Jennifer Priester's Blog, page 5

Around the Corner

Around the Corner is the newest release from A & M Moonlight Creations. In the upcoming weeks I will introduce you to the author, Cheryl Casebeer, and share a little about adding a second author to my company.

Kira is a young teenager who on the outside appears to have so much. What she is lacking is self-confidence; she is shy, and mostly unnoticed by her classmates. She doesn’t consider herself worthy of her many dreams and is anxious to go about achieving her personal goals. Then a rescued dog comes into her life. Things begin to change as she learns to care for this dog and herself; neither of which comes easily.

The print edition of this book is available now for $5.99 on Amazon.

“Ms. Casebeer skillfully gives readers a compassionate look at the insecurities and self doubt that so many young people face. Around the Corner was a pleasure to read and I highly recommend it.”

—Mrs. Stacie Campbell, teacher

“Around the Corner is a great book that taught me that animals can be your best friend.”

—Savanna, student.

 

 

Review of The Dinosaur Puzzle and Other Stories by Gita V. Reddy

While not every story was my thing, I still enjoyed them all. Each one was different from the last but contained what I felt was a full story. What I mean by this is that none of the stories were so short that they felt incomplete.

I think this book would be an excellent choice for readers of all ages who like quick and fun stories. This would make a good read for parents who like to read stories with their children before bedtime or anytime when a quick read works best.

This is not the first book I have read by this author. I have read and enjoyed several other of her works. At this time my favorite one is Cheetaka Queen of Giants, a book I previously reviewed on my blog, but I would easily recommend any of her books.

I highly recommend visiting Gita’s Amazon author page to view what she currently has available. http://www.amazon.com/Gita-V.-Reddy/e/B00D3YMQ0M/

One particular thing I like about this author is what she charges for her books. All of them are $5.00 or under making them easily affordable. She has one permanently free book called, Daksha the Medicine Girl as well as several children’s books for $0.99.

You can find and connect with Gita in the following places:

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7023197.Gita_V_Reddy

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GitaVReddy

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/gitavreddy/

A wild Adventure Down Under.

Originally posted on Sandra Bennett - Author:

Warrior Echidnas, threatening Thylacines and curious Kowaries are just the beginning of this amazing tale of fantasy and adventure in a unique wilderness that spreads across the deserts and forests of the top end of Australia.

The Sword of Demelza by J.E. Rogers has taken many of our endangered animals and magnificently brought them to life with human like caricatures. Many of the smaller creatures live in homes inside trees with little dining settings where they serve tea with berries and cream. Quite a quaint idea that could have almost been idyllic were it not for the trouble about to unfold as the evil fox that ruled over the countryside set his terrible dragon lizards to destroy the peaceful villages.

A quest for two little kowaries becomes much bigger than they ever anticipated as they meet and make friends along the way. Do they stick to their goal or should���

View original 219 more words

How to Write a Review

Originally posted on Scripturience:

Because I, like many indie authors, need book reviews to prosper, it���s crossed my mind to wonder why so few readers write them. There are lots of theories.

1.Readers are lazy and/or can���t be bothered to take the time. They read books, toss them aside, and move on.

2. Readers don���t think their opinion matters; the pros do the reviewing, and no one cares what anyone else thinks.

3. Readers aren���t sure what to put into a review.

As for #1, there���s nothing I can do except implore you to reconsider. When you like a book, the only way other people get to share your joy is if you tell them about it. Likewise, when you hate a book, you can help others avoid inflicting the pain on themselves.

With #2, I���ve written about this before. There are professional reviewers out there, sure. They read what the Big 5���

View original 402 more words

99c Special Event Featuring Mortal Realm Witch: Learning About Magic

Meet DWW, who is just learning she’s a witch and her dog can talk. Throughout these short stories, each of which is told by a different character, DWW’s tale of growing up, her struggles to learn responsibility and her discovery of magic is told.

From 12/8 beginning at 8:00am until midnight on 12/15, the first book in my fantasy series for anyone ages 8 and up who love to read fun stories about animals and magic, Mortal Realm Witch, will be specially priced at 99c on both Amazon US and Amazon UK. The regular price of this book is $3.99.

