ARC Book Review: Secret of the Portals: The Adventures of Bruten and Tommy by Brant Waldeck

Title: The Secret of the Portals
Series: The Adventures of Bruten & Tommy
Author: Brant Waldeck
Publisher: Create Space Independent Publishing
Date of Publication: October 8, 2012
Source: received from author for honest opinion
Format: paperback, 224 pages

Goodreads Description:
Bruten Stone and Tommy Staunton discover secret portals to other worlds... right in their own town! It's an adventure like no other that leads them to amazing worlds and untold riches, but it soon becomes clear that they will have to defend the worlds from those that would like nothing more than to exploit them for profit. As two recently graduated 5th graders, are they up for the challenge?

Mom's Thoughts:

This is one of those books that would be a perfect anthem for young boys.  It has adventure, exploration, unexpected characters, and two best friends.  I would even imagine some girls, that are a bit on the tough tom-boyish side, would benefit from the story too.  

As an adult, the story did flow a little slow for me; but I think my sons, however, loved the flow and rhythm of the book.  It also helped that there were fight scenes back to back to keep one's attention at all times.  

I would even think that those kids that aren't big on reading, could enjoy the different fantastical elements included here, and may find a new respect for books. 

How cool would it be to set out to explore, in the woods, pretending to be warriors visiting other worlds, then actually find portals to different planes of existence?  I really enjoyed the vast imagination Mr. Waldeck has as he puts his creativity to use personifying animals and stones.  

I also enjoyed how our author took two characters that are pretty different in many ways, like Bruten is the athletic one where Tommy is more of the thinker, and he made them best friends.  

Secret of the Portals is a great fantasy story for middle grade readers and younger, with lots of excitement that is fun to read to the kids.  And there is a twist that will make even the adults sit up and take notice.  

What a great little story with some very positive attitudes for boys and girls to always believe in yourself and in the right honorable way to do something.  

I give it four stars!

Buy the Book:

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Connect with the Author:

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Brant Waldeck lived in a small town in rural Ohio until he was fourteen years old. From there he moved to a suburb of Columbus, Ohio. After high school, he attended Miami University (OH) and graduated with a degree in marketing. After five years working at advertising agencies, Brant set out on his own to be a freelance designer. His business evolved into a successful marketing agency. His life revolved around creativity, but it wasn’t until he had kids of his own that Brant began to explore the idea of writing. Brant credits his children as the key to his creative inspiration. The minds of children see possibilities that adults tend to shut out. The trick to being creative... never stop thinking like a kid.

Brant currently resides in a suburb of Charlotte, NC with his wife, Jenny, and three kids, Gillen, Brannen and Braelyn.

ARC Book Review: Muddled Up Farm by Mike Dumbleton, Jobi Murphy

Title: Muddled-Up Farm
Author: Mike Dumbleton 
Illustrator: Jobi Murphy
Publisher: Star Bright Books
Expected Date of Publication: Mar. 15, 2013
Format: paperback, hardcover 32 pages
Source: received from Net Galley

Pre-Order your copy at: | Star Bright Books |

Book Description:
Muddled-up Farm is a very special place. From the cat to the cow, the pig and the goat it is full of surprises that will have young readers laughing out loud as they discover everything that is mixed up on Muddled-up Farm! Muddled-up Farm is a Children’s Book Council of Australia Notable Book.

Mom's Thoughts:

I love reading books that are colorful, fun, and have learning hidden among the pages too.  This book has it all!  The illustrations are so bright, even a grown up could get a kick out of this book.  

Not to mention that the animals are a little different than on a regular farm!  My four year old laughed at all the different (and wrong) sounds of the many animals on this farm.  It was also very easy for him to follow along to and this will definitely be a must have for our library, especially since my older sons enjoyed reading it with us.  I give it 5 stars!

Jace's Thoughts:

My favorite colors are rainbow colored and this book has all the colors.  I loved it!  I also liked all the animals not knowing the sounds they were supposed to make- like the cat saying "moo".  That was so funny!  I told my mommy I wanted to get this for my birthday so I can read it every night and sleep with it.  I love all the animals too!  I think everybody should read this book.  It is so much fun!  

Add Muddled-Up Farm to your Goodreads shelf by clicking here.

