Geo Librarian

I SURVIVED: The Battle of Gettysburg, 1863 by Lauren Tarshis Scholastic, 2013 ISBN: 978-0-545-45936-5 Historical Fiction Grades 2-5 Reviewed from purchased copy. ABOUT THE BOOK The bloodiest battle in American history is under way . . . It's 1863, and Thomas and his little sister, Birdie, have fled the farm where they were born and raised as slaves. Following the North Star, looking for freedom, they soon cross paths with a Union soldier. Everything changes: Corporal Henry Green brings Thomas and Birdie back to his regiment, and suddenly it feels like they've found a new home. Best of all, they don't have to find their way north alone-they're marching with the army. But then orders come through: The men are called to battle in Pennsylvania. Thomas has made it so far . . . but does he have what it takes to survive Gettysburg? REVIEW Something as complicated as war can be very difficult to write about, especially for a young audience.  Tars...

PAYING PIPER, or WHAT HAPPENED IN HAMELIN TOWN by Ilana Waters Kindle Edition, 2013 Appropriate for all ages Free on Amazon ABOUT THE BOOK The people of Hamelin have a problem with rats. There are rats in their houses, their stores—even swimming in their stew! The rats don’t think they’re a problem. They just want to live their lives in peace. With the town’s approval, the mayor thinks of a clever way to solve the problem. He offers twenty gold pieces to a piper to rid the town of rats. He delivers only five. But he’s cheated the wrong piper, who’ll have to use both skill and wit to teach this town a lesson. Because there’s more than money at stake. An evil pattern is emerging in the way Hamelin treats any creature it considers inferior. And the Piper vows to put an end to it—once and for all. Think you know everything about this classic folktale of greed and cunning? In “Paying Piper,” you’ll learn what really happened the day a magical musician came to Hame...

Tour Schedule   THE BUTTERSMITHS' GOLD by Adam Glendon Sidwell BATTLES.BLUEBERRIES. BOVINES. TORBJORN AND STORFJELL’S HISTORY UNFOLDS IN AN EPIC EVERTASTER NOVELLA. Everyone knows the most coveted treasure of the Viking Age was blueberry muffins.Blueberry muffins so succulent that if you sniffed just a whiff, you'd want a whole bite. If you bit a bite, you'd want a batch; if you snatched a batch, you'd stop at nothing short of going to war just to claim them all. Young TorbjornTrofastsonn comes from the clan that makes them. He's a Viking through and through – he's thirteen winters old, larger than most respectable rocks, and most of all, a Buttersmith. That's what he thinks anyway, until a charismatic merchant makes Torbjorn question his place among the muffin-makers. When Torbjorn lets the secret of his clan's muffin recipe slip, he calls doom and destruction down upon his peaceful village and forces his brother Storfjell and hi...

THE EMERALD RING DenaBooksforKids THE BARFTASTIC LIFE of LOUIE BURGER Georgia Hatheway Beckman

THE MAGICIAN'S TOWER Oona Crate Mystery #2 Egmont, 2013 ISBN; 978-1-60684-425-0 Middle Grade Fantasy Grades 3-6 Review copy provided by publisher in return for honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Despite her extraordinary magical abilities and sleuthing skills, Oona Crate’s detective agency has failed to take off. But a new challenge captures her attention—The Magician’s Tower Contest. Held every five years, no one has ever completed the array of dangerous tasks (such as racing on flying carpets or defeating a horde of angry apes). As the competition commences, a case emerges. A rare punchbowl—one with unparalleled magical powers—has disappeared from the carnival surrounding the Magician’s Tower. If Oona can find the culprit, she could use the bowl to answer her question about her mother’s and sister’s tragic deaths so many years ago—was she really at fault? Full of magic, mystery, and fun, THE MAGICIAN’S TOWER ...

LAIR OF THE SERPENT Tombs of Terrors #3 by T. Lynn Adams Sweetwater Books, 2013 ISBN: 978-1-59955-956-8 YA/Adult Thriller Grades 9 and up Review copy provided by publisher in return for honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own. Tour Schedule ABOUT THE BOOK The shock of the assault caught the men off guard, and they struggled to control the American.  They wrestled him to the ground, pinning him there, holding him fast, as Sang stood up from the ground. Cursing in Khmer, Sang pointed the gun at Jonathon’s head and, without hesitating, pulled the trigger. Jonathon can’t wait to surprise Delia for her birthday. With a little help from Delia’s brother, Severino, he plans to visit her in Cambodia where she’s working as a humanitarian volunteer. But Jonathon arrives only to find a panicked Severino—and no Delia. Jonathon and Severino are determined to find Delia before it’s too late—but it might not be that easy. Now, with the or...

  Tour Schedule   Rift Healer Rift Healer is the first installment of the 'Forest Magic' series, a Young Adult Fantasy/Romance set in Central and Western Massachusetts. After a minor earthquake, the enchanted forest in Bidwell, MA, is infested with monster-spewing rifts. Gisele Westerfield's great nephew, the gifted Micah, and his distant cousin, Selena, arrive to assist. Together with Gisele's summer students, twins Haley and Lacey, they will try to heal the magical forest. Much to the consternation of the beautiful Selena, Micah identifies Haley as The One whom he'll share his future. But after witnessing a terrifying display of Micah's Gift, Haley cools to his advances and unexpectedly discovers her own Gift-- she can heal the earth. Monsters, mayhem, and teenage angst follow the small group as they confront evil in the forest and a dangerous prediction that 'one will fall'. Will they heal the rifts in time? Can they save the unicorns? An...

SWEPT UP BY THE SEA A Romantic Fairy Tale by Tracy & Laura Hickman Shadow Mountain, 2013 YA Fantasy Grades 7 and up ARC provided by publisher in return for honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Determined to seek his fortune, Percival Taylor leaves behind his sleepy hometown and sets out to become a legendary pirate only no one at the roguish seaport of Blackshore will allow him anywhere near a ship! Percival must find other means to win the heart of the beautiful Tuppence Magrathia-Paddock, who has mistaken him for a pirate rogue out of one of her romantic tales. She is entirely willing to swoon into his arms if he can prove his buccaneer soul and she is willing to arrange her own kidnapping to prove it. Percival eventually finds himself captain of a broken-down ship, complete with a crew of pirates. ABOUT THE AUTHORS NYT Best-selling fantasy authors Tracy Hickman, with his wife Laura, began their journey across th...