US:�� http://www.amazon.com/Mortal-Realm-Witch-Learning-About-ebook/dp/B00D09TLO4

UK:�� http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mortal-Realm-Witch-Learning-About-ebook/dp/B00D09TLO4

To find out more about the book visit the Mortal Realm Witch series website at http://www.mortalrealmwitch.com.

For more about the author of this book visit: http://www.jenniferpriester.com.

Below you will find four��quotes and two excerpts from this book.

Quote #1: DWW and Trillman

���Okay,” I said. “Now can I try riding a broomstick?”

“No. Most witches don’t use broomsticks because they aren’t that comfortable. The only reason witches use broomsticks is because they are lightweight and easy to get off the ground.”

“Okay, so what can I fly?”

“At the moment, nothing,” responded Trillman. “When you are ready, you can fly whatever you find comfortable and can get off the ground, as long as it isn’t me.”

“So when do I get to fly my convertible?”

“Convertible?���

Quote #2: Trom and DWW

���To go home, you usually will use that door over there.” I looked where Trom gestured and saw empty space.

“What door?” I asked.

“Oh, sorry. Until you go through your closet door for the first time there won’t be a door there.”

“So then what do I use now?” I asked.

“You use that door.” I looked and this time what he showed me was a door-only it looked like a pet door.

“Is that an oversized pet door?” I asked.���

Quote #3: Ally, Air Raid and Trom

���A dragon for a familiar!” Trom exclaimed.

“That’s what I said to her or close to it anyway,” the dragon said.

“You’re supposed to be helping me make you my familiar,” I said to the dragon.

“Yeah, I know; I meant for that to sound better than it did,” the dragon replied.���

Quote #4: DWW and Sam

���What do you think we should do about Sampson?” I asked.

“I would have to say…stop him,” Sam said.

“How?” I asked her.

“Someone who is as powerful and as smart and crazy as he is should do it.”

“Okay, but who?”

“Well…you should.”

“So you think I’m crazy?” I asked her.���

Excerpt #1: Wolf Magic (DWW is in her white wolf form in this story)

��DWW started sniffing the ground searching for a strong scent of rabbit. Witch and Warlock copied her. As soon as DWW found fresh rabbit scent, she gave the pups a low warning growl.

Witch knew that this meant that they would have to start paying extra careful attention to how they moved and how much noise they made.

But Warlock, even though he had heard DWW and knew what the growl meant, was so involved in tracking the rabbit that he stepped on a twig. The crackling of the twig scared him and he jumped backwards right into Witch.

Witch growled at him and the two pups started play fighting with each other. DWW growled at them and immediately they stopped fighting and looked at her guiltily.

After this they resumed the hunt. Warlock was now paying attention to the rabbit scent as well as where he was putting his paws.

It wasn’t long before a rabbit was in sight of the three wolves. As soon as Witch spotted it she yipped excitedly scaring the rabbit. The rabbit took off and jumped into its nearest burrow.

DWW chased after it with the pups following closely behind her. She knew that the rabbit wouldn’t come back out for a while so she decided to use this time to teach the pups some patience.

The wind was also beginning to blow a little at this time so she also decided to teach them how paying attention to the wind can help them to hunt successfully.

DWW positioned the pups near the burrow, but not too close to it. She also made sure that the wind was blowing the scent of the wolves away from it.

There was tall grass surrounding the burrow which DWW and the pups used to hide themselves from view. Now all they had to do was wait for the rabbit to come back out.

After what felt like hours, a rabbit began to appear. It started to come out of the burrow, but then it stopped and sniffed the air before coming out.

Next it began to hop slowly away from the burrow, stopping to sniff the air every once in a while. Finally it began to feel safe and relaxed. It hopped towards a very green patch of grass.

DWW gave the pups a low, firm bark to tell the pups to stay and watch her as she slowly crept towards the rabbit. As she did this, she moved around, using trees and tall grass for cover. She wanted to move around to the front of the rabbit knowing that directly in front of the rabbit was its blind spot.

All rabbits see around them better than directly in front, so DWW knew that she was less likely to be spotted by approaching from directly in front of it.

DWW crouched as low as she could get in some tall grass and froze. The rabbit was still relaxed and too busy eating to notice her.

She waited for the right moment, and then rushed it head on. At the last second, the rabbit noticed her and tried to run away, but it was too late; DWW had caught it.

