Middle Grade – Page 24 – Jill's Book Blog

Goodreads Synopsis:

Nancy and her friends must navigate a cruise ship crisis in the first book of the Nancy Drew Diaries, a fresh approach to a classic series.

Nancy, Bess, and George are cruising dangerous waters on a tour of Alaska. Becca Wright, an old friend of Nancy’s, is the Assistant Cruise Director of the Arctic Star, a posh new ship. But Becca needs Nancy’s help when strange things keep happening aboard the opulent ocean liner: The swimming pool becomes a floating grave; a famous passenger is threatened; and even the seemingly innocent mini-golf course becomes a perilous playground. With the majestic and mysterious Alaskan scenery as a backdrop, Nancy and company have to find out who’s trying to sabotage the maiden voyage and why.

Review:

Unfortunately, I was disappointed in this story. I love Nancy Drew stories, and I love seeing all of the different series. The Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew is an example of a great series for kids, and I’ve enjoyed some of the others as well. This book wasn’t the neat and tidy mystery that I was expecting.

Many of the “incidents” on the cruise were weird, and not really threatening. There was a “body” in the pool, which turned out to be a mannequin. I’m not sure how they thought the mannequin could be a real person. There were also some threatening emails, which almost got the cruise cancelled.

The incidents were juvenile, and that contrasted with the fact that Nancy and her friends are actually older teens in this book. They were adults, though their exact age wasn’t mentioned, so I don’t know why they were spending their time on these childish incidents. I think Nancy, Bess, and George should have been younger characters, since the book is aimed at a younger audience.

Another thing that was disappointing was that the whole mystery wasn’t solved at the end! Some of the incidents were attributed to the culprits that Nancy found at the end, but there were still more suspicious incidents to be solved. It continues to the next book, which I don’t think I will be reading.

Review: The Adventurers Guild

Title: The Adventurers Guild
Author: Zack Loran Clark and Nick Eliopulos
Genre: Middle Grade
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Source: Library
Format: ebook
Release Date: October 3, 2017
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Few ever asked to join the Adventurers Guild. . . . Their members often died young.

In one of the last cities standing after the world fell to monsters, best friends Zed Kagari and Brock Dunderfel have high hopes for the future. Zed desperately wishes to join the ranks of the Mages Guild, where his status as Freestone’s only half elf might finally be an asset. Brock, the roguishly handsome son of merchants, is confident he’ll be welcomed into the ranks of the Merchants Guild.

But just as it seems the boys’ dreams have come true, their lives take a startling turn . . . and they find themselves members of the perilous Adventurers Guild.

Led by the fearsome Alabasel Frond, the guild acts as the last line of defense against the Dangers-hungry, unnatural beasts from otherworldly planes. And when the boys uncover a conspiracy that threatens all of Freestone, Zed, Brock, and their new allies-Liza, a fierce noble, and Jett, a brave dwarf-must prove their worth once and for all.

This start of a thrilling new series is sure to be a hit with readers who like their fantasies clever and action-packed, with tons of humor and heart.

Review:

This is a great, fast-paced fantasy story.

It is set in a unique world, where everyone is divided into the guilds where they work. When they are preteens, they are chosen by a guild to work for the rest of their lives. However, the Adventurers guild is a special guild where people can ask to join it and they are automatically accepted. That is because the Adventurers guild embarks on dangerous journeys beyond the walls of the city.

The story was told from the perspectives of Zed and Brock. They are two friends from very different backgrounds. Zed is half elf, which makes him very unique in the town. There are no other elves, so he is the only one with elven blood. Brock is from a wealthier family and he is assumed to join the Merchants guild, but then he becomes a spy for them in the Adventurers guild.

The ending was very fast paced. I liked the conclusion, and it ended on a cliffhanger. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book, which comes out in a couple of weeks.

Review: Blended

Title: Blended
Author: Sharon M. Draper
Genre: Middle Grade
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Canada
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback
Release Date: October 30, 2018
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Eleven-year-old Isabella’s parents are divorced, so she has to switch lives every week: One week she’s Isabella with her dad, his girlfriend Anastasia, and her son Darren living in a fancy house where they are one of the only black families in the neighborhood. The next week she’s Izzy with her mom and her boyfriend John-Mark in a small, not-so-fancy house that she loves.

Because of this, Isabella has always felt pulled between two worlds. And now that her parents are divorced, it seems their fights are even worse, and they’re always about HER. Isabella feels even more stuck in the middle, split and divided between them than ever. And she’s is beginning to realize that being split between Mom and Dad is more than switching houses, switching nicknames, switching backpacks: it’s also about switching identities. Her dad is black, her mom is white, and strangers are always commenting: “You’re so exotic!” “You look so unusual.” “But what are you really?” She knows what they’re really saying: “You don’t look like your parents.” “You’re different.” “What race are you really?” And when her parents, who both get engaged at the same time, get in their biggest fight ever, Isabella doesn’t just feel divided, she feels ripped in two. What does it mean to be half white or half black? To belong to half mom and half dad? And if you’re only seen as half of this and half of that, how can you ever feel whole?

