MG Historical Fiction/Fantasy: The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle by Janet Fox

The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle by Janet Fox
Format:  Hardcover
Pages:  388
Release Date:  March 15th, 2016 by Penguin Random House
Genre:  MG Historical Fiction/Fantasy
Source: Review copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review via a Giveaway hosted at Word Spelunking

Something is not right at Rookskill Castle, a rundown Scottish manor shrouded in mystery. The castle is a temporary boarding school for children escaping the Blitz, but soon it’s clear there is something terribly wrong. There are clues hinting that a spy is in the house, and there are undeniable signs of a sinister magic. When the children in the castle’s temporary boarding school begin disappearing one by one, it’s a race against the clock for twelve-year-old Kat Bateson, her two younger siblings, and their new best friend.

My initial reaction to The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle was that it was unnerving, not quite creepy, but very unsettling. The story takes place in Scotland and has all the feel of being mysterious, dark, and drafty.  Something seems to be lurking in the corridors of the castle, and there are rumors that the castle is haunted, what with the strange sightings of young children wandering the grounds. Yet, there are only small hints to what this mysterious thing is.  The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle begins with some historical background on what a "chatelaine" is,  think a charm bracelet but worn at the waist, and a creepy poem about the charms on one particular chatelaine (Lady Eleanor's).  The plot then slowly unfolds with each chapter alternating between time periods, characters, charms on the chatelaines and just what the Lady of Rookskill's plans are.  I really enjoyed the way the story unfolded, it kept things tense and suspenseful, so much that it was very hard to put it down.  I really wanted to see how everything was going to come together and boy did it.  Lovely atmospheric story, with great historical details and suspense, plus Fox leaves things open enough that there could be another book.   

MG Realistic Fiction: Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary

Ramona the Pest  by Beverly Cleary
Format:  Paperback
Pages: 211
Release Date: Scholastic
Genre:  MG Realistic Fiction
Source: Library

Ramona is about to start Kindergarten and she couldn't be more excited.  At school, she meets her new teacher, Mrs. Binney.  Mrs. Binney has important rules like sitting quietly and keeping your hands to yourself.  There are even lessons on how to write your name, but the school doesn't turn out to be as much fun as Ramona had anticipated.   Especially when Mrs. Binney reprimands Ramona for pulling on Susan's bouncy curls and insists that she never do it again.  Ramona wants to stop pulling Susan's hair, but she knows that she can't promise Mrs. Binney that she will never do it again.  

It had been a long time since I've re-read Ramona the Pest, way too long.  I'd forgotten how special Ramona was to my reading experiences growing up.  She is such a sweet girl, not nearly as much of a pest as people made her out to be.  She may be strong-willed and know what she wants, and is willing to go after it, but she is also adorable and sweet and has a kind heart.  Qualities that I've always admired about Ramona.     I loved how the story started with Ramona's early experiences going to Kindergarten and followed along with her year.  Every once in awhile stopping for a few misunderstandings that happen when you put a bunch of children in a classroom.  The cutest moment was when Ramona met Mrs. Binney and she tells her to "sit here for the present."   Ramona takes this to mean that she is going to receive a present from her teacher, even I wanted to give her a present over the misunderstanding.   Ramona strikes me as trying her best to behave in Kindergarten, and she seemed to want Mrs. Binney to like her, to please her.   Ramona's Kindergarten sounded like it was more fun than work. This got me thinking about all the ways that Kindergarten must have changed since I was growing up.   Sure there are still the early rules about sitting in your seat, raising your hand, moving to printing upper and lower case letters.  But, I couldn't help think about the things that are different.  For instance is there still time for art projects, and  are there parties?  I know Halloween parties where you wear costumes are probably a thing of the past.  Is Kindergarten more work than they used to be?   I remember learning through pretend play, having a  grocery store with a cash register and selling plastic fruits and vegetables to my friends.  Even gluing macaroni onto to a piece of paper to write our names.  I kinda envision a Kindergarten of today with Ipads and drills on the letters of the alphabet.  Yet,  children of today are also learning things at a much earlier age than I did.  I see this even with my kiddo in middle school,  so I guess in some ways change is good, as long as there is still time for laughter and creativity.   Ramona the Pest was such a delightful re-read and I'm hoping to pick up a few more books in the series.  Such fun to visit another time and reflect on the similarities/differences.   

