Throne of Fire

Title: Throne of Fire
Author: Rick Riordan
Series: Kane Chronicles (Book 2)
Genre: Juvenile Fiction



Carter and Sadie are at it again, this time with magicians in training. The two are looking for the book of Ra to raise the Sun God back to his former Glory. Unfortunately, the gods of Chaos have another idea. In addition, Carter is mentally arguing with Horus who also disagrees.

Another interesting installment that is loosely based around fact. I did have a bit of a difficult time with the Egyptian Mythology. It is not one that I have a lot of knowledge around, unlike the Greek Mythology. This often results in me having no idea what the gods are, but doesn't make the book any less enjoyable.

It's suppose to be only a trilogy, so the next book will be the final book.

The Lost Hero

Title: The Lost Hero
Author: Rick Riordan
Series: The Heroes of Olympus (Book 1)
Genre: Juvenile Fiction


Jason has woken from a nap to find himself sitting the backseat of a bus, holding a girl's hand and going on some sort of field trip. Problem being, he has no idea who he is and no memory of anything. Come to find out, he, the girl, Piper, and his best friend, Leo are all Demigods and are part of the next big prophecy at Camp Half Blood.

They arrive only to leave almost immediately on a quest to save Hera. They run into similar situations as were seen in Percy Jackson books - situations that look normal, only to take a terrifying turn.

I thought this was a fantastic addition to the Percy Jackson world. It's a new series and has many, many new characters, but also a few we know and love from Percy Jackson. Annabeth and Chiron being the most common. But Percy is missing. This isn't the most important part of the book, but appears that it will be in book 2.

The three set out on their quest and once they complete it, learn that this is only the beginning, something big is going down once again and it's not the Titans.

Book 2 - Son of Neptune (Percy anyone?) is due out Fall 2011

The Red Pyramid

Title: The Red Pyramid
Author: Rick Riordan
Series: Kane Chronicles (Book 1)
Genre: Juvenile Fiction



Carter has spent his life traveling around the world with his dad, an archeologist. His mother died at a young age and the only other family he has is his little sister Sadie, who lives with their grandparents in London. He sees Sadie twice a year.

Carter and his Dad are picking up Sadie for their biyearly Christmas visit and they go to a British Museum for a private viewing of the Rosetta Stone, an important piece of Egyptian history. Carter and Sadie are told by Dad to lock the curator in his office and to stay out of the room. But when they see strange light coming from the room, they go inside and their lives are changed forever.

Dad is trying to channel a God to "make things right" When releasing this god, he actually releases a total of 5 gods, each of which find a human host body to inhabit. Both Carter and Sadie, although they don't know it right away, become hosts to gods.

Much like the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the author takes mythology to a whole new level. Sadie and Carter embark on a journey full of gods, Egyptian mythology and trying to save the world.

It looks like it's going to be another fantastic series. I cannot wait for the next book!

Dragon Kiss

Title: Dragon Kiss
Author: E.D. Baker
Series: The Tales of the Frog Princess (Book 7)
Genre: Juvenile Fiction



In Dragon Princess Millie met Audun, an Ice Dragon. After she rescued him and went with her family back to Greater Greenwald, Audun cannot stop thinking about her. He knows that to truly be happy together, he needs to also know how to turn into a human, so he goes and sees the Ice Dragon King.

The Ice Dragon King sends him on several dangerous missions so Audun can prove himself before he is taught how to turn into a human. Eventually he learns how and returns to Millie, who is also in love with him. The two help Millie's family in a battle for their kingdom.

Books for younger children are often repetitive. From the highly repetitive books for the youngest of babies to apparently this book. Each mission was similar and he was given a different object to take with him on each mission. I suppose the book was merely okay.

The Dragon Princess

Title: The Dragon Princess
Author: E.D. Baker
Series: The Tales of the Frog Princess (Book 6)
Genre: Juvenile Fiction



Before I ever started this blog I read the first 5 books from the Tales of the Frog Princess. In those we followed a frog princess on her quest for her prince. Later in the books we followed the Frog Princess's aunt and saw her find her man as well. Now things have gone along some and we meet Millie, the Frog Princess's daughter.

