Loralee Evans's Blog: Loralee Evans, page 21

My Newest Book! Puppies and Portals!

I am so excited to announce that Puppies and Portals, my newest book, has just been published! And right now, the EBOOK is only 99¢! The PRINT version, for anyone interested, is 12.95. It is a middle grade time travel adventure that kids and adults who like stories about time travel with plenty of action and danger will enjoy! After one nerve-wracking time travel escapade with her friends, Amy Yellow Horse is happy to be doing something normal. Like babysitting Leah Walquist, Jax and Ani’s little sister. But when a girl shows up at the Walquists’ house with technology that can only be from the future, Amy realizes her day isn’t going to be normal after all! Thank goodness her friend Will Taylor shows up when he does. But even together, can Amy and Will figure out how to help their new friend get back to her own time? And what should they do when the girl’s mischievous puppy plunges them all (including little Leah!) into another harrowing journey through time? And please take a look at a Sample Chapter from Puppies and Portals HERE!

The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis

The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis is a delightful story that highlights the beginnings of all the comings and goings between Narnia and Earth, in particular how the wardrobe in Professor Kirk's house became a magical portal to begin with. In the story, young Diggory Kirk and Polly Plummer make friends and decide to go exploring in the shared crawl space above the attic rooms in the houses where they live. (They live in a long row of houses, and the crawl space evidently goes all the way from one end to the other.) Trying to get into the abandoned house for some exploration that is just beyond Diggory's house, they make a mistake and end up in the attic room of his house. By bad luck, Diggory's mad uncle is there, and tricks Polly into picking up a magical ring that transports her to some other dimension. This of course, forces Diggory to go after her to rescue her. (His uncle is not decent enough to go after her himself.) And this begins the two friends' adventures wherein they meet the evil queen Jadis, and the noble lion Aslan. And will Aslan be willing to help Diggory find something in Aslan's new and growing world of Narnia that will cure Diggory's terminally ill mother? Read the book and find out! The Magician's Nephew was first written in 1954.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

The first book of Harry Potter, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling will always be one of my favorite works of fiction. (Trailing not far behind The Hobbit.) In it, young Harry Potter, orphaned as a baby and living with his dispicable aunt, uncle, and cousin, discovers with the help of a bumbling but lovable and strangly tall and hairy fellow name Hagrid, that he, Harry, is a wizard! Not only that, but he has been accepted to Hogwarts, the school for Witchcraft and Wizardry in the U.K. (It's American counterpart, incidentally, is Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry located in Massachusetts.) But all is not rosy and easy for Harry. He discovers as he begins his studies at Hogwarts, that the evil wizard Voldemort who tried to kill Harry as a baby, is still out there, somewhere biding his time. What will Harry do if he is confronted by Voldemort and Headmaster Dumbledore isn't there to protect Harry? After all, Harry is only 11! Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was first published in 1995.

Early Man, Movie directed by Nick Park

Early Man directed by Nick Park is a fun family movie about a group of cavepeople who come up against a technologically advanced culture that has mastered bronze. The advanced group led by an entertainly wicked leader, takes the valley the cavepeople had been living in, forcing them out into the less hospitable land. One of the young cave people sneaks in, and discovers that the bronze using people enjoy football (soccer, not American football) and decides that since they can't fight to get their valley back with brute strength (bronze weapons would beat stone weapons any day) he decides that he wants to play a game of soccer against the bronze using culture's professional team. The leader of the bronze culture is happy to accept, because he thinks that the cave people don't have a chance at winning. But do they? Early Man is a super cute movie that is appropriate for all ages, and is perfect for fans of Wallace and Gromit or Shawn the Sheep. Early Man was copyrighted in 2018. View a trailer of Early Man HERE.

