Avalina Jones and the Eye of the Storm by Lori Adams
Avalina Jones, the Last Heir of the infamous pirate Davy Jones, has never heard of Sea Magic, flying dinghies, Pirate Heir schoolships, phantom islands, undead pirates, or creatures called Half Ones. And she has never understood her strange connection to water. But when a beautiful woman arrives in a swirling waterspout, Avalina’s life explodes with more adventures than she can possibly imagine. She takes her rightful place aboard a giant Pirate Heir schoolship teeming with Heirs of the world’s most nefarious pirates.
Raised as a Landlubber, Avalina quickly realizes bizarre and danger are normal aboard Pirate Heir schoolships-food fights back, school supplies giggle or explode in your face. And not everyone can be trusted.
When Avalina is accused of a terrible crime, she must prove her innocence or risk being banished from the schoolship forever-and this in the middle of a crucial Treasure Hunt!
Avalina races to unlock secrets of the ship, and makes a dangerous discovery that threatens everyone aboard. With the help of her new friends Charlie, Pippa, and Bummy, Avalina draws closer to the truth, unaware that a deeper, darker fate awaits.
Avalina lived most of her life as a Landlubber, so she’s not readily accepted by many of the other pirate students and Heirs. Plus, she may, or may not, have the family curse, and she’s rejected by the bullying Renegades, the house of pirates she was assigned to. Luckily, she’s accepted by her new friends in the Buccaneers. She has a natural connection to water (she can breathe underwater), so she wonders if it might be evidence of the curse. In addition, the ghost of a treacherous, dead pirate captain has sworn to kill every last relative of Davy Jones, and Avalina is the last one still living. The threat of his attack looms throughout the entire book.
Rather than writing two separate books, the author divided the book into two parts. The first half deals with Avalina’s efforts to graduate from Pog to Shellback, and problems and characters complicate things for her. She’s blamed for everything that goes wrong due to thoughts about her curse, and she’s charged with a serious crime that could expel her from living among the pirate Heirs. Avalina recognizes one teacher is not as nice as she seems, and this teacher seems out to get Avalina. She’s the one who accuses Avalina of the crime. The second half of the book sees the crew in a contest with three other pirate ship schools to decode a treasure map and retrieve the long-lost booty. Avalina is a key member of a select group trying to figure out the clues, even though the prejudices against her continue. Mysteries thrive as the plot progresses, and several surprises spring up as the events near their climax.
The Renegades are presented as antagonists in Avalina’s life, but they come off as more annoying than actual threats. They tease her whenever possible, and some skirmishes arise during the course of events. They especially enjoy when the teacher mentioned earlier punishes Avalina, usually unfairly. The Renegades aren’t as evil as they could have been, but maybe that’s due to a pirate code of loyalty. Treating other pirates dishonorably is something most of the characters avoid, lest they be kicked off the ship.
Magical adventure on the high seas! The story can be compared to other books where characters discover an unknown world of magic or fantasy. The addition of pirates creates some interesting and unique twists, and the story feels fresh despite its similarities to other middle-grade books. Overall, lovers of speculative fiction will enjoy this book and will anxiously yearn for the sequel once it’s published.
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The Boy Who Failed Show and Tell by Jordan Sonnenblick
An unbelievably hilarious middle-grade true story from bestselling author Jordan Sonnenblick.
In a typical school year, every kid has one or two things go wrong. But for Jordan, there’s A LOT going wrong ALL THE TIME.
Take this year. Here are some of the thing going wrong:
— His teacher hates him. Like, really hates him. Like, is totally out to get him even when he’s trying to be good, and is willing to fail him on the simplest things, like show and tell.
— He has a slight breathing problem because of his asthma. And breathing is never really an optional activity.
— His pet snake has given birth to way, way, way too many baby snakes, all who need a home.
— He is finding that becoming The World’s Best Drummer in no time whatsoever is maybe not the easiest goal.
— There are bullies ready to stomp him when all he has to defend himself with is a lunchbox.
And all this doesn’t even include the freak swing set accident, the fears inside his head, or the funniest class presentation ever.
By keeping his cool (some of the time), banging on the drums (a lot), and keeping his sense of humor (all the time), Jordan’s going to try to make it through the year . . . and grow up to write a book about it!
Jordan’s unique issues make learning difficult. His main problems result from asthma medications that make it hard to stay focused and sit still, but he also has trouble dealing with stress. He’s intelligent, but he doesn’t show it in ways his teacher appreciates. She doesn’t have much patience for “JORR-dan”, and she doesn’t like student behavior that isn’t perfect. Jordan’s character becomes more endearing, as he cares for his pet garter snake named Hector. This story is cuter when Jordan discovers Hector is going to need a different name!
It’s a relief when Jordan’s situation changes later in the book, although the circumstances are disturbing. It’s satisfying to see something good finally happen to a misunderstood, young boy. The author reminds us there are still bumpy roads for him, but hope is allowed to enter the story.
It would be nice for Jordan to have a close friend to confide in, although that would have changed much of the story. Jordan deals with most of the problems on his own, and his frustrations when things don’t work out create the whole plot. His older sister Lissa provides support when she’s aware of a problem, but that’s not very helpful when he’s in school.
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The Boy Who Made Everyone Laugh by Helen Rutter
When life is funny, make some jokes about it.
Billy Plimpton has a big dream: to become a famous comedian when he grows up. He already knows a lot of jokes, but thinks he has one big problem standing in his way: his stutter.
