Scott Spotson's Blog, page 7
May 11, 2015
Charming fantasy for the pre-teen crowd
http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R2EVMWARIK5KXD/
5.0 out of 5 stars Charming fantasy for the pre-teen crowd , May 11, 2015
By KSF
Format: Kindle Edition
Wizard Planet, the second in the My Wizard Buddy series, describes Tyler’s adventures when he goes to his wizard buddy Dirk’s home planet, where everyone has magical abilities. The setting is vividly described and sure to spark the imagination of the pre-teen audience. There’s plenty of action, but little real violence. (Paintball guns substitute for real guns, and bullying teen wizards know they aren’t allowed to kill Tyler.) Bullying and prejudice are raised in nuanced tones that give the story a bit of moral fortitude without devolving into preaching.
My only criticism is that Tyler gets rescued a bit too often. It is only during his encounter with the Yeti that Tyler shows brilliance and courage and manages to escape unaided. Otherwise, either Dirk or a lawyer that represents him is responsible for getting him out of trouble. This doesn’t detract noticeably from the story, however. Young readers will probably not realize it.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The post Charming fantasy for the pre-teen crowd appeared first on Scott Spotson.
April 4, 2015
Litpick Gives Five Stars to Children’s Book “My Wizard Buddy”
http://www.litpick.com/review/my-wizard-buddy-book-one-review-sschu5
Tyler Dunsmore is a lonely 11-year-old boy. When he wishes for a best friend he suddenly gets one. His wish is granted in the form of Dirk, an 11-year-old wizard who is not from Earth. Dirk needs some help since he doesn’t know much about Earth. He is willing to help Tyler as he learns more everyday. They come up with plans together. Some of the plans work, others don’t. The botched plans leave Tyler wondering: is it good to have a wizard as a friend?
The post Litpick Gives Five Stars to Children’s Book “My Wizard Buddy” appeared first on Scott Spotson.
March 26, 2015
Reminds me of Jumanji and Amulet
http://www.amazon.com/gp/review/R3RSAECXXAHJLD
Living exciting adventures with my wizard friend!
By Guillermoon March 19, 2015
My Wizard Budy is a juvenile fiction that tells the adventures of Tyler Dunsmore, an eleven-year-old kid that has certain problems to socialize…until his outer-space alien wizard, Dirk, appears.
Is then when the story gets very interesting. Tyler and Dirk will be very busy almost all through the book and they will experience very nice and cool situations, with special attention to the paintball war, where some crocodile creatures/gangsters enter in scene or when the Spider-man story takes place. They will even talk to the father of a popular student in the school, Ryan, who pasted away.
Despite this book is written with a very optimistic and positive taste, there is also room for some more “mature” topics such as the bullying and a family bereavement.
After Reading My Wizard Budy, I decided to buy a copy for my nine-year-old nephew Carlos because I did know that he would love it. Guess what happened? My nephew was literally glued to the book for more than an hour until my sister told him that it was time to go to bed. The book reminded me of a bit to the movie “Jumanji” and the “Amulet” series. Totally recommended!
The post Reminds me of Jumanji and Amulet appeared first on Scott Spotson.
January 23, 2015
January 21, 2015
My Wizard Buddy by Scott Spotson is nothing short of awesome.
My Wizard Buddy by Scott Spotson is nothing short of awesome., January 20, 2015
My Wizard Buddy: (Juvenile Fiction) (Fantasy & Magic) (Kindle Edition)
Imagine you asked the universe for a best friend, and it responded by sending you a magical kid from another planet that could do just about anything you wished for, and a few things you didn’t? That’s what happened to eleven-year-old Tyler Dunsmore. He was feeling left out of conversations and friendships because his parents refused to let him have the games and technology that so many of his classmates were constantly playing and talking about. When the very magical Dirk appears, decides to become his best friend, AND move into his house, the latest technology isn’t needed any more because Dirk can magically create things a thousand times better.
