Loki's Wolves

Loki's Wolves

by K. L. Armstrong & M. A. Marr

      The runes have spoken. We have our champion. . . Matthew Thorsen.

      Matt hears the words, but he can't believe them. He's Thor's representative? Destined to fight trolls, monstrous wolves, and giant serpents. . . or the end of the world? He's only thirteen.

     Although Matt has known he is a modern-day descendant go Thor, he's always lived a normal kid's life. In fact, most people in the small town of Blackwell, South Dakota, are direct descendants of either Thor or Loki, including Matt's classmates Fen and Laurie Brekke. No big deal.

     But now the end of the world is coming, and it's up to the champions to fight in the place of the long-dead gods. Matt's, Laurie's and Fen's lives will never be the same as they race to put together unstoppable team, find Thor's Hammer and shield, and prevent the world from ending.*

      I found this series when my friend, Allison, had just introduced my to the Marvel cinematic universe and I had really loved the movie Thor. I found a couple of novels about Norse mythology, but this was by far my favorite. 

      I've read a lot of books about how heroes go and stop the world from ending and they can get a little cliche, but this story was refreshingly original. The authors filled this adventure with "larger-than-life legends, gripping battles, and an engaging cast of characters who bring myths to life."

     I loved this entire series and would recommend it highly. 

* From the dust jacket

    P.S. I would not recommend reading other K. L. Armstrong.  They are blatantly inappropriate. 

The McNifficents

The McNifficents

by Amy Makechnie

not published

    At my grandmother's house in Arizona, my aunt had me read the manuscript of the book she had written.

   The McNifficents is about a the McNiffs and their dog, Tenny. This story reminded me a little of the beginning of the Disney movie 'Peter Pan', with the dog as the nurse. This story is fun and a light read, however that does not mean it is not written superbly. The story has twists and turns and like every story it has a very suspenseful climate.

    I really liked the character interaction and how real everything seemed to be. The family acted as a real family would. They had the same fights and they shared the same love that is in my home.

    I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend everyone read it when it gets published.

 

Seaborne: The Lost Prince

The Lost Prince

by Matt Myklusch

    When thirteen-year-old Dean Seaborne runs afoul of the Pirate King, he is given one last chance to redeem himself before he gets thrown to the sharks. His mission? Find and steal the treasure of Zenhala, a mysterious island where gold grows on trees. 

    Dean infiltrates the island posing as its legendary lost prince, but the longer he stays in Zenhala, the more he questions his mission - and himself. Forced to undergo intense and fantastical trials to prove his royal lineage, Dean can't help but wonder if he really is the lost prince he's pretending to be. But with sea serpents, assassins, and danger on all sides, he might not live long enough to find out.*

    This was an amazing book. Very well thought out and well written. It was funny and exciting and scary all at the same time. I was often tempted to skip ahead to make sure Dean make it out of several scrapes.

    I would highly recommend this book. I found myself being able to connect to the characters and understand why they made the decisions they did. There was a twist at the end that was unexpected and that what I like to look for in a book.

* From the dust jacket

The Hypnotists

The Hypnotist

by: Gordon Korman

    "Is it a gift . . . or is it a curse? Jax Opus can use his color-changing eyes to make people do things they don't want to do. (Only his color-blind best friend, Tommy, seems immune.) At first, Jax doesn't know what he's doing - temporarily hypnotizing friends, foes, and strangers. But then his power pushes things way too far, and his secret isn't a secret any longer.

    Soon Jax finds himself meeting Dr. Elias Mako, who want him to join a special institution that will teach him how to use his powers. But what will his powers be used for? That's the big question for Jax as his hypnotic abilities draw him into a conspiracy that will have him racing against time and a mysterious mastermind to save his best friend, his parents, and the entire United States."

    This book is one of my favorites. It was very well written and I really enjoyed it. The Hypnotists was fast paced, but not so much that you couldn't tell what was going on. You could tell this book was well thought out and feel put together.

The Accidental Hero

The Accidental Hero

by: Matt Myklusch

for both genders

ages 7 + up

     All Jack Blank knows is his bleak, dreary life at St. Barnaby's Home for the Hopeless, Abandoned, Forgotten, and Lost, an orphanage that sinks more and more into the swampland of New Jersey with each passing year. His aptitude tests project him as spending a long, unhappy career as a toilet brush cleaner. His only chance at escape comes through the comic books donated years ago to the orphanage that he secretly reads in the dark corners of the library. 

     Everything changes one icy gray morning when Jack receives two visitors that alter his life forever. The first is a deadly robot straight out of one of his comic books that tries its best to blow him up. The second is an emissary from a secret country called the Imagine Nation, an astonishing place where all the fantastic and unbelievable things in our world originate - including Jack. Jack soon discovers that he has an amazing ability--one that could make him the savior of the Imagine Nation and the world beyond, or the biggest threat they've ever faced.*

    This series was amazing. It was one of my favorites and I greatly recommend it. There is lot's of action, but not so it's overwhelming and it has an amazing story, with a killer plot twist.

* From the dust jacket

Virals

Virals

by: Kathy and Brendan Reichs

     Tory Brennan, niece of acclaimed forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan (of the Bones novels and hit TV show), is the leader of a ragtag band of teenage “sci-philes” who live on a secluded island off the coast of South Carolina. When the group rescues a dog caged for medical testing on a nearby island, they are exposed to an experimental strain of canine parvovirus that changes their lives forever.
     As the friends discover their heightened senses and animal-quick reflexes, they must combine their scientific curiosity with their newfound physical gifts to solve a cold-case murder that has suddenly become very hot-if they can stay alive long enough to catch the killer’s scent.
     Fortunately, they are now more than friends- they’re a pack. They are Virals.*

     Virals was actually one of my favorites. It was very well written and all the books in the series had a plot twist you never expected. It was very exciting and action packed.

* From Kathy Reichs (kathyreichs.com )

Mistborn

Mistborn: The Final Empire

by: Brandon Sanderson

Lately I have been reading a lot of Brandon Sanderson's books and the Mistborn trilogy has quickly become one of my favorite books. I would not recommend younger children reading this series because it is very complex and goes into politics a little which younger kids will have trouble following.

     What if the hero of prophecy fails? What kind of world results when the Dark Lord is in charge?
     For a thousand years the ash fell and no flowers bloomed. For a thousand years the Skaa slaved in misery and lived in fear. For a thousand years the Lord Ruler, the "Sliver of Infinity," reigned with absolute power and ultimate terror, divinely invincible. Then, when hope was so long lost that not even its memory remained, a terribly scarred, heart-broken half-Skaa rediscovered it in the depths of the Lord Ruler's most hellish prison. Kelsier "snapped" and found in himself the powers of a Mistborn. A brilliant thief and natural leader, he turned his talents to the ultimate caper, with the Lord Ruler himself as the mark.
     Kelsier recruited the underworld's elite, the smartest and most trustworthy allomancers, each of whom shares one of his many powers, and all of whom relish a high-stakes challenge. Only then does he reveal his ultimate dream, not just the greatest heist in history, but the downfall of the divine despot.
     But even with the best criminal crew ever assembled, Kel's plan looks more like the ultimate long shot, until luck brings a ragged girl named Vin into his life. Like him, she's a half-Skaa orphan, but she's lived a much harsher life. Vin has learned to expect betrayal from everyone she meets, and gotten it. She will have to learn to trust, if Kel is to help her master powers of which she never dreamed.*

     I really did like this series. It was so different then anything I have ever read before and it was so, much better then everything. Bad wording but I can't think of any other way I could put it. It's very complex and very engaging. 

* From the dust jacket