Secrets of the Book by Erin Fry

Secrets of the Book by Erin Fry
Rating: 4 Stars
Release Date: March 18, 2014
Format: Audiobook (Kindle Unlimited)
Publisher: Two Lions (eBook) + Brilliance Audio (Audiobook)

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Erin Fry delivered a magical and entertaining middle-grade fantasy read with Secrets of the Book. It’s reminiscent of a kid-friendly version of Night at the Museum, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, or Jumanji, where a group of children must contend with a book that can bring dead historical figures back to life and keep said book out of evil hands. 

Spencer Lemon (it’s pronounced LEH-mon, not like the citrus) has a degenerative eye disease that will take his sight later in life. His mom has him volunteering at a nursing home, where he encounters Ed. Ed later presents him with “Pandora’s Book”, a magical treasure that has the power to bring figures from history to life. Ed disappears before he can teach Spencer how to use the book the next day, and Spencer and his best friend Gregor must struggle to figure out how to put the historical figures back in the book before things go even more wrong. 

I couldn’t stop laughing at Spencer’s narration. He regularly breaks the fourth wall and addresses the audience, and his remarks are hilarious. If you have a chance to listen to the audiobook, I highly recommend it. Narrator Todd Haberkorn did a fantastic job - his performance was very light-hearted and fun, and I couldn’t keep the smile off my face while I was reading. 

Both main characters have disabilities - Spencer’s eye condition will eventually leave him blind, and his best friend Gregor is autistic. Some books may have relegated these characters to the sidelines (or to positions as lovable but very underqualified sidekicks), but Ms. Fry places them front and center and I loved that. I also enjoyed that they helped each other overcome the various challenges that come with their conditions. For example, there are a couple times where Spencer gets frustrated with one of Gregor’s episodes. Despite this frustration, he never sees Gregor as a nuisance or problem like many would. I wish more people took after this example in their interactions with the disabled community. Even without their disabilities, Spencer and Gregor are characters you can’t help but root for. I wanted them to figure things out, and cheered when they did.

Fans of middle-grade fantasy with historical twists should enjoy Secrets of the Book. If you or a young reader in your life enjoyed movies like Night at the Museum, Jumanji, or Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, then you have to check out this novel as soon as you have a chance.

About the Author

Erin Fry's first middle grade novel, LOSING IT, was published in 2012 by Amazon Children's Publishing and has been well-received by librarians and teachers, in addition to being dubbed "an energizing and ultimately uplifting tale of the power to change" by Kirkus. Her second novel, SECRETS OF THE BOOK, hits shelves in 2014 while her first YA serial, THE BENEFACTOR, is set to release in September, 2013.

For over a decade, Fry has taught 6th grade language arts and history at a middle school in southern California. She also coaches cross country each fall, which gets her in shape to run an occasional half marathon or marathon. Since 2003, she has reviewed children's books for Publishers Weekly. This past year, she and a fellow curriculum developer co-founded Common Core Curriculum Specialists, through which they create CCSS-aligned Teachers’ Guides for authors and publishers. She lives in southern California with (and frequently runs alongside) her husband, three children, and their golden Retriever.

The Blood Guard (The Blood Guard #1) by Carter Roy

The Blood Guard (The Blood Guard #1) by Carter Roy
Rating: 4 Stars
Release Date: March 4, 2014
Format: eBook + Audiobook (Kindle Unlimited)
Publisher: Two Lions (eBook) + Brilliance Audio (Audiobook)

Check out my review of the second book, The Glass Gauntlet!

Check out my review of the third book, The Blazing Bridge!

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When other kids were going to parties and having fun, Ronan Truelove was learning how to fence or participating in competitive tree climbing contests. He knew he would never be considered “normal”, but that’s just the way his life was. Things get undeniably stranger one day when his mom picks him up from school, announces that his father is missing, and they are suddenly thrown into a high-speed chase. His mother sends him off to safety alone, but Ronan is left in the dark about what’s going on and must stay one step ahead of his pursuers while learning more about the secret part of his mother’s life. 

Ronan is headstrong and tenacious, and these traits serve him well when he must evade those who are chasing him and his mother (all the while still not knowing why they are coming after him). The story is told in the first-person point of view, and Ronan occasionally makes remarks that are seemingly directed to readers. This reminded me of the way Rick Riordan’s books are structured, and I loved it. Dawkins was another favorite character. He reminded me of a crazy uncle figure crossed with a mentor. And of course, last but certainly not least, Greta is the stereotypical bookworm figure that’s smarter than they look (akin to Hermione Granger or Annabeth Chase). 

The audiobook narrator, Nick Podehl, did a fantastic job. I think my favorite part of his performance was when he was voicing Dawkins. He did a great job keeping me entertained and engaged in the book. 

Overall, a fantastic adventure-filled fantasy tale. One hundred percent a page-turner, I was never bored while reading this book. Fans of The Kane Chronicles or Last Gate of the Emperor would enjoy this book. It’s a great choice for those looking for a high middle-grade to low young adult fantasy. After that ending, I’m eager to see what’s next for Ronan in the next book, The Glass Gauntlet.  

About the Author

Carter Roy has painted houses and worked on construction sites; waited tables and driven delivery trucks; been a stage hand for rock bands and a videographer on a cruise ship; worked as a line cook in a kitchen, a projectionist in a movie theater, and a rhetoric teacher at a university. He has been a reference librarian and a bookseller, edited hundreds of books for major publishers, and written award-winning short-stories for adult readers that appeared in a half-dozen journals and anthologies.
He is the author of The Blood Guard and its sequel, The Glass Gauntlet. He lives in New York City.

Solaris Seethes (Solaris Saga Book 1) by Janet McNulty

 

Solaris Seethes (Solaris Saga Book 1) by Janet McNulty

Rating: 3 Stars

Release Date: December 9, 2014

Format: eBook

Publisher: MMP Publishing

Solaris Seethes, by author Janet McNulty and illustrator Robert Henry, is the first novel in the Solaris Saga series. As you might imagine from the beautiful cover, this story takes place in space. Readers follow the story of the main character Rynah as she escapes from her dying planet Lanyr on the titular Solaris. To save her planet, Rynah joins forces with four Earthlings brought together from different times and places in history. This unlikely group must work together to thwart the plans of Rynah’s former fiance, Klanor. The action revolves around a set of magical crystals. Alone, one can stabilize a planet, but together they can wreak havoc as a powerful weapon.

An immediate issue for me was the character development in this book. Many decisions by the characters seemed unrealistic and forced. For example, the most integral characters in this book were brought together from different eras in time. One would expect them to have issues adjusting to their new environment. Yet, this doesn’t happen, which is disappointing. The other issue for me was the illustrations that were included in the book, as they didn't add much value. I'm keeping in mind that it may be due to reading the e-book version, so there is no rating reduction because of this.

One thing I did love in this novel was world-building. There were components reminiscent of Scooby-Doo, the Avengers, and Star Trek. McNulty successfully employed some of the pieces that made the world-building in these universes so great and wove them into her own book. I wish she had borrowed even more elements, as a team dynamic like that of Mystery Inc. would have elevated the story to another level.

 

Anyone who loves traditional science fiction novels should enjoy this book. The beloved archetypal ingredients of a great sci-fi read are all present- space adventures, futuristic technology we can only dream of right now, and of course, aliens. From the start of the book, this was a very straightforward read; as a reader who gets bored easily while reading, I like to be kept on the edge of my seat. The editing was exceptional in this book, and there were no grammatical issues that I noticed. There were also no noticeable spelling issues or typos. 

 

McNulty and this series have immense potential to become a household name in the future, and there is undoubtedly room for improvement. I’m curious to read the next book in the series, Solaris Seeks, to see if her writing has improved or not.