The two boys get up to some typical pre-teen hijinx but magically amplified, whether that’s dealing with bullies in a hilariously magical ninja way, or playing Spiderman for real. Sometimes Tyler finds it isn’t so easy to have a magical friend, and other times his friendship serves him well and he can not only connect with other kids, but make genuine friendships from those connections as well.
I really enjoyed this book because each page brought more crazy antics, and there was no heavy-handed moralizing about right and wrong. In the end it was just two friends trying to work out a very unconventional friendship that worked more often than it failed.
To any parents reading this review: if you want your kids to read for fun, you’ve got to find books that are fun to read. This book fits that description perfectly.
The post My Wizard Buddy by Scott Spotson is nothing short of awesome. appeared first on Scott Spotson.
My Wizard Buddy — “Nothing Short of Awesome”
By a 12-year-old reviewer:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-reviews/A2MDUYKYJHSHHC
My Wizard Buddy by Scott Spotson is nothing short of awesome., January 20, 2015This review is from: My Wizard Buddy: (Juvenile Fiction) (Fantasy & Magic) (Kindle Edition)
Imagine you asked the universe for a best friend, and it responded by sending you a magical kid from another planet that could do just about anything you wished for, and a few things you didn’t? That’s what happened to eleven-year-old Tyler Dunsmore. He was feeling left out of conversations and friendships because his parents refused to let him have the games and technology that so many of his classmates were constantly playing and talking about. When the very magical Dirk appears, decides to become his best friend, AND move into his house, the latest technology isn’t needed any more because Dirk can magically create things a thousand times better.
The two boys get up to some typical pre-teen hijinx but magically amplified, whether that’s dealing with bullies in a hilariously magical ninja way, or playing Spiderman for real. Sometimes Tyler finds it isn’t so easy to have a magical friend, and other times his friendship serves him well and he can not only connect with other kids, but make genuine friendships from those connections as well.
I really enjoyed this book because each page brought more crazy antics, and there was no heavy-handed moralizing about right and wrong. In the end it was just two friends trying to work out a very unconventional friendship that worked more often than it failed.
To any parents reading this review: if you want your kids to read for fun, you’ve got to find books that are fun to read. This book fits that description perfectly.
The post My Wizard Buddy — “Nothing Short of Awesome” appeared first on Scott Spotson.
December 29, 2014
“Entertaining Magical Romp” — My Wizard Buddy
Check this out!
The post “Entertaining Magical Romp” — My Wizard Buddy appeared first on Scott Spotson.
December 28, 2014
The Eighteen Best Books of 2014
Here are the books that I granted five stars in 2014 (in no particular order):
1. The Greatest Blessings http://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Blessi... (inspirational short fable)
2. Outshine: An Ovarian Cancer Memoir http://www.amazon.com/Outshine-Ovaria... (cancer survival personal account)
3. The Solitaire Prince http://www.amazon.com/Solitaire-Princ... (young adult fantasy)
4. Night Flyer http://www.amazon.com/Night-Flyer-Tya... (children’s picture book)
5. Cave of Journeys http://www.amazon.com/Cave-Journeys-P... (children’s fantasy)
6. The Divine Apprentice http://www.amazon.com/Divine-Apprenti... (young adult fantasy)
7. Guardian of the Underworld http://www.amazon.com/Guardian-Underw... (children’s fantasy)
8. Roly Poly Monster http://www.amazon.com/Roly-Poly-Monst... (children’s picture book)
9. Desiccate http://www.amazon.com/Desiccate-Spher... (young adult fantasy)
10. Sunfall http://www.amazon.com/Sunfall-James-A... (science fiction)
11. Goodbye Tchaikovsky http://www.amazon.com/Goodbye-Tchaiko... (fictional “real life” story)
12. The Chronicles of Devi: Cosmos and Mahisha http://www.amazon.com/Chronicles-Devi... (Indian fables)
13. Running From the Dreamland http://www.amazon.com/Running-Dreamla... (fictional “real life” story)
14. Outview http://www.amazon.com/Outview-Inner-M... (urban fantasy)
15. 22 Leadership Fundamentals http://www.amazon.com/22-Leadership-F... (inspirational leadership)
16. Pilgrimage http://www.amazon.com/Pilgrimage-Stev... (science fiction)
17. Mr. Psychic http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Psychic-H-Ra... (humour)
18. Therapy For Ghosts http://www.amazon.com/Therapy-Ghosts-... (light horror)
The post The Eighteen Best Books of 2014 appeared first on Scott Spotson.
