Archive for the ‘Adventure’ Category
- In: Adventure | Fairy Tale | friendship
- Leave a Comment
I recently read Once Upon A Marigold by Jean Ferris. This is a semi sweet novel which emphasizes that love will always find a way. I also liked that twists and turns were added to a normal fairy tale plot.
We have Christian, a slightly odd inventor. For starters, he lives with his foster-father, a troll. He lives in a cave along with his two dogs. Did I mention that the dogs can”sing”. One day he finds a telescope near his home. Upon figuring out how to use it, he spies on the princess of the kingdom, Marigold. He falls in love with her. He decides that he will work as a servant in the castle so that he can be closer to her.
Let me introduce, two of Marigold’s suitors – Prince Cyprain and Sir Magnus. Sir Magnus is pretty much a ”normal” guy with the Sir title in front of his name. Characteristics which would describe Sir Magnus could be wimpy and useless guy. Prince Cyprain, on the other hand, has to be in the center of attention. Marigold realizes these gentlemen are not for her plans to reject them.
One day, while cleaning the Queen’s chambers, Christian overhears the Queen plotting to eliminate Marigold and Marigold’s father so she can have the throne all to herself. Christian rushes to tell Marigold but is too late the queen just announced that Marigold and Sir Magnus are engaged!! Marigold is outraged at first. However, she gets over it as she realizes that if she marries Sir Magnus, she will get to stay with her Father.
Christian discover that he is a prince. This happens when one of the guards calls him a murderer … because the necklace that he has had since his childhood is the royal crest and only the royals in that kingdom can wear it. So on the day of the wedding, Christian crashes it and announces the he is a Prince and marries Marigold. I enjoyed this book because Jean Ferris really made a good book with a tablespoon of ingenuity. That’s what people want in a book.
Origin by Jessica Khoury
Posted on: December 30, 2012
- In: Adventure | Mystery | Romance
- Leave a Comment
I recently read this book called Origin by Jessica Khory. This book is about NOT being perfect and letting your heart lead your life instead of rules. It is really interesting … this girl is used to being called perfect. However, in reality no one is ever perfect … even though they seem to be.
Pia is a perfect immortal hidden in the depths of the Amazon Rainforest. She lives with her family (Scientists who are mostly aunts and uncles). They have always called her perfect and demand a lot from her. They expect her to start a whole race of immortals – which is not an easy job. One day while Pia and her Uncle Paolo were doing an experiment on a bird using one of her Uncle’s serum the bird dies. At that moment, something in Pia snaps and she decides to rebel. 
Pia finds a hole in the fence which surrounds the camp and goes though it. She soon meets Eio. He is a boy from the neighboring tribe of Ai’oans. They instantly fall in love and Eio takes Pia to his tribe’s camp. The tribe’s Shaman comes out to meet Pia and announces that she is the Kapukiri, the person who is destined to save the tribe from the Scientists.
Pia easily finds the weakness in the Scientist camp - the fence. It looks really strong but is actually really weak. Pia, Eio, and the tribe raid the Scientist camp and win but they do not kill the scientists. The Scientists come after Pia. To make sure they don’t make another immortal she drinks Elysia (the very essence that can destroy her immortality). Pia dies as an immortal BUT awakens as a mortal! Pia and Eio can live together FOREVER … untill they pass, of course!
I liked the torn feelings Pia has. She had to decide between love or the path the Scientists made for her. I am happy she chose Eio over the Scientists!!!
- In: Adventure | Fantasy | Mystery
- Leave a Comment
To Catch a Mermaid by Suzanne Selfors was a book that just about anyone could savor. It was a book which contained a bit of humor, a bit of mystery, with a bit of fantasy weaved in there. Ms. Selfors created a book about self-discovery and the feeling that comes from achieving a seemingly unreachable goal.