At first, Billy thinks the best way to deal with this is to . . . never say a word. That way, the kids in his new school won’t hear him stammer. But soon he finds out this is NOT the best way to deal with things. (For one thing, it’s very hard to tell a joke without getting a word out.)
As Billy makes his way toward the spotlight, a lot of funny things (and some less funny things) happen to him. In the end, the whole school will know —
If you think you can hold Billy Plimpton back, be warned: The joke will soon be on you!
Supporting characters contribute to the plot in different ways. A class bully amplifies Billy’s problems and stress. He quickly identifies Billy as a victim, and the stuttering draws him like a moth to light. However, their relationship transforms in unexpected ways. Several new friends greet Billy on the first day of school and can form a support group if Billy will only speak to them. Ironically, one of the boys has a hearing disorder and can’t hear Billy’s stutter. Skyla is a friend from Billy’s previous school, and she has always helped him in the past. She’s willing to step in when Billy needs help, although he’s not sure why. Her own issues are slowly revealed as the story moves along. Close friendships are something new for Billy, and the skills needed don’t come easy for him. He’s going to need all the friends he can get in dealing with disappointment, anxiety, and the death of a loved one.
The story is written in the first person, which is perfect to express a character’s thoughts and emotions, especially when that character doesn’t want to speak. Fear of what others will think, love for his grandmother, and passion for humor consume Billy’s mind. The positives of love and passion are overshadowed by fear. Billy’s is blinded by perceived negatives about himself, so he fails to consider what others might truly think about him. His teacher is invaluable in nurturing the positives and helping Billy become happier and more confident.
Skyla is critical to Billy’s mental wellbeing, but her character isn’t developed much beyond the basics. She’s forced to care for her mother at times, but the rest of her family life is a mystery. It always seems like there’s a lot going on in her mind even while she’s talking to Billy or pushing him to take risks. She creates a gift later in the book that exemplifies her empathy.
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Explorer Academy: The Dragon’s Blood (Book 6) by Trudi Trueit
About This Book:
Still reeling from the life-changing discovery he found buried in the mysterious archive, Cruz Coronado grapples with an important secret as the gang heads to China in search of the second-to-last piece of the cipher. Under the watchful eye of a new adviser, life on the ship returns to almost normal…Almost.
Just as things seem to be going smoothly, a familiar face shocks Cruz back into reality, and the final piece in this life-and-death scavenger hunt veers toward a dead end.
Explorer Academy features: Gripping fact-based fiction plot that inspires curiosity with new technology and innovations; amazing inventions and gadgets; a cast of diverse, relatable characters; secret clues, codes, and ciphers to track down within the text; vibrant illustrations, Elements of STEAM; National Geographic explorer profiles in The Truth Behind Section.
*Mark’s Review*
The plot includes a number of mysteries and uncertainties to keep readers wondering. Obviously, the clues to finding pieces of the cipher are cryptic, so the explorers are never totally certain they’re on the right track to finding them. The most interesting problem concerns Nebula’s spies within the academy and aboard the Orion, the ship acting as a mobile school for the students. Cruz and his friends know two spies are on board, code-named Zebra and Jaguar, but that only makes them suspicious of everyone not in their group. Cruz even suspects his own aunt might be Zebra. Every few chapters, the setting focuses on Nebula, so readers gain some insight into their plans. These pages also reveal distrust and sabotage among the antagonists, as the players position for power.
Each book in the series focuses on an ecological mission, and this one deals with finding a marsupial scientists assume is extinct. However, a video surfaced one year ago that seems to show a thylacine wandering through the forests in Tasmania. This book includes information about other rare animals, along with colorful photographs, as well as geographical and historical facts regarding Borneo, China, and Tasmania. Specifically in China, the book displays knowledge of the thousands of statues in the Terra-Cotta Army, the Xi’an City Wall, and the lantern festival. The facts shared throughout the plot don’t interrupt the flow of the story, and some of it’s important to how events progress.
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The Fowl Twins Get What They Deserve (A Fowl Twins Novel, Book 3) by Eoin Colfer
For almost two years, Lord Teddy Bleedham-Drye, the Duke of Scilly, has been plotting revenge against the Fowl Twins, who humiliated him in Book One. Teddy plans to give them exactly what they deserve: permanent death.
He threatens Myles with his weaponized jet and Beckett and Specialist Lazuli succeed in disarming the aircraft and causing an accident that kills the duke. But does it really?
Ghosts, clones, and fairy magic come to play in this ultimate and ridiculous showdown between the twins and their worst enemy.
The author consistently puts the twins in impossible situations and lets them escape through ingenious/lucky events. Myles accepts an impossible challenge from ghosts in order to keep his head attached to his body. Most of the time, Myles is able to think through situations and come up with “logical” plans to resolve them. Beckett has an innate ability to quickly calculate angles and time in order to react at just the right moment. Together, they make an amusing pair and add funny banter with other characters.
As the title implies, the major conflict centers on Lord Teddy’s diabolical plans to get revenge against Beckett and especially Myles. Myles admits that Teddy’s plans are truly devious and match what he might have devised himself. Lord Teddy shares needless antagonist banter that allows Myles time to figure out a solution. Adding humor to the scenes, Lord Teddy is aware he’s giving Teddy an opportunity to escape, and the characters make fun of this flawed tradition among bad guys. Their relationship might be compared to classic enemies in old cartoons, like Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd.
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