ARC Review: Chase Danger Super Spy:Pirates of Pineapple Island

Title: Chase Danger Super Spy: Pirates of Pineapple Island
Series: Chase Danger Super Spy book 2
Author: Lisa, Chad, and Chase Oliveria
Illustrations: Adam Goodman
Publisher: Magic Fire Music Studios
Date of Publication: August 2012
Source: received from author for honest opinion of it.
Get Your Own: website


Synopsis:

7-year-old super-spies Chase Danger and Princess Ali Bali must think fast when they discover pirates have stolen Zalezgon's magical pineapples. But that's not all! Ali's little brother Aiden has been kidnapped by the dreaded pirate Captain Looney, who is planning on taking over the world with his newly invented Weather Rockets!
Hang-gliding, jungles, giant sharks, super Roller Coasters, pirates, and a sky-dive will keep your children's attention from start to finish and give them a thirst for adventure!

Mom's Thoughts:
I just love Chase Danger!  If you just look at the cover you can tell this is one little boy who can get the tough jobs done!  But then add to the mix, a mysterious little girl and they make a great team that makes this book for both boys and girls. I love the graphics in this book.  All the different colors, the different characters  being portrayed, makes me get excited and my children are no different!  When we got book #2 in the mail, all I could hear was squeals of happiness as they ripped open the packaging to get their hands on this book.  Do you know what makes this book even more better?  The fact that it brings together all of my boys.  My nine year old twins love it because of all the action and different spy gadgets; my seven year old adores Chase and Ali Bali and loves reading it out aloud, and my four year old loves to sit among his older brothers listening to the read-along cd that comes with it; not to mention he loves sword fights.  I think this would be the perfect gift for that reluctant reader or any child that just loves a really good story! ***** stars for me!

Anthony and Conner's Thoughts:
We loved the first book but I think this one just made it even better!  When we first got our hands on this book, (we jerked out of our mom's hands-sorry Mom) all we wanted to do was just look at the pictures before we even started reading it.  Anthony and I just love the pictures!  We have even tried our hand at drawing a couple of Chase Danger scenes, but we aren't really that great at it.
Anthony: Okay hands down, my favorite part is when they ride the roller coaster and then shoot into the sky!  This is why I will not ride a roller coaster at Six Flags; you never know when this could happen!  (Okay, so it is probably next to impossible...) But it was pretty exciting reading about it.  I really like Chase but my favorite character is Ali Bali.  She is so tough and I think she makes a great friend for Chase.
This is one of those books that is great for older and younger kids, girls or boys.
Conner: We have really gotten into comic books lately.  Our dad bought us a lot of comics the other day.  That is a major reason I like Chase Danger so much.  It is written out like a comic book would be.  It is easy to follow along to and the read along cd makes all the action seem to come alive.  After listening to it the first time, our little brother, Jace, picked up a toy sword and started pretending he was Chase.  It was really funny, but even more funnier when our other brother, Mikey, decided he was going to be Captain Looney.  He does that part really well-he is kinda crazy.
I like that we have this story that all of us can enjoy.  It's something that us big kids can read, but little kids get a real kick out of all the funny scenes, like with the shark. In fact, we all kinda laughed at that one. I am a huge fan of spy movies, like Spy Kids, and this series is a lot like that.  It is funny, exciting, and has a lot of interesting different characters.  Even the villains have some cool parts; but it the most fun watching Chase and Ali put the bad guys away.
I wish we could give it more than five stars; like a hundred!  Because it is really that great!
Mikey and Jacey's Thoughts

Mikey: I think it is super cool that Chase and I are the same age.  I always like to imagine the different things I could do, like travel to outer space, but it is really fun to act out the scenes from the Chase Danger series.
Chase and I have a lot in common, but most importantly, we get our strength from eating pizza! I love pizza, though not really pineapples much.  My favorite scene was Operation Baby Safe.  I love little babies and it was funny when Chase said, "born potty trained!"  I can understand how Aiden gets his feelings hurt from his sister.  My brothers tend to do that to me and it is easy to think they don't care about me.  I am just glad my feelings can't set off rockets!  That wouldn't be good at all!  I really liked the surprise we find out in this book and I can't wait for book 3!
Jacey:  I love the sword fighting!  Yah!  I like to hear the sounds that come from the cd and I always get to turn the page too.  I am even learning which words are Chase, spy, and Danger.  I really like this book a lot and I always get really excited to hear it before I go to bed at night.  Sometimes, its fun just to listen to the cd, and other times I like hearing my mom read the book to us.  She does pretty good voices with our different stuffed animals and she can read books pretty good too.  I want to give this book as a present to our cousins for Christmas.

All in all, we have all talked and decided Chase Danger Super Spy and The Pirates of Pineapple Island deserve five stars!  This is one of those books that you can read over and over again and it just keeps the excitement level constant!

Make sure you stay tuned in the next few days because we will be having an interview with someone very special to this series.