It seems like nothing can bring Isabella’s family together again—until the worst happens. Isabella and Darren are stopped by the police. A cell phone is mistaken for a gun. And shots are fired.

Review:

This is a great contemporary, middle grade story.

Isabella feels conflicted because of all of the blending in her life. She is mixed race. She has to split her time between her divorced parents too. She often feels like she’s being torn between her parents in their arguments, but it isn’t her fault.

Isabella could escape from the difficult aspects of her life through playing the piano. It is so important to have a positive outlet and hobby. She could become her own person through her music.

There was a very upsetting scene at the end of the book which involved racial profiling. It was devastating to read about. However, this is something that happens often in our society, with unarmed people of colour being profiled just because of the colour of their skin. It was difficult to read, but it reflected an unfortunate part of real life.

This is a powerful story that I highly recommend.

Review: Secrets and Sequences (Secret Coders #3)

Title: Secrets and Sequences (Secret Coders #3)
Author: Gene Luen Yang, Mike Holmes
Genre: Middle Grade, Graphic Novel
Publisher: First Second
Source: Library
Release Date: March 7, 2017
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Stately Academy is no ordinary school: it was once home to an elite institute where teachers, students, and robots worked together to unravel the mysteries of coding. Hopper, Eni, and Josh won’t rest until they’ve learned the whole story, but they aren’t the only ones interested in the school’s past. Principal Dean is hot on their trail, demanding that the coders turn over their most powerful robot. Dean may be a creep, but he’s nothing compared to the guy who’s really in charge: a green-skinned coding genius named Professor One-Zero.

Review:

This series is great for kids. It teaches how to do simple coding, which I know a lot of kids are interested in these days. Since they like using technology, it’s great to teach them how to create it.

The plot of this story was very good too. The story is developing more with each book. This story included an evil villain who they had to stop from destroying their town. However, while the bad guy was trapping him in his dungeon, he stopped to teach them some more coding tricks. I know villains in stories often stop to explain things while they should be running away, but I’ve never seen one stop to teach kids, so that was very weird.

One thing that would greatly improve this series is if there was some kind of refresher at the beginning of the story which summarized the previous books. There was a gap between the time I read them, so it would have been nice if there was a page or two to remind me of what happened before. This would be helpful for kids who take the books out of the library and can’t flip through the previous book before moving on.

However, this is a great series for kids!

Here are my reviews for the other books in the series: Secret Coders, Paths and Portals

Review: A Boy Called Christmas (Christmas #1)

Title: A Boy Called Christmas (Christmas #1)
Author: Matt Haig
Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy
Publisher: HarperCollins
Source: Purchased
Release Date: November 12, 2015
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

You are about to read the true story of Father Christmas.
It is a story that proves that nothing is impossible.
If you are one of those people who believe that some things are impossible, you should put this book down right away. It is most certainly not for you.
Because this book is FULL of impossible things.

Are you still reading?

Good.

Then let us begin . . .

A Boy Called Christmas is a tale of adventure, snow, kidnapping, elves, more snow, and an eleven-year-old boy called Nikolas, who isn’t afraid to believe in magic.

Review:

This is a great, unique Christmas story.

When I was a kid, I loved stories about Santa. I always wondered, Where did he come from? This is a great origin story about a boy named Nikolas who grew up to become Father Christmas.

The narration style reminded me of the narrator of A Series of Unfortunate Events. The narrator would comment on things in the story, that Nikolas didn’t know. The narrator would also speak directly to the reader. Though Nikolas didn’t have as hard a time as the Beaudelaire children in A Series of Unfortunate Events, he did have some hardships, such as losing his family and being on his own.

The next book was set up at the end with the introduction of a girl named Amelia. I’m excited to read the rest of the series.

Review: Writ in Stone (Nancy Drew: Girl Detective Graphic Novels #2)

Title: Writ in Stone (Nancy Drew: Girl Detective Graphic Novels #2)
Author: Stefan Petrucha, Sho Murase
Genre: Graphic Novel, Middle Grade
Publisher: Papercutz
Source: Library
Release Date: July 1, 2005
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

It’s double trouble for Nancy and her friends, when an ancient artifact and a little boy are both suddenly missing. The artifact is a piece of an old stone marker that may prove that the Chinese were in America eighty years before Columbus. The little boy is Owen Zucker, a sweetie who Nancy sometimes baby-sits. Nancy’s determined to recover both the artifact and little Owen, but someone’s out to stop her—permanently! Ages 8 to 12.

