Beverly Stowe McClure's Blog: Enter Beverly's World of Writing, page 7

The DMS Are Back

Fairday Morrow and the Talking Library by Stephanie Robinson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Have you ever met a bookworm that eats words in a book? If not, now is your chance. Pick up a copy of FAIRDAY MORROW AND THE TALKING LIBRARY by Authors Jessica Haight and Stephanie Robinson and help Fairday and friends solve the mystery of Begonia House.

From the very beginning we are on an adventure with Fairday, Lizzie, and Marcus, the DMS (Detective Mystery Squad) to discover the meaning of notes written in riddles about words being lost and a bookworm and something about shoes that Fairday keeps receiving. Will the DMS solve the mystery in time to save the books, or will the bookworm win and destroy all the books. How horrible to not have books to read.

FAIRDAY MORROW AND THE TALKING LIBRARY is such a fun read. And I was right there with the DMS, trying to solve the mystery. I bet you will be too. The authors have just the right amount of spookiness in the story. The idea of books being eaten by a bookworm has given me a new definition for the word “bookworm.” I always thought it meant a person who read a lot, but in this story we meet a new sort of bookworm.

And, how about a Halloween party with guests dressed as … I’m not telling. This novel is perfect for school classrooms and libraries, as well as your own library. Recommended.

I received an ARC for my honest review.
Review to follow.



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A Fun Anthology

Best. Night. Ever. by Jen Malone

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Remember those good old days of Middle School or Junior High? How could you forget them, right? It was a time of change, a time of parties, and a time of lots of “firsts.” First crushes, disappointments, and also humor. Yes, humor, if not so much for the middle grade students as for the readers of BEST. NIGHT. EVER. by Authors Rachele Alpine, Ronni Arno, Alison Cherry, Stephanie Faris, Jen Malone, Gail Nail, and Dee Romito.

This anthology is such a fun story, even though the students, at times, did not think what happened to them was fun. Some of the incidents sure reminded me of emotions running wild and feelings easily hurt. In BEST. NIGHT. EVER, we meet Carmen, Genevieve, Ellie, Ashlyn, Ryan, Jade, and Tess, each with a story to tell. The authors do a splendid job of catching the emotions and voices of middle school kids.

We see the night and all that happens through the eyes and hearts of each character. Middle school students and even older teens should enjoy reading this anthology. Recommended for school libraries, classrooms, and your own personal library.




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Love and Mystery

Marked Beauty by S.A. Larsen

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Mystery. Adventure. Romance. Danger. Curse. Family. Surprises. Auras. Life energy. Another world. These are words I think of to describe Award-Winning Author S. A. Larsen’s latest novel, MARKED BEAUTY, and they’re not nearly enough.

Told from alternating points of view, we meet Ana, a girl with special powers on a quest to save the life of her friend Katee, who’s in a coma after a car wreck that Ana survived but left Katee in a coma. Viktor, who Ana meets in her search and the other point of view character, has problems of his own. He has pledged to save Ana’s life for reasons that unfold a little at a time. He also has feelings for Ana that he can’t admit.

The author has created great characters, some that sent chills up my spine and others, like Ana and Viktor, that I hoped would settle their differences and get together. I also adored Josh.

Vivid descriptions in each scene made me almost feel as though I were there, with the characters, experiencing their fear and/or their happiness. S. A. Larsen has written a beautiful story with characters I either loved or hoped got what they deserved. Looking forward to learn what happens next. A lovely story to add to your library. Recommended.




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A Story to Make You Think

The Remnant by William Michael Davidson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Have you ever read a novel that made you wonder if the events in the story could happen in real life? If so, did it give you the chills? As I read THE REMNANT by Author William Michael Davidson it sure made me think. What if? I know this is a novel. I know it’s science fiction. But there is that question.

In the novel, when someone breaks the law they are sent to the island, which is a death sentence. The story opens with a man named Josh Mosley confessing his sin. What is the sin that sends him to death? Praying. Yes, praying. He tried to run away, but the people have a neurochip in their skull which makes it impossible for them to escape. Found guilty of his crime, he knew his fate.

Colton Pierce is the number one extractor for the Center for Theological Control (CTC), which deals with those who break the law. He’s in line for promotion to the top man. Sometimes life does not go as one plans, however. And Pierce’s life soon takes a dramatic turn. He has to make a choice: save his twelve-year-old son’s life from capture and death by the CTC or cling to his job he’s really good at and help the CTC capture him.

William Michael Davidson has written a novel that will make you think, at least it did me. Is it possible that such a thing could happen? Look at our world today and answer that question. The author did a nice job of keeping me guessing how things would turn out. Let’s just hope that this story does not come true. Recommended.