Boom Broom thinks his life can’t get any worse. The nightmare all began for him when his mother was swept away by a twister and his father locked himself in the attic, leaving Boom to care for his little sister Mertyle (who has acted out every possible sickness including spots, the common cold and even brain farts). She did all of that just to avoid school. Low on money, Boom brings home a feisty, seaweed covered fish home which had been reject 
seafood market but when Boom puts it on the table, he and Mertyle find that it’s actually a living, breathing, foul-tempered merbaby.
Boom wants to use the creature to get rich, but Mertyle won’t hear of it. She loves the mud-scented baby and wants to keep to herself. But when strange things began to happen … one of those being Mertyle begins to grow a white fuzz all over her arms and legs … they realize that may not be possible. The siblings soon rely on their viking housekeeper, Halvor and his secret society to navigate them to an almost unknown island where the fisherman probably caught the merbaby. By the time they get to the island, tt is midnight and they quickly fall asleep. While they were all asleep the mother of the merbaby comes and takes away the fuzz on Mertyle . The group then returns home and Boom and Mertyle’s father decides comes out of the attic and they all go on happy.
I enjoyed the book because Ms. Selfors made it so that you couldn’t tell what happened next. I also enjoyed how the author used the humor in the story to her advantage because right during a sad part of the story she used humor to enlighten the story.
The moral of the story is that if you can find the will to do anything you can do anything. Boom made a fantastic demonstration of that when he found the will to save his sister to care for his sister/family when he was still a child himself. This week, I am going to find one selfless act and do it – I don’t know what it is yet but I will do it!
- In: Adventure | Fantasy | Mystery | Romance
- Leave a Comment
Kat, Incorrigible was a good book … if it were food it would have been chocolate cake under a dark chocolate fountain (I am not the biggest fan of dark chocolate but I am of chocolate cake!)
Picture this - its nineteenth centry in England it is the ages of big dresses and every girl MUST be proper and presentable. This is not the time to be practicing witchcraft or magic. But that is what Kat must do if she is to help her family. Her older brother gambled them into a huge debt and her family has seemed to lost hope and is very unhappy. Kat thinks the only way to help the family is to use her magic; unfortunately, her 
stepmother has other plans. Her stepmother believes that if Kat’s older sister is to marry the mysterious Sir Neville (who murdered his last wife) it will fix all of the family’s problems. After hearing this, Kat is determined to make sure that her sister won’t have to married to Sir Neville.
Fortunately, Kat gets her chance almost immediately. It happens when Kat’s stepmother’s cousin is hosting a ball and Sir Neville is attending and she uses this to her advantage. Kat is going to attend the ball. On the first dance, Kat accidentally rips a woman’s dress by stepping on the hem. Kat soon discovers that Sir Neville has some magical powers of his own (which he got his from his late-wife). As soon as she find out about this it dawns on her Sir Neville will take her sister’s powers. Kat confronts Sir Neville, his plot is uncovered, they battle and, of course, Kat wins. She and her family live happily ever after.
I enjoyed the book because it has a bit of magic and the happily ever after. I also liked how Author Burgis used a bit of modern thinking … if I had an older sister I would probably try to save her. Some dislikes I had were that the Author used some words that I didn’t know off the top of my head (such as a “reticule”…. which I now know that I do with my little sister). Another was that once or twice the story felt as if it was moving way to fast and I had to stop and take a breath.
The moral is that you sometimes have to take in guidance because in the beginning of the story Kat always hated for people to even try to give her guidance but in the end she was almost always ready to take in guidance and since she realized the more she took in the wiser she got. I may need to practice that too.
- In: Adventure | Fairy Tale | Mystery
- Leave a Comment
I thought this was a spectacular book caught somewhere between “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Twelve Darling Princesses”. The Princess Curse was full of mystery and tricks which left me taking the book anywhere my parents allowed (and also getting up in the middle of the night to read)!
The book is about Reveka, a herbalist apprentice. It is her dream to become a kingdom known as herbalists but she is very poor. Once day, she gets an idea…she hears that the princesses in her kingdom are suffering from a puzzling curse and there is a HUGE reward…if she can solve/cure the princesses she would have enough money to become a master herbalist. 
