who target Jews), Ruxandra attempts to contain the girl's advancing knowledge and force her to conceal her abilities. It becomes evident, however, that the child's intellect is so much a part of her that there is no way they can hope to hide it.

Yakob tutors Eleonora himself until one day when he leaves on a trip and his daughter stows away on the freighter he has boarded. She reveals herself in time, though Yakob is uncomfortable with exposing her to the outside world. Yet he gives her the rare opportunity to see the wonderful sights of the city of Stamboul, introducing her to many strange and generous people. The trip, however, leads to events both wonderful and tragic, and Eleonora never sees her family home again.

THE ORACLE OF STAMBOUL is one of those debuts that defies the norm, being a first creation that is astoundingly good, so much so that I wonder how on earth any author without a great deal of professional writing experience is capable of creating it. Most debuts are enjoyable but not great, yet this one kept my attention entirely and made me want to reread it straight away. I would think most readers will be enchanted by this unusual story about a sweet and naive little girl whose difficult choices lead to unpredictable consequences, and I'll be watching closely for future books by Michael David Lukas.

  --- Reviewed by Melanie Smith
4257809
Overall, this is a neat book for early graders and preschoolers. The artwork is colorful and simple, which is best for younger readers. Sometimes illustrations in children's books are too busy and interfere with the story copy itself. But not in this book. The blend is just right. But I wonder if the reverse printing, white letters on a green background, would work well on a regular black-and-white e-reader.

The story at times got confusing as the writer tried to build to a surprise ending. On the first page we are not sure who or what Bala-Gala is. It's best to avoid flashbacks for children -- such as, "Before that, he was a deer.... When he was a deer...." Also, young children can imaginatively become part of the story, and thus can be traumatized momentarily by death or injury suffered by some characters in the book. Something to consider. If you're reading this book to a young child, feel free to make changes to suit the child's makeup.

I look forward to more of this author's children's book.
1125259
A great bedtime story for children, about family leaving their dog and travelling to a vacation.
The end of the story is very surprising one.
Very nice E-Video and illustrations.
One of the best surprising story i have ever read, i am quite sure that your children will love having and you will enjoy reading.
Highly recommended
2031139
When I happened across it in the store, I was intrigued.  My kids love fantasy books, books about vampires and the like, so when I picked up the book, my 10 year old read 'graveyard' on it.  When she asked me about it, I read her the blurb, then told her it was written by the gentleman that writes the comic books I collect.  She laughed at me, but I told her that the book even won an award that is highly thought of by teachers, and with the promise of it being 'our' story (for me to read to her in the evenings), it sounded like a lot of fun to her.

At first, I found it a little strange, but she was riveted.  The reading was fluid and fun, and the story was very colorful.  I enjoyed reading it to her as much as she enjoyed having it read.  Not your run-of-the-mill storytelling (I told her about the fact it seemed the gravestones had their dates and epitaphs, and she asked me to read them as well), but it was something that took hold of her imagination.

There is a lot about the book which leaves things vague at best.  In some books, this is bad, in others, this is good.  I think the way the story flows, it's 'good' here.  It gave us a million questions and things to talk about, but really, Neil Gaiman is a very good storyteller.

There are illustrations, but really, I omitted them.  Where illustrations can enhance the experience, a really good story can stand on its own.  She is kind of past the picture-book age, and so building the scene in her mind is all the more gratifying for her to experience and for me to see.

Where some may refer to the story as macabre, I think that it gives it an element of more classical literature.  Frankly, older children's tales have been modified from some of their not-so-happy endings.  For me and the things I would like my child to understand is that death is as much a part of nature as life, and that the human experience is a limited thing.  I think that there are a lot of themes that can be picked from the writing, consciously or unconsciously, and that trying to PC a story (love, light, pink fluffy bunnies) shelters children from deeper thinking and understanding.  There is nothing graphic in the expression of anyone actually dying, and the humanity that Bod shows, his emotion and his mistakes, give his character depth and drives the story.