After DWW returned to the pups, she told them that next time a rabbit came out of the burrow it would be theirs to catch. But this time they would use a different strategy. DWW explained what they would do. Then she and the pups returned their attention to the burrow.

When the next rabbit emerged, Witch and Warlock were ready. They watched until the rabbit made its way to the same patch of grass as the previous one before acting.

Warlock moved to just in front of the burrow and crouched as low as he could get. Meanwhile, Witch crept around to the front of the rabbit in the same area as DWW had been.

As soon as she was in position, instead of waiting, she rushed directly at it. Almost immediately the rabbit saw her and took off towards its burrow with Witch almost on its tail.

The rabbit was so scared that it didn’t see Warlock waiting for it. When it was close enough, Warlock ran towards it.

The rabbit was now in between both pups. The rabbit quickly turned around, but not before Warlock managed to grab onto the back end of the rabbit. Witch used this moment to kill it.

The wolf pups ran back to DWW and she praised them on their catch.

DWW explained that all animals had to hunt to survive, and that it was part of the laws of nature.

After the hunt, the wolves ate the rabbits where they were before returning home.

The next night DWW decided to show them how to hunt bigger animals as a pack, although they weren’t a big enough pack to actually catch anything in the usual way.

DWW found a small doe, and with the pups watching, she created five duplicates of herself so that it would look as if a whole pack of wolves were surrounding the deer.

After doing this she explained to Witch and Warlock that wolf packs would usually work as a team to hunt deer and other large animals.

Before demonstrating how they could use duplicates to hunt, she tells them that the duplicates have no attack power.

This is because they are more like ghosts than anything else. They are used to scare only because the animal being hunted can run right through them, and each duplicate could only be controlled one at a time.

She also warned them that until they are more experienced hunters they can’t try this method on deer or any other large animal.

DWW then began to move towards the deer. She did her best to creep up on it. As soon as the deer was almost in her reach, it noticed her and started running.

DWW observed what direction it was moving in and chased after it while moving the duplicate that was in the direction the deer was heading forwards. The deer saw this and turned left.

DWW then moved another duplicate to rush it from the front. The deer then ran to the right.

DWW did the same thing again. The deer now was unsure of where to go and turned around to face her, ready to fight.

Excerpt #2: DWW on the Witches Council (In this one, just as it is in most of the book, DWW is human)

One Monday I went to school. Well, actually every Monday I go to school, but this one was different. Not that every Monday goes exactly the same, but this Monday there was a new kid in school.

He was short, average in weight, had blue-green eyes, and jet black hair. There was also something odd about him. I couldn’t figure out what it was.

There was only one time a day that I saw him and that was lunch, so Sam and I took that time to get to know him.

During this time, we found out as much as we could, but there were some things he wouldn’t tell us. The things he wouldn’t tell us were where he came from and where he lived now.

I thought this was sort of strange, but I liked him. I still couldn’t help but wonder why I got this odd feeling when I saw him.

The next day I had every class with him. It was like he somehow found out what my schedule was and changed his to match mine.

That day at lunch I asked him, “How did you get your schedule to match mine?”

“I have my ways,” he replied mysteriously.

“How did you find out what my schedule was?” I asked.

“I just did,” he said.

This was very strange. I couldn’t get him to give me any more information. When I thought over what he had said and how he had said it, I got an idea.

I came up with the idea that he might be a warlock. The facts added up.

First, he won’t tell me where he is from, then he won’t tell me where he lives, next his schedule magically happens to match mine, and finally he won’t tell me how he found out my schedule or how he got his to match mine.

I decided to try the Other Realm for some information.

In the Other Realm, I saw Trom and asked him about the boy.

Trom told me to check with the Other Realm information service. He said all I had to do was call them, which I could even do from the Mortal Realm.

I did this and found out that the boy, whose name is Sampson, was definitely a warlock. I then called Sam and told her to come over to my house.

When Sam got to my house, she asked, “Why did you call me?”

“I know a lot more about Sampson,” I said.

“How?” she asked.

“You know how he was keeping information from us?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, I just called the Other Realm and…” I started to explain.

“You can call the Other Realm?”

“Yes. Anyway, Sampson is a warlock.”

“That explains a lot,” Sam said.

“Yeah, I know.”

“So, when should we tell him we know?”

“Tomorrow, but I will have to be the one to tell him.”