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A Story of Love and Family

Right Handed Lefty by Ryan Coughlin

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


One of the saddest things to me is a child who does not know his parents. I cannot even imagine how that would feel. An adoptive family would help the child adapt, I would think, and most times live a happy life. But there are different circumstance that can affect a child even as he/she grows older.

In RIGHT HANDED LIEFTY, by Author Ryan Coughlin, we meet Ellis Sayre, a native American who wants to know his parents. His life has been anything but easy. He has anxiety attacks, is called names at school. He was adopted to replace the parents’ loss of their son who drowned. This was Ellis’s second adoptive family. Now, I know very little about adoption, but a child should be loved and wanted, not adopted to replace a lost child. That seems like trouble from the beginning to me.

This story has so much promise. I really cared for Ellis and wanted a happy life for him. There is a lot of adventure with Ellis and his friends. They get in serious trouble. But as I turned pages to see what happened to the boys, the author changed the subject in a new chapter and gave us a bit of history. It’s interesting, yes, but I wanted to see if the boys escaped from the guys chasing them. The historical information is good and adds to the story, but it might be woven into the story in some way to keep from drawing the reader away from the previous scene.

Another thought I have is who is the point-of-view character. It’s okay to have more than one in a novel, but not in the same paragraph or scene. Maybe a page break or something to show that we’re in the mind of another character would be less confusing to the reader, like me. I also hoped that everything would work out for Ellis and his family.

RIGHT HANDED LEFTY can be a great story. Ellis is a likable character, who touched my heart. He made mistakes. Doesn’t everyone? Ryan Coughlin has a great story idea here. Thank you, Mr. Coughlin, for Ellis. His story needs to be told.
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Let's Go to the Parade!

Rey Antonio and Rey Feo by Kena Sosa

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Would you like to go to a fiesta? How about watching a parade? Sounds like fun to me. We can do it too, just climb aboard the truck with Rey, his older brother Antonio, and their parents and off we go to San Antonio, Texas.

In Author Kena Sosa’s picture book, REY ANTONIO & REY FEO we join the family on their exciting journey to the Fiesta, Rey’s first time there. He’s waited seven years for this big day to arrive, and now he’s excited. Boys will be boys, of course, and the brothers soon get into an argument about who will be King. They both want the honor, but there’s only one king. Then the boys learn the meaning of the names Rey Antonio and Rey Feo. I did as well, which is quite interesting.

Kena Sosa has written a delightful story of a family enjoying their vacation together. And what’s really neat, on alternate pages the story is told in Spanish for readers that speak Spanish and for readers that would like to learn to read Spanish.

Illustrations by talented Jessica McClure add just the right touch, along with the excitement that the boys experience on their holiday. I love the expressions on their faces as they watch the parade. And the pictures show scenes of San Antonio, like the Alamo and the River Walk, giving the reader a bit of history too.

REY ANTONIO & REY FEO would make a great addition to elementary school libraries and classrooms as well as your own library. Recommended




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A Story of Family and Heartbreak

Then She Was Born by Cristiano Gentili

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A baby is born. The parents have waited for months for their precious new daughter. But wait! Something is wrong. The father is not happy. He calls his baby daughter a curse, a judgment. What a horrible thing to say. In THEN SHE WAS BORN, by author Christiano Gentili, this happens.

The newborn is a zeru, zeru, a “white shadow,” an albino. She brings bad luck to not only her family, but to the whole village. In Tanzania, they believe she belongs to the spirit of the lake so they take the newborn to the lake and leave her for the spirits to determine her fate: life or death.

I cannot imagine believing a baby is evil. I cannot believe parents would leave a newborn to the fate of wild things and nature. I understand, however, that customs differ from country to country.

Beliefs can change, however, and I pray that in countries like Tanzania, they will. For children like Adima, who does not understand why no one loves her and why her skin is different, customs need to change. I love her innocence, and I admire her grandmother, NKimba, who risked all to raise the child. This is a tender story of family, love, misunderstandings, and changes. And someday, for all the children around the world, like NKimba, I pray that they will not face the same problems that she faces.

THEN SHE WAS BORN would make a great addition to high school classrooms and libraries. Recommended. I was given a copy of the book for my honest review.




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Travel Back to the 60s

Corners by Corrina Austin

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Ah, the ‘60s, the Roadrunner and Coyote, Elvis, the Beatles, Connie Frances, polio. If you’re too young to remember those exciting years then cheer up. You can travel back to 1969, along with spending time in the present, in the middle-grade novel CORNERS by Author Corinna Austin.

Told in alternating chapters by the young Davy and the grown David, we meet ten-year-old Davy in 1969. Davy’s life is not easy. He’s different from the other kids. For one thing, he has no friends. Also, in the ‘60s most families had a mother and a father; Davy never met his father. There’s still another thing that makes him different: he can’t swim in the deep water. All he does is sink and nearly drown.

