Monthly Archives: August 2020

Ages 12 - 14, Ages 14 - 16

SOMETHING ISN’T QUITE RIGHT HERE

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“Under Their Skin” series by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Book Titles:

  1. Under Their Skin
  2. In Over Their Heads

An intriguing and thought-provoking series about interactions between robots and humans.

Recommended age: 12 – 14; 14 – 16

Nick and Eryn’s mother is getting remarried.  But there is something unusual about the situation.   They are told that they will not be able to meet their step-siblings.   This arouses their curiosity, and they set off to find out what is going on.   What they discover is very disturbing and upsets their world completely.  The second book continues the story.

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Ages 14 - 16, Ages 16 - 18

STEALING FROM FRIENDS AND ENEMIES

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“The Thief” Series by Megan Whalen Turner

Book Titles:

  1. The Thief
  2. The Queen of Attolia
  3. The King of Attolia
  4. A Conspiracy of Kings

When the Queen needs a thief, she turns to “The Thief”

Recommended age: 14 – 16; 16 – 18

Gen is a thief, but not just any thief. He is the Thief, and he’s been ‘volunteered’ to steal Hamiathes’ Gift, a strange stone of mystical and archaic powers. After that’s done, he’s made an important enemy of the Queen of Attolia, a rival kingdom. Many adventures await him, and there’s something else: the gods of his people have special plans for him and some of his friends.

TO SEE THE FULL REVIEW: 

  • If you are reading this in your e-mail, please be sure to click on the link at the top of the page to go to the Reading With Wisdom website.
  • If you are reading this on the Reading With Wisdom website, Click on the link underneath READ ALL REVIEWS on the right-hand side of this page.

Ages 08 - 10, Ages 10 - 12

Sticky Burr Ain’t Too Prickly

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Sticky Burr by John Lechner

Graphic Novel 

Being unfriendly isn’t the only way to build a friendship.

Recommended age: 8 – 10; 10 – 12

Summary of Plot: Sticky Burr doesn’t really fit in to his village in Burrwood Forest because he doesn’t have a prickly-enough personality.   But he rescues the village from a dangerous foe and wins the hearts of most of his fellow burrs.

TO SEE THE FULL REVIEW: 

  • If you are reading this in your e-mail, please be sure to click on the link at the top of the page to go to the Reading With Wisdom website.
  • If you are reading this on the Reading With Wisdom website, Click on the link underneath READ ALL REVIEWS on the right-hand side of this page.

Adult, Ages 14 - 16, Ages 16 - 18

Go Deep Into Middle-Earth

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The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien

The perfect book for anyone who’s ever wondered about Middle-Earth’s legendary past, it has a near-perfect blend of mystery and adventure, romance and tragedy, victory and defeat. In magnificent language, Tolkien gives us a display of the epic eternal battle of light versus dark and good versus evil.

Recommended age: 14 – 16; 16 – 18; Adult

The book is divided into five parts: The Ainulindalë (the tale of the song of the Ainur), the Valaquenta (the tale of the Valar), the Quenta Silmarillion (the tale of the Silmarilli), the Akallabêth (the tale of the downfall of Númenor), and a small section entitled “Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age”. The first two are mainly concerned with the creation of the world and descriptions of the Valar (powerful angels that were charged with the care of Middle-Earth).

But it’s in the Quenta Silmarillion that the real action start. The story traces the battle between good and evil, starting at the Beginning of Days. The good guys are the Valar, the Elves, and Men, but the Elves and Men make mistakes along the way. The bad guys are Morgoth (also known as Melkor; Tolkien’s version of Satan) and his various malevolent minions: Balrogs, Orcs, Trolls, Dragons, Evil Men, and a rather familiar nasty dude named Sauron (ring any bells?). In Quenta, each chapter contains a different tale or legend, but each story is connected to the whole. The tales mainly deal with the three Silmarilli (jewels of light and power) and the war over them. The fourth part, “Akallabêth,” is about the ancient island of Númenor (which some of you may remember) and its downfall. The fifth and last talks about Sauron’s rise after Morgoth’s defeat and the forging of the rings of power, and the strife that resulted, ending in the famous War of the Ring.

TO SEE THE FULL REVIEW: 

  • If you are reading this in your e-mail, please be sure to click on the link at the top of the page to go to the Reading With Wisdom website.
  • If you are reading this on the Reading With Wisdom website, Click on the link underneath READ ALL REVIEWS on the right-hand side of this page.