“Why?” Sam asked.

“I am a witch,” I reminded her.

“Oh, I guess that makes sense.”

The next day I told Sampson that Sam and I knew that he was a warlock. When he asked how we found out, I told him that I was a witch.

Afterward he told us that he used to live in the Other Realm, but now he sort of lives between Realms. Sam was a little confused when Sampson said this, but I understood what he meant.

Sampson also told us that he was working towards being on the Witches Council. I thought that was great until later when I found out why.

If you have read this far I hope it means you enjoyed what you were reading. If you did and would like to purchase an eBook copy of this book��don’t forget that��Dec. 8 – 15 it will be on sale in the following places:

US:�� http://www.amazon.com/Mortal-Realm-Witch-Learning-About-ebook/dp/B00D09TLO4

UK:�� http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mortal-Realm-Witch-Learning-About-ebook/dp/B00D09TLO4

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Oreo Raises a Paw for Animals

Today’s blog post is very special. This isn’t just because I am posting on a Sunday. It is also because a very special guest is here today.

Meet Oreo. This cute little dog is the mascot of the Read for Animals project, but what is this project?

“What can we do as writers and poets to help animals in need? We can write, sell the book and donate the money – after publishing fees – to animal shelters, sanctuaries and animal hospices to help their dedicated work. The Read for Animals project started when I was organizing and rewriting the short stories I have written the past few years. The idea came to me that with a few of my friends we could put together an anthology to help animals, and I asked my animal lover friends if they’d like to participate. They responded, and the stories and poems started flooding in. We published the first book of the Read for Animals series, and the first $100 donation was made to Columbia Greene animal shelter of NY, thanks to animal lovers who purchased the book.”
-Erika M Szabo




Read for Animals #1
The authors, poets and artists:
Erika M Szabo, Lorinda J. Taylor, Cindy J. Smith, Jeanne E. Rogers, Zrinka Jelic, Patrick O’Scheen, Kristine Raymond, Shebat Legion, Sandra Novelly, Shannon Sonneveldt, Julie Davis Dundas, Linda Whitehead Humbert, Debbie D. (Doglady), Klarissa Kocsis


The second Read for Animals Anthology was recently released. My previous blog post was about this book and the two stories I wrote for it.



Read for Animals #2
The authors and poets:
Erika M Szabo, Evelyn Steward, Jennifer Priester, Lorinda J. Taylor, Olyn Warfield, Paula Shene, Jeanne E. Rogers, Aya Walksfar, Pamela Griffiths, Linda Whitehead Humbert, Alice Marks, John A. Miller, Brian T Shirley, Tracey Dixon, Sandra Novelly, Susan M Plake, Barbara Corry, Michael Spisak, Susan Austin.”


Both books can be found for purchase in both print and eBook formats. The following link will take you to the page where you can find links to buy, watch the rise of the Raise a Paw meter, enter a giveaway to win a full color print of Book Two, vote for the next shelter, sanctuary or animal hospice to receive the donation of $100, discover other books to read and more: http://www.authorerikamszabo.com/read-for-animals.html.


Although this meter looks different from the one on the site, it shows you how the Raise a Paw meter works. Basically for each $10 made a paw gets added to the meter indicating what the profit level is currently at and what number we are working towards achieving. The ultimate goal is to reach for the hundreds as each time another $100 is raised the money goes directly to animals in need. Besides helping Oreo raise a paw for animals by buying the anthologies and spreading the word about them to friends and family, there is another way you can help.






At this time Oreo is on a quest to visit as many blogs, websites, Facebook and other social media sites as he can to talk about the Read for Animals project. Would you invite him to visit yours or would you say no to this adorable little dog that wants to help his animal friends in the shelters? If you would like to invite Oreo head over to this site and tell him: http://www.authorerikamszabo.com/raise-a-paw.html.



Oreo says: “Won’t you please help me help my animal friends?”

Read for Animals

Read for Animals Anthology #2 has been officially released. I donated two stories and several photos to this book. My two stories include:

The Unseen Truth: Find out what happens when a girl’s favorite horse is sold and she is forced to ride one that she hates.

Breeder Dog Meets Shelter Dogs: Parker, a Toy Poodle, was purchased from his breeder as a pet for a young boy. Two years later he finds himself in the shelter. Confused he begins to question the other dogs why they ended up there and learns a lot in the process.