MG Fantasy: Gorilla Tactics (Dr. Critchlore's School for Minions #2) by Sheila Grau

Gorilla Tactics (Dr. Critchlore's School for Minions #2)  by Sheila Grau
Illustrations by Joe Sutphin
Format:  Hardcover
Pages: 304
Release Date:  March 1st 2016 by Amulet Books
Genre:  MG Fantasy
Source: Review copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review via a Giveaway hosted by Aeicha at  http://wordspelunking.blogspot.com as a part of March Middle Grade Madness).  

Runt is back in another installment of Dr. Crichlore's School for Minions.  Runt's sixteenth birthday is quickly approaching, so he is desperate to find  out who put this curse on him and convince them to break it.  If he can't get answers soon, he will end up dying on his birthday.   When hints surface that the Great Library might have answers for him, Runt once again enlists the help of his friends, Skye and Frankie to locate the spies (librarians) who have been tasked with protecting its wealth of knowledge and location.  But, Runt is not the only one who is seeking the Great Library,  and what is going on with Dr. Critchlore hosting a fashion show to try and save the school?  

I'm always initially drawn to Dr. Crichlores's School for Minions by the cover and illustrations by Joe Suphin, and I just love the detailed map at the beginning too.  Quite eye catching and engaging.  It really draws you into these characters.   And my are there some characters, all with very unique personalities.  I'm kinda partial to Uncle Ludwig, who seems to know much more than he is letting on (he's in the bottom right of the cover). It's hard to not like the trio of Skye, Frankie and Runt though too.   Runt has always had a rocky time at the School for Minions.  After the first book, he found out that his friend Skye was keeping an important secret from him and getting into the Junior Henchmen program has been more challenging than he expected.  Runt has taken to making to-do lists to help stay focused on his tasks, but still faces the same problem most of us face when starting these lists, eventually you have to revise and add things to them almost constantly.  Skye has been trying to make amends with Runt for keeping the secret from him that he isn't a werewolf,  which left him feeling pretty hurt and humiliated for much of the first part of the book.  It isn't until Runt is put into a similar situation where he has information about Skye's past that might be hurtful to her, that he see's why she kept things to herself for so long.   It isn't easy to tell your friend the truth all the time.  I liked that Runt  finally realizes just how unfair he has been, but felt bad for him being in the same situation.  I expect we'll learn much more about Skye's past in the next book.  Gorilla Tactics seemed to move along at a much faster pace then the first story, with more action and some nice twists in the plot.  Lots of plots, with the school takeover, the fashion show to try and save it, who cursed Runt and why? and Skye's past.  Plus there was a new mystery for Runt to solve about his own past sending him and his friends off to follow the clues.   Yet, everything tied together nicely,  and despite a few unanswered questions at the end, I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.  

MG Adventure: The Mechanical Mind of John Coggin by Elinor Teele

The Mechanical Mind of John Coggin by Elinor Teele
Illustrations by Ben Whitehouse
Format:  Hardcover
Pages:  352
Release Date:  April 12th 2016 by Walden Pond Press
Genre:  MG Adventure
Source: Review copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review via a Giveaway hosted at Unleashing Readers

Opening Line Chapter 1:  "Once upon a time there was a boy who made coffins." 

