Family Reads

Quick Pick: The Time Paradox (Artemis Fowl, Book 6)

The Time Paradox (Artemis Fowl, Book 6)

by Eoin Colfer
© 2008, 432 pages Level 5 (all about levels)Amazon Reviews

Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox is about a teenage, male, cunning genius named Artemis Fowl, an elf who is a LEPrecon officer, and a dirt-loving dwarf. Artemis' mother has contracted a deadly disease, and the only cure is found in the brain fluid of the Silky Sifaka Lemur. It would be easy to get the cure-if the animal still existed. Due to a heartless deal Artemis made many years ago, the lemur is extinct. Artemis, Holly Short, the elf, and Mulch Diggums, the dwarf, must go back in time and steal the lemur from the younger Artemis. This book is one of the best I've read in a while, and won't dissapoint fans of the previous Artemis Fowl books or people who enjoy science fiction or fantasy.

(P.S. In order to get the most enjoyment out of this book, I highly recommend you read the first 5 before diving into this one).

Quick Pick: Saga

Saga

by Conor Kostick
© 2008, 367 pages Level 5 (all about levels)Amazon Reviews

Saga is the follow-up to the previously reviewed Epic. The main character from Epic returns to this story which features a rebel named Ghost. Ghost and her friends attempt to overthrow the Dark Queen, the evil dictator of Saga, and force her to release Eric's people from the world of Saga, whom she is holding captive. This novel has a similar mood as Epic, but featuring new characters, plot, and setting. I recommend Saga to anyone who liked Epic or loves sci-fi stories.

Nightmare Academy

Nightmare Academy

by Dean Lorey
© 2007, 310 pages Level 5 (all about levels)Amazon Reviews

"The monsters under your bed are real!" Nightmare Academy is the first book in a series about the Nightmare Dimension. After some nightmares, kids encounter real monsters.

When Charlie  Benjamin dreams, monsters leave the Nightmare Dimension and enter his world through a portal. After a particularly dangerous dream, Charlie is whisked off to the Nightmare Academy, a school that teaches kids to control their nightmares. Just after he arrives, Charlie unfortunately meets one of the four most powerful monsters called Barakkas the Rager. The monster causes all sorts of mayhem in Charlie's life.

Nightmare Academy should really be a Level 4 3/4 book, but since there are many battles and some killing in the novel (it sounds worse than it is), it qualifies as a Level 5. Nightmare Academy is an entertaining tale of a young boy and his adventures in a very imaginative world.

Matt Goes to Mars

Matt Goes to Mars

by Carol Tremblay
© 2002, 24 pages Level 3 (all about levels)Learn More on Amazon

 

Matt is always daydreaming about becoming an astronaut. It seems like his mother and teacher are always saying that 'he is lost in space'. So, of course, Matt is so excited he can hardly sleep when his teacher announces that the class is taking a field trip to the Galaxy Sharp Spaceport.

The adventure really begins when Matt gets lost looking for the bathroom at the spaceport and ends up inside a real rocket.  Quite by accident, he launches the rocket into space and must decide to land when he notices the fuel gage is on empty! After landing on Mars, he laments not studying Martian in school but has no time to contemplate further as he is whisked away by Martians. Will Matt get the fuel he needs to get back to Earth? After all, who will feed his cat?

Future astronauts will enjoy Matt Goes to Mars because it puts them at the center of Matt's vivid imagination. The wonderfully vibrant and friendly illustrations by Lucie Crovatto are so interesting; our young reader pored over them with loving adoration. For some time, he carried this book everywhere he went — even to bed, and re-read it many times. Matt Goes to Mars was a hit with our family.

» Our thanks to Gina Clifford for sharing this terrific review! Visit Spotty Banana for more.

The Pilgrims of Rayne (Pendragon, Book Eight)

The Pilgrims of Rayne (Pendragon, Book Eight)

by D.J. MacHale
© 2007, 547 pages Level 5 (all about levels)Amazon Reviews

 

The Pilgrims of Rayne is the eighth book in the spectacular Pendragon series. It is even better than the book that precedes it, The Quillan Games. I mentioned much of the format and basics of the series in my review linked to above.

The Pilgrims of Rayne is set on the idyllic territory of Ibara. Idyllic except for the fact that the government is keeping secrets from its people about the territory's past. This book is a very important installment in the series, and focuses more on the battle for all of Halla and the Travelers than just Ibara. The Pilgrims of Rayne is a must-read book for any Pendragon fan or anybody who likes fantasy. I'm looking forward to the next part of this series-Raven Rise-which is set to be released this May.

Pendragon: The Quillan Games

I'll say it now. Pendragon: The Quillan Games is a wonderful book. It is the best installment in the Pendragon series by far. To tell you how good it is, I will say that this book has 29 5-star reviews on Amazon, and the average customer rating is 5 stars.

I highly recommend reading the rest of the series before reading this book because you might get very lost if you don't.

The Quillan Games is the seventh installment in the Pendragon series. This book takes place on the territory of Quillan. On Quillan, there are people called challengers who play games. Deadly games. Many citizens also wager on the games. If they place the Ultimate Bet and win, they get extra food for a while. But if they place the Ultimate Bet and lose, they are sent to the tarz, a place that is very deadly and dangerous.

That's what Bobby finds on Quillan. He realizes that to fix Quillan, he must compete in the games, including the World Cup of Quillan, The Grand X. If he wins, Bobby may be able to uncover the mystery of the Travelers, which has eluded him since the beginning of the series.

Something very devastating also happens with Mark and Courtney, but I won't spoil it. The Quillan Games is the best book yet in the Pendragon series; hopefully it will just keep getting more amazing.

The Quillan Games by D.J. MacHale
© 2006, 486 pages
Level 5 (tell me about levels)
An enchanting tale of a boy trying to discover where he came from and save a territory.
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