Kidzworld's Official Blog

This week I read Ranger’s Apprentice #6: The Siege of Macindaw by John Flanagan and Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars #3: In Search of Watson by Tracy Mack and Michael Citrin. Both books are very engaging and will leave you craving the other books in the series.

Having never read the first five books in the series, Ranger’s Apprentice #6: The Siege of Macindaw was a little bit hard to follow at first. But the characters soon showed their quirky personalities, and the story took shape. It’s hilarious and action-packed–the perfect combination.

Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars #3: In Search of Watson is an excellent mystery. It follows a team of kid detectives who aid Sherlock Holmes in his investigations. What’s great about this series is that the books are short, to the point and really easy to follow. They’re great fpr kids aged 9 to 12 who love a good mystery/adventure.

This week, I read two adventure novels: Tentacles by Roland Smith and Charlie Bone and the Red Knight by Jenny Nimmo. Both books delivered on their promising plotlines.

Tentacles, the sequel to Cryptid Hunters, went above and beyond my expectations. It was rich with sneaky, slimy villains (not to mention creatures!), quirky characters and of course action. Tentacles followed Marty and Grace, two kids who recently learned that they’re cousins, not twins! They and the crew of their big ship embark on a high-seas adventure in search of the legendary giant squid. But Grace’s grandfather has snuck on informant on the ship, hoping to ruin their expedition while making himself out to be the hero.

Charlie Bone and the Red Knight is the eighth and final book in the Charlie Bone series. Without reading the previous seven novels, you’d definitely be confused. There are so many characters and loose ends left over from the previous book, that an unfamilar reader would be lost. But if you have followed the series, you’ll absolutely love it! In this fantastic conclusion Charlie and his friends must put a stop to the evil Bloor family once and for all, especially now that a will, hidden by Charlie’s father, states that Billy Raven is to inherit Bloor’s Academy. Way to go, Jenny Nimmo! You ended strong.

This week was all about the fantasy books. Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke and The Wizard of Rondo by Emily Rodda each offer a great assortment of fantastical creatures–everything from dragons, brownies and humunculus’s to dots, talking pigs and terlamaines.

Dragon Rider is a fantastic adventure novel by one of today’s most popular young adult authors–Cornelia Funke, author of the Inkheart Trilogy. Dragon Rider follows a dragon named Firedrake, a brownie named Sorrell and a human boy named Ben on their quest to find a legendary Himalayan mountain range known as the Rim of Heaven. But trouble is hot on their trail. An evil, manmade dragon named Nettlebrand wants nothing more than to locate the Rim of Heaven and eat all the dragons who reside there. Somehow Firedrake must find the legendary mountain range without leading Nettlebrand to the world’s only dragon sancturary.

The Wizard of Rondo is the sequel to The Key to Rondo by Emily Rodda. The first novel in the series was a little easier to follow and had a more magical feel. The Wizard of Rondo is more like a murder mystery. When cousins Leo and Mimi return to the world of Rondo, they find their friends have deemed themselves a Quest Team. They recieve a letter from a distraught resident in the Hobnob and set out on their first investigation. Wizard Bing has disappeared, and his apprentice, who has been transformed into a giant mushroom, is now in custody of Officer Begood. Someone his behind these mysterious events and it’s up to the Quest Team, along with Leo and Mimi, to uncover the culprit.

There’s nothing better than a good series. And this week I reviewed installments in two different wonderful series’: The Key to Rondo by Emily Rodda and Catching Fire (book two of The Hunger Games) by Suzanne Collins.

The Key to Rondo has that perfect blend of magic and reality. It was exciting and fast-paced with a wide variety of magical and relatable characters. The story follows Leo Langlander and his impulsive cousin Mimi as they discover the secret about a family heirloom–a music box depicting magic land. They soon discover that there’s a whole lot more to the music box than just nice paintings and a pretty tune. It’s actually a gateway into the world of Rondo. After an evil blue queen steals Mimi’s dog, Leo and Mimi follow her into the music box and discover the life and strife inside of Rondo.

What can I say about Catching Fire? Amazing. Intense. Gripping. I didn’t think Suzanne Collins could outdo her first novel, The Hunger Games, but she certainly did. After surviving the Hunger Games–a brutal televised fight-to-the-death–Katniss is just trying to live a normal life. But the stunt she pulled in the arena that kept both her and her District 12 partner Peeta alive is coming back to haunt her. Her survival instinct may have unintentionally sparked a rebellion against the Capital, and President Snow is furious. He’ll do anything to prove that he is in control, even if it means threatening the lives of Katniss and all her family and friends.

Both of these books are fantastic reads. The Key to Rondo appeals to a younger audience (9-12 year olds) and Catching Fire will suit a teenage audience. Happy reading!

This week was all about the spooky, the terrifying and the ghostly. I’ve read tons of books about ghosts, and most aren’t worth remembering. It’s a typical topic, making it hard for authors to put a new spin on it. The Haunting of Derek Stone #4: The Ghost Road by Tony Abbott and Rebel Stone and the Ghost Whisperers by Walter Rouzer were just that–typical. The Ghost Road was decent, assuming you start by reading the other books in the series. It was high-action, but in my opinion it’s a story that is more interesting for boys than girls.

Rebel Stone and the Ghost Whisperers mixed ghosts and aliens, which I’ve never seen before. But the writing sounded amateur. The constant flaws and overuse of metaphors made it hard to read.

Malice, on the other hand, was fantastic. While it wasn’t about ghosts, it was definitely spooky. The story was about a comic book called Malice. Kids who perform a ritual and summon Tall Jake (like Bloody Mary), are stolen from their homes and brought to the dangerous world of Malice–the world inside the comic book. The writing is easy to follow, the characters are relatable and the concept of part-novel, part-comic book is very unique.

Michelle Zink‘s debut novel Prophecy of the Sisters is a historical fiction book for teens. It follows Lia, a twin, who’s one half of an evil ancient prophecy. A dark spirit is trying to break free into the human world, and it’s up to Lia to stop her sister Alice from helping him cross over. This novel has something for lovers of fantasy and historical fiction.

In 2010, Michelle Zink’s second novel, Indigo Sky, will be released.