ARC Review: Dolphin, Fox, Hippo, and Ox: What is a Mammal? by Brian P. Cleary

                  Title: Dolphin, Fox, Hippo, and Ox

                           Series: Animal Groups are CATegorical

Author: Brian P. Cleary

                                                  Publisher: Millbrook Press (Lerner Publishing Group)

                     Date of Publication: October 1, 2012

                                       Format: ebook, paperback, hardcover 32 pages

           Source: eARC from Netgalley

The Words Are CATegorical® cats are back again . . . and they're on the loose to explore animal groups! This time, those zany cartoon cats provide a playful look at common animal classes. Brian P. Cleary's text and Martin Goneau's illustrations comically combine to give the defining characteristics of each class. They also offer a variety of animals in each group. Animal classification has never been so much fun!    -book description from Netgalley

Mom's Thoughts:

I love rhyming books, especially when it can hold my interest as well as my kids too.  I also enjoy books for the kids when they can learn in a fun and colorful way and this book makes that happen.  

Mr. Cleary did a wonderful job of explaining the different reasons mammals are mammals and even took into account some of those unique mammals that don't always follow the rules making it easier to understand for a young child as well as upper elementary school too.

The illustrations are pretty awesome too!  My four year old was laughing at the pictures as he was learning all about how to classify lions, bats, whales, and even a happy platypus.  

There is a lot of visual stimulation throughout the book so make sure not to let the kiddos get confused.  We just took our time enjoying the different pictures and tried naming even more animals that weren't in the book to see if they applied to the "mammal rules."  

I enjoyed this book immensely for many reasons.  We learned while having fun but most importantly; this is a book that all four of my sons, from the 4 year old all the way to the 9 year old,  could enjoy together.  

I gave it four **** stars!

*clicking on title will take you to goodreads page; clicking on author's name will take you to a wonderful interactive website for extra activities and fun.  

ARC Review: The Eyes of the Desert Sand by Edwin Wolfe {Book 1 Chrysalis Chronicles}

Title: The Eyes of the Desert Sand
Series: Chrysalis Chronicles
Author: Edwin Wolfe
Publisher: Aauvi House Publishing Group
Date of Publication: January 11, 2012
Format: paperback, 320 pages
Source: received from the author for our honest opinion of it.


Goodreads Summary:
How many parents would believe their thirteen year old son who told them that two vampires and a hooded stranger had tried to abduct him? Strange thing is, young Ethan Fox is convinced his parents, George and Betsy do believe him. Could it have something to do with the mysterious poem he wrote in his sleep? Or maybe it has something to do with his past, the past he cannot remember before his eighth birthday. Something strange is afoot, and it is about to turn Ethan’s world upside down.While vacationing with his parents, to get away from the crazy events of the previous two weeks, Ethan encounters a young girl named Haley Hunt who he is strongly drawn to… and the feeling is mutual. Together, Ethan and Haley are lured to The Residence, home of the Caretakers, an organization of intelligent beings sent to earth to nurture the human race and protect them from un-earthly influences.Armed with special abilities, including the power to evolve any earthly creature, the Caretakers take in their unexpected guests. They have been watching young Ethan Fox, and are curious as to why the Grimleavers, their mortal enemy on earth, would want to abduct a young human child. Together, Ethan and Haley journey to magical worlds, make new friends, and help the Caretakers unravel the stories greatest mysteries. Along the way, they learn that the Caretakers have been here since the beginning of human history and have played a key role in shaping human lore. In their world, vampires, werewolves, trolls, and even Medusa herself really do exist but have been kept hidden from the human world around them. Ethan is the key as they ultimately discover the Grimleavers true intentions, to unlock the four portals to the elemental worlds of the Chrysalis

Mom's Thoughts:

This is a interesting story that mixes the two genres of fantasy and science fiction to create a great adventure for middle grade students.   
Ethan Fox is a wonderful protagonist in this story.  He is smart, funny, a good kid in general, and has a pretty cool family, including his dad that makes video games.  And then we have Haley Hunt, who is the mysterious girl that just shows up in Ethan's life.  She is definitely an enigma.  She seems like she is much more but has no memory of where she comes from, just like Ethan's foggy past too.  But Ethan and Haley seem to draw strength from each other, which makes their friendship even more special.  
This story takes an unique perspective on the idea of evolution including the idea of an advanced race having a hand in this process.  These characters are called The Caretakers which seems like such a fitting name since they seem to take care of the inhabitants of Earth as well as the magical beings here too.  We have so many different fantastical creatures including vampires.  
There are parts that tend to drag a little but it seems to balance out with all the amazing creatures we get to meet in this story. 
There were parts that made me think of Harry Potter's world, but Wolfe takes these similarities and puts his own creative spin on it.  He creates a brand new fantasy world that I can't wait to see what else happens in it.  