Both full color print and eBook editions are available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and http://www.authorerikamszabo.com/read-for-animals. (recommended purchase place)

Amazon Kindle Purchase Link: http://www.amazon.com/Read-Animals-Anthology-Authors-Poets-ebook/dp/B00N4E41UO/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1410784780&sr=1-1&keywords=read+for+animals+2

Barnes and Noble Nook Purchase Link: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/read-for-animals-2-anthology-by-authors-and-poets/1120219826?ean=2940150512450

Barnes and Noble Print Purchase Link: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/read-for-animals-2-anthology-by-authors-and-poets/1120265709?ean=9781500986407

To celebrate this event and connect into my upcoming Book Three launch and Book signing in October, I am donating profits from some of my books to one of my local animal shelters for any sales I make of the following books this September:

Title: Mortal Realm Witch: Learning About Magic

Short Description: Meet DWW, who is just learning she’s a witch and her dog can talk. Throughout these short stories, each of which is told by a different character, DWW’s tale of growing up, her struggles to learn responsibility and her discovery of magic is told.

Print Price: $5.99

Kindle Price: $3.99

Amazon Purchase Link: http://www.amazon.com/Mortal-Realm-Witch-Learning-About-ebook/dp/B00D09TLO4/ref=la_B00AOFPVLO_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1410784530&sr=1-1

Barnes and Noble Purchase Link: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mortal-realm-witch-jennifer-priester/1111957728?ean=9781938783005

 

Title: Mortal Realm Witch: The Magic Continues

Short Description: Meet Turtle, a young witch, whose adventures help continue the main story. DWW’s life in the Other Realm begins, bringing with it bigger challenges, and a big threat to all witches will be discovered! Everything will lead up to what could be the biggest event in all witch/mortal history!

Print Price: $5.99

Amazon Purchase Link: http://www.amazon.com/Mortal-Realm-Witch-Magic-Continues/dp/1938783018/ref=la_B00AOFPVLO_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1410784616&sr=1-2

Barnes and Noble Purchase Link: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mortal-realm-witch-jennifer-priester/1116308239?ean=9781938783012

 

Title: Tales of Familiars: The First Mortal Realm Witch Series Companion

Short Description: In Tales of Familiars many familiars tell their individual stories. Some share about a special adventure they had or challenge they faced as they attempted to teach their witches and warlocks about magic and life. Other familiars believe they are ready to become witches and warlocks again but first must prove this by passing unique and creative tests created by DWW. Will they all pass?

Print Price: $5.99

Amazon Purchase Link: http://www.amazon.com/Tales-Familiars-First-Mortal-Companion/dp/1938783026/ref=la_B00AOFPVLO_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1410784681&sr=1-4

Barnes and Noble Purchase Link: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tales-of-familiars-jennifer-priester/1120012433?ean=9781938783029

To learn more about the books in the Mortal Realm Witch Series visit http://www.mortalrealmwitch.com.

To learn more about me you can visit http://www.jenniferpriester.com.

Other authors are also donating profits from their books this month. To see which ones visit: http://www.authorerikamszabo.com/read-for-animals.html. Scroll down the page until you see the listed books. If you see mine you know you have found the right list.

You can also join our ongoing animal lovers get together on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/690950664319197/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming

This event ends tomorrow at 4:00pm and I will be hosting tonight from 7:00pm – 8:00pm. You are all welcome to join in the games at anytime. We have some caption this photos, a continuing story about a heroic pig, and more. So far it’s been a lot of fun!

 

 

 

 

Autographed Books I Have, Authors I Have Met and the Story of My Newest Collection

Before becoming an author I actually didn’t care about getting autographed copies of books. I didn’t really see what the excitement was really all about. This is probably because before I was an author I never had an autographed copy of a book now I am enjoying creating a collection of autographed copies from authors who I have either met and like or just authors I like.

The first autographed copy book I ever got was sold online in a promotion for a new Warrior’s book by Erin Hunter. At this time I just wanted one because it was also on sale and I buy all of this author’s books. I didn’t picture the book here in my little autographed copy gallery because I can’t find it at this time and can’t remember which number it is either.

