Reviews written by Mark Buxton

What worked: This book presents a message that may evoke thoughts of our world today. Legend says, that many years ago people became greedy and took more from the sea than they needed. The Creator decided to separate the humans into four separate communities and the Gatekeeper controls...

What worked: This novella begins differently from previous books as it highlights Mr. Jones. He’s the series character who collects the knowledge of Darkbrand creatures while everyone else has the skills to fight them. Mr. Jones has a spell allowing him to teleport to different places worldwide. Most...

What worked: Elodie’s parents are famous detectives who investigate art thefts around the world. They won’t let Elodie accompany them on their trips but she’s learned investigative skills from talking with them. She wonders if anyone will want a young girl to investigate their cases but she’s confident...

What worked: The book’s synopsis clearly explains what happens in the book. Theo is the main character and the contrast between his family and him sets the stage for the amusing stories in this series. He’s the only honest member of his thieving family and he can’t even...

What worked: Disclaimer: I’ve not read the previous two books so keep that perspective in mind as you read on. The Prologue opens with a battle between humans and a giant zombie that escapes from its frozen prison up in the waters of Alaska. This presumably happened in...

What worked: The story isn’t overembellished so it’s easy to follow and well-paced. The book opens with the family buying an old mirror from a shop owner and the youngest daughter, Sophie, finding a ballerina doll atop a music box. The family is told the mirror and doll...

What worked: The story follows Beth as she wants to investigate the disappearance of a friend named Brent. Readers may be surprised to learn that her two best friends are starkly different from each other. Stan is an unpopular nerd with unusual quirks; he thinks dressing in green...

What worked: This book is a collection of puzzles enriched by the Spy School characters. The premise of the book is past mistakes led to security breaches and tainted recruitment of new CIA spies. The puzzles in this book present a new step in the screening process to...

What worked: Noah and Lena are sent to Space Camp in Alabama to have a fun, relaxing vacation. However, they both assume it’s going to turn into a mission even though their undercover chaperones insist it won’t. Noah reminds readers of this doubt in almost every chapter until...

What worked: The author’s idea for the special school is quite innovative. Students are chosen from throughout history so they won’t be handicapped by the schools of their times. The school in this book is called Everwhen and it’s actually a time machine! New students at a school...

What worked: Humor is embedded in the story as Wyatt must win a football championship to save Earth. His entire team lacks any football knowledge or skills and several strange aliens complete the roster. Strange is a subjective term when considering all the other players in the league...

What worked: The cast of characters will be familiar to loyal readers led by Ben Ripley. Ben has no impressive spy talents other than being pretty intelligent and excellent at math. Of course, his girlfriend Erica is in stark contrast to Ben. She follows generations of spies in...

What worked: The first chapter offers a surprise as Max gets help and advice from two creatures, one sitting on each shoulder. No one else can see Stein, a Yiddish-speaking dybbuk, and Berg, a German-accented kobold; these characters add humor and novelty to the story. They often question...

What worked: This book concludes a trilogy and it can be read independently by readers not too worried about past events. Light-thieves return to invade Earth after destroying the planet of Ethan’s alien friend, Cheese. The alien’s name comes from his favorite food and his family members are...

What worked: Ramya is a witch-in-training who is trying to unlock her magical abilities. One thing she can do that others cannot is to see through Glamours that camouflage Hidden Folk. She can spot every troll, vampire, or fae she encounters and she’s immune to the hypnotic songs...