Alba Arango's Blog, page 7
January 4, 2018
January Review: The Fourteenth Goldfish
Eleven-year-old Ellie was used to her life. She had the same best friend since she was little, and she and her mom had a comfortable routine. But, all that changed. Her best friend joined the volleyball team and her grandfather moved in. Watching her best friend slip away was hard, but dealing with her grandfather became the real challenge. Why? Because he was now a fourteen-year-old boy. As a scientist, he invented a formula that would reverse the aging process and make a person young again. He found a way to change the world, no more aging, no more pain. But, does the world need changing? Ellie learns a great deal as she tries to help her grandfather break into his lab to retrieve the formula, the biggest lesson being that things change, and we should enjoy life as we go.
What I liked: great lessons throughout the book, and the main character truly grows as a person. Although the book is made for kids, I think adults would learn a few things from it as well. The grandfather character is fantastic! Exactly what you’d expect from an old man stuck in the body of a young kid. Hilarious.
What I didn’t like: the first and last third of the book were wonderful, but the middle third was a bit slow. I had to force myself to get through it.
Still, a good read and worth your time.
4.5 out of 5 stars
What I liked: great lessons throughout the book, and the main character truly grows as a person. Although the book is made for kids, I think adults would learn a few things from it as well. The grandfather character is fantastic! Exactly what you’d expect from an old man stuck in the body of a young kid. Hilarious.
What I didn’t like: the first and last third of the book were wonderful, but the middle third was a bit slow. I had to force myself to get through it.
Still, a good read and worth your time.
4.5 out of 5 stars
December 17, 2017
Books as Gifts? Ugh. (says the reluctant reader)
For those of us who love to read, receiving a book as a present is like winning the lottery. But, for reluctant readers, especially children, receiving a book as a gift is sometimes viewed as a downer. But, we have the power to change that.
There are books on so many subjects, finding a book on a subject they love should be pretty easy. Are they video game addicts? There are hundreds of books about video games. Are they sports enthusiasts? Thousands of books about sports, and, quite possibly, their favorite sports celebrity as well.
The key to roping in the reluctant reader is to get them reading, and finding books on their favorite subjects is the way to do that.
Many books are available with Amazon Prime, so it's still not too late to get those books for stocking stuffers or gifts.
Have a wonderful holiday season and Merry Christmas.
Alba
There are books on so many subjects, finding a book on a subject they love should be pretty easy. Are they video game addicts? There are hundreds of books about video games. Are they sports enthusiasts? Thousands of books about sports, and, quite possibly, their favorite sports celebrity as well.
The key to roping in the reluctant reader is to get them reading, and finding books on their favorite subjects is the way to do that.
Many books are available with Amazon Prime, so it's still not too late to get those books for stocking stuffers or gifts.
Have a wonderful holiday season and Merry Christmas.
Alba
December 7, 2017
December Review: Timmy Failure Mistakes were Made
Timmy Failure is the founder, president, and CEO of the best detective agency in town, probably the nation (at least that what he says). Timmy is self-confident and clearly the sharpest kid at school, even if no one else sees that. This book is his documentation of the cases he solves. The author, Stephan Pastis, (also the creator of Pearls Before Swine), does an incredible job of combing witty humor with clever drawings. If taken seriously, this book could be viewed as depressing, but, if taken in the manner it was intended, humor, the book is hilarious.
What I liked: the humor is fantastic. There were many times when I (literally) laughed out loud, and the drawings were so on point with the humor. The main character, Timmy, is unique and eccentric, and the mother is fabulous. There are many jokes that, while funny for kids, are even funnier for adults. This would be a great book to read with your child.
What I didn’t like: not much. My only criticism, and it’s not a big one, is that the book seemed a bit long. Although, if you took out the drawings, it’d be fairly short, it still felt like it dragged a bit in the middle. Not enough to put it down, though.
5 out of 5 stars
What I liked: the humor is fantastic. There were many times when I (literally) laughed out loud, and the drawings were so on point with the humor. The main character, Timmy, is unique and eccentric, and the mother is fabulous. There are many jokes that, while funny for kids, are even funnier for adults. This would be a great book to read with your child.
What I didn’t like: not much. My only criticism, and it’s not a big one, is that the book seemed a bit long. Although, if you took out the drawings, it’d be fairly short, it still felt like it dragged a bit in the middle. Not enough to put it down, though.
5 out of 5 stars
November 3, 2017
November Review: The Doom Machine byMark Teague
Jack Creedle, and the town of Vern Hollow, have been invaded by aliens. Well, not invaded per se, more like under the watchful eyes of creepy, giant spider aliens who are after Uncle Bud’s invention—a refrigerator-looking machine that actually can create holes in space and time. But, when Jack, Uncle Bud, Isadora Shumway and her highly-respected scientist mother are kidnapped by the spider aliens, things really get crazy.
What I liked: GREAT characters! All the main characters are different with their own individual quirks and attitudes. The plot is solid and interesting enough (who doesn’t love a group of hapless earthlings who have to save the Earth from alien invaders?).
