A western with dinosaurs: clever idea! Set in 1881, this "historical science fiction" tale has plenty of action and humor. When fifteen-year-old Zeke...moreA western with dinosaurs: clever idea! Set in 1881, this "historical science fiction" tale has plenty of action and humor. When fifteen-year-old Zeke is falsely accused of stealing the prize stallion of his uncle's ranching rival, he is to be sent back East on the stagecoach and end his brief career learning to be a cowboy. But the stagecoach's arrival is met by a strange giant beast: a rampaging triceratops! The action commences from there at a pretty fast pace, with dinosaur stampedes, shootouts, a strange scaly alien who can ride a T-Rex, civil war among aliens, and interplanetary travel. Along the way there's funny characters and dialogue, and the setting of the Wild Wild West gives it a fun flavor. Will Zeke ever rein in his impatience and learn to work as a team with the pretty Angelina?Will Zeke be able to stop the nefarious plans of the dastardly D'Allesandro? Or will the West become a home to dinosaur ranching and cattle become extinct? You'll have to read Rex Riders to find out!
Recommended for 5th grade and up, and especially for boys who may like dinosaurs or cowboys or both. As a first book, I did see several typos and grammatical errors that need to be improved for any future editions or a possible sequel (the editors evidently did not feel the need to correct a total lack of the past perfect tense, so it was often confusing as to whether the event was happening now, or prior to current events. If the whole novel is told in the past tense--"He rode the horse"--then telling about something he did before he rode the horse needs to use "had"-- "He had woken up that morning".). Other than that, loved the book!(less)
Oh my! Can I give a book 10 stars?? I loved this one! More even than Laura Hillenbrand's Seabiscuit, I think, and that's saying a lot. This is the tru...moreOh my! Can I give a book 10 stars?? I loved this one! More even than Laura Hillenbrand's Seabiscuit, I think, and that's saying a lot. This is the true story of Snowman, a plow horse rescued from going on the knacker's truck (literally at the last possible moment) who became a national sensation as the underdog horse who beat out all the expensively bred and trained fancy show horses to become showjumping's Horse of the Year. Twice! I was amazed. The book is not just a horse story, however, but a beautiful love affair between man and horse; a loving portrait of Harry de Leyer, the Dutch immigrant and World War II survivor who believed in hard work and self-sacrifice and in nurturing horses to their full potential; and a peek into the privileged but rapidly changing East Coast horse show world of the 1950's, where a self-trained unknown "professional" owner/trainer/rider/groom seemed vastly out of place and unlikely to challenge the snooty rich "amateur" riders from large fancy stables. Little did they know! I had heard of Snowman, vaguely, from mentions in the beloved C.W. Anderson horse books I always devoured as a kid, and in passing as I read about other jumpers. But I did not know anything about his story, and it was a pleasure to read such a well-written and extensively researched book on him. I learned a great deal about the showjumping world of the 1950's (Riding helmets? Who needs helmets! Scary thought) as well as Snowman's particular story. To achieve what he did in the show ring was phenomenal enough, but to then go home and be a placid lesson horse for hundreds of girls day in and day out, as well as a beloved family pet to Harry's six children, was extraordinary. I was moved by the beautiful language, kept in suspense during Snowman's intense jumpoffs against formidable opponents, and brought to tears at a key point near the end. And I was thrilled to hear that Harry de Leyer helped greatly in the making of the book, and is still training new riders today, at age 83!
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in horses, in rooting for the underdog (underhorse ;-) or in a fascinating look at America in the 1950's in general and the jumping/horse show world in particular. Having read in the book that a movie about Snowman was once in the planning stages but never got made, I sincerely hope that a Hollywood studio snaps this up soon and makes a film that does Harry and Snowman proud. If ever a story belonged on the big screen, this surely is it. Talk about heartwarming and dramatic! But READ THE BOOK! You won't be disappointed. (It goes on sale August 23; I was fortunate to read an advanced copy for LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program.)(less)
An excellent historical fiction novel based on the life of a real person, Beryl Markham, the first woman to fly solo west to east across the Atlantic...moreAn excellent historical fiction novel based on the life of a real person, Beryl Markham, the first woman to fly solo west to east across the Atlantic Ocean, in 1936 (Amelia Earhart's flight was east to west). The novel takes place in 1912, during her childhood in British East Africa (now Kenya), when she was 11 and quite a tomboy. Since her mother had left years ago, unable to live in such primitive conditions (huts with dirt floors), Beryl had been able to run wild. Her father is busy running a farm and a horse racing stable and doesn't know how to control her, so she runs and plays barefoot with her best friend, Nandi tribal boy Kibii. Despite her father's attempts to "civilize" her (a governess brought in only results in stubborn battles and Beryl running away; her father's married live-in companion, Emma, does not immediately bond with Beryl), Beryl loves the wild countryside and going on hunts with the Nandi and learning the ways of a warrior, which goes against the Nandi tradition of only teaching boys to become warriors. The childhood story is interspersed with pages from the grown-up Beryl's diary, as she makes her recordsetting flight, a technique I had just read in Amelia Lost, a biography of Amelia Earhart, which uses it much more extensively, so I was a little disappointed to see the same thing here. But it adds an interesting twist to the childhood story; you know she grows up to do this thrilling flight, and you want to know how both stories end.
