Geo Librarian

ENOLA HOLMES, The Graphic Novels, Book One based on the novels by Nancy Springer, by Serena Blasco Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2022 ISBN: 978-1-5248-7132-1 Source: publisher for review (Thanks!) Ages 9-14 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK A graphic novel adaptation of the hit books that inspired the Netflix film! Sherlock Holmes’ brilliant, strong-willed younger sister takes center stage in this delightfully drawn graphic novel based on Nancy Springer’s bestselling mystery series. 14-year-old Enola Holmes wakes on her birthday to discover that her mother has disappeared from the family's country manor, leaving only a collection of flowers and a coded message book. With Sherlock and Mycroft determined to ship her off to a boarding school, Enola escapes, displaying a cleverness that even impresses the elder Holmes. But nothing prepares her for what lies ahead… Book One in the series includes ...

A TASTE FOR MONSTERS by Matthew J. Kirby Scholastic Press, 2016 ISBN: 978-0-545-81784-4 Source: purchased Ages 12 and up YA Speculative Fiction (Historical fantasy) All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Fear the living more than the dead. It’s London 1888, and Jack the Ripper is terrorizing the people of the city. Evelyn, a young woman disfigured by her dangerous work in a matchstick factory, who has nowhere to go, does not know what to make of her new position as a maid to the Elephant Man in the London Hospital. Evelyn wants to be locked away from the world, like he is, shut in from the filth and dangers of the streets. But in Joseph Merrick, the Elephant Man, she finds a gentle kindred who does not recoil from her and who understands her pain. When the murders begin, however, Joseph and Evelyn are haunted nightly by the ghosts of the Ripper’s dead, setting Evelyn on a path to facing her fears and uncovering humanity’s worst nightmares. RE...

STALKING JACK THE RIPPER by Kerri Maniscalco Jimmy Patterson Books, 2016 ISBN: 978-0-316-27349-7 YA Historical Mystery Ages 14 and up Source: purchased All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord's daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life. Against her stern father's wishes and society's expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle's laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world. REVIEW Jack the Ripper is of course a well-known serial killer, but one who to this day remains a mystery in terms of who he was and why he did what he did.  That makes his story pe...

THE LAST MESSENGER OF ZITOL by Chelsea Dyreng Sweetwater Books, 2016 ISBN: 978-1-4621-1896-0 YA Fiction Source: publisher for review All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK When Rishi is kidnapped and taken to Zitól, she faces an unthinkable future: she is to be sacrificed to appease the gods. To survive in this place, where greed, lust, and fear eclipse compassion, Rishi befriends the selfish and ignorant king, only to discover that he may not have the power to save her after all. REVIEW I found The Last Messenger of Zitol  a compelling read from the very first page, where Nadal, the king of Zital begins the story.  I found it rather interesting that the selfish, ignorant king is the one telling the story, but since he's clearly telling the story after the fact it created interest for me rather than confusion.  It gave the story added dimension by allowing the reader to really see and feel the changes that Nadal undergoes.  Rish...

On November 4th , HarperCollins unveils Forbidden , a seductive YA debut from award-winning middle grade author Kimberley Griffiths Little. Forbidden transports readers back in time to the deadly deserts and sweltering heat of Ancient Mesopotamia for a tale of danger, duty, and forbidden love. Jayden is on the brink of womanhood and betrothed to her tribe’s prince, cold-hearted Horeb. But when tragedy strikes, Jayden meets Kadesh, a mysterious visitor from the south who makes Jayden doubt everything she knows. Torn between loyalty to her tribe and the chance to escape her fate, Jayden must make a choice that will change her life forever. Kimberley is also offering a HUGE preorder giveaway from October 6th to November 4th (release day!) to celebrate. See below for full details on how to enter.     TO ENTER: You  must  preorder Forbidden through an online retailer or your local bookstore, then email a photo of your receipt to forbiddengiveaway@gma...