Review:

I loved this graphic novel!

The graphics in this book were much better than the first one. All of the pictures were clear. There were objects in the images that looked like clip art. They didn’t match the other drawings, because they looked like photos of real things.

I was so excited to see Ned and Hannah. They are so important to Nancy and play an important part in the novels, but they are often left out of adaptations.

The next book is inspired by the 1930s, so I’m excited to read it!

Review: Fort Solitude (DC Comics: Secret Hero Society #2)

Title: Fort Solitude (DC Comics: Secret Hero Society #2)
Author: Derek Fridolfs, Dustin Nguyen
Genre: Middle Grade, Graphic Novel
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Source: Library
Release Date: December 27, 2016
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

The follow-up to the bestselling hit Study Hall of Justice! Clark Kent is thrilled when he receives an invite to a spring break academic retreat. After taking down the villains of Ducard Academy the previous year, going back to life on the farm was a bit dull. Better yet, his friends Bruce and Diana have been invited there, too! What better way to spend spring break than with old friends (Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn) and new ones like Arthur Curry (Aquaman), Barry Allen (the Flash), and Vic Stone (Cyborg)?

When Clark arrives at Camp Evergreen he makes new friends, reconnects with old ones, and nothing seems weird at all! Well, that is until kids start disappearing… One by one… Plus, there’s a lake monster, bigfoot has been spotted, there are reports of a boogeyman, and there may or may not be a UFO crashed into the lake. Clark, Bruce, and Diana will have to re-assemble the Junior Detective – er- Criminal Investigation Unit, in an all-new, supernatural adventure!

Review:

I really like the concept of this story. The DC Super Hero kids get invited to a camp, and then kids mysteriously disappear.

I also liked the format. There are many different kinds of documents that tell the story, including chat messages between Clark, Diana, and Bruce, Clark’s scrapbooks, and flyers advertising events at the camp. I loved these kinds of books when I was a kid, so I’m sure lots of kids would like this format.

The images were all in black and white, which made it difficult to tell the difference between the characters. Most of the time, they were in their regular clothes, since they aren’t superheroes yet, so they looked the same. If it wasn’t for Clark’s glasses, him and Bruce would have looked the same. I also wasn’t sure who many of the new characters were because they went by their real names. I had to keep googling the names to figure out who they really were, such as Pamela and Arthur. When I learned who they were, it made the story funnier because they were behaving like their future superhero selves.

I’m interested in seeing how this story continues in the next volume.

Review: The Miserable Mill (A Series of Unfortunate Events #4)

Title: The Miserable Mill (A Series of Unfortunate Events #4)
Author: Lemony Snicket
Genre: Middle Grade
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Source: Library
Release Date: April 15, 2000
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Dear Reader,

I hope, for your sake, that you have not chosen to read this book because you are in the mood for a pleasant experience. If this is the case, I advise you to put this book down instantaneously, because of all the books describing the unhappy lives of the Baudelaire orphans, The Miserable Mill might be the unhappiest yet. Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire are sent to Paltryville to work in a lumber mill, and they find disaster and misfortune lurking behind every log.

The pages of this book, I’m sorry to inform you, contain such unpleasantries as a giant pincher machine, a bad casserole, a man with a cloud of smoke where his head should be, a hypnotist, a terrible accident resulting in injury, and coupons.

I have promised to write down the entire history of these three poor children, but you haven’t, so if you prefer stories that are more heartwarming, please feel free to make another selection.

With all due respect,

Lemony Snicket

Review:

I loved the beginning of this story. It starts with a few paragraphs about different first sentences and what they tell about the story. The “first sentence” of the story doesn’t come until the second page. I love how Lemony Snicket talks about stories in this way, and brings attention to the fact that it is a story.

There were some pretty gruesome parts at the end of the story. They weren’t described but the implied things that happened were gross. If you’re familiar with the story, you’ll know what I mean.

I enjoyed this story. There wasn’t much of Count Olaf in this story, so it wasn’t quite as tense as previous ones. I hope the next ones are more exciting.

Review: The Demon of River Heights (Nancy Drew: Girl Detective Graphic Novels #1)

Title: The Demon of River Heights (Nancy Drew: Girl Detective Graphic Novels #1)
Author: Stefan Petrucha
Genre: Young Adult, Graphic Novel
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Library
Release Date: April 1, 2005
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Everyone’s favorite girl detective makes her dazzling graphic novel debut!