December 13, 2014
Six Things I Learned from “Bewitched” about Life in the 1960′s
Here’s to you, “Bewitched”! That iconic show that ran from 1964 to 1972.
After watching dozens of episodes of Samantha, Darrin, Tabitha (or Tabatha or whatever), Endora, and the lovable Aunt Clara, here is what I learned about how they lived life in the 1960′s.
1. The women sure wore attractive dresses in the 1960′s.
Say what you think of that; housewives being repressed in sexist clothing while doing mundane chores, or acting out fantasies of being a princess, but one thing you gotta say: the dresses Samantha wore, even when housekeeping, were beautiful, tasteful, multi-patterned, and never seemed to be out of style, even today.
2. If you were invited into someone’s house, you were always offered an alcoholic drink.
I know, I know, bad habit, right? But every time some guest went into Samantha and Darrin’s house, he or she was always offered a drink. They had a dandy-looking liquor cabinet in the house. The drink of choice usually seemed to be a martini.
3. Men presenting a service or as a representative of a company or utility were invited in the house by the housewife if he knocked on the door, even if he wasn’t expected.
This conjures up thoughts about how trusting–or how naive–they were in the 1960′s. But I prefer to think of it as a bond in the community; strangers are welcome. The milkman still made rounds!
4. I learned more about the industry of advertising in the 1960′s from “Bewitched” than I did in “Mad Men”
For a show that focused a lot of witchery, there was a surprisingly huge amount of exposure to the inner workings of the advertising industry through the scenes involving Darrin (and his boss, Larry) working on sketches in his office or at home. And there were literally dozens of scenes of Darrin pitching ideas to clients, usually involving flip charts. I’d admit, I think some of these advertising ideas could still work today!
5. Dinners were more of a fine art.
The dinners at home in “Bewitched”… come on! Coq au vin, pineapple upside down cake, bouillabaisse! The dinners were treated more as events, as they should be. I know it’s a lot more work, but there’s something to be said abut formality and striving for a higher variety. Silverware with the meals! Cloth napkins!
6. The dialogue in “Bewitched” doesn’t appear that badly out of date.
Even fifty years later, the folks in “Bewitched” still talk like we do. For a decade that seemed, in retrospect, to be riddled with sexism, “Bewitched” doesn’t seem to treat women that badly. It helps a lot that two of the most assertive characters on the show are women: Samantha and her mother, Endora. They both dominate their respective husbands in terms of control. You could put in new actors in the show (although why would you want to?) and replace the appliances with modern ones and still keep the scripts as they are and it still wouldn’t be that badly out of context.
Here’s to you, “Bewitched”! A show that surprisingly doesn’t date easily.
The post Six Things I Learned from “Bewitched” about Life in the 1960′s appeared first on Scott Spotson.
December 11, 2014
Life II #2 in All Time Travel for Three Days!
From Amazon Reviewer:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Real Page Turner!, December 11, 2014
By
Diane M. Sigler (Redding, Ca) - See all my reviews
Verified Purchase(What’s this?)
This review is from: Life II (Kindle Edition)
I’m not a regular fan of scifi, but I really enjoy stories about time travel. This story really fit the bill. It is a long story, covering decades in Max’s life, and that was fine with me. I enjoyed Max’s character, quite a likeable chap. The plot was well thought out, a little complex, yet easy to follow. I found it difficult to put down, and spent some nights reading into the wee hours. Very interesting, intriguing, and at times mind boggling. I highly recommend this book for scifi fans.
The post Life II #2 in All Time Travel for Three Days! appeared first on Scott Spotson.