John and Page Coggin, live with their Great-Aunt Beauregard in the town of Pludgett, ever since their parents died.   Great-Aunt Beauregard runs the family coffin making business, making them the "Supreme Craftsmen of Death."  John has labored for years building the coffins, while his younger sister Page went to school.  At night, he would tell her stories about their parents or make up these characters that go on wild adventures. John also loved to tinker, and was quite imaginative, hoping one day to have an invention that would ensure he and his sister could leave the family coffin business behind. If they don't get away soon, John worries what Great-Aunt Beauregard has planned for their future. When Great-Aunt Beauregard does finally announce her plan, it's much worse then John feared, she want's to make John the heir to the casket business and have Page join them as the beautician to the deceased.  John can't stand by while his Great-Aunt forces his sister into the family business, so the two decide it's time for them to runaway.   One of the first people they meet is Boz, who offers them employment with the Wandering Wayfares, a circus that Boz has a history with.  At first, things are working out for the siblings, but when one of John's inventions goes horribly awry, they are off once again, this time trying to escape the clutches of Great-Aunt Beauregard.  Will they find a safe place to live at the bakery, or at an ancient dig site?  Or will John just have to give in and sign Great-Aunt Beauregard's contract when she captures and threaten's his sister?   

For six years, John's creativity has been stifled being "ensconced in sawdust,"  so it's easy to see why he works so hard to earn the acceptance of the people he meets along the way (Maria and Miss Doyle) by building various contraptions to make things easier, faster or more economical.  Often things went horribly wrong with his inventions, yet despite his failures, his friends that he makes encourage him to keep trying.  John is most successful when he works with others on his inventions, I think there is a valuable lesson in here about accepting help. I felt like John's character grew from being pretty indecisive and meek to having more confidence and willing to stand up for his friends and family.  He also learned to keep trying.  His sister Page was also a wonderful character, in the way that she supported John, but also when she refused to separate from him, she could have stayed with any of the people they met, but she had confidence that he would come up with a plan. The major appeal of the story though for me was Boz, he was such a hoot, with his extraordinary vocabulary and use of large words.  I particularly enjoyed the word combinations he made to take a simple idea and make it much more complex. For example, when he asks John the question, "Where are the foundations of your perambulation?" (AKA shoes.) Something about those word choices just tickles me.  He does this throughout the book and adds much of the lighter moments to the story.   As an adult, I appreciated them, my kiddo, probably not so much.  A dictionary might have been necessary to decipher what he is saying, but he was just so amusing to listen to.  I also enjoyed that Boz was flawed, in that he ran away when things got dicey, but when it really mattered, he stepped up and comes to John's aid.  Great-Aunt Beauregard reminded me of Snidely Whiplash from the Dudley Do-Right cartoon on the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, a little more comedic then villainous.  Overall, I quite enjoyed The Mechanical Mind of John Coggin.  As a side note, there are wonderful suggestions for using this book as a vocabulary activity at Unleashing Readers, where I also found this link to the educational activity kit based on the book created by Walden Pond Press.  

Cover & illustrations by Ben Whitehouse

http://villains.wikia.com/wiki/Snidely_Whiplash

MG Fantasy/Adventure Review: Mabel Jones and the Forbidden City by Will Mabbitt

Mabel Jones and the Forbidden City (Mabel Jones #2) by Will Mabbitt
Illustrations by Ross Collins
Format:  Hardcover
Pages:  304
Release Date:  February 9th 2016 by Viking Books for Young Readers
Genre:  MG Fantasy/Adventure with a girl pirate
Source: Review copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review via a Giveaway hosted at Word Spelunking

"What do you do when you survive a pirate kidnapping, a milk-drinking contest with a giant grizzly bear, and a stint inside the belly of a whale? If you’re Mabel Jones, you do everything you can to avoid another UNLIKELY ADVENTURE! "

Or at least that's what Mabel had hoped at the end of book one, The Unlikely Adventure of Mabel Jones.  Mabel is once again home, all safe and sound, wiser and a more seasoned pirate.  But, unbeknownst to Mabel, an evil witch/sorceress has been watching and plotting.  She even sends her creeping vines to snatch Mabel and carry her off to the Forbidden City.  As I said though, Mabel is wiser, and the vines end up snatching Mabel's little sister Maggie instead.  Hot on their trail, Mabel hitches a ride with one of the vines and gets pulled into a whole different time filled with talking animals, and where "hoomans" are extinct. Desperate to find her sister, Mabel enlists the help of some fellow adventures who are also on a search for the Forbidden City and they in turn run into her former crew-mates,  who just might know how to get them there.  