Vespers Rising by Rick Riordan, Peter Lerangis, and Gordan Korman

Vespers Rising by Rick Riordan, Peter Lerangis, and Gordan Korman is an action adventure book aimed at young readers. It is the eleventh book in the series, but I didn't feel lost as I listened to it (I listened to the audio book) despite not having read the others. The Cahill family has been at odds with the Vespers (and with each other) for centuries. The Vespers, a secret organization, have been looking for the 39 clues in order to take over the world, and the Cahills have been working to protect them. Amy and Dan, the modern day protagonists are working to stop the bad guys. But will they succeed? Being in a series, the book ends with some questions answered, and others not. Young readers who enjoy books in a series and clues to follow will likely enjoy this book. Vespers Rising was published in 2011.

Rabbit Ears World Tales Volume Six: The Firebird and The Monkey People

Rabbit Ears World Tales Volume Six: The Firebird and The Monkey People is an enjoyable CD with two stories from different parts of the world. The Firebird is from Russia, and The Monkey People is from South America. In The Firebird, a young man and a princess work together to outwit and defeat a wicked greedy king. And in The Monkey People, a group of people become so comically lazy that they want the monkeys (created magically from leaves) to do all their work for them. What eventually happens to the people? And do any of them learn not to be so lazy? This volume was published in 2007.

Rabbit Ears World Tales Volume Three Anansi and East of the Sun, West of the Moon

I listened to another CD titled Rabbit Ears World Tales #3. It contained the folk Tales East of the Sun, West of the Moon, from Russia and Anansi from Jamaica. Anansi is a silly fellow. He is mischevious and clever, not bad-hearted, but gets into trouble. He reminds me of the character Coyote from Ancient American stories. In one story, he wants to be the keeper of all the stories instead of Tiger. Is he successful in his goal? In another story, he wants to appear important during his mother-in-law's funeral and decides to go all week without eating. Does he make his goal, or does his pride backfire on him? In East of the Sun, West of the Moon, a young girl goes on a journey to free her boyfriend who has been bewitched. She has to go "east of the sun, and west of the moon" to save him! Will she be successful?

Rabbit Ears: Native American Heroines

I listened to the single CD of Rabbit Ears: Native American Heroines, and really enjoyed it. The narrators did a wonderful job. One story was the relatively well known tale of Sacagawea and everything she did. I liked how the reunion with her brother was portrayed. The other story was the tale of a chief's daughter, Princess Scargo, who received a giant pumpkin filled with live fish! She kept them similarly to how a child today might take care of fish in a tank. But what will she do, when the rains fail, and the fish in the rivers begin to die out? Her people are able to dam up a small lake, but so many fish have been killed by the drought, that her people are afraid they may not be able to repopulate for years and years. So what does she do? Listen to the story and find out! This audiobook was first published in 2007.

The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan

The Ruins of Gorland by John Flanagan begins with young Will hoping to be accepted as an apprentice warrior. Or at the very least, a trainer for the warrior's horses. But because he's so small, he isn't accepted in either of those schools, or any of the schools that are looking for apprentices. He has too big a reputation of getting into trouble. But...the Rangers want him to join their mysterious and secretive group. He has skills they've noticed. Being able to keep from being seen, hiding in the shadows, climbing into places an ordinary person couldn't. And why do the Rangers want him? War is brewing, and they need all the help they can get. The evil lord of the Mountains of Rain and Night is looking for revenge. This is a fun book, and appropriate for all ages! Kids and adults who enjoy action and fantasy would enjoy this book. The Ruins of Gorlan, the first book in the Ranger's Apprentice series was published in 2006.

The Berenstein Bears Go to School by Stan and Jan Berenstein

The Berenstein Bears Go to School by Stan and Jan Berenstein is a short story good to be read at a child's bed time. The story explores the adventures Brother and Sister Bear have going back to school, or going to school for the first time, as in Sister's case. It is good for children who may have anxiety about going to school. It helps them see that others go through the same thing, and helps them understand that transitioning to school or going back to school after summer is over is not as insurmountable a thing as they may at first think. The book was first published in 1978.