What I didn’t like: Teague writes the story from many points of view, and each time we shift from one to another, there’s a scene break. Sometimes there’s two scene breaks on one page. It got tiresome by chapter five. I appreciate trying to write the story from multiple points of view, but there are better ways to accomplish that. It was also unnecessarily long. 376 pages that could easily have been told in 250.
An okay read, but nothing spectacular.
3.5 out of 5 stars
What I liked: GREAT characters! All the main characters are different with their own individual quirks and attitudes. The plot is solid and interesting enough (who doesn’t love a group of hapless earthlings who have to save the Earth from alien invaders?).
What I didn’t like: Teague writes the story from many points of view, and each time we shift from one to another, there’s a scene break. Sometimes there’s two scene breaks on one page. It got tiresome by chapter five. I appreciate trying to write the story from multiple points of view, but there are better ways to accomplish that. It was also unnecessarily long. 376 pages that could easily have been told in 250.
An okay read, but nothing spectacular.
3.5 out of 5 stars
October 9, 2017
October Review: Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library
What a fun read! The book is about 12 kids that get to spend the night in a super cool new library designed by a famous game-maker. Once inside, they are invited to play a game where they are challenged to “escape” from the library and receive a prize. The catch? They only have 24 hours to do it, and the library is, well, interactive…in a “Night at the Museum” kind of way.
What I liked: The characters are believable. All kids (and adults) will relate to the personality traits and complicated relationships experienced by the characters. I also loved the clues the kids had to figure out in order to solve the puzzles…totally made me wish I was in that library with them.
What I didn’t like: My only real criticism is that a few of the characters fell a little flat (some could’ve used a little more character development). I found myself flipping to get past a few pages because of the characters. But, the main character is great!
All-in-all, a fun book
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
What I liked: The characters are believable. All kids (and adults) will relate to the personality traits and complicated relationships experienced by the characters. I also loved the clues the kids had to figure out in order to solve the puzzles…totally made me wish I was in that library with them.
What I didn’t like: My only real criticism is that a few of the characters fell a little flat (some could’ve used a little more character development). I found myself flipping to get past a few pages because of the characters. But, the main character is great!
All-in-all, a fun book
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
September 10, 2017
September review: The Messengers by Edward Hogan
Creepy cover. Creepy book. Fifteen-year-old Frances ends up spending the summer at her aunt’s house. She meets Peter and is immediately drawn to him. It turns out, Peter is a messenger, a “chosen” one whose job it is to deliver messages of death, or face death within his own family. As it turns out, Frances is a messenger, too. But, she refuses to just accept this role, and begins to develop a strategy to change the future. But, death seems to have other plans.
What I liked: REALLY different concept. The story was disturbing, but so interesting that you had to keep reading to see what was going to happen.
What I didn’t like: the age difference between Frances and Peter was a little odd (she’s 15 and he’s 29), but her attraction to him is believable, even if a little unsettling. My biggest complaint was that even though the concept was interesting, the story seemed to drag on and on, and we never really got a full understanding of these “messengers.”
The concept alone makes the story unique, but in the end, it just falls a bit flat.
3.5 out of 5 stars
What I liked: REALLY different concept. The story was disturbing, but so interesting that you had to keep reading to see what was going to happen.
What I didn’t like: the age difference between Frances and Peter was a little odd (she’s 15 and he’s 29), but her attraction to him is believable, even if a little unsettling. My biggest complaint was that even though the concept was interesting, the story seemed to drag on and on, and we never really got a full understanding of these “messengers.”
The concept alone makes the story unique, but in the end, it just falls a bit flat.
3.5 out of 5 stars
August 5, 2017
August review: Secrets of the Dragon Tomb
Set in 19th-century British Mars, Secrets of the Dragon Tomb has a combination steampunk and sci-fi feel. Edward Sullivan is a 12-year-old who has always dreamed of becoming a spy. One day, his silly cousin Freddie comes to visit and everything changes, and not for the better. His parents are kidnapped by an evil archaeologist and Martian henchmen, and it’s up to Edward, his two sisters, and silly cousin Freddie to save the day. As Edward embarks on a crazy and dangerous trek to save his parents, he’ll learn that people, including his own family, are not always as they seem, and being a spy is not exactly what he thought it would be.
What I liked: I absolutely LOVED the characters. Each was completely unique and fully developed. The book was non-stop action and adventure, with crazy situations and fabulous locales.
What I didn’t like: not much. There were a couple times where I thought the situation went on a little long, but then something would happen that pulled me right back into the story.
I would definitely recommend this book.
5 out of 5 stars
What I liked: I absolutely LOVED the characters. Each was completely unique and fully developed. The book was non-stop action and adventure, with crazy situations and fabulous locales.
What I didn’t like: not much. There were a couple times where I thought the situation went on a little long, but then something would happen that pulled me right back into the story.
I would definitely recommend this book.
5 out of 5 stars
July 6, 2017
July review: Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library
What a fun read! The book is about 12 kids that get to spend the night in a super cool new library designed by a famous game-maker. Once inside, they are invited to play a game where they are challenged to “escape” from the library and receive a prize. The catch? They only have 24 hours to do it, and the library is, well, interactive…in a “Night at the Museum” kind of way.