Mabel is just adorable in her pj's and bunny slippers, swinging a cutlass.  She never ceases to amuse me. Even the intrusive narrator is quite humorous, perhaps not quite as much as I recall from the first book, yet still keeps things entertaining.  Captain Pelf and Jarvis, crew from Mabel's time on the Ferrous Maggot make an appearance, as well as new additions of Professor Carruthers Badger-Badger, PhD and Timothy Speke, an otter who has a remarkable ability for sketching.  And man, those illustrations by Ross Collins are gorgeous and wonderfully detailed.  There was a nice balance of newer and familiar characters, with Carruthers and Speke adding a nice British sounding flair.   One of my favorite characters, Omynus Hussh was also present, but sadly Mabel and his friendship has returned to a hatred with him having ominous plans for our poor Mabel.  The other change I noticed is that this book seemed to have darker undertones to it, not to say I didn't enjoy them, which I did, just that it is something to keep in mind. There is a particular scene where Mabel goes underground into a high school filled with the piles of bones of students sitting at their desks looking at a skeletal teacher and we're uncertain what happened to poor Jarvis.   There was also a battle with a huge creepy insect called the Scuttling Death, and well the evil sorceress is also a bit unnerving.  Myself, I enjoyed the rise in tension and felt nothing was to over the top or scary, with the narrator taking even these moments and making them funny and light or just making changes in the text size, spacing of words, or adding blank pages in between to show Mabel making her way around in the dark.   All making for a fun and amusing story.  

Far away aboard the Feroshus Maggot is Captain Idryss Ebenezer Split, who while looking through his telescope into the "hooman world," spots Mabel about to perform "THE DEED."  Not any only deed.  The most horrible, disgusting deed.  She is about to pick her nose and ...yep.... eat it.  I know gross right?  If you perform the deed, you get yourself bound to the Captain.  And at this very minute, he is sending his trusty mate, Omynus Hussh, to sneak down and bag himself the snuglet.  Mabel tries really hard to be brave after being kidnapped, but this crew is rather "beastly." And, when Captain Split makes  the horrible discovery that Omynus bagged himself something so terrible, something for which  the word can't be used to describe, the pirates vow to make it walk "the greasy pole of certain death."  That is until Mabel reveals that she can do the one thing that they've been searching for, she can read.   Mabel is enlisted as an honoree' member of the crew, given a cutlass and a belt, and in exchange for a means to get back home, she will help them find the pieces of a key needed to unlock a treasure.  

Click here to read the rest of my review for The Unlikely Adventures of Mabel Jones

MG Fantasy Review: The Key to Extraordinary by Natalie Lloyd

The Key to Extraordinary  by Natalie Lloyd
Format:  Ebook
Publisher:  Scholastic Press
Number of Pages: 240
Published: February 23rd 2016
Source:  Library
Genre: Fantasy Mystery

First Lines:  "It is a known fact that the most extraordinary moments in a person's life come disguised as ordinary days."  

Emma, Granny Blue and her older brother Topper live in the Boneyard Cafe,  "perched on the edge of a famous cemetery" within the town of Blackwood Hollow.  Emma provides tours at the cemetery and knows all  the local stories and legends. While she is on one of her famous tours, her Uncle Peri and Aunt Gerta tell her about the tale of The Conductor, who hid his treasure somewhere within Blackwood Hollow, but will only reveal it to someone who has "good intentions and is pure of heart."   The Boneyard Cafe is a special place for Emma, it holds all her memories of her mother and is the only home she's ever known.  When Emma was ten, her mother gave her a  family heirloom,  The Book of Days.  A special book filled with the stories, admonitions, newspaper clippings, trinkets and the "Destiny Dreams" of the women in their family.   Emma's mother shared how each of the women had a dream of the "wondrous thing" they were going to accomplish in their life, with each dream beginning in a field of blue flowers.  Emma believes her destiny is to find The Conductor's treasure and  to save her beloved Boneyard Cafe from being sold.   But, when Emma finally has her dream it's a confusing mess, and the only clue to her destiny seems to rest in a key.  

