Jr's Reviewing

Jr's Mom here. Jr.'s busy adjusting to attending regular school after homeschooling all her life. She loves it, but it's very different. She got too smart for me to teach her math at home. Anyway, she says she'll review when she can, hopefully on the weekends. She still reads voraciously, but writing reviews takes a lot more time.

Dolphin Diaries Book #1: INTO THE BLUE

Remember I mentioned this series way, way back when I reviewed The Music of Dolphins? Well here’s a review of the first book of the series- and believe me, it’s pretty good for all you dolphin fans out there! . The story opens with Jody-the Main Character-writing in her journal. See, her parents study dolphins and they’ve organized a voyage around the world studying dolphins-and the best part is, they’re leaving in the morning! The next morning, Jody and her parents and her two little brothers, Sean and Jimmy, plus Mei Lin the cook and mechanic, Maddie her parent’s assistant/boat school teacher, Harry the captain of the ship, and Cam the first mate. And then there’s the annoying last-minute passenger-Brittany, Harry’s slightly annoying daughter. But finally they launch their ship, the Dolphin Dreamer. And the next day they bump into their first dolphin-a male bottlenose dolphin they name Apollo. But the next thing you know a massive storm blows up, and Jody’s been pushed overboard by no other than the slightly annoying Brittany. Man, does she get on my nerves! Anyone fortunately for Jody, her faithful dolphin friend Apollo’s there to give her a tow back to the ship. Eventually, though, Apollo disappears-but don’t worry, he’ll be back later. In the meantime, a whole pod of bottlenoses show up. They name them all after characters in Greek mythology, just like Apollo. After a bit, they disappear too and Apollo returns. Then Jody gets the idea to guide Apollo back to the pod they’d just encountered. Fortunately the pod’s still nearby, but will they accept Apollo, or will he be doomed to a solitary life? By now you probably know that it’s time for- WHAT’S GOOD AND WHAT’S NOT! WHAT’S GOOD: It’s a great companion to The Music of Dolphins and a good all-round book. And there’s ten others that I know of-there may be more- as well as the Animal Ark books, which are written by the same author, too. AND WHAT’S NOT: There are two slightly annoying characters-good ol’ Brittany and a sleepy scientist named Dr. Taylor. But don’t worry, they shape up later. All in all, this book is good for fans of The Music of Dolphins, dolphins, or both! And don’t think this is the last time I’ll review a Dolphin Diary book!

Keyholders #1: THIS SIDE OF MAGIC by Debbie Dadey and Marcia Thornton Jones

I know, I know, I know. This is fantasy and I just did fantasy. But this is a different type of fantasy. Emily Windsnap and the Castle in the Mist, along with the other Emily Windsnap books, is what’s called sea fantasy. Sea fantasy usually stays in the sea, although sometimes it’s found right smack dab in the middle of a fairy fantasy-aka a fairy-world fantasy, an example of which is the Vanishing Sculptor. Fairy fantasy-though actually, it’s better called fairy-world- is where the story at least mostly stays in a world other than our world. Then there’s this-world fantasy, where the story either mostly stays in our world or the plot is concerned with saving this world from whatever danger. . This book is at least fundamentally this-world fantasy. The two main characters, a girl named Penny and a boy named Luke, are two normal kids. Then their neighbor, Mr. Leery, recruits them to take care of his cat, Mo.

. Things go from relatively normal to relatively outrageous from there. First, a nosy kid named Natalie claims Mo can talk, then “catnaps” to find out for sure. Then a boy named Bobby shows up, and all the girls’ homework disappears. Finally Mr. Leery comes back and explains everything.

. Ready? The hedge around the town is a barrier between that world and the world of magic. Mr. Leery is what’s called a Keyholder, and Mo is his “link”-a creature from the other side of the barrier.

. What Keyholders do is they keep the world of magic and our world separate. The only problem is, Mr. Leery is the only one left now, and you need three to keep the worlds apart. And now Mr. Leery has chosen Penny and Luke-and Natalie, though she doesn’t come in till later-to be the next Keyholders.

. Meanwhile the four go to the other side of the barrier to find Penny’s and Luke’s “links”. Penny’s turns out to be a unicorn named Kirin, and Luke’s is a dragon named Dracula. Then finally Natalie is called in and finds her “link” is a rat named Buttercup-and poof! The book is finished. Unfortunately this book is a cliffhanger. Sigh. Cliffhangers can be so annoying! Anyway, it’s time for- . WHAT’S GOOD AND WHAT’S NOT! . WHAT’S GOOD- . This book is relatively new-published sometime this year-and is a good break from the typical sea-and-fairy-world fantasies that are the norm-and for good reason. It’s fairly hard to structure a good this-world fantasy simply because our world and the typical fantasy worlds are so different. But this is a pretty good one-though the fantasy parts are a bit dark for my tastes. . AND WHAT”S NOT- . Of course there’s the cliffhanger. The thing is, this book is kind of new, and new books tend to be more expensive and so it’s harder to get the next book in the series, which makes cliffhangers even more annoying. . All in all this is a okay book for fantasy readers. If you’re looking for a decent this-world fantasy, this would be just right!