While on her mission, Reveka meets Dindina, a worker at the palace who givers her a paper holding the ingredients that create invisibility to anyone wo wears the cape (so you know, of course, Reveka creates this cape).
One night, Reveka follows the princesses in the land of Thonos where they dance with a zema (a dragon). It is there and then that her father is taken prisoner and Reveka knows that she would do anything asked of her to make sure he was safe. She is told she has to eat five pomegranate seeds and say that she will return to Thonos to stay.
I really enjoyed this book. I admit it, I LOVE fairy tales because anything can happen. I also happen to really enjoy reading about mythology and this book had a bit of that (Thonos is part of the underworld). The origin of myths date back to the Greeks and Romans who assumed dead souls are guided by Hermes, God of Trickery)…and that is where the princess go. I believe the moral of The Princess Curse is that we need to be able to sacrifice yourself for the good of the greater others. Here Reveka sacrified herself to save the princesses and her father. Makes you wonder … what it would take for you to do that?!?
- In: Adventure | Mythology | Series
- Leave a Comment
The Son of Neptune was just as captivating as the first book in this series. There are new characters and very exciting new settings! I tend to enjoy the books that I read which were written by Mr. Riordan, and this was no exception.
Here we have Percy, who has lost his memory. He has no idea where he is! The only thing he knows is that he is being chased by the Gorgons (the sisters of Medusa). He is approached by an old, heavy, hippie lady who asks that he take her across the river. Percy then learns that the river turns into an underground path which leads to a Roman camp. With the Gorgons still chasing him, Percy uses his powers to make the river water into fists and punches the sisters into the sky. Once the Gorgons are back on land, the Romans chain them up. The Roman suspiciously gather around Percy and they decide to let him stay because they have seen what he can do. 
Percy quickly becomes friends with Frank (who does not know who is godly parents are) and Hazel (her name is the Greek version of her father’s name – Hades, God of the Dead). Later Percy and his new friends to go the War Games. There everyone learns that Frank’s father is Ares (the God of War). Ares tells the children to go on a quest to Alaska to free the Thantos. Thantos is the God who lets dead souls into the underworld and makes sure that no evil souls get out. Now that he (Thantos) is trapped, “monsters” are forming quicker. While on their expedition, the friends meet a wide variety of characters. It is during one of their encounters with an old Roman man who can predict the future (Phineas), that Percy gets his memory back.
After a while, Percy, Frank and Hazel decide to combine their strengths and powers in order to beat the Giant that was guarding Thantos. After they complete their mission, they return to the Roman camp. Soon a Greek ship is discovered to be heading toward the shores of the camp…I wonder who is on the ship (stay tuned to the next book)…
I really liked that this book had quite a bit of adventure yet it was extremely funny. And it was not the old-fashioned humor, it was modern. I also enjoyed how Mr. Riordan used modern weapons instead of swords and daggers. A dislike that I had was that there were some references to Roman words that I was not familiar with. But, for the most part, I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I look forward to the Fall of 2012 when the Mark of Athena comes out (the next book in this series)!
I was assigned to read this in class and I was pleasantly surprised about how much I enjoyed the book. I felt it was a mix of action, mystery, fantasy but at the same time this book seemed to be realistic (if you could envision that the animals were people). It was a PERFECT mix!
This is how the story goes – Mrs. Frisby was a widowed mouse with four small children. As she is preparing her family for “moving day” - the farmer is getting ready to plow the fields and she must move the family or they will all be killed - her youngest son Timothy comes down with pneumonia. Mrs. Frisby understands that if Timothy inhales any cold air his lungs could be permanently damaged or he could even die. She listens to some birds and she finds a new hope for Timothy…there is a wise old Owl that helps animals in the forest. Mrs. Frisby asks a friend to take her to the Owl.Once at the Owl, the wise old bird advises Ms. Frisby that she needs to wrap Timothy up in blankets and go see the “RATS.” [The RATS are very strong and EXTREMELY intelligent because they received injections from Dr. Schultz at NIMH.]