Anyway the next autographed book I got was Born Without a Tail by C.A. Wulff. I won this one in a contest the author was holding in a Goodreads group called All About Animals. Like the previous book I got I wanted this one more because I wanted to read it more than anything else. However this one is the book that first began to get me excited about receiving autographed copies. I knew when I won it that it was going to be autographed but I didn’t know that C.A. Wulff was the type of author who also writes short messages along with her autograph. Before this I also used to sell books as soon as I was done with them. This book, when I got it, I knew that I wouldn’t be able to resell. I had actually planned on selling my Warrior’s book before this but after receiving C.A. Wulff’s I changed my mind and that’s when I started my collection of autographed copies.

The next autographed copy book I received was I Was a Teenage Mad Scientist which is Book One in a series called the Promethean Society. It was written by Derek J. Goodman and I received it upon winning a giveaway on Goodreads. You will be seeing my review of this book on my blog at a later time.

After this I won an autographed book in a different giveaway on the blog of author H.Y. Hanna. H.Y. Hanna was giving away copies of the first book in her Big Honey Dog Mysteries series, Curse of the Scarab. I previously read and reviewed the eBook version of this book and you will get to read my review on this blog at a later time.

Next I met Chris Lambert, and bought a book he wrote called the Galaxy Clan which is book #1 in the Bystander Adventure Series, but don’t ask me where you can find it for purchase. I wasn’t able to find it anywhere except from the author himself whom I was lucky enough to meet during my event at the mall which went pretty badly as far as sales go so I had plenty of time to visit with him and another author he was with, Sean Forney. Both authors were very nice. Unfortunately not being able to find the book online also means I can’t post a nice picture of the cover either.

Another author I met, and feel like mentioning today, was at a Quarter Auction. Nicole Burr wrote a book called Esra: The Keepers of LeVara. While it is available on Amazon in both formats I was given a business card and an email to contact so I could get an autographed copy. However no matter how I put it in the email wouldn’t go through and I couldn’t find the Facebook page listed on the business card either so I have been unable to contact the author. Hopefully one day I will be able to get an autographed copy of this book but I do not yet have one.

The next one you guys should already know about as I made a blog post about it when it happened, but at an event called Books and Cooks I met author Burton W. Cole who was a lot of fun. I got an autographed copy of his book, Bash and the Pirate Pig which is also book #1 in the Bash series for children.

Next I was lucky enough to be able to be one of the fifty authors at an event Author Ally which was held at an awesome bookstore called Loganberry Books. Before the event I got the chance to go to and explore this really large bookstore. While I was there I found out that they had autographed copies of a book I wanted, The Neptune Project by Polly Holyoke so of course I had to buy it. I also bought some of the books they had on clearance. This section was priced very well and I could afford to buy several of them which, as you can probably guess already, I did!

So now, on my autographed book timeline, we have arrived at the latest event I attended which was Author Alley at Loganberry Books. I met a lot of great authors and bought more books than I sold. While there I bought: Weird Ohio and The Big Book of Ohio Ghost Stories by James A. Willis, Shepherds and Girls Gone Great from J Drew Brumbaugh, It Came From Ohio by James Renner, and Book One in the Tales of the Children of Stone series, Voices in Crystal, by Mary R. Woldering. This event was a lot of fun and maybe one day I will get the chance to go to it again either as an author like I did this year or just to buy new autographed books to read!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Which Did it Best-Historical Fiction for Children

Looking through books I have read I noticed that several of them are parts of historical fiction series for children. Previously I thought I didn’t like historical fiction so I was a bit surprised by this. Due to the fact that I read several and enjoyed most of the ones I read I decided to compare these books. The following books have been compared not just by the storyline and my enjoyment of it, but my ability to remember the facts presented as well.

The Books

Horse Diaries: Each book in this series was written by a different author and is told by the horse. I found this series to have some interesting and entertaining stories that ranged from good to excellent. They all read well in the sense that unless you recognized the facts and the books didn’t say, you wouldn’t know that the stories were based off of real horses and true events, however I didn’t retain many of these facts.

Dog Diaries: Each book in this series was written by Kate Klimo. This series looks and reads much like the Horse Diaries series, however the facts are more obvious particularly because the famous dogs, such as Barry and Togo, tell you right in the first chapter that they were real dogs and all the events in the book actually happened. This makes it harder to ignore the fact that the books are historical fiction so while I liked the stories and reading about the dogs, my disinterest in history often got in the way. However, unlike the Horse Diaries series I retained most of the facts.