EMILY WINDSNAP AND THE CASTLE IN THE MIST by Liz Kessler

This is the third book in the Emily Windsnap series, and it’s pretty good. Neither of the two later books are as good as the first, but that’s probably to be expected. This one is better than the second one, Emily Windsnap and the Monster from the Deep. Don’t worry, I will review it, but not till the next fantasy, OK? . The story opens with the story before the story-in other words, the prologue. Basically, Neptune and a woman named Aurora get married and give each other rings that nobody else can touch and not be put under a curse. Hoh, boy, are we in for some trouble! . Many years later, we find Emily getting ready to go to mermaid school. Once there, she meets Shona and learns that they have an assignment-to gather seashells and gems and things. Neptune’s coming and, as you probably know from The Tail of Emily Windsnap, he loves gems and gold and that kind of thing. . Unfortuately, Emily finds something else. Something that typically would be much better than a handful of seashells and semiprecious stones, but is in this case much, much worse. . The ring. . Next thing you know, the curse has descended upon Emily. Apparently, there was another ring, a pearl one. She has until the full moon to bring both rings together, or she’ll no longer be a mermaid-or a human, for that matter. Dolphin? If there was a chance of that, I’d have told you earlier. . When Neptune swoops her, Shona, and good ol’ Millie hundreds of miles away, near a castle in the mists, Emily just has to try and reach it. But it’s just too far! . Finally one night she makes it, and meets Aaron, who’s descended from Aurora, and so is under a curse like Emily’s. Small world! . Back home, Emily finds out that this spring equinox is special. Not only is it the spring equinox, it’s also a full moon, which means the tide is at its lowest. And that’s the only time you can find the other ring! . Next thing you know, all three are searching for the ring. Aaron eventually finds it, but is it too late for Emily…….and him? . And now it’s time for: . WHAT’S GOOD AND WHAT’S S NOT! . WHAT’S GOOD- . Obviously, it’s a Emily Windsnap book, and continues her story after she leaves Brightport for Allpoints Island. Of course, it’s the third, so there’s still Emily Windsnap and the Monster from the Deep, but hey. . Also, it’s nice to know just what ol’ Neptune had against Emily’s mom and dad being together. I like to know the story behind the story-that’s one good thing about prologues-and prequels, too! . AND WHAT’S NOT- . It’s awful gloomy, like Emily Windsnap and the Monster from the Deep. The first one was much better, quite frankly. . This is a fairly good book, all in all-especially for mermaid and Emily Windsnap fans!

HORSESHOE A Saddle Club Book by Bonnie Bryant

You’ve probably heard about the Saddle Club and its members-Stevie, Carole, and Lisa. They’ve been on TV, but the books are best-but I’ve never really watched the show, so how do I know? But lemme tell you this, if the shows are based on the books, this would be the funniest one yet! . It opens with Carole, the most “horse-focused” of the trio, trying to juggle a junior rider she’s supposed to be watching, and a horse that is just doing too well not to notice! See, she’s practicing a drill to raise money for a charity called CARL, which helps rescue abused animals and also rehabilitate injured wild animals. . Meanwhile, the least likeable character, Veronica, is picking on a junior rider, Jessica. Fortunately, she soon quits the drill and life is back to normal……till Lisa pays a visit to CARL and decides more needs to be done than just a drill. Lisa thinks up the idea of setting up a fortune-telling booth. . At the Fair, after dealing with ol’ Veronica-again-the Saddle Club sets up their booth. Stevie gets the first turn as fortune-teller. And boy is she hilarious! Okay, sure she’s the funniest character by far in all the books, but hey. . Then its Lisa’s and Carole’s turns-and they turn out to be as funny and productive as Stevie’s. In the end, Jessica has a new friend named Buddy, the Saddle Club has done well at their drill, and CARL has gotten lots of support from the community. . And now it’s time for- . WHAT’S GOOD AND WHAT’S NOT! . WHAT’S GOOD- . Like I said before, this is a very funny book. And as well, there’s lots of others in the series-Horseshoe is number 44! I also like number 43-Photo Finish, because it’s about racehorses. Check them all out! Oh, and don’t think this is the only time I’ll review a Saddle Club book! Heck, they’re good, and there’s lots of them-why not?!! . AND WHAT’S NOT- . The part where Lisa meets Sal, a badly abused horse, is kind of sad. . Overall, this is a excellent horse book for those who like a story about a girl and her horse. Oh, wait-multiply that by three! Ooops, sorry. I forgot. It’s summertime. Just check out the book, OK?