The first Rat Mrs. Frisby meets is named Brutus but he sends her away. As she was leaving, she runs into Mr. Ages but he tells her to stay. Mr. Ages goes and talks to Brutus and then out comes Justin (the second in command). Justin allows Mrs. Frisby to come into their world. After discussions with Nicodemus (the head of the Rats) it is suggested that the family’s cinderblock house be move to the “lee of the stone” (a big stone/boulder in the field that the farmer does not plow around). But there is another problem…Dragon (the farmer’s cat) prowls around the yard during the night. Mr. Ages makes a powder that Mrs. Frisby successfully puts into Dragon’s bowl. BUT, as she was leaving, she is captured by the farmer’s youngest son Billy. Once the farmer’s family goes to bed, Justin comes and rescues Mrs. Frisby and the Rats all work together to move the Frisby home.
Somethings I liked about the book were that there were lots of descriptive words used and that the surprises kept on coming. You never knew what was going to happen next. One dislike I had wasn’t with the book but with myself – this book was set during an earlier time period so I would have to ask what a word meant … but on the positive side, I learned a few new words!
The moral of the story was that you should never give up. Mrs. Frisby was on the verge of quitting several times but she knew that she was doing this for her family and her life. I need to remember this … I will also try to help my sister remember this … she tends to quit easily (and throw tantrums)!
The Lost Hero was an amazing book that was like pop rocks – unexpected pops when you read every scrupulous word. Some thing I liked about the book was that Mr. Riordan used modern thinking rather than what you would probably in greek mythology. Another reason I liked the book was that I didn’t have to look up the definition or description of the god or goddess because they explained it without making it too obvious so it was not like a mini dictionary. The only aspect I was not thrilled about in this book was that it was a little speedy at points in the story.
The Lost Hero is about a boy named Jason who wakes up on bus not knowing who he was! Apparently, he had a girlfriend named Piper and a buddy named Leo. Piper and Leo say they have known Jason for years but he thinks he just met them. Since Jason doesn’t know who he is Leo and Piper fill Jason in. They go to Wilderness School for “bad kids”, they are going to a museum to study an exact replica of the Grand Canyon.
While on the “Grand Canyon” a venti or storm spirit attacks Leo, Piper and Jason. Jason attacks the storm spirit as if he had been in battle before. Annabeth (a consoler from camp) (who is also a half-blood) comes to take them to camp half-blood. When they get to camp, Annabeth tells them that they are demi-gods or people who has 1 parent who is a god and the other one is a mortal.When you find out who your god parent is the god or goddess an action or symbol will be done on the demigod. For Leo, a fire burst upon his head, for Piper her old clothes were replaced for new clothes, and last but not least, Jason had a wrath of lightning on his head. Which means, Leo’s father is Pephaestus, Piper’s Mother is Aphrodite, and Jason’s father is Zeus, the Kind of the Gods.
Later at a campfire meeting, the trio find out about a prophecy and they fit in the descriptions. They are then given a quest which is to locate the Goddess Hera who is trapped by Gaea, who is “Mother Earth”. Gaea wants to raise some of her kids, the giants, to be exact but the worst part of the prophecy is that if Gaea wakes the world will be demolished. so once the trio pack all of their supplies they are off to save the world.
While on his journey, Jason gets some of his memories back. He remembers he has a lost sister named Thalia who thought he was dead and his mother was driven mad by his father’s visits. They eventually find Hera but at the same time they also learn that the giants are about to be reborn. Piper then uses her charmsspeak to make the cage holding Hera disintegrate … but not in time … the giants are reborn. After the giants were unleashed, Hera uses her energy to try to vaporize them (the giants) but they get and are on the way to Greece to destroy Mt. Olympus…yes, there will be a sequel. It is due to be released VERY soon!
The book had an awesome moral. The moral is that you need to gather all clues and information before you rush to judge someone. If you blame people unjustly then they might be offended so if you ever get blamed they would probably say ”I told you so.” I probably need to work on that myself because a blame my sister and my mom little bit.