Millie has a bit of a problem whenever she gets angry she turns into a Dragon. She then needs to calm down before she can return back to human. Everyone in her kingdom knows about this, but outside of her kingdom less people know. One set of her grandparents who live to the north invite the family to their kingdom for Millie's Birthday. They don't know about Millie turning into a dragon until she gets angry at her grandmother and does so right in front of her.

This upsets Millie and makes her think harder about learning to control it then ever before. She asks advice of another witch that is at her party and is given the name of the Blue Witch who lives in the way North. So starts Millie's journey with her friends to meet the Blue Witch and learn to control her strange power.

I don't remember if I thought this about all of the books, but I did find them to drag a little. There seemed to be many small things happening, but the plot didn't really catch me until the last few chapters when they had almost found the Blue Witch. Could be because it's Juvenile Fiction and just written at a different level then I anticipated and expect from all books even juvenile fiction.

That said, I have every intention of reading the next book, Dragon's Kiss.

The Girl Who Owned a City

Title: The Girl Who Owned a City
Author: O.T. Nelson
Series: None
Genre: Juvenile Fiction



A plague has hit the earth and killed everyone over the age of 12. This leaves all the children of the world to fend for themselves. With the extinction of adults, comes the loss of power and just about every convenience we take for granted. This includes knowledge. The knowledge of how to make things work, how to fly an airplane, how to be a doctor and so much more. Gangs have formed and many children are going hungry.

Lisa decides that she's not going to let that happen to her and her younger brother. She thinks of new places to get food that others haven't, and eventually has her big idea. She wants to gather all the children from her street and move into a high school. One they can turn into their castle, their fortress.

As expected all of the other gangs want to defeat them and take the things that they have. A lot of thought has to go into keeping them away from them and they don't always win.

I thought this was a fun scientific read, although I was slightly disappointed with the ending. I don't know what I expected, all of the adults died and it's not like they're going to magically come alive at the end of the book. I did feel, however, that I could have used a little more closure.

I had originally found this book in a middle school classroom and the title jumped out at me. Although it's a tad bit violent with five year olds both driving cars and wielding guns, I think that kids who are 12 and under would enjoy the story and thinking about putting themselves temporarily into that situation.

The Palace of Laughter

Title: The Palace of Laughter
Author: Jon Berkeley
Series: The Wednesday Tales No. 1
Genre: Juvenile Fiction


Miles Wednesday is an orphan. He ran away from the orphanage and now lives in a barrel under a tree. On day a circus comes into town, and he speaks with a tiger. The next day he sneaks into the circus and learns there is no tiger at this circus. He does, however, meet Little. Little is a Song Angel who is being forced to work for the circus. Miles helps her escape and the two take off on an adventure to find the Palace of Laughter where Little's friend is.

The Palace of Laughter is part of the Julie Andrews Collection. Yes, the Julie Andrews we all know and love and not just someone with the same name :). The Julie Andrews Collection encompasses books for young readers of all ages taht nurture the imagination and celebrate a sense of wonder.

I am sad to say that I did not finish (DNF) this book. I tried, but even now when I'm 300 pages in, I don't want to invest the time and effort to read the last 100 pages to find out what happens to Miles and Little.

When I first started reading it I thought it seemed a little Harry Potteresque. Example: He's an orphan who lives in the barrel under the tree. It to me was very reminiscent of the cupboard under the stairs. Unfortunately, it's not good in the way that Harry Potter is. I think if I can't get through it and I can read most anything, then I wonder how any child is expected to read this book? I just felt it slow moving to the point where I didn't feel that the plot was moving along at all.

It has gotten 12 reviews and an average of 5 stars on Amazon, what am I missing? One reviewer remarked, "By the time I reached the gangs of children that reminded me of nothing so much as "The Warriors" meets "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome", I was skeptical" This is where I've pretty much ended, perhaps I needed to read farther into it.

There are 2 more books currently in the series, The Tiger's Egg and The Lightening Key (both of which are on my bookshelf waiting). For me I think I'll stop here.

Septimus Heap Book 1: Magyk

Title: Magyk
Author: Angie Sage
Series: Septimus Heap (Book 1)
Genre: Juvenile Fiction


While walking through the library I saw this book and it screamed, "PICK ME UP!" to me, so I had no choice but to obey.

Magyk is the first book in Angie Sage's Septimus Heap (a person's name) series. Currently there are four other books with a fifth one on the way.

Magyk takes place in a different land where people who are wizards eye's turn color to green, magyk does exist, as do princesses, queens and of course the ultimate bad guy.

We follow the Heap family throughout the story. It begins with Silas Heap, the father of 7 children finding an abandoned baby girl in the snow. He brings her back to his wife who has jsut birthed their seventh son. Unfortunately the son has died (so we think, but really how can you have a series named after a dead baby?). They decide to pretend that she gave birth to the little girl due to some prompting from another woman.

Eventually thier secret is out and they start on a long journey of running from the ultimate bad guy who wants their daughter, who is the Princess.

There are lots of fun next creatures and words in this book. It is considered juvenile fiction, but I found that it was hard at times when you are thrown into a world where you don't understand anything. I'm intrigued to see where the rest of the series is going, because unlike most series I don't have a clue.

The Runaway Dolls

Title: The Runaway Dolls
Author: Ann M. Martin
Series: The Doll People (Book 3)
Genre: Juvenile Fiction


The Runaway Dolls is the third book in the Doll People Trilogy. Again we find Annabelle and Tiffany on a crazy adventure, but this time Bailey and Bobby (their younger brothers join them).

The morning before the Palmer family leaves for a two week vacation, a package arrives from London. They are confused, but don't open it and instead leave for their vacation. Annabelle and Tiffany inspect the box and hear a small voice from inside - it's a doll!

The girls want to let the three year old little girl doll, Tilly, out but the Doll parents say no. The girls decide to let her out anyway, and they learn that Tilly is The Doll Family's long lost baby doll that should have come with the set. Annabelle can't bear to think of leaving Tilly in the box for two weeks, and is afraid the Palmers won't open the box and her sister will be sent away. Her brilliant plan is to run away. Annabelle, Tiffany and Tilly do indeed run away, leaving the house through the cat door, and go on an amazing doll adventure.

I felt like this story was an excellent addition to the other two. It was a quick read and I had finished in under a hour. I feel as if this may even be the best book of the three of them. The dolls spend time Downtown, in the park, and in a Doll Department of a Department store. There is lots of adventure and comparison of things from a doll's point of view.

The Meanest Doll Ever

Title: The Meanest Doll Ever
Author: Ann M. Martin
Series: The Doll People (Book 2)
Genre: Juvenile Fiction



The sequel to The Doll People is the Meanest Doll Ever. Again we follow Annabelle and Tiffany on their adventures.

Since we last saw the girls, they have been going on lots of Adventures with Auntie Sophia. On one such adventure they take too much time in the attic and start towards Kate's bedroom a little too late. Annabelle and Tiffany barely have time to duck into Kate's backpack before Kate comes out into the hallway.

The girls realize they are at school and Outside, which is a BIG deal. After the hallway at school is quiet the two steal out and take a look at school. They don't plan their time very well and end up stuck in a Kindergarten classroom where Tiffany is played with by all the students. The next morning they creep into another backpack, thinking it's Kate's, but they're wrong. The dolls go home with BJ.

When they get to BJ's house, they meet lots of other dolls and Mean Mimi - the princess doll that terrorizes all of the other dolls in the house. The dolls work together with Tiffany and Annabelle and are able to end Mimi's "rule." Monday comes around and Tiffany and Annabelle go back to school and make it back to Kate's backpack and finally home.

Their families are happy to see them, but all hell starts to break loose when the girls realize that Mean Mimi has come home with them as well and plans on making their lives miserable.

A cute addition to the original. The third book is The Runaway Dolls, which is sitting on the holds shelf at my library.

The Doll People

Title: The Doll People
Author: Ann M. Martin
Series: The Doll People (Book 1)
Genre: Juvenile Fiction


While substitute teaching one day another teacher and I started talking about juvenile fiction books we liked. She mentioned her favorite book was The Doll People by Ann M. Martin (and others). I looked for it everytime I went to the library, but it was always checked out (a good sign). This week I finally got it.
The book follows Annabelle, a young girl doll. She is technically over 100 years old and has been passed down through the family. Her latest owner says she's eight. Annabelle lives in a dollhouse with her parents, a younger brother, a baby sister, a nanny, and her uncle. Her aunt also use to live with them, but went missing 45 years ago. They are china dolls and live in a old fashioned doll house with real cloth clothes.

When the humans are sleeping or away the dolls come to life. They must be very careful about moving around and making noise because if a human catches them they go into Doll State. Doll State lasts 24 hours and it basically renders them a regular non-living doll, except that they are still mentally there. It's almost like being paralyzed.

One day something exciting happens and new dolls move in next door (the younger sister gets her own doll house). The new dolls are made of plastic and come from a plastic house. They are also much more lax about being careful.

Annabelle makes friends with the girl doll about her age, Tiffany, and the two of them go on adventures to find Annabelle's missing aunt and encounter many other challenges along the way.

I thought this was an awfully cute book. I really liked that the dolls got to visit in each others home and experience the difference between houses in the 1800s and ones today. I remember when I was younger I had a plastic Papa Smurf. There was a little tag on him that said when I went to sleep he and all of my other dolls/stuffed animals would come to life. Although I thought I knew it was fake, I use to try and catch them moving or in the wrong spot. This book would have really hit home at that point in my life.

On to the second book of the series - The Meanest Doll in the World.

The Last Olympian

Title: The Last Olympian
Author: Rick Riordan
Series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Book 5)
Genre: Juvenile Fiction



The fifth and final book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series was one I couldn't put down. Almost the entire book was the final battle to save Olympus and Manhattan.

When we last left Percy, Camp Half-Blood and all of his friends, they knew the Titan lord Kronos had risen and taken over the body of their "friend" Luke. The big battle was coming, they knew it and were preparing themselves for the battle.

Kronos sends a humongous monster, Typhon to distract the Gods. They all leave Olympus (well, not Posiedan and Hades, they stay in their own kingdoms, they have some grudges). Of course this is what Kronos was hoping on and he starts his advance on Manhattan/Olympus (found on the 600th floor of Empire State Building).

Percy figures out what he is going to do before he does it, in part by a few visions. He cannot convince the Gods to come back and defend Olympus, but he does gather all the half-bloods from camp. It is up to them to hold back the army and save Olympus. We also have the chance to see Percy's Prophecy come true.

Brooklyn Bridge

Title: Brooklyn Bridge
Author: Karen Hesse
Series: None
Genre: Juvenile Fiction


I love New York City. I find the Brooklyn Bridge to be absolutely beautiful and when I came across this book, I felt that I had to read it.

Karen Hesse tells the story of Joseph Michtom, a young Jewish Immigrant who lives in Brooklyn with his family in the early 1900s. They originally owned a candy store, but due to a cartoon of Theodore Roosevelt, they decided to start making cloth bears, teddy bears. The Michtom's are the real family that started to make teddy bears, although the story that surrounds them otherwise is fiction.

We learn of the difficulties of the time and the family has a special connection with the Brooklyn Bridge.

I thought the story was enjoyable to read, however every few chapters there would be a chapter in italics and it would tell a short story (although they all came together) or the people living below the bridge and how they got there. These, I didn't like. I ended up reading just the chapters that were not italicized. Perhaps I missed some of the story, but overall I think the story did just find without the italicized chapters that didn't connect (well until the last one) anyway.

Battle of the Labyrinth

Title: Battle of the Labyrinth
Author: Rick Riordan
Series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Book 4)
Genre: Juvenile Fiction



Book #4 in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series is Battle of the Labyrinth. As with each of the other books in the series it begins with Percy and his new school. Following set pattern, something happens to get him basically kicked out of school and he flees to Camp Half Blood.

This is the book of Annabeth's quest. She, Percy, Tyson and Grover must enter the Labyrinth, a maze that is below most of the continent (and perhaps then some) where time is skewed. They must battle through new monsters and *gasp* ask a mere mortal for help.

Near the end of this book Kronos is reborn into a body and starts to come after them. They manage to deter him for the time being and I can imagine that the battle to end all will be the fifth and final book of the series, The Last Olympian, due out May 5th.

I am awaiting it anxiously to find the end of our hero Percy's story.

The Titans Curse'

Title: The Titan's Curse
Author: Rick Riordan
Series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Book 3)
Genre: Juvenile Fiction



As mentioned in the previous post, I couldn't stop following Percy in his adventures. I finished the third book, The Titan's Curse the same day as the second. Needless to say, I'm already into the fourth.

Percy, Annabeth and Thalia help Grover find 2 new half bloods, Nico and Bianca. They also meet the Hunters who are led by the Goddess Artemis. Apollo arrives and the crew rides in his sun chariot (a flashy sports car that turns into a bus), but not before Annabeth goes missing.

They get to camp and hear a prophecy saying that five of them must make the journey and rescue both Annabeth and Artemis. Thalia and Grover are chosen as the two campers to go on the adventure, but Percy also joins them later.

This is the time when the Titan Lord Kronas is at his closest to being able to rise and take over. Percy and friends must deal with this to the largest extreme so far.

The Sea of Monsters

Title: The Sea of Monsters
Author: Rick Riordan
Series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Book 2)
Genre: Juvenile Fiction



The Second Installment of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians is The Sea of Monsters. It didn't disappoint and I enjoyed it just as much as I did the first one. I think this is fast becoming a favorite series of mine and I just wish there was going to be more than 5 books in it.

Upon looking at the cover, initially and throughout reading the story I am amazed at how much is shown, although you'd never know. When checking it out half way through I notice things that I hadn't noticed during the first glance before I started reading it.

Percy meets a homeless boy, Tyson, who is taken in as a charity case at his current private school. Percy is his only friend and often gets picked on because of it. Monsters attack Percy's school and he and Tyson run away to Camp Half Blood with the help of Annabeth and Grover. When they get there everything is crazy. The enchanted tree that helps keep the camp safe is dying and the borders are relaxed. Chiron has been dismissed and nothing is the way it should be. Of course it is up to Percy to save the day yet again.

We meet several new gods this time including Hermes.

The minute I put this book down I picked up the third and started reading it. They truely are an engaging and wonderful story that is hard to leave alone.

The Lightning Thief

Title: The Lightening Thief
Author: Rick Riordan
Series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Book 1)
Genre: Juvenile Fiction



Wow - two posts, one day. I really enjoyed the book I finished today, The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. It is the first book in the Percy and the Olympians series. This series is for late elementary/early middle school readers.

In this installment Percy learns that he is a demi-god. His father is Poseidon and he enrolls in a Half Blood Summer Camp. Here he meets other demi-gods and starts to hone (only a bit) his abilities. We learn that there is a War about to be had between the Big 3 - Zeus, Poseidon and Hades. Zeus had a main thunderbolt that was the inspiration for all other thunderbolts, and it has been stolen. This is the story of Percy's quest to find the thunderbolt, bring it back and stop the war. Of course it doesn't happen nearly as easily as that.

I wish that I knew more about Greek Mythology, and while I know enough, it would be easier to see connections and follow things if I was well versed. The book does explain things well, though for those who are not.

There will only be 5 books in the series and the final one comes out May 2009.

I have a younger brother in fifth grade, and I am definitely going to recommend this series to him. I think it had a very action packed story line and was a quick and easy read (for me). I want to dive right into the next book and am heading off to the library ASAP to pick it up.

This is also going to be a movie (hurray!). Current release date is Feb 12, 2010 according to IMDB.