Maximilian P. Mouse, Time Traveler: Each book in this series was written by Philip M. Horender. I have only read a couple of these books and while I found them to be good I haven’t really gotten that into them. So far I have only gotten into them enough to continue to read the series. I found fact retention happened on and off with these books.

Blast to the Past: Each book in this series was written by Stacia Deutsch. I found these to be great stories. The books are all told in a way that lets the reader know the facts are true without managing to sound like a textbook or nonfiction. I found I retained many of the facts from this series.

Time Warp Trio: Each book in this series was written by Jon Scieszka. I found this series to be full of good stories and good facts but didn’t find myself retaining many of them.

Rankings (Storyline)

1) Blast to the Past

2) Dog Diaries

3) Horse Diaries

4) Time Warp Trio

5) Maximilian P. Mouse, Time Traveler

Rankings (Fact Retention)

1) Blast to the Past

2) Dog Diaries

3) Maximilian P. Mouse, Time Traveler

4) Time Warp Trio

5) Horse Diaries

Results (Overall Winner)

Blast to the Past

 

 

 

 

Which Did it Best-Veterinary Book Series

I have always read books about animals. There was a time when I thought I wanted to be a vet. Due to this I read many book series related to this subject so I thought I would compare eight of these series. For this post I judged each series by it’s storyline, how realistically it portrayed the veterinary world, and how well I remembered the animal facts presented.

The Books

Animal Ark: Each book in this series that was released in the U.S. was written under the name of Ben M. Baglio. However the books were originally written under the author’s real name of Lucy Daniels and many of the books were not released under her pseudonym. I always found the books in this series to contain enjoyable stories and facts. Throughout my many years of reading the books I know I learned many animal facts and the series fairly realistically portrays life as a country vet.

Animal Inn: Each book in this series was written by Virginia Vail. The books are similar to the Animal Ark series though it didn’t always focus as much on the veterinary world as Animal Ark.

Animal Emergency: Each book in this series was written by Emily Costello. I definitely felt that much of the veterinary world was realistically captured and the stories have all been very enjoyable.

Vet Volunteers (Wild at Heart): These books have two different series names. Vet Volunteers is the one the eBooks are listed under but you can find them in print under both names. Each book in this series was written by Laurie Halse Anderson. This series is very realistic the stories are very enjoyable. The animal facts are also very interesting.

Pet Vet: These books were written by Darrel & Sally Odgers. It’s realistic enough but having been written for a very young reading level, doesn’t focus much on the veterinary side or have a lot of animal facts.

Animal Ark Hauntings: (See Animal Ark) Really no different from Animal Ark except all the animals are ghosts being ghosts means they don’t need veterinary treatment so while I love the stories it’s not as full of facts as the other series.

Animal Ark Pets: (See Animal Ark) These books were written for a younger level and while there are some good facts and the storylines are good, there aren’t really many vet related ones.

Little Animal Ark (See Animal Ark) As they were written for an even younger level than Animal Ark Pets these books really don’t contain any facts but are good stories.

Results (Storyline)

Vet Volunteers
Animal Emergency
Animal Ark Hauntings
Animal Ark
Animal Inn
Animal Ark Pets
Little Animal Ark
Pet Vet

Results (Realism)

Vet Volunteers
Animal Emergency
Animal Ark
Animal Inn
Pet Vet
Animal Ark Hauntings
Animal Ark Pets
Little Animal Ark

Results (Fact Retention and Interest)

Because the books are so close in this I was only able to put them into two groups, rather than rate each individually. Animal Ark, Animal Inn, Animal Emergency, and Vet Volunteers earned a place in group one and Pet Vet, Animal Ark Hauntings, Animal Ark Pets, and Little Animal Ark got group two. Group one is the winning group but I don’t feel any of the four books in this group really rise above the rest.

Results (Overall Winner)

The clear winner here is the Vet Volunteers series.

Now, one vet series I haven’t mentioned that I really like is The Imaginary Veterinary by Suzanne Selfors. The reason I didn’t mention it was because, while the books are really fun to read and based around a veterinary clinic, they focus on animals and creatures that don’t exist in the real world. I am mentioning it now because it is a fictional vet series and I love the imagination involved in it.