An all-new series of full-color Nancy Drew graphic novels, with all-new comics stories based on the series by Carolyn Keene, starts right here! Join Nancy, along with Bess and George, as they search for missing student filmmakers and discover the deadly secret behind the local urban legend known as “The Demon of River Heights.” Ages 8 to 12.

Review:

I’ve always loved Nancy Drew. I have my mom’s copies of the books from when she was a kid, and I still play the games. I was excited to read this graphic novel!

It was a pretty good story. I read some bad reviews of this book before I read it, so I didn’t expect much. However, I enjoyed the story. The characters were very familiar. Bess, George, and Nancy had to solve a mystery together. Meanwhile, Deirdre Shannon was getting in the way. The only character I didn’t see was Ned, and I hope to see him in later comics.

The graphics weren’t the best. They were flat and one dimensional most of the time. Later in the story, some panels had more depth. The background was blurry so the people in the forefront stood out more. That made it look three dimensional.

I enjoyed this book, and I look forward to reading the next one.

Blog Tour Review: The Flight of Swans

Title: The Flight of Swans
Author: Sarah McGuire
Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy
Publisher: Carolrhoda Books
Source: Thomas Allen & Son (book distributor)
Release Date:October 1, 2018
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Based on the Brothers Grimm’s fairy tale Six Swans, The Flight of Swans follows Ryn’s journey to save her family and their kingdom.

Princess Andaryn’s six older brothers have always been her protectors–until her father takes a new Queen, a frightening, mysterious woman who enchants the men in the royal family. When Ryn’s attempt to break the enchantment fails, she makes a bitter bargain: the Queen will spare her brothers’ lives if Ryn remains silent for six years.

Ryn thinks she freed her brothers, but she never thought the Queen would turn her brothers into swans. She never thought she’d have to discover the secret to undoing the Queen’s spell while eluding the Otherworldly forces that hunt her. And she never thought she’d have to do it alone, without speaking a single word.

As months as years go by, Ryn learns there is more to courage than speech . . . and that she is stronger than the Queen could have ever imagined.

Review:

This is a great fairy tale story.

At first, I thought it was going to be a Snow White story because I’m not familiar with the Grimm tale called Six Swans. It started out like Snow White, because Ryn’s father married a woman who turned out to be an evil witch. I was immediately sympathetic toward Ryn’s situation. The way that her dad suddenly ignored her was so sad.

The story progressed slowly, but it became exciting toward the end. There was a lot of time spent alone in the woods, which was monotonous and slow. However, the story picked up with a change of scenery.

I really enjoyed this story. It’s a great fairytale.

About the Author:

Sarah McGuire is a nomadic math teacher who sailed around the world aboard a floating college campus. She writes fairy tale retellings and still hopes that one day she’ll open a wardrobe and stumble into another world. Coffee and chocolate are her rocket fuel. She wishes Florida had mountains, but she lives there anyway with her husband (who wrote this bio in less than three minutes!) and their family.

Follow Sarah:
Website→ https://www.sarahmcguirebooks.com/

Twitter → @fireplusalgebra (http://ow.ly/zrwP30m75Rt)
Goodreads → http://ow.ly/Nz2930m75VN

Thank you to Thomas Allen & Son for letting me participate in this blog tour.

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What to read next:

Strangers on a Train (Nancy Drew Diaries #2) by Carolyn Keene

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What to read next:

Dragonwatch (Dragonwatch #1) by Brandon Mull

The Sword of Summer (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard #1) by Rick Riordan

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Little Sister is Not My Name (Sassy #1) by Sharon M. Draper

Dear Martin by Nic Stone

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Simon and Schuster Canada. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Goodreads Synopsis:

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Robots and Repeats by Gene Luen Yang and Mike Holmes

Tournament Trouble (Cross Ups #1) by Sylv Chiang

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The Girl Who Saved Christmas (Christmas #2) by Matt Haig

The Truth Pixie by Matt Haig

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What to read next:

The Haunted Dollhouse (Nancy Drew: Girl Detective Graphic Novels #3) by Stefan Petrucha, Sho Murase

Curse of the Arctic Star (Nancy Drew Diaries #1) by Carolyn Keene

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Detention of Doom (DC Comics: Secret Hero Society #3) by Derek Fridolfs, Dustin Nguyen

Super Sons, Volume 1: When I Grow Up by Peter J. Tomasi, Jorge Jimenez

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The Austere Academy (A Series of Unfortunate Events #5) by Lemony Snicket

The Field Guide (The Spiderwick Chronicles #1) by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black

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What to read next:

Writ in Stone (Nancy Drew: Girl Detective Graphic Novels #2) by Stefan Petrucha

Sleepover Sleuth (Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew #1) by Carolyn Keene

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Valiant by Sarah McGuire

Grounded: The Adventures of Rapunzel by Megan Morrison

About the Author: