Ayan's Book Review
People of the Sun

-by Ben Gartner

People of the Sun is the third book in the Eye of Ra series, and it's the best yet.

In People of the Sun, John and Sarah are confronted by an earthquake. During the earthquake, two mysterious figures whisked them away through time. 

With the knowledge of the origins of the Ra device comes responsibility—their hardest mission yet: stopping Toci, who is making changes to the Aztec civilization. But, what makes this mission next to impossible is the fact that time is more elusive than it seems.

The themes in this book include perseverance and courage. (You should see John’s courage as he conducts the prison escape. It was pretty cool.)

Once again, Ben Gartner makes the beginning of this book kick off with a plot twist. I find that this is the thing to kick off another exhilarating time-travel adventure.

I recommend this book as a read-aloud for 8+ and as a reader for 9+.

I give this book 5/5 stars as it’s sure to whisk you away.

 

Amy's Book Review: 

I...Am...Red Panda!

-by Stephanie J. Teer

I…Am…Red Panda! is a fantastic sequel to I…Am…Wolf!

I…Am…Red Panda! is about Cassidy, who has just brought her red panda out of the portal and named her Red. Cassidy's best friend, Gabby, has an older brother, David. David’s friend, Dorian, has brought out his own panda, Spark. 

In one surprising incident, Cassidy was climbing a tree and was on a thin branch when Red nudges her to go on a thicker branch. That makes Cassidy think that Red has chosen her. The problem is, when Cassidy told that she was probably chosen, Gabby wanted to be chosen too. 

The friends have a promise to keep that is to protect the animals that come out of the portal. Will they be able to keep that promise? Read this book to find out!

I love the different types of characters in this book. Cassidy is a wonderful person, but her older sister is mean. Nathan is a nice older brother; he is my favorite character. The other characters are unique and interesting too.

There are some interesting fun facts about red pandas, which makes this book an excellent addition to the wild animal unit studies.

I love this series and can’t wait to read the next book, I…Am…Tiger! I would suggest you read this series in order to understand it well.
I recommend this book for children 7 years and older.
I give this book 5/5 stars as it is a great read.
-Amy

 

   

Amy's Book Review: 

Eddie the Elephant and the Pirate Treasure

-by Colin Ridyard

Eddie the Elephant and the Pirate Treasure is the second book in the Eddie the Elephant picture book series.

Eddie is invited to a Beach Party in which there is a lot of food and even an elephant-proof bouncy castle. He and Jackie go to the party with Jackie’s parents, Mummy and Daddy. But at the beach, it starts raining, so Eddie, Jackie, Mummy, and Daddy go to a museum in which the four see a pirate with a closed treasure box. 

Daddy says that the pirate and his team would have hidden the treasure if that pirate was even real, which he said it wasn’t. Despite what Daddy said, Eddie still thought that the pirate was real. So when they came out, Jackie and Eddie started digging to find the hidden treasure. Can they find the treasure? Read this book to find out!

I recommend this book for children 3+ as it is a fun and easy-to-understand picture book.

I give this book 5/5 stars as it is a great read.

-Amy

P.S. I would love to read more by the author Collin Ridyard.

  

Amy's Book Review: 

Princess for a Day

-by Pragya Tomar

Princess for a Day is about Bina Trunk. One night, she sees a show about a princess. So the next day, she makes herself look like the princess. After breakfast, Bina and her brother Babu go to Grandma Trunk’s tea shop.

Pretending to be a princess doesn't allow Bina to be herself. Will she realize this soon and help her grandparents and play with her friends? Read this book to find out!
The illustrations are very colorful and the cover is beautiful. The illustrator has done a wonderful job on all the pictures and the cover.
I recommend this book for children 3+ as it is fun and easy to read.
I give this book 5/5 stars as it teaches us to be ourselves.
Happy reading!
-Amy
P.S. I would love to read more by this author.

     

Ayan's Book Review
Monster Problems

-by Jason R Lady

Monster Problems by Jason R Lady is an engaging middle-grade read.

Brad Micheal is a normal kid who loves to draw. When he receives a pen delivered by a mysterious black crow, he feels compelled to draw with it, so he draws a picture of a Daley-Destroyer, a monster that can destroy Brad’s annoying little brother. But the pen Brad was using turned out to be a magic pen...and the monster turned real. Can Brad and his friends save Daley, defeat the Daley-Destroyer, and protect the magic pen...all before it’s too late? Join Brad in this captivating escapade to find out!

The pacing of this book is awesome, and the book gets more and more suspenseful as you read through it.

I recommend this book as a read-aloud for 5+ and as a reader for 7+ as I think it will be easy even for younger readers.

I give this book 5/5 stars as it’s sure to glue your hands to the book.

Happy reading!

-Ayan

P.S. It would be good if you read this book first and then its prequel (Super Problems) to better understand the story.

     

Ayan's Book Review
The Verdigris Pawn

-by Alysa Wishingrad

The Verdigris Pawn by Alyssa Wishingard is a fantastic middle-grade novel that is hard to put down.

Beau is the heir to the throne, and trouble is brewing. Evidence of the talk of rebellion has been coming up, a charmer is supposedly using natural disasters to create havoc, and people are forced to send their children to work due to high taxes. Beau doesn’t know about any of this until a nursemaid informs him. Seeking to fix this, he sets out to try his hand at killing three birds with one stone.

This book is similar to The Kingdom of Secrets as both have a kingdom with the notion of a rebellion that the main character sets out to investigate.

This book’s plot is suspenseful right from the start and kept me captivated till the end. But in the middle, there’s a surprising set of plot-twists…

I recommend this book as a read-aloud for 9+ and as a reader for 10+ as there were some scenes at the end that younger readers might not be able to handle.

I give this book 5/5 stars as it’s a great middle-grade read.

    

Ayan's Book Review
One if by Land, Two if by Submarine

-by Eileen Schnabel

Are you ready for an action, adventure, and time-travel book? One if by Land, Two if by Submarine by Eileen Schnabel is one such middle-grade novel.

For Kep Westguard, the Revolutionary War reenactment camp was torture. But that was nothing compared to when he, Max, Tela, and T.J. were sent back in time to the beginning of the real revolution. 

They have to take place of Paul Revere, who was kidnapped by another time-traveler determined to crush America. They face test after test, facing the British army to freeing a captured teammate. Can they battle the British, get the message to Lexington and Concord, and warn Hancock and Adams…before it’s too late? Read this book to find out!

This book teaches about the American Revolution in such a way that you won’t even know you’re learning in the process! You can use this book in school or at home, as a history supplement while doing reading.

The themes in this book include courage, friendship, and patriotism. 

I recommend this book as a read-aloud for 8+ and as a reader for 10+, as the book has war and other topics that might be hard for younger readers.

I give this book 5/5 stars as it’s a captivating time-travel novel.

Happy reading!

-Ayan