Anthony's Take:

This was a really cool book!  I liked the cover with all the eyes on the sand.  It was a little freaky but really neat too!  
I loved the fact it had vampires in it but it was still a kids' book.  Ethan is a pretty cool guy and his dad makes videogames.  That is a really big plus for me!  
The Grimleavers were scary but exciting, especially when they tried to kidnap Ethan.  
Haley was pretty cool too.  She seemed like a really good friend and helped Ethan make sense of these new environments he travels to with the Caretakers. RGB was really funny.  I liked them a lot.   I think kids 9 and up could enjoy and get into this book really good.  

Conner's Ideas:

Haley and Ethan are great characters to follow through this adventurous story about beings from outer space watching over Earth and all of its creatures.  The Grimleavers are the bad guys that keep trying to kidnap Ethan and they have vampires.  How freaky is that?  
While I was reading this, it made me think of Star Trek(I have watched it with my Nana a couple of times) especially when Haley and Ethan find the hidden room in the garden with Daavic's help.  
That was really cool!   I am still not sure why Haley and Ethan was so scared of The Hall of Doorways, unless they were afraid of getting lost.  Personally, I think it would be fun to play hide and seek in there.  
I really liked Mrs. Moongarden too.  She reminded me of my Nana working in her garden, except Mrs. Moongarden's creations in the garden were a lot more cooler!  
I have to give this story four stars and I can't wait to read other books by Mr. Wolfe.  

Favorite parts:

Mom: When Haley and Ethan visit Mrs. Moongarden and learn everything about the plants in it.  Those were some very interesting trees and flowers.  

Anthony: I liked the whole book!  I didn't really have a favorite part because it all rocked!

Conner: Me too!  Though, I do like how the Caretakers travel with the portal books.  I sure do wish I could get one of those!

We give The Eyes of the Desert Sand four stars!  

ARC Review: Song For Papa Crow by Marit Menzin

Title: Song for Papa Crow
Author: Marit Menzin
Publisher: Schiffer Publishing, Ltd.
Date of Publication: 
Format: hardcover, 32 pages
Source: ARC from Net Galley


Little Crow loves to sing, and Papa Crow loves his song. But when Little Crow shares his crow songs with the other birds at the big old tree, they laugh and scatter. Maybe the Amazing Mockingbird can teach him to sing songs with the finches, flycatchers, and cardinals – and help him make some friends. But Little Crow should be careful what he wishes for… Using Mockingbird's tip, Little Crow quickly becomes the most popular bird on the block. But, in a moment of danger, he learns that singing someone else's song can have terrible consequences and that his own voice – and his father's love – is of the greatest value. Paired with colorful collage illustrations, this inspirational story is complemented by fun facts about North American birds and their sounds. . Grades Pre-K to 2.

-blurb from  publisher

Mom's thoughts

This was a beautifully illustrated story with a wonderful moral to be learned at the end as well.  I love to read books to my children that are engaging, colorful, but most importantly, teaches them confidence and compassion.  This book does that and much more.  

Song for Papa Crow has this collage- like feel to it which makes the birds really stand out for us.  They seemed to come alive and pop off the pages for me and my sons.  For young children, pictures are mainly what will keep them entertained.  If the pictures are fun then the story will be more interesting to them too.  

Little Crow loves to sing but the other birds don't like his singing voice and they fly away whenever he starts belting out his "caws."  

This story book shows little ones that it is okay to be different and that is what makes you even more special.    I am so happy that all my sons loved this story, even the older ones,  and they were able to see the beauty in Little Crow, inside and out.  Papa Crow is very supportive of his baby crow and is a good example for parents to see the differences in their "little crows" and celebrate them.  

Then in the back is this "Fun Facts" section that gives us details about all the birds mentioned in the book, including their specific calls.  This is a great little book for that young bird watcher in the family with all the different birds, including a mockingbird.  

I have to give Song for Papa Crow five stars!

Jacey and Mikey's thoughts:
J:  I love all the pretty colors in the book.  Baby crow is funny and really cute especially when he can't remember what a crow sounds like.  My brother and I had fun pretending to be the different birds and singing like them.
M: This book is really neat with all the different birds and learning about their different calls.  I could read this book with my mommy because the words weren't very hard to say at all.  
I liked how Papa Crow told Baby Crow to just be himself because my mommy always tells me to be happy just the way I am.  
I liked learning about the mockingbird and I always wondered why it was named "mockingbird".  Now I know why.