The day thirteen-year-old Ellis, who is spending the summer with her grandmother, saves his life changes everything. She becomes not only his first friend, but his baby sitter while his mother is at work. They also make “corners,” which adds a beautiful touch to the story. I don’t want to give anything away so I won’t explain about “corners.” But I do believe that one day I’d like to make a “corner” of my own. You may want to as well, after reading the book.

Corrina Austin also shows us Davy’s story from the point-of-view of the grown-up Davy (David). In those chapters David is talking to his youngest son, Will, telling him about his early life. I love the relationship between father and son. Their conversation sounds so real it places the reader in the scene with the characters. And the ending is just right, kind of what I expected, or at least hoped for.

Davy’s story will make you laugh. It will make you cry. It will also make you thankful for your family, at least it did me.

CORNERS would be a great addition to school classrooms and libraries, and also would be good for a study of the 1960s in history. Recommended. I was given an ARC for my honest review.
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Adventures with Goddesses

Goddesses Can Wait by Kim Baccellia

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Do you consider yourself “normal” or do you have exciting adventures, say with goddesses, for example? Even if you aren’t acquainted with gods or goddesses you can still have an adventure by reading Author Kim Baccellia’s latest novel GODDESSES CAN WAIT. And let me tell you, this author will take you on a wild adventure that you won’t soon forget.

Jordan Lake’s evening starts out dining with her family and best friend, Selena Garza, a simple family affair. Jordan is remembering her recent encounter with two Egyptian goddesses, that thankfully had a happy ending. Now, she just wants to be normal, if that is possible. When Jordan’s grandmother joins them for dinner with a gift for Jordan her life changes, however, and she soon finds herself on a flight to Paris, along with Selena and Jordan’s grandmother. Jordan is ecstatic. Images of Audrey Hepburn (her heroine), the River Seine, and macaroons dance in her head. But she also has an uneasy feeling. She can’t forget her encounter with the Goddess Hathorn, not so long ago. She doesn’t want a repeat.

As the girls explore Paris, while Grams takes care of some business, Jordan and Selena meet rude guys, eat yummy food, and discover surprises about Grams life. No doubt about it, they’re in a different world, which soon proves to be more than just the city of Paris. I won’t tell what happens to them, but it’s not quite what they expected.

Kim Baccellia has done a beautiful job with her characters, bringing them to life so that I worried when they kept getting into trouble. Would they get out of the situations they found themselves in? The author kept me guessing, which added to the suspense and enjoyment of the story.

I know very little about mythology, but by reading GODDESSES CAN WAIT and NO MORE GODDESSES, the first book in the series, I’ve learned a lot and find mythology interesting. Who doesn’t like gods and goddesses, whether good ones or bad ones? Ms. Baccellia writes with such detail that the characters, both goddesses and humans, came to life for me. I always like to have a good villain in a story, and we have them here.

Now I’m wondering what Jordan’s next adventure will be. And what would Audrey Hepburn think about the girls and their visit to Paris? In my mind, I picture Ms. Hepburn smiling. What do you think?

The author has written a story that not only teens but older readers, as well, will enjoy. GODDESSES CAN WAIT will make a nice addition to your personal library. I give it 4 and ½ stars, which doesn’t show up on the stars. I think it should. Happy Reading.




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Travel Back in Time

Shadows from Her Past by Melanie Robertson-King

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


What if you could travel back in time? What if during that time period before you were even born you married a wonderful man and adopted a little girl? And then suddenly you’re back in your present time, the victim of an accident, and want desperately to return to your husband and daughter? What would you do?

In Author Melanie Robertson-King’s novel SHADOWS FROM HER PAST Sarah Shand faces such a situation. When she awakes from a coma caused by the accident, her parents and the doctors think she’s confused when Sarah tells them about Robert Robertson and Jenny, her new family. Could her memories be only a dream or a result of her injuries, which almost killed her?

Told in alternating points-of-view from Robert, who sometimes appears to Sarah but then disappears as quickly, and Sarah, who is beginning to have feelings for David Robb a medical student that took care of her, the couple attempt to discover the truth. But Sarah and Robert run into all sorts of complications in their struggles to get back together again. And I could not stop reading until I knew if they succeeded.

Melanie Robertson-King has a special touch when creating her characters. She makes them so real you want them to succeed in their quest for happiness or whatever they’re looking for. In SHADOWS FROM HER PAST the author weaves a mystery, a romance, and a family that you hope will find happiness in their lives.

This is a great sequel to SHADOWS IN THE PAST. I enjoyed meeting Sarah and Robert again, along with the old familiar characters and the new ones too. Even if you haven’t read the first book, I think you’ll enjoy this one. You might want to read them both.



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