- In: Adventure | Mystery
- Leave a Comment
The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester was an easy read for me…a bit t0o easy (my Mom picked this out to “give me variety”). The words in this book were very simple; however, the book seemed to lack the amount of detail that I am used to and like.
In this story we have Owen who has a pet frog named Tooley. Tooley as a big red heart between his two eyes. One day, Owen hears a big “bang” behind the house (by the train tracks). The following day, he notices that Tooley’s colors are fading, his skin is not as green and the heart is a lighter shade of red. He calls his friends and the boys make a cage for the frog so that they can put him safely in the pond. Once Tooley was back in the water, Owen decides to let Tooley free.
Next, the boys go to investigate what the big “bang” was and they find a submarine. After a lot of thought, Owen and his friends come up with a plan to get the submarine to the pond (the same pond where Tooley is). They lay pipes on the ground, use bungee cords to attach the sub to the pipes and roll it to the water. Once at the pond, Owen takes the first ride in the submarine. He spends time wondering around looking for his pet frog. When he finds Tooley, the frog presses up against the window – as if they are communicating. When he returns to the surface, Owen finds a bunch of angry people there (including his parents and the owners of the submarine). The boys become famous for a short period of time (they are interviewed by several reporters) before everything returns to normal. Some time passes, and one night Owen hears something outside of his bedroom window. He goes to check and finds Tooley there.
The moral of this book is that you can do anything you set your mind to. The boys initially thought they would not be able to move submarine to the pond but after a bit of thought and work, they accomplished what they wanted to. I think this could be very helpful for me as I am getting ready to go back to school … fifth grade!
- In: Adventure | Humor
- 2 Comments
The Grand Plan to Fix Everything is a very special book. It celebrates friendships, coincidents and the negative aspects of being an ultimate star. Every word of this book seems as if this scenario has been in real life instead of imaging it. Speaking of imagination, Ms. Krishnaswami really made it easy to image what she was explaining or describing.
The book is about Dini, and Dolly Singh, a superstar in Indian movies. While watching a movie, Dolly’s latest film to be exact, Dini’s mother gives her THE NEWS. Dini and her family are moving to India – but not a big city like Bombay, but Swapnagiri (which is the Indian word for Dream Mountain). Maddie (Dini’s best friend) and Dini are heartbroken but her parents have already signed the contract on the property and there is no going back now – even though Dini kept protesting. The family moves during the next several weeks. When they arrive at the new home, the water is not working and they discover there is a monkey on the roof clogging the water. Then, overhearing some locals, Dini finds out that Dolly is in Swapnagiri. Dini decides that she is going to try to find Dolly. It is during her quest, that she meets Pryia (a girl who can make special sound effects - such sounding like a peacock).
Dini, through emails tells Maddie about her new home and her new friend. Maddie’s feelings get hurt because she thinks that her best friend is having a great time and will soon forget about her. One day, Dini asks her new friend if she has seen Dolly but this upsets Pryia because she feels as if Dolly is the only one anyone is interested in. Dini then decides to have a party for Pryia, a way in which to apologize for offending her new friend. Dolly makes a surprise visit to the party and it turns out that Dolly is engaged to Pryia’s uncle (Chickoo). Dini is over the moon excited about meeting the movie star. Dini and Dolly take a picture together and Dini sends the picture to Maddie to show her that she is still in her thoughts.
One reason I like the book is that is was easy to understand. It seemed as if each person lead to a piece that made one giant mural that showed and spelled friendship and trust (which were two key concepts in the book). I also liked how the author put some Indian words into the mix – probably because the main character has moved there. The only thing I did not like about this book is that the Indian words were not defined so I had a harder time understanding what was going on until I got several more sentences down and could decipher the meanings.
The moral of this story could be even though it seems as if the world is crashing down upon you, you need to work hard to build it back up. Even though Pryia and Maddie got mad at Dini she was able to make things right by being herself and true to her friends. Dini also shows that we need to try to make the best out of all situations.