It is whimsical, fantastical, and even in its obscurity has its own rhyme and reason.  We enjoyed the book.  Thank you.
2251966
I just finished reading this to/with my 6 year old and it wasn't what I expected when I ordered it.  The description & cover art led me to anticipate a funny who-done-it for kids, but it isn't really that funny and the mystery-solving element is limited and occurs only toward the end of the story.  Instead, what we have here is a more serious-minded story dealing with death in a way that was more realistic that I foresaw.  For example, the book cover shows a cartoon hamster with bandaids on it's tummy.  The titular hamster, however, actually received stitches - not bandaids - from the veterinarian after having its leg chewed off by another hamster.  This happened on the same night that one of the two adult hamsters presumably killed their 8 babies.  All of this content, along with the death of the main characters' grandmother and the death and subsequent unearthing of another child's pet rabbit, is treated fairly directly and seriously.
Considering the more somber tone of the story, it is still enjoyable.  The cast of characters, including brother-sister protagonists Anna & Tom and their friend Suzanne along with an imaginative assortment of people from their neighborhood,  is first rate.  The kids' interactions with and perceptions of the grown ups is cute and sometimes clever.  There are some moments of laugh out loud humor here and there too.  In addition, the illustrations are charming and are integrated well into the story.  Finally, the kids' investigation, once it actually commences toward the end of the story, is quite fun.
While the story and characters held up well, I did occasionally grow weary of the author's relentless pursuit of a "realistic" juvenile voice for the narration, accomplished primarily through long run-on sentences and the never ending use of the conjunction "and" to join every little phrase, thought, idea, comment, etc.  In addition, some parents may want to know that characters occasionally use phrases like "good God," "what in God's name," etc.  Also, there is mention of one character's father who does not believe in God and another friend's suggestion that he will therefore go to hell.  If religious themes are important to you and your family, you might want to be prepared to discuss them during the reading of the book.
All in all this book was enjoyable and would be a good choice for older preteen readers and younger teens.  It wasn't, however, what I expected and was a bit advanced thematically for my younger son.  Don't judge this book by its cover or you'll be disappointed, but do enjoy it for its imaginative plot and solid cast of likable characters.
4514350
This fairytale by MacDonald is a wonderful (in the real sense of the word) story for children, though much of it may go over their heads.

MacDonald mixes metaphysics with childishness, and the result is absolutely spellbinding. The character of Diamond is so loveable. However, the middle of the tale drags a little, and could have been shortened up. The ending more than makes up for this, though.

In the end you will be left with a quite beautiful heartache, in the best way. If you enjoy fairytales and old children's stories, you will enjoy this.
2082308
Probably around 3.5 stars, but I rounded up.

I have a degree in mathematics and teach algebra, so the idea for this story was immediately appealing to me. I haven't seen many other books like this (though I'm sure there are many with similar themes), but I think it's a great idea to include math in fun stories for children. Math isn't something to fear, but something to have fun with.

This little story follows number one as he goes in search of the rest of the numbers, collecting them on his travels. Which was such a fun idea!

While this was a very fun story I think it could use a little more polishing to make the overall reading experience flow a little better. Overall I found it a fun and clever little story. It's also nice to know that the author had help from her son to create the journey for the numbers.

This is a great book for little kids just learning about numbers. It even has some addition thrown in, so you can use it as a lesson. I think there are more in the series, but it would also be fun to have your own kids come up with further adventures for these curious numbers.

*I received a copy of this novel for review upon my request. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.*
2576607
you'll probably like this book. Our heroine, Ellie, has come to tend to her god-daughter Sophie after Sophie watched her mother, Ellie's BFF Lucy, die after being knifed in a Notting Hill alley en route to Sophie's posh little school. Ellie has also used this as a convenient escape from the marital fallout from a stillbirth a couple years ago. As therapy for eight-year-old Sophie (ostensibly), Ellie decides they should read Francis Hodgson Burnett's classic, The Secret Garden. (Don't worry, if you aren't familiar with the book, you will be fine reading this book--but why not enjoy reading a great children's classic?)

The story of the novel does not parallel the children's book in excessively obvious ways, but the sense that redemption and healing can happen through the magic of those who are not blood relatives is captivating--at least if you like that sort of thing--and I do. It is never sappy or overly implausible--the one event late in the book that is rather improbable is recognized as such. Things like that do happen, just it is awfully convenient that this happens in this story. The event wraps it up kind of neatly--but even so, the wrapping up is not done without pointing out the downsides and instabilities of it--they may well not live happily ever after!

This is a "magical fairy tale" that grownups can believe....nothing is unearned. Everything is justified.

One final note: I could imagine books written from the perspective of several of the characters---they are that well drawn...
3432752
At first, when I started The Cool Kids I thought this is going to be an adventure story involving a few preteen boys/best friends reminiscent of Stand By Me with a little fantasy thrown in. While this is true in a way, the story turned and still surprised me.
  What followed was a story of childhood and friendships and how even though you may grow up (and apart) that bond is always there.  Kevin and his two best friends aren't considered "cool" but they grow to realize that doesn't matter.  I think we can all relate, in some way, to the boys.
  This story is short, around 100 pages, and I tend to not enjoy short stories but this story of Kevin and his buddies was funny, touching, imaginative and nostalgic.
2521144
When Leo found the secret room from inside the giant pinball machine I realized that this isn't the typical children's book.  The details of the plot are inventive and do not follow typical children't literature.  It keeps the story interesting and worth finishing, since you can't always predict what is coming next.