What I liked: The main character is great. All kids (and adults) will relate to the personality traits and complicated relationships experienced by the main characters. I also loved the clues the kids had to figure out in order to solve the puzzles…totally made me wish I was in that library with them!
What I didn’t like: My biggest criticism is that a few of the characters fell a little flat, like they had no real distinctive personality. Parts of the book were a little slow, but not enough to make me want to stop reading. Overall, a fun book.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
What I liked: The main character is great. All kids (and adults) will relate to the personality traits and complicated relationships experienced by the main characters. I also loved the clues the kids had to figure out in order to solve the puzzles…totally made me wish I was in that library with them!
What I didn’t like: My biggest criticism is that a few of the characters fell a little flat, like they had no real distinctive personality. Parts of the book were a little slow, but not enough to make me want to stop reading. Overall, a fun book.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
June 6, 2017
June review: Spy School
The storyline is really fun. An average 12-year-old boy is selected to go to Spy School, which is pretty cool. And, like all schools, this one has all the great characters you’d expect to meet, bullies and all. But, when his life is suddenly placed in danger, things get crazy and all kinds of drama and adventures unfold.
What I liked: Great story line! The characters are intriguing and realistic, especially the main character, who thinks it’d be really cool to be a spy and get the girl, but finds out pretty fast that it comes with a lot of danger as well. And, anytime you have an ordinary kid thrown into extraordinary situations you have a great plot.
What I did not like: This novel would probably get a much higher rating, but one thing really bothered me about the book…it has curse words. I wouldn’t mind as much if they were used in context of heightened emotion (ie--he gets super mad and a curse word slips out), but they are thrown in so casually that they took me by surprise each time, enough to pull me out of the story, and that’s bad. The author could’ve easily told the story without them. That’s fine for YA, but not for middle grade.
3 out of 5 stars
What I liked: Great story line! The characters are intriguing and realistic, especially the main character, who thinks it’d be really cool to be a spy and get the girl, but finds out pretty fast that it comes with a lot of danger as well. And, anytime you have an ordinary kid thrown into extraordinary situations you have a great plot.
What I did not like: This novel would probably get a much higher rating, but one thing really bothered me about the book…it has curse words. I wouldn’t mind as much if they were used in context of heightened emotion (ie--he gets super mad and a curse word slips out), but they are thrown in so casually that they took me by surprise each time, enough to pull me out of the story, and that’s bad. The author could’ve easily told the story without them. That’s fine for YA, but not for middle grade.
3 out of 5 stars
May 3, 2017
May review: The Red Pyramid
I recently re-read this book, and thought it would be a good idea to review it. Most people have heard of the Percy Jackson series, but may not be familiar with the Kane Chronicles.
The Red Pyramid was an interesting story, introducing the reader to the world of Egyptian gods. Because most people, myself included, grew up learning about the Greek/Roman gods, it was interesting to learn about a completely different set of gods. It follows the story of an estranged, recently reunited, brother and sister who (like Percy Jackson) encounter a strange world of Gods and how they affect the human world.
What I liked: I enjoyed the first person accounts by each of the two main characters, Sadie and Carter. I felt that gave us a deeper understanding of each character. I also like the sister/brother dynamic. The two kids are pretty much strangers at the beginning of the book, having not spent much time with each other growing up and both jealous of each others' upbringing. As the book progresses, they learn things about the other that not only brings them closer, but gives them a sense of understanding as to why they are the way they are (and that maybe their life wasn't as great as each one thought).
What I didn’t like: The names of the gods and their roles did get confusing. It was hard to keep track of which god was son/brother (or whatever) to which god. I understand their roles changed throughout the history of Egypt, but it did get confusing trying to keep them straight. The author did a great job of trying to make the connections clear, but it still did get a bit overwhelming.
Overall, this was a great book, with interesting characters and exciting adventures. I would highly recommend it for anyone interested in mythology or for kids who love a great adventure.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
The Red Pyramid was an interesting story, introducing the reader to the world of Egyptian gods. Because most people, myself included, grew up learning about the Greek/Roman gods, it was interesting to learn about a completely different set of gods. It follows the story of an estranged, recently reunited, brother and sister who (like Percy Jackson) encounter a strange world of Gods and how they affect the human world.
What I liked: I enjoyed the first person accounts by each of the two main characters, Sadie and Carter. I felt that gave us a deeper understanding of each character. I also like the sister/brother dynamic. The two kids are pretty much strangers at the beginning of the book, having not spent much time with each other growing up and both jealous of each others' upbringing. As the book progresses, they learn things about the other that not only brings them closer, but gives them a sense of understanding as to why they are the way they are (and that maybe their life wasn't as great as each one thought).
What I didn’t like: The names of the gods and their roles did get confusing. It was hard to keep track of which god was son/brother (or whatever) to which god. I understand their roles changed throughout the history of Egypt, but it did get confusing trying to keep them straight. The author did a great job of trying to make the connections clear, but it still did get a bit overwhelming.
Overall, this was a great book, with interesting characters and exciting adventures. I would highly recommend it for anyone interested in mythology or for kids who love a great adventure.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
