Studies continue to show that kids who read for pleasure do better in all subjects, even math. So get your kids hooked on a great book. As their reading prowess grows, so will their comprehension in all subjects, across the board! I hope this weeks books tickle their funny bone, and get them invested in some wonderful characters.
Don't forget to follow One Great Book on Facebook or Twitter for a plethora of terrific series to get your kids excited about reading. But I have to say, a carnivorous unicorn is not a character you should expect every week! I just want to manage expectations.
Title: Spy Camp
Author: Stuart Gibbs
Target: Grade 4-8
Series: Yes
What this book is about:
This is a companion book to Gibbs' first book, Spy School. In this installment, Ben Ripley has completed his first year at spy school and is off to summer camp for more training. Ben remains sure he doesn’t belong at this select institution, but he continues to show how his basic smarts help the team at every turn. He is being hunted by the villain organization SPYDER because they want to recruit him, and if he doesn’t join, the alternative is ... well death. His guardian angel, a fellow student Erica, remains the super spy, figuring out all the things the adults should have. Her father, the decorated but incompetent CIA operative, continues to bumble his way through saving Ben, while almost getting Ben killed at every turn!
This is a companion book to Gibbs' first book, Spy School. In this installment, Ben Ripley has completed his first year at spy school and is off to summer camp for more training. Ben remains sure he doesn’t belong at this select institution, but he continues to show how his basic smarts help the team at every turn. He is being hunted by the villain organization SPYDER because they want to recruit him, and if he doesn’t join, the alternative is ... well death. His guardian angel, a fellow student Erica, remains the super spy, figuring out all the things the adults should have. Her father, the decorated but incompetent CIA operative, continues to bumble his way through saving Ben, while almost getting Ben killed at every turn!
Why I love this book:
This story is just so fun! I loved the second installment just as much as the first. Erica’s father is this wonderful parody of James Bond and Ben is so refreshing by showing that common sense rules the day.
This story is just so fun! I loved the second installment just as much as the first. Erica’s father is this wonderful parody of James Bond and Ben is so refreshing by showing that common sense rules the day.
I think that books were the kids are more competent than the adults are empowering for kids. Kids always know things would be better if they ran the operation, and this book just proves it. This story has heart and humor (with a lot of action thrown in) which turns out to be a winning combination.
Who this book is for:
I think most kids will enjoy this story. There is a lot of action, plenty of laughs and a nice cast of supporting characters. While you don’t need to have read the first book, I think kids will enjoy the second installment more if they have read Spy School.
I think most kids will enjoy this story. There is a lot of action, plenty of laughs and a nice cast of supporting characters. While you don’t need to have read the first book, I think kids will enjoy the second installment more if they have read Spy School.
Final thoughts:
I just love it when the second book doesn’t disappoint. Stuart Gibbs delivers again. And I still think the covers on his books are absolutely terrific!
I just love it when the second book doesn’t disappoint. Stuart Gibbs delivers again. And I still think the covers on his books are absolutely terrific!
To purchase this book from Amazon, click on the following link: Spy Camp
A portion of each purchase goes to support this blog at no cost to you.
Title: Bad Unicorn
Series: This is the first book in a planned trilogy
What this book is about:
A portion of each purchase goes to support this blog at no cost to you.
Title: Bad Unicorn
Author: Platte Clark
Target: Grades 4-8Series: This is the first book in a planned trilogy
What this book is about:
This won’t be easy, but here goes ..... Imagine a universe in conjunction with ours where unicorns are real. However, these unicorns are not the stuff of rainbows and pink clouds, they are in fact rather violent, with a specific taste for humans. And by taste I do not mean they like to engage in meaningful dialogue with us, I mean actual yummy we are good to eat taste.
It turns out that on earth, one of the dorkiest kids in school, Max is actually the descendant of a great wizard. He posses a book which many creatures would like to own. When Princess Unicorn is given the opportunity to locate Max and the book, more trouble ensues than anyone could have predicted.
It turns out that on earth, one of the dorkiest kids in school, Max is actually the descendant of a great wizard. He posses a book which many creatures would like to own. When Princess Unicorn is given the opportunity to locate Max and the book, more trouble ensues than anyone could have predicted.
Why I love this book:
This book was so clever and funny that it just blew me away. There are several worlds and it goes between the future and present on a regular basis, but once kids get the gist of the story, it is not hard to follow.
The writing is incredibly clever and there is one point in the story where it felt like the hunger games meets robo unicorn. It had me both on the edge of my seat because of the suspense, and laughing at the tongue and cheek humor interspersed at exactly the right moments.
The writing is incredibly clever and there is one point in the story where it felt like the hunger games meets robo unicorn. It had me both on the edge of my seat because of the suspense, and laughing at the tongue and cheek humor interspersed at exactly the right moments.
Also the characters are wonderfully written. Max and his best buddy Dirk are priceless and add in their no nonsense friend Sarah who is versed in the art of war, and you have a crazy combination that just works.
Who this book is for:
This book is for kids who like fantasy, edge of your seat action, and the absolute absurd.
Final thoughts:
Final thoughts:
A book where the nemesis is a carnivorous unicorn - you don’t read one of those every day. I have also included the trailer for the book which is quite fun:
To purchase this book from Amazon, click on the following link: Bad Unicorn
A portion of each purchase goes to support this blog at no cost to you.
Title: Atherton: The House of PowerAuthor: Patrick Carman
Target: Grades 4-8
Series: Yes
What this book is about:
Atherton is a world created in three layers, whose inhabitants are never allowed to interact. The top layer, Highlands is were the power and water reside, the middle layer, Tabletop is were the laborers work on the crops and tend to the animals, and the bottom layer, Flatlands is a mysterious wasteland. Our main character Edgar was told by a father he barely remembers, that something is hidden for him in the rocks between the Highlands and the Tabletop. After years of climbing he finally finds the book meant for him, but he must venture to the forbidden Highlands because the citizens who reside there are the only ones who can read. The book predicts amazing things about their world, and these things begin to come to pass as the story unfolds.
Why I love this book:
Why I love this book:
It took me about 40 pages to get into this book and then I was hooked. Carman doles out information on a need to know basis, and he does not feel we need to know everything at once. My curiosity was so peaked about what in the book meant for Edgar, and then I needed to know what was on the last page of the book, and then I had to know what the Flatlands were about .... well lets just say he kept toying with me, but the story was so well done that I enjoyed the ride.
The only thing that bothered me was that this is not a stand alone book, the ending sets you right up for the next one. I like more satisfaction at the end of my novels. But if you want to get kids hooked on a series, this works.
The only thing that bothered me was that this is not a stand alone book, the ending sets you right up for the next one. I like more satisfaction at the end of my novels. But if you want to get kids hooked on a series, this works.
Who this book is for:
This is the perfect book for kids who liked City of Embers or The Maze Runner. The idea of a world which is created, and the inhabitants have no idea what their past was, or why they are there is very intriguing. It is great for kids who like sci-fi or distopian literature.
Final thoughts:
Final thoughts:
Darn if I don’t have to read the next book now!
To purchase this book from Amazon, click on the following link: The House of Power (Atherton, Book 1): House of Power No. 1
A portion of each purchase goes to support this blog at no cost to you.
To purchase this book from Amazon, click on the following link: The House of Power (Atherton, Book 1): House of Power No. 1
A portion of each purchase goes to support this blog at no cost to you.
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