I enjoyed this book a lot; I had not known anything about Beryl Markham's life (in fact I got her mixed up with Isak Dinesen, of the movie Out of Africa!), so it was interesting to learn more about her. She's a spunky character as written here, an independent free spirit whose love of Africa is abundant. I also enjoyed learning more about the ways of the Nandi people. And there is exciting action--a lion hunt, a jaguar attack, and tribal rivalries. I was cheering for Beryl all the way! As an adult reader I want to know more about the rest of her life, as she became a very successful racehorse trainer and also pilot; I think kids reading this will also be intrigued enough to look for more information on her.(less)
Fifteen year old Emily Dickinson, dreamily playing hooky in the fields instead of doing her drudgery household chores, meets a mysterious handsome str...moreFifteen year old Emily Dickinson, dreamily playing hooky in the fields instead of doing her drudgery household chores, meets a mysterious handsome stranger, who talks intelligently with her and is very charming. He coyly refuses to tell her his name, so Emily calls him Mr. Nobody. It is 1845, and the quiet, introspective, sometimes frail but still rebellious Emily chafes at being so often confined to her house by her protective mother. She has no real friends apart from her younger sister, so it is quite exciting to meet someone new in their small New England town. But this promising friendship and flirtation is cut short when Mr. Nobody is found dead in a pond on the Dickinson property. Emily goes against her mother's wishes to view the body and sees details that spark her imagination, as she begins to wonder whether Mr. Nobody's death was not an accident. She begins to secretly investigate the crime, something girls of that time just did not do, especially when it means sneaking around, exploring unknown parts of the township, or having to ask strange men piercing questions. And what will she do if her nosy sister finds out what she is doing?
I loved this book! Emily is depicted as a spunky character, full of curiosity, who loves poetry so much she is compelled to write--she scribbles down poetic fragments in a hidden notebook whenever inspiration strikes, since her family would disapprove of her writing. I think the title of the book is very apt, as not only is there a secret connected to the deceased Mr. Nobody, but Emily told him she was Miss Nobody, and she too has a secret: her writing. I liked how each chapter is titled from a line of a Dickinson poem. The mystery is also very well done, and the setting very realistic, with period detail and vivid descriptions of the daily life of women in the 1840's, from cooking to cleaning. Excellent book for middle school and up.(less)
J-Boys is a sweet look at one boy's experiences growing up in Tokyo. It takes place during one year, when he is nine, as he goes to school and plays w...moreJ-Boys is a sweet look at one boy's experiences growing up in Tokyo. It takes place during one year, when he is nine, as he goes to school and plays with his best friends, who nickname themselves the "J-Boys". Kazuo tells of shopping for tofu in his neighborhood, playing in the empty lot, and how people's lives were still affected every day by the suffering of World War II (from his mother's memories of a fire bombing she barely survived, and being thrifty because "in the war we had nothing", to having to drink the dreaded "miroku"--awful powdered milk--in school.) He has quibbles with his younger brother but also stands up for him. Not a lot happens, plotwise, but the book's gentle vignettes celebrate family and holidays and feeling pride of ownership of a particular neighborhood. There is some nostalgia, as Kazuo talks about the changes that came later to Tokyo (and there is an excellent afterword by the author, who explains that the book is not strictly autobiographical but is fictionalized from several boys' experiences). The part I liked best was the glossary, and the side tabs on nearly every page that explained Japanese words, phrases, customs and concepts. Thus even elementary students will have no problem reading the book, and even those teens who are big fans of Japanese culture may learn something. (less)
A hilarious, guy-friendly caper/romance/science fiction humor story. Set in France, where 14 year old David lives with his divorced therapist father....moreA hilarious, guy-friendly caper/romance/science fiction humor story. Set in France, where 14 year old David lives with his divorced therapist father. Dad specializes in treating difficult and mentally challenged teenagers, and his latest client, brought in by police when they found her homeless and stealing food, is a feisty girl who insists that she is not from planet Earth! David is immediately attracted to her, even as he is afraid of her violent tendencies and doesn't believe her wild story that she needs to bring her "chosen one"-- Johnny Depp!-- back with her to her women-only planet Vahalal. But then she manages to escape her captivity in a very unearthly way, and despite himself David impulsively decides to help her in her quest, foolish as he thinks it may be. This book is a very goofy, lighthearted, silly, yet very readable adventure story. The alien technology and characteristics that Zelda tells David about are pretty imaginative--from "Space Flop" (jet lag from "Space Splashing" between planets) to the galactic germs she inadvertently infects him with, to the tattooed "key" that holds special meaning for interstellar travel. I think this book is aimed squarely at middle school boys, who will love the madcap chases, sci-fi goofiness, the stuff blowing up, and living every nerd boy's fantasy of winning the hot chick who can knock down bad guys with her martial arts skills.(less)
An excellent action-packed adventure novel, great for middle-grade boys who like a story to start right off with the action, no waiting around for slo...moreAn excellent action-packed adventure novel, great for middle-grade boys who like a story to start right off with the action, no waiting around for slow character or setting-building. Right off the bat we are on a ship cruising the rapids of the St. Lawrence River, and someone is about to fall overboard, and our hero, Scott, 16, a deckhand on the ship, is afraid to reveal that he knows there is a Nazi spy on board! Whew! And away we go! The book is long on action--spies, double agents, kidnapping, thugs, and some nautical adventures--and short on character development for any of the side characters (Scott's girlfriend Lindsay is nice, but you know nothing about her; his best friend Adam, also 16 and a waiter on the ship, falls in love with a French girl who is given a name and helpful nature but not much else). But that's okay, it's a lot of fun, a story about a little-seen aspect of World War II, with a Canadian twist as the action takes place in Canadian towns along the northern border of the river. I would recommend it for boys in 4th-6th grades or older low-level high interest readers.(less)
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