PRISONER B-3087 by Alan Gratz Scholastic Press, 2013 ISBN: 978-0-545-45901-3 Middle Grade Historical Fiction Grades 5 and up Reviewed from copy borrowed from public library. All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Survive. At any cost. 10 concentration camps. 10 different places where you are starved, tortured, and worked mercilessly. It's something no one could imagine surviving. But it is what Yanek Gruener has to face. As a Jewish boy in 1930s Poland, Yanek is at the mercy of the Nazis who have taken over. Everything he has, and everyone he loves, have been snatched brutally from him. And then Yanek himself is taken prisoner -- his arm tattooed with the words PRISONER B-3087. He is forced from one nightmarish concentration camp to another, as World War II rages all around him. He encounters evil he could have never imagined, but also sees surprising glimpses of hope amid the horror. He just barely escapes death, only to confront it again secon...

WELCOME to the Spirals Blog Tour. This is a wonderful historical fiction series. I hope you enjoy the post! SPIRALS by Ruby Standing Deer Evolved Publishing, 2012   YA/Adult Historical Fiction Grades 8 and up e-ARC provided by author for blog tour ABOUT THE BOOK A Holy Man, who lives in both this world and the Spirit world, waits hidden in a cave in the canyons, as a newly made woman runs toward him. She flees her would-be suitor, who wants from her more than she can give. The Holy Man and his constant companions, a colony of mice, accept the woman within the cave. She worries that he may be crazy, but given her fear of the man who desires her, maybe crazy is not so bad. In this sequel to Ruby Standing Deer’s first novel, Circles, the main character of Shining Light is now grown and with family. He dreams of the woman and the Holy Man in the canyons, and knows that, after four seasons of calm and peace in the Forest of Trees, he must go to them. He see...

THE BRIDGE by Stan Crader Wheatmark, 2007 ISBN: 978-1-58736-908-7 YA/Adult Historical Fiction Grades 8 and up Complimentary copy received in return for honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BRIDGE Tommy Thompson recalls with vivid detail the summer of 1967, when he was twelve years old and living in a small town in rural America. At that time in his life, all he wanted was a Honda motorbike, and he believed the smartest person in the world was his Uncle Cletus. The Bridge follows Tommy’s summer-long quest for the Honda and his love, Wendy, whom he pursues with the comical romanticism of a young boy. During the course of the summer Tommy helps his best friend, Booger, cope with family tragedy. He is terrorized by Clyde Goodpasture, the biggest bully in the sixth grade, and the town of Colby is shaken by news that its hat factory will close. While he isn’t a religious child, Tommy faces these challenges armed with the few Bible verses ...

ATHENA'S SON by Jeryl Schoenbeck Papyrun Publishing, 2011 ISBN: 9780615563121 Grades 4-8 Reviewed from copy provided by author for an honest review. All opinions are solely my own.   In 276 BC, Egyptians are terrified when a series of murders are linked to Anubis, god of the dead. The evidence is inexplicable. The victims' bodies have no wounds and the killer's tracks are enormous animal prints. Egyptians believe the jackal-headed god doesn't want the new lighthouse build. The pharaoh needs someone special to solve the crimes, someone with the skills and intellect to track down a vengeful god. Twelve-year-old Archimedes is that person. He is blessed by Athena, goddess of wisdom and war, with extensive knowledge of science, mechanics, and medicine. He has to tread carefully when he applies the cold logic of Greek science in a sultry, mystical world of Egyptian culture. But when an ancient scroll puts him on the path of the killer, it also brings anoth...

SHADOWLAND: A TALE FROM THE DARK AGES by C.M. Gray Amazon Kindle, 2012 ISBN:  1471706397 Copy received from Tourz de Codex for blog tour. All opinions expressed here are my own. Book Synopsis: ‘I have lived more years than I can remember, probably more than the sum of all your years combined. Kings have called me friend and brigands have sworn to burn the flesh from my bones even if they have to search all seven halls of the shadowland to find me.’ On the night of midwinter’s eve, a storyteller takes his listeners back to the Dark ages and a tale from his youth. Deserted by its Roman masters, Britain has been invaded by the Saxons at the invitation of Vortigern, traitorous leader of the Britons. Now, as the tribes unite to reclaim their land, one man must rise to lead them and become their true and only king.     Review: Usher Vance and his best friend, Calvador, return to their village from an afternoon swim only to be trapped in a tree by a pack ...