 The Key to Extraordinary has a lovely atmosphere , with it's small town feel seeped in memories, traditions, history, legends, ghosts and all the emotions that go with it.  For Emma it is the feeling of the "Big Empty," a heavy aching feeling from the loss of  the space that her mother filled in her heart.  A feeling easy to relate to if you've ever lost a family member, friend or even a beloved pet.  Emma and her friend Cody Belle  are truly lovely girls and because of Emma having been teased about her cleft lip repair, she is able to see what new boy Earl needs is a friend.  I loved how they were so inviting and reached out to welcome him into their circle.  The Key to Extraordinary is also magical in the form of the Gypsy Roses blowing on the wind, talking vines and even in the Boneyard Brew sold at the cafe.  With all the references to peach lavender muffins, cookies and fresh baked scones,it really made me want to do some baking or at least make a cup of hot chocolate.   There were also so many beautiful quotes, with my favorite being  "Every life time, no matter how long it lasts, is a gift.  And to love and be loved, even by one person during your lifetime...that is a treasure no one can take from you."   Most of all though it's a story of love, loss and the connections that we make to the past, to our family and friends.  Absolutely loved, loved, loved it.    

MG Fantasy/Adventure Review: The Tournament at Gorlan (Rangers Apprentice The Early Years) by John Flanagan

The Tournament at Gorlan  (Rangers Apprentice The Early Years) by John Flanagan
Format:  Hardcover
Publisher:  Philomel Books
Number of Pages: 364
Published: October 6th 2015 
Source:  Review copy provided by publisher
Genre: Fantasy Adventure


 The Tournament at Gorlan recounts the story of Baron Morgarath's plot to seize the throne from King Oswald.  Morgarath  begins by weakening the Ranger Corps, and replacing much of the men with his own.  He also captures Prince Duncan and holds him hostage, while having an impostor impersonating the Prince wreak havoc and besmirch Duncan's name across the countryside.  The plan is to have King Oswald, the villagers and nobles get so angry with the Prince, that it will force the King to disinherit his son and replace Morgarath as the rightful heir to the throne.  Well at least until our heroes of this tale, Halt and Crowley,  come along.   When Halt and Crowley uncover Morgarath's villainous plans, they set out to gather the Rangers, release Prince Duncan from his captures and expose Morgarath's plot.  

The Rangers Apprentice is a series of twelve books that my kiddo has steadily been reading, currently leaving off with book four I think.  There is also a spin off series called The Brotherband Chronicles and the newest series, The Early Years is meant to not only provide backstory to the events in book 1 and 2 of the Rangers Apprentice, but also includes some of the characters  and plot points from a previous book.   With  well over twenty books out there, it's safe to say that Flanagan's books are pretty popular.   Prior to reading The Tournament at Gorlan, I was only familiar with the first book in The Rangers Apprentice,  having gotten distracted by other books, but from what I remember, I quite enjoyed it.   One of the things I enjoyed most about this new series is that it isn't dependent on having read The Ranger's Apprentice series first.  You could pick this up and pretty much follow everything going on.  Although if you do read and enjoy this book, you just might want to go back and read from Flanagan's other series', be forewarned.   While riding horseback,  Halt and Crowley encounter a rider carrying a dispatch from Baron Morgarath to Sir Wildriver, the letter pretty much details all the Barons plans.  I thought this was quite amusing, from the get go, Halt and Crowley know everything that Morgarath is doing.  But, here is where Flanagan still is able to throw in a few twists that makes things more difficult then Halt and Crowley thought.  Quite a bit of the initial parts of the book  are spent with Halt and Crowley gathering Rangers who are loyal to the King.  During the amassing of troops there wasn't lots of action, but I was okay with this.  There was plenty of amusing scenes with Halt and Crowley bantering back and forth around a campfire or while riding horses, and the strength of their friendship really shows.  Plus this gave me a chance to get to know the other Rangers and they in turn got to use their bow and arrow skills  against Morgarath's troops.  Everything started to come together nicely with the action revving up,  ending in the final jousting competition at the tournament.   I'm surprised that I got to read this one first, but will be passing it along to my kiddo.