DINOTOPIA Hatchling by Midori Snyder

This is my absolute favorite Dinotopia book-and incidentally, it’s the first one I ever read. That probably helped it become my favorite. . The two main characters are Janet, a Hatchery girl, and Zephyr, a Dryosaurus. Another really major one is a hadrosaur named Kranog, but she doesn’t come until a little later. . The story opens with Janet playing a game of hide-and-seek with her “nestfriend” Zephyr. Then her mom comes in and says that Janet could become a Hatchery assistant! Janet’s so excited; she bumps right into Zephyr on the way out-oops! Unfortuately, when Janet has her first night watch, she falls asleep on duty! Ashamed, she runs away-with Zephyr, of course. Fortunately, she runs into a kind woman named Sada, who persuades Janet to go back. But before Janet can even get on the road, she runs into Kranog, an injured hadrosaur! Oh and by the way, she has an egg on the way!! . Before ya can say “Uh……you’d better stay here……” Zephyr’s off for help and Janet and Kranog are heading for Kranog’s old home-a ruined Hatchery that’s conveniently situated right next to an active volcano!! . Finally Kranog settles down and lays her egg. Next thing you know, Janet’s sent off with two missions-to get Kranog’s egg to safety and to find help for Kranog herself. Janet sets off to find help. Along the way, she meets Azure and Orissa, two Oviraptors-in Dinotopian terms, Ovinutrux. One, Azure, promises to go assist Kranog. The other, Orissa, goes to find help for both dinosaurs. Meanwhile the two point out the way to safety. After going a way, she meets Anthaxan, a Archeaopterx and poetess extraordinaire. The odd-looking dino points out the way to Waterfall City and promises to write plenty of poems about her. . Finally Janet and the egg, after a little assistance from a trio of Euoplocephalus, reach Waterfall City, and Janet is reunited with Zephyr and her parents. Next chapter, she’s back at the Hatchery, and is on watch when Kranog’s egg starts to hatch! A little while later it hatches into a very cute little hadrosaur named Gonmen. . I’m sure we all know what it’s time for! Presenting- . WHAT’S GOOD AND WHAT’S NOT!! . WHAT’S GOOD- . If you’ve read Dinotopia books before, you probably recognized at least one character-Sylvia, the Skybax rider. This, by the way, also confirms that this is the same Hatchery as in the original Dinotopia book! I like it when a series of different-but-similar stories have at least a few characters in common-even when they’re not especially major. . AND WHAT”S NOT- . If you’ve never read a Dinotopia book before you may be a little confused about the whole Ovinraptor-Ovinutrix thing. I was until I read the original-which you really ought to start with, anyway. . All in all this was a awesome book for Dinotopia fans and dino lovers who are a little tired of just having nonfiction-and non-story-books to read. Check it out!

DETECTIVES IN TOGAS by Henry Winterfeld

This is a very unique mystery, I’m tellin’ ya! Technically, it’s historical fiction, but a better title would be historical mystery! Far out-or long ago, I should say-it’s set in Ancient Rome!! . The stars of the book are six boys named Caius, Rufus, Antonius, Muicus, Flavius, Pubilus, and Julius. They’re the students of a highly esteemed teacher, Xantippus. One day, after a feud between Caius and Rufus, writing is discovered on a nearby temple! Graffiti on a temple is not taken lightly in Ancient Rome, unfortunately for Rufus, who is suspected to have committed the crime. The rest of his class is positive that he did not. To prove it, they enlist the help of Scribonus, an expert on handwriting.

. Unfortunately, Scribonus says the handwriting’s Rufus’s! Nuts! Before you can say, “IT’S NOT RUFUS, YOU CRAZY PEOPLE!!!!!” Rufus is carted off to prison, and if his classmates can’t prove him innocent he’ll be sent to a prison ship-practically a death ruling! The boys quickly set to work. With a little help from Xantippus, they’re soon piecing together the pieces of the puzzle. After Mucius is trapped in Lukos’s-a local soothsayer-shop and escapes via the local baths, they’re soon positive that Rufus couldn’t have done it-he was trapped in the baths all night!

. But there’s still one problem-if Rufus didn’t do it, who did? The class heads to good ol’ Lukos to ask. But before you can say, “Lukos is NOT what he seems!” the class is trapped with a locked door and a (supposedly) dead Lukos. The up side is, the boys get a lotta time to puzzle this out! Eventually they figure out that Lukos is a fake! The real culprit is a rich powerful guy named Tellus! He’s the one who wrote the graffiti! He’s the one who’s been masquerading as Lukos the entire time! He’s the one who has a extremely lousy sense of timing!!!!!! Finally, Rufus is released, and everything goes back to normal-but ONLY after good ol’ Xantippus finally cracks a smile!!!! . And now it’s time for- . WHAT’S GOOD AND WHAT’S NOT! . WHAT’S GOOD- . It’s extremely rare to find such a well-written historical mystery! You could almost think it’s a modern mystery, except that, for example, they use a wax tablet and a stylus instead of paper and pencil. Also, it’s a great change of pace from the same ol’ Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books. Now I’m not a great fan of mysteries, but I liked this one-and it’s quite unique, so who couldn’t? . AND WHAT’S NOT- . I think the less-used boys-Publius, Julius, and Flavius-could’ve been more used-I believe in using all your main characters equally. . This is a very good read-and it’s educational, too, as there are some Greek words and other history facts cleverly mixed in. Not to be missed by all you mystery lovers, I’m tellin’ ya!!!